I should write somethin, shouldn't I?

Alright, getting further into this whole Utah move deal.

I am getting used to the new digs. The place is alright. Some things that are a bit messed up around here, but all in all for the price tag it is still pretty damn good.

The schools are damn nice here. And it looks like the boys are doing good so far.

And this week I went back to work. FUCK YEAH!!! I love this work shit. I used to talk about how great it would be to take of work for some undetermined amount. Now that I have spent a month sitting on my ass around the house without a job, I will say one thing. It SUCKS!

So what is this job, you might be asking? I am now testing software for a small company out here. First the pay is almost dead nuts what I was making out in California. I get to work from home. They gave me a kick ass Dell desktop with dual 24" monitors, my bosses are pretty mellow and I pretty well get to have full reign of my job. So long as I don't botch up, it looks like they will leave me be.


So now I get paid here soon. I gotta catch back up on my bills. But I am not swamped so that's a plus. And then I got to start saving up for a couple of things.

Three weeks in (Or therabouts)

OK, so I am big fat liar. It has been just about 2 1/2 weeks in.

So what have I observed about Utah in this period of time? Well, I wonder why they require mirrors on cars, when obviously no one uses them. Same goes for turn signals. I keep wondering if these mongoloids are stupid, or just don't give a shit.

But at least traffic is light. I can get on the freeway and lock it in at 80 and just go. So that is kinda nice.

Next week I start up at my new job. The commute will be hell. I will walk down to the basement and log in to the computer... Tough stuff. Well for the first three weeks I will be in three different places for training. And then they are going to let me go wild. What little they know. Hopefully I can stay motivated enough to keep myself out of trouble.

A couple of things I am trying to get used to though. The weather is fucked up. I mean seriously fucked up. Yesterday I was in a T-shirt. Today it has been raining, with some snow. WTF?!

And can a guy get some beer here that isn't watered down or cost a small fortune? I mean a 6 pack of non-thinned out beer is 12 bucks! 12 bucks, what the hell? I bought 5 bottles of wine for T at 5 bucks a pop, and a 6 pack of Negro Modelo for 11.80 something. It goes for 7 bucks back in Cali. Talk about a mark up. I mean bootleggers in Kentucky charged those kind of prices, and it was totally illegal there.

So the next time I am in Nevada or California, I am going to bring back enough beer to keep a frat house happy for a month.

And the bike scene here sucks ass so far. I have seen maybe 5-10 non-Harleys around here. There is a shit tonne of chrome travesty V-twins and of course a few of those beach ball, I got more money than good sense customs around. Seems like everyone is showing off to each other. Keeping up with the Smith's around here. I would use Jones' but I think there are more Smith's. It is Utah after all. And they say Californian's are bad about the whole image thing. These people have some serious self esteem issues here.

Otherwise it is not exactly a bad place. But it is definitely culture-shock. I am still trying to figure out the lay of the land. But so far there haven't been any deal breakers.

I'm Here!

I here! And I am... In Utah??

Yes! Yes, I am!

It is cold, it is windy, it is... not California.

We spent Friday loading up the truck. By the time we were finished, we had the truck to the back door and packed up my car on the dolly to the top. The only thing we left behind was the Honda. The poor chopper keeps getting the redheaded step-child treatment. I keep leaving it behind whenever I move. But it shouldn't be too bad. I have it stored safely and the next time I am back in Cali, I will pick it up and get her home.

So once packed up we said goodbye to our old place.



It was late when we finished. And all of us were exhausted.
Rather than try and hit the road that night. And since we like the idea of sleeping in beds. The four of us spent the night at T's folks place. They are near the freeway so it made it easy to get on the road too.

By 4:30am, we were trucking along the 215 and making our way north. Uhaul trucks are not known to be fast, but we did our best to make it work for its supper. Though 75-80 was all any of us could get out of it.

By about 10 we had made it to Primm, NV. If you haven't been there, don't worry. You really aren't missing anything. It is just the first town to gamble on the way to Nevada. I am not a gambler by any stretch of the imagination so Nevada is not any place I really need to be. Those of you that dig the Vegas lifestyle, my hats off to you.

We kept trucking along through Nevada, on through a patch of Arizona, and then into Utah. We had traded spots a few times, but all of us were getting tired of the road. Bad food, indigestion, and a good dose of monkey butt.

But towards Nephi, only a couple of hours away, the skies decided to welcome us to Utah. As the wind picked up and the skies darkened. We were treated to a freezing rain, slushy snow, and then a good dusting of the white stuff.



I was driving point in the UHaul and had yet to take a nap. So the snow wind and exhaustion made me decide that slowing down was a good idea. around 6:30 we made it up to T's sister's place. She had some Domino's waiting for us. After stuffing our faces and going over some basics, we followed her over to our new place. I still haven't taken any pics of the front of the place. But needless to say, it is a new box house in a "master-planned" community. Not all bad. But I never thought I would ever live in one of these things.

But this makes up for it.



That is the view out our dining room window. Our kitchen window faces the same area. That kinda rocks.

After this I bet you expect me to say I went out and began looking over the area, right? Like hell I did. Nope I was just kicking this bug that was going around in Cali. Well sleep deprivation, too many road miles and my typically great personal healthcare habits meant that it came back with a vengeance. A vengeance, a few buddies and hung out and kicked my ass for three days. It is finally going away, but I have to say, if someone had dug me a hole in the ground, I would have crawled in and let them toss the dirt on top of me.

So what's next? I need a job. I have a couple of things lined up. But man I don't do well without some structure. I don't know what I will do when I retire. I think I will need some hobbies or something.

T minus 5 and counting.

I am doing this update from work on a lovely warm Monday morning. And Thursday is it for me. Then Friday we will be hauling and boxing and getting ready for a 4am getaway.

The last three weeks have flown by. I mean Flown by. Hard to believe that soon I will be out of here and out of the state and we will be onto something new. T and I were talking the other night (yeah we actually talk, it is nice to know you can have a conversation with your girl) and she asked if I thought we would be where we are right now. I can honestly say that I didn't have a clue. And I think it is probably a good idea to just let life come as it comes. Life has been great since I stopped getting in the damned way with my ideas.

So this week I have a lot to get ready. I am cleaning up everything at work. Both jobs... Then I have to squeeze in classwork. And packing. And I have to call my optometrist. And the boy's school. And call on the new services at the new place.

And get over this damned cold. Sore throat, achy glands, stuffed up ears. Meh.

This is the last update for a little bit. I promise that I won't pack the camera and will have some stuff from the move when I am back online.

Imma updatin'

So off we are going. Two more weeks to go.

T and I have been trying to get everything set up and ready for this move. It seems to be going along ok. I am pulling some OT to cover a few costs, she is trying to get her bosses to get up to date on her pay and then we have deposits and paperwork and all the other good stuff to do. (Was that a hell of a run-on sentence or what?)

Today T met up with a guy at a company that wanted to hire her locally. Basically she got down there and was told,
a.) They want her to work there.
b.) They didn't know when she could start
c.) They didn't know how much they could pay her, but it would be less than the offer she has.
d.) They didn't know if she could ever move up to a position that would offer her what she is currently being offered.


All in all, not the best of deals.

I have to say, it isn't a bad thing. As it gets closer to leaving, I am liking the idea of this move more and more. I am starting to feel excited. Getting nearly a thousand miles away from the ex's side of the family doesn't sound too bad either. But here's the reasons I am feeling excited.

So far I have been seeing work all over the county for what I do. All of it near what I am currently making. I have gotten a couple of emails about resume's I have posted, which is a good thing. And we were able to get a house. That's right, three bedrooms, a den, a basement and a two car garage! For just a little bit more than I am paying right now for a duplex. How sweet is that? Of course T justs wants to be able to park her Jeep in the garage, but is not against the idea of the bike taking a long trip with us. So I get part of the garage for my personal merry making, hammer bashing fun.

So I am liking the idea of a nice fresh start and making a home with T. And while I am giving up on certain comforts, I stand to gain a lot too.

Fingers crossed.

Wait, wait. You're doing what?!

I am moving to the most Republican county, in the most Republican state, in the U.S.

A thousand miles from the place that I have bitched about being my home for over ten years.

Surely I am joking. Right? Wrong. So very wrong.

My girl was offered a spot with her old company that will truly outshine what she has made since she has come back to Cali. And me, well what can I say? I am going along. Hell or highwater, I am packing up the few things I own and me and the boy are heading out there with her.

So naturally you are wondering. Are you excited or scared? I could lie and say I am perfectly calm and feeling totally great about it. But then I would be lying. I am excited of course. I haven't had a good adventure in many years. But I am scared shitless, too. I mean I am going to going over state lines. Away from family and a couple of friends. I am going somewhere I have never been. And only know as the land of LDS. I have seen pictures of course. But somehow I get the impression that pictures won't be the full story. I mean sure there are some neat national parks and shit. But I am not exactly heading out to go camp out in some hippie wet dream.

Nope I am going to go and work and live and make a new start. Somewhere pretty damn far from here. Did you know it snows out there? I mean like the shit actually falls from the sky. Not even pumped out of big machines for the benefit of teenage and yuppie skiers. But as in, clouds get dark and shit actually comes out of the clouds. That will be a trip, I tell you that right now.

Now what about the Honda? For now, I guess it goes back into storage. I need to get permission to set it under a tarp somewhere until I get settled in out there. I mean, it can be tough enough to get a decent place to call home when you got credit like mine. Imagine trying to haul a collection of bike parts and assorted crap.

Now when is this all happening, I bet you are wondering? Well plans are being made as I type. I am checking rates for U-Haul, and I just gave my boss my notice. And then schools need to be called. My ex's side of the family will have to be informed and of course we are looking for some comfortable digs out there.

So game is afoot and I am off to grab a tiger by the tail.

Back in business

Well well. Here I am writing about something that I have DONE, not talked about doing. What in the world happened? Ahh yes, I got the Ultimatum.

So today we all went outside. My little one was visiting his grandmother. So T and her little one came out for a little bit and practiced their Heelys. And I took a few pics.



After that, I went into the carport and started doing a little bit of work. Just a little. I started taking a few measurements for the front end. Here is what I have.

The neck stem appears to be 1"
The neck height is 7 7/16"
The width of the bearing cup is 1 15/16"

I think it means that my frame is set up H-D style. I am going to post these measurements on hondachopper and make sure.



Then I took measurements for the length of the front end. I think I am going to give up on the Fury. It needs a lot of work and I am without the money to do a proper job for it. I am going to save it and maybe in a while I can take it out and get everything done properly.

So with a 3" trail the front end needs to be about 23" or a touch more. I don't have much in the way of ground clearance. Bottom rails sitting level is at 3 1/2" And with a 23" front I would be at 4" in the front and 3 1/2" in the rear. If I am not mistaken, 23" would be a 2" over. If I decide not to go with a girder, I will run a springer. So off to shop.

And then I pulled the valve cover off.



It is nice and clean. Not a touch of sludge. Talk about a damn fine surprise. I had pretty well figured that the innards of the motor were going to be like the frame of this beast. But maybe someone took decent care of it. Or at least didn't abuse it like the frame. So hot damn, I may not be starting up a time bomb. I had pretty well figured on it scattering parts and then picking up a replacement motor.

A big thanks needs to go out to T and her putting her foot down. I had forgotten just how much I enjoy going out and dicking around on this thing. Sometimes it takes a detour or two to figure out just where you should have been all along.