MMI Week 1

The first week here at M.M.I. in Orlando, FL is just like the first week in any school to be honest. A lot of policy and procedure, time spent buttoning up financial aid paperwork, quite a bit of "this is what we're going to cover" and a little "why not sign up for more classes" just for flavor.

The school is VERY persistent in ramming the attendance policy down our throats. Showing up ranks higher on the scale than getting good grades. They say its because the employers they have consulted with told them that attendance was a bigger factor in the hiring process than grades. This is just a little confusing to me but whatever. I'm shooting for both so this policy doesn't really matter to me.

The schools drug and alcohol abuse policy is VERY strict so potheads get ready for a change if you want to stay. They do testing not only when an accident has occurred or when student, or faculty member, behavior warrants it but they also do random testing. The computer picks a few student ID numbers and off you go to get the swab test. Once more this policy doesn't really bother me so I've brushed it off but I thought it was important to note that they do care about getting you ready to be out in the real world as if most of us attending haven't been there already.

We do get a nice discount from Snap-on, who have an office and dedicated employee on the campus. That's a great bonus in my book and could very well save me, or any student, thousands of dollars in tools, boxes and equipment.

One thing to watch out for if you ever go to the school, for visiting or attending, is the parking lot during shift change. Everyone rushing to get out and the incoming group fighting for that closer parking can be quite the show and getting hit by someone not paying attention isn't out of the question. I've seen it almost happen a few times already.

The police in the Orlando area have become used to the shirts the students wear and, from I've heard and seen, are attracted to it like Jaws to a kid on a raft. It's amazing how many people here can't grasp the concept that, and this is another topic rammed down our throat, a clean driving record is essential to getting a job as to fix a bike one must test ride said bike.

On to the subjects covered this week.........

Being a short week, with the 3rd being an observed holiday and with having spent the first 2 and a half days going over procedures and other stuff, we really didn't get too deep in much. We did start to cover the basics of engine combustion. I'm not too thrilled with the lack of a text book in this teaching style they use. They have printed out a power-point presentation with some information missing that you must fill in from the lecture. It's hard to study by and it lacks a structure for later research so I've been taking the time to redo it as we go and I've made my own study guide and scanned in the pics from the sheets they gave us. It might take a little time but it helps me to understand the topics and it should help later on if I need to look back on something.

Next week is supposed to be a lot more detail so I should have a little more to post on what we've learned.

If I have to explain....

Strange things can go through your head in the shower and you can sometimes have some deep thoughts. I had one of these thoughts today.

"If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand......"

This is a strange and tricky phrase if you think about it. To the person who doesn't ride it comes across as a cliche t-shirt slogan. To the person who rides or has ridden, it's meaning is as clear as a blue sky day.

But have you ever stopped to think....why?

Let's start from the non-riders point of view. What is there to explain that someone wouldn't understand? Why wouldn't they understand it? Can you understand what it is to understand something you can't explain? Last but not least, have you ever given any thought to what it is you really love about this adventure that is riding?

I myself think its easy to explain to someone why I love to ride. It's simple. Riding clears my head and calms my nerves. All my anger. All my frustration. All my confusion gets shaken out of my head and gets sucked right through the bike to the road below or gets blown away by the wind. It all comes clear when you come over that hill and the first site of the mountain appears in the distance, when you catch that first deep breath of the pine tree forest, when it quits raining and you finally dry out, when you hit that spot in the road where the sun happens to creep out and warm you up on that winter ride, when you get where you're going with your friends and see a group of future friends. I could go on and on.

This is where the rider mentality is needed. I could explain till your eyes pop out of your head from reading but I won't. It won't do any good. I'll explain why.

Did you ever have anyone try to explain love to you before you met your first girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband...whatever the case may be? Did you ever have someone explain what death was and what it meant before your first pet died? Did you think you had a good grip on what it meant to have your first kid before you had it? Sure you did. You had all the information...or so you thought.

I thought I knew what it was....what it meant to be on 2 wheels. Understanding what it means and understanding how it feels are different things.

So keep this in mind. "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand" isn't some half-cocked way of saying "if you don't have a bike YOU SUCK". It's a way of letting you know how great it is and throwing you an invitation to discover it for yourself.

It's worth it.

Welcome to my blog.

In American history, today is the day our forefathers got off their ass after months of debate and got the kick start working on the engine of freedom and this great country got rolling down the road to where we are today.

I figured if July 4th was a good enough day for them to get off their ass then it's a good enough day for me to do the same. I'm not starting a new country but starting a good blog is quite a bit of work in itself and much like starting a new country there will be quite a few bumps in the road for me but I don't plan on quitting.

I hope you all will enjoy this and PLEASE give me any comments on what you like, don't like and please post your opinions on a given topic. As long as the comments stay somewhat on topic, anything posted will stay posted.

I look forward to this adventure and glad you jumped on for the ride.