Diesel

Diesel, rain, and roundabouts - apparently - do not make a good combination. I thought I'd take the roundabout slowly since it had been raining after a spell of very hot weather (let's hear it for the British summer!) but I had been paying attention to the other motorists on the roundabout and not the huge slick of diesel that was on the road ahead of me.

Needless to say the bike went down and I went with it. I just felt the back tyre slip out from under me and there was a momentary weightlessness before I found myself spinning on my back, then my side, and then my front as the Versys did the same (only much faster) into the grassy verge. Aw nuts. First thing's first - can I stand? Yes. Can I walk? Yes. Let's get off the road. The bike has skidded most fortunately off the road so no need to worry about that. Take the keys out. A patrol car was already on the scene, just about to enter roundabout behind me and to top it off, one of the teachers from work was also there. The supportive audience lacked only a pickup truck to tow my bike away for me. I waited for an hour in the back of the police car, chatting away with the constable about what it was like to be in the force, what it was like to be a technician, about the bike and the weather and goodness knows what else.

The RAC sent out a recovery vehicle, the driver of which was a biker who spent some of his free time on the track, and I made it home. It wasn't until I heaved myself into the cab of the recovery vehicle that I noticed my ankle didn't like taking my weight.

It's not too bad; there's no bruising so I think I just pulled my ankle or it took a heavy hit when it broke my right footpeg. The right footpeg and rear brake lever are hanging by a solitary wire, something (ABS component?) is hanging off the rear wheel, there's serious scratching on the right side of the fairing, the headlamp doesn't work properly, the right-side indicators don't work, and the front brake lever is bent and scratched to hell as well. The damage isn't so bad. If the ABS was damaged then that will probably cost me the most. I wheeled the bike down to Gedge's this morning but with how busy they are it may take a few days for an estimate. Arg.

In other news I've replaced my horribly heavy, clunky, inaccurate mouse with a Razer Copperhead - a peripheral so cool it must have been made by ninjas. Even the packaging was great. It prepares you for the flexibility of the mouse by saying "Get used to having an unfair advantage!" - that made me laugh but the mouse itself really is smooth, responsive, and easy to move. Also, the sigil on the body doesn't just light up - it strobes with pulsing blue light. Awesome.

Crysis came with my replacement graphics card and I've already completed it. It was shorter than I expected but then a) I was expecting it to be as long as Far Cry, and b) I kept playing it until the short hours of the morning. It was a pretty good romp though - I've yet to try the multi player aspect of it.

I completed GTA IV as well. I think that Rockstar really hit home with the protagonist in this game. Niko is a flawed man thanks to his anger and his past decisions but he tries to do things for the benefit of his family and his closest friends, he has a filled-out and interesting history, he reacts realistically to the bizaire situations around him, and there's something Mr. Bellic him that makes me feel somewhat sympathetic towards him. Also, if I was on the receiving end of his battlecries I think I'd piss my pants. He's not a character-less mute like "Claude", he's not Mr. Smooth Vercetti, and he's not a seemingly typical gangster like CJ. The game itself is fantastic. If I were to comment on everything that GTA IV has to offer then this would be a very long post. So, like my comments on Crysis, I'll cut it short. Enjoyed it very much.