5 more days

It's nearly time for our trip. The forecast a week out is looking damp for Saturday so be sure to pack the rain gear on the outside chance the weather man actually gets it right for a change. The days will pass quickly so be sure to button up loose ends and make those last minute changes early this week. Pack early also to be sure you don't forget anything. Last minute packing almost always leads to forgotten items.

Come on Friday!!!

Federal "not so" Express

So I bought a new helmet on the 3rd, it shipped out on the 4th, and a few days later when it got here I didn't like it. So using the good ol' USPS Priority Mail I returned it to Pamona CA on the 7th. The helmet was received on the10th and on the 11th my refund was in my Paypal account. After work on the 11th I bought a different helmet from a different seller. My "new" new helmet was shipped out via Fedex on the following day, the 12th. I know this because the seller was gracious enough to  provide me with a tracking number. As of this very moment my helmet has still not arrived. Today is the 19th. 7 days? 7 days from California by a company with the word "express" in their name? And the thing that really confuses me is that, per the tracking number, my helmet spent a whole day in Charlotte going from one Fedex hub to another. I will most likely end up sending Fedex a charming little email expressing my displeasure with their less than speedy service. Will it fall on deaf ears? Probably but I'll feel better. Rest assured that, while I have always prefered the post office over independant contractors, I am now thoroughly convinced that I will always use the postal system for my own shipping needs.

Anticipation builds

The countdown has begun. 12 more days till we ride to Damascus for the weekend. The next two weeks are going to be filled with preperations of our road trip. Today I turned my rigid mount saddlebags (that I hated) into throwovers that I now love! 10 seconds to install and remove. They way it should be. Now if I could only speed up time.

When it rains....

Broke as usual and going backwards. Last week the dryer quits and luckily the damage was only $30. Money I didn't want to spend but at least I had it. Yesterday my wife says "The truck won't go faster than 35." Today after work I determine that I now need a new transmission. Fucking awesome!!! And it gets better. My transmission guy tells me the rebuild of mine is like $800 just for parts. I have to call him tomorrow to see if he can find me a used one cheaper than rebuilding. It's a transmission damn it, not a whole car. The sad part is that if I sold the truck as is, it wouldn't bring much more than enough to buy the new transmission. Like a rock my ass.

Too much money for too little work

Calling around today to find a place to mount a tire on the rear of my Sportster, I realized something. I am in the wrong business. One place I called wanted $50 to mount a tire. I then asked about bringing in just the wheel and they said $25. Still high in my opinion but better. This made me realize something. $25 to mount the tire and $25 to pull the wheel. The tire mounting I can overlook because even though they use a machine , tires are a pain in the ass to change. Now $25 to pull the wheel? Come on. I don't do this for a living or even more than once a year and I can pull/replace the wheel in less than 10 minuets. My math puts the labor rate for a tire change at $150/hr.  No thanks buddy, I'll pull my own damn wheel.

The best a man can get.

This sentance was a marketing masterpiece for Gilette for as far back as I can remember. Now while I personally disagree with this in most of their product line, I can honestly say that there disposable razors fit that bill. My normal male grooming routine (my face) really couldn't care what brand blade cuts away the shag as long as the job is done. My newly revisited hairstyle on the otherhand misses the smooth gliding comfort of their design. I'm sure Bic makes a fine ball point pen and a quality cigarette lighter but their razors will no longer be welcome on my scalp once the current supply is gone. They cut fine but have nearly no glide. Infact, in my opinion they are only one step above an angry Apache with a bone handle knife. I did manage to accomplish my touchup with only the smallest of incidents but I fear the next rondevous as the blades have now been used and have even less chance of cutting only the hair.

Do you know what today is?

Today is exactly 8 weeks till the Blistered Bottom Ride version 2.0. This guy is counting the days. Let's just hope the weather decides to warm up between now and then.

Sweet 16

Yesterday my daughter turned sixteen and today she passed her driving test. Having gone through this with my eldest son two years ago sort of prepared me for the day. Sort of.

The moment she left the yard to drive herself to school for the first time, the pride I felt had to battle the fear for control of my emotions.

For me that day has been many years ago now but I remember it vividly. I know one day she will as well.

Shooting my mouth off

You know it really shouldn't surprise me but it does. How can people living in a free nation, a nation built on freedoms and rights that are unamiable, how can they be so willing to trample the very document that gives them the right to do so? The 2nd amendment of uor US Constitution affords every individual the right to keep and bear arms. I understand that 200 yrs ago the country was a different place but the reasons behind that simple clause still exist. We were not given this right. Many men died for it. Many men fought a war against a greater, more powerful army and won. Those men didn't fight and die so can huntor defend our homes from criminals. They died so we can defend our very way of life from a tyriness government. That is the reason we have a second amendment.

Now, now we have people inside our own country, our own friends and leaders that are willing to give up that right just to feel safer. Not be safer, feel safer. I realize that I live in a corrupt world with a population over run with lazy, tender, immoral people but I will not waiver on my position here.

"Those that would sacrifice a little liberty for a little safety, deserve neither liberty or safety." Benjamin Franklin

Protect your rights people, once you lose them they are gone for good. And don't think it can't happen. It has happened in other places they thought it couldn't too.

For all of you that are for restricting my rights, I leave you with this.
If we ever lose the 2nd amendment, how will you defend the rest of them.

"To take over a nation, first disarm it's people." Adolph Hitler

Change of face

Well today while waiting for the monsoon I took those ugly ass Saddleman saddlebags off of my Sportster. Since they are bolt on, the rear turn signals have to be relocated to behind the bags. This isn't a problem since the bags come with plastic brackets to remount them onto. The problem with that is all the rear bolts have to be taken out to do the job. I had to remove two bolts from each bag. The same two that hold the sissybar and rack. The same two that also hold the fender to the frame. Done and done. Time to put the lights back on. Not so fast. The wires are threaded through the bag and I had to remove the plug from the wires. That by the way requires removing the tail light. Ok, now I'm ready. NOPE. Even lifting the fender as high as it will go doesn't give me enough clearence to install the 3.5" bolts without hitting the tire. Damn it! So I loosen the axel and belt adjusters and push the tire forward. Finally they go on. Much easier to put it back together.

Now what to do with the bags?

Virginia is for...

Well this installment of the Random Thoughts is coming to you from Christiansburg Va. Work has me out of town for couple of days. Virginia is for lovers or so they say. For me it's all work. I used to work here every single day, back when there was more money involved and my back was younger. Two years ago I, along with a few others spent some time here just enjoying the beautiful countryside. Plans are to revisit that idea again this year. For now, I just want to go home. I hate hotels.

Wooley

Hey bud. Get in contact with me. let's do another weekend ride.

Well it's been a year since I posted anything here, time to catch up.

Firsth of all, Happy Easter everyone. Jesus loves you.

In the past year I have been back to work and I'm still broke as a convict, thank you family.

 Our son Matthew has obtain his first real job. It's part time and he makes minimum wage but it's steady and he enjoys it. He makes his gas money and a little to spend on girls and what-not, for the rest of his needs we provide. He's still in school and an "A-B" student so we don't mind. I think he's looking at a junior college to start and transfer out. Hard to believe he'll be a Senior next year.

 The daughter got her learner's permit. She's doing well and getting better as a new driver. Come April 30th she'll be ready for the road test and hopefully safely running about town and country with the freedom all 16 year olds should enjoy. Her mother and I bought her car as we did with our eldest so all she needs to do is continue to be the "A" student/athlete she is and concentrate on prepping for college.

 Little man has entered middle school and is doing fine. The ADHA tends to play a role from time to time but we keep it at bay most of the time and his school work reflects it for the most part.

The wife and I celebrated out 18th anniversary in October. Still happy and WAY more appreciative of each other than where we stood when it started. Love you Tonya.

I have a new bike (finally). I lucked out and found a 2003 with VERY low miles and worked a deal where the bike is mine free and clear. Economy be damned, the bike is mine and it's not going anywhere. As fate would have it, out of the blue Peewee called the day after I got it and asked when we were going to go on another riding/camping trip like the one Billy, Wooley, and us took a couple years ago. I'm ready, well as soon as the tag office opens I'll be ready.

An ass out of you and me

Why is it that as humans we always assume the worst?

All winter long, all WARM winter long, I have put off fixing "Big Ticket" assuming it was in need of a stater solenoid. Not the most expensive part of the bike for sure but 50 bucks is 50 bucks. Since I had no plans to ride over the winter that money had better places to be.

So tonight, after 12hrs on the job, I came home determined to stay busy since I am on call tonight. I knew if I sat down I would be tired in no time flat. I toyed around with the jeep while letting the battery in the bike charge a little. Just before going in the house I went into the building to see if  I could jump the solenoid and at least start her up for the first time since October or so. Well due to the genius minds at Harley Davidson in the 70's, the solenoid is damn near impossible to get to with that rear exhaust pipe still on. Anyhow, "Big Ticket" has a starter button on the top tree for easy access when things are working right so I decided to just try it for the heck of it and it made a tiny noise at the starter. AH HA!! The solenoid is fine. I jumped the starter button and "Big Ticket" spun over a few times and roared to life momentarily. So it turns out that because I am not only a cheap skate but also a procrastinator that I have saved myself 50 bucks and quite a bit of heartache. As for my assumption of the problem, when you assume you make .......

I'm Back!!!

Well it has sure been a while since I put my musings to the world. Last posted August 6th? Yep, quite a while indeed.

So how has the world been without me? Just as screwed up as ever I see, maybe even a little worse. It is an election year after all. Ahh, elections. A process that sounds good in theory yet never seems to materialize as it should. As the days pass and the race gets closer the candidates abandon all their morals and standards just to discredit the opposition's campaign and drag their personal lives through the media mud. It's a wonder anyone even bothers to vote considering the choices we have. Strange how it comes down to just a matter of "the lesser of two evils". Not quite what our forefathers had in mind I would imagine. Lord help us.

So let's see, the price of fuel is up. No surprise there. What does surprise me is that somehow everyone seems to think there is some easy fix for it. The only way I see a reduction in price is if the rest of the world suddenly quits becoming increasingly dependent on it. Laws of supply and demand.

Reality TV is still running amok. I personally thought that it would have run it's course by now but apparently the masses can't get enough of the mind numbing, "unscripted" acting. My only "reality" show addiction is American Idol and it too is beginning to wane on me. "All good things..." I guess.

The job is doing good I guess. I find it best not to complain as it could always be worse. I like what I do and my 55-65hr weeks provide the necessary finances to pay the bills as well as pay the ones that are behind. We still aren't ahead of the game (I wonder if we ever will be) but we are catching up.

My driveway has adopted a Jeep Wrangler. More open air travel except this thing holds the family. Now to get the motorscooter back on the road and legal.

Just so you know...

I have not died, fallen from the face of the earth or even abandoned my friends and family. I have been away looking for work, finding work, finding better work and then making as much time as possible for the wife and kids.

3 weeks and counting

Yes you read it right. Three weeks and counting until Peewee, Wooley, Billy, and I leave Greensboro for a ride lasting throughout the weekend. The Blistered Bottoms ride and camping trip will take us into and out of Virginia, Tennessee and of course North Carolina. In this inaugural year, I expect the road tripping to be very casual and informal. Much less organized than many big rides out there and that is at least part of the draw for me. It would be nice to see it turn into something bigger every year to a point but once you start having a large group of people things start to loose their intimacy. Comraderie and relaxation are the two biggest things this trip has the potential to give and I think as long as all major surprises are avoided we should find both of them.

Packing for the trip had already started many weeks ago but I had to unpack the tool roll to fix my generator. I still haven't decided what all to take but I do know both my saddle bags and my backpack will all be lined with plastic trash bags to ensure that all my clothes and belongings stay dry. As I repack the tool roll (ammo box really) I will inventory the tools with my checklist that I made the first time I did it. That way I don't leave out the one thing I will need should something go awry. I still need to acquire some sort of rain gear but finding something that won't melt to my pipes is proving to be a challenge. I think also I may just pack the clothing needed for the two days but throw in my sneakers in case the boots get a rain storm in them. Pants, T-shirts, socks, under garments will be the wardrobe I think since I want to be comfortable and T-shirts and jeans are where I live. I'm still considering throwing in a hoodie since we will be sleeping under the stars in the mountains even though it will be late June. Mountain weather, ya never know. The bed roll, sleeping bag or blanket? Probably the bag. If it gets cool I can get inside and if not I'll sleep on top of it. The pillow will probably not make the trip though. I can use my pack for that. Even though this trip will be about getting away, I still have to stay connected to the family because of the kids so the Blackberry will go as well. Good thing I installed that 12v power outlet under the seat.

Well that's enough dribble for now. 3 weeks and counting!!!!!

Stupid software incompatability issues

They say that computers are only as smart as the programmers. If that's true then the guy that wrote the software for this blog must be a "C" student. I finally figured out how to post comments again. For the last two weeks or more I just couldn't get my comments to post. I would type out what I wanted to say, hit post and it would just take me to the log in screen. I would log in again and the whole process would just start over. Well tonight, thanks to "Bacon" my daughter's pet Vietnamese potbellied pig, I had to sign back into my account instead of just clicking on the favorites link I had saved. Viola, I can now post comments. Apparently the "Remember me" option at sign in was causing a problem that was keeping the program from doing just that. Now if I could just remember my Photobucket password.

Q&A

Well for some reason I can't seem to respond to comments made on my blog.

So.....

Yes I fixed the generator. I just cleaned it up REAL good.

The motorcycle that you gave me the link to was one of three that were there. The only one not on a truck.

Yeah "Big Ticket" is a 77. If 35 years makes it antique then I can also be an "antique on an antique" LOL. 38 in December.

So Wooley, since we are doing Q&A, what is the confirmed head count on the ride now?

Some pics for the ones that missed it. (The Antique Motorcycles)

I didn't take many but here are the ones I did take. Don't ask 'cause I have no idea what they are now.

Here's a mid 60's Triumph you could ride home for $2500. (If you were completely clueless)

An old shovelhead with LOTS of moulding on the frame and tins. Kind of dated but still not a bad looking bike over all.

Sweet little BSA

U.S. Army Harleys

...and my favorite...

And "Big Ticket" just before I left and the rain started. Not quite an antique just yet but old enough.