The weekly update.

Or thereabouts. Can't honestly remember when I updated last time. And I really don't feel too inclined to save this, go find out, and then return to writing. I am a busy man, and I got things to do, people to talk to, shit to see. And once I get this finished up, I need to figure out a way to avoid it all.

So let's start with the news from the homefront.

Last week the boys went to the dentist. Both of them have a few cavities, my little one has 5 and T's has 3. So they are both due for return visits to get drilled and filled.




They sure look like they are having a blast. And boy, we can't wait to take them down to get those teeth drilled. I bet it will be like Disneyland. You know, the whining, blood curdling screams and all that kind of fun stuff.

And now onto motorcycle news, and me gushing on how much my girl kicks ass.

Saturday we took T's son to meet up with his dad. It is still a week until school is out for the summer, but of course the three day weekend has to come before that. Jerks. So rather than wait (plus T has some big revamp of her company coming out next weekend) we met up with his dad and did a trade-off in St. George.

Now I have known both and T and her Ex for over 10 years. Closer to 15 (Goddamn I am getting old-ish) actually. But she decided to ask him if he was willing to bring up the Honda for us when he came up to get the boy. Now I know she doesn't care for my obsession as much as I do. But she let's me rock out on the whole, "I am building a motorcycle" thing. Even encourages it. She like the sounds of internal combustion engines. But tell me, would your girl figure out a way to get your stuff to you from 700 miles away? Not many would.

So look who has moved to Utah with us.





W00h00!!!

Time to get all neurotic again.

I have started to really consider this thing in terms that aren't "let's slap the fucker together and ride!"

I have a real job. I have a garage. And I have a girl that is all for me doing this thing up.

So I am considering a slightly different direction for the Honda. No bobber shit, no I am not gonna de-rake it, put on a hydraulic fork, and then paint it to look like it was puked on by a bowling ball.

Here is the thought. I am going to clean up the motor, clean up any and all welds on the frame, replace the ratty re-welded fender and paint all this stuff up like something I give a shit about.

I mean, why the fuck not? I got this thing when I was broke and couldn't have more than a Krylon special. Now that I can actually have something a little nicer, so why shouldn't I do it? Now you people need to realize that I am not meaning that I will go and do some high dollar shit can on wheels. But I am going to do this right. Clean up the stuff that I looked at said "Fuck it, it ain't important" and make it look like it was a labor of love (Actually a labor of OCD).

The old toys.

It's morning during a work day. And so rather than fuck around on this roaming profile for a Terminal Server or check to find out why our software is b0rk3d on the new XP Service Pack 3 (Actually I am downloading it right now) I am gonna show some of my older toys.

edit: The images are looking kinda fucked. I pulled these from my old photobucket account. And it was shit like this that made go over to flickr. I will try and get them fixed.. someday.

Here is my last bike.



Yeah not quite what I am working on nowadays. But at the time I had the extra cash to spend. I rode the piss out of it. Never did much to it. I did have a service agreement. The ex-wife put me up to it, I swear! I used it once at the place I bought the bike from (Westcoast Motorsports in Perris, CA) for the first valve adjustment. The ride home the V-star sounded like it had nickels in the head. So I got it home and took it apart. Apart from the some valves being to far open for the specs and others too tight for specs, I also had loose valve covers, and a toolbag filled with water. They were kind enough to wash my bike, leave puddles and I got to drain the tool bag at my first blast over 65, right onto my face.

That pretty well taught me to never trust anyone that works at a dealership to take care of my stuff like I take care of my stuff.



It stayed around until after I split from my ex-wife and then support and rent and all the good shit that comes along with divorces forced me to give it back. Plus at the time, I was working a lot of hours, carting my boys back and forth to school before I would split to work and it basically was gathering dust in the carport. Along with being used as a jungle gym by all the apartment's hoodrats.

So here was/is my second addiction. Corvairs.






These were my toys, daily commuters, and long term project cars. I had the convertible for almost 8 years before I let it go. One you don't see from this same time period is the black coupe in the side yard that I was debating about whther it was going to become replacement panels or be put back on the road. So I guess you could say I had a bit of a Corvair addiction. Actually I still do. Whenever T and I look at classifieds (we have been looking around for a project car for her ) I will see if anyone has an early model Corvair for sale on the cheap.

Anyone around Utah county have one they will let go to a middle aged Corvair fanatic for dirt cheap (free)?

Let's do that "Link to my Blog" shit.

I do keep an eye on the traffic that comes through my blog.

I have used something called Sitemeter for a while now. Pretty decent stuff. It doesn't keep records for long. But since I am not paying for it, why do I care?

So today I was looking through my hits and caught a bunch of people coming in from a blog called bikerblogs. Anyway, I thought it was kinda cool to have my shitty little blog listed up with people like Church of Choppers and Chopper Dave's stuff. You know, people that make actual money fucking around with motorcycles.

So over to the right you will see a few blogs added to my list of sites. Figure it was the least I could do. And I do mean the least I could do.

Never waste good time on a bad idea.

OK, I know there has to be market for this thing. But it is definitely not something I would be so hot to trot about.

And here is the Can Am Spyder.



From looking at the web site, this thing has the same motor that Buell uses in their sport bikes. Stability control, adaptive steering, ABS, adjustable suspension, cup holders and a DVD player. OK, so I am kidding about the last two, but you get the idea. This thing has every gadget in the world to make it a safe and fun ride.

Let's go to the styling. It looks kinda like a snowmobile with wheels to me. Not to say snowmobiles are ugly, but I am not really a fan of them. But this is Utah, so there are a lot of folks that get their rocks off on them, so who am I to judge?

So what is my visual and academic impression of this thing? It seems like a killjoy to me. I mean it is safe, with what I consider to be dull styling, and did I mention safe? See, I think trikes rock. I have every intention on building a classic rear engine trike someday out of a Corvair with a powerglide. But this just ain't my cup o' tea. It just seems like the soccer moms and NASCAR dads are getting too damned involved in what I love the most about motorcycles. The inherent lack of safety and rules. Motorcycles are supposed to be dangerous. I mean what fun is it when you have airbags, ABS, and stereos.

Maybe I am wrong here. But the lack of crap is why I like older cars, bikes and tools. Don't save me from myself. I am Darwinism at work.

Goings on, blah blah. Complaining, blah blah. Empty promises, blah blah.

Yes, you get a three part update. You might enjoy it. Then again, you might not. But just so you know, I am doing it anyway.

The weekend after my last post, an old friend of ours came in from Nebraska to visit for a couple of days. It was pretty cool. T hasn't seen her in about 3 years and I haven't seen her in nearly 10. So for a couple of days, we hung out, drank, woke up with stomachs that hated us, killed time. It was a decent weekend all in all.



D (our friend) and her beau "B"

The last day we all went up to the local mall. So we let the rugrats on the carousel.



This was taken after a litany of "No, no. Move to the right. OK, move to the left. NOOOO, don't get off!!!" But once they all got in place, I think the fussing was worth it.

And I also got...



A picture of T. She may throttle me for putting this picture up. But I think she looks good. So I am keeping it.

Well everyone went home on Sunday night. And after too little sleep, work commenced. What can I say about working for a week? It was... Fun isn't the right word. Good? Nah, not really that. It was... well, work.

Now last weekend was pretty damn uneventful. And I wouldn't have it any other way. After weekends of running to California, entertaining friends, and just plain ol sickness or exhaustion. Fuck yeah doing nothing kicks ass!!

Now onto the complaining. Last week my front tooth began to ache. And then my gums began to swell. And by Saturday morning I had a nice abscess knot in my mouth. That shit is annoying. It never gets so bad that I am lying in bed writhing in agony, but is this dull throb and nasty pressure in my skull. Advil becomes my buddy at these moments.

So tomorrow I have an appointment with a dentist. They are going to check me out and tell me how many children I will have to sell on the black market to get this damn thing fixed. I would be tempted to tell them to yank the fucking dead tooth that is creating this regular form of misery, if it wasn't my front tooth. Bad enough I got some big ass hillbilly chip out of one tooth. Like hell I want to have a door added.

And this morning, I found out that, no matter what I learn, know, do and educate myself with. I am still an absent minded fuck. I got a big fat envelope from the IRS today. Guess what S? You forgot to sign your tax return. MORON!

And now for the rat-bike news!

Gas prices suck. And boy am I glad I don't have a commute any longer. So a tank of gas will last me weeks. But I just saw that gas prices have hit 120 dollars a barrel. Damn. We have another trip out to California at the end of the month. So right now I am trying to price the stuff I need for my car to get it legal in Utah. The tags have since died for Cali. Anyway, it is cheaper to insure it here. So tires and some waylaid maintenance needs to be done.

And also, I was telling T this weekend. I am planning on socking away about $800 for a thrasher bike to thump around on. Nothing fancy. Just basically a pair of wheels and a seat. She hates the bikes I look at. And really I guess it would be hard to like some of the old crap I show her, but if it works and get me out on the road. I think that it will be just fine for me.

Some motorcycle blog this is, you shit.

So I have looked at the blog and my recent posts. Some fine motorcycle blogging this has turned out to be. I start on one subject and then somewhere along the line I get totally sidetracked.

So if you were hoping for a biker journal when you put this in your bookmarks, I am sorry that I disappointed you. (OK, I really don't give a damn, but it sounded like the nice thing to say.)

So what the fuck does a guy without a motorcycle, and a motorcycle blog do? Well I distract you with shiny stuff to keep you happy and mollified. "Ooooh pretty...."

So link Number 1. A tribute to our friend Joseph Lucas.

And link Number 2. An actual blog where they actually write about motorcycles!

So until I have something to ride, tear apart, or bitch about that is motorcycle related, I give you this to keep my faithful fans happy.

A weekend of R&R. And a touch of warmth. Fuckin' finally!

So last Friday was the last day of school for the boys. Spring break is finally here. T and I have been setting up a visit for both of the boys. Her son is off to visit his dad and my boy is off to visit some grandparents.

So I got off the clock at 3 and we began to get things ready for the trip. Actually T got everything ready while I was still in the basement working. And I just helped schlep some stuff to the back of her Jeep.

The boys showed up just shy of 4 and after a bathroom run for everyone, we hit the road.

Luckily T's parents were willing to meet us in Vegas to change possession of the boys. Her dad enjoys to gamble and I think her mom wanted to just take a trip. So rather than 12 hours, we only had to spend about 5 1/2 on the road that night.

Now the original plan was to turn around the next morning from Vegas and head back up here and see what Salt Lake City has to offer. (Maybe not a lot, but hell we aren't even too sure where all the local grocery stores are.) But for the last couple of weeks we have had some truly shitty weather.

We were waking up to mornings like this.



Then sometime in the afternoon it would look like this...



We were simply tired of it. So we decided that we would stick to Vegas for a day or so. We made great time to Vegas and rolled in around 8:30 or 9pm local time. And pulled into Circus Circus. Now this place is one of the originals on the Strip. And boy it is showing its age. It could be that was because we were in the cheap seats and not high up in the main towers. But for all things holy, could they have just tossed a sheet over a chunk of plywood? I bet it would have been more comfortable to sleep on.

So that night. T, me and her dad, gave money away to the casino and then came back to get some sleep. In the morning we got dressed and went and had a truly horrible breakfast at the buffet. Do yourself a favor, if you want a real breakfast, don't eat at the buffet.

So after breakfast we all packed up. T's folks took the boys on into California and we went and gave some more money away to the casino. After that we decided we would wander north a bit. So onto the 15 and we stopped at Mesquite to give more money away and eat some more bad casino food. Well bad is an overstatement. It just wasn't good.

After lunch and gambling, we decided to keep heading north and wound up in St. George Utah. It is a neat older town. Now T has always wanted to stay at a bed and breakfast so we stopped at a Starbucks and checked a few of the local ones online. We decided on one call the Seven Wives Inn. It was getting late, but the room we wanted was open. So we decided to stay the night. That night we ate at some place that cost an arm and a leg called the Prancing Pony (?). Now the food was great, just pricier than my typical meals cost.



The next morning we got up and had this scrambled egg crepe. That shit was pretty damn good too. We decided that we would keep going north. Originally we were thinking about spending a night in Cedar City to take in another B&B, since we didn't have to be back home until Monday night. But, while better than the bed at Circus Circus, it was too soft for our tastes and we got to missing our bed at home.

Before we left we decided to head across the street to see the winter home of Brigham Young. T and I both get a kick out of turn of the century homes. And it was a free tour.



Talk about neat. This place had 18" thick walls and stuff. You would never see something like that now. But that may be because they have real insulation now. But it makes for really neat architectural features. And we found out that Young had a Romney that was an architect help design a part of the place.

Anyway after that we decided to start heading north. We wandered through Cedar Cuty and had some lunch. Then hit the road again.

As we wandered into Utah county I noticed this strange anomaly... It wasn't freezing cold. Quite the opposite, it was in the upper 60's low 70's. It was warm! So that night we slept with the windows open and wooke up to a nice warm morning.

Today it has cooled down and gotten very windy. But it was nice to get that taste of spring. And it looks like the temps are supposed to be improving some over the next week or so. It is about time. We are all getting sick of this weather.

And if it doesn't start staying warm soon, I may have to go into voodoo rituals or something...