shoes on powerlines

The magnet set is replacing a set I already had… but it GOT STOLEN!

Sock Monkey magnet thieves are the worst!

First things first - hooray for California for realizing that the “sacred ceremony of marriage” is for everyone.

Went to SMOG CUTTER again last night - wasn’t as buck wild crazy as the first time, but the first time is always the best, right? By the way, it is impossible to type SMOG CUTTER without using all caps. I’ve tried it.

Tonight I will be hanging out in the garage installing the racing carbs. This is fortuitous for two reasons. First off, it is hitting 90 degrees today, so it should be a perfect night. Second, this gives me a chance to patch my muffler and leave it overnight to set up and be all ready for the morning so I can start the bike up and see how those carbs do. I really hope I don’t need to rejet them.

Then it is off to Amoeba on Saturday to buy every album I’ve been missing for the last few months. I’ve really fallen behind. I still even haven’t picked up Pollard’s Superman Was a Rocker. (Download “Gratification to Concrete” right here)

And let’s wrap up this “news of the boring” with an update on my shoes. I need new ones.

There is a good interview with Tony Millionaire from a radio show called “The Sound of Young America.” You can listen to it on the internet here.

Maakies is the best. I’m going to pick up the latest collection after work today.

And I’m hungover… ok?

So I’ve got nothing. Here is a picture Jenny took of me working on my Vespa engine. That’s a chopstick in my mouth, not a GRODY CIGARETTE.

This is proof I’m not just faking it. Ok, I might be faking it.

I found this clip via The New Cafe Racer Society. It is this motorcycle-hooligan movie, and it looks really awesome. The motorcycle gang is called “The Living Dead,” and that girl in the motorcycle gang who flips up her helmet is awesome!

Check out this clip… my favorite part is the guy who continues to go up the ladder once the motorcycle gang comes into the square and starts terrorizing everyone. Chasing women with baby carriages, stealing hot dog carts, crashing into thing. But the guy keeps going up the ladder, looking down at the motorcycle gang. What could possibly go wrong with a guy on top of a ladder? And what is he doing up there?

I need to get a hold of this movie!

My iPhone doesn’t automatically download my pictures into iPhoto anymore, because I found it annoying. Now it is a little surprise when I open iPhoto when my phone is plugged in because I get to find random photos mixed in with the ones I meant to download.

First off.. my Mikuni carbs are here! And they are really, really nice looking:

Look. just trust me on this, ok?

Then, there is this. I have NO IDEA where I took this picture. It must have been during the drunkest horse-racing night ever (Friday):

That man is eating a lil’ brontosaurus. This fits in well with the Buñuel post earlier.

Motorcycle jacket? Check. Helmet on the ground and helmet hair on the head? Check! Cheap Mexican beer in the hand? DOUBLE CHECK.

I just watched a trailer for “The Visioneers” with one of the only comedians I think is funny, Zach Galifianakis:

This is interesting because it goes along with a mixtape I was thinking about on the way home - songs that encourage abandoning the traditional career path. Two of my favorites on this mix I was thinking about is LCD Soundsystem’s “Watch the Tapes” and of course, The Clash’s “Career Opportunities.”

What do you think of the trailer? Sublime hilarity or ineffectual quirkiness?

I watched The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie last night, and I realized that the only other Buñuel film I’ve seen is his collaboration with Dali on Un chien andalou.

TDCOTB has a surreal meandering charm, and I wonder if Buñuel’s earlier Spanish films have a similar feel. I cancelled my Netflix for the time being, so I guess I’ll have to wait to check these out. I feel like TDCOTB is a lot like Godard’s films for me - at sometimes difficult but ultimately rewarding. However, The difference with TDCOTB and most of Godard is the absurdity of Buñuel’s film is also it’s charm.

Photo Credit

Ramshackle Day Parade is placed right in the middle of Joe Strummer’s final album Streetcore. I think it is one of the most amazing songs he ever wrote. It is a good segue into the second half of the album (the b-side, really) but what an amazing lead-in this would have been to “Burnin’ Streets” which is later in the album.

As usual, almost all the lyric sites have it wrong - those stupid cut and paste websites that find one wrong transcript of the song and then perpetuate it all over. Well, I’ve done my best to write down the lyrics to this song here - if you think I’ve made any mistakes please let me know.

I’m working on my ultimate Joe Strummer week series of posts in anticipation of “Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten” being released on DVD. I’ll be going over all of Joe Strummer’s solo releases, as well as all of the previous Joe Strummer / The Clash documentaries that are already released.

As usual, I can’t find this song anywhere online. So just ask me and I’ll email it to you. Lyrics after the jump.

Keep reading →

These posters from Aerostitch are pretty cool - I always like those fatalist propaganda-esque safety posters. They are way cooler looking than a wordy diatribe.

From Aerostitch via The New Cafe Racer Society

If you’ve heard a lot about the “subprime mortgage meltdown” that is so hot right now, but you are like me and you have no idea what they are even talking about - this week’s episode of “This American Life” goes through it step by step and is very entertaining/appalling/informative.

Owning a house. I can’t even imagine it, I really can’t. I have no idea where I want to settle down eventually, let alone be tied down by paying for a giant thing that is glued to the earth. I don’t even own a proper bed frame because I feel like it is too much furniture. Sure, I can see myself settling down somewhere, sometime. But hot damn is this world humongous and I’ve lived up and down one interstate of one coast of one country. People say that paying rent is liking throwing your money away, but I disagree. You are paying for a lot more than an apartment. You are paying for the luxury of being able to get up and go whenever you want, and that’s something I need.

I just had a pineapple bagel and it was DELICIOUS. Aloha.

Heading out to the Westside monthly ride. No update on a CB160, the cheapest one I’ve found is $700 and running.

Scooter parts on their way now, hopefully it will be up and broken in time for Orange Crush.

Concert, horse races, another concert, or hot stuff’s going away party?!? (The winner is 2 of the 4)

I’ve listened to Face the Truth non-stop all week.

Have a good weekend everybuddy. <– (New hip way to spell it, learned it straight from the kids)

Trying to figure out what to do this weekend -

It isn’t going to be warm and sunny enough for a desert jaunt, so I’m thinking of just hitting the canyons and taking some video. I was trying to do some video capture of all my footage of my CL350 rebuild, etc., but I’m having timecode issues which is preventing me from doing a batch capture. I’ll probably look into it more tonight.

I could sit and complain about the weather all day (no I couldn’t) but that would be pointless. As is almost all complaining (or ranting about silly things like Harleys).

I realize I usually post my first blog at around 11:30 everyday. I hate offices.

I do, however, really love wasabi peas. Win some, lose some.

The plan is: SF next weekend Memorial Day weekend, then after that who knows. It won’t be the longest I’ve ridden my motorcycle, but it will be the longest continuous ride for time and mileage - about 7 hours on the 101. Gas will be a pain, but my new carbs should be all dialed in by then, so I’m guessing I’ll have to stop every hour and a half for gas - about every 90 miles. We’ll see, it should be interesting. I’m planning on taking my time, as the ride up will be part of the fun. I can’t wait to be in San Francisco - what a great town (even if it’s just something white people like).

I got no funny in me lately, my shoes are old and tired.

Are for Lawyers and Doctors. And old people. They are overpriced, gaudy, and glorified recliners. I see so many HD stickers on SUV’s and BMW’s. If the temperature hits 80, people will ride their HD’s to work. Fair weather riders that wouldn’t know where to begin if their giant loud overblown motorcycles started to have a problem.

Here is a great critique of the new HD ad campaign from Hell for Leather. (Read the comments on the story, too. The Vespa comment is great).

I’m a firm believer that motorcycles should be a little uncomfortable. It shouldn’t be a giant wad of chrome with accouterments that rival Lexus’. If you buy a motorcycle then spend thousands of dollars to make it all squishy and comfy with big foot rests and a sissy bar and a loud stereo and a big windshield then I don’t understand why you choose to ride a motorcycle. You’ll sit in traffic like everyone else because your bike is as wide as a car. And you look ridiculous.

And the whole “outlaw image” of HD’s are ridiculous because the bikes cost so much. Early HD bikes were adopted because along with Indians, they were American made and cheap to buy and maintain. Now some of the bikes reach 20,000 dollars out the door.

I hate Harleys.

And One Percenters, please don’t kill me. I’m not talking about you. Don’t shiv me the next time I’m on Sunset.

Look at this dumb clown:

The sound of that ridiculous bike crashing is music to my ears.

I’m a little salty today, dear reader. Sorry.

And I’ve talked about stupid modern Vespa’s as well right here.