Long time lurker in VA

[JMartel]

Hey everyone, I've been lurking on GJ since I found out about it from lurking on the HAMB a few years ago. I'm still in school right now at Virginia Tech, about ready to start my 5th year in my "4 year" engineering degree. Don't have a garage yet (can barely even use the 2 car back home really), but I wish I did. Working on my motorcycle and truck in the parking lot gets real old when the weather isn't very nice or when it gets dark.

Once I sign a lease for a new apartment next year, I'm planning on asking the complex if they will let me build a temporary shed in the parking lot over the motorcycle specific parking to keep the bikes out of the elements. Maybe get some battery powered lamps to hang and some doors with a lock to keep them secure. If the apartment was a true ground floor, I'd just roll the bike in the living room, but it's half underground.

Bike in question: (I'm a big picture ***** when it comes to my bike)

 

[Scout Driver]

Cool Triumph. Great pics! Welcome to the GJ.

Scott

 

[JMartel]

Thanks. The Japanese bikes just never did it for me the way the Triumph did. I absolutely love it.

 

[Wingnut65]

Welcome to GJ. I feel your pain. I crammed my 5 year acrhitecture degree into 6-1/2... What field of engineering?

Sweet ride. Looks like you have a blast on the Parkway. Is the truck worthy of pictures?

Good Luck with the shed concept in an apartment complex. Not sure I have ever seen that happen before. But, the next best thing to having a garage or shed is having a friend with a garage or shed. I'm not convinced I would trust all my tools and stuff in a temporary shed in a parking lot. Behind a house is one thing, but it may be too inviting in the open.

jeff

 

[JMartel]

Welcome to GJ. I feel your pain. I crammed my 5 year acrhitecture degree into 6-1/2... What field of engineering?

Sweet ride. Looks like you have a blast on the Parkway. Is the truck worthy of pictures?

Good Luck with the shed concept in an apartment complex. Not sure I have ever seen that happen before. But, the next best thing to having a garage or shed is having a friend with a garage or shed. I'm not convinced I would trust all my tools and stuff in a temporary shed in a parking lot. Behind a house is one thing, but it may be too inviting in the open.

jeff

Ocean Engineering is what they call it here at VT, but it's really Naval Architecture (Believe me, they're actually different). Ocean Engineering is designing oil rigs and other platforms and structures that are in the ocean, naval architecture is designing ships for the navy and commercial ships.

The parkway is about 45 min away from me. None of those pictures are on it though.

I think I gave up on the shed idea in the apartment complex. Part of the lease I had to sign was to not do any work in the parking lot. Yeah right, like that's going to happen. I'll continue to work until they yell at me, and then I'll take my work to a friend's garage in his townhouse. Problem is that it's the next town over, so it's not a viable option to keep my bike or tools there. The plan was to only keep my bike in the shed. All my tools stay in my room with me. They're pretty crappy tools (I'm "upgrading" to craftsman little by little because they're that bad).

My truck is nothing special. It's a 2000 Chevy S-10 ext cab in the standard light pewter color that everyone else has. Haven't really done much work to it other than putting in a new stereo/speakers, giving it a tuneup after I bought it, and getting a bed cover to improve gas mileage. If I didn't have my bike, I would have bought a better car. I just needed something to haul the bike around during breaks.

Sadly in middle school/high school I was never into cars/bikes/working on stuff despite my dad trying to get me to learn when I was real young. Hell, I never even liked getting my hands dirty. Now, there's rarely a day when I don't have at least a minimal amount of grease on me after doing something with the bike.

My problem is that I want a white collar paycheck to buy cool stuff, but a blue collar work environment so I can have fun. I've been learning to weld, teaching myself how to work on my bike/truck, took a machining class, etc.

So that's my life story that I'm sure you didn't need to know all of.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

Fellow Hokie here ('96 Ag Econ), so great to have you!

I understand, it's tough to have any hobbies and live at school. Or really, in an apartment anywhere. If you do your work mainly after the apartment office closes or on weekends you'll get away with a lot.

Or, befriend someone who rents a house.