Hiromi_X
A nice little holiday moment
This is an affectionate "fucken Texas" post.
I was walking near Central Market today when suddenly there was this sudden aural "vrooom vrooooooooom" onslaught. Then, there was this huge convergence of bikers. The area where I was is full of college students, hipsters, hippies, and yuppie doctors. In that milieu, the bikers seemed pretty surreal. Even more surreally, Santa appeared, riding a Harley.
Intrigued, I followed them to their point of convergence. They were parking along neighborhood streets and in the parking lot of apartments. They were removing their helmets and putting on Santa hats. They lifted presents off the back of their bikes and headed toward a children's foster home and hospital in their leather chaps and jackets emblazoned with things like "Leathernecks" and "Bandidos." It was the 2nd Annual Central Texas Harley Toy Run.
Heh heh. And I've always been afraid of bikers.
Still, I noticed that there was little or no interaction between the usual neighborhood denizens and these bikers. Students scurried by wearing backpacks, not looking at the bikers. The bikers likewise did not look at the students. Cars slowed, then sped on by. I was kind of sad when they rode off. It seems like people always retreat back into their own enclaves.
But still...it was a nice holiday twist. With leather, no saccharine.
Comments
We almost rode in that!
1. Posted by Tina Marie on December 4, 2006
A *long* time ago, i was in Baltimore with my in-laws and a lot of their family from the area.
One day they were touring us around the area (I'd never been to Baltimore before) and there were bikers everywhere. There was much talk of 'bad element' and 'criminals' and so forth. I held my tongue for reasons of family harmony, but it irritated the fuck out of me.
Next day, we found an article about the *huge* toys-for-tots rally that had brought them all to town, and the record number of toys they'd collected. I brought the paper to breakfast and passed the story around with no comment.
To their credit, some of the more vocal members of of the family were reasoably abashed.
2. Posted by Elvis on December 4, 2006
You say "bad element" like it's a bad thing.
3. Posted by Ray on December 4, 2006
Sure, easy for you not to be afraid, armed with your Mighty Mixer of Destruction :-)
4. Posted by Omnipotent Poobah on December 4, 2006
I love: "With leather, no saccharine."
5. Posted by clarissa on December 4, 2006
Yeah, man. My dad's a biker, so I grew up around them. Half of them are lawyers and accountants and IT guys. There are way more cool, nice bikers than people assume.
6. Posted by Bad Kitty on December 4, 2006
Tina, really? You were going to come all the way from Houston?
Karl, I feel like I need to clarify my fear of bikers. Maybe I'm a bigot, but I avoid scary-looking white guys on principle. The category "Scary-looking white guys" includes frat boys and Wall Street Bankers, BTW, and I prefer to be around bikers than those last two.
Anyway, in my defense, I kept an open mind and had a look. I don't think that it's wrong for people to fear those who are different from themselves. After all, you have no idea how they will react to you.
Omni, it's not lack of fear, it's simple nosiness. I *have* to look.
Me too, Clarissa. :D
Bad Kitty, I think I could tell which ones were IT or accountant types. They seemed all pink and soft in comparison to the others.
7. Posted by Hiromi on December 4, 2006
Pink and soft can be nice, too, mixed with revving engines, leather and no saccharine.
I've always had a soft spot for bikers, though I've never dated one.
8. Posted by Miss Syl on December 4, 2006
See, Karl, the subtext here is that you and I are apparently not scary-looking.
9. Posted by Ray on December 4, 2006
Syl, while I don't have a soft spot for bikers per se, pink and soft and dangerous is a strangely theckthy combo.
Ray, I *want* to be scared. I keep asking you to post manly photos of yourself smashing things with heavy tools, but you haven't complied.
10. Posted by Hiromi on December 4, 2006
Ray: Whose subtext, mine or Hiromi's? If you meant mine--to the contrary, I think you are very, very scary looking. I tremble every time you post a Flickrdoodle. And Karl Elvis terrifies me. Both in a good way, of course.
Hiromi: And leather. Don't forget the leather. :-P
I always though bikers should be more into me. Don't they lust after the "good bad girl?" Or is it "bad good girl?" "Good girl gone bad?"
Where are my bikers, goddamnit?
11. Posted by Miss Syl on December 4, 2006
Yeah Ray, smash stuff! I know you are but you're not sharing.
Not that I want to see manly anything, but smashing stuff is cool! Uh, huh, huh, huh, huh . . .
12. Posted by Whirly on December 5, 2006
Definitely Hiromi's "scary white guys" subtext. The other possibility is that she thinks Karl and I are not white.
Problem is, when I'm swinging a sledgehammer I'm usually not holding a camera too.
13. Posted by Ray on December 5, 2006
No sledgehammer, but you can watch me help throw a moldy fridge down the front stairs here (I'm in the red shirt):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Uqxqp_flM
14. Posted by Ray on December 5, 2006
Problem is, when I'm swinging a sledgehammer I'm usually not holding a camera too.
That's what minions are for, although you might need to post photos of your ass to get them.
15. Posted by Hiromi on December 5, 2006
I think if I had minions, I could find better things for them to hold.
16. Posted by Ray on December 5, 2006
How many minions do you need for that?
17. Posted by Hiromi on December 5, 2006
If it's the perfect minion, just one.
18. Posted by Ray on December 5, 2006
for some reason the phrase french minion soup comes to mind.
19. Posted by Elvis on December 6, 2006
With filet minion?
20. Posted by Miss Syl on December 7, 2006
When I think minion, I think of stuffing.
21. Posted by Ray on December 7, 2006