SO... the effed-up economy is finally affecting us here at OUR home... by chrisisall

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

You both have my deepest sympathy. It grieves me that so many are suffering.

We've been hit here at home as well, tho' not nearly as drastically. The City runs the firm Jim works for, a large parking garage in San Francisco. They have decided to charge everyone, admin and union, for their own parking, never been done before. Amounts to $300 per person monthly, which is simply a cut in pay.

The union is fighting it. Admin like Jim aren't union, but because they're a small minority, what the union gets is given to them. So far the unions haven't had any luck fighting it.

Thus far, there's a loophole they've found to minimize it, but that may not last. If it doesn't, Jim is determined to take his motorcycle no matter the weather, because charges for parking motorcycles are far less. This will be a hardship for him in Winter, and scare the hell out of me when big storms hit (not that it doesn't scare me all the time anyway, given he's 72 and the traffic), but he's determined. I'm trying to convince him to take the ferry in storms, but that's not cheap either and means he'd have to walk a mile or more to work from the terminal. I'd rather take the pay cut, but he's also worried how long his job will last, since they're cutting everything in sight, so he's determined.

Businesses in town that have been here since before we came--over 30 years--have closed, and others have moved to smaller locations, then some of THEM have closed. It breaks my heart.

I'm so sorry it's hit you even harder than us; I hope things turn around sooner than "those in the know" think it will. None of us deserved this, and those who deserve it are the ones still living comfortably. It sucks.

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
They have decided to charge everyone, admin and union, for their own parking, never been done before. Amounts to $300 per person monthly, which is simply a cut in pay.

Your Jim sounds like a Kirk-type! I've ridden my motorcycle in snow, and it's not much fun, though it can be done with talent.
If he DOES do it, insist on shin guards & a plated jacket, at least! Saved my a*s on a dark & stormy night once (but not my windshield).

Ever since 9-11, I knew we were heading for an economic fall, that's why we didn't go for "the big home" back in 2001; we got a modest little condo instead.

It's a new age. But we humans are adaptable- it's in our nature.

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:42 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

HAH! Not a Kirk type at all, trust me. More like a "money" type--he rides his bike to avoid gas and bridge toll, always has.

He might have THOUGHT he was a Kirk type once, got himself a 900 sport. But we went around a corner on the Coast one time to come upon roadwork (which had NO notice on the other side of the curve!)...he almost landed in a gully. Funniest memory, him kind of standing up on his bike as it slid, looking back at me and mouthing "I'm okay!" We turned around and rode home slowly after that, and he ditched the motorcycle the next week, saying it was more than he could handle! Got himself a big 1500 for commuting.

Trust me, neither of what you suggested would be any help at all; his commute is on a five-lane freeway into the City. It's the rush-hour drivers who are the danger! That's why he changed his hours, gets up at 3am so he can come home at 3pm and miss the most insane of them. The only problem he faces is the Bridge, where, trust me, the winds move your bike more than the bike does unless you know how to handle it.

Thank gawd we DON'T have snow!!!

We both ride; me not so much anymore because I don't go out except for marketing and to walk the dogs, neither of which is possible on my bike. I used to have a 550 Honda with fairing and box on the back...I carried as many as four full grocery bags so did my shopping on the bike. Now I just have two small bike bags which don't hold much, dammit. I still go into the City with the bike for appointments if Choey's not going with me, but I miss riding regularly.

We USED to bicycle; cross the Bridge and bike from there to work, which I did adore (even in Winter until I tried to ride through a wave that broke in front of me at Fort Point!). Jim used to ride from HOME to work sometimes, which convinced me he's insane...it was some 15 miles, with a couple of STEEP hills and across the Bridge. I've done it twice; never again!

But we used to love motorcycling the back country, up the Coast, and over in Napa--we've got gorgeous roads nobody uses. Not anymore; Jim's back and my carpal made it less pleasant, tho' I still do when the weather's good occasionally just 'cuz I love it so. We both had Nighthawks for years and I still miss mine, but we got me a 600 Shadow because of the handlebar placement to minimize the carpal.

I've ridden since I was 17; Jim even younger. I started on a little ladie's 90, riding back trails even tho' they're not geared for it! I've never dropped my bike except a couple of times in parking lots, which is VERY embarrassing, because I have to look at other riders to help me pick it up. I'm determined to ride until I can't get my leg over the seat anymore, just as I'm determined to sleep in the Outback until I can't hobble out there! Some things are worth fighting for and enduring some discomfort to avoid giving up!

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:46 AM

You are a peach, Niki!

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 9:39 AM

LITTLEBIRD

Sorry to hear about your wife's vaporized job, Chris.

My son has been out of work for over a year now. He survives by couch surfing and food stamps. He'll get a part time gig from time to time but a full time job with benefits seems to be a thing of the past.

A girlfriend of mine has also been out of work for months now. She is surviving on student loans, selling art work from time to time, and help from friends when they can. She has a van she has outfitted with a small sleeping area that she lives out of during the warmer months.

My husband's software business has seen a big decrease over the past year. He has always given his product away free to students and the unemployed even before the crash, but since it happened the orders for the freebies have increased dramatically while the paying orders have steadily decreased. Now we are at the point where we have to accept help from a friend from time to time to make ends meet.

I still consider us lucky because we have a roof over our heads and food on the table. (so far)

Part of me is excited for the changes that will need to come to balance things out, but I know it will be hard. But yes, humans are adaptable and I'm sure some of us will make it through this. I just hope we can do it better next time. It should be interesting.

My brother just recently sold his car and is driving a little moped thing around now. He takes the bus to work though.

I am feeling an increasing need to get us as healthy as we possibly can be to prepare for the changes that may be coming, so I've got us on some pretty dramatic diet and exercise changes. I might start taking Tai Chi again if I can get over my crippling fear of being around other people in RL. That's got to change. But humans are so scary...

second only to cats. :)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:11 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Mmmm, more like a prune I think

Or an artichoke (which I live on in season, as I am right now; big, huge puppies, a meal unto themselves!)--prickly on the outside, soft on the inside, with a big delicious heart (but only if steamed long enough...)

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Littlebird:

Part of me is excited for the changes that will need to come to balance things out, but I know it will be hard. But yes, humans are adaptable and I'm sure some of us will make it through this. I just hope we can do it better next time. It should be interesting.

Yes, an old Chinese curse...

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:13 PM

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Crap, Chris - I'm so sorry to hear that! What can I do to help?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Crap, Chris - I'm so sorry to hear that! What can I do to help?

Just BUY stuff, yanno? Help set this economy ON FIRE again, like it wuz under Bush!!!
Or- wuz it the twin towers & then Iraq on fire-?

Whatever.

Seriously, survivors here. Thanks for the concern.
Now, where can I get a used Firefly?

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:52 PM

I dunno, but if you find one, can I be on your crew?

I'll bring grenades!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

I'll bring grenades!

We'll be robbing places, not occupyin' 'em!!

Just the two arms Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:57 PM

Sure would be nice to have some GRENADES though, don'chya think?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:01 PM

Faster would be better!

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:07 PM

OUT2THEBLACK

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
...Just BUY stuff, yanno? Help set this economy ON FIRE again, like it wuz under Bush!!!
Or- wuz it the twin towers & then Iraq on fire-?

Whatever.

Would it help if we set a Bush on fire ?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by out2theblack:

Would it help if we set a Bush on fire ?

I do not condone violence in any way.
Peace, bro.

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by out2theblack:
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
...Just BUY stuff, yanno? Help set this economy ON FIRE again, like it wuz under Bush!!!
Or- wuz it the twin towers & then Iraq on fire-?

Whatever.

Would it help if we set a Bush on fire ?

It just might. Couldn't hurt.

Oh, uh, I mean... I don't condone violence.

But if you'd like to set a Bush on fire, I'll warm my hands and be grateful for the heat.

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:19 PM

You so bad.

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:34 PM

Well Niki, there's always a Trike, if you can find one - an older model Goldwing Trike is easy enough to operate, just make sure to re-learn everything cause they "drive" so very, very differently not doin that can get you killed.

Oh, and Littlebird ?
Depending on your definition of "Moped" (cause it's prolly technically a scooter) you might be in luck as far as saving on repair and parts costs, cause I also happen to be one of the finest crack brained wizards of the small engine community, and can walk even a chimpanzee through everything down to a full transmission rebuild.

Here's my old ride - I broke the rear axle on tha Pryer rear end a while back, and those were very rare antiques when I first built it, so no chance of replacing it, alas, so I have it back to the original configuration, and yes, that *IS* a cupholder, heh.

It's Tomos sprint with a Pryer Trike rear, 27over sprocket, Airsal 70cc HEMI cylinder, overjetted carb, custom airfilter, Biturbo performance exhaust, oil injected (no pre mix, just regular gas with an oil tank under the seat) you name it - this sucker was custom built right down to the sylvania H646 car headlight cause moped headlights suck.

I also got a Puch Maxi which, while it *LOOKS* like something hauled out of the back of someones barn, can clear 58mph when you max it out in second gear.

So yah, when it comes to this stuff, we're talkin mad scientist level here, hee hee hee.

-F

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 3:39 PM

Cool! Good on gas too, I'll bet.

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:03 PM

Depending on configuration up to 82MPG, yes.
(rigged for power it was more like 53MPG though)

-F

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:08 PM

You gas guzzler!!!

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:52 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

A TRIKE?!

You must be kidding!!

I'm a proud motorcycle rider for 44 years, and you want to put me on a bloody TRICYCLE?!? Never in a million years!

I had to deal with nearly being run off the road when I was younger by guys (usually in big pickup trucks) who didn't think a woman should be on the FRONT of a motorcycle. Now there are tons of 'em...I ain't movin' back in time!

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
A TRIKE?! You must be kidding!!

It's practical vehicle that'll haul more than someone's a*s is all.

The laughing Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 8:49 AM

LITTLEBIRD

Frem: Something like that might actually work for me. I've played around on the trike/bike before and just loved it. I like the stability and practicality of it. Would it require a special license to operate and what are we looking at as far as price?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 9:12 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Not practical. Can't take it on the freeway, betcha, so I'd either have to buy it ALONG WITH my motorcycle, or use the car on the freeway.

There are lots more scooters and things like this showing up the past few years, which I think is great, conservation/environment-wise. But I only take the car when I have a bunch of errands to run at once, so I'm being environmentally conscious enough for ME. Talk to the guys with the huge pickup trucks with oversized tires who've never hauled anything in their lives, and the ATVs which tear up the land, and multi-story buildings who leave all their lights on at night, and people who don't recycle at all, and single-passenger commuter cars and and and and...

I'm doing my bit already, don't talk to me about taking my motorcycle away! So THERE!

"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 10:39 AM

Well, the little one was just for around-town errands, and I kept it just barely within the specs to class it as a "moped", which takes nothing more than a $15 sticker on the back fender which is good for three years, and you can operate em here in MI with any license whatever - and if you have no license, you can get a special moped operators permit for another couple bucks just on passing a law test.

TECHNICALLY it'll do 30-33mph, but it is overbuilt so you don't strain the engine, in a pinch if you really went for it you could squeeze about 5-8mph more of out of it but that's kinda pointless for it's purpose - it also can handle *any* amount of snow or ice, it floats on top cause of low ground pressure, and can be equipped with brass tire chains which make it all but invincible even on black ice.

And the ride is pretty good, the first one I owned was a hardtail with a spring loaded seat, which was a little rougher than I liked, so I put heavy performance shocks on that bastard, directly bolted, as you can see just forward of the cargo box.

*IF* I were to get my hands on a Pryer Trike rear end that still worked, I could prolly do you up with one for under a grand.

Now for YOU, Niki, I was talkin something more like this...

Serious Trikeage, highway and long range compatible, and depending on the model, a rather amazing level of creature comforts - did I mention they're automatic so lazy bastards like me don't have to mess with gears ?

Those DO need a cycle license though.

So do scooters, my Ex has this HUGE freakin Roketa, this monster is slightly bigger even than a Honda Helix, and it's powered by this evil 257cc Chinese clone of a Linhai-Suzuki motor, which I went over with a full quality check and maintainence before I even let her sit on the beast - the electronics are shit though, that damn alarm is freaky, twitchy, and prone to glitching, and hates me personally, I think.

I ain't kiddin about how big it is, look at it in comparison to the car!

And this is NOT a small guy riding it, and you can see it's a little big for HIM - Mikey here wouldn't have a prob riding that beast, but I am physically TOO SMALL to operate the stupid thing safely, much to her amusement cause damned if either one of us will EVER ride on the back, since we got control issues enough in a CAR when the other one is driving!

Anyhows, you want know-how about Mopeds & Scooters, you got the motherlode here, just tell me the price range and the specs.

Yes, on this topic I am sort of a mad scientist - although there's one madder, and that's DSD, who has a wonderfully informative Youtube channel here.
youtube.com/ profile?user=DIOSpeedDemon

*cackle*

-Frem

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 12:50 PM

LITTLEBIRD

Ok,thank's Frem. I'm gonna have to give this a little more thought before I make my final decision. Lot's to consider.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 1:28 PM

Hmmm... After my big bike wreck, nobody in my family would ever sleep another night if I got my hands on a bike again. Which I can totally understand, because I tend more towards the sportbike end of things, rather than the cruisers. Way back then, my "dream bike" was a Honda CBX - a 1000cc early sportbike with an inline 6-cylinder engine, 4 valves per cylinder, 6 carbs, and a solid 100 hp. I always heard it was a great engine, but pure hell to work on, which sounds about right...

I can see a trike for anyone who's mobility-impaired in any way, though. And I like the idea of some of the trikes coming out with the dual front wheels. Seems like they might be more stable that way.

I'm pretty sure Frem hates the Piaggio for its technical complexity and overengineering (if memory serves), but I still kinda like 'em. Or at least the idea and looks of 'em. I've never worked on one, so couldn't say how much of a PITA (pain in the ass) it is.

Sorry, but I think the Can-Am Spyder is tres cool. Call me weird.

Mike

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Thursday, April 29, 2010 1:59 PM