Colds....

Gawd I hate colds... Not the flu or something serious you know (well hate those too!) but these lil niggling colds that linger. It really sucks to watch your partner/spouse/S.O. suffer through one of those stinkers, knowing you're next!! UGH!

Then they show up... you wake with that "hang over" feeling of stuffiness, the slight cough that doesn't do anything and the back of the eyes soreness that tells you, yeah, it got ya! Ewwww

You know that on Thursday (if today is Tuesday) that you'll be feeling good again, but just knowing that you have to dive into the Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (which isn't as good as it used to be) just to get through with a modicum of energy really sucks the big one...

Of course you still have to go to work. That's our society, don't miss work for anything... which means that you are going to spread the damn thing to everyone that you come into contact with... The one sneaky thing about colds though is that usually, by the time the symptoms show up, you're either past the contagious stage or right at the end anyway, so it's already out there.

Yes, I woke up with the symptoms today. ICK Ahhh well, I'll be good by Thursday. lol

Have a great day... C-ya

R

Pulling it out...

OMG!! NO, not like that... Ewww lmao Any...way...

No, seriously, don't you hate having to pull each sentence out of someone? You know, all those null conversational gambits that you have to use. i.e.

them: I was thinking (pause)
me: yeah? (ok, technically not a null bit here)
them: Well the other day (pause)
me: umhmm (null warning)
them: remember that we were over so and so's and we started talking about spring? (pause)
me: (supressing scream) yeah
them: well, how about....

That may not be a really good example, but it's the best off the top of my head... but you know what I mean, right? Grrrrr! That just so annoys me. Say what you have to say and let's move on!

Oh and it gets worse if you put it in the text message arena... Gah!

K, that was my rant for the day. Thank you so much for listening!!

R

Oh and I was thinking... (big pause) lmao!

More work... (I've been told I'm a LOT of WORK!!) LOL

So yeah, got the job at Starbucks!! Yea! Now I'm an official Starbuckington! lol Now if they just give me the super secret employee discount code! LMAO I start training soon, so that's cool, I'm so looking forward to it... and yes Karen, I acknowledge you getting there first! lol Oh hey, you can give me pointers right?!

Not much going on other than "emergency tub leak" repairs at Christy's and trying to figure out how to help out a friend with a refrigerator issue. (grin) Just everyday stuff, you know.

Ordering parts for Harley and getting REAL antsy about getting her out on the road for some serious therapy! lol

K, gotta run - yes again...

Cya

More shorts...

Well, let's see what's happened recently... Got my current tags and changed insurance on the Harley (yes, still no name) But she's running well and took her out in the neighborhood to terrorize the locals! lol Nice power, great pick up and she just wants to wheelie up when I press her!! (grin) 'course, shouldn't be doing too much of that as I haven't changed the tires yet and still need to rebuild the back brakes which don't work at the moment... lol Yes, it's fun stopping a harley with compression and the front brake... NOT!

Chris and Mis had their baby last weekend, a fine healthy boy. (He - Albert - looks just like Chris without any facial hair!) They're both doing well and should be home by now.

I've been running the shop for the last couple days, on my own which is cool.(well the occasional phone call for pricing and what not...) lol but it has been fun if tiring. Had my second interview with Starbucks yesterday, that went well I think and we'll see if they can use me this coming Friday. Not sure what that will do to my free time, but we'll see how it goes.

K, that's it for now... see you again soon.

R

Chilly Mornings

The weekend ended well even with all the drama (See Fran's blog {Deepwood Art} - link to the right). Helped out a bud with his "S.O.'s" van, at least the first part of it. Got to help out the guys at CR Wings with a computer issue that I overheard they were having and got to kind of sleep in on my second day off with minor interruptions (See Fran's blog again!) lol

It's a nice chilly gray morning, should warm up a bit, but I think the freezing weather is over... but you know how Maryland is. Anyway, turning on the water and I'm going to squirt down the vehicles today. Get all the build up of sludge off. I may even go for a ride if it gets warmer and stays dry!

Short entries are fun aren't they?!? lol

Cya next time...

Gotta Love Changes!!

You just gotta!! LMAO! K, changes with Bertha...

She's running well now, got the carb adjusted for a decent idle, but still need to check the air mixture. First though, gotta check the crankcase breather for obstructions. Should also wire in an ignition switch (so I don't have to worry about the jumpers falling off!). After that, will change the oil and filter and replace the front tire. (sigh) Yeah, lots of tread, but dry rot got it. Going back to the mag wheel I think instead of the spoke wheel, which never really went with the bike anyway. THEN I'll check the brakes, ride her up to the shop and change the oil again, (of course, the ride to the shop will be fairly circuitous!!) lol Then we see what we see... BUT, she's coming along just fine and should be back for the season.

Ran into an old Kliens friend the other day. Eva was looking fine as always but seemed more relaxed since she left the salt mill. She seems to like her new job and I wish her the best, as I wish the best for all my peeps at Kliens...

Looking at a new short term part time gig with one of my new friends. It's a go, just gotta have some clear weather to get rolling. That will actually be fun I think, we'll see! lol If nothing else, I'll get a fine workout!

Attitude changes are the best though! (evil grin) I've had another of those and I'm not gonna take any crap from this one individual any longer... I think he's getting the drift already, but we'll see. I just don't have the time or the inclination to play silly power games or phone games with someone that is ill equipped to play. I mean come on, you gotta have something the other wants or be in a position of power to start with in order to play these games correctly! lol I've been around too long to fall for the crap. (I did put up with it for a while, but it's boring and kinda sad at the same time...) So, we'll see where that leads me. lol

The season is changing, but slowly. I don't think it wants to let go of the cold. The rain is good though, maybe no drought this year, but I'm getting impatient waiting for the extended warmth.

K, 'nough changes for now. Got things to do, people to see... lol

Cya

She's ALIVE!!

Big thanks to Chris for helping me finish the carb rebuild today!! Put Bertha, (yes, Frannie already said she didn't like that name, so she'll be christened with a new name soon.) back together, cleaned the fuel lines, petcock and replaced the plugs. lol Then reattached the wires that came loose from the coil, shorted the ignition block (lost my keys remember?) and fired her UP!! Harley's can be quite loud in an enclosed garage... 'course it was 3 am too. Hope Frannie didn't wake up, but had to crank her up. Damn she sounded fine too. Just a few finishing touches and need to check the brakes and I'll be back on the road again with my sweet lil Super Glide!!

Waiting...

Why do we always seem to wait on things? Sure, there are some out there that are always gung-ho and running from A to B, but for the most part it seems that waiting is the norm... We wait for better weather, we wait for a pay raise, we wait for the right time or circumstances.

I suppose it's easier to wait. I know I'm less stressed if I wait on things to come along. (Isn't that like going with the flow?) But sometimes, you just can't seem to wait. The waiting itself causes stress and makes time slow down. (Christmas morning, mail order items, a visit from a friend or relative, etc) I'm not saying it's bad to wait, but I do think that too much waiting is a bad thing.

There are times when you need to just stop waiting and take action. Waiting for things to get better in your life, waiting for that last pound to drop. These are things that you can help along. I hear people say all the time, 'If only...' or 'I wish...' that's bad waiting in my book.

I'm kind of a laid back person. I like to hang out, enjoy my time and pretty much take things as they come unless there is something I want or need. Then I act. At this point, you're probably saying that you do too, right? But do you really? I know sometimes I think I'm acting, but in reality, I just changed the parameters or my waiting. My mom used to tell me when I was growing up, "If it is to be, it's up to me". I love that little phrase, but as life moves on I find that I don't follow it as often as I think I do. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that the things you are doing are proactive and not reactive.

It might be age or experience, maybe just plain old "meh", I don't really know. I just know that it's there and it's real. I do think however, if we as a people, took a more active role in getting what we want or making our lives into the way we want them, there would be a whole lot less whining in the world.

So, what does all the above mean? To you? To me? Dunno, lol but it was what I was thinking about this morning and I'm sure I'll be pondering on it all day long...

Hope you will too!

New to Old, Old to New

Isn't it strange how new things that we acquire (not just material things either) become 'old hat' after a short while and when we find old things again, they take on new meaning? Other things, never become old and are always new, but that's for another blog...

No, in this entry, I'm talking about material things and how they can regain a hold on your heart. I have an old Harley that's been sitting in the garage for quite a few years. With my work the way it was, I just didn't have time to ride it, heck, I hardly had time to cut the grass! So there she sat, getting dusty, growing cobwebs and I would look at Bertha (she got her name quite a few years back) every time I went in the garage. She always, every single time, made me pause mentally and wonder what I was going to do with the old girl.

I figured that I didn't possess the skills to bring her back to life on my own, as it had been many a year since I've wrenched on a bike or car for that matter. The last time I had her maintenanced, I took her to "professionals" and boy did that COST me! lol So, not having that kind of money to throw at her, she sat and waited patiently for me to get up the nerve to give her a hand.

As part of my new job, I've been using my old skills and learning new ones with the scooters and motorcycles that come into the shop. Servicing my own scooters and Go-Ped, as well as the many others that I've touched, has re-awakened those skills and the confidence to be able to help Bertha breathe again. Well that and Chris egging me on... lol

So I sit in the garage this morning, Bertha's new battery cooking at the shop, an ignition switch in my hand (Oh yeah forgot to mention that I misplaced her key...) and a wiring diagram in front of me and I feel that she will live again shortly. I know there are going to be more hurdles in front of me to get her back to road worthy. Her tires are holding air, they don't show much if any dry-rot and the layers of dust/cob webs are being removed today. I can almost feel her smiling as big and wide as I do when I look at her now.

So, an old thing becomes new. Her 17,000 miles seem like a short distance when I think about her and remember that she's actually 19 years old this year. NINETEEN years old... geezus, last week, it seemed like a lifetime ago, this week, it feels like only yesterday...

Wonderful Warmth!!!

What is it about the smell of spring that just seems to make me crazy? Does it do that to you too?? I start thinking, (well I’m always thinking, but you know what I mean), about all the things that I want to do this "warm season". One right after the other, usually when it’s time to crash for the night... sigh lol It’s a wonderful time of the year. I wonder where this season will take me this time.

That’s one of the cool things about these mental plans, you have them and if you don’t write them down or tell anyone, they can change as easily as the weather or a falling leaf. I like to stay fluid like that so that I can bend and change as the days flow. It can be frustrating to some I guess, but they just have to deal with it... lol

This year, I’m hanging out (working) at a scooter shop. Just one more thing that I’ve always wanted to do and never took the time to try. It’s fun as hell, but like anything can also be frustrating under the right circumstances. One of the best parts about it is that I’m getting to learn a bunch of new things about 2 stroke engines and brushing the dust off my 4 stroke skills as well. Well that and getting to order lots of pizza for lunch! LMFAO!! No, really, I love pizza! lol It’s one of those jobs that is fun, should be fun and when it is, then the workers and customers all have a great time without even trying!! I’ve met quite a few pretty cool people this year.

This year I’m rolling into the warm season with a small amount of stress, almost none actually, which is new-ish and a really fresh way to do things for me. Lots of possibilities for the season and almost all of them good this go ’round. We’ll see what we see when we see it I guess! lol

K, ’nough of that for the moment. Gotta get another cup of coffee and have another smoke...

C-Ya!!