Unicycler's Profesions and origins

[machinehead61]

I went to engineering school (mechanical) with Bruce, the yooper.
He graduated and I hit a crisis and bailed out and never went back (senior classes left). So today I'm a 43 year old machinist and trying to start my own machine shop in the garage so I can feed the wife and my son.

Who knows, maybe Bruce and I will build that variable drive unicycle hub yet.


Steve

[duke]

Originally posted by kraze
TomCopeland, the only unicyclist in Afghanistan. Duke, so are you the only unicyclist in Kosovo? My team and I are wondering if I am the only unicyclist in Iraq.

There is a Torker Unistar TX Giraffe that was misaddressed and went to Iraq. Went to the Zip 09349 and disappeared. So If you see a guy on a Giraffe, Its mine! Actually, insurance will cover the loss to the shipper.

I am pretty sure I am the only guy here in Kosovo with a Uni. I had a group of about 20 soldiers (no US) applauding me when I cleared a nasty speed bump on my 24" Unistar yesterday. We have lots of speed bump on the roads here and I have learned to clear most of them. The HSG commander is actually talking about having a 12" section removed from all of them for me, that would be cool. I have found that riding the 20" Giraffe has made me a lot better on the 24" Uni. I will start to learn to idle today. I am reserving a couple of hours to learn to free mount the giraffe on Sunday.

At the KFOR HQ here in Pristina, we have a 7' perimeter fence with a barrier on it to stop observation. There is a nice 4' wide asphalt running path that goes around the perimeter just inside the fence (2.4 K long). The main reason I got the giraffe is so I can be above the fence when I ride and can see out. You should see the reactions of the civilians outside of the perimeter, priceless.

So Kraze, do you have to wear all of your "battle rattle" when riding?

Duke

[kraze]

Duke, no I don't. I would practice on my site, where I don't have to wear my vest and helmet. Now that it is not required, I practice alongside some mortar barriers late at night, after shift. Good to run my hand along them, and veer off when I think I can go a few feet. When I get good enough, I would like to ride around in my vest and helmet, just to say I did. I am still looking to buy a helmet, though, because the one I have weighs way too much.

[duke]

Originally posted by kraze
I am still looking to buy a helmet, though, because the one I have weighs way too much.

I just ordered a Hockey helmet ($35.00). The Skid Lid ($16.00) I got form unicycle.com was too small. I have knee pads and wrist guards. I have not gone down hard yet, knock on wood.

Remember, on average, it takes 20-24 hours to learn how to ride and each trick up to 10 hours. I learned how to ride in 1988 or so and it took around a month.

[kraze]

Duke, thanks for the heads up on the skid lid. I was thinking about buying one off www.infiniteillusions.com (didn't see it in unicycle.com at the time) because it's a good price and has all the certifications to be more than a plastic hat.
I've had my unicycle about a month now, give or take, and practice every other day, about 15-20 minutes a night. I need to practice more, but it's too hot during the day, and after shift around one in the morning, I'm already pretty tired. I need to learn how so I can throw on my issued CamelBak, and ride around camp. I'm looking forward to it.

[Uniwitold]

Originally posted by johnfoss


1. Nerds like to think a lot. So do unicyclists.
2. Nerds are not social animals. Unicycling can be done solo.
3. Nerds don't mind standing out.

.

I just see I am the nerd PROPER .
Beside main bread producing activities( general surgeon then trouma orthopaedic surgeon ,after spells in urology and ginecology and obstetrics) I was a porter-waiter-switch operator-blacksmith assistant-green grocer wholesale assistant-ground worker.I am not totally lacking social skills but so called socialilzing, most of the time , is a duty to me.My final specialty was dictated by the pleasure of sorting some mechanical aspects of human mashine.

[wobbling bear]

there might be social nerds... (oxymoron?)

I graduated in architecture (roughly PhD)
+ some funny other studies like: social psychology and oriental languages (was supposed to know Pashto -everybody laughed at that time but now a very sought after competency-)

Then I started as a Math teacher in Morocco, later architect in southern France ...
went back to school to study Software engineering
was a hacker/nerd for many years implementing computer languages (while still playing in brassbands)

then turned Java guru/trainer

who knows what will happen to me after turning unicyclist?
mektoob..

bear

[Sofa]

Originally posted by duke



Currently deployed to Kosovo until August.

Small world huh.
Duke

Me and Spickydoo were in Kosovo at Zgon Dec1999-Jun2000 I was also in Bosnia Jan-Jul 1998

Small world indeed.

We were not into Unicycling at the time, but we both brought our Mountainbikes there. If you ever stopped by camp mapleleaf at Zgon for some reason, we used to ride around the dirt wall.

We were also allowed to ride up and down the big mountain that was there, I can't recall what it was called, but there was radio rebroadcasting setup up there.

On Fri, 4 Jun 2004 00:19:46 -0500, "duke" wrote:

>At the KFOR HQ here in Pristina, we have a 7' perimeter fence with a
>barrier on it to stop observation. There is a nice 4' wide asphalt
>running path that goes around the perimeter just inside the fence (2.4 K
>long). The main reason I got the giraffe is so I can be above the fence
>when I ride and can see out. You should see the reactions of the
>civilians outside of the perimeter, priceless.

Just so that I can picture this: how much of you is visible above the
barrier?

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis

[duke]

I would say from the top of my belly up. So they see this torso moving along the top of the fence with arms a flying. I bet it is a strange site.

The top of the fence also had coiled razor wire which would be nasty to fall into.

Duke

[RangerForrest]

I am just graduating from Highschool today with honors and an additional technical honors tassle. Two of in the school earned them. I am certified in computer repair and do some freelance work. For the past five years I have been the technical guy for my highschool theater. I started in eighth grade. I get to play with intelligent lighting consoles and we have some nice robotic lights we paid $12,000 for. Great toys.
I will be attending Purdue University next year to study Aero-space engineering.

If you go to Purdue, let me know!

RangerForrest@hotmail.com

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by tomcopeland
The reason I say that I am probably the only unicyclist in Afghanistan is because most people here don't even have electricity or even bicycles. I can't imagine seeing a unicycle in one of the villages here. It's like stepping back in time 2000 years. Although, Afghanistan does border China in the northeast corner, so maybe there are some Torkers up there.

Maybe this will change a wee bit.

Bringing Some Joy Back to Afghanistan

151 words
2 June 2004
The Columbus Dispatch
Home Final
1A
English
(c) 2004 Columbus Dispatch. All Rights Reserved.

One of the lesser-known ways international aid is improving life in Afghanistan after the Taliban is bringing back entertainment, such as the Mini Mobile Circus for Children. With the help of U.S. theater people, Afghans were trained in clowning, juggling, acrobatics and performance and now play about 25 dates a month, such as at the Cahai Amaskan orphanage. The troupe has had nothing but enthusiastic audiences, some of whom hadn't seen a program of its kind in 25 years.

(1) EMILIO MORENATTI | ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS\ A juggler takes a spin on a unicycle as the circus comes to entertain the more than 900 orphan boys of Cahai Amaskan in Kabul, Afghanistan.\ (2) The boys are mesmerized as the performers of the Mini Mobile Circus for Children entertain them. After decades of war, live performances are beginning to return to Afghanistan.;Photo

[tomcopeland]

A juggler takes a spin on a unicycle as the circus comes to entertain the more than 900 orphan boys of Cahai Amaskan in Kabul, Afghanistan.

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you." It's nice to know there is at least one other unicyclist in the country.

Some of our guys hand out supplies to children at the Egyptian hospital here on Bagram airfield. Maybe I could go and provide some entertainment for them. I'm not much of an entertainer, though.

[JJuggle]

Originally posted by tomcopeland
Some of our guys hand out supplies to children at the Egyptian hospital here on Bagram airfield. Maybe I could go and provide some entertainment for them. I'm not much of an entertainer, though.

Entertaining, of course, is an art in itself independent of any skill. That said, I'll be if you head over there, smile a lot and do some cool tricks, you'd be a hit and bring some happiness to a lot of kids.

Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

[spickydoo]

It wasn't Zgon Sofa, it was Donja Koretica. Zgon is in Bosnia. The mountian is Golez. That crash must have hurt more than yu thought . I'm a military firefighter with the Canadian Airforce now, but I was a combat engineer with the Army. I was never a great student in school. I never had a hard time with any classes, I just didn't apply myself unless it was a hands on type of class like shop. I also did well in math and science. I'm sure I could have gone to university or college but I was sick of school by then.