Rubber

I've been keeping an eye on the tread wear on my only running bike's rear tire, and no amount of Rogaine is going to reverse its effect. Baldness. Those grooves are there for a reason, mainly to ensure that your vehicle sticks to the pavement and not slide all over the road. Especially during wet weather, when roads are slick and the water isn't being channeled away from the contact patch. Hydroplaning anyone? Beyond baldness there's the layer of steel belts that really have no business slapping asphalt.

Fortunately, my shop has agreed to fit me into their schedule for a new tire as this is a safety hazard. Of course they could suggest that I park it until my full appointment coming up less than three weeks from now, and drive my truck and take light rail instead. Nah, we two-wheeled folks know better. Until I set off on my vacation road trip to Flagstaff, AZ in the latter part of June, I shall remain somewhat paranoid and my senses on heightened alert.

In the immortal words of Chico Escuela: "Rubber break!"

48 Hours

This was some Memorial Day weekend. The weather was cloudy and grey in contrast to what are normally hot sunny days for this time of year. We even had some showers! Didn't matter much to me however. I was laid up in bed from 6:00am Sunday morning until early Tuesday morning. My stomach churned, I was cold, I was hot, my body ached. Thoughts and dreams that went through my head made very little sense... well, less so than usual anyway. The Sunday and Monday newspapers sat unread. I made sure to feed and water my boys, and quenched my thirst since I was quite parched presumably through breathing through my mouth. Monday afternoon I tried getting up and watching a bit of tele, thinking that my soreness is from too much time lying in bed; that didn't last long, as I crawled back under my covers. TV kinda sucked.

Called in sick to work today for recuperation and cleanup. Lost a few pounds from my involuntary fast, but I'm beginning to feel a bit hungry. My lovely boys sat by me through all this; so glad to have them around.

Hump Day

All quiet on the homefront, so I figure I'd post something, say anything. Here goes.

After many days of triple digit temps, we've had a cooldown. This week has been and will be around 80 degrees tops. It's quite a welcome respite, save for one niggling annoyance: the wind. I've ragged about the wind in past posts which, along with fog, are my least favorite weather conditions. The crap that the wind stirs up have been a nuisance for allergy sufferers. There's also stuff that get blown over, our region having gone through just that only a few months ago. Trees. Power lines. Fences.

It is Wednesday, mid-week and often referred to as hump day. It's a mystery to me how calendars came about where weeks begin on a Sunday and end on a Saturday. If God rested on Sunday, wouldn't the week begin with a Monday and Thursday will be smack dab in the middle and become the hump day? Or we can credit the bankers for giving us the 9-to-5 M-F schedule that sandwiches Wednesday between two pairs of other work days.

Memorial Day weekend is around the corner and there are sales advertised everywhere I look. Kinda nice that I just received my stimulus check from Uncle Sam, except that it's all been spent (e.g. the insurance deductible and then some, for my motorcycle engine damage). I guess that's the latest excuse. Going back chronologically I could say that it had already been spent on the central heat and a/c replacement. Or last summer's vacation. Or a myriad of purchases hi-tech or home & garden related. Ad infinitum, but a buck's a buck.

Have a safe upcoming holiday weekend!

Engines

Whether they be in your car, planes, boats, motorcycles... they break. Eventually. For most, the duration of vehicle ownership never seems to exceed that of the engine's life, including Yours Truly. Of the many cars and motorcycles I have owned, only one came close.

When I was the proud owner of a '77 Alfa Romeo Spider convertible Italian sportscar (having bought it at its 9th birthday), the engine grew tired after around 15 years of ownership. I had the engine rebuilt, only to sell the car a couple of years later.

Now comes my soon-to-be-9-year-old Cruiser. Today's ride took me to South Lake Tahoe via Kirkwood Ski Resort and coming home on Hwy50, the odometer turning 76,000 miles along the way. Well, before reaching south shore, I managed to avoid running over a huge rock that was about the size of a volleyball. I did not run over it per se (not with the wheels anyway thank goodness), but the rock did plenty of damage when my engine got the brunt of the impact.

It rode fine all the way up to Tahoe, where I decided it was best I inspect the damage. Yeah yeah, maybe I should have done that immediately upon the mishap. No oil leaks. But... my exhaust pipes got dented, but that's not a real big deal. I looked around some more and discovered some cracked metal and bent bolts. Uh oh. Not feeling good about what I saw, I decided to limp my way home to Sacramento where I proceeded to call my mechanic. Since he was 100 miles away in Chico I did not ride into the shop. He wasn't sure what the extent of the damage may be, sight unseen, but if I was able to get home with no problem, it's possible that my Cruiser is still rideable.

I decided to snap some pics and email them to the shop; got a call back from Mike, who told me to garage the bike and call my insurance company immediately. Time for a new engine. Crap. I have plans to motorcycle down to Flagstaff, AZ in about a month as I have done the past several years... this time it looks like I'll be trying it with my other bike.

The Rockster is not set up for long distance cruising, so I will have to get moving on this project. The seat is less comfy, so I'll need to exercise these glutes of mine. Storage capacity is minimal, meaning I will have to shop for saddlebags in order to carry some essentials (clothing, toiletries, water). This bike is due for a tuneup, and Mike suggested I schedule this as soon as possible since they are quite booked at the shop.

As I type this, I have been on hold for over 1 hour and 11 minutes to my motorcycle insurance company. Sounds like they're keeping awfully busy!

Copping Copper

Speaking of red cents, there has been a rash of copper thefts in the area (or even more widespread perhaps? I haven't been following this news too closely). Seems that copper prices have been rising, and I believe it has been awhile ago when the cost of producing a penny first exceeded its face value.

I grew up in the copper state of Arizona, and last year I visited the ghost town Oatman, AZ (near Laughlin, NV and Kingman, AZ in the northwest corner of the state). Oatman thrived as a copper mining town way back when.

Better stock up so I have enough pennies for one's thoughts, or to offer my two cents' worth!

One Red Cent

The U.S. postal rate just went up another penny (a few days ago, Monday). Meh, I went out and bought several booklets of the Forever Stamps at the old rate, so I'm set. No sense complaining about it when these are readily available.

Mother's Day

Got this in my email from a friend:


25 REASONS I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
'Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
'Will you look at that dirt in your ears!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP.
'Put a jacket on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts your toes off, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You are just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.

Meme Me

All right Steph, just make sure you keep your website up so that people can reference it for the definition of a meme.

Five things found in my bag:
1. Pen
2. Mints
3. Floss
4. Flashlight
5. Hand sanitizer

Five fave things in my room:
1. Plasma TV
2. Couch
3. Laptop
4. Coffee table trunk
5. My boys

Five things I've always wanted to do:
1. Visit Alaska
2. Visit Scandinavia
3. See the aurora
4. Win the big lottery
5. Become a babe magnet

Five things I'm currently into:
1. Motorcycling
2. Internet
3. Volleyball
4. Art
5. Sudoku

Five people to tag:
1. Like I know 5 people online

Iron Man

For those of you who haven't yet seen the recently released movie of the Marvel Comics superhero (which includes me), check out the YouTube vid further down this page.

Donkey Party

Ha, it's not what you're thinking, so get your mind outta the gutter. I just received this joke in my email; not sure how widely it has circulated so I hope it's new to you.

Many will recall that on July 8, 1947 witnesses claimed that an unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch outside Roswell, New Mexico.

This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and the Federal Government.

However, you may NOT know that in the month of March 1948, exactly nine months after that historic day:

Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William Jefferson Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer and
Barbara Boxer

were born.

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep?
This piece of information may clear up a lot of things.

Another Drought Year

Just what we need... another drought year. Things looked promising earlier in the year with all the snow in the mountains (and the water content in that snow). Hmm, part of my chores today included watering the lawn, of which I still have plenty. Crabgrass mostly. Got a large load of laundry done too.

Our neighborhood is not on water meters, yet. That may be an inevitability however, so I'll need to start figuring out what I can do with my landscape.

Look Ma, No Hands!

It still irks me to sit in traffic and witness the large number of drivers who have cellphones pressed against their heads. It leaves only one hand free for controlling the vehicle. "So what?" you say? "Same can be said when holding that burger, or applying the mascara, or lipstick, or while shaving". But you see, those activities are no-brainers and not distracting like engaging in a telephone conversation.

What about distractions by conversing with passengers in the car then? Well, you got me there. At least the front seat passenger can potentially aid in traffic awareness; just find some way to audibly suppress and segregate the back seats. Or ride solo, like I usually do.

Introducing law that requires hands-free cellphones is a step in the right direction (effective in July here in Cali), but I've said this before and I'll say it again: how the hell are the authorities going to widely enforce this law?

Ineffectively, is my guess.