after only my second attempt.....I passed!!

Full disclosure: I almost failed again. That test is hard, people! But it's not even that it's hard, it's that the questions are all double speak and stuff and really confusing. But hey, i'd rather be over prepared for this experience then get out there and not know what to do when a dog approaches my bike. (No, you don't kick it away and scream like a little girl--although I'm pretty sure that was one of the multiple choice answers!!)

But the point is, if you are reading this, you are now reading the blog of one indie musician who has made the (a) insane (b) awesome (you choose!) choice to get a motorcycle and learn how to ride it rather than buying health insurance for my 32nd birthday. woohoo! And the State of Maryland has officially licensed me to learn.

I looked at bikes on Thursday night and have settled on one I like and that's big enough to make long trips on and small enough, (certainlly smaller than #1BB's 1100cc) to really learn what I'm doing. Of course, this is a ridiculous thing to do. But so is living in this country.

Now, onto some music news. Saturday's HONfest 2007 in Baltimore was a blast! We had a great crowd response and I sold some cds and made some new fans. Doo Da Lang (Darin Lang=drummer), Loosh (Lucien Walsh=bass) and 3KPK (Pat Kisicki=lead guitar) kicked butt as my band and I was proud to share the stage and present our music to the peeps.

However, #1BB was accosted at the sound booth by a roving Hampden-ite who said something to the effect of "ellen cherry's music is so good, it makes me dance like this." and then, she grinned with her 2 remaining teeth and gave a few good pelvic thrusts in his direction. Ah, I love HONfest.

Also, I finally figured out how to add other blogs to my blog. Success! I'm only now 5 years behind the curve in all this stuff!

for awhile now, i have been a passenger on the back of #1BB's Yamaha V-Star Classic (not pictured.) I have loved being a passenger. I remember the first time I rode on the back of a motorcycle and how open the road felt. Everything was accessible and seemed closer to me. Other cyclists had told me this before: that you notice more, that you are moving through the world in a way that's closer to it. Suddenly, being a passenger in a car seemed so closed off from everything. I couldn't hear the birds. (I was surprised to find that on the back of a bike, I could hear birds chirping!)

Recently, I've read a bunch of books having to do with long motorcycle rides and I got it into my head that I wanted to get my Class M license and get my own bike and learn to ride before my 32nd birthday (which is coming up fast!) So, I decided in April to enroll in the Maryland MVA Basic Rider Course ($175 for the 17 hour class) that would get me started on a bike and at the end of which, I could get my license and be ready for the road. I didn't get into the May or June classes and so last week, I applied again and got assigned to the one weekend in July when I have late night gigs and cannot make the classes. Dealing with the MVA is never an easy task. Is it laziness or lack of funding that makes these people continue to resist technology and logic that could make their life easier (and mine)? Anyway, I'm not taking the class. I've decided to take the bike by the handle bars and use my in house personal tutor and learn the book stuff in the next few days, get my permit and start learning to ride.

In fact, I had my first lesson tonight in the parking lot of the Target in Towson. I was able to guide the 1150cc up and down a long strip of concrete and learn how to get from a dead stop and stay in first gear. I made some excruciatingly slow right and left turns. But after about 45 minutes, I actually was able to lift my feet off the ground and cruise along at a whopping 5 miles per hour. But it was freaking cool and once I got going, I could really feel what the bike was trying to do: go forward.

I dumped the bike once on my left side. I bruised my leg, but I managed to follow my instincts and do the right thing. Get out from under it before it fell and also to hit the kill switch in a reasonable amount of time (it might have been on it's side for about 2 seconds.) This is a massive bike for me to handle and so I'm looking for a smaller one to purchase. (The one pictured above is my favorite in the looks department and also, Ted Simon rode a Triumph. But the seat doesn't look good for long rides.) Anyway, #1BB's bike is too heavy for me. After an hour, my hands and legs were exhausted and it was exacerbating the problem I've been having with my wrists....but no matter--it was thrilling and I can't wait to do it again.