Oh, what a delicious topic. Life passions! But only 3? That'll put the pressure on for sure.
I'm going to start with number four of three. As previously discussed in this post passion for life itself is almost a requirement for breathing. I'm just certain that number four will bleed right through my three choices. It must.
1: Motorcycles. No question. I just love riding, short and long. I love looking in real life and in photographs. I love the idea of electric motorcycles, and I pay close attention to them. When somebody builds an electric that I can ride to Phoenix (200 miles-300km) without fear then I'm probably a player. I can only imagine the only noise being the wind and the tires on the road...
This is my favorite picture of my Connie. She doesn't pose for too many photos and this one is taken at Box Canyon, California. It was the first time I used the remote shutter release on my then new Nikon. Which encompasses several other passions, namely travel and curiosity and photography. All under the umbrella of motorcycles.
2: Curiosity. I have been curious about how stuff works and how it relates and concepts since I was a child. It's probably why I was a mechanic, because I NEED to know how things are put together. It certainly is part of my extensive reading habit, this need to know. Don't be fooled into thinking I am always reading something deep or with purpose. My curiosity about what the author is doing for plot development or with her characters is often enough to read a book.
At various times my curiosity has bent itself to the American Civil War, the JRR Tolkein books, WWII (particularly causes and conditions) Space Flight, Mathematics and much more.
3: People. Could be limited to friends and family, but isn't. I would be incomplete without them, even the dickheads that I encounter in life. They are so entirely predictable while at the same time being entirely out of the realm of any sort of predictability. I love my friends, I love my family. There are a couple of places in those two that I often go to shelter and recharge. I'd be lost, utterly lost without them so I desperately try to repay what I consider a debt to society.
So there are my three. I told you that they were going to be coated and permeated with that passion for life and I was right.
As we were warned, number one was to be expected. Cool photo with that Kawasaki.
Curiosity. It is the engine of everything. Without that, it is very difficult to engage with someone... curious people will always progress faster on a personal level.
It can be seen as a passion for itself ... and having a passion for curiosity is a double victory!
People. Of course, we are social beings, it is not always easy to deal with everyone, but seeing all the values (or the opposite) in other people inspires us to give our best version.
I didn't exactly surprise anyone with that first one, did I?
Like the cat, my curiosity has gotten me in some trouble from time to time but I can no more shut it off than I can quit breathing. It's just part of who I am.
And it is perfect in that way, as what would be the life without troubles..? 🤷
Exactly.
I have a motorcycle grade GPS on both bikes. I only use it to find fuel when that gets critical or get me out when I'm hopelessly lost. I've found some really cool places when I'm lost...
I got big into the civil war (or War of Northern Aggression as it is still occasionally called in the south) when I was in school. I've only subscribed to 3 magazines in my life and two of them were civil war related.
Did you ever take your motorcycle on a tour of any of the battlefields?
I have gotten into the Civil War. My great great grandfather moved his family from what is now West Virginia to fight for the Union. Doesn't mean my family doesn't know how to say Vuh Ginia and I have heard about the war of Northern Aggression. Somewhere I have access (or did) to some battlefield maps out of the archives of UVA that my cousin scored.
I have been to several of the battlefields, but I've never really 'toured' them as such. Might be a good reason to poke around a part of the country that I really enjoy. I would like to have some photographic 'evidence' of them to match with what I learned. Like the stone wall at Bull Run for example.
Something told me that you would write about motorcycles, that's the only predictable thing you have, and what a good passion, your perseverance shows.
I'll also put writing as one of your passions, you do it with dedication, effort and passion.
Thank you, and you are correct. I do try to write with passion. Fact is, I'd rather express the passion and caring than worry about the grammar and construction.
Lol...Number 4 of 3. :)
Motorcycles is a given for you as far as passions go, I'm not surprised you mention it. I was going to say it also but decided to go a little more generic to show people what I was looking for - Passions can be anything, and different from hobbies. That bike looks so comfortable,, I bet you could ride for hours with no problem.
I like number 2...Curiosity. This is a really good one and possibly a passion that many may overlook. A sense of curiosity is essential in life I think, for me at least. I think general curiosity is behind my love of delving into history. I'm just generally curious, as are you. There's so much out there to learn, to understand and to question and one of my pet hates is those people who say that they wouldn't know what to do if they were really rich...What would you do with all that money? They say...Well, I'd be curious.
A nice answer here Tom.
It was maybe 10 years ago that I realized that my friend Erv was the single most curious man I'd ever met. Prior to that I figured he was probably the smartest man I'd ever met. Not that I think he's not really bright, but he really wants to know stuff. All stuff. I work on his '65 TBird, but it's really showing him what I know (and where to find answers I don't know). He wears several hats, professionally, but one of them is botany. I love to get him out on the desert for a walk, it's a real learning experience.
So, yeah. I know people that aren't consumed by curiosity, but everybody I hang with seems to want to know about stuff. Funny how that works.
That Connie is just made for riding long. It's really comfortable, and long as my ass holds out she's just as ready to see what's over the next hill as I am. It's the curiosity thing...
Seems like all your mates are characters and have their own positives to bring to the relationship table. Something tells me that they feel the same about you Tommy me boy. 🙂
That's a sweet ride, my friend! I see you're a man that likes speed. Hopefully, you'll a very fast bike in the near future and some gear to withstand the force of driving at that speed. I have just been on bike once and it was a short distance. But I used to fall a lot from my bicycle, so I think it's a good thing I haven't been on them too much. However, I like the designs and the roar of the engine.
Learning is an amazing thing. Staying curious is a blessing. I also love to learn. I'm always trying to dissect things (not literally). I think it has to do with wanting to build things. Once I learned how to do 10 origami figures in one day and 3 of them were dragons. Ah, a nice day. I share your need to learn how things work. There are some many wonderful things to understand in this world.
Ha, ha, ha. This has been the best thing I have read so far. Yes, even dickheads are important in life. There's the need of balance. Once in a while we need a dose of the bitter syrup of life to enjoy the good things even more.
You did an awesome job entwining passion along your comment. It was very nice to read your and get to know a bit more about you, @bigtom13
I think perhaps that riding suit is older than you are. It was made in 1988 and is still really functional foul weather riding gear. It's armored to protect against falling and lined with GoreTex to make it waterproof.
Always a helmet, gloves and boots. I often wear an open face helmet so I can drink coffee as I ride (I have a motorcycle grade cup holder) though I see this day I had my full face helmet along.
I can tell you are curious and driven. Who else could build a cuevelo (did I get close?) like you have. That's a way cool project and I've really enjoyed the following of it. Plus you have a big group of peons to help you along :)
I bet a lot off the stuff you have is older than me. I was born in 1992.
That's sound like a sweet suit. Sturdy for what it reads. Ha, ha, ha. I imagine you doing trick while holding a cup of coffee being like "watch it, one hand!"
I don't know what you mean. The name of the instrument? It is Cuatro like number 4 in Spanish. Ha, ha, ha. Thanks for following the project. I hope to get more help as I keep building my network of relationships around here. No peons,tho. Just cool people 😎
Ahahahaha. I just couldn't remember the name. I wasn't even close. The truth is I'd call it a bass ukulele or something like that. Cuatro is much better :)
My right hand is always on the throttle, but my left can flutter around. I drink the coffee left handed. Typically a cup lasts me a hundred miles (160km) or so.
Cuartos are ukuleles are interesting and similar in many ways. They both have weird tunings. However, I think this would be more in line with a tenor one.
Talking about skills. I bet you don't spill a single drop of that coffee.
I don't spill many drops...
I do occasionally get the cup too full and a little slops out when I first open it...
Too there isn't a thing like an everflowing coffee cup. It would prevent spilling some coffee and always have enough inside.
I don't know why it doesn't surprise me that you like motorcycles, for sure you are a rocker too hahahaha
I also have the curiosity you have about ¨how things work¨ i am always asking why and how looking for the origins.
Of course I'm a Rocker (or was, more correctly). Leather and Chrome and the Rolling Stones forever! No stinking polite haircuts and neckties and Vespas for us!
I'm not even a little surprised that you are also curious. I think many (most) that survive around here at all fit at least some into that category.
hahaahahahahha 🤘 Yeahh, you need to be curious to survive around here.
Bikes I, like many other figured.
Curiosity, now that is a fun passion. especially when it comes to tearing things down. I once knew exactly how many parts a Royal Regal Typewriter had. I bought one at a yard sale as a kid, and proceeded to take it apart piece by piece as soon as I got it home. My destructive/curiosity phase. Some of the welds were pretty tough, and getting the letters off he end of the bar was often just a break the bar, but I did manage to get a few of the letters off.
Oh, God. I learned to type on what I believe was a Royal Regal. HS typing class in 1966. Man, now you understand why I wear out the occasional keyboard, I am a bash typer. But it's a skill I've used the rest of my life. My buddy and I took it because we KNEW it would be mostly girls and the choice was another shop class....
Yeah I never understood why guys did not take a typing class, we had to take a few electives in high school, so I tried to take the fun ones like shop, typing even one semester of basket weaving. Yes we had a basket weaving class in my high school. It was a pretty progressive high school at the time. about six years ago I did a drive by of the old school, not it is a fenced barbed wire compound of a school. A shame really from no fences to barbed wire topped 8 foot high chain link.
Some times change sucks!
The HS I went to was built in the 1920s. The old one just failed and it was a lot more viable to build new. So there's a 'new school' right near where the old one sat. The site makes a great lawn for the students :) No fences...
I was very curious to see your reply knowing motorcycle will be the number one on the list, and here it's is,BOOM! I've won the prize 🤣😂😅😁
Yeah! I can see it all goes together. They are fun packed.