Ozzie's BMW

I rode nearly 100 miles to Ozzie's BMW in Chico for their Spring Open House (as I did last October for the fall event, in celebration of Oktoberfest). I went mainly to mingle, but also to get a broken turn signal replaced and to schedule my next maintenance prior to my upcoming trip to Flagstaff, AZ. Filled myself with cold cuts, cake, cookies and diet cola too.

What I hadn't planned on was to test ride a couple of new bikes, but heck, that's what a lot of Open Houses are about (I remember Ski Days where manufacturers promo'd their ski equipment on the slopes... back when I still ventured out to the snow). The models I chose to ride are the F800S and K1200R Sport, the two having different personalities and my own green Rockster falling somewhere inbetween.

Here they are:

College Towns

I rode to Chico, CA today for an Ozzie's BMW Open House (the last one was for Oktoberfest 2006 just before Halloween). Chico is home to California State University at Chico... CSU-Chico, or better known (much better known) as Chico State. The college has had a long standing reputation as the nation's premier party school. So what is it that makes a town a college town?

Sacramento, CA is home to CSU-Sacramento and several community colleges, yet I do not believe anyone really refers to Sacramento as a college town. Nearby Davis, CA is recognized as the home of UC Davis (of the University of California system) and has had its share of notable credits. Davis is a college town. So is Tempe, AZ, where I attended Arizona State University (ASU). I have visited my friend Rich in Flagstaff, AZ where Northern Arizona University (NAU) is located, and I consider it a college town.

I'm not sure how others define college towns, but the way I see it is that a college town would greatly suffer economically if it weren't for the school's existence.

Did I ever mention that a lot of crap goes thru my head while under a helmet?

N Words

It's been brought up before but now it's my turn. What is with the double-standard? I stopped by a fast-food joint this evening to grab dessert, suck down a diet cola and read today's paper (kinda late reading cuz I was out-of-town all day). In comes about a half-dozen plus Afro-American teenagers who may have been junior high to high school age. Their dialog consisted of many profane words that were used as a matter of course; it is how they speak, including calling each other the N word. I could spell it out, but we all know the word to which I refer.

And this is okay? Jesse, Al... please tell me it ain't so! Maybe you should clean up your own house before chastising others and rid this double-standard.

Frogs

I can't begin to describe how frustrating it is to compose a detailed post, and then lose it entirely because I neglected to perform an occasional "Save As Draft". I will take another (albeit abbreviated) stab at getting this posted. Cyber errors just plain suck!

There's a lot of history here in Northern California (I am a transplant from the Arizona desert, leaving the Copper State and my teenage years behind). Sacramento, San Francisco, the Gold Rush... and Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens used this pen name for his first important work, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", although many may remember him for his characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

The storied event took place in Angel's Camp; I have motorcycled this area on many occasions, which is about an hour's ride and a couple of county lines from home (in Sacramento). Here is an excerpt from his work:

Why, I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this floor -- Dan'l Webster was the name of the frog -- and sing out, 'Flies, Dan'l, flies!' and quicker'n you could wink he'd spring straight up and snake a fly off'n the counter there, and flop down on the floor ag'in as solid as a gob of mud, and fall to scratching the side of his head with his hind foot as indifferent as if he hadn't no idea he'd been doin' any more'n any frog might do.

Click here for the entire story, and links to the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee (held this year from May 16-20, 2007).

Nature's a Mother

Whoa, it was almost 90 degrees today, and wouldn't you know it was just last Saturday that we had some light showers and temps in the upper 60s? The upper 80 temps will continue throughout the weekend and gradually drop until next Thursday, where the forecast is calling for rain again and temps in the mid-60s. Kinda schizo with this "Is It Spring or Is It Summer" thing eh?

I'm not complaining. It'll be riding this Saturday and grass doubles volleyball on Sunday.

Standards

I found another Sac Bee article in the Opinion section which points out what I have been arguing, that for the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton to publicly denounce racist attitudes (in this case, the Don Imus incident) are largely based on these men's preferences. They choose their battles.

"The selective indignation that Don Imus inspired by his ugly little sneer brings to mind the trouble with hate-crime legislation. By punishing only some kinds of hatefulness -- on the basis of race, creed or sex, for example -- it discriminates in favor of other kinds. By singling out some kinds of prejudice as unacceptable, it makes the others more acceptable."

This is from Paul Greenberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Read the rest of the article here.

Who's Sorry Now?

Here is an interesting Sacramento Bee newspaper article about the sorry state of affairs in our nation's history. Looks like Don Imus is in pretty good company.

More Laws?

There should be laws that make these acts illegal:

1. Homicide.
2. Rape.
3. Assault & Battery.
4. Larceny.
5. Arson.
6. Terrorism.

If this is already the case, Legislators sure make it seem like it isn't so by constantly introducing new bills for more laws. This must be a way for them to justify their jobs. Or, if they are merely representing their constituents, surely Darwinism is more widespread than anyone can imagine and only stupid people are breeding.

Burglary in Progress

Dispatcher: Hello, how may I help you?

Caller: I'm looking out my window and see there's a burglary in progress at my neighbor's house.

Dispatcher: Is there anyone in any imminent danger?

Caller: There appears to be two men loading up their van, but no bystanders are in the area.

Dispatcher: All right sir, please remain calm and in the safety of your own home. All our officers are busy and will not be available to respond for at least another hour. We are very shorthanded. Your neighbor can have their insurance company take care of any losses.

Caller: Oh, okay. Thank you.

(five minutes later)

Caller: I just called a few minutes ago to report a burglary at my neighbor's house. You can cancel that; I grabbed my shotgun and took care of everything.

(another five minutes later, several patrol cars arrive at the scene)

Officer (after busting the two burglary suspects): Are you the neighbor who called in this burglary?

Caller: Yes sir.

Officer: I thought you reported that you shot the burglars.

Caller: How interesting... I thought you were shorthanded and no officers will be available for another hour!

Earth Day 2007

This Sunday marks Earth Day. I guess that begins the Earth Week, and perhaps a prelude to May as Earth Month. For the many who will go out of his or her way to celebrate, why not make the 365 days each year an Earth Day and, ahem, maybe call it an Earth Year, every year?
Curb your wheels, dim the lights, adjust the thermostats... let it become your way of life.

Counter Tax

What to do after Tax Day (besides grumbling about what you owed or splurging with what's to come)? Head on out to those businesses who let you "stick it to the Man" by not paying taxes on your purchases for the weekend. Of course, the stores will still owe their share to Uncle Sam, but they have that covered. You're saving approximately 8% in taxes on prices that are marked up by roughly 10%.

Guess who knew that math scores were never really high on national scholastic tests?

Yet Even More Corzine Idiocy

Get this!

"State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes defended his initial praise of the trooper, whom he said "should be commended for his valiant attempt to avoid this catastrophe" immediately after last week's accident."

It's like praising the firefighter for putting out a fire which he started! The trooper's SUV emergency lights were flashing, he was traveling 91mph in a 65mph zone and the NJ governor was not wearing seatbelts. Emergency lights and speeding to see Don Imus? I guess I was right in an earlier post entitled "Above the Law", because we have a select, privileged populace who enjoys those things that John Q. Public cannot, because they are illegal.

Feel rebellious?

Biggest Killer

Here is an Associated Press article on the leading cause of death among those between the ages 10 and 24.

"Nearly 400,000 young people under 25 are killed in traffic accidents every year and millions more are injured or disabled, the World Health Organization said."

Maybe these stats will give the car-control zealots some ammunition to push for a car ban.

Judicial Error?

Could Special Justice Paul M. Barnett's ruling by not committing Cho to a psychiatric hospital in 2005 possibly contributed to the VA Tech massacre? His decision may well have allowed the mental case to purchase the firearms from which he would otherwise been barred. Read the AP article here.

Local Threats

It was almost inevitable that there would be copycat attempts of the Virginia Tech massacre. Yuba City is roughly 30 miles north of Sacramento, CA in rural Sutter County. This guy supposedly ranted and boasted to family and pastor while under the influence of meth, threatening to stage a killing that will dwarf the VA Tech incident. He is no stranger to jail cells and has been arrested on charges of domestic violence against his wife. (Read more here...)

The schools were under lockdown and many parents have arrived to remove their children from class. Law enforcement were on high alert.

"Some parents are taking their children out, but we are encouraging them not to because they are safe," Johal said. "We have received no direct threat, but law enforcement has told us that they think they know of a man who wants to go on a killing spree. We are following the direction of law enforcement." (Read more here...)

What makes these parents think that they are any safer at home? Schoolgrounds are not the only arena, but they garner the most attention because of sheer number and our society's reverence toward children. These criminals can come storming into your homes to carry out their assaults, and the nearest law enforcement is at best 5 minutes away. What options have you, if not to just kiss your ass goodbye?

VA Tech Massacre

Sad, but I have a gut feeling that the psychological and sociological problems are more prevalent on school campuses (and elsewhere) than we would like to believe. I held off posting anything until I got a better idea of what just happened... which many of us are still trying to figure out.

"Police said Wednesday that Cho was accused of stalking two female students in the fall of 2005. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said that Cho had been taken to a mental health facility that year."

(click here for further reading)

I'm waiting for more news regarding the medical assessment from that hospital trip in 2005. Am I not correct in assuming that stalking the female students constitutes a criminal act? Has anyone noticed that high profile crimes involving loss of life are often committed by those with a history of brushes with the law? Would it irk you, as it did me, to watch a brief TV news spot of a seemingly content prisoner expressing his satisfaction for the amenities provided during his confinement? How often have telltale signs of troubled individuals been ignored? I was able to pick these classmates out during my passage from K-12, and I bet today's youth can too. These dregs of society resort to various tools for killing: knives, explosives, poison, vehicles, guns, garottes, hammers, chainsaws, pipes, crowbars, baseball bats... ad infinitum.

The system is broken.

More Corzine

Further investigation revealed that the State Trooper-driven car in which New Jersey Governor Corzine was riding (sans seatbelts) was travelling at an estimated 91mph. In a 65mph zone. Simple math puts this at 26mph over the speed limit, and should be a slap in the face for anyone who has received citations for lesser differences.

Like Yours Truly.

Clutter

I came across the word recently, which pretty much describes the result of what I refer to as packratitis. Clutter. Plenty of it around me due to my penchant need to make like a squirrel... and from what I've been reading, I am far from being alone with this affliction.

It seems so obvious yet it has always escaped me; the word has a sort of impact (to me anyway) that sheds new light on my situation. Time to step up efforts to getting my life a little less cluttered.

Chicago...

... the Windy City, could very well be normally like what we are experiencing in Sacramento, CA today. My trip to the Chicago, IL area back in 2000 was fortunately during some calm days, the worst being a rainstorm on my last night's stay. News has it that the winds have reached nearly 25mph on this 72 degree day; I am sure we have had higher winds in the area. About the only outdoor activity I want to be doing in this situation is to go fly a kite... but I don't remember where I stashed it!

This afternoon I called my ol' college buddy with whom I stayed on that trip. Their current weather conditions? Windy.

Above the Law? NJ Guv Corzine

Let's see who in recent news is above the law.

Corzine - who was riding in a sport utility vehicle driven by a state trooper and headed to a meeting between radio show host Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team - apparently was not wearing his seat belt, as required by law."

If I am not mistaken, it is a national law for all drivers and passengers to buckle up when hitting the road. "Click It or Ticket", as the road signs say. Interestingly, a red pickup may have caused the two-car accident involving the Governor's SUV and another vehicle that clipped it. The pickup was driven by a young man whom New Jersey State Troopers believe is mentally impaired (sheesh, as a motorcyclist, I need to concern myself with yet another potential road hazard?).

The guv sustained quite a bit of physical damage but nothing life-threatening. Perhaps it is punishment enough, since I doubt that he will be ticketed for not wearing his seatbelt (especially with a State Trooper behind the wheel). We all know that the law does not apply to everyone.

No More Bubbles

Don Ho ("Tiny Bubbles") died this morning. Not much detail on this late-breaking news from API Honolulu, Hawaii.

Margaritaville

I had lunch with a coworker at Chili's Bar & Grill for Friday the 13th (chicken and penne pasta). While there, we learned of an interesting promotion that is currently underway.

Chili's is conducting an Art of the Margarita Madness where you "paint" with online templates to create your masterpiece. I created three, but I would not go so far as to consider them masterpieces... you can browse a gallery of the works of all entrants. And you can try your hand at creating your own by visiting www.chilismargaritamadness.com.

13

Tomorrow will be the first Friday the 13th of 2007. It'll be interesting to see what transpires, especially for the superstitious among us. Which, by the way, I am not. Even so, 13 is a well recognized number because of its ominous reputation (particularly the day landing on a Friday), which makes it rather difficult to ignore. The only other association I can think of for number 13 is that it is the amount in a baker's dozen.

There are associations we make for other numbers too, for example, one being "the loneliest number". Or "looking out for Number One". And perhaps having "one for the road". Maybe I will revisit the way we associate numbers in a future post.

Time now to await the 13th's arrival.

Repeat Offenders

Latest news regarding the car burglary shooting incident (which I posted earlier under "Protecting Self and Property") is posted at Channel 3 News' website. Fortunately, the homeowner, who does not have a criminal record, will not be facing any charges for defending his personal property. Chalk one up for the good guys this time; we hear too often about criminals receiving all sorts of protection from the justice system. A quick take on the bad guys in this situation reveals that they are no strangers to these run-ins.

"Tran and Virelas both have criminal records, Scully's office said. Tran is currently on felony probation for unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm and misdemeanor probation for giving false information to a peace officer. Virelas is on misdemeanor probation for unlawfully possessing an assault weapon. Both have additional criminal records."

Two of them on probation and have additional criminal records? Don't be too surprised that this happens all the time.

15

My minutes of fame?
Andy Warhol will tell you,
"A dozen and three!"

Some have exceeded
The proverbial fifteen.
Overexposure.

They will set their clocks
For time elapsed as always
14:59.

Reverence

Ask most of today's youth who they look up to these days, and I will bet that the majority will respond with names from the entertainment industry (movies, TV, pro sports, music). Growing up geek I have a somewhat different list:

Richard Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Alva Edison, Thomas Jefferson, Nikola Tesla, Guglielmo Marconi, Lao-Tzu, Sir Edmund Hillary, Ansel Adams, Ted Nugent, Steve Irwin, Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton... and the many faceless names and nameless faces who have made this world a more tolerable place in which to live.

Yeah, Hollywood bites.

Easter

That other religious holiday. In keeping with political religious correctness, I guess today's well wishes may have been expressed with "Happy Bunny's Day!".

I rode nearly 230 miles in the Sierra foothills with temps reaching close to 80 degrees. At one point I had to slow for a wild turkey sauntering across the roadway; it was big enough where it would have given me a problem (unlike with the squirrels, skunks and prairie dogs).

The roads were relatively clear, probably since most people already got to where they were planning on celebrating Bunny's Day. One of these locations was Columbia State Park located near Sonora, CA. From there, I followed Parrotts Ferry Road to Hwy4 and back to Angels Camp, where I took Hwy49 to Mokelumne Hill. Here I took Hwy26 and enjoyed the twisties through Glencoe, West Point and Pioneer as shown in this map.



No, I am not religious... spiritual perhaps, but not religious. Superstitious to a very slight degree, but aren't we all? When I left this morning the odometer read 13 miles. Once on the road I checked the clock, which read 9:11. The next time I checked the odometer it read 26, which meant I had ridden 13 miles (and eventually rode on Hwy26). This coming Friday will be a 13th. Another thought ran through my head, reading somewhere that the last time the Clock was read had put it at 5 minutes to midnight. Weird.

Happy Easter!

Why Cops?

My previous post raised a question in my mind: "why do we even have police, and why is our tax money supporting them?". To keep our streets safer? They are not safe. To protect our property? Burglaries are constantly in the news.

I sure don't have an answer.

Protecting Self and Property

I caught this on tonight's local news about a Sacramento area man arrested for shooting one of the men attempting to steal his car from his driveway.

"What we try to stress to people is that deadly force, the use of a firearm, is never justified under any circumstances to protect property," said Sgt. Matt Young of the Sacramento Police Department.

So what is justified to protect your property? Had this been the sergeant's home and car, what do you think he would have done? My guess is that he would have drawn his firearm too, but with that twisted logic that he is within his right as an officer of the law.

Okay, let's say the sarge puts his money where his mouth is. What does one do in this situation? The answer is to roll over and let the crooks do as they may, call the cops and have your insurance company take care of the loss. Ever feel gouged by insurance companies?

Since I am already paying taxes to support law enforcement, why should I have to pay for any insurance at all? I would gladly succumb to the burglars if I knew that the police will reimburse me for any stolen or damaged property that they were protecting on my behalf. Of course, if their claim is that they cannot be everywhere to protect everyone and everything at any given moment, maybe we should help our men in blue by fending for ourselves.

Just like Sou Saechin was trying to do.

Parlez-Vous Français?

It will take six California politicians to visit Paris, France to study the feasibility of high-speed trains for this state (Los Angeles to San Francisco, for instance). Maybe they should send only two instead, along with engineers and environmental scientists to round out the lot. Makes better sense to me.

Soda Cans

Ever notice how aluminum soda cans are designed? There was a time when I didn't give it a second thought until I left one in the freezer overnight (hey, I needed to cool it down really fast). Bad enough I forgot about it and that I might not have been that thirsty, I also managed a repeat performance. The somewhat concave tops and bottoms pop outward (like innies turning into outies), so be sure the cans are on their sides when you deliberately try this.

Last night however, the 3rd can may have been flawed especially after I dropped it on the ground prior to sticking it in the freezer. Since it was mostly frozen, the sputtering through a tiny fissure in the top rim was minimal (and being diet there was no sugary mess to clean up).

Yes (ahem), I did it a 3rd time.

Wooded Hills

Today's ride took me on a road which piqued my curiosity the many times I've ridden by in the past. The road was barely a lane wide, with twists and turns so tight I imagine that the map resembles an x-ray of the digestive system. I maintained speeds of around 20 to 25mph heading deep into the hills... deep into the woods. Word has it that there's strange goings-on that goes on out there (including meth labs, but that may be just urban legend... or not).

I can't help but wonder if the cacaphony of my motorcycle's engine and burbling exhaust may have overpowered the faint and distant sound of banjo strings and squealing.

Uncle Sam

The city of Escondido (30 minutes outside of San Diego, CA) wants to pass an ordinance where managers of rental housing cannot rent or lease to people who are not legal residents of the United States. Not those with temporary work visas, but those who are under the radar, here illegally.

Further, the judge said, the city's reliance on a federal database to confirm that a person is in the country illegally seems flawed because it would not provide definitive proof.

So much for data integrity, when even the Feds admit that they cannot trust their own information.

Elsewhere (in West Sacramento, to be exact), the Sacramento River's levee repairs provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leave much to be desired... the work is flawed.

The corps has acknowledged that the two "slips," as they are called, indicate "design deficiencies" that must be investigated, redesigned and repaired.

But it may be state taxpayers who pick up the tab because the corps doesn't have money to fix the problem.

On one hand, Uncle Sam does not want California to take matters into their own hands (in determining the fate of those here illegally). On the other, the Feds want California to take matters into their own hands (by forcing the expenditure to fix Uncle Sam's mistakes in the name of public safety).

Sounds like politics as usual.