Friday, May 16, 2008

Update 2008.05.16

I'll give a quick update as to what has been going on. Work has been extremely busy and not getting any easier. I had my review written by the Vp of Finance because my boss retired two weeks ago. It wasn't great and the VP was part of the problem. Mother's Day was a disaster due to some family issues. On some bright notes, my shaves have been around 4.5/5.0 for the last couple of weeks. I have not bought anything except a few soaps and it looks like I will be concentrating on collecting a few more Merkurs and soaps only for the rest of the year. The Yamaha Silverado 1100 has been awesome. I'm getting the hang of it more each day. My training class is next month. I should be able to start riding it to work (38 miles/traffic) in another few weeks. I can't ride at night or on the freeway so I have to take back roads.

I had to come to a decision about horses recently. From both a time and money perspective, I am phasing out of horses for myself. My wife will still maintain her level of activity. Because of work and family obligations, being almost 50 and the sole family monetary provider, horses have become more of a job than a passion. This is not new, It's been going on a quite a while and I've been thinking about it seriously for about two years. I am going to sell the 5 yr old gelding since he needs to be ridden 5 times a week at least and I'm lucky if I can ride 3 times a week. The old guy (26) is going nowhere but he will continue to be used as a kid's lesson horse. The trainer will pay for 1/2 his upkeep. If I need a horse fix, and I surely will, I can get on him or my wife's 7 yr old horse any time I want. Actually, my wife would like it if I trained him on trail some. This was not an easy decision for me, I've been heavily into riding and showing horses for over 20 years but one I'm pretty sure it's the best all around.

So, there it is in a nutshell. I'm still here and I'm trying to cope with everything as best I can. You can't get rid of me that easy. I almost feel like what Rocky Balboa said to his son in the last Rocky movie. Something about it's not about getting punched. It's about taking the punch and still moving forward.

Oh, and I hope David Cook wins American Idol. I can't stand David Archuletta and I think Syesha Mercado was this year's Rodney Dangerfield. She got no respect. And, do you think Amber is going to croak on House and what the hell was she doing on the bus with House?

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Motorcycle - 20 Years of Waiting






2005 Yamaha XVS1100AT-C



After 20 years of waiting and dreaming, I finally broke down and bought a motorcycle. The deciding factor was the recent huge upswing of gas prices with no end in sight. The money I'll save in gas pays for the bike and then some. It will be delivered to the house today since I just got my permit and I need to practice, practice, practice. So here it is.

2005 Yamaha V Star 1100cc Silverado light metallic gold/green with black and chrome accents, custom Corbin Dual Tourer Seats and a rear chrome luggage rack. It has 2024 miles on it. Price = $7,500 including tax and license.

Modifications:
Pirelli MT66 Tires
Yamaha Passing Lights & Mounts
BrakeAway Throttle Lock
Baron's Oil Filter Relocation Kit

Baron's T.O.R.K. Smooth Cover

Yamaha Small Engine Bars
Kuryakyn Run/Turn/Brake Controller #4612
Kuryakyn Rear Turn Signal Light Lenses #2267
Kuryakyn Passenger Wing Pegs and Mounts #4452, #8811

Other Related Items:
Leather Jacket XL with vents, liner and armor
FirstGear Kilimanjaro Jacket XL (Black/Grey)

FirstGear WR-1 Goretex Thinsulate Gloves Size Large
FirstGear HT 2.0 Overpants Size 42
Olympia All Season 1 Gloves S (Need Bigger Size)
ATV Gloves
Shoei RF-1000 Helmet Anthracite L w/extra Light Smoke Shield

Pinlock Clear Shield with Clear Insert
HJC CM-14 Helmet Black w/shield XL (Too Big)
HJC CL-15 Helmet Black M (Daughter/Wife)
(2) Motion Pro Helmet Locks
McCuff Gas Filler Device
Clymer Yamaha V Star 1100 Service Manual
Sears ATV/Motorcycle Jack
Misc Metric Tools
Plexus Cleaner/Polish

Want to Get:
Yamaha Fender Tips (Front/Front, Front/Rear, Rear/Rear)
Yamaha Plate Frame (STR-5PX27-01-01)
K&N Air Filter YA-1199
K&N Oil Filter KN303C