I lied

(Don McClean--Castles in the Air)
I havent gone to bed. Ive reached that marvelous plateau when sleep seems pointless and the second wind of insomnia takes wing. Besides, Ill just apnea myself through 9 hours of nonrestful snoozing anyway. So, another post of bunk....and throughout this post, I'll be inserting songs Im currently listening to.

Lubbock has a strange obsession with Buddy Holly. I understand that he came from here and that he pretty much inspired the proginators (I KNOW thats spelled wrong) of rock and roll, but Lubbock has alot more going for it than just being the Home of Buddy Holly. Several schools, including Texas Tech and my new digs Lubbock Christian, the vast, blue West Texas sky, lots of snotty young spoiled girls who give you funny looks...well, okay, not that one. Just figured Id through that one in for balance.
(Ministry--Just One Fix)

I really suck at saving money. Even when I dont have any money at all, I manage to spend some. Truly amazing. Of course, this is an offshoot of other self control issues I have, but I need to get my keister to an accounting class or something similar. Or marry a girl that has financial skills. Opposites attract and all that.

(IRON MAIDEN--Quest for Fire)
Speaking of Maiden, my dad, mom, brother, myself, and some other folks drove to Albuquerque the weekend I moved all my crap to Lubbock (long story--I was still in my apartment in Dallas for another week, but all my stuff was in my apartment in Lubbock. Serious hassle, but a necessary hurdle). Let me just say that Iron Maiden put on the best show in the history of mankind. They even put on a better show than Rush did last August, which is saying alot because Rush blew my socks off. The concert was totally worth the 8 hour round trip and week of crushing fatigue. Maiden doesnt come around every week, ya know.

(Kansas--Black Fathom 4)
My sister is 8 months pregnant and I cant wait to be an uncle. The kid is going to be completely spoiled (being the first grandchild on both sides of the family) but thats all good. Ive already laid claim to the Crazy Uncle title. They can come visit me in my concrete bunker in the depths of the Texas wilderness. Buwhwhahaha....

(Dream Theater--Raise the Knife)
and for the record, It hasnt taken me forever to write this. I just skip tracks alot--much to the chagrin of anyone that rides in my truck.

Observing the Ebb and Flow of Mankind

...because there is nothing else to do right now. Im waiting on my job at Brinks to finish my background check, and in the meantime, Ive been working on my motorcycle, exercising, not exercising, sitting on my butt, watching lame shows on TV, sitting on my butt some more....I dub myself Lethargy.

On the other hand, after 2 strenuous years of internal strife and upset at the morbid hands of corporate America, its nice to do nothing. I actually dont want to work (surprise, I know thats unique) but the majority of my thinking mind is losing it doing nothing.

The worst part of doing nothing all day is the creeping sensation of mental decrepancy. I cant even conjure any good thoughts up. Idle mind is the Devil's playground--definitely a true and pertinent statement.

I guess I'll go to bed now...its 4 in the morning. Harumph. Nothing else to do....as a side note, Im quite used to the second shift lifestyle--get up at noon, stay up till everyone else is useless getting up then crash. I rather like it--in Dallas I could avoid most people and the complications (or benefits, depending on your outlook) but here in Lubbock that really doesnt fly. My new job starts at 5 in the morning, so Im sure for a couple of months Ill look like Bela Lugosi after a few Ed Wood movies. Burn, Ed Wood! Too bad you're already dead!

Farewell, sweet Enfield.

Unfortunately, I traded my Albion-manufactured Enfield No. 2 Mk 1** at the last gun show I went to in Dallas. My motivation was purely logistical (sp?)--I had just bought 2500 rounds of 7.62 Tokarev pistol ammo and no pistol to accompany it (it was a good deal, so sue me). I found a pleasant fellow gun nut who gave me what I paid for the Enfield so I could go and purchase an original CZ-52, the roller lock beauty made by the Czechs circa 1952. I regret trading it; it was a collectors piece, and I loved the break open action, and I intended to keep it (I had even put it away in storage) BUT finances being tight, I had to shirk a loved gun to replace it with another.

So farewell, sweet Albion, I hope your new owner appreciates your rugged historical quality as much as I did. Im sure he will, he was my kind of guy.

Honda modification, part I

Since Ive bought my Honda Shadow, its undergone some, uh, changes. All positive, mind you. To start from the beginning:

I bought the bike from craigslist in August of 2007. It seemed like a good deal; about a thousand bucks under blue book because the druggie Oakie I bought it from had to pay rent. It seemed okay, but he had lost the key, plus the key to the gas tank, and chopped the frame (I didnt know this at the time). I load her up in my truck, get it home, and over the course of time, I find out all its wonderful problems--gummed up carbs, disconnected vaccuum hoses, and most importantly, the rear of the fender cleft in twain. Notice in the last picture the plastic fenders and side covers which I no longer use, the cut down exhaust pipes missing mufflers (which caused another set of issues) and what you cant see is the bobbed fender, which Ive included in another picture on here. SO, over the period of several months I rebuilt the carburetor (a first), learned so much about engines and motorcycles it astounds me, ditched the plastic rear fender because it broke in half (cheap plastic #%#%) and started working on other areas of the bike that need attention.

Today, since I have my shiny new (new 30 years ago, anyway, but new to me) townhouse with attached garage (YES! A GARAGE!) I started getting down and dirty with the bike since I now have a secure location to work on it without the fear of the weather, or jerks living in my apartment complex trying to steal it every night (not joking here, thank God for fork locks). I completely gutted the electric components from underneath where the seat usually goes and pulled out the battery box, a platic contraption that takes up way too much space and needlessly consumes most of the area near the chain and swingarm. Since Im kinda winging it here, my plans are as such:

1. Drill out exhaust baffles, because its too quiet (I replaced the cut off pipes with a set of stock 2007 pipes that still fit...the old pipes were rusted over and provided no back pressure whatsoever). Down the road Im going to wrap the pipes in heat wrap and cut off the mufflers and add exhaust tips for aesthetics.


2. Rig up an aluminum or steel plate between the frame rails to mount the battery on and mount the rectifier above the battery on spacers. I saw this on another guys site, so I wont take creative credit for it (VLXS.com, sweet bike).


3. Figure out somewhere else to store the rest of the electrical junk, like the fuse box, in line relays, igntion coil, blinker relays, etc. Its going to be fun! I get to exercise my creative side! I cant tell you how starved Ive been with no creative outlet.


4. Replace the rear monoshock, or at least lower it a few inches so the swingarm and the rear of the frame line up to make it look smoother.

Ive still got a long way to go, including new tires, rebuilding the front forks, cleaning some minor rust off, reconfiguring the air intake (its a dual carb setup, but the air inlets are facing at opposed 45 degree angles UPWARD toward the tank...itll be tricky, but Ive got a plan! No one else has done this I know of, which makes it even better!), and recovering the newly resurfaced seat. Woo! Im stoked! I just need to learn to weld....that comes next.

Pics at the top: First pic is a cardboard box top I used from my moving boxes to catalog where all the wires run. It'll work, I s'pose.

Second pic you can see the chopped frame, and the sloppy edges that he never did ANYTHING with. At least seal the frame tubes off, for crying out loud! You can also see the gap between the frame and the swingarm where the battery was, and where I will be reconfiguring the wiring harness.

Last pic is the bike before I did anything to it, pretty much right after I bought it. Notice the rear plastic fender and side covers, which wont be seeing any ussage.

Been a long time

Ill admit Ive been shirking my blogging duty. My excuse is that Ive been fired from my job, moved to Lubbock to start at LCU this fall, and have had all the complications usually associated with said duties. I like my new digs here in Lubbock--1200 square feet, only myself, and plenty of stuff to keep myself busy--trying to find a job, fixing my motorcycle, getting back into bike riding (Im only three blocks from school, so time to get back in the riding mood). Oh yes, folks, the future is bright.

Now where did I leave my shades?