In Good Company

Motorcycle Update!

Our good friends Scott and Ginella (and Brave Sir Liam) were by last weekend. Scott and I took the opportunity to go out for a quick ride. My first official ride outside the confines of my neighborhood, actually. That was a really good time. Got to take in some great scenery and get a real sense for what it means to see the world from the back of a motorcycle. As a beginner it was pretty awesome to have someone to tool around with and get some experience with "real world" riding, especially stuff like getting a bug in the face at 50 mph.

It was also interesting (read: hilarious) putting the Savage side-by-side with a very customized '94 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy:

It can be hard to tell them apart at first but if you look very closely I'm sure you'll appreciate the subtle differences.

One final note: I observed that the Supertrapp muffler which the previous owner put on my bike has the interesting effect of staying in your head for a good hour after the bike is parked. Now I understand why there were empty earplug boxes in the saddlebags when I first got the thing.

Scott, if you're reading this, thanks for about the twentieth time. All kidding aside, it was a blast.

Fear of Motorcycles: CURED

Today I finished a weekend-long motorcycle rider training course and passed. I got my certificate this afternoon. All I need to do is get it to the DMV and I'll be licensed to ride a motorcycle.

To be totally honest, the course was a bit of an ass-kicking both physically and mentally. Well worth it, though. The stuff I learned in a single weekend will be invaluable as I get out there and start to gain some experience. I strongly recommend taking a rider training course to anyone considering getting into motorcycling.

I've always had respect for motorcyclists for making their way on the often less than hospitable roadways but now that respect has grown exponentially. Being a good rider means taking responsibility for your own safety, whether or not the dangers are the result of your own actions or the actions of others. When you think about it that's an awful lot to take on.

Anyway, I'm very happy to have conquered this beast and I can't wait to get out there.

IT'S ALIVE!

The motorcycle is running!

The smile, it stretches from ear to ear.

It turns out that the battery was the problem all along. The old one just wasn't holding a charge. After getting a new one with the wrong terminals I finally got some good advice and ended up with the right battery. One of the sealed ones. It was a little tough getting it into the compartment but a little coaxing solved that. Then there was the n00b mistake of not charging the new battery before trying to start the bike (oops).

Long story short, I charged it and installed it and not 20 minutes ago the Big Single was thumping in the driveway.

(Pssst! I even put it in gear and rode it a total of 12 feet for the first time! Don't tell anyone)

I'm extremely happy right now. Plus, my friend Scott is coming over to help look into my digital recording troubles this evening. Here's hoping we can ride the wave and solve that one, too.

Woohoo!

That was close...

Sorry about that little interruption, there. I kinda spaced out and forgot to pay my bill. The website renewal, I mean.

Yeah, I actually have to spend a little money to do this. Isn't that amusing?

How about some updates?

Kastle Tesla
Having no end of difficulties getting the studio running smoothly. A well-hidden and tenacious gremlin who goes by the name "Latency" has hidden itself somewhere along the signal path. I'm normally pretty tolerant of strays and squatters, but he (or she) has got him(or her)self wedged somewhere that makes bass notes happen an audible number of milliseconds after I play them. That's not good.

Anyone reading this who has any expertise in these matters please contact me. I've done a bunch of research and everything short of actually contacting technical support for any of the devices/applications involved to no avail. I just don't want to make that torturous call, so I'm panhandling instead. Spare some knowledge, buddy?

Life in General
I bought a bike battery. It had the wrong kind of terminals. I brought it back. That sucked. I tried to charge my old battery. It dripped fluid (presumably acid) from the little vent thing. Kinda cool, kinda not. Still haven't tried putting it back in the bike. Not so sure that's a good idea. Definitely don't want to blow anything up.

Anyone who knows anything about not exploding bike batteries, please contact me. Acid burns make for cool supervillains, to be sure, but I'm just not sure my overall attractiveness level can withstand a hit like that.

I'm just not having a very good run at making things work these days.

Oh, well. At least the website is operational again.

While I'm waiting for tater tots...

Tater tots. Real healthy eatin'.

Anyway.

Don't Go Gettin' All Pensive On Us Again
I'll try not to but I am thinking about something. It's communication-related. What I'm thinking of is that gap between who you really are and who people around you think you are. What do you think your friends say about you when you're not around? Do you give a shit? I honestly do. I worry about the things that get garbled on the trip from mouth to ear having (hopefully) passed through two brains along the way.

It's worth the extra effort to be understood. I don't wanna be that guy. Am I?

The Laboratory
The mixer is here. The POD is here. What's next is a FireWire adapter, bass d.i. box and Sonar. Not much else to say there. I play guitar a lot these days, owing to the bevy of delectable tones found within the POD. I'm a big fan. Line 6 has many detractors but I am not one of them. At least so far as this particular device is concerned.

The Risking Life and Limb Report
The bike's battery appears to be weakened to the point of being unable to turn the engine over more than once. Common problem and an easy fix. I'm going to throw a new one in there and should be good to go. Good news is that the bike is all registered. I'm looking to buy a helmet and jacket now so I can get my newbie ass on the road to figure out how not to crash. I've gotten offers to help me on that front which I will be gladly accepting.

Movie Review(s)
'The Invisible' was shit. Don't waste your precious time or your hard-earned money. 'Hot Fuzz' was reasonably funny, getting much better toward the end.

Tots are done! Have a good one!

HUUUUUUUUUUUGE Birthday News

MY WIFE GOT ME A MOTORCYCLE!!! WOOHOO!!!

1997 Suzuki Savage LS 650!!! Pictures coming soon!!!

My wife RULES!!!

Addendum: Here's a pic from the listing. Not the most flattering shot but I'll get some more after I've had a chance to clean & polish it.

Now all I have to do is learn to ride the thing.