Pump It Up!

At the gasoline pumps is where I've enjoyed a pleasant recession; last weekend filling up my Rockster (that's my current main motorcycle) came to under a dozen bucks. We're talking around $2.90 per gallon of regular unleaded here, a far cry from a couple of fill-ups over the summer that exceeded $5.00 per gallon. Now if there were only a way I can store hundreds of gallons of the stuff safely and tap into this supply when prices start climbing again.

So, how low did gas go in your neck of the woods?

Honda Fit

Here's another commercial that is kinda cute.

iPod Nano

No, I don't own any Apple products (that I am aware of), but I do like the new iPod Nano commercial that's playing the airwaves. Very much. The iPod family of mp3 players are probably pretty nice too... I wouldn't know, not having ever checked one out up close. I went the cheaper route over a year ago with a Sansa player that did not achieve the cult following of the iPods. Yeah, the iPods seem awfully enticing, but I have other priorities on which to splurge in this crappy economy.

Vote!

Finally. The campaigning seemed to have lasted forever, and Election Day is now just around the corner. Every four years I have this opportunity to choose the lesser of two evils to govern our nation... whoopty-doo... but better that I go out there and cast my vote than sit back and do nothing at all. There are issues for which I have my opinions, but you won't find me with bumper stickers, buttons, pennants or signs on my lawn. That's my business, and it's why they have those privacy curtains for the voting booths, no?

It's amazing how much money politicians make on the campaign trail. All those contributions and exorbitant dinner prices ($2,500 a plate?!) to put a leader in office who claims to represent the everyman? I certainly couldn't afford it. Mark Twain said it best:

We have the best government money can buy.

Tick Tock

I believe at last count it was 5 minutes to midnight. The war is not over. Temperatures rise as the economy tanks. Hurricanes. Floods. Fire. Much of it is attributable to Mother Nature... much more to the foibles of mankind. Mankind. As its numbers continue to grow, so do many species continue to disappear. Extinction. Oblivion. But why should I care? I am on this earth for only a short while, and I hope to ride out the storm (40 to 50 more years, if I'm lucky) before the clock strikes twelve. If not, courtesy. Sympathy. Taste.

Social Networking

Found this while scouring the internet, about Facebook (and other social networking sites) and narcissism. I have always contended there's just something so artificial about having thousands of online "friends", and the University of Georgia's study takes a step toward explaining this condition.

high numbers of Facebook contacts, surprisingly attractive self-portraits, shameless self-promotion, and the inclusion of provocative photos.

Upon reading this and similar reports, I am not the least bit surprised; I had followed and observed an internet junkie whose presence had spread far and wide, enough so that one website unflatteringly labeled her a camwhore and bitch.

But let's not stop at just Facebook... all this is so Hollywood-esque!

Suh-Wiiing!

I had problems getting this video loaded up as a blog post, so instead, scroll down toward the bottom of my webpage to check out the "Big Swing". As of today and for as long as it's available.

(rated G, for the big kids in all of us!)

Cracked BMW Engine

This is a photograph of my motorcycle engine back in May 2008, after getting home from an encounter with a boulder near Kirkwood Ski Resort. This is viewed from the right side, which took the brunt of the impact.

Note the cracks in the engine casing! Not only did I not get thrown off my bike, the guys at the shop were amazed at how close the crack came to being ruptured, thus puking oil and leaving me stranded, or worse yet, seizing the engine if I did not heed the warning to pull over and hang it up.

All I can say is that there must have been a guardian angel watching over me, and a testimonial to my longstanding faith in BMW motorcycles. Would I have fared better or worse on another brand? Don't know, and not planning to find out anytime soon... or ever.

It's toast. A new engine replacement will come close to the estimated value of my R1200C Cruiser, 9 years old with 76,000 miles on the clock, so the insurance people are writing it off. It is a shame, since it has become my all-time favorite ride and I had planned on keeping it forever.

Here is a photograph from one of my last rides before the fateful mishap. It was on a road near Chili Bar canyon just outside Placerville, California... a road which I have never before traversed, and the reason why many of us motorcyclists choose to ride.

It's an adventure. I have a pretty good idea that my Cruiser's replacement will be more aptly suited for that description, and time will soon tell.

Chi Chi Chihuahua!

PUNTS!

Scary Here

Something I read when I was about to enter into my wonder years stuck in my head. Actually, a lot of stuff happened during that transition to a teenager that still smiles gently on my mind. I read a paperback book from where I learned to solve simple ciphers such as that used in a popular puzzle called Cryptoquotes. To this day I can recite the letter frequency alphabet from memory - the most commonly used letter in the American English language to the least - and am pretty darn sure I am correct. Out of curiosity I decided to Google these letters to verify my accuracy. Found them... and just as I remember it: ETAONRISHDLFCMUGYPWBVKXJQZ.

Maybe these guys read the same book. Scary huh?

Forecasting Fall

The clouds came in Friday, and I experienced a few droplets of rain on the way home from work (I still commuted on my motorcycle). It wasn't like I was going to melt. Late in the evening the rains came, with enough falling to give us a good overdue soaking. My alarm clock scared me up this morning to overcast skies which slowly broke way to blue and sunshine. Temps climbed to at least 70 degrees while clouds still loomed along the horizon. I rode out for lunch and stayed around town; perfect day for a long ride if it weren't for residual road dampness and slippery leaves where I might end up riding. Or more weather, especially up in the mountains.

Our weather forecast for the coming week will be pleasant days in the low 80s!