As some ZM06 Participants may have observed, your beloved Seasoned Rookie was unable to attend due to some family issues and financial problems. Always the optimist, I made wise use of my weekend and have for you a list of...Ten Semi-Fun things to do when you can't make it to ZookiMelt! (or, How Murph Spent ZookiMelt Weekend)

1. Move all the shelves in the garage and retrieve all the sockets and screwdrivers that have rolled under there in the past few years

2. Sit in your non-running, uninsured, and leaky-braked Zuki in its storage place while making engine noises and turning the wheel back and forth spastically like a 5 year old pretending to drive.

3. Take some time to ponder quality craftsmanship, precision measurements, and proper fitting. Apply these skills towards making a little tinfoil hat so that the government can't read your mind with all those satellites they have up there.

4. Call two friends and fire up those old Honda Scooters that have been sitting in the basement for years. Ride ungodly distances around town until nightfall. Realize you spent under $5 in gas.

5. Ponder an odd little invention to disturbing levels of detail which will allow you to drink as much coffee as desired on a road trip but not having to stop as often. Don't make that face. You've all thought about it at one time or another.

6. Take a nap.

7. Go through videos of previous offroading events and make a really cool music video set to "20th Century Boy" by T-Rex.  (I was impressed)

8. Give the kid down the street some tools and an old lawnmower and tell him to take it completely apart then put all the little parts in a box. Throw away the box when he's done.

9. Call that friend with the Waverunner that won't start. Clean out the carbs and spend a whole day out playing on the river.

10. Give thanks for what opportunities we do have and hope things look better for next year.