2023: A Girl, a Motorcycle, and a Gypsy Soul

I've done research over the years and had somewhat of an idea what was needed as far as vaccinations for going to Thailand. Turns out, there is far more to it than I had thought. I went to my primary doctor who referred me to a Travel Specialist Clinic. Who knew there was such a thing? I made an appointment and stated I was going to Thailand and wanted a consult. Specifically, backpacking Thailand, which puts a whole different twist on things as I plan to spend a LOT of time outdoors, in rural areas, amongst the vast mosquitoes and monkeys and rabid dogs, not to mention a host of other possibilities. I learned a great deal from the travel clinician! And I also got a great deal of OUCH from her too. Over the course of 5 weeks I will have had a total of 13 shots in my arms, a few different blood draws, and a lot of ammo to confirm my idea of traveling to Thailand for 2 months. Not my real clinician, but just as much excitement on her face to shoot me up as this guy (Taken from a g...

So I had a crazy idea that was crafted around  1:00AM Friday - after being peer-pressured out of bed to go to the local pub.. from there I came up with a GREAT idea to go to Nashville to party for Halloween with the guys...This meant riding from MN to Nashville on the bike, hanging out for Halloween on the main drag in Nashville, and then riding home. I booked the Nashville Music City Hostel at 2am for the same night...its prime location and super affordable. Doubtful any of my riding girls were awake/sober/willing, I sent out a couple of messages to the few that are just as crazy as I am asking if they wanted to rip to Nashville... in 3 hours from that moment... and then I packed the bike in minimalist ways. I checked the oil, the tire pressure, and went to sleep for 3 hours.  I woke up alert instead of groggy... which never happens on work days, weird! I geared up in all the layers - base layers, long johns, jeans, chaps... base layer, tshirt, long sleeve drifit, heated ve...

So as reality sets in for the fact that I am going to Thailand... for two months.. solo... I have moments of "Holy Crap! I am so excited to be doing this thing that has been on my bucket list for a long time!" to "WTH am I thinking?!" and back again. Between prep work for packing, planning, and prepping to take a leave from my job (which PS has not yet been approved.....) and the fact that I am looking at leaving the first week in December... which is a mere 42 days away.. some days and moments are completely overwhelming!  I have a list for what to pack, a list for what I need to do around my house before I leave, a list for what I need to do at work, a list for what I need to do for travel requirements to get to and stay in Thailand for more than 30 days.... its like ADHD overload. Step One: Don't get a disease and die. Turns out there are Travel Clinics in MN - specialty travel folks who are experts in what is needed for each area of the world. None of whic...

MN is a funny state. The northern half is well on their way to winter. Like, there is SNOW on the ground, most likely to stay. The southern half is thankful to not be in the northern half. We also get that fun in-between season weather - where is rains for literally days... and we grow cranky and pastier white by the minute. Weeks like this make it difficult to deal with things... no sunshine, no riding, no relief. So, I find other things to do to entertain and pamper myself.  Like bling out my nails.  And take selfies from my work parking lot for kicks.    I also get things at work that help keep me sanely motivated, like a thumbs up award for working with some incredibly difficult folks with major mental illnesses amongst a million other issues (homelessness, hoarding, jail time, etc...) And when the clouds break for even an hour, the need to ride comes out strong, so... well, I call bestie and we RIDE!  And get wet. Or, as I like to call...

So there I was (on a Thursday night) at 8pm - I got this grand idea to rearrange my room. I moved the bed slightly away from the wall and noticed scuffs/marks/missing paint chunks. A rational human would think "I will make a plan to fix that". ADHD humans think "Well, I have already moved the bed. I might as well repaint my WHOLE room. I have had the (same color) paint sitting around for months with the intention of doing this".. So I start At 8:30pm. .... I painted until after 1:30am, and getting tired, I decided to sleep for a bit before waking up a few hours later to tackle the remainder. Painting is fun for me. Moving ALL the crap in my room away from the walls and taping things that you don't want to get paint on.. not so much fun. I am good at painting.. not good at paying attention to little details. One small paint scuff. Yuengling will help me get through the project Taped and ready to rock And suddenly, my room feels HUGE ...