Two weeks and still no go

It's been two weeks since I got my motorcycle endorsement. I haven't been riding since then either. There has been an array of delays in that arena. I was saddle sore from the crummy seats on the bikes at school. Then I lacked the strength to get Devildog's bike off the kickstand, and have been practicing that skill while I wait out exhaustion, busy work schedules, crummy weather, and the bike being in the shop on 2 of the most beautiful riding days. I'm afraid of losing my nerve if I don't get on a bike again soon. This week is a short work week, but it's starting off rainy. While we need the rain to keep the summer wildfires at bay, this is seriously cutting into my skill-building here.

When I told my dad that I learned to ride a motorcycle, his exact, and immediate response was "aw shit, you gonna buy a bike too?" No, but I'll probably get Devildog's and he's looking to upgrade (just as everyone predicted). His is a pretty red color that suits me anyway. And I have ideas of how to personalize the bike when it becomes mine. I want to learn how to do my own stuff like oil changes and things. Eventually we will figure that stuff out ourselves too.

Friday evening, I took Devildog to get the bike from the mechanic who did the maintenance for us, and the bike wouldn't start again. Devildog suspected the 8 year old battery was the culprit, but the shop doesn't stock batteries. So, we drove down the street to the dealer to get a battery to expedite this task. You can't go to the dealer and not look at the shiny toys in the showroom. I love messing with people in sales situations, especially when I know for a fact they're going to take me for the "little lady". In case you haven't learned already, I absolutely HATE being treated like a dink. Anything that I deal with that involves mechanical, construction, or vehicular stuff brings out the Inner Betty Badass. It's really fun to watch men squirm when they make the mistake of figuring me for a dingy broad.
So, I was just standing there watching Devildog sit on the bikes to get a feel for them, and the sales guy comes over and asks "So, you gonna trade in your sportster for something else?" Inner Betty jumped on the opportunity and popped off with "So, then what am I gonna ride??" Dude's face was utterly priceless with a barely audible "sorry" as he quickly maneuvered around me to get geographically closer to my husband. I'm sure this made my husband smile, and I'm pretty sure he told the mechanic the next morning about this exchange. I say that because when we went back to get the battery installed, Frank rode the bike around front, walked inside and handed ME the key. I asked why he was handing it to me. His very smart response: "Well, I dunno, I thought maybe you were riding today." I had to tell him nope, I didn't have my gear with me. I really love when a guy who doesn't know me from squat treats me like I have a clue. I love that my husband gave Frank the opportunity to make my Saturday morning too.