| 13 April 2004: Rain and more rain. The weekend wasn't too bad, got to ride with some other Shadow Spirit folks around Ellicot City. Still haven't gotten the rear stuff on my scoot fixed from the accident on the 4th. The Billski mod (www.billski182.com) looked fantastic until it got shoved up under my broken fender. Rewired my network switches last week at night, it looks much better without all the long cables. I must remember my mantra: Everything in moderation, including moderation. There are alot of mods I want to do to my motorcycle but they are really expensive. $300 for forward controls, $400 for pipes, etc. I spent a grand on leather already so it'll be a while I'm afraid.
30 June 2004: Yes, I bought a new bike last night. 2004 Honda Super Hawk 996, all black. Super nice V-twin 1000cc sport bike. I still have my Shadow as well, near 4,000 miles on it now. Went to Deal's Gap in Tennessee for the Spirit World (www.thespiritworld.org) meet, there were 40 or 50 Shadow 750 riders there with some really tricked out custom jun going on. Beautiful bikes, plus I got to run The Dragon (Rt. 129) and managed to grind my pegs down on both sides in the corners. It was the as the sparks flew past that I realized I needed a sport bike too, the Shadow just isn't designed to run as hard as I was trying to.
17 August 2004: Nationwide sucks. 12 years I've been with Nationwide for my cars, some life and my house insurance, all that time without burning anything down or having any accidents or tickets. So what do they do? About 25 days after buying the Super Chicken and getting insurance on it through Nationwide, I get a letter that says Oops! That motorcycle is on a "list" and we can't insure it. We're cancelling this policy. WTF! So I do a quick search on the 'Net and am hit with initial bids of $2,000 a year, $2,500 a year, etc. Nice, eh? I wouldn't have bought the bike if they insurance cost was that much. So after ranting a bit, a buddy suggests State Farm, and I am happy to say I have switched all of my vehicles over to State Farm, with better coverage for a lower price. My house will be next, and the life insurance. Yea State Farm.
25 August 2004: I saw some loser in traffic today mumbling things my way as I moved from one side of my lane to the other, always within my lane mind you, just taking up the whole thing by moving around instead of staying meakly to one side hoping no one jerks over and hits me. To this individual I say; A pox on you! At least you know I'm there, and I know you won't accidentally hit me, nor will anyone else in my vacinity (unless they're blind, of course). So up yours, Gomer.
10 April 2007: Long time no update! We bought a new house, so I can finally piss off of something into my own yard and no one can say shit. Except maybe “put that thing away before you hurt someone” but odds are against that, heh. I had to sell the Demon 340 and the SuperHawk to assist in the down payment, but all in all a fair trade. I still have my Shadow, and it still looks good at 11k miles. I put on the forward controls, much better. I completely tore my ACL in March, so that surgery will be coming up; no home run competition for me this year. I’ve taken to writing on some local news-type forums, to enlighten the masses, however they remain unwashed and ignore my ramblings. Probably for the best. The last thing I need is to get in a scrap with some scared redneck separatist. At least not until my knee is repaired and healed :-) The neighbors are great, the neighborhood kids are great, and it is outside the city limits. Normally the hunting doesn’t begin until after 7am on the weekends, and I appreciate the consideration.
12 April 2007: The welcoming committee at the forum has sprung into action. Predictable ‘we’ve been here since the start’ and ‘ooo, get a life’ comments are prevalent. There have been no productive or constructive posts at all. I did contact the editors and the sysdamin, pointing out my opinion and a couple suggestions to improve what I perceive as the problem. There has only been one instance of unapproved usage of material from this site, which I will point out eventually. Someone even suggested I involve myself physically in the community :-) I guess they didn’t see me plowing the entire street and everyone’s driveway with Bob’s Cub Cadet this winter after the two decent snows. No matter, I know my neighbors and they know me, the virtual neighbors can take a flying leap for now.
25 June 2007: We went to see RUSH at the Nissan Pavilion in Virginia Saturday night. These fixes usually get me 18 months or so before I start jonesing to see the best rock band of all time perform again. As long as they keep touring we'll keep going. Everything there is to say about RUSH has been said many times before, so I won't do it again. I'm just glad they keep creating and playing out so we can keep enjoying them live. Keep it up, guys. Ride safe, and don't forget to wave!
23 September 2010: Sent a letter to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett this morning, an idea I had about underwater mortgages. In the end, the Man gets more money, the homeowner gets more money into his house, and the banks don't get paid for value that doesn't exist. Here is my suggestion: Until the current appraisal value is equal to the remaining principal balance, no interest will be paid on the “underwater” portion of a home mortgage. All payments will be applied to the principal balance only, until such time as the current appraised value is equal to the principal balance. Why should I pay interest on worth that does not exist? Let me instead continue to pay my tremendously high mortgage payment, yet apply those payments to the “worthless” part of my mortgage. That way I can pay down the balance, a number which may never actually be above water in my lifetime, and feel better about doing “right” from a moralistic point of view. Otherwise, what is there that causes me to pay for the rest of society, instead of copping out as so many have? From a purely financial standpoint, even this is a losing scenario. But it doesn’t feel as bad.
When I say the Man gets more money, I am referring to the fact that less interest payments mean less interest deduction from income tax returns, thereby sending a bit more money to the government. This I will gladly exchange for equity in my house.
And of course, RUSH played over the weekend. What a show, I was glad for the 20 minute break in between sets because I needed the rest. As far as bands go, there can be only one. Absolutely the best rock band, then and now.
September 2012: No heart attack in my near future. I know this because I spent 3 hours bouncing and cheering at the Rush concert at Jiffy Lube in VA on the 9th. 3rd row center. THIRD ROW CENTER. These seats were awesome beyond belief. The four of us did the VIP thing, then capped it off with a limo. Absolutely the way to go. And in case you missed it, we were
3rd row center
There really are no words to describe Rush in concert. The two sets were split between songs from Signals, Power Windows, Grace Under Pressure, and Roll the Bones, and the new album, which I highly recommend; Clockwork Angels. It's far more like the Hemispheres - Moving Pictures era. Got lots of pictures.
November 6, 2012: Don't Vote, Can't Bitch. People died for it. Go Vote.
April 2013: Started my Fly By Night tattoo. 4 hours into it, outline and shading done. Alfie is a freakin' genius. Marks of the Spark Tattoo is the name of their shop. Picture above. The Leen one is thinking about getting a slightly smaller version.
May 2013: Saw RUSH again in Baltimore. I thought 3rd row was as close as we'd ever get; I was wrong. First row, right in front of Geddy's pedals. Unbelievable. Pictures to prove it, on Rush's website.
December 2013: This has been the year of music redux. Found out Little Eddie done good! Found the right partner, figured out how to play his own drums ( I never minded, bro!) and has been touring for 20 years as the drummer for Jucifer! Pictures on top. Way to go Eddie, you and Amber are both fantastic performers and people. Can't wait to see you play again.
2014: Met Dan. Dan plays guitar. We played with, nay, we suffered the douche brothers in what some might call a band, but only in the most ambiguous sense of the term. We learned their crappy songs and tried to help them understand what real music could be, to no avail. So we split. And it was good. Still looking for a bass player that isn't a failed guitarist, and a singer who wants to destroy living things with her or his vocals and attitude.
2015: Made it to Daytona for bike week with work associates. As the elder of the group, I felt compelled to introduce the younglings to my favorite contact sport, the Mosh Pit. Drowning Pool provided the proper environment on the streets of Daytona, but those of weaker constitution failed to make the grade. It was the physical embodiement of the daily "Pit time with Browclops" music montage i conducted regularly on Super Earth. Then 950 miles back to Maryland over two days. It was good.
2016: Difficult year for the family. Parental loss and much anger over the treatment of same before we brought Harold home to live with us. He felt safe, finally, and he passed peacefully surrounded by his family at the house. He will be sorely missed. Glad to see this year in the rear view mirror.
2017: Oh what a difference a day makes! The 6 year nightmare is finally over, and those I advocate for may finally see some recognition for their exceptional work efforts and achievements. The support and encouragement I've experienced in two short weeks already exceeds my greatest hopes. You knew it wasn't supposed to be soooooooo tedious and difficult, but you were never sure because you had never experienced anything but disbelief and second class citizenship status. Oh, and I have decided that after three fulll years of constant practice, my drumming abilities have exceeded my peak during my 20's. Still in search of the perfect drum sticks.
|
