Ride Saki Ride.

     We have a lot to talk about tonight, so we may as well just jump right into it. This is the 100th post on the ol' Counterfeit Squirrel, and it appears that this one will be laden with plenty of pictures. That basically means that you are going to see a great deal of Saki tonight.

     As you know, I was off Friday, and this was also the first weekend of not drinking. It seems that a bunch of people came out of the woodwork to get me to drink. Now, I haven't announced to anyone outside of this, that I have stopped drinking, I figure that it will come up eventually, and I'll tackle that conversation at that point. Even as I was writing Thursday nights post, I was getting a text from someone to go out drinking. I had a real good reason not to go. I was writing. Friday came around and I had met someone who lives the "bike life", and from what I can gather, what that means to them, is riding a lot (which is a good thing), and within those rides, going to biker bars (not such a good thing). She wanted me to meet up with her during the day, and each place was a bar. I mentioned that I don't drink when I'm on the bike, so I would have to pass for now. That was a good thing, because since I was sitting at home waiting for the weather to clear, to actually go riding, a package came for me.

     I know that I mentioned that my latest Mya-Moe would be the last ukulele I bought for a while, but I couldn't pass this one up. It is called a Ohana O'Nina Supranisimo. I saw something similar to this when I was in Portland Oregon and I was captivated by it. I've wanted one ever since seeing it, and I finally found it. Here it is. I haven't named it yet, because nothing has come to me so far.

     I know what you're thinking, "What is so special about that? It looks like a normal ukulele.". Well, the next picture will explain all. I took a shot of the Ohana with Claude the latest Mya-Moe. This will give you an idea of why it is so special.

     There you have it. Claude is a tenor ukulele, which means he is a little bigger than your standard soprano ukulele. If I put my soprano up next to Claude in comparison, it would be about 4 inches shorter. The new Ohana, as you can is, is about a foot shorter than Claude. It is tiny, and playable. It only has 12 frets as opposed to the standard 17 frets on sopranos and tenors. It has a tiny sound to it as well. I played around with it quite a bit, and it is just fun. I can't wait to take it to class on Thursday just to mess with my teacher a bit. I think he will get a kick out of it.

     The little Ohana came a day early, which worked out because of the crappy weather that we were having. Alas, the clouds parted and the sun kind of came out around noon. I hopped on Saki and headed to the bank and to just go for a ride in general. After the bank, I decided to stop by the tattoo shop and talk to my artist. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was wearing Fred. Yes, I'm sticking with Fred. I just sort of works. I pulled my bike up next to the front window on the sidewalk, and had no idea what the scene was that was going on behind me, as I was getting off the bike. Everyone in the shop was going crazy over Fred. When I turned around and saw, I just walked in without taking off my helmet. Everyone was laughing and smiling. My artist was the loudest saying how much he loved it. There was a small child in there with his mom, who was getting a tattoo, that was transfixed on my helmet. He was smiling and laughing like there was no tomorrow.

     My artist wanted to see how Bowie was doing, so I lifted my shirt and showed him. He mentioned that it had a couple of places that needed a touch up, and asked when I wanted to do it. Luck has it, that next Saturday I had a scheduled appointment to get Saki it's 3000 mile maintenance. The bike shop isn't far from the tattoo shop, so After I drop Saki off, I'm just going to walk to the tattoo shop, and if my artist is free, he's going to do some touch ups on the Bowie tat. It's the definition of killing two birds with one stone. Either way, I just walk over to the shop to hang out for a while. It will take them a couple of hours to give Saki the once over. While I was talking to my artist, I got a text from the biker lady that I met. Let's call her Biker Babe for now. She was with friends at another bar, and wanted to know if I wanted to ride over to meet her. Once again, I had a good excuse not to meet up for drinks, because I was talking to my artist. 

     I hung out at the shop for about an hour and watched him give that mom with the baby a tattoo behind her ear. I needed to hit the road though, the skies were starting to could back up, and since I was wearing Fred, I wanted to try to avoid the rain. While I was just bouncing around the area, I got another text from Biker Babe. Her and her friends were on their way to yet another place, and wanted to know if I was interested. This one I didn't need an excuse, because I was running from the rain, so I couldn't go. I turned around and started running south, since it looked like the rain clouds were heading east to west. I thought I could skirt them and keep riding. I failed. I ran into some pretty heavy rain on the road, and got stuck in traffic, so I couldn't outrun it. Fred was getting drenched, and my visor was getting difficult to see out of. This is the picture I took when I got home.

     If you look closely, you can see that my visor is spotted with rain. I had to hang Fred up to dry out, and because of the rain, Saki was filthy, but that would have to wait.

     After getting back home from a rain soaked ride. I picked up watching the rest of A Series of Unfortunate Events. There were only 8 hour long episodes, and they were fantastic. I managed to watch them all on Friday. I was in for the rest of the day, and Biker Babe was at her last stop, and then going home. We never met up. Later in the evening I got a text from 3W. I was eating dinner at the time, so I couldn't go out. He texted later but I was deeply enthralled in another series on Netflix called Troll Hunters. It is an animated show created by Guillermo del Toro. It's really good. There are 26 episodes in the first part, and it was released on December 23rd. I'd seen trailers for it when I went to the movies, and finally sat down and started watching it. The sad thing about the series is, that it starred the voice talent of Anton Yelchin. He was one of the victims of 2016. You might remember that he died in a completely freak accident when his SUV ran down the driveway of his house and pinned him against his mailbox. The show sets up for another season, or part, which is the way they have it on the display, but they will undoubtedly have to find another person to take the voice of the lead character. If you're in the mood for some lighthearted fun with Guillermo del Toro's freaky creatures that come from his mind, give Troll Hunters a try. You might like it.

     Saturday was a new day, and it was a clear day. Saki and I were going to ride. First though, I got a text from Biker Babe. They were riding out, and heading to a place for lunch and drinks. I just wanted to ride. I turned down her offer again, and headed out. I found a new spot for pictures, and took a couple of Saki in all its filth. You can't see it in the pictures, but I know it's there. The back seat was splattered with mud as well as the entire underneath of the frame. The pictures came out pretty good though.

     The pictures look very similar, but they are at slightly different angles, and I wish I could have kept those freaking signs out of the shot, but I managed to get one in each of them. From there, I went to my favorite watering hole. "Wait, you sad that you didn't drink this weekend." I did say that, and I meant it. I went to my favorite watering hole, and drank raspberry tea with my meal. They know that when I'm on the bike, I don't drink, which is why I brought Fred in with me. One again, a couple of kids were at the bar with their dad, and they loved Fred. They all smiled, which made me smile. Boom mission accomplished. While I was eating lunch, I got a call from an old friend. He was inviting me to lunch. I had to decline since I was eating lunch. I'm sure there would have been booze involved, so I dodged another bullet.

     I headed home after that, and I was thinking that I was in for the day, but a thought came to me. I wanted to do a night ride. Of course, I had to wait until nightfall for that to occur, so in the meantime, I watched more Troll Hunters. I once again got another text from Biker Babe, telling me where she was so that we could meet up, but I had my plans and I was sticking to them. I told her what I was doing, but they were already at the next place and getting ready to head to another one.

     Night was finally cast across the land, and I wheeled Saki out of the garage for our dance in the dark. I had a specific plan, and I was going to see it through. I ride at night on practically a daily basis when I go to work in the morning, but I have never rode at night with the specific goal of just riding. I picked the right time to do it. It was early enough in the evening that people weren't out. They were either already at a place or getting ready to go to a place. It left the roads pretty empty and where I was going was going to be light traffic anyway. I had two roads in mind. River Road and South Tropical Trail. They aren't fast roads, they are just cruising roads. There aren't a lot of street lights on them, so I had to go with the high beams quite often, but it was so peaceful and calm. It took me to another world. A worlds where it was just Saki and me. We rode in the cool breeze along the river's edge, and looked into it vast darkness. The waters were still, so the nighttime sky reflected off it. It was beautiful. I stopped about halfway along River Road and got a couple of pictures in different locations. One of them didn't come out to well, since my front reflector caught then flash from my phone, so I'm keeping that one out, but the other two are pretty good. I'm going to show you the second stop first. It is the clearest of the pictures and taken with only light from a street lamp near by.

     It came out pretty good, and the sign has some symbolism of which way to I go, only the road knows. This was in a little area off the side of the road. It was like a one car parking area for that little bench there. Saki is in all it's glory, stalking through the night, but the next picture might show that even more so. This is the picture that in my little blog post on Moto Amino, I said summed up the night. Calm and Peaceful.

     Although calm and peaceful, Saki looks a little ominous, and definitely looks to be living up to it's name of Ninja. Hiding in the night like a dark angel. I got quite a few compliment on this particular photo on Moto Amino. I like it more and more as I look at it. I only used the natural ambient light that was around, and as you can see, there wasn't much of it. That is how Saki and I rode last night, in darkness with only the wind rushing by us, and the river languidly drifting next to us, to keep us company. When I got home, I felt more relaxed and happy than I had felt in a very long time. It was truly exhilarating. Oh, also exhilarating was when I blew the doors off a Corvette on the way home form the ride. he came speeding up behind me, and passed me at the last minute. I wasn't in any hurry. He got stopped at a light, i was going to teach him a little lesson. I was still slowly approaching the light when it turned green. I was in an open lane, and he was at the front of his. I let him get rolling since I was already on the move, but still a cars length behind him, and then I hit it. I wheelied  (I don't do that often) past him, and left him in the rearview in a split second. When he finally caught up to me, became I had to stop at a light because I was turning, he yelled out the window, "YEAH!" He knew I got him, and he appreciated what Saki could do. I couldn't help but laugh.

     Sunday morning arrived, and I need more time with Saki Notice I still haven't talked about cleaning the much off Saki yet. There is good reason for that. That hasn't happened yet. We went south today, and went to Sebastian. It was a nice day for it, but I forgot to take the quilted lining out of my jacket, so it was hot. I hit a beach access just after the bridge that crosses the inlet, and stopped to use the bathroom and just relax a little. I got one last shot of Saki with all my gear sitting on top of it.

     It was a good end to a fun weekend. I put in several hundreds of miles, and when we finally got back to the house, I let Saki cool off for a bit, and then went out, put Saki up on the stand, and wiped all that dirt and grime off of it. I think I even heard Saki sigh from feeling relief that all that dirt was gone. I did ride by a little ice cream shop that had a sign out front that read "Blackberry and Green Apple". I need to go there when they are open, because I need green apple ice cream in my life. Looks like another adventure for Saki and I to go on. 

      I never met up with Biker Babe, but I'm sure I will at some point. I don't know if I'm the right person for her, and I don't know if she is the right person for her, but maybe I can get a riding buddy out of the whole deal. If all she likes to do, si ride to bars, I'm not down with that, even if I am drinking, but if she is up for going places and seeing things, then maybe there is a chance. We'll just have to wait and see. Regardless of that, I had a great weekend, and I spent it with Saki. I don't know if I need anything more. I probably do, but I'll take what I got for now. Peace in and goodnight.

Title? You Can't Handle The Title.

     I only got one vote on the name of my helmet cover. That vote was Red Fred, which is very similar to the name I was leaning towards, which is simply Fred. I think I will leave it open until Sunday, when I will announce the name I have chosen. You still have a chance to get your name in there.

     Neil Patrick Harris was on the Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, and he was promoting a new show that he had coming out tomorrow, which will be Friday the 13th. It is a Netflix original series called, A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's based on the Lemony Snicket books, by Daniel Handler. Neil is playing none other than Count Olaf himself. the scourge of the series. He went all out for the role and shaved his head. I'm looking forward to this series, it should be fun. While he was on the show, he mentioned that he plays four roles in the show. They are all versions of Count Olaf in different disguises, but Neil had to create voices for each one. He did them for Howard, and they made me laugh. I can't wait to see it, and since I'm off tomorrow, I think I will start the bingefest in the morning.

     It warmed up enough to ride to work the past two days. It felt good to be back on Saki. I know that it had only been two days, but those days go long when you are caged in a car. I'm sure I will get a good ride in tomorrow, since I'm off, but I do plan on focusing on that new show. I have the 3000 mile service coming up on Saki, and I have about 250 miles to go. I think I will make an appointment tomorrow for the Saturday after next. That should be enough time for me to get those extra miles in, before it's service time. Not to mention, I gotta take the helmet cover (yet to be officially named) out for a spin or two. I don't leave it on the helmet when I go to work. It would get dirty or torn. Seeing how someone dropped my helmet today, and didn't even mention it to me. I know it was knocked off it's perch, because it was moved and there was dirt and new scuff marks all over it. People can be real jerks some times.

     I'm really tired for some reason tonight, so I think I'm going to keep this short again. Sorry that I don't have more for you, but maybe on Sunday there will be more. Oh, by the way, Sunday's post will be the 100th post for the Counterfeit Squirrel. The century mark, I guess, should be something special. I'll just have to try hard to come up with something that seems special for that one. Peace in and goodnight.

The Name Game.

     I need a name for my helmet cover. I'm thinking Fred, because that is the name that comes to me when I look at it, but I'm offering up a chance for you to name it. Best name gets it (my opinion of best name) or Fred remains. Take another look at it, in all it's glory, and see what comes to you.

     I mean come on. It's looks like a Fred right. Anyway, leave a comment below of the name you think it should be. If there is an overwhelming agreement on what the name should be, I will accept that as well. Look at it, think about it, and name it.

     I haven't ridden in the past two days, and it's killing me. It's been too cold in the morning to ride. I know I was out in 38 degree weather on Sunday, but I could bundle up and stay warm for that. I can't do that when I go to work. If I do, I will be miserable the entire day. the choice is kind of easy. Stay warm for a 15 mixture ride to work, and then be overheated all day, or dress appropriately for work, and make it through the day without a problem. I have to choose the latter. I will ride this week though I think tomorrow will be warm enough to ride in, and that should hold for the rest of the week.

     I think this is going to be a rather short post tonight, because I really don't have much to tell you, but I think I can draw this out for a little longer. Today, as I write this is the anniversary of the death of David Bowie. Only 2 days after what would have been his 70th birthday. While I was thinking about that today. I began thinking about another artist that we lost this past year. One that shaped my childhood. One that helped me accept that being different isn't always a bad thing. I know that could apply to Bowie as well, but the artist I am talking about is the one, the only, Prince. I said it before, but Purple Rain was the first album that I ever bought, so I had to listen to it today. That brought me to Favorite Song of the Week. Here is the catch though. Prince's songs don't stay on Youtube very long, so this may disappear in a few days or so. If it does, I really want you to search it out for yourself.

     The whole album Purple Rain, is a master work. Every song is amazing (yes, that's my opinion, but i'm not wrong about this). Every song has a reason to stand out, but there is one song that just grabs ahold of you because of the searing guitar that starts it out. It's up and down crescendo of scales tickles the very essence of your soul. The Minnesota sound kicks in with the electronic drum beats that Prince made famous. Many tried to duplicate, but none ever did. This song is one of the most introspective songs on the album. It gives you a small taste of his early family life, and how it impacted his life. I give you Prince & the Revolution with one of the greatest songs every written, "When Doves Cry".

      I don't know how long that will stay up, so watch it while you can. Time for me to punch a higher floor. Peace in and goodnight.

Getting Stung By A Bee While Riding A Motorcycle, Kind Of Sucks.

     Where to begin. I guess I should start with Friday, since I had it off. I woke up reasonably early, and made a quick breakfast, because I wanted to hit the road on Saki. A co-worker had told me about the ride going south on A1A to Ft. Pierce. He told of extravagant houses and scenes from the Caribbean. Lush vegetation that just screamed of a different place and time.

     It wasn't all that, and I kind of wonder where exactly he saw all of this, but he does have a history of embellishing things. It was a pretty ride, and it was nice and casual, but I never felt like I entered a Caribbean paradise, or saw the massive structures of the mansions he mentioned. All in all, I was just happy to be riding, and that is really all that mattered. I did get stuck by the drawbridge going over the Intracoastal.

     On my way back home, I had a bit of a painful adventure. It is not uncommon to get hit by large bugs when riding a motorcycle, but what is uncommon, is what happened to me. I was at the halfway point, when I was struck in the neck by a large insect. It stung, so I had to rub my neck a bit. I didn't think much about it after that, until several minutes later, when I felt a stinging on my stomach. It turns out, that what had hit my neck, was a bee. It was knocked out cold by the impact, and managed to fall into my jacket, which I had slightly unzipped to get a little air, because it was rather hot. When the bee regained consciousness, it was of course confused by it's confined surroundings, and did what was natural. It started stinging me like crazy. I began to do the only thing that came natural to me, and that was start punching myself in the stomach while going down the highway at, let's say, close to the speed limit. I had gotten it, but there was still an occasional sting here and there, because the bee carcass was trapped inside my jacket. I actually thought that it was in my shirt. I still had another half hour to go before I was going to stop. I toughed it out, and headed to Red Robin. I was going to get another one of those great burgers.

     I finally pulled into the mall parking lot where Red Robins was and parked. I unzipped my jacket, and there was mister bee, stuck to my shirt. I brushed it off, and began the process of getting my gear off to go inside, and eat. I made a mistake however. In the same parking lot are several restaurants. I was so distracted by the bee and the pain in my stomach, that I actually pulled into BJ's Brewhouse. I didn't realize I was in the wrong place until I was inside. I decided to stay. I don't drink on the bike, but I will occasionally allow myself one pint, with plenty of water and food. That is what I did. I got a Fat Tire, with a water back, and a BJ's Brewhouse Burger. It was a good burger, even though I was looking forward to Red Robin. I paid my tab, and hit the road, so that I could get home, and see the damage the bee had caused to me.

     There was a swollen area in the upper center area of my stomach, with some redness, but it would be fine. My day was over. I had a good long ride, a tasty burger, and some excitement with a bee.

     The next morning I woke up to rain. That was a bummer. It meant that I wasn't going to get to ride Saki, but then the mail came, and I got a package from England. It was my new helmet cover.

     Pretty cool right? I had to find some time to ride. I began checking the news, and the weather apps, to see if there would be a break in the storm. Finally around 4 in the afternoon, the rain stopped. I got the cover on my Arai helmet (it actually fit), and took off for a ride. I got a lot of strange looks, but mostly smiles, thumbs ups, and a few honks. Now for a brief review. it does have a little bit of drag, but it is very manageable. I thought, just by the nature of what it was, that it would disrupt ventilation in my helmet, but it didn't at all. Maybe that will be a little different in warmer weather (the rain brought a cold front through), but right now, it ventilates just fine. If you want one of your own, just go to this site Funny Heeds. They change them quite often, I can see just from yesterday that they have sold out of several of them, and added some new ones. So if there isn't one to your liking right now, check back from time to time, and you might see something that tickles your fancy.

     Later that night, I went to my watering hole. I needed a pizza. I hadn't had one for quite some time, and they have in my opinion, the best. With my pizza, I had a few drinks. Nothing unusual for me there, but it seemed different. I'm beginning to feel like I really don't want to drink anymore. It has truly lost it's appeal to me. It's basically a social crutch that I don't think I need anymore. I will just have to see what the future holds with this. I've mentioned quitting before, and I did that little test with not drinking while out with friends. It can be done, but they did get annoyed with me for not drinking. I thought it was kind of funny actually.

     Oh I forgot, before I go into today's ride, I have one more picture that I took when I went on that first ride with the new helmet cover. I just used the phone mount, so it looks a little strange.

     I can't help but chuckle when I see it. I get a glimpse from time to time, in the reflection of my display, and it cracks me up. Today I saw what my shadow looked like, as the morning sun was directly behind me, and I was howling with laughter. Anyway, on to today. I was up really early today, because it was cold here. It was 36 degrees when I woke up. I made breakfast, showered, and then bundled up like the kid in A Christmas Story. I had a tough time moving around. I was layered everywhere., but it kept me warm. When I got Saki out, it was up to 38 degrees with 13 mph winds. That meant that the feels like temperature was probably somewhere around freezing, but that wasn't going to stop me. I was determined. I got on the bike in my Stay Puft Man puffyness, and rode. I found a good spot to pull over and get a picture os Saki, but when I pulled my phone off the mount to take the picture, I found that my phone had died. so that spot will have to wait for another day.

     It was fun riding out there in the cold. I wouldn't do it for a hundred miles, but the 30 I put in today was just fine. It was a good and productive weekend. I learned to always keep my jacket fully sipped up, and that I may just be tired of drinking. Oh, I learned one more thing. A new David Bowie EP was released today, in honor of his birthday. If you get the chance, give it a listen, It's only 4 songs, and they are really good. I'm off so, peace in and goodnight.

Choices.

     It's a simple title tonight. Yeah, that means I came up with the title right away, so I'm assuming you can guess what this is going to be about. We make choices every second of every day. The vast majority of them, we don't even think about. From the second you come to life in the morning, you make a choice of whether to open your eyes, or keep them closed. From the moment you choose to open your eyes, the next choice is, do I get out of bed, or stay in bed? It goes on and on from there. These are the easy choices that we make. The difficulty comes when you come into contact with other people.

     The first person you see on any given day, can be anyone. There are some exceptions to this of course. If you are married, have a significant other, live with relatives, or roommates. Then you have to decided how you are going to greet them, or whether or not to greet them at all. That first impression is going to stay with them all day. Do you greet them with a smile, or just a nonchalant nod? If you chose that nod, you are probably going to be explaining things later, but that's not where I'm going with this.

     Where I'm going is, when you meet that first person in your day, that you have no attachment with what so ever. How do you greet them, if at all. Is it with a smile, or that nonchalant nod? Either of which should get a welcome response, but you could just sneer at them. What kind of a response does that get you? I'm betting on, not a very good one. Maybe they took the initiative and greeted you first. Same possibilities of greetings as above, how do you respond to the sneer? This is when things get tricky, and the choice you make can affect you day in a profound way. You could take the easy route, and simply ignore it. It goes away, no harm no foul, but what if you don't take the easy route? What if you made a choice earlier, that has already upset your day, and instead of ignoring this sneer, you throw one back? The choice then moves to that other person. What is their response to your response? This is where negativity starts to impact your day in the way that negativity always does.

     Negativity doesn't just move along at a normal pace. Negativity is compounding. It grows and multiplies with each new negative act. It takes over, in a very small amount of time. If you reach for negativity, it is always going to be there for you, but it isn't a warm blanket for you to curl up in. It is a burning hot sauna that inflames your rage. It's easy.

     Showing compassion, and empathy take work. It isn't easy to look at that sneer, and just smile, and say, "Hello". At that moment, that could be the hardest thing you do all day, but in the end, if you do, it will be the most important thing you did. By smiling and saying hello, you possibly changed that persons view of the day they were having. By showing compassion in the face of diversity, made you a stronger person. By doing the least possible positive thing that you could do, you made your world  a better place.

     You have a choice to make. You can choice to be a better and more positive person, or you can be that negative one. I know the one that I'm going to choose. It isn't going to be easy, cause there is a lot of negativity out there, especially right now, but one person at a time, we can come out on top of this. We can be the creators of our own destinies, by simply choosing to be better people, and by doing that, maybe we can make someone else be better as well. It is contagious, and it will spread.

     I know this probably sounds a little preachy and idealistic, but you see, I had a choice tonight. I could have ran through what happened over the last two days since my last post, or I could write something that might give you a little hope, that this world can be better. I think I made the right choice. Peace in and goodnight.

That Took A Rather Strange Turn.

     I had a thought today. Ha ha, I can actually have a thought, it isn't unheard of. Well, anyway, this thought, was about the guy in the story about Teal and Ivy. What is his story? What happened to him, after they found out that they were sisters? I didn't think to ask either one of them about that, so it is all speculation for me. I do have a couple of theories though.

     In my mind, there are two ways this could have gone. Now of course there are for more ways that it could go, but those aren't good stories, in fact, most of them would be rather boring. So here are my two views on the most entertaining of them. The first one, is that he is intrigued by this, but in a fortuitous way. He begins directing and producing pornography that tailors to a man having a threesome with two women that don't know they are sisters only to find out by coincidence. That story of course can only go so far, but here is the darker one. They guy having had this happen right in front of him while trying to live out a fantasy with the help of these two ladies, is pushed further into that fantasy world, that he must have that experience again, and at all costs.

     He starts by going to strip clubs trying to relive the act, and hoping that it plays out the same way, but it never does. He spirals further and further into this obsession, until he has the thought to kidnap actual sisters, and have them perform this act for him over and over. That story, is something that you could turn into a rather twisted tale. Something to thing about, or maybe not. It is rather disturbing.

     On a much lighter note. I got out and did a first ride of the year yesterday with Saki. It wasn't very long, but I managed to go by one of my favorite spots to get a picture. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect picture of Saki, and this one comes pretty close.

     Then color just pops on this shot, in every aspect. the red of Saki, the green of the grass, and the blue of the sky. I just hit it right and got lucky. I did polish Saki up a couple days before, and hadn't ridden since, so the shine was still there, and I think it paid off. The weather looks good enough to ride every day to work this week. It does look like some showers tomorrow, but the last time we had a rain chance like this, nothing happened, so I'm going to roll the dice and ride in anyway. Then I look forward to riding on Saturday, because someone told me of a good place too ride this weekend, so I'm going to give it a go, and see if it is everything they said it wold be. I'll try to take pictures for you if I remember or get the chance.

     Today was the first day back to work for me, and it went fine, but we are still slow, so I'm concerned that this already tailor made 4 day work week, is going to become a 3 day work week, at a moments notice. If it does, I'll just make the most of it, and take that ride a day early.

     I do have some news on my helmet cover. Did I tell you about the helmet cover that I ordered? I think I did, but I didn't share a picture with you, and that is with good reason, I want to get it and take a picture of it, instead of using one from the site I ordered it from. It is coming from Great Britain, and it is on it's way. It is scheduled to arrive anywhere from the 5th to the 13th. that means either this Thursday, or by next Friday. You will definitely see a picture of it by the Sunday after next.

     In other shipping news, my Fleshlight will be here tomorrow. Now, you didn't say you wanted a review of it, but I think I'm going to give you one anyway. I have to take this honesty and shamelessness as far as I can right? I will still try to keep a modicum of discretion though. i won't get vulgar, I will just give you the ins and outs, no pun intended.

     Let's leave that behind us for now, and get on with Favorite Song of the Week. I had something in mind for today, but then I lost it at some point, so I'm kind of scrambling right now. With that in mind, I'm going to go to an all time favorite of mine, but The Piano Guys. Recently they have had some hardship when one of the members lost his daughter in a freak hiking accident in Oregon. So they have been a bit quiet lately, and with good reason. They have always liked to do mash-ups in a way. they tend to make classical music and blend it with contemporary songs, and this one is truly one of their best. It creates such a rich sense of emotion when you listen to it, that you may just tear up. I hope you enjoy "Beethoen's 5 Secrets", by The Piano Guys.

      Well, that is all I have for tonight. I'm keeping it short and sweet. Peace in and goodnight.

Now, That's How You Ring In The New Year.

     It's a brand new year, full of all kinds of possibilities. I'm not sure if I mentioned this here  before, but I know I did in the 365, but I don't do resolutions. Resolutions always seem to fail, they are full of false hope, and normally last as long as the month of January. What I do do, is set goals for the year. I don't succeed in all of them, but I come pretty close. These are always long term goals. I usually sit down with myself in the first week of the new year, and figure out my goals for that year, so I don't have any solidified at this time. Here is the thing though, don't expect to see them on here, I don't speak them out loud or even write them down. If you tell people these types of goals, they have an interest, but that interest can sidetrack you. They will often ask you about those goals, and that takes your focus off the fact that they are long term, and that you need to complete them right away. So I'm sorry, but the goals will not be uttered here. I'll tell you if I reach them though, when I get there.

     In the meantime, let's talk about yesterday. Yesterday was of course New Year's Eve, and it was a bit of a weird one. Not weird in a bad way, but weird in a strange way. I know, that sounds equally bad, but it wasn't. It was definitely interesting. I wanted to make sure that I got one last ride of the year in on Saki, so I hopped on and rode to Melbourne to get some lunch. There is a Red Robin there, that I haven't been to yet. I've been to Red Robin's before, and they are fantastic. A little pricey, but worth the money. It was really windy and riding down the highway was rough. I was being tossed around quite a bit, but I managed. I went with the Guacamole Bacon Burger, which was just great. I had my usual Orange Cream Soda, that they have there, it's expensive, but I love that drink. I get it every time I go to one. When I was done, I hopped on Saki and made my way home. I was meeting a buddy at 4 to start the New Year's festivities. Oh wait, before I go on about that, I have to mention something. I got ear plugs for when I ride. I've noticed that the wind noise was beginning to bother me, so I opted for ear plugs to deafen the sound. I did a little research and found these great plugs by a company called NoNoise. They don't block all the sound out, they have a filter that helps eliminate certain sound levels, and they work great. I could hear everything that was going on but the wind noise was definitely lowered, and I didn't feel like I had a hearing problem when I got off the bike. Here is a link to the plugs I bought NoNoise. I'm sure you will notice two things. one the price. Yeah, they are expensive but I'm telling you, they work like a charm, and 2. that the link takes you to Amazon Smile. If you've never heard about Amazon Smile before, you are about to. Amazon Smile gives you the chance to attach a charity to your purchase. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but a smile portion of your purchase price goes to the charity you have selected. I make an effort to change mine from time to time, to spread the love around. Right now, I have Villlalobos Dog Rescue as my charity, so every time I make a purchase going though Amazon Smile, they get a little bit sent their way. It's a great way to do a little bit of good.

     Now for last night. I met my buddy at his house, and the plan, was to hit a couple of strip clubs early and then get off the beachside before 7 or 8 o'clock. Yeah, that plan was doomed from the start. After that we, were going to head back to our area and get something to eat, and then take a cab into Cocoa Village to bar hop. Here is how it really went. We went to the first club which is my buddies favorite place, and there is a very good reason for that. He knows a lot of the dancers there, and they treat him well. One of his ladies came over to him right after we sat down, and she spent most of the time with him. Here is where the first strange thing happens. He points to one of the dancers, and says that is Teal's sister. You remember Teal right? The dancer I told you about several weeks ago. I thought he must have been out of his mind. I didn't now that she had a sister. He had his lady go up and ask her if Teal was in fact her sister, and said that one of the guys over there was wanting to know. She came back after and confirmed what he had said. She was in fact Teal's sister.

     It was kind of odd. I wasn't sure what to think. I was in a weird place trying to comprehend that I was looking at my friends sister dancing on a stage. My buddy had taken off with his dancer and was getting a few dances as I sat there and stared at my beer trying to get a hold of this information that I had just learned, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and there she was staring me right in the eye, and asking if I was the one that wanted to know if she was Teal's sister. I think I stumbled through my words a bit. I was trying to tell her, that it was my buddy that asked, but I was the one that wanted to know, because he had told me that. Oh, we need a name for her, and I think I have the perfect one, Ivy. There is a reason for that name, and we will get to it soon enough. Ivy and I began talking, and she was really cool. she asked to sit in my lap because her feet were killing her. I of course said yes. Who doesn't want a pretty women to sit in their lap. She then told me the story of how her and Teal realized they were sisters. Here is the second strange thing to happen, and it might just be the best story every.

     They were both dancing at the same club, and I'm not real sure, because I didn't ask either of them, but I don't think they even knew about each other. Well costumer asked them to both do a dance for him, so he could kind of live out a fantasy of being with two women. They agreed, and took him for his dance. They started playing around with each other, and lightly kissing each other, when Teal looked down at Ivy's arm and saw her father's name on Ivy's arm. It was a memorial tattoo. She looked at her and said, "That's my dad's name." "Why do you have my dad's name on your arm?" The reply, "That's my dad's name." Then it hit them, that they were half sisters. The laughed about it, but the dance kind of ended right there. Is that not the best story you've ever heard of siblings meeting for then first time?

     We sat there and talked more, and I mentioned that I saw her when we first came in, and I liked the whole Poison Ivy vibe she had going on, with the bright red hair. She immediately began screaming in joy, and hugged me harder than I think anyone has ever hugged me before. She was thanking me, because I'm the only person to notice it. Everyone else was calling her Ariel from the Little Mermaid. I'm not even going to get into the psychology of the guys that would think that. My buddy finally came back, but disappeared as soon as Ivy asked if I wanted a couple of dances from her. She was leaving soon for the night, and wanted to get a couple more in. I figured what the hell. The writer in me wanted this story and experience, so I did, but I had to wait until he got back, so he wouldn't think I abandoned him. We went back and she began to dance for me, and it was nice, but I felt strange the whole time. I was getting a dance from Teal's sister, and it felt a little like I was cheating on her. I know, that sounds absurd, but that is how I felt. We finished up after a couple of dances, and she asked me what time it was. I looked at my watch and it was already after 6:30. Remember that plan we had laid down? She was supposed to be leaving at 6:30, so she was late getting out of there. We said our goodbyes, I told her how great it was to meet her. She said likewise, and then added, "now you are going to see my sister.". In fact we were, that was the next stop.

     My buddy had talked to Teal a few days earlier, and told her of our plan to get off the beach by 8 at the latest. She told him that she was going to put a wrench in that plan and text me that she was working. She never did, but He had told me that she was working for sure, so I was more than happy to go last night. When we arrived, we walked in and looked around. Teal wasn't there, but we were still a little early, and I think she gets there usually after 7 or so. I texted her to tell her that I had just met her sister, and that we were at her club now. She texted right back, saying that she was on her way, but that she was waiting for her friend that is another dancer. I haven't mentioned her yet, but I have to come up with a name for her too, and I don't know here stage name, so I can't use that, but I don't think I would anyway. I know, she is Puerto Rican so I'll call her Boricua. My buddy was there to see her. I told Teal that we would stay until they got there, and quite frankly, I wasn't going to leave without seeing her. There weren't a hole lot of dancers there at the time we got there, but my buddy knew a few of them, and they would come over to say hi to him, and give me a passing glance. I was fine with that. I don't need all the attention, so I'm fine with him taking it. He likes it, and craves it.

     Teal and Boricua showed up after about 45 minutes I'd say. They of course had to change before they came out on the floor, so we knew it would be some time before we would be going anywhere. One of the dancers that my buddy knew was talking to us, and she was cute, and a bit nerdy. We were talking all kinds of comic book stuff, when I felt an arm drape across my shoulder. It was Teal, and I couldn't have been happier. I know what you are thinking. Oh hell, he's fallen for her. I can't say that I haven't, but I generally enjoy her company. I have a lot of fun talking to her, and we do have quite a few things in common. Would I like to date her? Absolutely, but I'm not going to bring it up, because I don't know that she would want that, so why ruin a good thing.

      I did confirm with her the story of how her and her sister met. It was true, she seemed a little embarrassed by it, which is exactly how I think I would be. Actually I think I would be massively embarrassed by it. After a little while, it was her turn on the stage. I followed her up, so that I could tip her on the stage. As we were walking up, they began playing a Twenty One Pilots song. We both looked at each other and smiled. She said that they DJ didn't even know I was there, and that the song was just a coincidence. I was just fine with that. We were both singing it as she danced. I was the only one at the stage with her, so I was the only one tipping her, so she spent the whole time dancing by me. It was great. I had a front row to the greatest show on that stage. Her songs were over, so I got up and headed back to the bar with my buddy. Normally the girls have to hit the back stage, but that they weren't doing that last night. I'm guessing it was because there weren't' really a lot of people there. The bouncers always help the ladies pick up their money, and when he saw a coupled of $5's thrown in there, he told her that she had just made more money that any of the girls there. I can believe it too, I was watching the stage, and a lot of girls didn't even make any tips while they were dancing.

     Teal came back over and sat back down on my lap, and we talked and laughed more. I truly do have a great time being around her, I hope she does as well. My buddy was getting antsy though. He was a little upset that Boricua wasn't spending any time with him. Like I said before, he likes to be, in his words, The King. He wants to have the women draped all over him, and other than Boricua coming up and saying hi and kissing us each on the cheek, she hadn't been around him. He gets a little upset, and thinks that the women are playing him, but he doesn't take into consideration that there are other customers that are loyal to her, and she has to make her rounds to them. She was stopping by all of them, and making money. That is what she is there to do, and since my buddy has never done anything more than tip her a dollar at a time when she is on stage, she really didn't have to stay by him. His pride was a little wounded, and we did have to leave. I told Teal that we had to leave, and that it was great seeing her again. I could have stayed there all night with her, but I could see that my buddy was fuming at this point, plus we did have that plan.

     As for that plan, we didn't get out of the club until after 9. I'm not sure of the exact time, but it was definitely after 9. We got back to the house, forgot all about getting something to eat, and just called a cab to get us to the Village. Really great cab driver. He was super friendly and had stories to tell about his ventures to certain clubs. He was entertaining to say the least. We got to our first stop, which is where the weirdness picks up again. We were at an English Pub, and there were people everywhere. I saw some old friends and talked with them for a while. Then I noticed this guy with a shirt that light up. It had some sort of LED weaved in the shirt or something so that it would light up and change colors. I started talking to him about the shirt, and he showed me where to get it. it was fantastic. From there, I noticed a group of beautiful women all wearing similar red dresses, and they were great dresses to. They were shear, and were wearing little boy shorts, and red bras underneath them. My friends and I were trying to guess what was going on, so I just walked over and asked them. They were all brides mates to be. I met the bride to be, and congratulated on her upcoming nuptials, and then headed back over to my friends to let them in on what was going on. It was also about this time, that I had to hit the bathroom. It's a small bathroom, pretty much three people can be in there, but it's not comfortable. One guy was at the urinal while I took the toilet. There are no stalls so when someone is at the sink, you are fully exposed, and when the door is opened, you are even more fully exposed. Well, the door opened, and it was the guy with the light up shirt. Now, I was a little drunk at this point, so when he walked in, I believe I said something like, "this is the best night ever, I'm in the bathroom with cool shirt guy". He laughed and began primping in the mirror. I didn't realize that he was stalling for something. I was wrapping this up, and he asked if I did drugs. I don't, so I said no, but then he pulled out a little blue pouch and dumped some cocaine onto the crook of his hand and snorted it. I said, wait a minute, is that coke. He said that it was, and asked again if I wanted any. Here is where the writer in my wanted the story, and took over my body. I said that I'd never tried it, but what the hell, give me a little. I dumped what would have been called back in the day, a key bump onto the crook of my hand. It was way different than I thought it would be. It was very fine, and a lifted my hand up, and snorted away. Once again, way different than I thought it would be. You see in movies all the time when someone does coke, the snort and then they act like it burned their nose. It didn't. I didn't feel anything. Then I started thinking, is this what it was like in the Studio 54 days, with Andy Warhol and that crowd. doing coke in a bar bathroom. I had just had an experience that I thought I would never have. I did it, and now I never have to do it again.

     The experience, was also not like I imagined it would be. You always see were people get really wired and start talking fast, and can't stop moving, but that wasn't the case. Maybe I didn't do enough, but it only felt like I was wired, like I had drank a Red Bull. There was s difference though. I don't drink energy drinks, because they make me real jittery, and when you are drinking that jittery feeling gets compounded by the fact that you want to go to sleep from the booze, but you can't because of the energy drink. This wired didn't feel that way. I was more leveled out. I was wired, but it was more like I was wide awake, and I didn't feel like I wanted to go to sleep.

     We left that pub, and went to a beer bar around the corner. I honestly lost count of how much we drank long before getting there, so we were pretty well into drunkenness. It was well passed the new year, which I only have a fuzzy recollection of counting down to. My buddy was having another crisis, because a woman that had met him at the other place, had kinda of blown him off, so it was a night full of failures for him. Also, booze is a depressant, and he was getting a full hit of it. His wife came and picked us up. Wait, I know what you are thinking. HIs wife, and he is messing with all these other women? They have a very open relationship, and he does't sleep with these women, he only enjoys their company, and she does know about them. As a matter of fact, he told her what had just happened with the woman that blew him off when she showed up. She took it all in stride.

     I paid our bill, which I didn't remember doing, but I have a receipt so everything is good. We hopped in the car, and his wife drove us back to their place, where I promptly passed out on his bathroom floor until 7 in the morning. I woke up with a slightly more than mild hangover, and drove myself home, and then went back to sleep until noon. It was one hell of a night.

     Tomorrow is my last day off before I head back to work. Even though this time of year is rough for me, I have to look back on the last couple of weeks, and say that I truly made the most of it, and had a pretty good time. Yeah, there were some rough spots in there, and I've done my best not to focus on any of them. I just kept moving forward. Let's make this year a whole heaping lot better than last. I welcome you to this new year. Peace in, and goodnight.