Motorcycle Riding Question

This goes out to those of you who are motorcycle enthusiasts....

I was listening to a radio show this morning on my drive into work and they had a caller that needed some relationship advice. Here is a summation of the situation:

• He is a young man, late 20s, who owns and rides a motorcycle (he didn't say what kind).
• He is dating a young woman who also owns and rides her own motorcycle.
• He things that she is "the one" not just because of their love of motorcycles.
• A couple of weekends ago they were out riding on just his motorcycle.
• When they stopped for lunch, somewhere along Highway 1, she asked to drive his bike and have him ride in back. He refused. Huge argument ensued to the point where she refused to get back on the bike and ended up calling a friend of hers to drive to where ever they were to get her.
• Two weeks later, they are still arguing because she thinks he is a neanderthal male who isn't man enough to ride behind a woman. He rides in a car while she is driving, so why not on a bike. He states that he agrees that he wouldn't ride in back of a woman because it just doesn't fit with the motorcycle rider mentality/man-code.

The radio show then opened the lines up and let people call in and give their thoughts. The majority of the callers agreed that it would just look weird to have the woman in front and the man behind, although one person did state that with the guy behind and his hands free then that would open up all sorts of opportunities. Some people brought up the safety issue that he is probably much larger than her and could she handle the bike with his added weight on the back but that was argued down by people saying that if she was a good rider then yes, she would be able to manage.

My thoughts are (and I admit it is a little old school) that I would think it would look odd to have a guy riding behind as well. And then one of the other voices in my head questions whether it is just because it was HIS bike and would he ride on the back of HERS?

Sadly, I had to turn off the radio before the discussion was complete, so I'd like to know what your thoughts, gentle reader, are on this topic. Is there an etiquette code on something like this?

Annoyed ABBA

I know I go through this a lot, but here is my latest list of things that are annoying me:

• Everything in my closet. I hate my entire wardrobe and changed clothes three times this morning before I decided I didn't look like a complete goob. I still look all schlumpy but that doesn't really matter since nobody actually ever sees me.
• Hang nails and rough spots on my nails. What causes these?
• The jerk that sat there, in reverse, and didn't bother to pull out of the parking place until after I had passed, even though I was sitting at a stop sign waiting for him to pull out.
• The fact that my check engine light came on as I was driving in this morning, even though I just took my car in 2 weeks ago for a complete, factory authorized, 75K mile check up.
• 90% of the people that I work with.
• Letting my hair grow out. It is getting to one of those funky stages that I can't really do anything with. It is too short to pull into a barrette; just long enough to tuck behind my ears, except for the bangs; and HUGE. I have giant Texas, the bigger the hair the closer to God, hair going and it is going to be like this until it gets long enough to tame a little better.
• The lady that I work with who asked me, in front of my whole team, if I would make a quilt for her daughter's school art auction. Did she ask the other co-worker, who paints, for a picture? No. Does she think I can just pull a quilt out of my ear? I don't even like this person, so why would I make a quilt for her daughter to cut down on her private school tuition? I will make quilts for auction for charities that I believe in and I make quilts to give to kids in the Ronald McDonald House or in a homeless shelter, but not for something like a school auction.
• Wearing a name tag. Okay, actually a name badge, but I still hate it. The thing hangs from my neck and just seems to get in the way, so I take it off and then when I have to go to the restroom, I forget to grab it and then I get locked out of my office.

Between the hair, the clothes, the co-workers, and the badge....maybe I should just start staying home from work more.....

Thoughts on the Oscars

I rarely watch the awards shows, but for some reason last night I ended up watching the Oscars.

I liked the production, well, parts of it. I thought it went way too long, as always, and it kills me that they put the awards that most of us care about at the very end.

I liked the smaller-feeling venue.

I REALLY liked how they announced all of the nominees by having past winners come out and give a little "thank you for being you" sort of speech. It seemed to me to be a very heartfelt presentation all around, without all the bells and whistles that seem to go with the Oscars.

I was happy with almost all of the winners. I thought that The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons won way too many of the technical awards rather some of the more spectacular movies, like The Dark Knight.

I didn't think Heath Ledger should have won for Best Supporting Actor, and I think they gave that to him as a sympathy vote. But that is just me and I do think he was a really good actor but I don't know if this was the movie that he should have won for.

But, honestly, what do I know. I haven't seen any of the films that were up for awards, so I guess I can't really be a judge, huh?

Now I just have to look forward to the Fashion Police tearing apart the looks.... That is really what matters to me.

A Couple of Quilts

I haven't written for a while and I don't have any excuse. I did have my folks here last weekend and that was a great time. My mom took pictures of my quilts, so I can share some of those with you all. None of these are finished, in that I haven't gotten them actually quilted, etc., but these are some of my finished tops. 

This is a Baby Blocks that I made a long time ago. I was going to give this to a friend of mine who was having a baby, but after I finished it I decided that it wasn't quite right for a baby quilt and decided to keep it for myself. 

This is a kaleidoscope quilt that I made in a class probably 12 years ago. I really do like this quilt and do need to get it finished. I've learned so much about the use of color and lights and darks since I made this quilt. I think that if I were to make this again, then the circles would definitely stand out more. 

This was another class quilt that I made about 12 years ago. I designed the asymmetrical border after the class was over. I'd like to do another quilt like this and actually blend more from one color to the next rather than have the same background fabric throughout. 

This is a quilt that I made when I went to Quilt Camp in the Pines in Flagstaff, AZ about 4 years ago. This was a class with Freddy Moran, whose idea about the use of color is amazing. She feels that red is a neutral, which I think is a great attitude. She signed one of the blocks for me. This was a REALLY fun class to take and quilt to make. 

This is a quilt that I just finished the day before my folks arrived. It is still up on my design wall. I really love the colors in this quilt. I am surprised that it is still here, I almost figured that my mom would have taken it and packed it without my noticing....

These are only five of the many quilts that I have. I'll post more in the future....