Or, Still Missing the MRC:RSS It has been several months now, but yes, I am still missing the MRC:RSS course. However, that is not to say that I didn’t pass the course. Well, I haven’t done that either. The thing is, I still haven’t retaken it. I know. I know. I wanted to take the course before doing anything else, before getting the motorcycle or my license. It’s just not working out that way. I did have confirmed reservations in two courses in addition to the one I had first taken. But, circumstances conspired against me. That seems to be happening a lot lately. I hope it is not a sign of how most things related to motorcycle experience are going to go. The first course I was scheduled to take was the single weekend version, Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Well, I had something else that needed to be done that Sunday. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Yes. Yes. I know. Where are my priorities? Anyway, I didn’t bother to show for Friday night to check in. It wouldn’t be fair really. Someone else might be able to use the spot to actually pass the course. The most I would get is some more practice. Besides, my elbow wasn’t quite healed yet. The second course was of the two-weekend variety, with afternoon sessions on Saturday and Sunday two weekends in a row. I really wanted to take the course. After all, I had missed the previous one and I did still want to pass the course before proceeding. But, then I did have something that needed to be done the following Sunday afternoon. You know. It was the Sunday afternoon when I would be taking the exam. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to make the following Sunday for the exam, I tried a different tack. I showed up as a walk-in for the morning session. The next four weekend mornings were open, no conflicts. Getting the registration would mean I wouldn’t have to worry about attending the afternoon session. I would be able to take the course and keep to my original plan of passing the MRC:RSS before taking the next step. Can you guess what happened? The morning session wasn’t quite full. At least, not all of the confirmed registrants showed up. I was the second person there that morning, which gave me a good chance of getting in, or so I thought at the time. Then a few other people showed up. No, they were not confirmed registrants. But, for me, the effect was the same. They were confirmed walk-ins. And there were more of them than spaces available. No morning sessions for me. While waiting for the instructors to arrive for the first session, I talked a bit with the person ahead of me in the queue. He was a young guy. Well, younger than me anyway. I think he was in his late teens, still a kid. His father had just bought a local motorcycle dealership and he wanted to help out around the shop. In order for him to do that, he needed to get his license. The best way to learn to ride and get your license at the same time, at least in Illinois, is to pass the MRC:RSS course. I felt sorry for him, actually. He really needed the license, more than I did anyway. He needed it to work. I wanted to ride for the fun and enjoyment of it and to commute to work, though for my three-quarter mile commute, my truck did suffice. Besides, I did have a conflict that would prevent me from taking the exam. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m too nice. I gave the kid my registration card and told him I wouldn’t bother showing up for the afternoon session. And, I had a confirmed registration, too, not a confirmed walk-in, but an actual registration. But, I still wouldn’t have passed the course. And, he did need it more than I did. It turns out that the registration card didn’t help any, though my not showing up did. He was able to attend as a walk-in and managed to pass the course. I found this out from an interesting source. I received an email the Monday morning after that first weekend. A fellow worker had attended the same course, heard my name called, and wondered if they were referring to me. They were. Oh, and she passed it, too. The end of the season is nearing. Soon, there will be no more courses until next year. I still have a goal of passing the MRC:RSS and eventually the ERC also. If I find some courses scheduled that I might be able to attend, I’ll try for another walk-in. In any case, there is always next year.