Hey from opus... =)

[opus]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone.  I'm still lurking around, but without a bike I don't have much to post about.  bleah.

I don't see a bike in the immediate future, unfortunately.  I've been working as an Actionscript/Ruby/Rails developer for the last few years, after switching from C#.  I'm having a lot more fun now and am getting close to being able to work some off-contracts, which will help with the bike situation.  I don't think I'll ever finance something that expensive again, honestly.  I think I'm pretty set on buying used vehicles from now on.  I'd like to end up with a used 1150GS, I think.  We'll see.

I'm still slowly losing weight.  When I got the VFR in Feb 2005 I weighed about 365.  I'm now down to 279, and slowly dropping.  I hope to settle somewhere around 210 or 220 in the next year.  I would be less, but I gained back about 25 lbs. after the tricep repair, and had to lose it again.  Oh well.  =)

Here's a crappy pic of me now...



And here's proof that I still love you guys.  ST.N was here!

[Dr Gil]

Wow Opus!  I was just thinking about you earlier this week.  I was reading the "Where are they now" topic and got to thinking, "What about Opus?  Where did he disappear to?"  And now here you are.  

So, dem changes, eh?  Be careful out there...we may not be able to recognize a "thin Opus" with no bike.  It's really not the image most of us have of you, heh.

Till we meet again my friend.  Thanks for checking in and updating us.  

[dinolee]

WooHoo, Welcome back!  And congrats on the weight loss!  

[bizarro]

Oi! Oi! Glad to see you doing well Opus. Congrats on the weight loss, keep at it!  

[jerome_oneil]

Man, they let you out of jail!  WooHoo!

[Leanintree]

Welcome home you (not as) chunky roasted penguin in a turtle shell!

Leanintree

[Tyrroneous]

Welcome back!  Have you checked into the weight loss thread?  Its around here somewhere...    

[toddrod]

hi Opus!

Hey...just cuz you don't have a bike doesn't mean you can't post like before. Look at me!!  

[ol Rocket]

Good to hear from you, Opus.  The weight loss is a lifetime commitment my friend, and when you're my age you will be repaid for your hard work.

And Powerbooks go well with GS's--they complement one another.

[bizarro]

hi Opus!

Hey...just cuz you don't have a bike doesn't mean you can't post like before. Look at me!!  

Me too!

[Lawn Dart]

Welcome Back Opus!  Glad to still have you with us.  

Stick around and keep on posting.  The "Where's Opus" thread is still legend, and will continue to be as long as the man behind the myth perpetuates it!

[opus]

Just realized I never responded to everyone.  I am teh suck!  =)

I just spent a little bit browsing around the site.  I'm glad everyone is doing well.  I get depressed if I stay here too long, though.  =\

Here's another pic for you.  This is in the Columbia Gorge, looking out from Angel's Rest, exit 28 on I84.  I kept on looking across the river to Highway 14 and remembering all my rides there.  "I remember that corner, and that corner..."  hehe.  Later all!

Oh, I'm on the right, obviously!  =)

[Acadian Rider]

The "Where's Opus" thread is still legend, and will continue to be as long as the man behind the myth perpetuates it!

I never met you Opus but I sure remember that thread.  Glad to see you're doing fine.  

Bizarro and Toddrod are right.  You can still post on STN even if you don't presently own a bike, unless of course you're "Girlie".  

[Corbeau]

Hey, Opus, heard from the Tall Texan lately?

Or was she just a figment of my imagination?  

[opus]

Hey, Opus, heard from the Tall Texan lately?

Or was she just a figment of my imagination?  

Hehe.  Brianne and I are still close friends, and talk on the phone every couple days or so.  She's been really busy since the 2005 National working on her Autocross career in her Mini Cooper.  She's pretty shit-hot in Texas and also does well in the Nationals.  I'm really proud of her.  She also took place in the recent Texas Mile, riding a 200+ HP Hayabusa to over 185 MPH.  She also rode a 300+ HP Hayabusa on the street for a bit.  "It's really strange doing 5th gear roll on wheelies at over 100 MPH."  

However, she's currently recovering from a broken leg during a motorcycle ride.  I believe that's her first ride injury.  =(

I'm probably messing up the details, but she was dirt track riding and when balancing the bike on a corner with her left leg down, she hit a bump or something.  That fractured her leg right below the knee, also messing up her ACL a bit I think.  She's doing much better now after the surgery and can almost bend the leg 90 degrees again.

Just to prove that she's still the Brianne you remember, she called me after going to an Autocross meet and said that she had been competing.  Huh?  I guess she rigged up a lever on her gear shift so that she could apply the throttle with her right hand and shift too.  Then she covered the brake and clutch with her right leg.  I think she said she was in the top three until she clipped a cone.  Can you imagine getting beat by someone with that setup?  I'd just quit racing, I think.

Oh, and when she was telling me about the accident she said "After I broke my leg, I managed to keep the bike upright.  I knew that if I stopped I wouldn't get back up, so I managed to ride the mile or so back to where the other riders were."    That's my girl.  =)

[XLR8]

Cool.

Hey C# is love man.  

C'mon.

[sagerat]

Welcome back Opus!  I enjoyed your in person recounting of the "Where's Opus?" journey at our BBQ in Bend.  Not to worry, you'll return to riding and congrats on the continued weight loss.

[FlowBee]

...This is in the Columbia Gorge, looking out from Angel's Rest, exit 28 on I84.  I kept on looking across the river to Highway 14 and remembering all my rides there.  "I remember that corner, and that corner..."  hehe.  Later all!
Oh, I'm on the right, obviously!  =)

Hey, welcome back Opus.  

BTW: Ore E Gun.  That pic is great.  My brother is a podiatrist in Bend (he just replaced his SecaII with a new Ninja 650) - I rode out to see him in '95.  The wife and I spent a week last September driving all over the area: Portland> Eugene> Bend> Burns> Boise> Pendleton> Portland.   We were convinced Oregon or Idaho was for us. Beautiful country - unlike anything in the midwest. We fell in love with Hood River for some reason.  Now we're probably going to transfer to Columbus OH.  Oh well... I can always visit...

[Zen Rider]

Hey, Opus:  Good to hear from you again, dude!

I thought about you at the  WCRM IV.  

Here's an oldie but goodie from the WCRM meet in Bend in '05:

Opus, the storyteller ...

[Lawn Dart]

OPUS LIVES!  OPUS LIVES!