Modern Vespa

Funny, one of my first smart-alec thoughts was "BODGE!!!" Not far off.

Not just today... but more and more every day:

Scooterists riding around with their feet hanging off both sides an inch or two off the ground.

It's as if they are having balance issues and think that having their feet down while at speed will save them if they fall over (instead of breaking their ankles!).

WTF?! How did they get past their first lesson (required here before you can get a license) without their instructor beating them senseless with their own helmets?

Unfortunately I won't get to see what happens as the bloke who built it died and it was sold onto someone to finish it

During a very recent commute to work one morning I had a good number of green lights in a row on Lakeshore Blvd. I was able to ride 3.5 km without stopping. Simply a miracle.

Coming back from the Wisconsin Dells. We saw this....

That is sort of horrifying.

Never thought Paul Bunyan would cut his own legs off.

Yep. I'm out.

Only thing of interest I saw today was an echidna crossing over the highway in broad daylight at lunchtime.

Wasn't that big though!

Those big, fiberglass Paul Bunyan statues used to be a common roadside advertising fixture all across the country 40-50 years ago. Heaven knows how many of them were sold.

They were often re-painted and re-purposed as the businesses changed. One that stood for many years here in Annapolis had the ax removed and replaced with a big automotive muffler to advertise the muffler shop that had moved in.

In fact, they are commonly known as "muffler men".

Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/gnjh4oc

Comprehensive nationwide sightings: http://tinyurl.com/qwa5jy

Typed in our tip and attached a photo for their log. It seemed to be the one from Clinton Wisconsin. Where it's going now, I have no idea. Cool site. Glad we could contribute something.

Northern Arizona University, my alma mater, has two muffler men, holding big-ass axes, as their mascot is the Lumberjack.

There's an old guy who walks backwards and sings opera around here.

Seems harmless enough- he waves and smiles and I wave back and smile. But..... Only walking backwards while singing opera......

Mike

Sounds like a qualifier for the Ministry of Silly Walks.

It wasn't really weird and it's not something I saw, just something interesting and a little funny.

I had an old tool box made to fit in the back of a pickup truck. Ugly but functional. I was never going to use it but it would have been a shame for it to go to the dump so I listed it in the free section of my local craigslist. I got about 20 calls and told four separate people that I would hold it for them for an hour so they could come and get it. No one showed. WTF? I'm trying to do a stranger a favor. I have better things to do than sit around waiting on people. I pulled the ad and relisted in the tools for sale section for $20. Within half an hour it was gone and I had an extra $20 in my pocket.

There is nothing so valuable as something that is valuable to someone else.

VRM people are funny. When i was trying to see the cheap POS SUNL (don't ask) scooter that i bought for $100 i wanted it to go to somebody who could work on it. Hence the $100 (learned my lesson on POS Chinese scooters). People would want to buy it for their GF'S and mothers. No way was i going to sell it if the people couldn't work on it. So people offered me more. Finally sold it to a local FBI guy and told him what to fix. He calls me the next day and wants to bring it back to me because he fixed it and thought he should of paid more. That bike haunted me.

Okay, maybe not so weird, but I'm following this car on my way home, and at some point notice that it's a pretty new Jaguar. The license plate catches my attention- "NVESTMENT." As Jags are as rare as hen's teeth in this town and a bit pricey, I figure he's doing all right in life.

Then, he puts on his left blinker. Into McDonalds for dinner.
Here I'm thinking he's got enough dough to have a personal sushi chef and he's eating dinner at McDonalds. Go figure.

Well, it amused me.

Ran across this, thought it fit this thread perfectly!

http://theworstthingsforsale.com/2016/08/24/a-bucket-of-shit/

Can't afford an MP3? Just build it...

Winds are howling today, so the tumbleweeds are tumblin'. This one's as big as my scooter!

thnk th s f th wrd &qt;sht&qt; n th ttl f ths thrd s rvltng. MH t's ttlly nncssry nd lw clss t bt. Myb dn't wnt my ns rbbd n tht wrd vry tm vst MV. 'm tlkng bt crtsy nd cnsdrtn vrss th lck f sm. s tht hw rghts prsn tlks t ppl h rspcts?

I had a left turner pull in front of me yesterday, they couldn't see my car in the right lane so were surprised seeing me. The woman passenger looked very scared and was preparing for impact even though I had plenty of time to react. The look on her face made me laugh. Wish I could have gotten a pic of that look. Wonder if she SHIT herself?

Apparently yes.

Usually don't like confrontational posts. But, after a couple glasses of my favorite wine, have courage to post. This Icon said it like it was....

"Shit is a powerful word. Just think of all the concepts and ideas you can communicate with it. Shit may just be the most powerful word in the English language.

Consider: You can be shit faced, be shit out of luck, or have shit for brains. With a little effort you can get your shit together, find a place for your shit or decide to shit or get off the pot. You can smoke
shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, and tell others to eat shit and die.

You can shit or go blind, have a shit fit or just shit your life away. People can be shit headed, shit for brains,
shit blinded, shit over or shit on. Some people know their
shit while others don't know the difference between shit and shineola.

There are lucky shits, dumb shits, crazy shits, and sweet shits. There is bull shit, dog shit, cat shit, bird shit, whale shit, rat shit, and horse shit. There is tough shit, hard shit, soft shit, slimy shit, rough shit, limp shit. You can shit a blue streak, shit bricks, shit pink twinkies, shit marbles, or shit
your guts out.

You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, or duck when the shit hits the fan. You can take a shit, give a shit, keep shit or serve shit on a shingle. You can find yourself in deep shit, or be happier than a pig in shit.

Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, and some days are just plain shitty.
There is funny shit and sad shit, bad shit and good shit. Some shit doesn't stink while other things really smell like shit.

Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit. You can be faster than shit or you can be slower than shit. Sometimes you'll find shit on a stick, sometimes you'll find shit everywhere, and then there are times when you can't find shit at all. You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit.

You can carry shit in a bucket, put shit in a barrel, have a pile of shit, have a mountain of shit, have a
river of shit, or find yourself up shit creek without a paddle. You can slice shit, spread shit, dunk shit
or jump shit, and some people just can't cut the shit.

There is fun shit and dull shit, silly shit and serious shit. Sometimes you really need this shit and sometimes you don't want any shit at all. You can stir shit, kick shit or stick your ass out the window and shit on the world. Sometimes
everything you touch turns to shit and other times you swim in a lake of shit and come out smelling like a rose.

Shit! When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the basic building block of creation. This means the universe did not begin with a BIG BANG but rather with a BIG DUMP. Keep that in mind the next time you flush the toilet. And remember, once you know your shit, you don't need to know anything else."

George Carlin

Hmmm, that pretty much sums up this shit.

B

As for not wanting to see revolting things, they are out there, shit happens.

But one can own the feeling revulsion! The thread does not impost revolution on us, we choose to BE revulsed by it. Or not. Could treat it as a test to not feel upset by it but also not look.

Long ago I had this idea (I think it was my idea, but I may have have forgotten that I read it someplace) that wouldn't it be funny if we were each reincarnated as the thing we hate the most. And by that process we would, over many lives, come to love or at least accept rather than hate. Been thinking about this a lot lately.

AMEN to that!

It is used as a descriptive word in a thread. It is not directed at you or anyone else so no need to feel disrespected. Just walk on by if you see something you don't like. Not every thread in this forum is everyone's cup of tea.

Also an acronym:

While your feelings as to what is and isn't offensive are valid (they are your feelings, after all), I hope that you can accept that those feelings are subjective and don't reflect any sort of consensus... at least as far as the MV community is concerned.

With very few (if any) exceptions, there is no objective standard for what will or won't cause offense. One could argue that profanity is like pornography; 'you know it when you see it', and that any profanity detected would be edited by the moderators. But that assumes, incorrectly, that profanity is prohibited here.

It would be one thing if enshrined in MVs list of rules there was a blanket prohibition against profanity. But since the MV rules make no judgement for or against profanity (unless, presumably, it is directed against someone here... or at a Vespa dealer, service center or parts vendor), one would have to assume that the framers of MVs rules of conduct expected that discourse on MV would be self-regulated, much as discourse is in most social settings where consenting adults gather. That is to say that the tone and content of any particular conversation (thread) will vary based on who is participating.

If I were out having a drink with close friends, I would likely be far less circumspect about my language and humor than if, say, a Rabbi, a Priest and a Minister were to walk into the bar (although that, in and of itself, could be the set-up of a different sort of humor).

I've actually been pleasantly surprised at how rarely anyone has to clear their throat here on MV to restore decorum (although I do miss Bitsa's salty contributions in the worst way).

My former brother in law is one of the most erudite, cultured people I know. He is a world-renowned lexicographer and is the author of the excellent book 'The 'F' Word' (a very scholarly look at the history and usage of the well loved 'F-bomb'). I mention it because I learned from him that language is simply how we communicate. The same word in one setting can be offensive, gratuitous and crass... while in another setting can be witty and full of slightly risque snark. No word exists in a vacuum, divorced from context.

I can't tell you not to be offended. As I said at the outset, your feelings are valid. But one has to wonder why you took such exception to this one word when there are multiple photos of Bill Dog in a kilt floating around MV!

Hi Patrick,

We don't even have to wait to be reincarnated. I like Jung's concept of the "shadow" - the parts of ourselves we hate the most. We hide them from ourselves, but become very sensitive to those same attributes in others. The solution is to own and accept them as parts of who we are and as part of just being human.

Hey welcome back Rocket Man or did I miss your return ?

Been fighting some of that nasty white stuff our "friends" up in Canada send down this way every so often. Three hours this morning and just as I was about done another couple inches so now I need to start over again!

Thanks Ken. Been back about 3 weeks. Getting back in retirement mode and enjoying the sun and pleasant temps!

Bob

Saw this 20 something on a Chinese scooter pretending it was a skateboard. He would put his right foot down and push a few times and then switch and push a few times with his left foot. Like you would do if you were skateboarding but he was on a scooter. I got as far away from him as i could. I turned off onto another road shortly thereafter i saw the idiot doing it. He didn't make the news so he must be alive still. Maybe he thought he'd get better gas mileage by helping his bike

Yesterday I saw a young guy going down the street on a skate board ... with an infant in his arms.

Doesn't exactly seem helpful...

During the 12 years I spent caring for my paraplegic late first wife, I encountered this kind of crap over and over.

It's amazing the things business owners will do to avoid complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act. You can believe I raised hell at every opportunity. Sometimes it worked...

The crowd at the DMV. I had to wait 2 hours and there were some far out people. By the end we all knew each other and had exchanged some numbers. 8)

I think they might have filmed the Star Wars bar scene at my DMV.... not too many numbers there I'd want.....

True, you will not find that to be an issue when you visit a Federal/State or Local Government building but private enterprises will do anything and everything to avoid following the law especially if it means it will save them money.
Sadly we as humans in this society haven't evolved much. We would not need laws and a government to try and enforce them if people did the right thing always.
I find that generally the Vespa riders/owners tend to be willing to do the right thing without being forced to do it. Maybe thats something one can hope spreads to the rest of the community..