Some ramblings

Well met, fellow traveller, and sod you too..

I was trundling along the A56 coming out of Salford (some say the best thing to come out of Salford, ho ho) yesterday, when a red Hyosung 650 roared past me. For those who don't know or care, I ride a yellow Hyosung 650, and there aren't many around. The bloke stopped at the next lights, I pulled up alongside. Normally when two bikes are at the lights there's a nod or a grunt exchanged, a bit like saying "good morning" to total strangers when going to the village shop. It's a recognition of membership in society. Car drivers don't do it, because they are in fact permanently indoors, indeed they are in their own little living rooms watching the road go by on telly. This detachment explains some of their dick-headed behaviour. Car drivers are bemused by bikers acknowledging each other, but I ask you - who's normal here? Anyway, I digress. The bloke on the red Hyosung blanked me completely. He roared off and I sheepishly followed, feeling a bit rejected. I doggedly pulled up alongside him at the next lights and deliberately engaged the chap in conversation. He was pleasant enough, but I felt like there was something missing. Finally he jumped and said "Bloody hell, you're on a Hyosung!". He was instantly more friendly and we discussed the bike's merits, comparing notes on breakdown costs and the perils of cheap and cheerful motorcycling. It's a rare biker that doesn't even look at other bikes, let alone check what make they are. Anyway we parted good friends, and if I see him again on the A56 I will, of course, blank him completely.

Physical jerks

I got such a cob on with this bad back, that I dipped out (see what I did there?) on swimming yesterday. Consequently I will go at lunchtime today and swim my little heart out. It's all I can do on doctors orders. I hope I get referred to a Physio tomorrow, this is killing me. Exercise has been a lifelong habit, and I worry that I've worn out some major parts, pushing an imperfect geometry so hard for 30 years. The "Fitness freak" label is one I accept gladly, but the reasons for all the exercising is not as obvious as you might expect. Some say vanity is the main reason (must keep in shape!), others talk about endorphin addiction. My take on it is, I spend my working life on projects that often last for months, with no sense of closure. It can be difficult at the end of a working week, to feel a sense of achievement when all I've done is make a few blog updates and fill in a timesheet. When I go for a bike ride, or a game of squash, or even a run or a swim, there's a beginning and an end, and something always gets done.

Art

Wifey's under severe stress, with only one weekend left before her third year assessment. She's working basically 16 hours a day. This is the point at which I start to get equally stressed, as she tries out new ideas on me, which seem to completely contradict the ideas she's been working on for the last three months. This business of engineers living with artists is extremely strange. How can you spend three months working so hard on a piece of art, then do something completely different with hours to spare before the deadline? Answer; it's not about the original idea, it's about the process. Weird, mind-expanding stuff. She normally gets good marks so it must be working. Now where did I leave those beta blockers?

Details of the exhibition, which is basically Lyn's third year efforts, and those of two of her colleagues, open to the public for four weekends (thur/fri/sat), are at www.neoartists.co.uk - the title of the show is "Farrago" and it's happening at 28 Corporation Street in Bolton. The dates are shown as 25th June to 24th July, but I believe it finishes on the 17th July. I have to say, the quality of the woodwork, the lighting and the electronics are faultless. I suppose the art's ok too. By the way, if you're used to thinking of her as a painter, be prepared for a sudden left turn.

Laters.