Page 20 - LS2_ISSUE_TWO_IRONPONY

Could you elaborate a little more on the high speed rail project that you’re working on? That’s pretty fascinating stuff.
I’m actually in the accounting department. So, they acquire a lot of property (there are well over one thousand parcels of land right now) and we’ve capital- ized over two billion dollars worth of assets that span from construction work-in progress that will migrate to the actual asset when it becomes a bridge, a viaduct, etc... Eventually when the eet acquires all the trains and all that stuff -- I’ve never seen so many zeros in my life, it’s amazing! Since it’s federally funded, some- times we’re chasing pennies. They’ve broken ground mainly in the central valley as they’re trying to boost the economy there. A lot of the work has gone out to small businesses; that’s where a lot of the construc- tion is happening now. We have a bridge that we cut the ribbon on at the end of 2017 and they’re building a lot of bridges and viaducts, but that’s the rst com- pleted asset. I think they’re projected 2025, but who knows? It’s the largest infrastructure project happen- ing right now.
Switching gears now, you’ve recently got your hands on a Honda Rebel that was given to you by your Aunt. Are motorcycles always something you’ve been interested in your whole life?
Yes, a 1984 Honda Rebel Limited. I’m super excited. It actually always interested me. Every time I saw a motorcycle pass, I’d always do a double take. I was
a little bit apprehensive about it at rst, because it is
a little dangerous but something about that intrigued me. Also, the fact that you’d usually never see one rider by themselves; it was always like some sort of camaraderie and I really enjoyed that, so I always wanted to explore that and become a part of that com- munity as well.
Did you have any riding experience at all before you did this class?
Maybe a month or two prior, I hopped onto a little 100cc dirt bike and that was like my rst experience on a motorcycle. There’s a little spot that my best friend took me out to -- her boyfriend and his brother ride a lot, so I got on one of the dirt bikes and got to cruise around a bit. I became hooked instantly!
How was your experience going to the riding school? Were you nervous at rst?
So, in the classroom portion we had to introduce ourselves and the teacher asked what you’re most looking forward to and what you’re most apprehensive about. I said “You know, I’d love to be able to ride
my motorcycle and not stall it.” There’s just so much more going on transitioning from an automatic car to a manual motorcycle; there’s so many different compo- nents to be aware of and that’s one thing that made me apprehensive. But, I was able to pick it up pretty easily and it’s a lot of fun.
Did you have any tip overs or anything?
You know, I almost did and it was when I was standing still. It wasn’t when I was riding, it was when I stand- ing there waiting in line for my turn to go and started pulling to one side. It was a lot heavier than I thought it was gonna be and luckily it didn’t drop, but it almost got there.
How much do you have left until you actually ac- quire your license?
I took this weekend course and if you pass you get a certi cation where you can take it straight to the DMV, and I only have to take my written test and I’m good to go. I don’t have to take the driving portion. I hear the DMV has a hard reputation for passing that driving test ‘cause of the little lollipop circle I hear about.
Do you have a lot of friends that ride now that you plan on grouping up with when you get your license?
Yeah, my aunt still rides. She still has a Harley and her husband has his whole group of friends as well. So, I hope to go ride with them someday.
Living in California, you’ve got to be excited about all the potential time saved while lane splitting? De nitely. I am a commuter too, so this will help out
a lot. Once I feel comfortable getting on the freeway, this will probably cut my time in half.
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20 THE PULSE • ISSUE TWO