Take a deep breathe ladies

My new ride....

I have been car-free for the last 3 years and buses are becoming less and less reliable with the ongoing construction in Seattle. Last fall I started riding my bicycle more often ON THE STREETS, where its required. My bicycle got stolen SOOOO after many years of questioning it...I got a scooter this past Thursday.

I took a weekend intensive course on the 15th and 16th and now know licensed to ride a motorcycle. Each day I was up by 6:30 to be out the door by 8 to take 2 buses to the community college. From 9 to noon each day we had classroom time and then from 1 to 7:30 we had course time out in the empty parking lot. My one negative thing was that it was WAY TOO LONG OF A DAY TO BE IN GEAR, IN AN UNSHADED PARKING LOT, TRYING TO LEARN, FOCUS AND PERFORM YOUR BEST IN HOT WEATHER. By 8pm Saturday night my nerves were shot. I still had to study the handbook, so rather than going home to crash, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to my new favorite coffee shop that's open late and studied until 1:30. Jesse, the owner, barista and main guy on the clock there treated me to a piece of cake at 12:30, calling it brain food.

In bed by 2am and then up at 6:30 to repeat the day. We were tested Sunday evening. Unlike driving where you get a permit and practice and then take your test, Washington has an option where you take the course, in a small group so you get professional one-on-one instruction and then get tested on the skills they have taught you. I got a PERFECT score on the writing and an 85 on the course. The "B" score was because I never used gears on a vehicle before and they kept wanting me to go faster and accelerate fast enough to shift to 2nd gear. I finally got the hang of it but learning gears in 2 days was interesting. Luckily I won't be using a clutch on my scooter but I at least know how to use one if I ever get a manual car. This is my new ride....

This is my scooter....

AND this is the bike I learned on...which is MUCH bigger than the scooter.

I picked my scooter up Thursday. Drove it almost 7 miles from Georgetown (near the airport) on a local road to my house. I will only ride on local roads and am still taking it out to practice in parking lots and a quiet street near my place until I start really using it. Insurance was under $200 for the year and my apartment garage is giving me a parking discount since my bike was stolen from there. I promise to be safe. ALWAYS wear proper gear. NO FLIP FLOPS or SKIRTS. I see so many people riding scooters in flip-flops and dresses. I love my skirts but safetly comes first. I got a full helmet like the one Wayne makes me where on his bike.