Oh so lonely

My girlfriend flew to Arizona


So she and her family could eat at Ochoa's


She left me with the pooches


I'm not getting my smooches


And I'm watching TMZ alone-a


I miss my girlfriend. It's only been 5 days and I've already devolved into a bachelor man-beast. Sure, sure, I'm getting lots of things done on my bikes and cars, sleeping however I want, doing whatever I want, but I'm lonely! I have 2 dogs and 2 cats to keep me company, but they don't get my McCain and Palin jokes!

I miss this conversation every night:
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I dunno, what do you want?"
"How bout X?"
"Sure, babe whatever you want."
"You don't want that do you?"
"Well, I'm really not in the mood for X."
"Ok how bout we cook something?"
"Nahhh, I'm really not in the mood for cooking."
"Ok, how bout you go outside and chew on some bark?"

I miss that! I can't live every day without a challenge in my evening life after a long day at work. It's too easy right now. I'm hungry? I eat. I'm tired? I sleep. I want to watch tv, BAM! I WATCH WHATEVER I WANT. I need my conflict back!

Hurry up and get back Lori. We have much reality tv to watch, leftovers to cook, and cat hair to vacuum. I love you!

Today's Science Experiment

How much saturated fat zit juice is in ONE 4" Slim Jim?

Dottie drops dat ass

Now, after a fresh wax job.


Sometime soon


I'm so dang close to getting my Desoto to look how I want it. I already have the visor and fender skirts, I just need someone to paint them. I'm going to put Smithy's exhaust on with chrome tips or Bellflowers out the back. Lowering 2-3". So close! BUT FIRST, I need brakes.

Master Debaters

I watched the debates. I wasn't blown away by either. I actually expected McCain to do worse than he did. You can definitely see the anger and temper in him rising up at times. I don't find that admirable trait at all. I wish Obama had more specifics. I did notice Obama wearing a flag pin and McCain wasn't, which is funny because McCain gave Obama all that guff about not wearing one that one time. I honestly fell asleep the last 10 minutes. I'm more excited about Biden vs. Palin. It will be a treat. I just hope he doesn't get all cocky.

What CNN's Jack Cafferty about Sarah Palin
Actually here's a better version on CNNs website

Ton Up Ride

I met up with the Nor Cal Ton Up guys and rode around the Santa Cruz mountains. Perfect day, perfect weather, perfectly perfect. I took Lori's '69 CB450 for a shake down ride and it was great. Well, except for it's lack of front brakes. There was a wipe out with Kiki and her 75 Honda CL350, but she got right back up and got home, bent shifter and all. There is so much riding down there I wasn't aware of, I can't wait to go back.



Paul's 64 Norton


Frank's 66? BSA Lightning


Justin's 75? Triumph Bonnie OIF


Nick's 72 Triumph Bonnie OIF

Hit with a stupid stick

It just keeps getting better and better. I wish I could find the CNN panel last night with the Couric interview. But here are two segments from the Couric/Palin interview.
ABSOLUTELY PURE ENTERTAINMENT!!!!





I'm really curious whether McCain shows up tonight at the Debate. This is one to tell your grandkids about.

DON'T FUCK WITH LETTERMAN

Makes me hungry for corn on the cob

This is perhaps one of the best videos ever, and probably totally NOT WORK SAFE!
LINK

Making fossil fuels... the hard way

I picked this 72 XS650 tank from my buddy Lou almost 2 years ago and I've finally putting it to use on my bike. It's got some real goopy fuel tar in it that I've been letting soak in Purple Power and cleaning out. Well today I picked up the tank and something was shaking around inside.




I'm going to name him Cheney

Od-de-lally

Not our pups, but I love this video. Makes me wish I had a cane fishing pole and some night crawlers and a piece of straw between my teeth. And that Luka wasn't afraid of water.

Abyss of DOOM

I was checking my valve clearances on my KLR650 a little over a week ago, and a 10mm socket slipped out of my hands onto a rag I had stuffed over the infamous cam chain abyss of doom. The abyss basically a tunnel on the left side of the bike for the cam chain to run, and it goes directly down to the bottom end of the bike. The socket managed to wiggle it's way into a pocket of the rag, and when I tried to pull it out, the whole rag pulled out and the socket went "klink, pink, poink" down down down the abyss. I spent 4 hours with a magnet stick trying to fish it out. I even had the bike upside down (by myself) hoping it would come out. It did not. All I did was more damage.I was very concerned I'd have to split the cases and do an engine rebuild.

I ordered the appropriate tools, popped the left cover off and pulled the rotor off. And almost broke my hand 5 times doing so.

And tucked away...

Safe and sound...


My 10mm socket!


I'm really glad it was that easy. I did learn another lesson: Never use a breaker bar when wearing slippers. I have a giant bruise in my arch now.

London Dungen

I cooked dungeness crab for the first time in my life tonight. I love crab. Lori loves crab. We don't love spending $25-$35 at a restaurant to eat them. So, in trying to take advantage of the asian market near us, I got 2 live ones for dinner tonight and boiled them up. Couldn't be easier. And buying them at the market they are only about $8 each. I also made some garlic noodles to go along with them.

I was a bit nervous about this as I've never killed a live animal by boiling before. They definitely resisted going in. Lori was more squeamish than me and she didn't even have to clean the bastards. I decided to go the boil first, clean second route. I couldn't bring myself to tear apart a live crab with my bare hands. But next time for sure. I was concentrating too much during the cleaning to really think about being squeamish. It wasn't bad at all!

Yum, ocean bugs.

The "C" Word

So I read this delightful list on Bartcop.

The part about calling Cindy McCain a cunt caught my eye.

Well, I'll be.

Kicked in the loin

As much as I loathe them for the super hipsters they are, at least they're organized and get people together for rides.

The CREATURES of the LOIN present.... from graham french on Vimeo.

The Hussies rock Annie's

The Hussies played Annie's on Saturday. This has been their big wish since they got together. And, I must say, as a completely unbiased reviewer, they kicked some major arse.

Gallery











It was also the birthday of Reby Rae, so, of course, there was a human birthday cake.

Snuggle Dogs

All the money we spend on food, vet bills, flea medicine; all the poop I have to pick up, all the screaming and grey hairs I have... are suddenly worth it.

Word of the Day

sycophant

a servile person who, acting in his or her own self interest, attempts to win favor by flattering one or more influential persons, with an undertone that these actions are executed at the cost of his or her own personal pride, principles, and peer respect. Such a manner is called obsequiousness.

Used in a sentence: "Drill Baby Drill sounds nice from a crowd of frothing sycophants, but it's scarily unrealistic and unhelpful to the rest of us."

3rd Reich Bike

The Foxtail & The Hound

Leave it to Luka to pull me off my bike this morning on his walk, go to a patch of weeds, and inhale a foxtail in his nose.

What is a foxtail? I've never heard of them until I moved to California, and I certainly wouldn't have heard of them if my neighbor a few years back didn't have to go through the same thing. Here's a page all about them for the dog owners out there. They are nasty little boogers. A dog snorts them up his nose and they get lodged there. They can migrate into their lungs and kill them. At best they are extremely uncomfortable for a dog.

Luka yanked me off my bike this morning to go sniff a spot. Moments later he was curling the right side of his mouth up, contorting his head, and sneezing violently. I instantly knew what happened. I looked in his nose and couldn't see anything. He was blowing blood and mucous all over. I sat him down and tried to calm him, and we walked home. I got him in the kitchen and Lori helped me calm him down some more and wipe the blood up.

And I just picked him up at the vet. He is coming off his anesthetic from surgery to remove it, and it was a big one. Way up there, too. And I now know how Luka would act drunk. He was wobbling all over the place; he still is! Just watching the poor pooch take a pee was like watching a drunken yard worker with a hose!

Well Luka, you scared your mom and dad, but all is well. We're going to have to keep you in a bubble with a helmet for now on.

Update

I updated the Triumph Bathtub post I made below with more model information for accuracy.

Put Cindy on the ticket instead

Cindy McCain is a... DRIFTER!?!?!?


So my coworker is providing me with conspiracy theories on this video. She claims she is a drifter but not once do you actually see her drive. When she describes drifting, she never uses buzz words like "counter steer," "fish tailing," and specific motor details. Her explanation of drifting isn't enough for him to believe her. She's a poseur! You be the judge!

Low & Slow

Photoshop of my Desoto. Lowered 2 inches, with visor and skirts, and peep mirrors.

Is that a slide or are you just happy to see little children?

My faith in humanity has been restored!

The Triumph Bathtubs

In an attempt to get my mind off of this country of monkeys flinging their poo around, I've decided to start a new segment on my favourite (you like that spelling?) motorcycles, specifically British motorcycles. The British motorcycles were the world's best until the early 70's when Japan thundered in a new era. Triumphs, BSAs, and Nortons are my big 3.

So I'm going to start with the Triumph bathtubs. There were three models: The unit 350cc 3TA Twenty-One (1957-1962), Triumph's first all unit twin (transmission and motor in one casing), the unit 500cc 5TA Speedtwin (1958-1962), and the pre-unit 650cc 6T Thunderbird (1960-1961). Meant for cruising around England's back country roads rather than bombing down the highway at 100mph, they the last of an era. In 1959 the Triumph Bonneville came onto the scene and literally changed everyone's perception of the motorcycle: fast, sleek, modern. What young man would want a Speedtwin or Thunderbird when he could now have the 46bhp 650cc T120 Bonneville twin? Also in 1961 the Austin Mini debuted. There wasn't a need for a gentleman's motorcycle any longer, now they could drive and stay out of the elements.

The 3TA, 5TA, and 6T were now outdated machines. In 1963 all Triumph motorcycle were now unit construction, more more separate transmissions and motors. To make matters worse, they were trying to compete with the rising scooter companies, which explains the enclosed rear section or "bathtub." Most of these bathtubs were removed to give the bike a more sleek appearance. And the headlight nacelles (enclosures) were removed and replaced with a more modern looking single chrome headlight, similar to the new Bonneville. Which, ironically, are all now reasons why I love this motorcycle so much. Oh how times change. These bikes are rare but not ridiculously unobtainable yet. You can find a 3TA or 5TA in England for around $5000 American.

1960 5TA Speedtwin

I'm a whale watcher

Lori's surprise trip last weekend was going to Monterey, CA and whale watching! Holy cow, how cool can she get? We stayed in the old Monterey Hotel. And, coincidentally, the Cherries Jubilee car show and Italian Festival were going on the same weekend. It was weekend of loud cars and impromptu italian marching bands directly outside our window. The hotel was gracious enough to give us ear plugs. It was a great weekend of nice dinners, whale watching, the aquarium, and missing our poochies.

If you're brave, here's a photo gallery of the trip.

Some highlights...

Lori looking cute, which is all the time


Old tug boats




Sea lions doing what sea lions do






Our whale watching boat


dolphins


There they blow, 3 humpback whales








Here's a red crab in the water


Here's a black crab not in the water




Monterey Bay Aquarium












I love Monterey