Monday, August 31, 2009

I Win!

Well last night Amy and I were getting caught up on our TV watching. So we put on Friday's episode of The Soup. I for one can say "I WIN!" The Soup was scooped by The Meepers and friends!

You may remember a blog I posted last week. "All that Needs to be Said is in the Videos." In case you didn't read it, or are to lazy to click the link and see it again here are the two videos I posted:





I can not take credit for bringing them to my attention though. Tim in fact found video 1, and I found video 2 from video 1.

This was not a big scoop, I only got them by one day, but I got them! I did post it one day before The Soup did. So, I WIN!

You may have noticed a lot of little, short blogs. Well they were posted through out the day on Saturday. Kind of a documentation to Amy, Christine and my-self's adventures through Philly. They included beer, a whale, more beer, rain, a rainbow, a creepy hole we hid in, and much much more. Though you only got snip-bit here and there, it was a great day.

I will take a second to explain my blogs though. If you read back to Friday, Tim and I set up our phones to be able to blog VIA text messages. This allows me more freedom to blog for you. Seeing as I don't have a data plan on my phone, and don't want to spend and extra $30 a month for no real reason, I was limited in the past. Now I can utilize my almost unlimited text message plan.

I pay $10 a month for unlimited "In" network (Verizon) text messages and I get 500 "Out of" network texts. I only really text Amy out of network, so I never really come close to that magical 500 number. But it is still very worth it to me to have the unlimited "In" plan.

Any way, I can now send to Blogger VIA texts. I can either send one standard text message, which is 160 characters and done. That is not really very effective for much. But I can send one picture message and 1000 characters. The much better option. But there are a few blogs where I just posted something silly, and didn't need a lot of space to say something.

All you really need to know from that mess of words is, I can now send one picture and a short blog from my phone. And that is what I was doing this past Saturday. And I had a lot of fun doing it. So be sure to check every now and then at a random time of the day. If there is something fun going on, I most likely did a Mobil Blog about it.

OH and .....
I also cut all of my hair off yesterday after noon. It's OK. Take a second, breath, absorb. I'll wait.

...
.....
.......

OK Done?

Not yet. OK take a minute.

...
.....
.......

OK that's enough time. It's only hair. It will grow back to how it was in another 2 years. If I let it. I only wish I cut it all off a little sooner. It was so muggy in Philly on Saturday. I had to rock a "Colonial Pony" all day long. It was way to hot to let that sit all over my neck all day. I also wish my eye balls were zapped with lasers already, because my glasses got wet and kept sliding down my nose because I was sweating. But that is another story.

Speaking of another story, you'll hear more about it tomorrow. I have another eye appointment to get them checked out some more and probably get started on some steroid drops to heal up my corneas. But I will know more about that tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.

And I leave you with these two videos. I chose these because these are two things I like. Pups and beer.





That is, all carry on.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Growler!

Yes. that is a growler. I am sure this photo will come out sideways and dark. But it is still a great site to see. This is our second Microbrew of the day. This is brought to us from Dock Street. I am sipping on their Summer Session as I type this on my phone. If you're in West Philly, you should check this place out. Oh. and check out Notting Head. They were really great to.

Mobil Blog!

Happy little men want to distribute my beer to me. They smile and give me the nectar of the Gods. They are all my little friends.


Mobil Blog!

So far so good. I am drinking thr Grog amd Amy is drinking the 60 Shilling. Both have a lot of flavor and are very good and smooth. I do dig this place. I would like to hot it up again on a futor trip to Philly. Oh. that's where we are right now. Hence the blogging on a weekend from my phone.

Mobil Blog!

This was the last shot I got before we were yelled at for taking pictures. Amy got a few more, but I have to link to her shots from home. I can't get on FB at work right now.

Whale!

Whale! This is a inflated fabric Whale. It only cost $3 to see it! It is an exhibit at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philly.

And yes, I came back and edited this post to add a link in there. It was sent from my phone, hence the sideways picture.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Crocodile Head!

I have a crocodile on my head. Don't you wish you were me!?

Morgan drinking a yummy beer Paul and Melissa brought back from Michigan.


My Brain is Mush!

Really it is. It feels like mush right now. I didn't drink to much last night, but my back was hurting pretty bad. It feels better now, Amy put a heat pad/sticker thing on me last night and that helped a lot. But I did wake up in the middle of the night and feel something on my back and get freaked out. I think you can see where this is going.

I forgot that it was there and felt it on my back. I know I was up for a while after words trying to fall back to sleep, s I think that is it! That is why my brain is mush! I did not get adequate sleep last night.

I also had a great idea for today's blog last night, but I forgot it. So I will tell you a story instead. A story of a man on a mission, a story of a man with 1700+beers on his list.

I met a man last night. He sat next to me at the bar. At first I didn't pay any attention to him. But then Amy looked over and saw him pull a STACK of Beer Club cards out of a plastic bag. She gave me the "look over there" look. And I turned to see this master work. Turns out his girl friends cards were mixed in with his so they didn't get lost, but there were still enough cards to have 1,700+ beers written on them.

So we got to talking. He he was an interesting fellow. He had been doing the "Beer Club" sense '92. That was back when it was an accentual club. Now anyone can do it. You just ask for a card and start drinking. "Back in the day" it was a club that met at Coopers and drank every week. Waz and I started our own Thursday night club, that Morgan has sense taken Waz's place (Waz still comes out but he stopped coming every Thursday a long time ago). I was going with Amy for a bit, then Morgan and Liz began to come out. Now we do our "Club" every other Thursday.

Back on topic. I was talking to my new bar friend and he was telling me about some good beers. Giving me a little bit of is beer knowledge, and asking my opinions on some different beers. So after a spell of talking to him he posed a good question on me. "What is the style of beer you don't like?"

I thought about the question for a minute then said "There is no type of beer I do not like all together." There is always a beer out there that tastes good if not great in every style of beer I have consumed in my days. There is always a redeeming factor. I did say I tend to shy away from Barely Wines, and I use to stay away from hoppy beers. But now I am digging the the hops. My favorites are dark beers. I love Porters and Stouts.

Liking the heavier beers, in my book at least, is the exact opposite of hoppy beers. But now I am starting to dig them to.

Any-who, J Sly and Mr. Risk made an appearance last night at the Coopers. So we did a little bit of he bull shitting. J Sly commented on the length of my hair. There is a lot of length to my hair right now. I pulled it back into a pony tail because my midget cousin kept calling me Eddy Vedor. And you may or may not know this, I hate Perljam.

I will leave you with these two videos. Tim found then on "Best of Youtube."

This video is AMAZING! They did such a great job making it.


And this took 1500 hours to make. That averages out ot about 180 days, if they worked for 8 hours a day.



That is all, carry on.

PIcture and Text at the Same Time Test.

Here is The Meepers right after I got him back together. Can you tell that the left blinker is longer than the right? I used the back blinker because the wireing was shorter. Then i realized the blinkers were different sizes and took it back apart.
This is a text message test. The last was a photo test I added text to after it posted to blogger from blogger. Does that make sense?

Test From my Phone


Tim and I set up our phones so we can blog from them. But Where ever the photo above is hosted at, I can not see it. I am blocked from that site at work. So enjoy a picture that is suppose to be of Morgans tall boy beer cozy set up from the Fourth of July.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

All That needs to be Said is in the Videos.

All you need from me today, are these two videos. I don't think I can be more entertaining then they already are.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hello There

So it has been a bit of a spell sense I have written a blog. Well I have been a bit tied up at work, as so was my computer. It was in fact held hostage from me for several hours yesterday. Leaving me to sit around most of the day. I help do a little shooting, but for the most part, I could not do anything. And let me tell you, not doing anything at all for 5- 6 hours sucks. I can see why solitary confinement sucks so bad.

I was in an office and allowed to go outside, to the bathroom, talk to people etc. So I wasn't quite in solitary, but it still was ZERO fun. I did get to watch Tim work for a while.

So my shoulder hurts. I think using a messenger bag for all these years has caught up to me. i am going to try a backpack next week. I have one I bought when I worked at Gander Mtn. Got it for a really good price on an employee sale, but I never used it. At all. I'm talking hang tags still on the bag. So I will give it a try next week, fallowed by my old Chrome bag again. That has a much better strap then my R.E. Load bag.

Speaking of the strap on my R.E. Load bag, I noticed something today. Not only after 4 months of daily use is the strap still stiff as hell, and super hard to adjust (and not at all adjustable on the fly. You need to set the bag down and really work the strap to tighten it), but the strap slips all the time. I had it set pretty comfy for what I normally carry every day, but I felt it ridding a little lower than normal the past 2 days. So I think "Oh, some things must have shifted." But today when I got to work, my seat frame had a huge chip in it.

Now NCY parts ate not the best, and the paint has been chipping sense the day I got the frame, but this was a large chip. I then noticed when I set my bag on the ground to get out my lock. wallet, keys and work ID that the strap had slipped down.

Now if you have ever used a backpack, or really any bag with an adjustable strap, you know how this is very visible. You can see where the buckle was sitting and where it slid down to. Well the bag slid down and stopped at the spot it was in prior to my resent comfort adjustment. So my bag slid down and chipped the seat frame.

But I am in luck! Frank told me about a guy up in Moscow (PA, not Russia) that does powder coating. He is apparently cheap, and does a good job. So I will have 3 parts this winter, seat frame included to get some nice, durable and needed powder coating.

I am also glad to say that I now know how to use an angle grinder. And I did the job pretty good if do say to myself. I could have ground down the old welds a little better, but it looked pretty good and I was antsy to paint and install. Plus I didn't want to get to cocky and mess it up, it already look dang good for my first ever use of an angle grinder. Here is the end result installed. Oh, I also had to drill out the holes where the blinkers are mounted, because they are only 6mm, and they needed to by 10mm.

(It's the black thing that the headlight bracket is mounted to.)

This is what I cut off from the front rack. Well two of these. This is a picture of the second one. The cut wasn't as smooth as the first one because I had a better angle on the first bunny ear. But the end result looked better on this cut.
On the first one I ground the weld off better, but this one, I got more metal. So I ground down the weld after I got the ear off. That's why the end result was better. The first one came off smoother, so I didn't grind to much of the excess weld. In hind sight, I wish I did, but you will never see it unless you are looking at The Meepers from my vantage point.

By the way, The old front rack (that I still have and did not cut) is red. I wanted to go black so it looked cooler. I am keeping the old rack intact, in case NA Warhorse will not pass the inspection because the blinker location. Which is the reason they are where they are on the USD Ruckus, and not like the JDM Zoomer. I.E. the Zoomer has them where I just relocated them to, and the Ruckus comes with them like this:

Awwww, Look at The Meepers. That is day one and brand new. You could still see the lines on his tire. Any way, That is the stock rack. But I am pretty sure they are 100% fine where they are. They are so much more visible than most motorcycle blinkers, and much larger.

OK my computer made a ding. That means it is done rendering. Time to save the world.

That is all, carry on.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Revenge!

So I think my eyes are seeking revenge upon me. I went to a Lasik seminar last night, if you recall reading about. It freaked me out a bit, but I am still gunho and ready to get zapped by lasers.
But something may not be right.

So after the seminar they have a Q and A with the doctor who preformed the procedure while we watched and the person (a woman in this case) who was operated on. This is fallowed by a break out session. We were all called in and put in individual rooms, so speak to the doctor privately. So I got lucky (or so I thought) and got to speak to the doctor first.

After a few minutes of talking to me, telling me I am a prime candidate for the surgery he ask if I have anymore questions, so I say, I had an ulcer on my eye a month or two ago. He looks at me with a looked I did not want to see. Then he grabs the "Look into your eyes" thing. He tells me I have some cornail damage because I wear my contacts to much. The tone he used was not good.

So he tells me he wants to see me next week to look at my eyes. He said that my contacts ( was wearing them at the time, not right now), may hide some problems. So he got me a little worked up and scared. But Amy told me it will be all OK, and I trust her. But I keep running things over in my head.

Things like, I will not be able to get the surgery, or I will never be able to wear contacts again. He asked me a few questions like, "Do your eyes get red," "Is there any stinging or burning," or "is it blurry or cloudy in my left eye (The one I have had problems with)?"

So now, of course my left eye feels like it has a constant sting and feels warm and swollen. Of course when I look in a mirror it is not swollen at all, and not red at all. And my left eye is more blurry than the right. And after freaking out about that I realized something, my left eye is worse than my right eye. Worse by almost a point (3/4 to be exact) and to to top that off my glasses are really old. I haven't gotten new lenses in years. Can you tell why? I have been wearing my contacts all the time.

And this is my downfall. My lenses are old, so I can't see as well with them so in turn I wear my contacts more. In addition, my contacts are more comfortable to wear, I have peripheral vision, and I can wear sunglasses easily.

OK, I am rambling on, and getting myself worked up more. I scheduled an appointment to see the eye doctor Tuesday morning. So I am hoping he tells me I did a number on my eyes, and makes me use some crazy drops for a month or two then lets me get the Lasik or possibly the Lasak. The later is older. hurts more and takes longer to heal, but does the same thing minus cutting into my eye. If I got the gist of it right last night, it "burns" the top of my eye, then heals back. So if that is what it does, I am hoping any damage will heal fine after it is "burned" off.

Moving on. I found this today:


Then I went ahead and made this:


That is all, carry on.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Owls!

So on the other day I had a dream I was being attacked by Owls. It was interesting to say the least. The dream woke me up and in turn woke up Amy, because we were snuggling.

Yes I like to snuggle my girlfriend. Do you have a problem with that? Good.

So in this dream I was hanging out, though I don't remember what I was doing, and then it happened. The attack! I remember it went after my hand first. Then it was pecking me. Do Owls peck? Anyway, it was pecking me and I woke up very abruptly and for lack of a better explanation, very dramatically.

Now as you should know, Saturday Amy and I went to Claws and Paws. Do you think that had anything to do with it? Well it did. The Owl in question looked like this.
There was also a beautiful sign on the front of their cage it reads as fallows:
I guess they didn't want to scare the children and also state: "The Eagle Owl will give you nightmares and attack you in your sleep."

Seems reasonable to not put that on the sign. Hell, I almost shit my brain when it happened, though if I knew it was going to happen I could have been prepared for it. I would at least have gotten drunk first in my dream and worn a helmet in anticipation of in impending attack. I do after all have several helmets laying around. At least 4 I can think of off the top of my head. One would have been suitable to protect my perfect face. Like this one.

Any way. I suppose I survived the Owl attack, seeing as I am typing this right now. Or did I not survive and my spirit is going on like I am still alive and I am not really typing anything. So feel free to comment today, after all it will let me know that I am alive. If I am still alive that is.

Moving on.

Tomorrow night I am attending a seminar on Lasik Eye Surgery. I am a bit scared of the whole shooting lasers into my eyes thing. But I also hate no being able to see. I think the simplest joy that I will have is this. Waking up and being able to see the alarm clock. Not like now. I have to sit up, lean 3/4 of the way there and squint like an SOB to bearly make out the numbers. Also being able to read the labels of things in the shower. In the morning I don't have my contacts in yet, so I can't see the labels. I know what most things are by the color and look of the blurry bottle, but when something new is introduced into the shower, I have to hold it a few inches from my eyes and squint to read. If I shower at night, I can see. I generally have my contacts in then.

So I am hoping to see some one get their eyes zapped in person and see their reaction. I also get $500 off for going to the seminar. Though it is still going to cost me like $2,500 (if my insurance kicks in 15% of it). Also, I am told if I get picked to be the guy getting zapped at a seminar, I get a further discount.

Good thing I had that helmet to protect my pretty face from the Owl attack. I think I stand a chance at getting zapped at the seminar because I am "Easy on the eyes." Get it? Because it is a seminar about getting your eyes zapped with lasers.

OK, I think I am done for now.

That is all, carry on.

Monday, August 17, 2009

It's Monday!

Where did the weekend go? I know Amy and I went on an adventure to Claws and Paws, but where did the rest go? It is slowly coming back to me.

Saturday we went to the Paws full of Claws. And I will say, it was GREAT! I had a blast! Amy was still sick, but she still had a great time as well. We spent about 2 hours there, hanging out and talking to the animals. Some of them look pretty sad, so they need some cheering up.

What is that you say? Claws and Paws is for kids. It is not I tell you. There were plenty of Old's and Mids alike. Without tiny's. It is fun for all ages! Late 20's included. Let me introduce you to some of the friends we made.These were the first two friends we made. I call them monkeys. The were huddled up in the corner of their home, cleaning each other. This was at about 10:30 a.m. Late that day they were on the other side of their home, hanging out doing other things. Not sex you potty mind.

After we got a little deeper into the main loop we ran into this cute little guy. We happen to arrive while a girl was cleaning and feeding him. She went round putting chunks of meat all over the cage so her could run around and eat them. When the girl went to let him out of his box, all we saw was a little paw come flying out. It was pretty funny. Next thing we know, this little guy was running all over the place hunting down food. This photo was after he ate the piece that was there, but he still smelled it and was looking for more.
And then we encountered this guy. I am not really sure what kind of creature that is, but it kept touching itself. It was pretty creepy.....

Moving on.
Amy and I made friends with this cute little baby goat. He like the food and he like to scratch his head on that fence. We tried to hang out with him more, but this guy wouldn't leave us alone.
He is a bully. He was chasing us around and eating my shirt. And as far as I know, brown shirts do not taste that good. But he didn't seam to care. Bullies never do. Here he is chasing me for my food. The dear wanted nothing to do with me.

Once we escaped the clutched of the evil bully, we found some guys that are normally bully's but seem meek and scared.

They look kind of cute when they are de-scented and cowering in their shelter. I asked if they know the skunk that lives on Adam's Ave, but they declined to answer me.

I saved the best for last. Now, if you have a weak gag reflex you may want to avert your eyes. Also this was only a about half mass.
That is the weiner of a donkey. It got much much bigger when he walked away from us. I told him to button it up, and he politely did.

My favorite part of the day came toward the end. We saw the Gibbons. they are some crazy little, OK not so little, guys. One was pretty lazy, just sitting around, but the other was out of his mind! He was eating what looked to be a piece of cardboard, but that was not satisfying. He then kicked it out of his own mouth and went the proverbial "Ape Shit."

It was awesome! I stood there for close to 10 minutes watching him swing and jump. He would calm down for a few seconds then go crazy again. It was great! After he calmed down, we finally waked away.

We met a few other fun little creatures, but Amy's camera was dieing, so we couldn't get any more pictures. So we finished the park, and hit the gift shop. Lots of fun little things in that gift shop, I might add.

The rest of Saturday we were just lazy. Amy took a much needed nap, and I watched some more episodes of Lost. I got into Lost last week. Seasons 1-4 are play now's on Netflix, so I have been burning through them.

Sunday I did the laundry and met up with Morgan to see G.I. Joe. It was so, so. I can't say it was disappointing, because I didn't expect much, but well, it was pretty disappointing. The trailers make it out to be ridiculous. And it was just that, but the best ridiculous parts, were all used in the trailers. So I guess go see it and form your own opinion. But see the first showing of the day to save yourself the most money you can.

If you were a fan as a kid, much like myself, it is still worth the peek. Just to say you saw it. But people might laugh at you.

Watch out for this guy.

That is all, carry on.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A REAL Legend is dead.

This will be short and sweat today. As you may have inferred from my post about the recent celebrity deaths we have been having, I didn't care about any of them dieing. But today, and recently today, a real legend has died. Les Paul, is dead at age 94.

Up until last month he was still playing weekly at The Iridium Jazz Club in New York. There are all sorts of stories about him playing there, and his interactions with fans and celebrities alike. One of the best Waz told me a few years ago.

Zakk Wylde went to see Les play at the Iridium and went up on stage to play with him. At the end Zakk tells Les Paul that he is a musician and has a guitar named after him. Les Paul then says "Ya, I do to." and points to his name on the head stock of the iconic Gibson Les Paul.

If you don't know Zakk Wylde's signature guitar, is an Antique Ivory Gibson Les Paul with a black bulls eye on it. Yes that's right Zakk's guitar is a Les Paul.

If you know the story behind the Gibson SG, that is a good one to. Here is a synapses. When Gibson came out with the SG model it was suppose to be the Les Paul model. But Les thought that the points were to "dangerous," and "looked like the devil." Really he was going through a divorce and didn't want his Ex-Wife to steal the royalties from his signature model guitar. So later in 52' the Les Paul as we know it was born and bears his name.

I currently own two of guitar with his name. An Alpine White Gibson Les Paul Custom, and a Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Jr.

The best write up and pictures is of course on Gibson's web site. Here is the link to their tribute to the Legend Les Paul. And if you do not want to read or click, ODO will read it to you (I am going to copy and paste the story).

The World Has Lost a Remarkable Innovator and Musician: Les Paul Passes Away at 94

1915 - 2009

08.13.2009

New York, NY…August 13, 2009…Les Paul, acclaimed guitar player, entertainer and inventor, passed away today from complications of severe pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York, surrounded by family and loved ones. He had been receiving the best available treatment through this final battle and in keeping with his persona, he showed incredible strength, tenacity and courage. The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks for the thoughts and prayers from his dear friends and fans. Les Paul was 94.

One of the foremost influences on 20th century sound and responsible for the world’s most famous guitar, the Les Paul model, Les Paul’s prestigious career in music and invention spans from the 1930s to the present. Though he’s indisputably one of America’s most popular, influential, and accomplished electric guitarists, Les Paul is best known as an early innovator in the development of the solid body guitar. His groundbreaking design would become the template for Gibson’s best-selling electric, the Les Paul model, introduced in 1952. Today, countless musical legends still consider Paul’s iconic guitar unmatched in sound and prowess. Among Paul’s most enduring contributions are those in the technological realm, including ingenious developments in multi-track recording, guitar effects, and the mechanics of sound in general.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul was already performing publicly as a honky-tonk guitarist by the age of 13. So clear was his calling that Paul dropped out of high school at 17 to play in Sunny Joe Wolverton’s Radio Band in St. Louis. As Paul’s mentor, Wolverton was the one to christen him with the stage name “Rhubarb Red,” a moniker that would follow him to Chicago in 1934. There, Paul became a bona fide radio star, known as both hillbilly picker Rhubarb Red and Django Reinhardt-informed jazz guitarist Les Paul. His first recordings were done in 1936 on an acoustic—alone as Rhubarb Red, as well as backing blues singer Georgia White. The next year he formed his first trio, but by 1938 he’d moved to New York to begin his tenure on national radio with one of the more popular dance orchestras in the country, Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians.

Tinkering with electronics and guitar amplification since his youth, Les Paul began constructing his own electric guitar in the late ’30s. Unhappy with the first generation of commercially available hollowbodies because of their thin tone, lack of sustain, and feedback problems, Paul opted to build an entirely new structure. “I was interested in proving that a vibration-free top was the way to go,” he has said. “I even built a guitar out of a railroad rail to prove it. What I wanted was to amplify pure string vibration, without the resonance of the wood getting involved in the sound.” With the good graces of Epiphone president Epi Stathopoulo, Paul used the Epiphone plant and machinery in 1941 to bring his vision to fruition. He affectionately dubbed the guitar “The Log.”

Les Paul’s tireless experiments sometimes proved to be dangerous, and he nearly electrocuted himself in 1940 during a session in the cellar of his Queens apartment. During the next two years of rehabilitation, Les earned his living producing radio music. Forced to put the Pennsylvanians and the rest of his career on hold, Les Paul moved to Hollywood. During World War II, he was drafted into the Army but permitted to stay in California, where he became a regular player for Armed Forces Radio Service. By 1943 he had assembled a trio that regularly performed live, on the radio, and on V-Discs. In 1944 he entered the jazz spotlight—thanks to his dazzling work filling in for Oscar Moore alongside Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, and other superstars —at the first of the prestigious Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts.

By his mid-thirties, Paul had successfully combined Reinhardt-inspired jazz playing and the western swing and twang of his Rhubarb Red persona into one distinctive, electrifying style. In the Les Paul Trio he translated the dizzying runs and unusual harmonies found on Jazz at the Philharmonic into a slower, subtler, more commercial approach. His novelty instrumentals were tighter, brasher, and punctuated with effects. Overall, the trademark Les Paul sound was razor-sharp, clean-shaven, and divinely smooth.

As small combos eclipsed big bands toward the end of World War II, Les Paul Trio’s popularity grew. They cut records for Decca both alone and behind the likes of Helen Forrest, the Andrews Sisters, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Dick Hayes, and, most notably, Bing Crosby. Since 1945, when the crooner brought them into the studio to back him on a few numbers, the Trio had become regular guests on Crosby’s hit radio show. The highlight of the session was Paul’s first No. 1 hit and million-seller, the gorgeous “It’s Been a Long, Long Time.”

Meanwhile, Paul began to experiment with dubbing live tracks over recorded tracks, also altering the playback speed. This resulted in “Lover (When You’re Near Me),” his revolutionary 1947 predecessor to multi-track recording. The hit instrumental featured Les Paul on eight different electric guitar parts, all playing together.

In 1948, Paul nearly lost his life to a devastating car crash that shattered his right arm and elbow. Still, he convinced doctors to set his broken arm in the guitar-picking and cradling position. Laid up but undaunted, Paul acquired a first generation Ampex tape recorder from Crosby in 1949, and began his most important multi-tracking adventure, adding a fourth head to the recorder to create sound-on-sound recordings. While tinkering with the machine and its many possibilities, he also came up with tape delay. These tricks, along with another recent Les Paul innovation—close mic-ing vocals—were integrated for the first time on a single recording: the 1950 No. 1 tour de force “How High the Moon.”

This historic track was performed during a duo with future wife Mary Ford. The couple’s prolific string of hits for Capitol Records not only included some of the most popular recordings of the early 1950s, but also wrote the book on contemporary studio production. The dense but crystal clear harmonic layering of guitars and vocals, along with Ford’s close mic-ed voice and Paul’s guitar effects, produced distinctively contemporary recordings with unprecedented sonic qualities. Through hits, tours, and popular radio shows, Paul and Ford kept one foot in the technological vanguard and the other in the cultural mainstream.

All the while, Les Paul continued to pine for the perfect guitar. Though The Log came close, it wasn’t quite what he was after. In the early 1950s, Gibson Guitar would cultivate a partnership with Paul that would lead to the creation of the guitar he’d seen only in his dreams. In 1948, Gibson elected to design its first solidbody, and Paul, a self-described “dyed-in-the-wool Gibson man,” seemed the right man for the job. Gibson avidly courted the guitar legend, even driving deep into the Pennsylvania mountains to deliver the first model to newlyweds Les Paul and Mary Ford.

“Les played it, and his eyes lighted up,” then-Gibson President Ted McCarty has recalled. The year was 1950, and Paul had just signed on as the namesake of Gibson’s first electric solidbody, with exclusive design privileges. Working closely with Paul, Gibson forged a relationship that would change popular culture forever. The Gibson Les Paul model—the most powerful and respected electric guitar in history—began with the 1952 release of the Les Paul Goldtop. After introducing the original Les Paul Goldtop in 1952, Gibson issued the Black Beauty, the mahogany-topped Les Paul Custom, in 1954. The Les Paul Junior (1954) and Special (1955) were also introduced before the canonical Les Paul Standard hit the market in 1958. With revolutionary humbucker pickups, this sunburst classic has remained unchanged for the half-century since it hit the market.

“The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul. He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone’s face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We will dedicate ourselves to preserving Les’ legacy to insure that it lives on forever. He touched so many lives throughout his remarkable life and his influence extends around the globe and across every boundary. I have lost a dear, personal friend and mentor, a man who has changed so many of our lives for the better.”

“I don’t think any words can describe the man we know as Les Paul adequately. The English language does not contain words that can pay enough homage to someone like Les. As the “Father of the Electric Guitar”, he was not only one of the world’s greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world,” said Dave Berryman, President of Gibson Guitar. “I have had the privilege to know and work with Les for many, many years and his passing has left a deep personal void. He was simply put – remarkable in every way. As a person, a musician, a friend, an inventor. He will be sorely missed by us all.”

With the rise of the rock ’n’ roll revolution of 1955, Les Paul and Mary Ford’s popularity began to wane with younger listeners, though Paul would prove to be a massive influence on younger generation of guitarists. Still, Paul and Ford maintained their iconic presence with their wildly popular television show, which ran from 1953-1960. In 1964, the couple, parents to a son and daughter, divorced. Paul began playing in Japan, and recorded an LP for London Records before poor health forced him to take time off—as much as someone so inspired can take time off.

In the 1977, Paul resurfaced with a Grammy-winning Chet Atkins collaboration, Chester and Lester. Then the ailing guitarist, who’d already suffered arthritis and permanent hearing loss, had a heart attack, followed by bypass surgery.

Ever stubborn, Les recovered, and returned to live performance in the late 1980s. Until recently Les continued to perform two weekly New York shows with the Les Paul Trio, even releasing the 2005 double-Grammy winner Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played, featuring collaborations with a veritable who’s who of the electric guitar, including dozens of illustrious fans like Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Joe Perry. In 2008, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame paid tribute to Les Paul in a week-long celebration of his life which culminated with a live performance by Les himself.

Les Paul has since become the only individual to share membership into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Les is survived by his three sons Lester (Rus) G. Paul, Gene W. Paul and Robert (Bobby) R. Paul, his daughter Colleen Wess, son-in-law Gary Wess, long time friend Arlene Palmer, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. A private Funeral service will be held in New York. A service in Waukesha, WI will be announced at a later date. Details will follow and will be announced for all services. Memorial tributes for the public will be announced at a future date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Les Paul Foundation, 236 West 30th Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10001.

Slash said, "Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be, he was so vibrant and full of positive energy. I'm honored and humbled to have known and played with him over the years, he was an exceptionally brilliant man."

Joe Satriani said, "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero, and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at The Iridium club in NYC, and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all."

Keb’ Mo’ said, “He’s a guy who played right up to the end, that’s what we all want to do! With his brilliant playing and invention of multi track recording, Les Paul changed the face of music history.”

Bootsy Collins said, "Yes, it is very painful when you lose a man, his music, and his everyday presence here on this planet called earth. For us musicians that knew the bar that this man Mr. Les Paul set, not only for guitar players but for music in general, especially rock music, the world will never be the same. His famous Gibson Les Paul brand Guitar's are still to this day the number one hottest rock guitar on the market. I got the opportunity in 1991 to do a session with Mr. Paul when I was with Dee-Lite, we did a song called: "A little More of Les". yes, one of my corky titles of course, but It was such an inspiration to be in the presence of such greatness, he will be sadly missed by many. We love you Les!"

Joan Jett said, "I, and everyone at Blackheart Records, mourn the passing of our dear friend, Les Paul. He was a genius inventor, musical innovator, and a wonderful person. Without the advances he pioneered, the recording sciences and the electric guitar would have been left years behind. I will miss him so much."

Ace Frehley said, "The music industry has lost a giant! I'm very saddened by the news of Les Paul's passing. I was lucky enough to have known Les as a friend, and admired him as a musician and innovator. He forever changed the way we listen to music."

Butch Walker said, "Les Paul... I will always owe you.. bigtime..."

Billy Gibbons said, "Les Paul brought six strings to electricity and electricity to six strings. Les Paul was an innovator, a groundbreaker, a risk taker, a mentor and a friend. Try to imagine what we'd be doing if he hadn't come along and changed the world. There will always be more Les to come. That's certified."

Rickey Medlocke said, "I'm so thankful that this guy was such an incredible genius for developing such a great guitar. I am a 3rd generation Gibson user and I always will be. God bless Les Paul."

Tad Kubler said, "There are very few human beings in history that touched so many people the way Les Paul did. He shared his gifts with everyone and brought people together with his brilliance and devotion to music and the art of sound. It was a privilege to have met him. He will be incredibly missed. But our blessing is to know his spirit and soul will live for eternity in music everywhere."

Wes Scantlon said, "Les and I have the same birthday – it is an honor to have been born on the same day as such a genius guitarist, innovator and human being"

Neil Portnow (President/CEO of The Recording Academy®) said, "Three-time GRAMMY® winner Les Paul was a musical mastermind whose innovations in electric guitar and recorded music are unparalleled. A 1983 Trustees Award recipient and a 2001 Technical GRAMMY Award recipient, his career and contributions to popular music will forever be celebrated, and will continue to influence future generations of musicians. His magnetic charm and sunny disposition matched his incredible skill set, and he will always be remembered with great fondness, humility, and respect. The music industry has lost a true innovator and legend."

Brian Wilson said, "Les Paul and Mary Ford were among my most favorite musicians in the 50’s. He was the first guy to do multi guitar multi track recording and that turned me on to guitars and stacking vocals for our records."

Johnny A. said, "I am personally very saddened by the passing of Mr. Les Paul. As well as being such an iconic figure in the world of music, as a player and inventor, Les was truly a gentleman with an unbeatable sense of humor. It has been my honor to have known and played with him. His spirit will surely be missed."

Dave Navarro, "Les is single handedly responsible for the direction and evolution of the modern rock movement. Period. If you are a fan of modern music, you owe Les Paul an enormous THANK YOU!"

Barrowed from Gibson to share the story of a true musical legend with the world.

That is all, carry on

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

It's Almost here!


Vacation. Amy and I booked a short little vacation for next month. And I'll tell you it can't come soon enough. I love going to the shore. And we thought we were only going to be able to go for another day trip. But we decided last night to go for 4 days and 3 nights. Nothing super special. Just Wildwood NJ. We just need to get out of Dodge for a few days and relax.

Amy found it on line. Place looks pretty nice. Whole thing is 50's style. It is called StarLux Boutique Hotel and Meeting Place. A block from the beach. We booked a deluxe trailer. There are only 2 photos of them on their web site, but the lady described them to me on the phone last night, and they sound pretty RAD. I really can't wait.

It will be in September, so fingers crossed, we hope it will still be nice and warm. Even if we get one day in the water that is enough. The boardwalk is great there, and I haven't been there in about 10-12 years. So this should be all new to me again. Buy some silly souvenirs, and spend to much money on food. Put a beer or two in my belly, along with some boardwalk fries. And of course, a few days with my lady and no work. What else does a man need.

I haven't told The Meepers yet, so keep it on the DL. He will be staying at my parents house while we are gone. They will take good care of him. Keep the rain and sun off his brow.

Things I hope to see in Wildwood.

Drunks getting arrested
Boardwalk fries
Monster Trucks on the beach
Really big slices of pizza
Homeless men begging for money, but wearing better close than me because they are from NJ
An awesome and long boardwalk
Beat red girls because they thought they could lay in the sun all day and not use sunscreen
A beach without syringes
Little kids surrounded by seagulls trying to eat their ice cream

Things I hope not to see while in Wildwood.

Me being drunk and getting arrested
No boardwalk fries anywhere
A sign reading "No Monster Trucks on the beach"
Tiny over prices slices of pizza
Me running out of money and begging like a homeless man
The boardwalk being shut down for "Maintenance"
Amy and I beat red because we were in the sun without sunscreen
The beach full of syringes
Seagulls attacking me for my ice cream.

So if you are looking for Amy, myself or The Meepers on or around September 13-16, we will be kickin' back

That is all, carry on.

Monday, August 10, 2009

You know it!

The Meepers is fixed and running! Thanks to the help of my cousin Mike and 4-5 hours of our Sunday, The Meepers runs great! Actually running a bit faster.

Thanks to Vorroa for giving me the heads up that BoaserBlick (Joe) was selling his stock engine with 77 miles on it. It was sitting for a spell so the carb was stuck and that gave us a little trouble. Nothing reving the shit out of her didn't cure.

But I am getting ahead of myself here. Let me start at the beginning and try to get this all out and correct in a half an hour.

Amy and I started our adventure at about 7:30 a.m. We hoped in the car and got to it. Well we drove for about 2 hours then we got a little hungry, so we decided to go to Dunkin Donuts. All well and fine, except for the fact that we are in New Jersey. Needless to say it was confusing as hell, and very far off the interstate. So after we got that taken care of, and found our way back on to 80, we got into New York pretty fast and easy.

Hell we got to Long Island pretty fast and easy. The GPS varied slightly from the Google directions, but ended up meeting each other a few steps down the road. So we got to BrahdaHood's (Joe's) place pretty easy. But then!

I ring the bell and stand there for a minute and don't hear or see anything. OK, I'll knock. Nothing. So I am getting nervous, and I look toward Amy in the car and she can see I am freaking out a bit. We drove 3 hours to get there, and Joe wasn't home. So I pull out my cell and call. After 2 rings, the garage door was opening.

A sigh of relief came over me as I saw Jay's feet walk to the door and I shook his hand. He is a super cool guy. Really nice, knows what he is talking about and has a garage full of scooters. And I think only 2 are his. He owns Makoa Scooters. He runs it out of his garage a few days a week.

He brings me over to the side of his house and pulls up a tarp. there are 3 full engines complete with wheels siting there. Basically the whole back half of a scooter. So he shows me Joe's and I ask him a few questions, about what goes where and what not. He told me it should only take about an hour to swap them. Took us 4 (But we took our time to make sure we did it right. Neither of us had done this before).

After we load the engine into The Egg, he pulls out his Ruckus. Beautiful machine. GY6 swapped engine, custom powder coating. It was the first GY6 swap I have seen in person, OH and the first one I RODE! Yes Jay let me ride his scooter! It was great! I am hooked! Here is a picture of his beautiful machine.

It has a different back tire on it now.

I also got to take a peak at his Zuma 125. It was much bigger than I thought. So after he gave me some stickers and his business card I asked for directions to the beach and off we went.I must say that Jones Beach is beautiful. It is a State Park, so it is super clean, ample parking, and the people are not rude at all. Amy and I hoofed it a ways down the shore line so we weren't as sandwiched by people. And it was great. Clean water, a little cool but very refreshing. Not a speck of garbage on the beach. No huge annoying shells. And one of the best parts, all the kids playing sports on the beach, moved up away from every one. They were not getting sand all over you.

We spent a few hours hanging out, swimming, Amy laid in the sun. I got some weird sun burn on part of my chest. The day was great. Mostly blue skies, very relaxing. Until we tried to go home.

We got changed and hit the car. When we were trying to get off of Long Island to get out of the city, we hit the traffic. The on ramp for the bridge we were trying to get on, was closed. So we had to wait an hour to go less than 2 miles to take another bridge. So the drive home took a little over an hour longer. Then another hour for dinner.

But we found the Barley Creek Brewery. Down by The Crossings. Pretty good beers. I recommend the Black Lager. But watch out for the drunk guy who comes to your table and shakes your hand 3 times then gives you a first pound. Other than that the place was really nice. Nice high ceilings, great food (The Rubin was great), and good beer. After dinner it was homeward bound.

It felt good to wash the salt water out of my hair. You may or may not know that it is getting very long, so it was a full tangle attached to my scalp. After some much needed showers, it was on for much needed R and R. Naps and stretching out. That led into a nice evening out on Kim and JT's deck for a few beers and catching up. After a few hour of hanging out, it was time to retire from this extravaganza of a day.

On the drive home, I almost blew a stop sign that I always forget is there. This time disaster ensued. I in fact had an engine in the back of my car still. Well that tipped over and needless to say, I freaked out. So I pulled over and righted the engine. But at that point, it was no longer tied down properly. So.... yup, it tipped over again. And I was freaking out the whole way home.

**Here is a spoiler**

The engine did not get ruined, though I thought it would.

So I got home and righted the engine again, and this time my car smelled like gas terrible. So that means there was still some gas in my carb. But crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I went inside and gathered all my tools for the next day. Then we went to bed.

Sunday I got up nice and early, got the laundry, tools and fluids and headed over to my parents house. Tossed in my dirty underpants and got to work on The Meepers. I'll make this brief.

Mike got there about 9:15 a.m. as I was getting ready by taking off the seat frame and floorboards. We then had to share the garage with the man redoing my parents kitchen. We took note of all the wires and tubes disconnected from the newly acquired engine. After we double checked we were good to go, we unbolted. I found that Honda Ruckus scooters are only connects to the engine by 3 bolts. Two on the engine mount and one on the rear shock. And they all connect at less than 30 foot pounds.

So 4 hours later we had The Meepers back together, but. Yes there is always a BUT. The engine would not turn over. It was trying, and getting stronger with every shot. But kick starting it was the best option. But the engine would only idle for a few seconds then die. Sounded like it was starving for gas. Turns out that's what was happening. After a half an hour of trouble shooting, I just hit the throttle.

After the second time pining it to WOP, The Meepers kicked to life! The float jets in the carb were clogged up from sitting for a spell. Basically I blew them open, and you cold smell the gas burning up. After a few minutes, that smell went to exhaust fumes. And it was all good from there.

Now it's Tuesday, and I started typing this yesterday, but I was so incredibly busy that I could not finish. So I did so today. And The Meepers is still running strong. But it is raining out right now, so I will have to ride home in the rain. Oh well, the engine could use a cleaning.

So the engine works and it gets The Meepers Seal of Approval!
So that is the short version of the Story of repairs and fun in the sun. I learned what not to do when working on a scooter, and what to do to change the engine. So here ends this tail of woes and triumph. Stay tuned for more stories of my fallies in life. And as always enjoy my failures and my triumphant returns.

That is all, carry on.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Fucking Piece of Shit Car!

So today on my way into work I had the radio on, and you all know why I had the radio on. Because I was driving my car and not The Meepers, who does run (not well, but works) by the way. And I am listening to Rock 107 waiting for Chip the Beer Guy to come one. And I heard the BEST commercial.

It was for Gibbons Toyota of Scranton. The whole ad basically sucks accept for the last line. One woman is driving around a POS car, and "can't find" the model of Toyota she is looking for. Her friend tells here to go to Toyota of Scranton because they have, bla bla bla bla bla. But the last line she yells "Hunny, get in this piece of shit car!"

The bleeped out "shit" of course, but none the less, they implied the word. I didn't know we were edgy enough around here to curse in commercials for car dealerships. I guess we are trail blazin' here. Creating new territory. Now where did I put my coon skin cap and bowie knife?

Just keep me away from Donner Pass, and keep a healthy supply of trail mix with pineapples on hand. I really like the kind with nuts and pineapples. I mean who doesn't like pineapples?

Any way, tomorrow starts ADVENTURE WEEKENDS! We are going to Long Island. Well OK, it has two reasons. Amy and I are going to pick up the heart transplant for The Meepers, and we are going to the beach. We are both pretty stoked to be heading to the beach. We haven't been to the shore sense last summer when we went to Florida. The beach in Naples is nice and all, but it is to calm. I hear it isn't very rough on LI, but it should be better than being in the Gulf.

So we will start our trek tomorrow around 7-7:30 a.m. Very early, but I don't want to be sitting in traffic all day long. I was told it shouldn't be to bad heading in on a Saturday. Not looking forward to the tolls, but that is what EZ Pass is for. I am also not looking forward to the waking up part. I am playing one song with The Invisible Swordsmen tonight. I just hope they don't save it until their lat set. Because, well I am not staying out late to night.

I have to drive for 6 hours tomorrow! You wouldn't be out late either. But today was a but of a hassle to wake for as well. I only had a few drinks last night, but I was pretty groggy when I got up. Actually Amy and I both were. I can't speak for her, but I feel fine now, but I was still crazy this morning.

I am defiantly loosing my tolerance to the alcohol. Not necessarily a bad thing, but in a way it is. I still think I can drink the way I use to, so I end up pretty hung over in the morning. On the other hand, I get drunk faster, and SOME TIMES I stop drinking. Then I spend less money. And I don't go out as much any more so I am saving money that way.

But I do keep liquor in the house. So I have a cocktail from time to time. A nice Gin and Tonic with dinner is delicious. Speaking of food, I got free lunch today.

That marked the second time this summer work has had an employee appreciation day and served us lunch. We got lucky. Both days it was nice outside. Well the first one it was kind of over cast, but the air was the right temp and there was a little cooling breeze. Today the sun was shining. However, there were no hamburgers this time. They served us BBQ chicken.

Now you may know that I love chicken. That I could eat chicken every day and be happy. But this chicken confused me. I still ate it, well kind of, but I really wasn't sure what to do with it. In fact, I am still not sure it was real chicken. Not to say the hamburgers last time were great, they where Mmmyaaa, at best. But at least they looked like foor.

But the hot dogs were good. It is really hard to screw up a dog. I know you are thinking, it is hard to screw up a burger to. But there you would be wrong. You can toss a dog in the microwave, in boiling water, on the grill, or hell eat it cold (they are already cooked you know). But a burger, nope. one way to cook them, on a grill. I don't care if you have a little George Foreman grill (I have one), you have to cook them on a grill. And you can not, I repeat, CANNOT let them soak in some sort of BBQ sauce.

You can marinate them before you cook, and then add some more after they are done. But the marinade should have some consistency to it. It cannot be pure liquid. Can you see what I am getting at. The burgers were floating in some sort of liquid BBQ sauce. It looked more like red water. But still looked more like food than this chicken today. But I ate both of them.

OK. What to talk about now? Well to be honest I don't know. I am tapped out. So I will leave you with funny words for ODO to read. Brought to you by, the things that pop up in a Google search when you type in half a sentence. Today's half sentence will be "Why can't I....."

Why can't I lyrics.
Why can't I lose weight.
Why can't I get pregnant.
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you lyrics.
And the best one of the day......
Why can't I own a Canadian.

That is all, carry on.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

New Life!

Well on Sunday The Meepers will be breathing a new life. Amy and I are going to Long Island this Saturday. We will be stopping at BRAHDahOOd's house to pick up an essentially brand new engine. I am hoping it has everything I need on it, like carb, pipe radiator and what not already attached, so there is less for me to screw up when putting it back together. Basically I am hoping I don't get there and see this(not an image of the engine I am buying. That one has the stock air box removed (see that red and black filter), but it still has the carburetor on it. Not a bad looking project really, but the less I have to do, the better off The Meepers will be). But I will have some help. So if it does, we will get it all attached.

I did find 2 motors in New Jersey, that have everything attached, the only thing I need is my ECM and wiring harness. They look something like this. I did ask BRAHDahOOd what parts I would need from my bike and he said nothing really, just unbolt and re-bolt. Either way, I am about to learn some mechanics!

My cousin Mike is going to help me, and Frank said he will give me a hand to. If I have to pull the whole thing apart, so be it. But I am hopping I don't have to. Less work, and less things for me to put back together wrong. If not, I at least hope it has a drive face at least. Mine is stuck on The Meepers right now, so I would have to wait longer to get a new one to ride him.

But that aint all! While we are making this trek to the Island of Long, we are going to hit up Jones Beach. But if the weather is shitty, we are going to go to The Bronx Zoo. Either way we will have an adventure! I just hope I can get to LI in less than 3 hours.

Now that Amy gets Saturdays off, we hope to take lots of nice day trips. Go on adventures, and fight the forces of evil! Or at least the strange noises that are coming out of my belly. I guess eating those shrimp was a bad idea. This Saturday, Long Island, next Saturday, the world! Or I brought up Bucks County. There are other options as well. We could always just got to the pool at the park. Amy does like water slides.

Getting back to Long Island, I have only been there one time. And you may know, so far the only place I get really bad anxiety driving is in New York. Well mostly Manhattan to be fair. Brooklyn isn't to bad, and I think once I get to Long Island I will be OK. But the getting there part is what scares me.

Funny words of the day. Well I only really have one word, but it will be read several times in a row.

Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener Wiener

That is all, carry on.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Yup, I miffed up bad.

It seems I messed up the part that people say "If you mess this up, you're fucked." So guess what, I'm fucked. I found the part online that I messed up, but who knows if it is in stock and how long it will take to get it. And it seems the dealership is not open yet.

I am blocked from message boards at work now, which sucks, because today I really needed to check out a post about an engine for $200. If I can't get the parts to fix The Meepers, I will have to buy a whole new engine. That will actually be cheaper. I just need someone with a little bit of knowledge to help me put it on, and pull the old engine.

Enter the Pep Boys kids, JT or my cousin. I think between them, Amy myself and the mechanics manual, I can get The Meepers up and running. But now I have to wait until I get home to check out that engine. I just hope, I don't have to buy a whole new scooter. I could sell The Meepers for $1000, but then I lose him and his spirit.

I am nervous as hell. I woke up at like 3 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. My poor Meepers.

Well we got out access back at work and i used the better part of my lunch break to read up. turns out, if my crank shaft is ruined, I can't change it without special tools, changing all the gaskets, and a lot of ruckus knowledge I do not have. So now I am stuck looking for new motors. I found a few and received 2 replies. one is a bit pricey and in San Fransisco, but it comes with a $200 wheel. But that will make shipping more money. There is one in Long Island for $200, but I have to go there to get it. Not looking forward to that drive. One guy has 2 in North Jersey, probably the closest and easiest place to get to, but no reply from him yet. hopefully later today. and one is close to the miles on The Meepers. The one in Long Island I am told only has 77 miles on it though.

So that would be nice to break in a new engine and have pretty much a fresh start on life. But that is still taking the heart and soul out of The Meepers. But he will still be my Meepers. Amy knows I will spend the time and money to get him back on his feet. Hell next to her and the pupster, The Meepers is my baby.

So Meeprs, you will be fixed. Hopefully sooner, rather than later. There is still a lot of riding time left this year. It aint November yet.

That is all, carry on.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Oh Shit!

I messed something up on The Meepers. I have a few ideas on what is wrong, but I am a little nervous about it. I lost 5 mph on my speed. On a machine that only goes 42 mph to begin with, losing 5 is a really big deal.

The longer I sit here at work, the more nervous I get. I can't even really eat my lunch today.

Here is what I did. Amy and I went down to the street level of our apartments back door and hing out for about 2 hours while I worked on The Meepers and she read a book.

Well I bought a new variator, new drive belt, clutch springs and tail light with integrated blinkers. So after 2 hours I got everything installed and "working." Well I thought I was hearing a noise from the new parts so I got nervous and parked the bike for the night. We had things to do, so I couldn't start tinkering more on Saturday.

Sunday after noon, I managed to take out the aftermarket variator and drive belt, but left in the clutch springs. But it was miserable and raining, so I couldn't take The Meepers out for a proper test ride, but all seem fine.

This morning I was on my way to work and I could not get above 35 mph. I drove home and parked The Meepers so I didn't cause any damage. On my way to work I thought I figured out the problem, but was later told, that is mot likely not it. But I still think that could be it. The other suggestion is a washer that I thought I seated properly, but I may not have.

That washer I was told will take away from my top end speed if not properly seated. So I sit here very nervous that I ruined The Meepers. All I want to do is head home and fix him. But I have a high priority project that must be done today. So I am here not eating my lunch.

Here is a video of the cool tail light though. Oh, and two pictures I took after I got it installed and working.



That is all I got for today. So dirty words then the end.

Why don't you go outside and go fuck yourself.

In fucking credible.

Come here you fuck ear.

Fuck in a hand basket.

That is all, carry on.