Riding on the Range

Doesn't seem like it's been that long, but I've been riding motorcycles for fifteen years. My husband gave me my first bike, handed me the key and said "get on and ride". Fun! I've had Honda streetbikes and Kawasaki sportbikes, but I really had no idea how to ride correctly. Sure, I knew how to shift and corner and stop and not fall over at a stop light, but safety-wise, I was NOT in control of my destiny.

So I wised up and recently took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course. Several groups provide the classes, but be aware they book quickly. I think the insurance discount is quite the incentive.

I took the class at Kansas City Community College with Dale, Wendy, Bob and Roger. The instructors were great and really knew how to ride! They made it fun and I learned A LOT. Plus, the people in the class came from all backgrounds. Some had never ridden; some, like me, had been riding and had lots of bad habits to overcome. I highly recommend the class and it's follow-up course for more experienced riders.

Thanks to all and can't wait to see on the streets :)

MSF Class Pics

Some pics from my MSF class at KCKCC. And yes, we rode in the rain, not nearly as bad as you might think. Rain gear rocks!

The bikes we rode (I rode the yellow Buell Blast - little bike but boy was it fun!), Instructor Wendy, rain!, two of my fellow classmates Brandon & Brad.

Do's & Don'ts of Love In a Social Networking World

Social Media is a boon and an albatross. Here are some tips on navigating the uncharted waters of relationships from one of my fave mags, Glamour (see the latest issue for the complete list):

1. DON'T change your Facebook relationship status without discussing it first: Make sure your man is on the same page. Along those same lines, change your status back to single only if you've discussed breaking up -- not in response to arguments or as a one-sided breakup strategy.


2. DON'T post your make-out photos: Do everyone a favor and upload them to a private album on a photo-sharing website like Flickr. You'll be glad you did when potential employers go poking around on your MySpace page.


3. DON'T leave a virtual paper trail: Some websites allow you to see who's been checking out your profile. Before you click through his Google search results, make sure you're not leaving any cyber footprints.


4. DON'T drink and text: iPhones and Gmail have programs that disable your texting/e-mailing during peak drinking hours unless you can pass a sobriety test.


5. DON'T use status updates to publicize every stage of your relationship: Dating expert David Wygant adds, "We all know that you are telling your friends everything, but we really don't want the world to know."


6. DON'T Twitter stalk each other: Keep the news about your parking tickets and bad hair days to your loyal Twitter followers -- not your new date. You need to talk about something over those candlelight dinners.