It’s Been a Minute

I just checked this website for the first time in a while, and realized it’s been two months since my last update. Whoops. Time flies when you’re hammering the keyboard, making the blogs, and paying the bills. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

There have been no camper van trips. I’d like to do more of those next year, even just local weekend excursions. I have it, so I might as well use it. But we did get away for a weekend in Eureka Springs in September, shortly after my last post. We splurged for a bed and breakfast, and packed light enough to take my V-Strom 650, making this my first weekend motorcycle getaway in many years. We just happened to be in town for the Eureka Springs Jeep Jam, which is ironic because my wife is a Toyota 4Runner gal. We found ourselves in the middle of the parade through town, which was quite a lot of fun.

Mostly, though, I’ve been hammering the keyboard, making the blogs, and paying the bills. I’ve gotten some extra editing work the past few months, which has been keeping me busy on top of my Jalopnik writing. Some of it has been for Wikimotive, and I’m also editing my friend Allyson’s latest book, all about bread. I should have that wrapped up by the end of the month.

I hadn’t written for ADVRider since my hours at Jalopnik expanded. But I recently had a chance to write one story about Ford mapping the Trans America Trail for Google Street View. I learned about this through my work at Jalopnik, and the stars aligned for me to write it from an ADV rider’s point of view. I like keeping my toes dipped into the motorcycle side of things as I can, both because I enjoy it and to keep my options open.

I haven’t been doing nearly enough actual motorcycling. The entire household, including me, got sick for two weeks, wasting the last burst of summer-like weather for the year. By the time I got better, fall was in full swing and Daylight Saving Time had ended, so it’s dark and depressing by the time I’m done working each day. I’m not afraid of riding at night, but I try to avoid it because there are so many deer out here, especially during the rutting season. That leaves weekends as my only time to ride, and though I’ve gotten out once or twice, it hasn’t been enough. I’m hoping to ride this weekend before it gets too cold to ride during the thankfully brief winter. I did switch from my summer (small) to winter (tall) windshield, put the liners back in my Leatt riding gear, and found my heated vest when I was clearing more stuff out of the camper van. Daylight and weather permitting, I’m ready to stretch this riding season out as long as I can — at least, on the weekends, when I can actually ride.

That’s about all from here. I wish this were a more interesting update, but my life hasn’t been more interesting lately. It’s good for the bank account, which is good to refill anytime I have the opportunity, but not so good for any projects of my own I want to work on.