Round 3...

 

You've taken up prize-fighting again, Jim?  No, but thanks for asking.

Back to the vet for the little furry boy this morning.  The first time was a general wellness checkup, where they found he had an ear infection.  Ear drops for a week, then another visit.  No change.  More cleaning and another round of ear drops.  Today: cleaner ears but no change in the infection.

 Time to take stronger measures - we will bring him back once again and they will sedate him so they can get deeper into the ear canal.  I am not a fan of the sedation thing, but we want to get this infection taken care of.  Sounds like it is going to be at least a few more vet visits in the near term.

Murphy let them poke and prod - he's pretty patient and a good boy.  For now, he is back home and diving into his lunch.

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Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder...

If you said, "The US Air Force Song," you get 20 bonus points.  If you said, "Your former boat (Wild Blue) and the dinghy (Yonder)," you get an additional 80 bonus points.

This isn't about the Air Force or that wonderful C-Dory boat... out on the Burgman 200 today, after taking Murphy to the vet and Joan to lunch; I took the HoverAir X1 along, just in case there was the opportunity to get any drone shots.  There was (the opportunity to get some drone video)...

While getting that image immediately above, a guy with a Goldwing pulled in.  He watched for a moment, then came over to ask some questions.  People are curious about the Hover.  I didn't get his name, but he was from Manitoba, Canada; no he didn't ride the bike down here, he towed it.  He's been here a couple weeks.  We visited for a bit, about Goldwings, DCT transmissions, riding, how other people perceive Goldwings, scooters, and DCT.  He had to tell me how: "There isn't a Harley made that can keep up with my Goldwing."  OK, and by that I mean: it isn't a contest.  No question, though, if you want to eat up miles comfortably on two wheels, there isn't much that can compete with a Goldwing.

Of course, he asked, "How fast will that go?" pointing at the Burgman.

"About 80."

"Miles per hour??"

"Yeah, miles per hour - it won't get there as fast as your Wing, and it won't be as planted, but it will do it. It's happier at 65 to 70, though."

"I had no idea," he said.

"Most people don't."

It's his 4th Goldwing, the second with DCT... of course, he loves that feature... I get it.

He pulled out while I was still putting stuff away... about two minutes later, I had caught up with him on these twisty roads.  I'm guessing he won't be telling anyone that a 200cc scooter can hang right there with his Goldwing on tight, twisty roads.  ;-)

And as a bonus for reading this far, here's a HoverAir X1 video...

 

Take A Walk On The Wild Side...

 

If you said, "Lou Reed, 1972, from his solo album Transformer," you get 25 bonus points.  If you added, "Produced by David Bowie," you get an additional 15 bonus points.

This walk was more on the mild side, but Murphy was having a good time walking as the sun was going behind the Estrella Mountains...

 He was doing "laps" around the yard...

Looking southeast, the last bit of light was illuminating the tops of South Mountain...

Murphy checked out some of the cacti...

Looking across the yard, to the west...

The cover was on his catio as we walked by it (several times) - he was wanting me to take the cover off of it so he could go in... "Tomorrow, buddy."

So, which was your favorite?

 

No, I'm not talking about the two teams in the Superbowl... that was an exciting ending, though.  Not even talking about the different good snack foods Joan made, including her first time making pretzel bites.  (They were tasty, btw.)

No, this is about the Superbowl commercials.  Easy pick for me: the Dunkin' Donuts commercial with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Jack Harlow, and Fat Joe.  Funny as it was, you still remember who the commercial was for.

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I was an urban commuter today: a trip downtown(ish) to the AZ Department of Public Safety, to leave off some money and paperwork. I took the CTX. It feels like a locomotive after riding the little Burgman. I change my mind daily about which bike I want to take to the gathering this summer in North Carolina.

The Big Day Is Finally Here...

 

Superbowl?  Yeah, sure, there is that.  But, the really big deal today...

 Because where would Taylor Swift be without a guitar?  Enjoy the day!

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Inequities...

It ain't right.  Murphy can lay around, doing nothing, and he's "a good boy."  If I do that, I am a lazy ass.

This morning...

Yesterday morning, he was running through the house, jumping up on the kitchen counter.  In contrast, not one time have I run through the house or jumped up on the kitchen counter.  Do I get credit for being "a good boy?"  Nooooo.

It ain't right.

Fresh...

 

Did you get all handsy with the Blonde again?  She often accuses me of over-sharing, but I ain't talking.  Or writing.

Murphy was sitting by the patio door this morning - I thought the light was looking good...

 That's not the "fresh" part.  Joan got a delivery from Amazon Fresh - saved her a trip to the grocery store...

And if you look close, Murphy is in the lower left corner...

"Is any of that for me?  Can I play with the bags?  Is it time for a treat, yet?"

Going to Denny's...

 

... to get a gun permit.

Really?  Yes, really.  Last night I took a Concealed Carry Weapon permit class.  Pancakes and permits?  It was held in the Denny's a couple miles from our house.  The company that does these classes has them in all parts of Arizona, and I presume they make arrangements with different businesses for classroom space.

When I signed up for the class, Joan asked me, "Is this legit?  In a Denny's?"  It sure seemed so.  I didn't know what to expect; when I got there 10 minutes early, I was the first to arrive, other than the instructor.  The class was held in a section of seating that was off to the side... no doors or other way of closing off that section.

Don't you already have a permit from Texas?  Yes, I do, and thanks for asking.  It is still valid until it expires (in a couple years).  I prefer to have the license in my state of residence, and Arizona is in a group of states that offers reciprocity with 38 other states (along with Texas).

The class is an opportunity to stay current on laws and techniques.  Unlike getting a license in Texas, where it is two days of class and a requirement to show proficiency at a shooting range, this is a 3 1/2 hour class and no shooting... no doubt Denny's appreciates that.  This class wasn't as comprehensive, obviously, as what Texas required at the time.  Since I took the class in Texas, the laws have changed, and you can carry without a permit there, same as in Arizona.  

There were only 5 people in the class, although 2 of them brought someone with them.  Yes, you could order food and eat while the class was going on.  That really seemed odd to me.  The instructor had self defense items for sale (pepper spray and tasers).  There was a "guest speaker" who was there to sell you on an insurance plan to provide legal protection if you ever have to use your gun in self defense.  The instructor also did fingerprints (for a fee) at the end of the class.  You have to submit two sets of fingerprints when you apply for the AZ permit.  The State DPS does a background check on you - the reason for the fingerprints.  That's it.  If you pass the background check, you get the permit.

All in all, an odd experience.  For the record, I didn't have pancakes... I had one of their 55+ meals and got 15% off with my AARP card.  ;-)

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Starting the morning off with another kitty play date...

Nothing odd about that.

Ride and Review...

 

I shot this video with the Burgman a week or so ago, but haven't had time to finish the editing or add the voice over.  It was another rainy day here in the desert, so I had time to work on it today.

Here's a "Ride & Review" video of the Suzuki Burgman 200...

 Well, more of a "ride and ramble"... but, a fun ride up South Mountain.  Again.  This is almost as much fun as Iron Mountain Road in the Black Hills.  Almost.