Rough patch...

As many of my readers who actually visit my blog on at least a semi-regular basis will be aware, my wife was ill for much of the winter and missed a lot of work. Her inability to work during that time has caught up to us at this point and we are truly feeling the pinch. Due to this, despite the economical nature of scooters in general, I have been limited in my ability to take joyrides. I still ride to and from work, of course, and for whatever errands I need to run, but our financial situation has taken a toll on my riding time. Because of this financial slump, I've been working about ten extra hours a week to help bring in a little more money, though that isn't terribly much since I work for a group home which pays little to begin with.

To add insult to injury, my Verizon Internet connection remains unstable and has been worse than usual over the last few weeks. I've not called them to complain since I really don't wish to talk to Habib and have him tell me to reboot my computer, etc..

Even more fun added to the pile, I had to visit the ER three times last weekend due to sudden health concerns for my wife and son. They are both O.K., but it was still disconcerting on all three occasions.

So to my loyal readers, I give my apology for being lax in my blogging.

Summer remains somewhat un-summerlike, with a rare 90+ degree day today. I was glad for the vents on the front of my helmet which let a breeze cool my sweating head while I was riding to work and listening to music on my contrived speakers. I know some of you may think I'm taking a risk, but I can hear the ambient sounds around me just fine, not to mention the wind against my helmet. Plus, I enjoy having music.

For those of you that may be interested, and since I'm not certain I've mentioned this before, my sound system is relatively simple. I have headphones that are designed for use with a Nintendo DS. My helmet has two pockets which are obviously intended to hold speakers, into which I slip the two ear pads. The trailing wire goes out the left hand side of the helmet to my MP3 player, and I can hear most songs very well up to about 35mph. After that point, the audibility of the music decreases exponentially as my speed increases.

Perhaps one day I will get better speakers, but for now, I have absolutely no extra money to spend on any frills, so I'll work with what I have and be thankful for it.