Random Thoughts

Hey, Anyone Ever Heard of This?

2011-09-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the interwebs the other day and found this website. It looks good, but will it work? I've just about lost hope for this country, and I'm wondering if maybe this could be a solution. Any comments, opinions, feedback or education would be appreciated. I'd hate to move my family to Fiji, but it's looking like reality more and more every day.

Ride to Prescott on Arizona 89

2011-09-21T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday we left the house at 7:00a.m. and rode up the hill to Prescott. We took the back way on Arizona 89, through Wickenburg and Yarnell. I had never been to Prescott that way before, and the twisties were awesome! When I got to the top of the hill in Prescott, everyone had pulled over to wait for me and Tony. I pulled into the parking lot, put my kickstand down, and yelled, "That was frickin' awesome! Why don't we do this every weekend?!" What a ride!

While we were there, I had to buy Molly these cute pink doggles. She's going to start her riding training soon!

It was a great day with awesome friends. I wish we could do that every day! Next weekend: Riding to Tortilla Flat! :)

It's Been A While

2011-08-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been a while since I've posted, hasn't it? I've been too busy. Riding, getting my new bike painted...twice, doing homework, working, etc.

Paul and Linda's wedding reception was a blast. We got to spend some quality time with some quality people and the open bar was a definite plus! :)

We went to Too Broke for Sturgis last month. (My header picture here was taken on the ride up there.) Three people were killed, one critically injured. It was apparently a disagreement over food....drunken assholes and guns don't mix. The shooting was about 150 feet from our tent. Daryl said, "That was just fireworks." I said, "Look up...do you see any fireworks? That was definitely a gun." Swat team and ghetto birds all over the campground all night. Fun times. Some people went home Saturday morning, since the rally was cancelled. We decided to stay and make the best of it. You can read all about the incident here if you're interested. (Yes, that is Daryl on the portable stripper pole at Too Broke!)

I bought a '97 Road King in February this year. She's gorgeous, but I didn't want a black bike. So, I had her painted purple with lavender flames. The paint job sucked. I was pissed off. The guy who painted it said he knew it sucked, but he knew I needed the bike for a run that weekend, so he put it back together for me and said he would repaint it in a few weeks. He did much better the second time around. Now she's midnight purple: she looks black in the shade and sparkly purple in the sun. No flames now, which is fine with me. She is perfect. All I need now is a windshield. Yes, a windshield. On the ride back home from Too Broke I realized that riding in 110-degree weather on the freeway at 85mph is just no fun without a windshield. I'd like a quick-detach windshield so when I'm riding around town I don't need it. My birthday is coming up, so maybe Daryl will get me one. :)

I also got a Maltese puppy in February. Her registered name is Boston's Good Golly Miss Molly...but we just call her Molly. She is quite possibly the cutest dog I've seen. :) And she ain't no purse dog, either! Once I get a tour pack, she will begin her HD passenger training. :)

School has been great, really. Until this last class. Statistics SUCK. Just sayin'. I got through the first class with a C+, and this week I start the second class. I just want to pass it and be done with it. After that, it's all management and HR classes. The next year should go by pretty fast. And I know I said I would NEVER go back for my Master's degree but....well you know how it goes. I can't stop now. After my Bachelor's is complete, I will only have about a year or year and a half to complete my Master's. Seems silly not to do it. I may take a break for a while before I start it though.

Vicki started 8th grade at a new school this year. Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics. It's a charter school, which is free in Arizona. But she did have to be on a damn waiting list to get in, and then had to take placement tests before she started. We had a bit of a rough start with the administration, but now that it's all worked out I think it will be a great year for her. She's taking Drama, Choir and Visual Arts. I'm hoping she lets me post some of her drawings here...they're really good.

I also wanted to let you all know, I have been reading (stalking) your blogs, but never really have time to comment...and I can read them from work but cannot comment from work, so if I get a minute to read them on a quick break, I do. Rest assured I am keeping up with your lives. I will try to blog more regularly, but I can't make any promises until October, when Statistics class is over. :)

Happy blogging, and ride safe!

My New Ride

2011-02-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

'97 Road King. Needs nothing but maybe a few flames. Let's ride!

More Animal Fun

2011-02-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

For our friends that enjoyed defiling taxidermy in Williams, I was thinking of you all last night...

How Do I Manage?

2011-01-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several times how I manage all the aspects of my busy life. I work full-time. I am pursuing my bachelor's degree in business management. I serve on a Board of Directors. I have a family. I ride a motorcycle, etc, etc, etc.

I've been thinking about it and I'm not exactly sure how I manage everything. I try to devote time on the weekends for homework, but sometimes my Board duties take precedence. In that case, it's homework on my lunch breaks (when I take them) and weeknights. Thursday nights I have class from 6-10 p.m. I am usually up at 4:30 a.m. so I can work out and get a little Facebook time in before I go to work. Housework and laundry is done either on Friday nights or the weekend. I try to carve out some family time on weeknights, but homework must be done.

I ride to work almost every day, and that is my therapy. If I didn't get to ride the bike, I would be certifiable by now. I often find myself worrying about things at the beginning of my ride, and by the time I reach my destination, my worries have all but melted away and I am ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. That is how I manage. I wonder how the hell I managed before I rode my own? I must have been certifiable. :)

Unhappy Anniversary

2011-01-18T04:58:00.001-07:00

It's been 6 years today since Dad passed. It's one of the unhappiest anniversaries ever. Love you and miss you lots Daddy.

The Forgotten Blog

2011-01-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

I think it has been close to a year since I have posted anything on my blog. I would be surprised if I get any comments on this. School, work, BACA and other things have kept me extremely busy over the past year. None of that has changed, however, I do miss blogging. I will try to post at least weekly this year.

In November, Daryl, Vicki and I had a wonderful vacation in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We stayed at the Riu Palace Mexico, a stunning all-inclusive resort. Played on the beach for a week, took a day-trip to see the Mayan ruins at Chichen-Itza, and ate and drank like kings and queens. It was a great Thanksgiving week! Here are some pictures:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Until the next time, ride safe and be good to one another.

Too Broke For Sturgis 2010

2010-07-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

Too Broke for Sturgis was epic this year! Good friends, good times, great ride and laughs!

The ride up to Mormon Lake, AZ on Friday morning was great. It was nice and cool after leaving the heat of the valley and it was clear nearly the whole way. It rained the last 40 miles, but it wasn't that bad. What was bad was freezing our asses off Friday night because us flatlanders aren't quite accustomed to the damn cooler mountain air! Some of us were drunk by 2:00 Friday afternoon and some of us were not. :) I was actually part of the latter group for once! I actually got to meet the Fryed Brothers on Friday night! I knew there was a chance to meet them so I wanted to stay sober so I'd remember it, and I also didn't want to make a complete ass of myself. :)

Friday night, there were some karaoke nutjobs in the campground. They had their karaoke BLASTING until 5:00 a.m. on Saturday! And I do mean BLASTING! It was horrible. But you don't piss off 3,000 bikers without getting some payback! At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, about 40 or 50 bikes lined up outside the karaoke jackass's trailer and started revving the engines with their exhaust pointed at the trailer. There was a huge crowd around and everyone was cheering them on. Finally, they told said jackass that he had 30 minutes to get his shit packed up and leave or his trailer would be trashed. He got out pretty quick! I love revenge!

Saturday brought us beautiful sunny weather. It was about 80 all day...perfect. After a lovely breakfast courtesy of the Christian Motorcycle Association (BIG shout out to Brad and Patty from the CMA...they take care of us every year), Raven and I went to hit the showers. The showers are coin-operated and kind of nasty, but we needed showers. As we were waiting in the women's shower line, we kept watching the damn men's showers....it was like a revolving door! WTF? So I finally said, "Fuck this, I'm switching teams!" Raven jumped in the men's showers with me, too! We walked in and announced that we were going to shower together with the curtain closed and that there would be NO show. Sorry guys. The guy who was in the handicapped shower stall actually gave us his stall and went into the other open one so we would have some room. The two guys in there were VERY cool. They made a good point...they didn't know who our old men were, if they were M/C, wrestlers, gunslingers, etc. so they better not fuck with us. LOL! Good point!

The other highlight of Saturday was the weenie bite. It was the big event! There were the slow races and road kill, too, but the weenie bite was the big one. I was on the back with Caveman, Raven was on the back with Hagrid, and Missy was on the back with Lucky. Missy and Lucky were first up. The rules were explained to them and they said they understood. Off they go. Missy realizes she's not going to get the weenie so she grabs it with her hands. Then Lucky takes off. Missy does a back flip off the back of the bike! She lands on her face in front of 3000 bikers in the arena. But credit is due here because Missy jumped right up and ran to catch up with Lucky, jumped on the bike cowboy-style and off they went out of the arena! Missy's new road name: Flipper! LMFAO!

There were many good laughs Saturday night. Most will stay at Too Broke. :) The ride home Sunday was nasty. It always feels like we're descending into the bowels of hell when coming back into the valley. It was no different this time. We all had a bit of heat stroke when we got home, but it was worth it.

Hopefully the pics will help tell the story....

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oh yeah, and when we got home, Caveman said he can't ride a sporty anymore (because I rode the Dyna all weekend) so I bought myself a '96 Washington State Police Bike. :)

We Are (Almost) Famous!

2010-06-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

I promise to finish the Parker story soon. I've run into a few difficulties recently. But I did want to post this for y'all. I'm behind the scary looking caveman dude on the right. Kickstand and Ice are on the left. :)

This is the Cali edition....the NW edition is coming this week. :) Guess they wanted to show all the helmet-wearing states what choice looks like. :)

The 100 Mile Ride and So Much More

2010-04-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix Willy D, Viking Dave, Arizona Harley Dude and his lovely lady Linda, Me, Big D and the whole Arizona BACA crew at a campground on the Colorado River with a floating dock bar??? You get one hell of a great weekend!!!!!

There is really a lot to tell, and I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, so I'll break it down by each day (as I remember them).

Friday

We left Phoenix at 3:00 pm on Friday afternoon. It was sunny but windy as hell. The bikes were ready to go, Annabelle even got a new front tire for the trip. Me, Big D and Vicki saddled up and headed out. We took the 60 through Wickenburg, rather than taking I-10. The freeway is just so boring.

Things were going great. Annabelle is a good pack mule. After fueling up in Wickenburg, we headed west toward Aguila. We had to make a brief stop in Aguila. I looked over to check on Vicki and she had her helmet on, but no glasses! WTF?! I made Big D pull over. We pulled into Woody's Hardware Store. Vicki had lost her glasses while we were in Wickenburg. I'm sure they were in the restroom at Circle K. Anyway, I gave her my clears and told her not to lose them, and off we went again.

There were many bugs out, and it was kind of gross, but they weren't a problem. Just had to keep wiping my glasses off. (Ewwww.) About 15 miles outside of Aguila, I heard a very strange, very loud noise under Annabelle. I thought, "I know I'm new at this, but I don't think she's supposed to make that sound." Then I realized I had no power. The throttle was useless. I gave Big D the high sign and pulled over. He asked what was wrong and I told him. I had no clue what had happened. I told him I thought I blew the transmission because when I put the bike in first after stopping, it wouldn't go, like it was stuck in neutral or something. Big D came and looked at Annabelle and said, "I'll be back." (Yes, I was reminded or Arnold at that point.) Me and Vicki watched him go back the way we came and he was gone for about 10 minutes. When he came back he asked if I had figured out what was wrong yet. I hadn't. Then he pulls my chain out. Yes, I lost my chain. The master link had snapped.

Now, under normal circumstances, people who run a bike with a chain carry an extra master link with them on the bike. Unfortunately, these were not normal circumstances. When Big D gave Annabelle to me, I didn't like the tool bag on the handlebars and made him take it off. He put the tools in the little pockets on my saddlebags instead. But apparently he forgot the master link. Now we're in the middle of f'ing nowhere with no master link. And there damn sure ain't a Harley dealer anywhere nearby.

Big D remembers Woody's Hardware Store in Aguila. At first, he wanted me to go buy a master link at the hardware store. Now normally any chance I get to ride Marie, and I'm all over it. But I have no friggin' idea what the hell I'm looking for. And by the way, the name Woody's is a bit misleading: nobody in the store spoke English! So off Big D went, leaving me and Vicki on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Vicki was a great sport, and kept me entertained by singing songs about her belly. :) I decided to call Willy D and Viking Dave to let them know that we would be late getting into Parker. Willy D asked where we were and what had happened. I told him, and he said, "OK." About 20 minutes later, the two road whores pull up. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I am always happy to see our brothers from Cali, but I was especially happy to see them at that moment! While waiting for Big D, we chatted, took pics, and Dave set up some bottles for 'target practice' for he and Vicki. (Good job, Vicki!)

When Big D finally got back, he was surprised to see Willy and Dave. Then he told us that they didn't exactly have the right size master link, but he made one out of two. This was Big D's first MacGuyver move of the weekend. He and Willy D put the chain back on Annabelle, and we were back on the road and headed to Parker.

Once we got into Parker and found the campground, we headed to the floating dock bar for some dinner and libations. It's only once or twice a year that we get to see all our BACA brothers and sisters together in the same place, so when we do get together, rest assured we are not going to be quiet about it! After 20 minutes of hugs and hellos and introductions to everyone, we ordered dinner and a drinky for me. :) Big D, Vicki and the boys went to set up the tent after we ate and I stayed at the bar. I wasn't going to be useful setting up the tent, anyway.

The floating dock bar has a stripper pole, and I actually made a few dollars on it Friday night. Fully clothed. Maybe they were paying me to keep my clothes on? Or to just stop? Who knows? Anyway, there was a great jukebox full of rockin' music and we kept it loud. I danced all night with my girls and we had a great time! After putting up the tent, Big D and the boys came back and Big D actually started drinking. This is highly unusual. So the Jack Daniel's was flowing freely. Life was good.

We stumbled back to camp after closing down the bar. It had been a very long day, and we were feeling it. We got ready for bed and laid down on the air mattress where we had the following conversation:

Me: There's not enough air in the mattress.
Big D: Shit.
Me: (In a sing-song voice) I'm rolling into the middle! So are you! Not good!
Big D: Shit.
Me: I'm going to the bathroom while you figure it out.

When I get back from the bathroom I find Big D with the air mattress outside the tent. He has the small air compressor plugged in and he's filling it up. We get the air mattress back in the tent and all set up. Big D lays down and I hear "Whooooooooosh".

Me: There's a hole in it.
Big D: What?
Me: There's a hole.
Big D: Where's the hole?
Me: (laughing) I can't find it. Oh, here it is!
Big D: I need some duct tape.
Me: Seriously??!! Do I look like I have fucking duct tape on me? Let me just pull it out of my ass!
Big D: Shit.

At that point, I was done. I went over to Vicki's mattress and said, "Vicki, move over, make room for Mommy. Daddy's mattress has a hole in it." Vicki said ok, but there was no room for Daddy. (LOL) We then heard Big D rooting around in the bags for quite some time. We were laughing at him. Then we were laughing at farts. :) We finally fell asleep. In the morning Big D told me what he did to fix the mattress and why he woke up sleeping on an empty mattress:

"I found some bubble gum and a maxi-pad with wings and fixed the hole." (This was his shining moment as MacGuyver!) "It held for about two hours and then I heard a loud POP! but I didn't really wake up." (I'm picturing the mattress blowing a bubble with the gum, are you with me here?)

The mattress deflated and Big D slept on. The problem is, his half of the tent was on the gravel. Ours was on the grass. He was hurting bad when he woke up.

Also, poor Dave was sleeping just outside our tent, and remembers hearing, "Where's the hole?" "I can't find it. Oh, here it is!" Glad we gave him a good laugh, anyway!

That was the start to our kick-ass weekend. I think I'll give you all a break and tomorrow I will continue with all the fun.

Ride safe!

Constitutional Carry Law Is Signed By AZ Governor

2010-04-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't hear about it, Arizona has just passed the Constitutional Carry law. What is that, you ask? That is essentially the right to keep and bear arms as the 2nd amendment intended.

Here are a few blurbs from the announcement on the acmc list I'm on:

"Arizona now becomes the third state to not require written permission from the government for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to bear arms discretely. Because Arizona is the first state in the U.S. with a large urban population to take this significant step, this is a watershed moment for the entire country."

"If you don't have a permit, don't start carrying concealed just yet. The law won't become effective until 90 days after "Sine Die" when the Legislature officially adjourns. Since they are still working through a slew of bills, we don't expect Sine Die anytime soon. In past years, the effective date of bills has been around September."

"CCW permits still have a purpose. You'll need one to streamline gun purchases, to carry in states that honor Arizona permits and for carrying concealed in establishments that serve alcohol. And, the training you receive to obtain a permit is an added bonus. Along with restoring your right to bear arms, SB 1108 added additional training opportunities for obtaining a permit. NRA classes and training from places like Front Sight
and Gunsite will be able to qualify as permit training."

"If you decide not to obtain a CCW permit, that doesn't mean you shouldn't train. The heaviest thing about wearing a firearm is the responsibility that comes with it. Take that money that you save on permit and renewal fees and spend it on quality training as often as you can. Lead by example - the world is watching."

Now, surprising as it may seem, this has been a hot issue here in the Valley of the Sun. Some people think it's a bad idea. I've heard people say this will make it easier for criminals to get weapons. Really? Criminals are not going to the local arms shop or gun show to buy their weapons. This law has no effect on how criminals obtain guns. You still must pass a federal background check in order to purchase a gun - that did not change. You just don't need special permission from the state to carry the gun concealed.

I have also heard some folks talk about what a danger this will be for LEOs. Um, not so much. Again, I know lots of people who carry concealed weapons, and people who open carry; none of them are a danger to LEOs now. They still won't be. One more time: this law has no effect on how criminals obtain guns.

I am personally tickled pink that this law has passed. Some may think this is taking a step backward to "The Wild West", but perhaps it's a step forward.

Talking In My Sleep - Updated

2010-04-11T08:11:00.001-07:00

I felt Big D get into bed and the following conversation ensued:

Me: Did you turn off the hose?

Big D: Huh? Yes.

Me: I'm cold.

Me: Can you get me a blanket?

Big D: Do you think I just came to bed?

Me: Yeah

Big D: I just rolled over and you started asking questions

Me: Oh. Can I get that blanket?

(And yes, he did get up and put a heavy blanket on me.)

Has It Been That Long, Really?

2010-04-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

Over the last month I have had very good intentions of posting. But what is it they say about the road to hell? Anyway, I do have lots to tell you, but this could turn into a VERY long post, so I'm going to do this list-style, otherwise I'll be here all damn day!

My baby girl turned 12 on March 24. We went to Kartchner Caverns in southern AZ. Stayed at a neat little hotel in Benson, AZ for the weekend. Had a great time. I totally recommend the Caverns to anyone who is NOT claustrophobic. :)
I took Annabelle on my first overnight trip last month. We rode to Tucson for BACA's Pima County Chapter's 1st Annual Poker Run. I ran out of gas on the freeway because Big D changed my fuel tank, and I had never run reserve before. It was real fun running out of gas at 80 mph on I-10 in front of 3 big rigs the day after that fatal crash involving a meth-head truck driver and 9 bikes. The good news is, I found out I have a 72-mile range on this tank before I hit reserve. :) After that, my throttle got stuck wide open as we were pulling into Tucson. Yeah, 85 mph and I can't slow down without hitting the breaks. I pull in the clutch and Annabelle is screaming. But of course Big D was able to fix her. We think I picked up some bad gas when I ran out. It was a great weekend, and I'm not afraid of the freeway anymore. :)
My grandson Jayden turned 2 on Sunday. :)
As of today, I have been 11 days without a cigarette. Chantix really works. (aka: no dead bodies to hide)
I am maintaining my 3.91 GPA in school, and am now beginning my core classes.
Really good things are happening at work, for the company and for me.
We just found out that Dave and Willy D are going to join us for the BACA 100-mile ride camping trip! We're sad that BB and Mrs. Willy D can't go, but so happy that some of our crazy Cali friends can go! If anyone wants more info, email me. (Paul!)
My mother's condo has finally sold! Closing is at the end of June. We will be in our new home by my birthday...I hope. :)
Big D let me ride the Dyna. Now I know why he didn't want me to ride it. I love Annabelle. But seriously??? For those of you that don't know....a '99 Dyna is to an '88 Sportster what a Cadillac Escalade is to a Ford Pinto! WTF?! I keep threatening to take the Dyna to work some Friday. I will eventually. :)

I know there's lots more, but I have to get ready for work, and the Chantix makes me a little crazy. :) I will try to post more often so I don't have to do these crazy list-type posts.

Ride safe!

Yes, I'm Still Here

2010-03-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted lately and there are a few reasons for that.

First, I have been really busy at work, which is great. But school work has kicked up a few notches, too. And BACA has been keeping me very active, as well. If that weren't enough, I am planning some trips this year, too.

We are taking Vicki to Kartchner Caverns for her birthday in a few weeks. I think we're going to hit Tombstone, too. She's really excited, and so are we. It will be nice to get away for a night or two.

Then we are committed to going to the BACA Tucson Charter's 1st Annual Poker Run on 3/27. Some folks here in Phoenix are making it a day trip. Really? A day trip? Riding to Tucson at o-dark-30, doing a poker run and then riding home? I'll pass. So we're leaving Friday night, staying with some Tucson members and coming home Sunday. Much better.

We also have Abbey's Angel Ride this month. It seems we have something planned for every weekend this month!

April is a little better, but we're ramping up for BACA's 100-Mile-Ride on the 24th. April will be an extremely busy month for us. BTW...if you'd like to donate to BACA, now's the time to do it. The 100-Mile-Ride is our biggest ride of the year, and it is to raise awareness and $$. Email me if you would like to donate...it is tax deductible and would be greatly appreciated. Our kids need help. OK...I'll get off the soap box now.

So, you can see that we have tons of stuff going on over the next couple of months, and I have a feeling the summer will be no better. Too Broke for Sturgis is in July and the Fryed Brothers Band will be playing there this year. You can bet we will be there too.

We'll also be buying a house somewhere in there, too. And moving. For the last time in my life. :)

I hope everyone is doing well. Congrats to Dave and BB on their big news! And congrats to Kim, David, Sydney and Baby Brooke! :)

Ride safe and be well.

Soul Brother

2010-03-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I'm alive. I also wanted to highlight a brother's blog. Mr. Zip66 is the real deal. He's a true biker, and I think you'll all like his posts. Give it a shot. Tell him Boston sent you. :)

SOA FAQs Answered by Kurt Sutter

2010-02-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

For all you SOA fans, Kurt Sutter posted this on Facebook, and I thought I would share it with you non-FBers.

1. I have a great idea for the show, can I send it you?

No. I cannot accept any ideas, pitches, stories, scripts, notions or dreams from anyone. It's a legal issue. It protects me and you. If you send it, post it or email it -- it will be shredded, removed and deleted. Sorry.

2. I want to be an actor on your show, how do I audition?

If you are a SAG/AFTRA actor who has a permanent address in Los Angeles you can have your agent submit a picture and resume to our casting director, Wendy O'Brien. If the picture is not sent through a signatory agency chances are the envelope will never be opened.

3. How can I be an extra on your show?

If you a union or non-union actor who has a permanent address in Los Angeles you can contact Jim's B-List -- jimsblist.com .

4. I'm a singer/songwriter, I have a band, I have a perfect song for the show, how do I submit music?

As with the actors, a musical artist is best served by an agent or manager submitting their music through the proper channels. Bob Thiele, my composer and musical supervisor is trying to come up with a realistic system where submissions can actually get heard. Right now, we get hundreds and simply don't have the manpower or time to listen to them all.

5. When is the Season 2 DVD coming out?

Summer, 2010.

6. When is Season 3 beginning?

We never have an exact premier date until a few weeks before. We did very well with the timing of season 2, so my guess is that we will air some time in early September, 2010. But right now, that is just speculation.

7. Is Half-Sack really dead?

Fuck, yes.

8. Is that Katey singing "Ruby Tuesday"?

Yes, Katey sang "Son of a Preacher Man" in Season 1 and "Ruby Tuesday" in Season 2. I hope to have her sing a song every season.

9. Who is Edward Winterhalder and why is he saying that the character of Jax is based on one of his books?

I do not know Mr. Winterhalder, never read any of his fiction. From what I am told he is a former outlaw biker who turned rat and now makes his living as an author and outlaw biker "expert". I can only speculate that my choice of using real outlaws as technical advisers instead of a celebrity one somehow upset Mr. Winterhalder. I guess his claims are sour grapes and his parasitic attempt at getting a piece of SOA's success.

10. Are you really afraid of dolls?

Fuck, yes.

11. Why do you swear so much?

Fuck, yes.

12. I have something very special I want to give you, can I send it to you?

Fuck, no.

13. How come you only do 13 episodes? Why not 22 or 26 like network shows?

The model for FX and many other cable networks is 13. Yes, it's about money and scheduling, but it's also about quality. First of all, we cram more story into 13 episodes of SOA than most network dramas fit into 26. Second, this model allows us to make what I hope are 13 thoughtful, provocative 44 minute independent films, instead of 26 formulaic, predictable big-budget movies. Thirdly, my writers, cast and crew spend 7-9 back-breaking months making this show. It's guerrilla film-making and a labor of love. Any more than 13 would fucking kill us.

14. I live in a remote village in the Ukraine, when will "Sons of Anarchy" air there?

International sales and scheduling is not my job. I have no idea if, when, where the show will be airing outside of the United States. I know it's selling very well internationally, I just don't know any details. I suggest you contact your local cable company and ask them.

15. My friend watches the show over the internet for free, how does he do that?

Your friend steals. If you want to watch "Sons of Anarchy" over the net, I'd ask that you do it legally through the FX website, Hulu or iTunes. Pirating hurts the artist more than the conglomerate. I know it may not seem like a big deal, and you probably justify it by saying, "Oh, Fox can afford it", but it's a huge problem. The truth is every time you illegally download an episode of "Sons", you put actors, writers, and crew out of work. Think about that next time you watch a lime-wire episode.

16. I see "Sons of Anarchy" merchandise all over e-Bay and other internet sites. Is this real SOA stuff? Where can I buy official "Sons of Anarchy" stuff?

No. The stuff on e-Bay is all pirated merchandise. Some of them even blatently say "official SOA" shirts, hats, etc. -- they are not. It's someone selling illegal gear. It's criminal and there is very little we can do to stop it. Again, people justify it by saying, "Oh, Fox can afford it", but once again buying that shit doesn't help the show. The Fox/FX Store is the ONLY place to buy real SOA merchandise. We will be expanding the line extensively very soon.

17. Who is Sam Crow? What does Samcro stand for? Is there a difference between the two?

SAMCRO is an acronym for Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Originals. Sam Crow is the personification of that acronym. It's how the club refers to themselves. Kinda the way Bob Dole called himself Bob Dole. Over time, the locals began calling them Sam Crow as well. In fact most of the members live in a part of Charming called "Sam Crow's Corner".

18. What is Redwood Originals about? Why isn't the charter called Charming?

Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club was created by John Teller and Piney Winston in November of 1967 and the first charter was called "Redwood". Simply because they weren't settled in any one city. They cruised the Northern California coast from Eureka to Big Sur -- Redwood country. It wasn't until after Gemma became pregnant with her first son that they decided to settle in Charming -- the town where Gemma grew up. At that point, John Teller thought Charming was a little too cute for a charter name, so he called the charter the Redwood Originals. That's when the SAMCRO handle was born.

Two Great Websites

2010-02-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have loved http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ for some time now. Whenever I need a good laugh I just hop on the website and it puts a smile on my face.

Now, from the people who bring us peopleofwalmart.com comes http://www.youdrivewhat.com/ . It is a collection of crazy cars sent in by random people. There are already several pictures posted, but this was, by far, my favorite:

"Everybody in town knew when P.V. Paulie crossed your path, you were in for some bad luck."

Pics of the New/Old Shovel

2010-02-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Big D says it looks mechanically sound, but he'll be tearing her apart over the next few months just to be sure.

Can't wait til she's done!!!

Willy D: You want spare parts? You know where we live, Brother! And do you really expect to outrun an AZhole Performance bike?? ;)

I'm Ready For A Big-Girl Bike

2010-02-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, please don't misundertand me. I love Annabelle. I love riding Annabelle. But I really want something bigger. I've felt this way for a while. Even before I got my license I had dreams of shovelheads screaming in my head. :)

Big D and I have been talking about a big-girl bike for some time now. We went to a swap meet at a local parts/repair shop yesterday, and I sat on a 1982 FXR that was absolutely gorgeous. And it had 34K original miles on it. Ape hangers, lots of pretty chrome, everything I like. However, it was about $2K more than we really had to spend. I was sad, but I moved on knowing that Big D was on the lookout for a new/old scoot for me.

When I got home from work today, Big D said he was thinking of buying our whack-job neighbor's 80-80. He's tried to buy it before, but the neighbor never wanted to sell, or the price wasn't right, or he was too drunk, etc, etc. So I told Big D to take a walk over and make an offer, knowing full well that whack-job wouldn't sell.

When he came back to the house I said, "Better luck next time." Big D said, "I just bought myself a shovelhead." WTF?! Apparently whack-job took Big D's offer with no questions asked. My new/old shovel will be here tomorrow.

Mind you, it needs to be put back together (of course), but who better to do that than Big D? I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be graduating to the bike of my dreams. :) Of course, this means I will have to be extra nice to my favorite mechanic for a while. But I guess I can deal with it for a new bike. ;)

I will post pics as soon as she arrives!!

Am I Cold-Hearted?

2010-01-31T07:49:00.001-07:00

I just saw this article in the AZ Republic. You'll have to do a quick read through to understand this post.

John Cherry, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management said, "We've made it clear that (the cost) is an issue we'll deal with down the road." Seriously John???

This statement bothered me. This is the kind of backwards thinking that gets our country into DEEP shit. We're already in DEEP shit, aren't we? WTF is he thinking?!

I feel for the people in Haiti, I really do. But for the love of God, STOP THE MADNESS!!!!! The problem here, John, is that the good ol' US of A will end up picking up the tab "down the road"!!!! We cannot afford this! Should we just print up some more money, John? Maybe you'd like to take a stab at the cost issue NOW.

This just really burned my ass. Am I cold-hearted?

You've Got A Friend...

2010-01-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that a very dear friend is beginning the fight of her life, literally. She just got the news she has liver cancer. The liver cancer is the secondary cancer, and they are trying to find the primary cancer now. She has several tumors on her liver, and that's really all we know right now.

I talked to her today (cell phones are great). What struck me was her amazing attitude. She's going to fight it, but realizes it will be a tough one. She does not live in a fantasy land. She knows the odds. But she is forever positive...the glass is always half full for her. This is part of the reason I love her so much. I'm withholding her name because that's the way she wants it, and I respect that. Just please send your prayers to my dear friend in AZ to help her fight this tough fight.

Thanks. The video is for her, to remind her that she always has a friend in me. :)

The Power of a Badge

2010-01-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher says, "Okay, but do not go in that field over there," as he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, "Mister, I have the authority of the federal government with me." Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher. "See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish...on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand? "

The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull.......

With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....

"Your badge! Show him your BADGE ! "

Thanks to Cowboy for sending this to me...I really needed the laugh!

BACA International Conference 2010 Edited

2010-01-23T16:33:00.001-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Quick Update

2010-01-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

I had my surgery on Tuesday morning, as scheduled. Everything seemed to go fine, according to the surgeon. They gave me inadequate painkillers, so Big D had to make a trip for me. But now they work. Still feeling some pain, but went to the store with Big D today. Was out for less than 1 hour and needed a nap to recover from it. Not sure exactly how I'm supposed to return to work on Monday, but I'll give it a go!

I'll update you all later. Ride safe!

Just a Quickie

2010-01-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Big D and I went to St. Louis, MO last Thursday for the Annual BACA International Conference. We returned home safe and sound last night, and we are exhausted. We learned a lot, met a lot of kick-ass peeps, drank a lot of moonshine, and had a great time! I will post pictures soon.

I can't promise the pics will be up today, though. I have two homework assignments that need to be posted tonight. I am going to miss the first day of my new class tomorrow night because I'm having some minor gallbladder surgery tomorrow. They're telling me that I'll be down for about a week, so as soon as I'm feeling better, I will have the pics up.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Ride safe.

Did Someone Say Beer? I'm In!!!!!!

2010-01-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

I think my next trip will be here.

The 2009 Recap

2010-01-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

I got this from Jane. I thought it would be an interesting way to recap 2009.

1.What did you do in 2009 that you’ve never done before? March 2009 - 3:10 to Yuma with Joker, Rumble on Rt 66 in Williams, Too Broke for Sturgis in Mormon Lake, got my motorcycle endorsement and started riding my own

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No, no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, Molly.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Mom

5. What countries did you visit? Stayed in the USA last year. Almost went to Mexico for cigarettes while in Yuma, but ran out of time.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Peace of mind, my sanity.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 2009 - 3:10 to Yuma with Joker; Joker came out to visit us for a spell and we had a GREAT time! June 2009 - the Rumble on Rt 66. Got to meet Dave, BB and Willy D; got to ride wild animal statues. October 2009 - my rider's course. November 2009 - my first ride on my own. :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Definitely getting my motorcycle license.

9. What was your biggest failure? Too few road trips

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Yes, my gallbladder illness.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Big D's '99 Dyna

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Certainly not mine! LOL

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  Kanye West....what a jackass.

14. Where did most of your money go? Food, and the bikes

15. What did you get really excited about? All our motorcycle trips, getting my license

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Life is a Highway (Tom Cochrane)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: - happier or sadder? Happier.- thinner or fatter? Definitely NOT thinner!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Down time with Vicki

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Homework and crying.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Lots of friends over on Christmas Eve, had a wonderful time! Made a perfect prime rib dinner on Christmas day and enjoyed it with some close friends.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I fall in love with Big D every day.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate is such a strong word. I don't waste my energy on hate...do I dislike people? Of course.

24. What was the best book you read? The Twilight series. Yes, really.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?  No musical discoveries, but Vicki got me a Kid Rock CD for my car, and I LOVE it!!!

26. What did you want and get? Got everything I wanted, except for a house. That will be this year.

27. What did you want and not get? See #26

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Here's the funny thing: I watch movies, but don't really remember watching them.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 37 - Had a pool party

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not losing my mother

32. What kept you sane? My husband

33. Who did you miss? Dad and Mom

34. Who was the best new person you met?  Joker, Dave, BB, Willy D. and Paul

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  Born to be wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Photo Blog

2010-01-02T08:34:00.001-07:00

If you're interested, I have started a photo blog here. I hope you enjoy it. :)

New Year, New Outlook

2010-01-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

I was going to make this post a nice recap of 2009, however, if you read my blog you already know the recap. 2009 was the year of the good, the bad and the ugly for me. On a personal level, it kind of sucked. On a professional level, it was less than eventful. And on a biker level, it was mostly good. I got to meet some great people from the blogs in 2009, which was a lot of fun. Yuma, Williams, Too-Broke; all fun times. April was a shitty month, but I'm not going to dwell on it.

After my mother passed, my sisters and I had her 3-diamond ring split up and each of us took a diamond. Yesterday, I brought my diamond to a jeweler and picked out a beautiful setting. In about two weeks, I will have the ring. To me, this ring is a symbol of my mother's life. She was a bit like a diamond in my mind. She was beautiful, yet very tough when she had to be. She supported my goals, even if she didn't always agree with them.

So, instead of dwelling on the pain of losing her, in this fine new year, I will strive to reach those goals. I will set new goals for myself, and meet or exceed them. 2010 will be a year of successes for me. I will have personal and professional success. I can feel it.

Last night, we went to the store, and as we came out, the moon was on the horizon. It was HUGE. I couldn't get a picture of it, but luckily, the folks at the Arizona Republic got a picture of the previous full moon, and it looks the same.

The full moon got me to thinking about all the possibilities in 2010. I will have my gallbladder removed in the first quarter, Big D will have neck surgery in the first quarter, we think. These are two positives, not negatives. Once these take place, we'll be on the road to recovery and feeling better. Sometime this year, our son Rex, who is stationed in Japan will be coming back stateside with his wife, my grandson and our as yet unborn granddaughter. We don't know where they will be yet, but it doesn't matter, as almost anywhere is closer than Japan! We will finally get to meet our grandson Chris, at age 2. I can't wait! Our other son, Eric, who is stationed in England was originally scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this March. He called us last week and said his orders were just changed, and instead of Afghanistan, he is going to the Canary Islands! This is wonderful news!! Our daughter Samantha, who is stationed in Virginia is doing just fine. Her son Jayden is growing up to be a big boy. He'll be two in April, and I couldn't be prouder. We will see them sometime this year. Vicki will be 12 this year; yes, it's a downside. 12-year-old girls somehow turn into rabid badger-type creatures, and I'm not looking forward to it. But I'm confident we will get her through the year and into the 7th grade in the fall with little issue.

We have some trips coming up this year, two that we're sure of, and one that is pending. The pending trip is our vacation to a tropical locale. It will happen, but a house must be purchased first. That will also happen this year. Hopefully by June. I'm thinking Thanksgiving in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Yeah, sounds like a plan. Sturgis won't happen this year, but Too-Broke is definitely on. It is tentatively scheduled for 7/23-25, and I can't wait. The other trip is a trip to St. Louis in a few weeks for the Annual BACA National meeting. Definitely looking forward to that!

As you can see, 2010 will be a busy year for us, and I haven't even mentioned BACA (except for the trip) or school, yet. I won't get into it now, but our chapter will have an extremely busy and great 2010. I will continue with school, because it is one of my goals. I will continue to blog, and I'm toying with the idea of starting a photo blog, too. As soon as it's created, I will put a link up for you. Not exactly sure how I'm going to go about it yet, but I'd like to get it running soon.

So, to the bloggers I have met, and to those I have yet to meet, Happy New Year. I hope 2010 finds you all healthy, happy and not as busy as I seem to be. :)

Ride safe!

A Very Special Day Today

2009-12-23T05:20:00.001-07:00

Today is Big D's birthday! Happy birthday babe!

I think this is a good time to tell everyone why you're such a great husband, so here it goes:

You love me unconditionally, even when I'm a flake
You gave me Annabelle...and you work on her for me
You cut large trees off my car at 6:30 a.m.
You let me dress Rascal as Santa
You always encourage me to succeed
You defer to me regarding social plans
You take care of me when I'm not feeling well
You're hot!
You tell everyone I'm hot (even if it is a stretch)
You just 'get' me (not many do)
You laugh at my jokes, even when they're not funny
You clean the house and do the laundry for me
You're the most caring man I know
You're my best friend

This list could go on and on. We've been through some really bad times and through all those times you were the rock.

I found a quote the other day by Sir James M. Barrie that reminded me of you, "If you have it (Love), you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have."

I love you, Babe, and I hope your birthday is wonderful. And remember: Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live!

How Not To Bake Christmas Cookies

2009-12-21T06:03:00.001-07:00

This is the result when you forget you put that last batch in the oven!

A Bit of Storm Damage - Updated

2009-12-09T05:26:00.002-07:00

Update #1: The neighbor's homeowner's insurance won't cover the damage. They said it was an act of God. I said "Prove it." They don't like me now. So, I saw my friendly local Geico adjuster today. We'll find out tomorrow if the car is a total loss. Not quite sure how I feel about that yet.

Update #2: I love Geico! My car is a total loss. Let me explain how good this really is for me. The small remainder of my loan will be paid. I am keeping the running/operating vehicle, and I will get some cash, too! Woo-hoo! No car payment and cash in my pocket? Thank you, Mr. Tree and thank you, Geico!

On Monday night we had one hell of a storm here. I haven't seen a storm like this in about 3 or 4 years. 80 mph winds, crazy-ass rain, and I think maybe a tornado. Well, maybe not a tornado. Mind you, these storms usually only last 5-10 minutes at this intensity level, but this one lasted for several hours.

When the storm started at 10:30-ish, Big D went outside to take the canopy off the gazebo in our back yard. Too late. The gazebo was trashed 5 minutes into the storm. While he was attempting canopy removal, the wind was so violent, his hand actually became impaled by the gazebo in 2 places. No worries, he's ok.

After the fun & games with the gazebo, I went to bed. When I woke up yesterday morning, I took a quick peek out the back door as I let the dogs out to do their business. It was wet, but I didn't see any new damage. It was also 4:00 a.m. and dark out. I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.

Fast forward to 7:00 a.m.: I walk out the door to jump in the dented ghetto Buick. I have an all day seminar at the Arizona Biltmore, and I don't want to be late. This is what I saw:

The neighbor's tree had fallen on the Buick. I have actually had a tree fall on one of my cars before. So my initial reaction was, "You have got to be kidding me...again?!" I woke Big D and he broke out the trusty saws-all to get the tree off my car. There was surprisingly little damage, and my windows were not broken! I made it to the seminar on time, too. Here are a few more pics of all the storm damage. What a storm!

Ride Report: MMA/Sunshine Acres Toy Run - 12/5/09

2009-12-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Maricopa County and Pima County chapters of BACA supported the MMA's toy run for Sunshine Acres Children's Home. Please click on the link when you have time, and read about Sunshine Acres. It is a great facility that runs on donations only. They receive no funds from federal, state or local governments. Absolutely amazing.

We left the house at 7:30 a.m. It was 39 outside. It was NASTY COLD! Met up with the west side crew at Denny's. Then hit the freeway to meet the Phoenix crew. After that, we hit the 101 and headed to Mesa. It was a freezing cold ride to Toby Keith's Bar & Grill. Nice place, food was ok, but I don't think I'll be back. While we were there, I learned that Toby Keith's has a 'no colors' policy and the only time all of us bikers would be allowed in the place wearing our gear would be that day. Whatever. If they don't want our money, we will gladly spend it elsewhere.

Once we finished chipping the ice off our faces, we had some grub, registered for the run and took off for Sunshine Acres. I was extremely nervous because up until this point, I had only ridden my own with a group of 5 or 6 other bikes. There were 110 bikes on this group ride. I was about the 8th bike in the pack, so I felt better, until I looked in my mirror. The other reason I was nervous: Annabelle was blowing oil out from her breather. A lot of oil. But I discussed it with Big D and he said it should be fine, as Sunshine Acres wasn't more than 3 or 4 exits down the freeway.

So I did the group ride thing with no issues. We presented all the toys and more than $2K to Sunshine Acres and some of us took a tour of the facility. It's a really amazing place! They took us through 3 of the homes, one of which was just completed last month. Travertine tile, beautiful decor, very comfortable living. All these homes are donated. Contractors, builders, etc. donate building materials, time, money, etc. so these kids will have homes.

Other people elected not to go on the tour, and give the kids rides around the facility on their bikes. It was really cold out, but the smiles on the kids' faces were well worth it! These kids always look forward to having the MMA come out and give them rides. It was really great.

After leaving Sunshine Acres, the last stop was Garfield's in Apache Junction. This is WAY the hell on the opposite side of the valley from where I live. The place was packed. I was concerned about Annabelle, due to the oil issue. I had discussed putting her in the BACA trailer that Sticks & Dimples were pulling, earlier in the day. When they said they were heading home, I gathered a bunch of my BACA family to help get Annabelle in the trailer. The ramps weren't in the trailer, so she had to be lifted. Good thing she's not a road king! :)

After packing up Annabelle, we went back into Garfields and I figured since I wasn't riding home, I would have a beer or two. Or three. Whatever. Anyway, I had a few beers. I didn't win any of the raffle items, but had a great time. It was nice to ride bitch with Big D, again. I haven't done that since sometime in October! The ride home was just as cold, if not colder than the ride out in the morning. It seemed like it took forever!

When we finally made it home, we still had a group with us, so I put on the coffee while everyone thawed out. I was exhausted, and felt ready for bed. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was only 6:00 p.m.! That's the trouble with leaving the house at 7:00 a.m.; you're exhausted by dinner time. The last of our guests left around midnight, and I slept great. I'm a bit sore today, but it was worth it!

Blog Name Game

2009-12-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm passing this from Jane's blog. Come on, now, it'll be fun! :)

Leave a comment describing me using one word that starts with the 3rd letter of your name. Then repost this in your blog. Let's see what people come up with!!

Things I Am Thankful For...

2009-11-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

I had a bit of time today to really think about what I'm thankful for. I won't get into what led me to this line of thinking, but I will say that I'm thankful that it led me here.

1. I am thankful for my sisters, Gayle and Christine. They are the last ties I have to my parents, who I miss so dearly, especially around the holidays. I love you both.

2. I am thankful for my wonderful, supportive husband. He is not only my mechanic; he's my rock. He's the one who keeps me going when I think I can't go anymore. He's also the one who tells me to rest, when I can't see that I need it.

3. I am thankful for all 4 of my children, my son-in-law, 2 daughters-in-law, 2 grandsons, and my granddaughter that is on the way. They are among the blessings that I count each day.

4. I am thankful for the blogger friends that I have made. The ones I've met, and the ones I haven't. And the ones I feel like I have known all my life. You all enrich my life so much.

5. I am thankful for being invovled in BACA. Whenever I think about BACA I am proud to be a part of something that is bigger than myself.

6. I am thankful for my fabulous friends, near and far. Old and new. You ALL make my life so interesting. I love each and every one of you.

7. I am thankful for my Harley Davidson, Annabelle. She's a beauty, and she is my salvation. I'm feeling blue, I take a ride. And suddenly, my head is clear.

8. Finally, I am thankful that the bitch in the blue mini-van from Texas didn't hit my car when she came into my lane on the freeway today. I guess that makes me thankful for my good reflexes and light traffic on the I-17.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether you are with family, friends or both. Enjoy this life as every day was your last.

And So It Begins...

2009-11-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

Santa

Even better...Big D as Santa...

Guest post

2009-11-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yep, I hacked into the "secure" site of Ann's/Boston's.
I felt the since she ain't gonna tell all about her little 'addiction' I will.
As most of you already know "Annabelle' is not your ordinary sportster.
She's not a cute little 883". Hell ,she ain't even a 1200 anymore.
It's a full blown AZHOLE performance bike.
She's been lightened, bored, ported, polished, re-geared...etc...
I have seen grown experienced riders shake after riding 'Annabelle'.
Some I've seen shake just being passed by 'Annabelle'
In Short...She's a Hemi Frieght train.
Why is this important for you all to know?

This lady just continues to amaze and impress the hell outta me and anyone who knows her.
And for a 'green rider' to pick 'Annabelle' as her first ride is beyond astounding.
And to be learning as quickly as she is........Wow!
Wether she learned by watching the many miles she rode behind me...or the many times I taught other riders to clean up their riding.....She's almost a natural.

She maintains her 'line' like a vet. She's become so damn good I let her ride 'Outlaw' when she wants.
[For those who don't know..thats side by side in the same lane..think "CHIPS"]
And as for 'Annabelle's ' power...she can handle it just fine.

We just took a long sunday ride with a close group of freinds...Long streches of open road and some desert twisties.
On the long straightaways I was testing the mods I did on 'Marie' my ironsteed.
I 'rarely' attempt such speeds ..;]
rolling out at about 110, I was cooking.
I slowed down to let the pack catch up.....I saw Ann hunch down and crack the throttle...warp speed.
She rocketed to 80....and kept it at that speed like she was on rails with cruise control activated.
The entire pack behind went slackjawed......They were stunned.
I was impressed as hell...but I pulled her over and asked her 'What the hell are you doing?'
She replied...'Just riding the hell out of this bike'
In the twisties she maintained a good controlled speed and gearing and put that bike right where is was supposed to be damn near perfectly.
Arriving safely at home......she parked the bike.
Stood there with a euphoric expression and announced..'I always thought I understood this ..If I gotta explain..you wouldn't understand........But now I truly ,truly get it..
Yes, Babe..It appears you most certianly do.
[Now lets try to keep it under 60 for a little while..;}..]

So....

2009-11-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was going to post something today. I have a video that Pepper took of me riding home from the BACA meeting with a bunch of members. It's a kick ass video. But I can't get it to post. I'm working on that. I have some funny stuff I was going to post, too, but I can't.

Riding has been taking up so much of my time, I don't have time to post right now. I was up at 6:00 a.m. today so I could do some laundry, clean the house and do some homework. Because we're going for a long ride today!

I honestly don't know how women riders do it! I have no time to clean, do laundry, watch tv, or anything! And I have no interest in doing any of those things! I just want to ride!!!!

OK...gotta get the next load of laundry in. :)

Ride safe!

What Stinkin' Parking Lot??? UPDATED

2009-10-31T20:05:00.002-07:00

Yep, that's right! No parking lot for me today! We left the house around Noon and headed up to see Sticks and Dimples. Then we went out for an early dinner at Cucina Tagliani's and headed home to hand out candy to all the little ghouls. :) All in all, it was a great day. I've got some work to do on my turns, but it's mostly my confidence that needs work. I get myself all freaked out, then I have trouble. But I had the best day!!!! :) OK...here are the pics.

I must say, Vicki is a great photographer! :)

1200 Sportster vs. 250 Nighthawk

2009-10-27T05:29:00.004-07:00

You read the title of this post and said, "Really?" or "WTF?" Please allow me to elaborate. Yesterday when I got home from work, I told Big D I wanted to ride. Big surprise. So he said, "Let's go." (I'm pretty sure he was expecting this.) We went to the old Walmart parking lot to practice. I had never ridden up front on anything but the MSF's bike, the Nighthawk. I sat on the bike, got myself accustomed to where all the controls were, and played with the clutch a bit. Then I was off and running. First, Annabelle is LOUD. That threw me off at first, but then it was good. Then, I noticed it was EXTREMELY different than the Nighthawk in the turns. WOW! I'll have to really work on that. Then I found Annabelle's false neutral. Ain't that a bitch? That totally threw me. Annabelle wasn't running exactly right, so I decided to stop. I'm sad that I have class tonight and can't go ride. But there's always Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. And I told Big D we're getting up early on Saturday to go ride again! I really want to get myself accustomed to Annabelle. I told Big D one thing that was really making me nervous was the fact that it's his bike...not mine. I was afraid of dropping someone else's bike. Even though he's my husband, I didn't want to ruin anyone else's bike. So he said, "It's your bike now. Feel better?" Actually, I do. After a slight handlebar adjustment for more comfort, it felt tons better sitting on her. Big D will work on her today and get her in tip-top shape so I can ride tomorrow. :) I was contemplating buying a Nighthawk or a Rebel because I was so nervous on Annabelle. But I LOVE Annabelle and I really want to ride her. It's just that the only thing I had ridden to that point was an underpowered POS. My problem was this: I'm a woman, I want to ride with the boys, and all the boys we ride with ride Harleys. I know you're all thinking, who cares? Right? Well, I do. I want to play with the boys, and I don't want to take any crap about my ride. So I will take my sweet time getting used to Annabelle and her little quirks. And maybe someday I will buy myself a newer Harley with different quirks. :)

The Basic Riders Course

2009-10-25T20:06:00.004-07:00

Saturday was day 1 of my course. I was a bit apprehensive, but so was everyone else. There were quite a few women in the class. This surprised me. I thought I would be the only one. We went through the book and watched some informational videos. Then it was lunchtime. After lunch we hit the course for the first time. The instructors had us stand by a bike that we thought would fit us. They were all relatively the same size, so I don't know what that was all about. I chose a Honda Nighthawk 250. After some instructions, we were told to start the bikes. Mine started up just fine. Between exercises, we had to shut down the bikes, and then start them again for the next exercise. OK, that's cool, no problem, right? Well, this little Nighthawk did NOT want to start. It had a dead battery. The instructor got on it and popped the clutch to start it for me. He told me not to turn it off after the next exercise. No problem! Then I stalled it. :) We all got to take a nice little break while they got another bike for me. Same model and size. Rocking the bikes back and forth to find the 'friction zone' (where the clutch just barely catches) was great, but I was ready to ride. We had to 'power walk' the bikes across our lanes to the other cone. Then we were instructed to put our feet up and ride back to our original cone. YAY! There was one woman who just didn't get it. She left about 1/2 way through the afternoon. She came back this morning and they transferred her to a private course, no extra charge. That was cool. After learning to start, stop, shift, turn, etc. I was ready to roll! I got stuck behind a girl named Lisa on day 1. It sucked because everytime we did something, the instructors would stop Lisa and instruct her some more. So I had to wait with my clutch pulled in. OUCH. I was getting tired of hearing, "Lisa, stop!" More on Lisa later. When I got home last night I was absolutely EUPHORIC! I rode all afternoon, and it kicked ass!!! I was totally hooked. However, there was one slight issue: my left hand was throbbing and felt as if it would never go back to normal. Nothing a Soma and a glass of wine can't fix! This weekend, Big D had gone up north for a BACA child ride. So I called him as soon as I got home. The whole gang was up there and yelled "Congratulations" to me over the phone. They all knew how anxious I was about turning and not dropping the bike. That was really cool. I'm sad that I missed the child ride, but I'm so happy I took this class. After talking to Big D for a while, he made me promise, again, NOT to take Annabelle out of the garage while he was gone. I promised. With my left hand such a mess, I really had no inclination to, anyway. After a great night's sleep, it was day 2. I got up extra early, had some coffee, chatted with some good friends on Facebook, and got ready for class. As I was driving to class this morning, I thought, "This is boring! I WANT TO RIDE!!!" No, I did not take Annabelle. A promise is a promise. I wasn't ready anyway. More instruction and some videos this morning, and then....the written exam. I guess after being back in college for more than a year, taking written exams just doesn't bother me anymore. I wasn't nervous at all. And I shouldn't have been. I passed with a 100%. :) Lunch and then on to the bikes! I was really excited about riding again. I was a little nervous, because I knew the skills test would be held this afternoon, and that worried me. Those damned figure 8's SUCK! I kept going outside the box. I've always been an 'outside the box' kind of gal, anyway. :) But when I told that to the instructor, he just shook his head and said, "This is one instance where you need to be an inside the box kind of gal." Dammit. So we did some stopping, turning, curves, slaloms (which I LOVE!), and accelerating through a turn. Then more figure 8's. These were killing me. It was bad. Then it was time for the skills test. This made me very nervous. I started sweating profusely and taking deep, calming breaths. I was the 4th bike in line. I watched 3 men execute PERFECT figure 8's. Not only did this annoy the living shit out of me, it made me more nervous! Now it was my turn. Clutch in, 1st gear, ease off the clutch, roll on the throttle. 1st turn: head turned, press & roll, good. 2nd turn: head turned, press & roll - TOO MUCH! Outside the box twice on the 2nd turn. Now accelerate and swerve to the right, then come to a quick, complete stop while downshifting to 1st gear. No problem. Executed perfectly. I love swerving! Then we had to go in a straight line, get up to 20 mph in 2nd gear and stop just after the cones. No issue, right? My bike stopped 2 ft too late. I lost points for that, too. Then, we had to execute a 90-degree right turn, accelerate, and then a 135-degree turn while accelerating through the whole turn. Stay in the lines, inside-outside-inside, and do not slow down in the turn. Apparently, I slowed down. Lost points for that, too. After completing all the tests, we were told to ride over to the staging area and they called us over one by one to give us our scores. The anticipation was killing me. When the instructor called my name, I walked over to him. I told him that if I failed, he should just tell me to walk away, and I will. I lost a lot of points. He said I was probably just nervous on the last turn, because I had done it perfectly several times before that. He explained how I lost points, and what I could do in the future to avoid making the same mistakes. He also told me to practice a lot. Then he told me I passed! :) Remember Lisa? The chick that was solely responsible for my throbbing clutch hand Saturday night? She failed. I think it's a good thing, though, because I really wouldn't want to see her on the road on two wheels. She was really bad. I do give her credit for not giving up, though. I really thought she would. Everyone else passed the class. We all got our paperwork to bring to the DMV and went home. While I was driving home I thought, "This sucks. I want to ride!" However, I still need practice. And I have never ridden Annabelle before, and she's a whole lot different than a Honda Nighthawk 250! I am going to take her to the old WalMart parking lot next Saturday morning to practice. Maybe if I get comfortable enough with her, Big D will let me ride her home! It's only 1.5 miles! :) Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement, support and kind words. They mean a lot to me, and I was thinking of all of you when I was riding this weekend. I was thinking, "If I don't pass, I'm going to eat a lot of shit from the bloggers!" LOL! Have a great night and ride safe!

I've Been Sick...

2009-10-22T05:14:00.003-07:00

I'm glad everyone liked the pictures from the East Side Run. We really had a great day. I ran into some medical issues that night, though. I was carted away from Smokey's by ambulance that night with some serious belly pain, and other issues. Everyone was in agreement that my gallbladder must have burst. Well, after an ambulance ride, a blown IV, some anti-nausea medication and some morphine, I was rolled away to have an ultrasound. The hospital tells me my gallbladder is fine. I was wheeled back to my little room in the ER where Big D, Ice and Kickstand were waiting for me. D and Kickstand went outside to get some air. The nurse came in and told me I could get dressed, after she gave me more morphine. I got dressed (with some assistance from Ice) and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I'm not sure when the nurse came back to release me, because I got tired of waiting and left. Ice was trying to tell me to wait, that I couldn't just leave. I said, "I'm leaving, are you coming with me or not?" By this time it was after midnight. We were at a hospital waaaaaay out in BFE (Gilbert, AZ). Thankfully we were staying at Uno and Pepper's house which was very close to the hospital. It was determined that I shouldn't ride on the bike with all that morphine on board, so someone called Pepper to come pick me up. I should back up a minute here. The security guard at the hospital was upset with D and Kickstand because they were smoking near the bikes in the parking lot. Apparently you're not allowed to smoke on the hospital's property at all. So, about 10 minutes later, when Pepper came to pick me up; Homeland Security's Gangland Task Force pulled in right behind her. She made a u-turn to pick us up and I quickly lost track of that white van we see almost everywhere we go. Coincidence? Who knows. I just know that we run into the Gangland Task Force more than the average bear. So, I had an appt with the doc, who referred me to a gastro specialist. I am having some kind of test on my gallbladder tomorrow morning. Then, next week, the doc is going to shove a camera down my throat to check everything out. It should be a good time. I told him if he knocked me out, he could shove a Mack truck down my throat if he thought it would fix me. So, this is why I haven't really been present around here. I've been too nauseas to eat. I'm living on chicken broth and ginger ale. When I take my anti-nausea medication it makes me sleepy. The good news is, I am taking my basic rider's course this weekend. I feel well enough to do it, and don't want to reschedule it. So it's on. I'll update you all on my medical status and the rider's course next week. Ride safe!

BACA 1st Annual East Side Run Pics

2009-10-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Life Stages

2009-10-12T05:57:00.002-07:00

Our lives can be broken into 4 stages. I think this sums it up pretty well...

New Seat!!!

2009-10-08T04:59:00.004-07:00

We finally bought a Mustang seat for the Dyna! A big thank you to Aaron for getting us his dealer discount!!!!

I cannot wait for the weekend! Wooo-hoooooo!!!!

And, Annabelle is all ready for me! Ain't she a sight?

The Basic Riders Course

2009-10-07T05:45:00.002-07:00

OK. I did it. I signed up for the course. It's on 10/24 & 25. I figured it I blog about it, I'll be more accountable. And if I fail it, I'll NEVER hear the end of it, especially here at home. So wish me luck everyone. And if anyone has any pointers on turning without dumping (not you Dave), any suggestions are appreciated! I do have a few pics to post, and promise to post sometime this week. I have been extremely busy since being voted to the Board of Directors of BACA. Have a great week!

Intermittent Access and Other Random Thoughts

2009-09-24T05:27:00.005-07:00

No, that doesn't mean we have computer or internet access issues. Intermittent access refers to the time that I'm able to dedicate to my blog and the reading of others' blogs. I apologize for that. There are several reasons for my intermittent access. School is really ramping up now. Psych nearly killed me. The class was terrible! But I passed. No final grade posted, yet, but I know it'll be at least a B. And now on to Paradigms in Health. Ugh! Work has been EXTREMELY busy in the past month or so. My boss had an administrative hearing a few weeks ago, which requires a lot of preparation on my part. And now it's 2010 budget time...fun, fun! And then there is BACA, which has taken quite a bit of my time, lately. We had a very successful benefit poker run for our friends Sticks and Dimples last weekend. You can see the pictures from that run here. Along with 2 others, I have been tasked with planning our state picnic in November. And we have our 1st Annual East Valley Poker Run coming up on October 10th. AZHD and Linda came to the benefit, and Linda even won something in the raffle! We have a lot more raffle prizes for the East Valley Run, too. I would like to formally invite all our blogger friends to this run. For those that would like to attend, the Days Inn & Suites next door to Smokey's in Mesa is offering $39.99/night when you mention the BACA run. Their normal rate for this time of year is $110, so they are really helping us out. You need to call during the day and talk to Stacy, the manager, to get this rate. The number is 480-969-3600. I hope to see some of you there! And this weekend, we're leaving Friday for Tucson, AZ to participate in the Thingamajugs Breast Cancer Run on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the weekend, and the riding, but not necessarily the ride to Tucson. There is nothing but wide open desert between Casa Grande and Tucson on I-10. That's about a solid hour of riding through nothing. At least it won't be 115° out! So, as you can see, along with everyday life, doctors appointments, Vicki, etc., I have been swamped. I'm reading some blogs from work when I can, but I can't comment from there. I'm hoping things calm down for a while, but it's not looking good right now. Ride safe!

An Interview With A Doctor

2009-09-17T04:35:00.002-07:00

I had an opportunity to interview a world-reknowned cardiologist, Dr. Wailee Ming, a few weeks back. He was very difficult to get a hold of, and no, he is NOT taking any new patients. Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that is like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).. And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake? A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take water out of fruity bit; get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made out of grain. Bottoms up! Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: If you have body and you have fat, ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Cannot think of single one, sorry. My philosophy: No Pain...Good! Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: YOU NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods fried in vegetable oil. How getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only do sit-ups if want bigger stomach.. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: You crazy? HELLO ... Cocoa beans! Vegetable!!! Cocoa beans best feel-good food around! Q: Is swimming good for your figure? A: If swimming good for figure, explain whales to me. Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! 'Round' is shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. Dr. Lee is the busiest doctor in the world after interviews like this! For those of my readers that may not have made the connection, this came to me via email, but I just had to share it!

My Trip Back East

2009-09-06T07:39:00.007-07:00

First I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for your prayers and kind words for our friends, Sticks and Dimples. They are doing well and expected to make a full recovery. They, too, appreciate your kind words, prayers and thoughts.

Recently, I went back home for a long weekend. I just felt like I needed to connect with my sisters.

I landed in Boston on Friday afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. That was the last I would see of the sun all weekend. I met my sisters for lunch at Ruby Tuesday, and ran into an old friend while there, too. It felt good to be sitting at the same table with my sisters, rather than talking on the phone or trying to communicate through email or facebook. It just seems like some things get lost in translation through electronic communication. It was great to re-connect with them.

Friday night, I went out with our friend Joker and Susan. It was nice to meet Susan, she's a great gal. And it was great to see Joker. We had quite a time with Blackstone at the Boneyard. It just seems like the bars close SO EARLY back there! Anyway, I stayed at their place Friday night because it was too far and too late to drive back to my mother's condo. I got up early Saturday morning and drove back after sleeping on the most comfortable couch my ass has ever made contact with!

After sleeping a few more hours at the condo, I had to dial-in to a conference call back here. It lasted 1.5 hours, and my cell phone would only work in a parking lot near the condo. Not actually at the condo. So I sat in my rent-a-wreck in the rain while on the call. After that, I enjoyed some wonderful New England Clam Chowda, and headed back to the condo.

In going through my Mother's things, my sisters found a large box of letters. These weren't just any letters, though; they were letters that my Dad had written to her while he was in the Army and she was in college. One of my sisters is reading them, the other does not want to. So after Gayle reads them, she will be sending them to me. I sat down to read some of the letters Saturday afternoon. They were wonderful! My Dad ended every letter with "Love, George" and "P.S. I miss you." These letters are a true treasure, and I'm so glad my Mom kept them.

Saturday night, we had a sleepover at my sister Christine's house. She had a few friends over, as well. It was a great night filled with lots of old memories, and beer, wine and spirits. ;) It is times like these that I wish I lived closer to them. We had so much fun.

Sunday we went to the cemetary, as I hadn't seen the new stone since Mom had passed. Then we went to lunch at Lindsay's. The chowda, crab cakes and clam plate were all incredible, but I just couldn't finish it. There was so much food!

After lunch, I decided to hang out on Cape Cod a little longer. I went to Onset Beach and took a nice walk. It was overcast, but not raining. And it was warm enough that I didn't need my sweatshirt. I walked on the pier and watched the people that were fishing. Saw all the boats moored in the harbor, and remembered when Dad had a boat moored not far from here. We used to love going out on the boat in the summer. Even though it almost always broke down, we still had fun. These are the kinds of memories that I cherish. I often wonder if I would cherish them so much if I still lived there? Or do I cherish them more because I don't live there anymore? Yes, there were some real deep thoughts going on that weekend.

After coming back from the Cape, I stopped in at Gaff's, the local watering hole in Taunton. Our great friend Savina was there, and I had a few beers with her. We were dancing and having a great time when I noticed someone familiar-looking at the bar. I took a second look and realized it was someone I hadn't seen in 19 years! I went to school with John, and after that he worked with my Dad for a while. It was so nice to see him!

When we left the bar I gave Savina a ride home and got back pretty late. I had to get up fairly early for my flight on Monday, so I was just going to read a little bit and then go to sleep. That didn't exactly happen. I ended up reading Dad's letters to Mom until 3:30 a.m. I figured I could sleep on the plane. :) I really can't wait to receive the rest of those letters from my sister.

It was difficult to leave the condo, as I knew this would be the last time I saw it. I think it was so difficult because this is not only where I last saw and spoke to my Mom, it's where she died. It didn't make me uncomfortable to stay there, but it was very hard to leave.

I stopped at my sister Gayle's house on the way to drop off the rental car. I hadn't seen my niece Amanda all weekend, and I wanted to see her before she left for college at Johnson & Wales University in RI. She's moving into her dorm today, by the way. Good luck, Manda-Panda!

The flights home were uneventful. I wasn't able to sleep, but did read The Notebook. I was a crying mess while reading that, but it kept people from talking to me, so it was ok. :)

After getting in late Monday night, I had work and class on Tuesday. Then I was at an HR conference for the rest of the week. We're having a party today, and I have a huge psych paper due on Tuesday. To say that I've been busy would be a large understatement. I should have taken Tuesday off from work just to rest up and get some things done around the house. But that's what Saturdays are for. :)

Brother & Sister Down

2009-08-23T11:57:00.003-07:00

Sticks, Cody and Dimples

Saturday night, our BACA President, Sticks, and his wife, Dimples, were in a serious bike accident. A truck was involved...I don't know who hit who and I was there. The truck rolled, and crushed the roof. I'm told those people are stable. Sticks and Dimples were thrown more than 100 feet from the bike. No head injuries, no internal injuries. They are both in ICU. Sticks is awaiting surgery. Injuries range from a badly broken pelvis to broken knees and elbows and a broken scapula. They are lucky to have survived it. They will have a long road of recovery ahead of them. We are completely devastated. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Harley for a Blind Guy

2009-08-12T05:10:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my good friend Linda Dahl at Quick Throttle for sending this to me. :)

Kids Say The Darndest Things...

2009-08-10T05:46:00.005-07:00

Before I begin my post, I wanted to mention that we lost a sister rider this weekend. PaulR, retired SAA of the Medieval Madens M/C was hit while on her bike Thursday night. Her bike broke in half, and she lost her battle with serious injuries on Saturday. Please keep her family in your thoughts. Now the main reason for my post. Saturday evening, our daughter Vicki went for her first ride with a group. Just four bikes, but a big deal for an 11-year-old, right? Well, she rode with Daddy, and I rode with our friend Cowboy. Daddy asked her how she liked it so far, riding in a group. "It's ok," was all he got. So, Daddy wicked on the throttle a bit and passed some cages (safely) to give her a thrill. He then said, "How did you like that?" Vicki's response, "It was ok, but you should take me to California and split lanes!" Then she asked how old she needed to be to get her motorcycle endorsement. My answer: "39." WTF???!!! We are in trouble!

Thanks to Tipher for taking the pics, as I forgot my camera, yet again! :)

The Fryed Brothers Band

2009-08-02T10:09:00.003-07:00

For those of you going to Sturgis, you must see this band! They are playing at the Knuckle Saloon Tuesday through Saturday. Here is an excerpt from their movie "I Ride":

If you can't make Sturgis this year, I totally recommend this movie. You can get it here. The Fryed Brothers Band: The most dangerous biker band in the world. :)

Too Broke - Chapter 2

2009-07-30T05:07:00.005-07:00

Saturday morning I woke up around 6:30 a.m.; pretty much the very moment the sun hit our tent. Surprisingly, I felt great! Just needed some coffee and an aspririn to get me going. And thanks to the good folks at the CMA, there was plenty of coffee for everyone! I lured Big D out of the tent with a cup of coffee and gave him a breakfast burrito the CMA had made. After we both woke up a bit, and sat around the fire chatting with friends, I decided that I wanted a shower. Well, I needed a shower. We learned that the coin-operated showers were near the general store. Someone told me they were $6.00 to operate. Someone else told me there was an hour wait. I was willing to pay $6.00. I was not willing to wait an hour. So I brought $12.00 with me. I figured I could offer to pay for someone's shower and get at the front of the line. :) That wasn't necessary, as I had received some bad information. The showers were $2.00 for 5 minutes and it was only about a 20 minute wait. The shower was cold and refreshing. I totally needed it. When I got back to camp, Big D decided that he was going to drop off the bike at the pinstriper in the vendor area. After he got back to camp he said he ran into at least 60 people that knew him, but he didn't know them. They were calling out, "Hey, Caveman!" He couldn't understand it. I told him that he was the man with the camera Friday night, so he was everybody's best friend. :) We walked up to the vendor area after a while and chatted with friends we ran into. Then I decided I needed an ice cream cone. Yum! So while sitting down with my ice cream, I spotted this guy with a rubber pig nose on his face. I asked him if I could get a picture, and he insisted that I be in the picture. So there I am with my ice cream cone, my holographic middle finger glasses, and my Too Broke shirt taking a picture with Piggynose. (Which is what I called him after that. He loved it.) We sat and watched the biker games for a while in the arena. The slow races were pretty funny. They had one game where they gave the passenger a fishing net and they had to pick up as many stuffed animals as they could along the course. I had never seen that one before, but it was definitely amusing. Then, of course, the weenie bite. One chick got the whole weenie! Another one nearly fell off trying. I really wanted to do the weenie bite, but the bike was still at the pinstriper, so it was a no-go. Oh, well, there's always next year. :) We picked up the bike from the pinstriper (which came out absolutely incredible!) and rode back to camp. At this point, we pretty much sat around, drank and talked to everyone. Then Linda decided we were going over to the 81 supporters camp to share some love. Tequila. So off we went. Linda works for Quick Throttle magazine, so she brought her camera and told all the ladies they would get a shot of tequila for a shot of their exposed parts on camera. It worked out well for Linda. She even got some guys to participate! At this point, things get a bit fuzzy. I know we ate dinner somewhere in there, but it was too late. Jack and Jose were already having a battle and I was getting out of control. I recall getting ready to go to the bar. I remember me and Linda putting on our pasties. Mine were sparkly pink stars, and hers were bright red lips. :) I don't think I made it all the way to the bar, though. After this, all I remember is waking up Sunday morning with a NASTY hangover. Sunday, we broke down camp pretty early so we could try to beat the heat coming back into Phoenix. No such luck, though, as one of the guys we rode down with had some mechanical issues. Big D had to use a bungee cord to keep the guys exhaust on his bike until we got some bolts. He is such a MacGuyver! By the time we got home, it was 3:30 p.m. and 110°F. It was like riding into the wind of a hair dryer set on the highest heat setting. Disgusting. It was so hot, I didn't even complain about my ass hurting from the stupid seat. We walked through the house, into the backyard and jumped in the pool. After that, I went to bed and pretty much slept all night. All in all it was a great weekend. We connected with lots of old friends, and made some great new ones, too.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Too Broke - Chapter 1

2009-07-27T21:21:00.004-07:00

Thursday night included a lot of running around, packing, visiting friends and waiting for the mechanic to finish Big D's bike. We picked up the bike around midnight. Yep, and KSU time was 6:30 a.m. After picking up Big D's bike in New River, we had to go home, which is 35 miles away. Not a bad ride in normal conditions. However these were not normal conditions. About a mile or two after we hit the freeway, a HUGE dust storm attacked. I was behind Big D in the Buick, and it looked like he was riding sideways. The rain drops were like mini-water balloons, seriously...I've never seen anything like it. One rain drop soaked half my windshield! Then I saw Big D nearly taken out by a random piece of flying debris. It came VERY close to his head. We finally made it home, and Big D was set to put on our new Mustang seat that he bought from Craigslist that day. Apparently, a Wide-Glide Dyna seat doesn't fit a regular Dyna. Never fear, Big D had an idea. He put on this Badlander seat he had in the garage. Hmmmm...this was not good. This was equivalent to riding on the bare fender for me. Big D thought it would be helpful because it had softer edges than the other seat we had. Not so much. My ass still hurts and we've been back for more than 24 hours. Time to find a new seat. Riding up to Mormon Lake on Friday morning was incredible! Once we got out of the valley and the heat, it was a gorgeous ride. We stopped in Pine at the Sidewinder for bloody marys and in Happy Jack for lunch. After eating a great lunch, we walked outside to get ready to roll to Mormon Lake, when we saw a terrible accident. A bike was turning right into the Happy Jack campground (where we were) and the bike behind him smacked right into him. I don't think he ever hit his brakes. We just heard a loud crash. Biker #1, who was hit from behind was ok. Biker #2 (Billy), who did the hitting, wasn't. He was conscious, but he was air-lifted out to an area hospital. It just so happened that one of Billy's friends was in our group. We got an update on Saturday that Billy was in ICU with 4 cracked ribs and a punctured lung, and was having a tough time. Prayers for Billy, please. So, after we knew the accident scene was being handled and we were no longer needed, we got back on the road to get our campsite secured. It's first-come, first-served at Too Broke. Once we started getting set up at camp, the beer started flowing. We walked around, checked out the vendors and drank. This is when I realized that the front door of our tent was set up on top of an ant hill. Uh-oh. I grabbed my Deep Woods Off and began spraying. After killing most of the ants, I sprayed the Off in a big semi-circle to make a perimeter around our tent opening. That kept the ants away all weekend! Big D and I went to dinner at the Mormon Lake Lodge restaurant on Friday night, where I had my very first Buffalo Burger. It was AWESOME!! I wanted another one before we left, but it didn't work out. After dinner, we hit the general store for some necessities, and headed back to camp. We were just in time for the Miss Too Broke contest! It was nice to see a 'real' woman win the contest instead of some skinny little bitch with fake boobs. Congrats to Joann for winning! Linda and Raven from our group both entered the contest, but it wasn't in the cards for them this year. Better luck in 2010. :) After the Miss Too Broke contest, things get a little fuzzy for me. Big D took pics of the tattoo contest. There was a band. I think they were good. I remember the guy with the Boob-O-Meter. And the beads, too. :) I'm not sure I recall getting back to our tent Friday night, but I know I woke up there, and my boots were off, so I was good! Thanks to the good folks of the CMA that camped right next to us. They were up at the crack of dawn making breakfast burritos and serving coffee to anyone who wanted it! They can camp next to me ANYTIME!!! More memories and a great slideshow in the next post. I will say that I don't recall much of Saturday night, but the day was fun! That's the problem when you start drinking at 10:30 a.m.

Things I Learned at Too Broke For Sturgis

2009-07-27T04:33:00.004-07:00

Our weekend at Too Broke For Sturgis was a total blast. We had a great time, and have some really great pictures, which I will put up later. Right now, I would like to share some things that I learned this weekend:

When you buy a Mustang seat from Craigslist, make sure it fits the bike first. :(
Badlander seats cause undue amounts of pain in the region below the waist.
Not all pasties are created equal. :)
Jose Cuervo Especial and Jack Daniels DO NOT mix.
Tents are easier to put up if you read the directions first.
Deep Woods Off will kill ants on the ground...and keep them away from your tent all weekend.
Aspirin is necessary when camping.
Watching a motorcycle accident happen right in front of your eyes makes for a very nervous passenger.
Porta-pottys are NASTY.
A cold shower after a long day of riding really is priceless.
Pinstriping can really change the look of your bike. :)

Some Randomness

2009-07-22T04:59:00.006-07:00

I haven't had a lot of time to post, lately. I've been extremely busy with school, work, etc. All my hard work paid off, though. I got an A in the first math class I've taken in more than 20 years! I'm still scratching my head over that! That was Algebra I. Last night, I started Algebra II. So for the next 5 weeks I'll be struggling with polynomials and exponents. Yeah, good times. Road Captain commented on the "My Hometown" post that his parents lived in my hometown, not very far from where I grew up. I wonder if I knew them. Or if my parents did. Small world. Seems like Joker is too busy to even leave comments for us bloggers, lately. That sucks. I wonder if he's getting ready for his trip to Sturgis? I wonder if he'll comment on this post? We're getting ready for Too Broke for Sturgis this weekend. We are scheduled to leave Friday at 7:00 a.m. It will be a beautiful ride up north, as we are going the back way, not on I-17. We're lucky enough to be riding with a group that has a chase vehicle and a trailer, so I am bringing our stuff to Linda's house tomorrow night to be loaded into the chase vehicle Friday morning. We'll be partying like rock stars all weekend...I cannot wait! I promise to take plenty of pics. For those of you that aren't in the know...my 11-year-old daughter took her first cross-country flight by herself last week. She's flown with me and Big D since she was 2, but this is the first time she did it alone. She's visiting her big sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in VA. She was a little nervous, but she did fine. There was a layover, and she actually slept from Detroit to VA! She's been to the beach, they are going to Water Country, and maybe Busch Gardens. She'll be back next week, and I can't wait. I really miss her! Our kitty, Springer is a noisy little shit. I think he's part Siamese. He meows a lot...and he's LOUD! I also think he's missing Vicki...she's been with him 24/7 since we got him. Finally, here are some ads I read about online somewhere. The headline was 'Ads the Celebs Don't Want You To See. Some are amusing, others stupid. Enjoy!

My Hometown

2009-07-15T19:07:00.005-07:00

I always thought my hometown was cool. Big D called it snobby. And truth be told, a lot of snobby people do live there. But I wasn't one of them. Well apparently Money Magazine thought my hometown was pretty cool, too. So cool, in fact, that they made it #37 of their 100 Best Places to Live 2009! "A bedroom community of Boston with unemployment lower than the national average, Easton has a classic New England downtown that quickly yields to farmland." Yes, they do have quite a bit of farmland! And beautiful open fields, ponds, woods, etc. I grew up outdoors. No sitting around watching TV all day unless you were sick! I saw the article this morning, and it made me a little homesick. I always get a little homesick when it's 115° out. I would like nothing better than to be sitting on the beach on Cape Cod right now. At least I never got heat stroke there. But that's another blog for another day. I'm just so proud of my little hometown, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Sturgis? No. Too Broke? Yes.

2009-07-12T18:16:00.003-07:00

Now you may be thinking the title of this post means we are too broke to go to Sturgis this year, and that is, in part, true. I also can't take the time off from work, so the money doesn't even come into play. The title of this post, however, refers to ABATE of AZ's 18th annual Too Broke For Sturgis Rally. Up in the pines of northern Arizona at Mormon Lake, this is the rally of the year in AZ. Today, while enjoying a few of my favorite libations with our BACA crew, we were invited by Linda Dahl at Quick Throttle to ride up to TBFS with her group, and a trailer will be taking our gear up the night before we leave. How cool is that? It took all of 3 seconds for Linda to convince us all to go. Thank you, Linda! So, now I extend the invitation for those who cannot make it to Sturgis this year, and you know who you all are...come party with us at Too Broke!!! :) Here are the really important details (in case you can't click on the link!): When: Friday, July 24th - Sunday, July 26th How much: $30/per person FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND! So, anyone up for a trip?? Let us know!

Every Story Has a Moral

2009-07-10T04:46:00.004-07:00

I received this email yesterday from my friend Bev in Rhode Island. She usually doesn't send jokes, so I knew it had to be really good. It is. True story, I was happy. My girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married. My parents helped us in every way, my friends encouraged me, and my girlfriend? She was a dream! There was only one thing bothering me, very much indeed, and that one thing was her younger sister. My prospective sister-in-law was twenty years of age, wore tight mini skirts and low cut blouses. She would regularly bend down when near me and I got many a pleasant view of her underwear. It had to be deliberate. She never did it when she was near anyone else. One day little sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived. She whispered to me that soon I was to be married, and she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome and didn't really want to overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister. I was in total shock and couldn't say a word. She said, "I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want to go ahead with it just come up and get me." I was stunned. I was frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top she pulled down her panties and threw them down the stairs at me. I stood there for a moment, then turned and went straight to the front door. I opened the door and stepped out of the house. I walked straight towards my car. My future father-in-law was standing outside. With tears in his eyes he hugged me and said, "We are very happy that you have passed our little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family." The moral of this story is...

"Always keep your condoms in your car."

In My Pocket

2009-07-08T05:04:00.001-07:00

I have memories in my pocket.They rattle among the change. My memories of you are treasures I carry wherever I go. They are stored in bits and pieces, parts of a beautiful whole. They give me comfort when I think I am alone. Yes, I have memories in my pocket, like so much other stuff I keep there. But of all the treasures I have, it’s the memories of you that are the most precious.

4th of July Party Detail

2009-07-06T05:26:00.002-07:00

Usually, what happens at our parties, stays at our parties. But I do have a short little story to tell, just because it was so damned funny! I don't know what time it was, but it was pretty dark out. Big D and a few others were in the hot tub, and Big D says, "Watch this...it's my James Bond move." The next thing everyone heard was a very loud "THUNK!" Jeff said, "Was that Caveman?!" I ran over to see what had happened, and there's Big D, sitting on the cover of the hot tub, which is on the ground. WTF?! Of all the times I didn't have my camera at hand! He looked like a little kid wondering what the hell gravity was!!!!! LMFAO!!! Once I realized there were no injuries, I couldn't stop laughing. I think Sarah and I laughed for an hour. My stomach still hurts from laughing. James Bond move, indeed! I still don't know what he was trying to do, but I doubt he accomplished it! Hope you all had a happy 4th!

How To Tell The Sex of a Bird

2009-07-05T15:19:00.003-07:00

Until now I never fully understood how to tell the difference between male and female birds. I always thought it had to be determined surgically. Until now. Below are two birds. Study them closely...see if you can spot which of the two is the female. It can be done. Even by one with limited bird watching skills..

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-04T08:19:00.008-07:00

Today is our nation's 233rd birthday. In honor of this birthday, we will be celebrating our independence! I hope you will be, too. During your celebrations this weekend, please do not forget the reason you are celebrating. It's not just another day off from work, people! Here are a few images to remind you...

My Luck Keeps On Keepin' On

2009-07-03T05:56:00.003-07:00

Since I won the grand prize at the Rumble on Rt 66, and the stuffed HD piggy, and the carriage ride, it seems my luck has been on a roll! I won an iPod Shuffle at work this week for being runner-up in a contest to name our new company intranet. That was pretty cool! Then yesterday, I got a call from someone in our HR dept. Apparently the name I chose (that won me the Shuffle) is the name HR chose to go with for their new benefits website. So they will be giving me some sort of prize for that, too! How cool is that?! I guess I should shut up and go play the Powerball now, huh?

Technical Difficulties

2009-07-03T05:54:00.002-07:00

I very much want to post Day 3 of our trip, but I am having some difficulties with the video I captured of part of the trip. Once I get that figured out, I will post. Sorry for the delay, but the video is definitely worth it. :)

Taking the Road Less Traveled: Day 2

2009-06-28T07:37:00.011-07:00

Before I begin my tale of day 2, I would like to know where the hell is Joker?! No posts for nearly a week, no comments, no emails, nothing! I'm a little concerned about the abrupt absence of our friend in MA, and I'm just putting out the APB on him now. Joker, send us a friggin' smoke signal or something, will ya?! And now, back to our regularly scheduled program... Day 2 in Williams began early for me. I was up at 6:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. So I hit the shower and got ready for the day. I began my attempts to wake Big D at 7:30. At about 7:45, I called BB to see if they were up. I figured since they didn't get into town until 2:00 a.m., if they didn't want to do the run, we would just stay behind with them and hang out. No worries there, as BB answered all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; ready to go! I was most impressed with our Cali counterparts' stamina! BB still had some getting ready to do, so I took a walk to the little pancake shop in front of our hotel and got coffee for me and Big D. I finally lured him out of his slumber with a nice hot cup of joe. Once he was ready, we strolled down to room 10 to finally meet our friends. I remember walking across the parking lot, seeing WillyD outside and saying, "It's WillyD!" The rest is history (that I will document for you here.) :) Let me back up a minute, here. AZHD called me at 8:00 a.m. and said he and Linda were at a breakfast place across from his hotel (next door to ours) and the food was great. I told him to go ahead and eat, because Big D wasn't cooperating with me on getting his ass out of bed. Once we met up with BB, Dave and WillyD, we headed to the restaurant for brekkie. AZHD and Linda came over to meet our Cali friends, and they were headed off to register for the Rumble. Breakfast was great. Our waitress looked about 107 years old, but she was a seasoned old bird; never wrote down our orders and got them right! At breakfast, Dave gave me the 'penis talk'. Apparently, when he called us the night before, he said something about having his head up his ass. Because I had enjoyed many glasses of my favorite libation, I responded, "That's because you have a penis." He laughed and it was all good. But apparently the word 'penis' ruffled Dave's feathers. I thought that was ridiculous and told him so. Then I called him a penis. :) When he just laughed at me, I knew I had made a friend for life. After breakfast, we headed over to the starting point for the Rumble. Dave, BB and WillyD still had to register. Since we were early, we decided to walk around and check out the vendors. This is where Big D first had his parts frozen. He noticed the bike had not been running great, and anticipated having issues in the higher elevations we were headed to on the run. He purchased some cryogenically treated spark plugs from the inventor, had them installed, patted and caressed the bike and paid the nice man for the plugs. I need to say that I thought this was all BS. Big D had his doubts, too. But these plugs made a HUGE difference immediately! I will let Big D get into all that on his forum, but the difference was so immense that I had to mention it here. Soon after the plug installation, it was time to roll out. We were escorted by the Williams PD around the town of Williams on The Mother Road, and then our escort rolled aside and off we went. Well, we all stopped for gas, and caught up the rest of the riders later. Stop 1 was the Double Eagle Trading post about 20 miles south of the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Right before we spotted stop 1, we went to a gas station and took pictures with the buffalo. I think this was Dave's favorite stop. The buffalo love you long time, Dave. ;)

Stop 2 was Ski Lift Lodge at Arizona Snow Bowl. On the way to stop 2 we encountered a little rain, but nothing too bad. It was damned cold, though! And at 9,000 feet, everyone's bikes were running like crap, except ours, with the frozen plugs. We had lunch at stop 2 and watched the rain while we ate. AZHD and Dave both left their cameras outside in the rain, but they seemed to be ok. Dave dryed our seats with his ShamWow. My seat had two little puddles on it, and it would have looked like eyeballs on my ass if he hadn't dryed it for me. Thanks, Dave. I had enough eyeballs on my ass later that night. :) Stop 3 was Grand Canyon HD in Bellemont. We were happy to be out of the higher elevations, and into the slightly warmer weather. I did purchase gloves, because my hands were numb and my gloves were in Phoenix. Who needs gloves in Arizona in June, right?! Before we headed out to stop 4, AZHD told us which exit to take. Big D and I were in the lead, and took the exit to go back to Williams and everyone followed us. Once back at the start/end of the Rumble, AZHD and Linda took a ride to see if they could find stop 4. They did, so we all took a quick ride over to get our cards signed. We had come all this way, and I couldn't justify not going to that stop, especially when it was so close. It was Williams Motorsports, and the guy at the shop was pretty cool. He talked to the menfolk about motors and oil, etc. When we left Stop 4, Big D said he needed a nap. So he went back to the room, and I rode with WillyD to the start/end point. We put in our cards for the drawing and stayed for the raffle and biker games. It was funny to watch this local guy with a big ol' green bagger trying to win these games. He kept riding into the hay bales! The town of Williams offered up free beer for everyone, we just had to stay in the parking lot. I thought that was pretty nice of them! When you register for the Rumble, you don't pay any money. You just have to donate a motorcycle-related item for the raffle. We dontated a couple of HD t-shirts, found on clearance. They were easy to pack. :) I won a stuffed HD piggy, with a leather vest and hat on. He's adorable. :) BB won a black baseball cap with HD in blue rhinestones. It looked cute on her. And Dave won some HD book. The assistant police chief told him it was perfect for him, because it had lots of pictures! LMAO! He also said that BB and Dave weren't eligible to win, as they were not American citizens; they were from the People's Republic of California. LOL!!!! After the raffle, we headed over to the hotel to take naps. Big D was up and ready to roll, but we were all done. Big D decided that another hour of beauty sleep wouldn't kill him, so we all napped for about an hour. Without that nap, I wouldn't have made it past 10:00 p.m. After our naps, we rode to Wild West Junction, because the raffle was going to be at 7:00 p.m. We figured we could eat after that. Not that I EVER win ANYTHING, but there was a slight chance. AZHD and Linda were at the steakhouse for dinner, and said they would be at WWJ shortly. So we saved seats for them at our table. BB and I listened to the music while Dave, WillyD and Big D went out front to watch the staged gun fight. Then the raffle started. Things would never be the same after this raffle. They called 3 names for the grand prize, and nobody was there to accept it! Then they called my name!!! I said, "Really?!" I won the grand prize: a $100 gift card to Grand Canyon HD!! As I stated before, I NEVER win ANYTHING! And I had already won the HD pig earlier! :) Then they started calling names for other prizes. I had put my name on Big D's card (good thing I did, because he was watching the gun fight!) and they called my name again! I had won a horse and carriage ride in Williams. BTW...I think Dave & BB brought it home with them. By the end of the raffle, they had called all of our names, except WillyD. When they called AZHD's name, nobody thought quickly enough to go accept his prize. Sorry! So the next name they called was the guy sitting next to BB. Everyone that won something was sitting at our table! There was only one guy that wasn't sitting at our table that won something. This is when Dave came over to me and said, "I'm getting some dirty looks from the locals." To which I replied, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke!" AZHD and Linda recommended the steak house for dinner, so we walked over. AZHD and Linda stayed at WWJ and saved our seats. Dinner at Rod's Steak House was EXCELLENT!!! Everything was perfect! We were getting some pretty strange looks from the locals in there, too. Mostly from the prim and proper old ladies, who didn't appreciate us biker types dirtying up their town. Whatev. After dinner, we met back up with AZHD and Linda. They had walked to WWJ, so we rode back to the hotel to drop off the bikes. We would meet them at the Sultana bar. We did a lot of dancing and drinking. And a whole lot of joking around. We even found a mini-buffalo that we had missed earlier! So we jumped a fence to have our pictures taken sitting on Mr. Mini-Buffalo, of course! It really was a great night. It was a late night, too. And we finally decided it was a long ride to Phoenix on Sunday, so we hit the hotel and savored the memories of our day in slumber.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Next up: Day 3, and our (mostly) BEAUTIFUL ride home! A video of part of our trip to Phoenix will be included in the next post.

Taking the Road Less Traveled: Day 1

2009-06-24T21:35:00.007-07:00

Our Williams weekend getaway was fabulous, fantastic, superb, spectacular and just plain fun! Aside from a little sunburn, rain and leg cramps, it was the perfect weekend! Friday afternoon we had a beautiful ride all the way up to Flagstaff, then got caught in a downpour. We had to stop at a Big 5 Sporting Goods to get Big D a sweatshirt, as we didn't see a need for our heavy leathers in Arizona in June. Mistake #1. Once we made it to Williams, the weather had cleared, but it was still a bit cool. We stopped at the rally point across from Wild West Junction on Old Rt 66 and registered for the next day's ride. While registering for the ride, we met the Assistant Police Chief of Williams, who Big D got along with famously. We chatted with him for a while, checked out each other's bikes and then decided we should find our hotel. We came to a stop sign and spotted AZ Harley Dude to our right. We pulled off and he pointed us in the direction of our hotel. It wasn't the best, but I've stayed in worse for $60/night. After checking in, we met up with AZ HD and his friend Linda at Wild West Junction. We had a few drinks and some chow and enjoyed the live band. After this point, Friday night gets a little fuzzy for me. I know we found lots of animal statues and sat on them for pictures. Cows, bears, etc. I do recall that we dropped the bikes at our hotels and walked to the Sultana Bar. There we found a HUGE stuffed moose head hanging over the door. By this time, I was obsessed with all the animals in this town, and I wanted to climb up onto the moose. Paul dared me, and said he'd give me 10 fingers. That was all it took! We walked up to the moose, and the door man actually gave us his barstool once he found out what we were up to! I have to say this was the coolest bar I have been to in a long time. Lots of friendly people and the staff was very attentive. Friday night they had a band, and Saturday night they had a DJ. A man approached Big D in the Sultana and offered to draw his picture in chalk. We asked to see some of his work, and it was pretty good, so Big D sat for 20 minutes for this guy. Let me tell you, the pic he drew was incredible! But I'll let you all be the judge: After that, we decided to hit another bar: The Canyon Club. This was a good little bar, but the karaoke guy had his sound system so loud that the bar was getting noise complaints. It was barely tolerable to sit in there with it being so loud. So, needless to say, we didn't stay long. Sometime between dinner and the two bars, we got a call from BB. They had called earlier to tell us they had been waylaid. Now she tells me they are 300 miles out. I think this was around 8:00. We thought they would be there around midnight, so Big D and I decided to wait up for them to arrive. After leaving The Canyon Club, AZ HD and Linda had called it a night, and I went back to the Sultana for a few more with my love. After more than a few more, we decided to start walking back to the hotel. After riding all day, and enjoying my favorite libations all night, I was beat. While walking back to the hotel, we got a call from Dave. They wouldn't be there for a few more hours. They were riding in 90mph winds and stopping frequently. I think Dave said something about having his head up his ass, but I'm not clear on the conversation. All I know is I used the word 'penis' and I got 'a good talking to' from Dave the next morning at breakfast about it! LOL! Up next: Day 2 and the Rumble on Rt 66. Stay tuned! The next post will have a picture slideshow, too. :)

There's Only One Thing Left To Do...

2009-06-19T05:23:00.006-07:00

The kid is at the sitter, the cat has food & water, the dogs will be taken care of, the house is clean (relatively speaking), the bags are packed and we're ready to Rumble! So, now, there's only one thing left to do...

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Redneck Tank Top

2009-06-17T05:00:00.002-07:00

This is NEVER a good idea!

Williams Update

2009-06-15T06:19:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update here. I don't have time for more, or I'll be late for work. :) Annabelle will not be making the trip to Williams with us. Her motor is ready, but Big D won't have time to put her all back together for the trip. And we don't want a repeat of the 'Big D: Unplugged - Ride to Yuma'. ;) Then what will we be riding, you ask? Well, that has not yet been decided. We've got a few options, some I like better than others. We'll make a decision by Wednesday. Then maybe I'll update this post. :) 4 days and counting!!

The Lie Detector

2009-06-12T05:36:00.003-07:00

John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmicks. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change. One day John came home with another one of his unusual purchases. It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector. It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 11 year old son, returned home from school. Tommy was over 2 hours late. "Where have you been? Why are you over 2 hours late getting home?" asked John. "Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project," said Tommy. The robot walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair. "Son," said John, "this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you really were after school." "We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie." said Tommy. "What did you watch?" asked Marsha. "The Ten Commandments." answered Tommy. The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair. With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called Sex Queen." "I am ashamed of you son," said John. "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents." The robot walked around to John and delivered a whack that nearly knocked him out of his chair. Marsha doubled over in laughter, almost in tears and said, "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son!" The robot walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair.

Who Cares? I'm Going to Williams!

2009-06-11T04:29:00.006-07:00

I had many interesting comments on my post about the flying trike. Some thought it was cool, most thought it shouldn't be classified as any kind of motorcycle, and I'd have to agree with that. WillyD wants me to crack the whip on Big D. (Doesn't he know I already do that on a daily basis?)

The absolute best comment was from BB. "Who cares? I'm going to Arizona!" I had to laugh when I read that comment and here's why:

Yesterday, a co-worker of mine was telling me about some all-day meeting we received invitations to attend on next Friday, the 19th. This co-worker started to ramble a bit, so I finally said, "Who cares? I'm going to Williams!"

BB, yes, I can tell you're all excited. I am just as excited if not more. I finally get to meet one of my sisters from another mother! Woo-hoo!!!Some good things are happening for us, lately, and things just seem to be turning around. Finally!

I cannot wait to meet BB, Dave and WillyD! And BTW, WillyD, I'm not sure if Dave told you, but I will be calling you WillyD all weekend. ;)

T-minus 8 days and counting! I cannot wait!

Flying Trike

2009-06-10T04:32:00.004-07:00

I saw this article in Biker Information Guide online. The title is Flying Motorcycle to Soar in 2010. But it's not a motorcycle, it's a trike. And IMO, it's not very appealing. I wonder if it will really fly?

Biker/Hillbilly Wedding

2009-06-06T06:38:00.004-07:00

Our very good friends Mike & Sarah were married about a month ago. It was a real hillbilly wedding, held out in the desert. The reverend Big D officiated. My darling Vicki was a flower girl. The reverend, groom, and groomsmen rode down the aisle on motorcycles. The plan was for the bride to ride a horse down the aisle, but that plan was nixed at the last minute. It was about 108°F that day, and there was little to no shade where the ceremony was held. The reception was held at Sarah's sister's house, and it was really nice. Everyone brought their bathing suits and enjoyed her pool all afternoon. And the beer was flowing. :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome to the World Madelyn!

2009-06-05T05:33:00.005-07:00

I'm a little late with this post, but better late than never.

On May 29th at 12:30 a.m. Madelyn Duncan was born! She weighed in at 5 lbs 11 oz and was 18 inches long. Both Mom and Baby are doing fine.

Congratulations Lisa/Molly and Justin! Madelyn is gorgeous!

The '09 Rumble - It's On!!!

2009-05-28T19:20:00.007-07:00

On Tuesday I posted a video showing some of last year's Rumble on Route 66 because it looked really cool. I mentioned that if Annabelle was going to be up and running in time, I would love to go up to the Rumble. Then I got comments from Dave, Willy D, and BB about coming out to AZ for this run. I'd like to take a moment and address those three personally here: Dave: Poor, broke dumb-asses...that's what you called yourself...is ALL I hang out with, so you're more than welcome. In fact, we'd love to have you here! WillyD: You are a champion of a friend, offering to kick Dave in the ass to help him get out here. :) BB: You said that Dave & WillyD can only come out on one condition, that you come too. That goes without question, as you are their ticket in, baby! :) And you also said there was a 75% chance that you guys would all be coming out for this run. WillyD just upped it to an 87.036% chance. So I guess it's looking good. The update on Annabelle, if I may be so bold, is that she should be up and running in a week or two at the most. So we won't be plugging in the regulator (or not) just before we leave for Williams. :) I'm not sure if we're getting a room or camping yet, but either way it will be pretty cheap. This year, there is a $10/person entry fee for the whole weekend, which isn't bad at all, and everyone has to bring a 'biker-themed' item for the raffle. Here is the flyer for the event. Registration is on-site Friday Noon - 7:00pm and Saturday 8am - 2pm. If anyone else wants to meet up in Peoria and ride up with us, let us know!

Blog Award from LadyR

2009-05-28T05:18:00.008-07:00

A few days ago, LadyR over at Glider Rider bestowed this blogger award upon me. I am greatful that mine was one of the eight blogs she picked. Thanks, LadyR!

I'd like to thank my parents, sisters, husband, friends, Aunt Edna, etc. I couldn't have acheived this award without your support... :) "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

And here are the eight blogs that I have chosen to receive this award:

1. Dr. Wrench: WillyD always keeps us laughing, and intrigues us with his 'Guess the Tool' posts.

2. Iowa Harley Girl: With her interesting interviews and insightful posts, Steph gives us some perspective from one who rides on the back.

3. Arizona Harley Dude: Paul gives us great ride reports, and reading about his adventures with Petunia and the Pig are always entertaining.

4. KT Did: Here's a woman rider who has a great big heart. She's always doing charity events and rides.

5. Musings of a Contemplative Biker: Dean D-Day is a true 'Soul Rider' and some of his posts are quite insightful.

6. Baron's Life: This guy is my favorite Canuck! You can find some great bike info on his blog, and the jokes are always good.

7. Look for the Brighter Side: Paula always has great posts about her kids. I enjoy her outlook on life.

8. Fasthair: From tech tips to ride reports, Fasthair keeps us up to date on the latest.

Well, there are my eight...I hate that I could only pick eight. If you haven't checked out any of these blogs, I suggest you do. They are all great reads.

Rumble on Route 66

2009-05-26T05:33:00.003-07:00

The Rumble on Route 66 in Williams, AZ is coming up next month. There are no fees, you just need to bring a biker-related product to donate. These products then become the raffle items. Ingenious, if you ask me. This is a weekend event from 6/19 - 6/21. If Annabelle is up and running by next month, I would love to go on this run. It's a beautiful ride from Phoenix up to Williams. Riding in the cool pines of Northern AZ is always a treat in the summertime. There will be live bands playing on Friday and Saturday nights. There will be a biker swap meet on Saturday. And a beautiful ride from Williams, to the Grand Canyon, to Grand Canyon HD, the San Francisco Peaks, and back to Willams again. Sounds like the perfect weekend. Here's a short video of last year's event. I love the slow drags. :)

In Memoriam

2009-05-25T09:41:00.004-07:00

A Few Pics From The Last Month or So

2009-05-23T08:34:00.006-07:00

It has been a very trying month, but there have been some good times, too. I'm choosing to concentrate on those for now. Our trip to Massachusetts in April was a sad occasion, as most of you know. But during that trip there were some surprises such as a bit of wild turkey, a squirrel and someone wearing Big D's vest. Right after we got back from our sad trip to Massachusetts, we had to go to Yuma for BACA's annual 100-mile-ride. I didn't really want to go, but knew we had to. It turned out to be a great trip, even though we had to take the cage. After returning from Yuma, we added a new member to our family. His name is Springer and he's the cutest. He's only 7 weeks old, but he's a little shit already! I hope you all enjoy the pictures. The music is not my usual choice, but it stirred something in me. If you don't like it, turn down your volume.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Seriously?

2009-05-18T05:19:00.002-07:00

Big D told me last night that I should post something. (Seriously?) I have been lurking and commenting for a month now, and apparently he's getting impatient. I really have no interest in posting anything just now. I do have some future posts coming. We went to a Hillbilly wedding this Saturday, and Reverend Big D officiated. I'm waiting to get pics for that one, as you won't believe it happened without the pictures. We missed a BACA event to attend the wedding. It was a poker run, and I heard it turned out well. Since it got hot so early this year, I'm not really looking forward to riding anywhere, and it's a good thing, as Annabelle is all tore-up for now. It's going to be 107°F in the desert southwest today. We're flirting with a record high. I'm back in school now, and not even motivated for it. I probably should have extended my leave, but if I did I might not have gone back at all. So excuse me for not being real motivated to post anything. I'm working on it.

The Chick Bike

2009-05-06T19:52:00.005-07:00

Usually I hear guys call Sportsters 'Chick Bikes'. Now we all know this is bullshit, right? Well, I received an interesting email from my crazy friend Savina in Massachusetts today. She sent me pictures of a TRUE 'Chick Bike'. Check it out... Now that's a 'Chick Bike'!

Here I Am...

2009-04-30T05:34:00.002-07:00

I'm here, but I don't have much to say right now. I'll be commenting here and there, but I don't want to post something just to post something, you know? We have a few events coming up over the next few weeks, and I have pictures from our Yuma trip that I'd like to post for you. I'll see if I can get my ass in gear and do that, at least. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm around, just taking some time to reflect. Ride safe.

BACA 2nd Annual 100 Mile Ride

2009-04-24T05:44:00.004-07:00

BACA's 2nd annual 100 mile ride is tomorrow in Yuma, AZ. We're heading down late this afternoon and staying the weekend. I know it's short notice, but we'd love to see some of you Cali folks out there, if you can make it. My ass is not looking forward to the weekend, though. We're riding to Yuma tonight, doing 100+ miles tomorrow, then riding home on Sunday. I'll be sure to pack my Advil. :) Here's a short video from the BACA website. I love it, because it shocks people. I used it in a presentation for school to show that things really aren't always as they seem.

Waiting...

2009-04-23T18:07:00.005-07:00

Thank the powers-that-be for electronic flight tracking! I want my hubby back home! He'll be here soon...

Making The Most of a Bad Trip

2009-04-22T05:18:00.007-07:00

I won't get into all the details of my trip back east here, but I will say that after being married to my wonderful husband of nearly 12 years that he knows exactly how to help me do anything. He knows exactly what my needs are at all times, and he knows exactly how to soothe my soul.

A trip to Massachusetts would not be complete without seeing Joker. Again, I won't go into details, but he made this trip easier on me in many ways, and is a true brother. He attended my mother's wake and funeral and I can't thank him enough for that. And I also can't thank him enough for my Blackstone Valley HOG sweatshirt!

A little side note here: Blackstone Bill, who has left comments on Joker's blog and is a member of Blackstone Valley HOG, asked me if Big D wanted a Blackstone sweatshirt (Joker only gave me one, and I wasn't giving it up.) So I told him he would love one. Now, I'm thinking that he's going to send us one, or something. Blackstone Bill takes off his Blackstone Valley sweatshirt and gives my husband the shirt off his back. The folks of Blackstone Valley HOG totally ROCK! They will literally give you the shirt off their backs! Thanks Blackstone Bill! And the folks at the Boneyard were top notch. What a great place to have a few beers and some grub.

I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments I received on my last post. You have no idea how those comments helped me through that most difficult time. My soul is still in the process of healing, but is definitely on the mend.

We had a couple of nice days (weather-wise) while we were back there, after all the necessary things were out of the way. So we decided that a ride was in order. (I really needed a ride.) We borrowed Joker's Grey Lady, and off we went with Joker, and our friend Savina, to the Boneyard. Where else?

Here are a couple of pics...

It was starting to get cold and rainy, so we left the BY after lunch and headed home. After a nice nap, we got into the cage and went back to the BY. It was a much-needed release after the hellacious week I had. And if you're ever at the BY...the Caramel Apple Martinis sound really good, but they're really SOUR. ;)

I also wanted to send a quick shout-out to all the folks of Blackstone Valley HOG: Blackstone Bill, Tracy & Fred (love that rim-job, Fred!), Sherry and others whos names escape me right now. These people were awesome. I hope I can see them all again someday. Not so much for Honda Jim and Ted (he has some self-proclaimed special talents).

One more thing...if I was EVER entertaining thoughts of moving back to my home state, this trip removed those thoughts. It was cold, damp or rainy the whole time. And wearing a helmet SUCKS!

My 451st Post - Bad News

2009-04-13T06:33:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment here. My mother passed away yesterday at 2:30 p.m. She was at home and surrounded by me and my sisters. It was a very peaceful passing, and now she is back together with Dad where she most wanted to be. I will be offline for a while, but I'll return soon. Love to all.

Belated Birthday Shout-Out!

2009-04-08T05:45:00.002-07:00

My grandson Jayden turned 1 on Saturday...I'm a bad Grandma! Happy birthday to may favorite 1-year-old baby boy!!!!

No Hiatus, Just Really Busy

2009-04-07T05:20:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm not actually taking a hiatus, but I won't be able to post or leave many comments for a while. I am starting a new class tonight, and this one is going to be a lot of work. More than the other classes I've taken. Between school and work, I'm busy enough, right? Nope! I thought I would add in a little trip home to see my family this weekend. Which means I need to do homework, laundry and my packing tomorrow night. Fun, fun! So, I'll be around, but I may be silent for a while. I'll post when I have a free moment.

When Bananas Go Bad

2009-04-04T11:53:00.002-07:00

I received this from my friend Savina in Massachusetts today. It gave me a chuckle, so I thought I would share it with you.

Thanks, Savina! See you next week! :)

I'm Feeling Random Again

2009-04-03T05:08:00.003-07:00

Staying true to the name of my blog, I have some random thoughts I'd like to share today. I have been through 6 classes at University of Phoenix. I got A's in all 6 classes. Now I start my core classes next week. I don't need A's, but they're nice to earn. Critical thinking is next. Being married to Big D will help me with this class, I'm sure. :) I hate getting up at O-dark:30 every morning, but I love how quiet and peaceful the house is at that hour. I joined a CardioFit class at work last month. I go every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for an hour. The instructor is evil, but it's working so well that I just joined for another month. My company pays for it, too. And thanks to this class, I can do a few push-ups, now. ;) I'm flying home next week to see my Mom. I love flying, but my ears are full of fluid. I have been on two rounds of antibiotics and the infection is gone, now I'm on steroid ear drops to try to get the fluid to drain. I hope it does, or landing will be a bitch. When we moved to AZ 9 years ago, cigarettes were about $3-something a pack. After all the state and federal tax hikes, as of this week they are about $7-something a pack. Closer to $8 than $7. That means a carton is somewhere in the neighborhood of $80. Big D and I will be quitting shortly, unless we hit the PowerBall. When I purchase tickets to fly home, if I can't get a non-stop flight, I have to fly through either Atlanta, GA, or Nashville, TN. Those airports have smoking lounges. This will soon be a thing of the past, too. I'm tired of politics. I know the country is going to hell in a handbasket, and I do care, I'm just tired of hearing the blow-by-blow on the news every night. Is this really news? Michelle Obama touched the Queen? Seriously? Just give me the real news, please! In Joker's comments, he replied to someone saying, "There is NO bullshitting of Ann." This is true. I have a very sensitive bullshit detector. I was born with it. Everytime I sniff out bullshit, my right arm goes up. And my right arm was FLYING HIGH when I read Joker's April 1 post! OK...that's enough randomness for today. Have a wonderful day! TGIF!! Ride safe!

Poor Dumb Bob

2009-04-02T05:24:00.002-07:00

Bob works hard at the office but spends two nights each week bowling, and plays golf every Saturday. His wife thinks he's pushing himself too hard, so for his birthday she takes him to a local strip club. The doorman at the club greets them and says, 'Hey, Bob! How ya doin?' His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before. 'Oh no,' says Bob. 'He's in my bowling league.' When they are seated, a waitress asks Bob if he'd like his usual and brings over a Budweiser. His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says, 'How did she know that you drink Budweiser?' 'I recognize her, she's the waitress from the golf club. I always have a Bud at the end of the 1st nine, honey.' A stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Bob, starts to rub herself all over him and says, 'Hi Bobby. Want your usual table dance, big boy?' Bob's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club. Bob follows and spots her getting into a cab. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her. Bob tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone else, but his wife is having none of it. She is screaming at him at the top of her lungs, calling him every 4 letter word in the book. The cabby turns around and says, 'Geez Bob, you picked up a real bitch this time.' Bob's funeral will be on Friday.

Annabelle is Running!!

2009-03-29T17:56:00.002-07:00

Annabelle is back up and running again! It was just a loose nut (not unlike the owner). I'm happy to announce that we will have a running bike to ride over to bike week events this year! Wooo-hooo!!!!!!!! BB and LadyR: You may now comment on Big D's blog post regarding the San Diego trip. He says he spent 11 hours writing it, and if he doesn't see a comment from both of you ladies in the next day or so, he is deleting the post! I think he's making a stand for biker's/writer's/men's rights, or some shit like that...lol!

Generation Y

2009-03-29T09:18:00.003-07:00

The Silent Generation... people born between 1925 and 1945. The Baby Boomers... people born between 1946 and 1964. Generation X... people born between 1965 and 1982. Generation Y... people born between 1983 and 1997. Why do we call the last group of people "Generation Y?" I had no idea until I saw this cartoon explanation!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Big D's Theme Song

2009-03-27T22:21:00.004-07:00

So, you'll forgive me for being frank. Well, I'm not really Frank...I'm just a little buzzed tonight. Even though Big D was NOT invited to my little drunk party...he showed up anyway! WTF? Bike has not been touched, and there he sat at my kitchen table like he owned it or something! Anyway, here is Big D's theme song...hope you all enjoy it! :) He's the man!

Arizona Bike Week

2009-03-26T07:14:00.003-07:00

Before I begin this post, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words and thoughts. Mom's surgery did not go as well as we first thought. She is expected to go home today, though, and she's very happy to be going home, anyway. Arizona Bike Week is a huge event. This year, it is March 27 - April 5. We have only attended bike week one year in the 9 years we've been out here. This is due to the fact that our bike has only been up and running during one bike week in te 9 years we've been out here. There's always some damn issue that prevents us from partaking in bike week activities. This year, I was looking forward to bike week because our bike has a brand new motor, and things are looking up! Woo-hoo! Right? Well, not so much. Annabelle started acting up on Big D's trip home from San Diego on Monday. She started making a racket, she's pissing out oil, and she needs a new peg. Today is Thursday, and Big D has not even looked at her yet! Hello?! WTF?! Can I get a mechanic in here, please?! Oh, that's right...I'm married to one!!! Big D has been so busy blogging about his trip that he has not been out to the garage yet. This is a problem. We volunteered to man the BACA booth next Saturday, 4/4. And before that, I'd like to take a cruise over to partake in some festivities. I will not go to bike week festivities in the dented ghetto Buick! Big D has a few folks waiting on him for some mechanical work, but they will have to wait. The AZhole Garage is temporarily closed until Annabelle is up and running. This even takes precedence over getting our jacuzzi going...which is very high on Big D's 'honey-do' list. Hopefully, my dear hubby will get the hint, get off the damned computer, get into the garage and get moving! :) There is no time to waste! And since it's been a tough couple of weeks, I am having people over Friday night so we can get our drunk on. Big D will not be a part of these festivities, as he will be busy in the garage. I will have pictures to post over the weekend, I'm sure. I hope you all have a lovely day. :)

Birthday Shout-Out!

2009-03-24T05:29:00.003-07:00

Today is my daughter Vicki's 11th birthday! It is also my sister Christine's birthday! With everything going on today, I didn't want to forget a big birthday shout-out to the two soul-sisters in the family! I love you both very much. Have a wonderful day!

Prayers are Welcome - UPDATED

2009-03-24T05:21:00.003-07:00

Those of you who know me know that 1. I am not big on organized religion, and 2. I am not a non-believer. That being said, I am not averse to praying when needed. So, I am not being a hypocrite when I say that prayers are welcome. Mom is having her heart surgery this morning, and I'm a bit worked-up about it. I'll be waiting to hear from my sisters on her condition after surgery while I'm at work today. It helps knowing she's at one of the best cardiac units in the world, at one of the best hospitals in Boston. Some of you know that she had made some decisions late last week that I respected, even if I didn't like them. When she spoke to her cardiologist yesterday, she changed her mind. I'm glad she did. I will keep you posted. Thank you for the prayers. Updated 10:15 p.m. March 24, 2009: Thanks to EVERYONE for your kind words, prayers and thoughts. Mom's surgery went well today, but we are still waiting a few days before we declare it a victory. For now, she's doing ok, but please keep the prayers coming. I will keep you all updated on her condition.