I found my reason to not wear a helmet when I ride...

...and it's to hear the full, unfiltered orchestration of the engine while riding!

Let me back up a few minutes. Today is a beautifully sunny, cool day. I rode around to nowhere interesting for about 20 minutes to warm up the chain. Got home, put her up on her stand, cleaned the chain (I definitely need practice on that messy procedure!), and then lubed it. I then semi-detailed the rear bottom half of the bike due to my messiness and decided to toodle her around the block. In a classic white T-shirt (with the word FAST on the back) and Levi jeans, I grabbed my sunglasses and I fired her up. I backed her out of the driveway, and onto the street. Then it was a leisurely (as best one can on a Ducati) roll around the block (3/10ths of a mile).

Holy cow! I couldn't believe what I was missing! Clattering, clicking, huffing, whining, purring -- an entire cacophony of wonderful, mechanical sounds. I cursed the lucky people who got to hear my bike in its purity. I cursed my helmet for muffling all those wonderful sounds my bike sang out. I started wondering how I could drill holes in my helmet without destroying its structural integrity. CURSES!!

My driveway quickly approached and then I purred her into the garage. I sat there for a second before turning her off. The garage suddenly sounded deathly quiet with my girl no longer chattering to me. Sigh. Damn helmets...damn them all...harrumph!

Don't worry, I will still wear a full-face helmet, no plans on riding with a naked head. I worry too much about some idiot doing something idiotic that will put me into a non-exitable situation and that helmet is what will keep me alive to ride another day.

But if someone ever makes a full-face helmet with aural openings I'll likely get one...

Finally some end user creativity!

End users are now able to change their background image in this blog...about freakin' time!  So I'm playing with it and am currently using a picture of my Duc and the kid's custom painted pedal car with an orange backdrop (in honor of my VW Squareback).

Two weeks ago our group lost Linda Kresl to another company.  Major bummer as she was my hope and savior for getting a BI environment for customer care reporting.  Plus she is very intelligent and very driven and I was hoping she would be my mentor.  Rats!  Well guess what?  Yesterday we found out that my manager, a senior director in the company, is moving to another company!  Yes, the same one that said I should blog my VW vacation is LEAVING US!  But hey, when a good opportunity comes along ya gotta take it so, like Linda, she will be really missed.  She has been really good in getting me to communicate and work with my internal customers on prioritizing my workload -- and it's a full one!  However, it's not all roses as there have been some folks let go and we don't know why.  Pretty scary during these low economic times for sure.  I learned from Intel that no one is irreplaceable, especially as long as India has cheap (in every sense of the word) labor so I do worry about my position.

Our silly two-year phone contract with ATT has finally expired...well, back in June.  Two-year contracts are stupid, hate them!!  So I've been looking for a replacement to my Moto Q 9H phone (don't like it) and have decided upon an Android OS phone.  I've been reading and studying and comparing and with the plan I can get through my work I've decided to get an HTC EVO 4G through Sprint.  Not crazy about Sprint since they screwed me over back when I was in the Navy but that was a LONG time ago so here's to hoping things are better.  ATT and Verizon are the only other real choices out of the bazillion phones available at this minute.  In a couple minutes I'm sure half of them will be replaced with another billion "different" units.  Whatever.  Verizon sucks monkey butt around here so Sprint is the lesser evil.  I was considering the iPhone 4G but...meh...I dunno, I'm just not that enamored by it to pay such a ridiculous amount when I can get the same and more with another brand.  I have to see about the family plan and what my baby can use since she doesn't want her BlackBerry -- she hardly even used 1/5 of its capabilities, she just needs a phone that can take a picture, text & do multi-media messages.

Huh, I remember when phones were all land-lines with rotary dials...we even had a party-line back when we lived out in the sticks...

Sept. 11th...I have not forgotten!

This day was a horrible one; one that I witnessed on live television.

In other news...
Installed gauge lowering mounts on my Ducati.  They are simple mounts that position the gauges so they face my face and not my chest.  Click me for pictures!

Before

After

Why are my neighbors happy with me now?

Here's the view out the kitchen window during the construction of our covered porch.  This shows how much of the sky I'll be losing.  Luckily, it's not too bad and having a cover over the front door is definitely a welcome addition!

So what's going on?  We've finally decided to do some fixin' up of the ol' homestead.  HardiPlank siding to replace the original cedar, windows on the north side of the house that are energy effecient (now the whole house matches), an awning over the rear garage door, a new front door, front porch with cover, and a window in the living room!

The process is moving slower than expected but it's kind of okay since our neighbor, George, is the one doing the work :-)  He's a master carpenter and has been doing very nice work.

I've wired up security lighting around the house and trenched in the drainage pipe for the porch rain gutter once we get it mounted.  I also opted to have the spouts dump onto gratings instead of directly into the pipe with the idea that all the crap from the tree, moss, nuts, etc. will hit/scatter on that instead of plugging up the gutters.  I've used the plug-in screens but it still requires me to walk the roof and clean the gutters.  This way the crap will flow down and onto the ground, making clean up much easier and obvious.  If it doesn't work it's very simple to plug the downspouts into the existing drain pipes.

The main bathroom shower/tub area has been ripped out and replaced.  It's been ready for tile work for about a month so the tile guy will be coming soon to start work on that.  George and I fixed the 1960's plumbing and installed new hardware to make the room look pretty.  Gotta get it ready for Mimi's visit!

We've FINALLY got rain...the area needs it...heck, our water bill needs it, LOL.  My Ducati has been simply awesome to ride.  I love it love it love it.  Met a couple of neighbors because of her.  One guy is into restoring Vespa's and used to buy/repair/sell VW Buses.  The other guy finally finished his 1976 Norton 850.  Sweet looking ride for sure.  He also has a 750.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday my Sweetie said it was one year ago that I gave her her ring.  I consider it a wedding ring but she says it's an engagement ring.  Nonetheless, being a guy, it never crossed my mind, however, she got a baby-sitter for Ronin since Bella was doing a sleep-over at Grammy Sue's and she took me to Salty's on the Columbia River.  We had a great meal next to the water, watching the sunset, and she got me a nice watch as an anniversary present.  It was a good evening.

Today I bought a 3-speed metal cutting bandsaw that can cut horizontally and vertically from our next door neighbor.  His grandfather had passed away and had various metal working tools in his shop.  So I finally have something to cut metal with!!!  Using a cut-off wheel or hacksaw or reciprocating saw is just too much work!

Work and Duc updates

Work has been, well, work!  I'm getting a lot of over-time which means I'm getting more tasks than time (and more challenging).  My position really needs another me -- there needs to be two people in my current position or else someone to do the maintenance and stomp out the little fires that plague my days.  I'm waiting for the day when my manager has a meeting with me and our HR gal and tell me that I'm going to be salaried...with no change in pay...

Last week (or maybe it was the week before?) I got a flat rear tire on my Duc.  Got both of the original stock tires replaced with Michelin Power Pure and --BAM!-- the grip is nice!  Also removed the questionable stock RR (voltage regulator/rectifier) with a MOSFET unit so I'll never have to worry about cooking my butt, having my bike burst into flames a la X-Wing Fighter, or worrying about her dying mid-ride due to the crappy OEM RR failing.  Ooh, ooh, I also got a rear hugger which is basically a shorty rear fender.  Having tested it in a section of muddy road I can attest that it keeps the everything clean from the bottom of the battery lid and down  LOL!  Well, at least the engine will remain cleaner heheh.

I'm so happy that the weather is FINALLY cooperating, allowing me lots of ride time.  It's such a different riding experience 'tween the two (my Ducati vs. my Honda).  I'm much more comfortable on my Duc and am practicing my launches, to get moving from a stop quickly while keeping the front tire on the ground...well, for the most part ;-)

Well, off to PGE Park for some kids event Intel is doing.  God I'm glad I don't work there any more!

Not enough time

Well, trying to keep up on a blog takes a good chunk of time.  I learned this during the Invasion but it's been reinforced here at home.  If I'm not busy with home stuff or dealing with work then I get a few minutes to rest before bed.  During the Invasion it was really just me; at home I have three other people to share my time with (and we just adopted a black cat named Eris, bringing us to two cats now).  With my priorities this blog falls near the bottom, which is kind of a bummer since I want to be able to use it to document some of the stuff I do to my vehicles.  I'm guessing that people who do good blogs must have a talent for writing, so it comes out quickly without much revision, and/or it's a priority for them so they have the time.

It's Sunday morning before everybody is up.  I've already spent over 15 minutes on this little bit of text and now I need to work on finishing a work task as it's due tomorrow.  Ugh...almost everybody who requests information from me has their task at #1, top priority.  It can get annoying.  I like the job, it just reminds me of Intel sometimes with the rush rush rush.  It also means my work is important and the position I'm in needs a second person because I'm just not enough to get everyone's tasks completed in the time they want.


I just found a Sponge Bob Squarepants sticker on the floor next to my computer desk.  That means one of the kids was where they shouldn't have been.


I checked the mileage of mi ragazza and I've gotten a low of 35mpg and a high of 38mpg.  Not bad for a heavy throttle hand :-D

The song...hopefully it'll be burned into your mind on your next road trip!

Thanks to Hal (Type III owner) for supplying me with the song:

Jerry Reed - Smokey & The Bandit

Spent time at Cannon Beach with Ronin and A yesterday.  Man, Oregon is so beautiful!  Driving through the forest on Hwy.26 was such a huge change from the plains I was cruising across just a few days ago.  The foliage here was dense, like a tropical rain forest but the air was dry and cool.  The road curved, rose and fell, and there were no 18-wheelers.  I have a renewed appreciation of Oregon, it's just so visually pleasant and comfortable.

On our way there, A got pulled over by a trooper for speeding.  Neither one of us saw him.  After he went to his car to write her a ticket, he came running back to us and said, "Today's your lucky day, go buy a lottery ticket.  I have to go to a crash."  He handed the license back, ran to his car, and tore off in the opposite direction.  It was like a scene from a movie.  However, we were a little speechless...our good fortune was due to another's misfortune.  We felt bad.

In Cannon Beach we had a really good lunch then hit the beach to fly Ronin's Lightening McQueen kite.  After a couple hours soaking in the sun we hit Pizza a'fetta, a tasty pizza place worth going to.  The drive home was uneventful and I finally got Antonette to use the cruise control (after how many years of refusing to use it?!).

-- Invasion Stuff --

I tallied up my mileage (corrected for my tires) and costs for the Invasion trip:

Total miles traveled:  4,551.3

Total vacation cost:  $2,270.92  However, if I exclude the cost of FOUR new tires:  $1,678.96

Average mileage:  23.6mpg

Lowest mileage:  19.5mpg

Highest mileage:  28.3mpg

Other stuff about the trip:

Brian's butt has been classified as a Chemical AND Biological weapon.
Some people wake up and have a cigarette.  Some have coffee.  Brian has Diet Coke.  The wake-up alarm goes off and then I immediately hear a pshhht! as gas escapes the Diet Coke bottle in Brian's hand...he's not even out of bed!

One's brain can only think about so much during the solo time while driving, then it starts to loop a couple of songs in your head, over and over and over.  For me, it was Robert Plant's, Heaven Knows, and bits of the song from Smokey and the Bandit because Brian brought it up...curse him!

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'

We gonna do what they say can't be done

We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there

I'm east bound, just watch ol' Bandit run! 

Lucy, I'm home!

The morning was warm and overcast.  But it wasn't humid!  We chatted some more with the two guys motorcycling it across the states.  Cool dudes and they had their fair share of events, just like us.  Sounds like they had a good time, good memories.

We left had a tasty breakfast at DJ's, the restaurant next to the hotel, then went to Moxie's for iced lattés (MilkyWay flavored...mmmm!).  Got gas and were on the road at 11:00am Central Time.  A couple miles down the road Brian pulled over but it was just to latch his front trunk lid, nothing serious.

Just found this curious, overcast skies and only the sun out but Bri's car cast a shadow on either side.

The trip was pleasant until we hit the bottom west side of the Blue Mountains, where the weather got hot.  But it wasn't humid!  So with the vent wing windows spun all the way around we kept fairly cool.

The girls looking pretty worn.  Bugs, oil, and dirt covered them but they were real troupers!

The Columbia Gorge was gusty, of course, and the wind was blowing to the east, directly at us, of course.  So we were running a little warm engine-wise.  We stopped for food and oil top-off at McDonalds in The Dalles.  A little further down the road Brian felt that his engine was running lean so we stopped at Multnomah Falls to take a break from the wind and let our bodies relax.  Since Bri hadn't been there in the daytime and we had plenty of time to kill since we weren't about to deal with Portland rush hour traffic, we hiked up to the bridge and checked out the waterfall.

We left the park at 6:10pm Pacific Time (yahoo!) and were at my house by 7pm.  Bri backed up his Notch into my garage and we put a fan on the engine to cool it down.  As a precautionary measure Bri opened up his idle jets to richen his mixture, thus letting it run a little cooler.  The carbs on his engine are a pain to work on, at least the left side!  It'll be much easier when he gets the turbo on and only has to deal with ONE carb!

With his engine all buttoned-up he was headed for home at 9:30pm.  I unpacked my baby and she's all settled in the garage for now (getting a bath this weekend).  I got to be with my Sweetie and it was great to see Ronin, such a little lover, man I missed him; being away from your family makes you really notice changes and appreciate them.

It's late since I need to be at work tomorrow at my regular time so this is the end of the Type III Invasion 2010 for me.  I'm not sure what I'll do with this blog now.  I think I'll try to keep it updated with my various projects (other dubs, motorcycles) and such...I'm not much of a "journal" person.  We'll see...