First Ever Friday Night Edition!

     I totally expect you to read that title with a huge amount of excitant. If you didn't, go back and do it again. I have a need, and that need is for speed. Wait, that is a totally different blog. Did I mention that I am very drunk at this point?  I can not tell you how much I had to drink until I see my receipt from tonight, and I dare not look at it right now. It might push my down a spiral that I'm not willing to go down.

     Let's start with the day.. I guess I should tell you, that the reason I am writing tonight, instead of waiting for Sunday night, is because I have so much pent up emotion and anxiety, that I have to let it loose. I do believe that I said that this could happen from time to time. If I didn't, well I'm telling you now.

      The day started like any other, I woke up, took my walk. Ok, it wasn't like any other. I would normally be going to work, but since we are short on orders, this is then typical Friday. I wake up, make breakfast, take a walk to hatch pokemon, and then get on with my day. That usually means going to the bank, (which I did), and then whatever. Which I did, but that just doesn't seem enough to warrant a blog post.

     I went to the bank and then I headed to the tattoo shop, to drop of a chord sheet for my artist. If you have no idea what I"m talking about, you may want to read the post before this one. I was on a mission to ride. I have a great bike and I love to ride it. You have seen the pictures of Saki by now, so I'm not going to bore you with more of them. I got a text from my drinking buddy. I asked him if he had his bike road ready. He said that he still needed to tune it, and that he would work on it tomorrow. Also, he said that he didn't ride in this kind of heat. He then asked me what I was doing. I told him, that I was riding around in this heat, and that I would help him tune his bike, so that he could sit and stare at it, since he seems to have no plans to actually ride it. I brushed him off, since he said he was meeting up with an old friend tonight, in Orlando. I wasn't in the mood for his passive aggressive behavior.

     I ended up going to my favorite watering hole, and low and behold, they changed the tall glasses on me. There were quite a bit smaller. Since I was  feeling that they were over pouring me all along, I wan't upset by it. I just wanted Jack and Coke, with a bacon egg and cheese burger. That is what I got,and I got it without passive aggressiveness.

     It was a fun night, but it was a bit mixed. I was pressuring myself to come up with an idea for a book, but it wasn't coming, and the drinking was compounding things. I was getting a bit depressed. It was definitely sending me down the rabbit hole. I couldn't come up with anything that I thought was original. It was mind numbing.

      An older couple sat down beside me. I knew them, but to by name.We have been in the same are several times without being formally introduced. I began talking with the gentleman about the Beatles. We have mutual appreciation for them. After a while everyone started talking trivia. This is where I shine I have a trivia mind. It isn't much use for anything else, but I am a wiz at trivia. They were astonished at my knowledge of events that should far exceed my age. Turns out, I am much older than they think I am. That is my hidden secret.

     That conversation was over, and a new one was around the corner. A couple came in that I had talked to before. I have no idea what their names are, but they are good people, and that is all that matters. We talked New Orleans, Motorcycles, food and drink. That is all I really need to have a good time. All the while that this was going on, a friend of mine was there with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is the only woman, that I can't put in the friend zone. I see her, and I'm instantly attracted to her. It was a distraction to say the least. I have tried to put a blind eye to her, but I just can't. I immediately become overly mysoginsioc, and want to have sex with her. That is where my thoughts go. I can't seem to stop it. I want to, but I can't.w There is this weird ultra attraction that I have to her, the I just can't shake.  

     Let's move on to tomorrow. I'm going to head to Daytona in the morning to take a look at some Moto Guzzi's. I found a dealer in the area, and I just want to take a look at the bikes. What's better than riding on a bike to look at bikes? I know my buddy would have nothing to do with it. I'm sure he would say something like, "I got a bike.Why do I need to look at blkes". Maybe because bikes are beautiful in all that they have to offer.

       After I get back from my ride, I'm going to head to a brewery for a sour event. That's right, sour beers. I do love sours. I'll tell you all about it on Sunday. It should be a good time. I'll get to seem all kinds of old friends there.

     I'm getting too tired to write this, at this point, so I'm going to leave you a picture of my in a new shirt that I got from one of my favorite people in this world. By the way, this is what I look like when I'm going on a ride. Notice the braided Viking beard. That is what I call it, because Viking beard sounds  much more manly the braided. The shirt reads, "Hooray Everthing", and has a unicorn pooping a rainbow. truly the greatest shirt ever. With that, I bid you peace in and goodnight.

Dueling Banjoleles, or Maybe Just One, By Itself.

     Well, my work week is over. I'm getting real tired of these 4 day work weeks. I know, most people wouldn't be upset that they would have to only work 4 days a week. I however, feel very unproductive when this happens. There is good new though. I rode Saki every day this week so far. The weather forecast isn't looking favorable for tomorrow though. I would really love to get some good ride time in, but it just may not be in the cards.

     Oh, I found a picture that I forgot to post on Sunday. It's of me and my other friend that went to Universal, on the Hogwarts Express. It will give you a quick look at what the train car looks like. Trust me, we enjoyed it far more than it appears that we did. I'm kind of awkward in front of the camera, so I never really know what to do. This is why I don't have many pictures of myself. Really it's better that way, there is no need for pictures of me.










     I finished up Pure Imagination in my ukulele class tonight. It's going to take a lot of work, to get it sounding the way I want it to, but I'm up for the challenge. There are a lot of weird figure positioning to get some off the wall chords. They aren't your everyday cowboy chords here. These are coning from the jazz world, and you know those crazy jazz cats. They like to throw the rules out the window.

     After class, I headed to the tattoo shop. I promised may artist that I would help him out with something. A little while ago, a client of his, gave him a banjolele. If you can't guess what that is, it's a tiny four string banjo. They are cool little instruments. This one happens to be pretty old. We know that it is at the very least 60 years old. The woman that gave it to him, said that her dad had it since the 50's. There are some little pen doodles on the body of it that look like 40's era art. I was helping him out, by stringing its for him, so that we could see what it sounded like. I think I was a little more excited than he was. He doesn't know how to play, so it's just a object to him, but I told him I would get it stringed, tuned, and teach him a few chords, so that he could play around with it.

     It wasn't easy stringing it. The part where you set the strings was a bit odd. The only thing I could see to do, was tie a knot in the end of the string and slide it behind a little v'd opening. It worked out pretty well. I had to place the bridge, and fortunately my ukulele teacher told me what to do for that, so that wasn't all that difficult. I got all the strings on, and then I had to play with the tuners. Since they were old, they were very loose. I didn't want to scratch or break anything, so I had to be very gentle with it. I only had a knife on me, that I could use to tighten the small set screws in the peg head tuners. When I finally got those tightened down, tuning was the next obstacle. It took me quite a while to get it tuned in. I found out, that I was making too big of a turn on the pegs, and it was throwing everything sharp. I dialed it back and started making very small adjustments, and it all started coming together.

     I got it all tuned in, and started playing around with it. It was really fun. It had that twangy banjo sound, but on smaller higher pitched scale. It was great. I played an old Eddie Vedder song, that I know. He plays a mandolin for it, but it sounded really nice on that little banjolele. Don't ask me the name of the song, because it escapes me right now.

     My artist finished up with a client that he was tattooing, and I sat him down, and showed him how to strum it, and play a few simple chords. He is having the same problem I had when I started, which is, fat fingers. They get in the way, and don't move the way you want them to. The good news is, I got past it, and so will he. He took to it pretty quick though. He liked the way it sounded too. He isn't sure what he will do with it, but he is going to get it appraised to see if it's worth anything. It does have some good tones for an old instrument, and it's very playable, but we have no idea what make it is. There is nothing on it that says it anywhere. There it is on the right, in all it's glory. You can see the pen doodles on it, and the strings in place. It's soprano size, so it's a tiny little thing, but it really puts out some sound. I strung it low G, so it has a little bottom end to it. I'm going to draw up a chord chart for him, and a chart for a song for him to play around with. I'll take that up to him tomorrow, so that he can spend the weekend on it. Pretty good shape for a 60+ year old instrument. I have it in my head, that it si from the 40's. When he gets it appraised, we might just find out if I'm right.

     I plan on spending the weekend riding with Saki. I will have to see if the weather clears. Tomorrow doesn't look too good, as I said earlier, but the rest of the weekend holds promise. I know, that no one else is going to ride with me, so I will be hitting the highways alone. I have no plans on where to go, so I'll just have to see where the road takes me.

     Let's call it a night, and part on good terms. Have a safe and wonderful weekend people. Peace in and goodnight.

Who Wants to Go to a Concert? No One? That Sounds About Right.

     I need to vent a little tonight. I was holding it back, but I just can't anymore. The language may get a bit saucy tonight, so If you don't like that , then you should turn back now. With that out of the way, let's just delve into this, shall we? On Sunday, I posted pretty much exclusively about going to Universal, but there was more to the weekend. Friday in particular. I didn't talk about it, because I was going to try and let it go, and also, because I knew that Universal was going to take up a huge chunk of the post. Friday, my drinking buddy texted me wanting to meet up. I wanted to ride, but the weather was far too sunny for him to get his bike fixed and out on the road. He wanted to spend it drinking. I'm all for that at times, but It was a beautiful day, tailor made for riding. Anyway, I decided to meet up with him at the place that he likes. We've gone over how I could do with or without this place, but that isn't the problem. I went had soda and talked with him. Not to get into his business, but he went on a date with one of the bartenders there, a week or so earlier. Most of you know my rule about dating bartenders, but for those who don't, the rule is as follows: Don't do it. It's as simple as that. I spent time to build a relationship with my bartender so that I get the service that I like, and I'm not going to let my penis get in the way of that relationship. That being said, I don't really care about this place, but I still have a polite relationship with the bartenders there. He spent the time telling me about his date, and what he wanted to do, nothing sexual mind you, just what his plans were that didn't succeed.

     After a while, he decided that he wanted to bounce to my favorite place. This is where I have cultivated that bartender/patron relationship. Once we were there, he got a text from his new date/girlfriend/whatever, and she said she was going to stop by, but she didn't want to interfere with our time. I told him to tell her to turn around, I didn't give a fuck if she showed up. He did, and she came up. It was ok for a while, but then, my buddy started telling all these stories to paint me in a bad light. He got most of the facts about them wrong, which made me look even worse. My only guess, is that he was trying to make himself look better to the woman. I don't know why. He mentioned one time, that her friends all thought that she was dating me. I have no idea where they even came up with that idea. 1. I don't date my bartenders, and 2. She isn't my fucking type. Ok, that last bit was a little rude. He has no need to worry about me trying to take her away, so I don't get it. He knows my rule about dating bartenders, so I can't grasp his mindset on this one.

     If you want me to be your wingman, and make you look good, you don't have to throw me under the bus to do it. I will gladly build you up, so that you look the best you possibly can. I'm a damn good wingman, and I have succeeded in that role many times. If he ever pulls that shit again, I'm going to get my tab, pay it, and walk the fuck out. I don't need people like that in my life.

     Whew, got that out of my system, but wait there's more. This pertains to my own stubborn stupidity. Against my better judgement, I bought tickets to see Panic! At The Disco. They are hitting the Amway Center in April, and it looks like I'm going to be there. This is why it is against my better judgement. I had mentioned after seeing Twenty One Pilots at that same venue, and once again eating an extra ticket, that I was no longer going to see a show locally. I would simply travel to places that bands were playing and watch them there. Either it would be with friends that I know like the music, or hell, I'd just go somewhere new, to see them in a different atmosphere. What happens, with me, is that with a couple of months to go, I will start posting that I have an extra ticket if anyone wants to take advantage of it. I never charge anyone for this ticket, it's simply first come first serve. If anyone feels so inclined that they have to give me something in return, they can buy me a beer at the show. That is it.

     With a month to go, I start asking people directly, and they always say the same thing, "When is it?". I tell them, but the truth is, that they are only saying that so that they can have an excuse not to go. They always have something else planned. Could they really have something planned? Of course they could, but for the most part, these are people that plan nothing, so their excuse seems a tad bit flimsy to me. With a week to go, I fucking give up, and just eat the ticket. I go to the show alone. I still have a good time, but it would be so much more fun to enjoy it with anyone. That will more than likely be the case with P!ATD. It will be a great show, that I paid double the price for. These are the times, when I fucking hate people, and I don't want to hate. Hate creates so much bad energy, energy that I don't want in my life, just like above with people that bring that bad energy in my life, I don't need it, but here I am again, setting myself up for another overpriced concert. I'll enjoy it, when I'm there, and I will get over it, but there will be that time, when I will just be pissed off.

     Ok, that is all of it, I promise. Now let's get to something a little more enjoyable. Remember when I mentioned that I had a song, that I've been wanting to post as the Favorite Song of the Week for a while now? This is the week. It has finally arrived, and nothing has gotten in the way. There was a possibility though. Howard Stern announced this week, that in honor of The Beatles 50 year anniversary of the Revolver album, he had gotten 14 different bands to cover the songs on the album. Revolver is my favorite Beatle album, and the bands that are doing covers are fantastic. He played a few short clips of the songs, and I instantly fell in love with a few of them. Fortunately, there is nothing online of any of them, and the special doesn't air until this Friday on Sirius 101. That means that this weeks song is still safe.

     Quite a while ago, I posted Aurora's version of David Bowie's "Life in Mars", I'm still very much in love with that version of the song, even though people are going crazy for the Peter Gabriel version, that was most recent'y used in the Netflix show Stranger Things. Don't get me wrong, it's a great version, I'm just transfixed by the Aurora version. Because of that version and her interview on Howard Stern, I bought her album. There is one song on there, that just blew me away. It is a story book song, and I won't go into what the story is about, you will figure that out on your own when you here it. it is beautiful, haunting, melancholy, and just on a whole different level than anything else. I think the reason I let others songs take precedence over it, was because it wasn't the right time for me to share it with you, and tonight is that time. Here is Aurora with "Nature Boy".

     Let me know what you think of it. I truly hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. It is an amazing song.

     This week has been great for Saki and me, but it looks like tomorrow is calling for rain a bit earlier in the day. I'm thinking about just saying, screw it, and riding to work anyway. Rain isn't a fear of mine, like it is my buddy's. I didn't get into his rules of riding, maybe someday. Just know that riding in the rain, is something he won't do. Sorry, i promised I was done with the rant, and I am.

     As a matter of fact, I'm going to call it a night. See you all on Thursday, or whenever you read Thursday night's post. Peace in and goodnight.

It's Always Fun to Spend a Day at the Theme Park.

     I made it to Universal on Saturday, and had a blast. This was my first time back since getting my annual pass. We arrived shortly after 9 AM, and went straight to Islands of Adventure. We had to make quick stop at Guest Services to pick up the tickets that my friends had won. Well, maybe it wasn't so quick. The place they had won the tickets from, didn't really completely their task of doing what they needed to do, in order to make this very simple. All they had to do, was email a confirmation number, or at the very least, give them the confirmation number when they went and picked up the parking pass. The woman at guest services worked as quickly as she could, but she of course had to locate all kinds of information first. In the end, the tickets were handed over, and we made our way to the gate.

     Our first goal once we were in the park, was to head directly to the new Skull Island, or as everyone calls it, King Kong. There was already a 45 minute wait when we got there, and it only took us maybe an extra 20 minutes to get in. We got in line, and were pretty excited to be riding a brand new ride. It opened a couple months ago. I have heard mixed reviews about it. Some people said it was fantastic, others said it was, not so much. The lovely lady you see on your right, greets you when you get into an anti-chamber in the line. She is speaking a language that you don't know, but you can make out Kong when she incites the villagers. The begin chanting Kong, Kong, Kong, as the excitement builds. Her eyes roll back into her head, as the pitch of rises, and then, the lights flicker and everything resets. We saw this, maybe a dozen times as we waited in that little room. There was a delay on the ride, so our 45 minute wait soon became an hour. That still didn't matter, our excitement hadn't died. We finally made it on to the safari bus that would take us around Skull Island. Our driver, who on a first look seemed like a real person, but on further examination was just an animatron. He assured us that the legend  of Kong was just that, a legend. We drove around a bend, and saw some adventurers get attacked by giant bats, then around another corner to see that one of them had escaped the attack, only to be attacked again by a giant crab, or something like that. We raced away an were confronted by T-rexes (is that how you spell many t-rex). Out of nowhere Kong himself jumps in and starts fighting with the T-rex (maybe that is the plural and no "es" is needed). The jump back and forth over our safari bus, and then the fight is over. We round another corner to see the giant head of Kong roaring at us, and the ride is over. Here is the thing, the ride has some fun parts to it. The fight for example, but all in all, it is far too short, and not worth an hour wait. When I go back, and I see a 5 minute wait, I'll ride it again, otherwise, I'm not interested.

     After we got over our disappointment, we headed to Hogwarts to get on the Hogwarts Express, and head over to Universal Studios, so that we could hit up Diagon Alley. We were able to hope right on the train, because no one was really ready to switch parks that early in the morning. The train ride is fun with a little video display to entertain you on your journey. Turns out, and I didn't know this. The video is different depending on which way you are traveling. That makes it all that much more fun.

     Once over in Universal we headed straight to Diagon Alley and toe Gringotts ride. It just so happens to be one of my favorites, and Diagon Alley itself is quite spectacular. The did a really good job of putting you into the books. The pictures to the right and below are of the enormous Chandeliers that are in Gringotts. It's quite beautiful inside, and any wait is pleasurable due to there being so much to look at when you are in there. I believe we only waited about 20 minutes to get on that ride. They keep things moving so well. They get people on and off the cars quickly. There is never really much of, just standing around. You stop briefly and then walk about 5 feet. The ride itself is a 3D rollercoaster. As for the rollercoaster part, there are no loops or spirals, but there are some quick drops and banked turns. The car itself also spins around which adds to the thrill. Most of the riding part is done in the dark which tricks your senses into believing that you are going faster than you really are. Fun all around really.

      If you get the chance to go to Universal, one of the first things you should do, is go to Diagon Alley and ride the Gringotts ride. I think it's called Escape from Gringotts.
It's super fun, and the best part, is that once you leave the ride, you are back in Diagon Alley. There is so much to see there, and I tried to show my friends all of it, but you really need a few days, just to look around the whole thing. There are all the little shops, that are representations of the places in the books, and the interactive areas, if you have a special wand. You can buy them at Ollivander's Wand Shop. Yes they are pricey, but they are so very cool. There is Knockturn Alley with it's dark mischievous demeanor. The robe shop, where you too can have you very own wizarding robe from your house of choice. Of course if you have already gone on Pottermore and had your house selected for you, you can get that one. We didn't get a chance to have any butterbeer but we did get a real beer there, and it was quite good. It was one of Universal's own beers, which is brewed by the Florida Brewing Company, called the Wizard's Brew. They bartender said that it was a red hoppy lager, but I think it was more a red hoppy ale. I didn't get lager from it, but to my surprise it was quite good. FBC is known for doing lowest common denominator beers. Bud clones and what not. The also brew the Duff beer for the Simpson's area of the park.

     We started getting hungry, so we left Diagon behind and headed to New York. There is an Irish Pub there that has pretty good food. There wasn't a crowd inside, so we were sitting quickly and got our food, just as fast. it was really good, and we managed to finish just in time to see one of my favorite side shows at the park, which is The Blues Brothers. They drive up and hop on an outside little stage and perform the hits from the movie. They get people dancing and singing, it's a real good time.



     We went from there to the Transformers ride. it's another 3D rollercoaster, but it doesn't have the ups and downs and fast turns that Gringotts does. It is more of a visual and hydraulic thing. The car moves on a track, but it bounces around and tips up and down and sideways with the screen that is in front of you. You get a sense of falling when the screen shows you going down, and the car shakes. It was pretty fun. Sorry, don't have any pictures from that one.

      After Transformers, was the rollercoaster that I can never remember the name. It's called Rip Roarin' Rockin' Rollercoaster or something along those lines. You get to pick the music that plays as you ride, and they videotape you with that soundtrack. I've never looked at my video, so I don't know how well they come out, but it is a super fun rollercoaster. You start by doing a 100 foot climb straight up, and when I say strait up, it is a 90 degree vertical climb. Then you go over the top and immediately go into a spiral, with whips and turns, and all kinds of fun. They make you take everything out of your pockets and place them in lockers before you get on, because you will lose everything in them. We did single rider to get through the line faster and we only waited a little more than 10 minutes. Another ride, that is totally worth the wait, but why do it when you don't have to.

     At this point we had covered all the rides that we wanted to, so we took a quick jaunt back to Diagon Alley to see a bit more of it, before hopping back on the Hogwarts Express for IoA again.

We got a few more pictures. The top one is one of my friends and I, trying to get the Gringotts dragon in the background. If you squint you can see it

 This of course is the dragon as it is breathing fire. It does that about every 15 minutes or so. You begin to hear a rumbling and everyone in the area stops and points their phones or cameras at the dragon, waiting to capture this very moment. This one was taken by my friend, and she nailed it. perfect timing on her part.

Finally, here is the Hogwarts Express. In all of it's glory. I'm not exactly sure how far you actually travel on this, but In my head, it can't be much more that a hundred yards. The ride itself seems to take a while because there is so much going on with the video presentation in the cabins. The cabins are just like in the movie. You sit 6-8 people in  cabin and you just enjoy the ride. The ride back was particularly fun, because my friend pointed out a woman to me, that had major sideboob going on. She was wearing a bra, but it was still visually appealing. It must have been kismet, because we all ended up in the same cabin together, and she sat across from me. Here is it gets even better. When she sat down, I don't know if she did this on purpose or if it just happened on her own, but her tank top slid over revealing almost her whole boob. I couldn't help but stare. The really strange thing is that her daughter or sister or some family member, was sitting directly across from her, and never told her. I believe they were from Spain, so maybe it's a cultural thing not to care about something like that. My friend however, was dying laughing when I told her about it.

     We hit a few more rides. One rollercoaster, that is an old favorite, then Harry Potter ride, which I can't remember the name of, and the Jurassic Park ride, which is not called that at all. I think it is called River Quest. The end result of that ride, is that you go straight down a 70 foot drop or maybe more, and then you get drenched. The guy that directs you to your lane, made sure to put us in the front. I think it was because we looked like fun people and were joking around with him. I was soaked. This is where Universal does things best. You always exit through a little store so that you can see you photos of you going down the drop. This one in particular sells all kind of shorts and t-shirts, so that you can change into dry clothes. Here is the kicker, they make sure that the AC is blasting so that you are tempted more so, because of how instantaneously cold that you get. I powered though and didn't fall for it. That was or final ride before heading out of the park. We wanted more food.

     There was a new place at City Walk. That is what the area before you get tot he parks is called. They have clubs, restaurants, a movie theater, and little shops. Well this new place was some kind of chocolate factory and eatery. We figured we would give it a try. The place was packed. The line to put your name in was about 15 minutes long. We walked trough the confections part of the place, and then left. It smelled great in there, but we just didn't want to wait long for food, so we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe. We got right in and were seated immediately. The Elvis room was our location for dining, and it was freaking cold in there. That was mostly because I was very damp from that boat ride. The food was great. They really do a great job there. It's expensive, but when you taste the food, you don't mind as much. Our server happened to have a striking resemblance to myself, and my friend wanted to get a picture of both of us, before we headed home. He was happy to oblige, and the following picture was taken. Oh, I have to add, that his name is also Bob. It's a little freaky.

We could be brothers or at least some long lost relatives. My beard looks a little our of sorts, since it was soaked about an hour before, and I had no comb with me. What was I thinking, not bringing a comb. That was the end of the day right there.

      There is some sad news tonight. The sports world lost two big names today. I woke up and was looking at my phone when I saw that Jose Fernandez had died in a boating accident. I was shocked. Fernandez  was a pitcher for the Miami Marlins, and he was knowns for his skill, and love of the game. He was also very fan friendly, always looking to throw a kid a ball, or sign an autograph. He was well on his way to greatness. I know of one player in particular that faked an injury so that he wouldn't have to face him. He was worried about the effect it would have on his numbers. Yes, I'm talking about Bryce Harper. he denied that this was the case, but anyone who knew how Jose owned him at the plate, could see the truth. Jose Fernandez is swirling in the ether tonight, and will be missed by baseball fans and his family alike.

     The other big loss, is a true legend of the game of golf. Arnold Palmer along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, popularized the game of golf when it began being televised. They were the biggest stars on the course, and Arnie was one of the biggest names of the three. It seems that everyone knows the name Arnold Palmer. If not because of his golf game, then it is because of his signature drink, which was s simple half an half mixture of lemonade and iced tea. Palmer had won Majors, designed golf courses, he released his own version of his drink, and he worked to make the game of golf more accessible to middle and lower class families. Palmer also swirls in the ether tonight, setting up a tee shot for a hole in one.

     Truly a sad day in sports. The great that could have been, to the great that was. These two had a profound affect on many peoples lives, and did their best to hep people in every way they could. They will be missed.

     Weather looks pretty good this week, so I should be riding Saki to work for most of it. That is always a good thing. I'm off to bed now, so Peace in and goodnight.















     

Lightening Bolts be Trying to Bring Me Down.

     Today went unusually well, considering all the obstacles that keep getting in the way. For instance, I have no power right now, due to a lightening strike right outside my house. I still have internet, so I'm going to type this up as fast as I can.

     I decided early on this morning, that I was going to ride Saki into work no matter what the weather report was. I hadn't ridden since last Friday, I needed to get on the bike. I lucked out. Even though the weather called for rain around the time I went home, none came. Well, not until after I was home and on my way to ukulele class. On my way home from work. I was waiting at a light, and I heard someone calling over to me. I looked over, and a guy wanted to know what it was like riding in the rain. Even though it didn't rain, there was an ominous looking cloud heading our way. I told him that there wasn't much to it. You just had to slow everything down, and watch the other vehicles on the road better. He noticed that my tires don't have a lot of grooves. That is the thing about sport tires on a bike, the tread is minimal. The idea is to get as much rubber on the road. That is great in dry conditions, but not so great in wet. I don't worry though. Like I told him, you just slow down a bit. He mentioned how much he liked Saki, and then thanked me for giving him the answers he was looking for.

    Further down the road, I ended up behind Porsche. The person driving revved the engine and shot off. I felt like playing, so I did the same. I caught up to them in a second. Then I threaded the needle and split the lane to go around them. They didn't bother trying to chase me down. I guess they knew that as fast as their car was, it couldn't maneuver like Saki. It was fun.

     I headed out to uke class, in hopes that we would finish up "Pure Imagination". My teacher walked out to get me, and he was strumming a beautiful chord. It was the one he was having trouble with last week. Little did he know, that there were more peculiar chords to come. We got through most of it, but there are still a few bars left to go. Next week should wrap it up.

     On the way home, I was rerouted due to a road closure, but when I got to the end of the detour, they rerouted me again, back the way I had come. I decided to make the most of it, and take an advanced look at a road I've been wanting to take Saki down. It's a nice little ride, with some open areas to open it up a bit. It took me out of my way, and kept me from stopping by the tattoo shop to talk to my artist, but it was worth it in the end.

     I spent the rest of the evening watching TV. I caught up on a few shows I had recorded, and was wasting time until Conan came on. Panic! At The Disco was the musical guest tonight. I was really looking forward to them playing on the show. I finally made it to 11, and was watching the opening segments when that bolt of lightening took out the power. Because of that bolt, I'm writing this in the dark, and charging my phone on my laptop. It's working out pretty good. I have 31% batter left on the laptop right now, so I should get a good amount of charge on the phone before I unplug it to save battery life on the ol' Macbook.

     I'm heading to Universal on Saturday. It's my first time back at the park since getting my annual pass. The weather should be a bit better than the sweltering levels of hell that they have been, but it's still going to be hot. I'm looking forward to riding the new King Kong ride. I think it's called Skull Island, but I'm not positive. I'll tell you all about it Sunday.

     I just got an update on my phone that says fewer than 5% of customers are reporting a power failure. That means it should take quite some time for them to get it fixed. If it was more or in a rich neighborhood, they would hop right on it, but since this is a middle class neighborhood, I'm not expecting miracles.

     With that, I will call it a night. I still have to come up with a title for this thing. By the way, normally, or about 99% of the time, the title is the last thing I come up with, which is funny, because that is the first thing you see. At least I think it is. Oh, one just came to me. I hope you like it, Peace in and goodnight.

         

From Bad, to Good, to Really Making Me Happy.

     I received some not so good news yesterday. My mom went to the doctor because she has been having some trouble sleeping as well as other things lately. The doctor told her, that her heart isn't working right. Part of her problem is that she can't remember things anymore either, so she couldn't tell me what it is that's wrong, just that she is ready to die. That is always fantastic news. She is going to see a cardiologist soon, and maybe there will be more answers, and possibly something written down, so that I can see it as opposed to her trying to tell me. I'll let you know what I know, when I know it.

     That leads me to Favorite Song of the Week. I have had a song in mind for a few weeks now, but there is always something that overpowers it when it comes to the time to pick. This week is no exception. I'll get to that song at some point, but in the meantime, this song showed up in my Youtube subscription list, and I've been listening to it as much as I can. It's a new song which is an old song. My favorite band in the world did a cover of one of my favorite songs on The Black Parade album. That's right, this is a cover of a My Chemical Romance song. The original is such a fantastic song, but this version might just be better. It feels like Tyler is singing this song to someone specific, and it comes across hauntingly beautiful. The song is "Cancer", and the band is Twenty One Pilots, so without further explanation, here it is.




     Let me know what you think of it. I  have no information on why they did this song, I only know that it is fantastic. Feel free to look up the original by MCR, and compare the two. You may see it all differently, but that is the subjective nature of music. What is good to you, may not be to others, but there is that magical space in between where common interests intermingle. That is the place where the Clique takes residence. It's all about the music and being together. Enjoy.

     The weather reports have been dismal this week. Saki has been staying dry in the garage, and it doesn't look good for tomorrow. Saki wants to go out and play, and I do too. I've been looking at a few things, to make Saki look a little better. First thing I have to do, is get rid of that ugly rear fender. I was originally looking at fender eliminator kits that would either incorporate the turn signal lights, or have some with it, but I have found a rear taillight with integrated turn signals in it. It is rather awesome, and rather cheap, considering most of the things I was looking at were over $100. I'll still have to get a license plate mount, but I can go for a much less expensive one now. The Integrated taillight comes in it at $80. Yeah, I know, that isn't cheap, but it's a lot cheaper and much cleaner looking than a $100 plus dollar fender eliminator kit with big lights sticking out the side. This will clean up those lines on the back end of Saki. After that, I think I will invest in getting rid of my handlebars and put some clip-ons on. Clip-ons put more of the steering over the front tire, and give the rider better control of the bike. I found a set with a simple conversion bracket that will fit nicely. After that, the last thing I'm thinking about doing, is putting a new exhaust kit on Saki. It will make it louder (which is more safe on the road, because cars will hear us coming), and will add a little horse power. That is never a bad thing. The exhaust is going to be the most expensive, and time consuming. I may have to add a new chip in it, as well as dyne the bike to get it to ride right with a new tuning on it. That is why that will be last. I'm thinking I'll be going with a Yoshimura RS4. It simply sounds the best, looks the best, and has a great performance record. That will probably be a year or two off though. I need to clean up that back end first.

     I think I'm going to keep this short, and call it a night. I still have to come up with a title tonight, and I kind of want it to be a real good one. After all, it is going to be the first thing you read. Peace in and goodnight.

Saturday Night Was Not All Right, Because Friday Was too Fun.

     This weekend was, well how should I put it? This weekend was a mess. That is probably the best way to put it. I didn't ride Saki much, and I'll get to that in a little bit. I did do one productive thing though. I ordered a new book that is in a series that I'm reading. Amazon sent me an email saying that it had been released, so I went on the site to order it. When I checked out, I had enough points to cover the cost of the book, so I got a free book. Not only that, I ordered it Friday morning, and it showed up Saturday morning. I could have waited for it, I'm in the middle of another book right now, but I have it, and it will be ready when I am.

     I got on Saki and rode to the bank, and then took a long way home, to get a mile or two extra on the tires. It was fun, Oh, I nearly forgot. I did something else productive. Before going on that short little ride. I took the bill off my helmet. It made a huge difference in cutting the air when I was riding. I'm sure I'll put it back on at some point, but for now, I'm going to leave it off, and see just how fast I can get Saki. Keep looking here for an update on that.

     After I got home, I had already decided that I was going to hit my favorite watering hole that night. They were back from vacation, and I couldn't be happier. My drinking buddy was back in town, so I knew he was going to want to go to his new favorite place, which is a place I really don't like. Remember back to last Tuesday's post were I said if people wanted to see me, that it was going to be on my terms? I stuck to it. I told him where I was going, and that was it, there was no discussion about any other place. He didn't bring any up, but if he did, I wasn't changing my plans.

     While I was at my favorite watering hole, there was a woman there, that I've been trying to get to go with me to Universal Orlando. I have a pass, she has a pass, hey, let's go spend a day at the park and have a good time. I spent months trying to get her to agree to go. Finally I gave up. I would talk to her about if she had gone or not, but I no longer brought up, the two of us going. So, it's Friday night, she is there, and she looks me dead in the eye, and says, "We still have to go to Universal.". cI was shocked. My drinking buddy said, "she just asked you to go to Universal". It wasn't like that, and Im not reading anything into it. He then said that that is how these things start. Things don't start with me, it's as simple as that. My buddy had to leave for a date, but not before making plans to see the theme park woman on Thursday. He is such a great wingman.

     I stayed around after he left, and was waiting on another buddy of mine. I had texted him earlier in the day, because I hadn't heard from him in a while. Turns out, he had to get a new phone, and lost all of his contacts. That's a pretty good reason not to keep in touch, and since I no longer have Facebook he had no way to get a hold of me. He finally showed up a few hours later, and I was deep into drinking at that point. The strange thing is, that I wasn't feeling any affects from it at all. Which is a little unusual. I normally sense the alcohol hitting me about 5 drinks in. There was nothing that night. We left and headed to his house, to have a couple of beers before hopping to a couple more bars. I think the slight break at his house, did me in. We had the beers, and I felt fine. We hit the first bar, and half way through my beer, I started feeling it. I couldn't finish my beer. We proceeded to the next place, and I was done. I never made it out of the car. I slept in his car while he went in and had a few or one, I have no idea. We got back to his house, and he was already telling me that the couch was mine for the night. I was more than happy for it, but I never made it to the couch. I went to the bathroom and just laid down on the floor. At some point he came in and gave me a pillow and a blanket. That is where I slept until about 6 in the morning. I quietly left his house, locking the door behind me, and went home.

     I slept until around 10:30 at that point, but I had the worst headache in the world, and no desire to eat. I got a Gatorade and some aspirin, and went back to sleep. The headache didn't leave, and I didn't eat until around 3 in the afternoon, I think. I really didn't eat much at all, and since I was sleeping most of the day, instead of drinking water, the headache stayed until far into the night. It was about the time I called it a night, that it finally left. Needless to say, I didn't get any riding in.

     I ran errands today and washed my clothes, so that was pretty productive, but still no riding. My buddy had sworn that he would have his bike road ready by this weekend, but I didn't get a text from him until this evening saying his bike was almost ready. I have no faith that I will ever ride with anyone again. People keep telling me that they are going to be ready at this particular time, only to let it slide and forget about the whole thing. I'm not asking anymore, this goes back to my terms, and I will ride when and where I want to. If someone happens to fall in line for a ride on that day, then so be it, other wise, this wolf rides alone.

     I'm going to call it a night. I'm hoping to ride Saki to work tomorrow. The weather report is calling for a lot of rain in the mooring, but it also called for it this evening, and that didn't happen, so I think my odds are pretty good for tomorrow. I'll let you know how it all went on Tuesday. Peace in and goodnight.