Whats new with me... not that much but here's an update:
1) The little yellow motorbike.
Well, it seems the insurance people feel it is a write-off. However, they of course do not want to pay me what it would cost me to replace it as it was - only what they feel market value was worth. So, it seems that I will have some haggling to do with them and this will likely take some time to sort out. Fortunately, this is not too much of a problem since I have my touring bike to get around on, and the weather here has turned rather wet...(so riding the little sport bike was less fun anyway).
I have been seriously considdering rebuilding the bike with the insurance money, but the more time that passes, the less attached to this idea I am... so I suspect not but we'll wait and see.
2) My health after the accident.
I seem to be basically fine. I have some stiffness still but I think that's not unusual. Normally when I do heavy exercise (say a sporting event or a big hike) I get stiff for a few days and then I'm back to normal. But that stiffness is self inflicted by my own body's muscles.
The "rag-doll" effect of being tossed off a motorbike at traffic speed and into and over a car are a completely different set of forces. So, I'm not surprised that its taking a couple of weeks to get over it.
Initially I had some VERY nasty bruising in the groin and a limp to go with it. However, after about a week, the "turgid tissue" colour, pain, and stiffness associated with that was pretty much gone. The longer lasting stiffness is in my upper body (ribs, shoulders and neck) but it is very generalized and not stopping me doing anything I usually do. I'm getting some massage (no, not for the groin!!) and we'll just see how things progress.
3) Work
Ticking along quite nicely now. I'm happy with the situation at work and happy with the current planned end date of the contract. The biggest down side is that I now have very limited time at home to get done all the stuff that I want to get done (selling things and fixing the house etc...)
4) Home
I'm still on my plan to mobilize as quickly as I can so that I can be free to do whatever life puts in my path. I have so far got rid of about half the stuff I had planned to, but it was the easier half, so it gets a bit harder now. The remaining larger items are a few pieces of furniture, my smaller aquarium, and my woodwork machine tools in the garage.
There is too much stuff for me to store but its now far more manageable... I'll keep at it :)
I did successfully finish the storage container in the back yard and it was just in time since the rains seem to really have started up here.
Upcomming projects are to install a dishwasher (already purchased) and replace kitchen counter tops...
5) Other stuff
Well, I managed to get a nasty virus on my home computer that took me a while to get rid of (took it to a more computer savvy friend at work)... that's fixed now.
I also managed to misplace my passport and have had to declare it "lost" (police report and notarized statement etc) so that I can apply for a new one - since the old one only had another seven months validity... but that's done now too:)
I'm busy scanning thousands of my old slide photos into my computer but its a huge task and I may not complete it before I "transition" to the new life... oh well, back into storage they go :)
Ive also been looking at alternate motorbikes for a future adventure and have compiled all sorts of specs from the web. At present it looks like the just released BMW F800GS is the pick of the litter but at about $15000 it costs about twice as much as other candidates!! - Im still thinking about it though...
