PARADE OF FLIGHT NAVAL CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FEB. 12 2010

It's been requested that post some of the bloomin' pictures I've been taking all along! So here's my first official EVENT/ACTIVITY BLOG POST of 2011-the Naval Flight Centennial on Saturday Feb. 12th at the Naval Air Station Coronado. It's going to take a few days to get the pictures in here because it's been a long time since I fiddled around with this sucker.

If I had KNOWN what a BITCH it would've been to get into that place, I seriously might've reconsidered.
It could've competed as being San Diego's SECOND ZOO.
I did end up TOTALLY HONING my lane splitting skills. It was a question of survival, i.e. would I have survived being in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours going into to Coronado Island and 3 hours of bumper to bumper traffic LEAVING Coronado Island?

I'll let the pictures come onto to this first, then give a longer blow-by-blow after the pics; that way, the reader can choose to check out the before, during and after planning, any caveats, stuff like that  AFTER they view the photos.

Ok, here's the GOOD video.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_RQ-4_Global_Hawk (GLOBAL HAWK)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_X-47B (UCAS)

I resolve that 2011 will be better, brighter and more beautiful than 2010.

I will cherish my family and hold them close,
I will cherish my friends and those I love the most,
I will try to see the good in all and ignore the bad
So I can say 2011 was the BEST year I'd ever had.

To those who love me and appreciate me, I say
"Thank you. I love you more than you will ever ever know."

To those who don't, I say
Nothing.

To those I have wronged this past year, either on purpose or unwittingly, I say
"I'm sorry. I will truly try to make it up to you, because you don't deserve such treatment and I need to show you that I'm truly sorry for hurting you".

Family Follies!

I think the pics speak for themselves.

Tip Top Restaurant tomorrow after aerobics.

Am meeting some of the peeps from STAR 422 at Wingstuff in Lake Forest at 10 AM, providing they WAIT for me since my class is from 8:15 to 9:15 AM and I'd still have to change and dry my hair somewhat. Wet hair on a motorcycle? OH, PLEASE. I figure if I hit the ground running after class, throw off my wet gym shirt/shorts, throw on the jeans and stuff I came to class in, dry my hair somewhat under those wall-mount dryers while changing (meanwhile, tons of clothes and a bag and shit are at my feet), and hopefully leave the parking lot at 9:29 sharp because it's 31 minutes from the club to Wingstuff. So says Mapquest.com.

We shall see.

Yeah, yeah, class before food, that's SO smart-work it off BEFORE I eat it.
Let's see, the 'Big John All You Can Eat Meat' breakfast is around 2,000 calories, but I'll only be working off about 500 calories in the morning, so that means the rest of the day I have to find SOMETHING that'll work off another 1500 calories...

'Course, there's one kind of secret weapon I have...

ALII.

More stuff to come!!!
http://www.tiptopmeats.com/

All I Need To Know About Life I Learned from Motorcycling.

I found this article online. Pretty damned good, in my opinion.



As much as many small brained people may claim otherwise, motorcyclists are human - to varying degrees of course. (They’re not ALL knuckle-draggers) And, like all humans, we develop a philosophy of life and basic values, many of these being shaped by our lifestyle of riding motorcycles. I found an article on the variety of basic life philosophies online at www.megarider.com/articles , life philosophies that have been shaped by the pursuit of motorcycling. The more repeatable of these they list, without prejudice, below:

• Variety is the spice of life: one day travel at the speed of a tired turtle, the next day give it heaps!

• Find your place in the sun, even if it's while you wait for your daughter to finally show up for breakfast which has now become lunchtime.

• If you're not receiving enough attention, try giving a cop the finger.

• Always give generously - a large patch of oil left on a friend's driveway tells them that you care. (only if you have a Harley-METRICS don’ DO that)

• Always be willing to accept another's seniority - especially if it's a big rig.

• Only put your foot down when you really need to.

• Success is a frame of mind, so think quickly as that cop approaches you.

• Strive for excellence, not perfection - leave the latter useless pursuit to those who build custom motorcycles.

• Get acquainted with a good lawyer, accountant and mechanic - the order in which you do this depends upon what and how you ride.

• Wear out - don't crash out, or rust out.

• Learn to recognize the inconsequential, then ignore it - unless it's a speed limit in a speed camera area.

• Lie on your back and look up at the stars - unless you are riding your motorcycle at the time.

• Measure people by the size of their hearts, not the size of their motorcycle. Or any body part.

• Know when to speak up - which is not at 75 MPH into a headwind.

• Evaluate yourself by your own standards, not by someone else's - they may be riding on borrowed time.

• Be a self-starter - better still, be an electric starter.

• Smile a lot - but only if you have a visor on your helmet.

• Re-ride your favorite road.

• Never under-estimate your ability to change yourself - after a close call it will come naturally.

• Never acquire just one riding buddy.

• Focus on making things better, not bigger - especially if it's your motorcycle.

• Once in your life own and ride a motorcycle.

• Never encourage anyone to become a politician - unless they ride a motorcycle.

• Learn to do something beautiful with your hands - and you'll never be lonely. ??? I'm afraid to ask what this actually means.

• Show respect for everyone who works for a living, even streetsweepers - a happy streetsweeper keeps the road surface clean.

• Wave to people for the fun of it - it keeps people happy, makes you feel good, and keeps the clutch arm supple.

• Every day look for some small way to improve the way you do things - especially the way you ride.

• Never use the last nine - tenths.

• Even if you cannot give the very best, give your very best.

• When you are hot under the collar, keep your head cool.

• Never under-estimate the power of forgiveness - your bike will forgive all sorts of poor riding actions if they are isolated incidents.

• Don't carry a grudge - a motorcycle has no room for excess baggage.

• Never tell anyone they look tired or depressed - even if you're lifting their bike off them at the time.

• Be enthusiastic about the success of others - even if you're insanely jealous at the time.

• Improve your performance by improving your attitude.

• Go the distance - and on your own bike.

• Every once in a while take the scenic route.

• Move up when you feel you are ready - not when others think you are ready.

• When playing games with children, let them win - when riding with a boy racer, let him win.

• Don't learn the tricks of the trade, learn the trade.

• Teach, Learn, Ask "why" and "what if" a lot?

• Look as if you are in control of your motorcycle - it will probably fool the motorcycle into believing it too.

• Don't lend precious things to friends - you might lose both.

• Don't give advice. Just say what you do or would do in a similar situation - you're not there to teach. You're there to help them learn.

• Leave whining to CX500 drive shafts.

• Your epitaph should read "No regrets and lots of fun".  AMEN AMEN AMEN-I'm gonna change my Facebook to reflect that.

• Invest in skill and knowledge. The returns are fantastic.

• If friends ask you to be honest with them, don't.

• Don't smoke - and the same goes for your motorcycle.

• Rekindle old friendships - ride an older model once in a while. Not just motorcycles.

• Never ask a policeman or mechanic for riding advice - they're trained to find problems, not solutions.

• Don't spread yourself too thinly - learn how to ride within your abilities.

• Give thanks before every ride - and greater thanks at the end of every enjoyable ride.

• Compliment even small improvements - especially when made by a learner or a mechanic.

• Don't expect life to be fair - that way you're more likely to see hidden speed cameras.

• Try never to set yourself a strict timetable - otherwise you'll never have time to explore unexpectedly delightful highways and bi-ways.

• Happiness is not dependant on possessions, power, or prestige but on relationships with people you love and respect - and your motorcycle.

• Clothes maketh the man - and protective clothing holds him together.

• 'Tis not victory nor speed that defines a man, but wisdom and courage.

• If you miss the magic of the moment by focusing on what's to come, you need to slow down.

• Donate two pints of blood every year - someday the gift may be repaid.

• Love your fellow human being but install an anti-theft alarm on your motorcycle.

• Leave everything a little better than you found it - especially if the bike was loaned by a friend.

• Write a "thank you" note to the policeman who gave you the speeding ticket - a little confusion goes a long way.

• Don't expect money to bring you happiness - unless it's spent on a good bike.

• Avoid making sarcastic remarks - actions speak louder than words.

• Never take action when you're angry - cool down before you kick that car door in.

• Learn CPR - you'll need it for CPR (Charlies Practicing Racing) victims.

• Take time to smell the roses - and the cow poo and diesel on the road surface, too.

• Occasionally stop and read historical roadside markers - it will give you a future excuse to stop when things get too hot on a Sunday ride.

• Get your priorities right. No dying motorcyclist ever said; "Gee, I've spent too much time riding motorcycles”.

And that's the way it was on Sunday, August 8th, 2010.

L

1. DAMN I'M GOOD 2. Has it been almost a MONTH since my last post?

Holy snikies, Batman! I've just been so damned busy at work with extra hours and training someone.
Ok, I gotta add a bunch of pics from different things in July, but FIRST.
Here's the DAMN I'M GOOD PART...
Jackie informs me that she is going up to Ventura to pick somebody up.
Oooohhh, kaaaayyy...as soon as MOMMY gets home from Sam's club, she gets on the Sigalert.com and checks the freeways.
Oh, what's this? Glendora Ridge Mtn Road closed? Gates closed? Whaaaa???? Ok, brush fire from yesterday, nobody's MC riding up THERE today!
What else we got going on...hmm, something is starting around Agoura off the 101...didn't Jax say she wanted to know how to get to Ventura, and didn't I tell her the 57 N to the 210 W to the 134/101?
Hmmmmm...
Ok, she calls at 12:39, on Whittier Blvd, wants to know how to get there.
I tell her to take the 605 N. to the 210 West and when she gets on the 210, to call me. (meanwhile, I'm checking that pesky red diamond off the 101 in Agoura.)
She calls at 1:00 and is getting on the 210. Fine, I said, but you'll probably have to stay on the 210. Call me when you get to Pasadena because I'm going to have you take the 210 to the 118 and then down to Ventura.
SMART.
SMART, SMART, SMART.
SHE'S lucky she has an anal mama, and I'M lucky she can take direction WELL and can know how to ask for help.
(and she knows that it takes a bit of time to switch between 3-4 screens on the PC: Mapquest, Sigalert, the destination place, and something else I'm doing for Barry)
1:11 PM she's at the 210/134. I tell her stay on the 210.
1:27 PM she gets to the 118. I tell her great, 118. Call me when you get to Simi Valley.
1:51 PM she's around there, I tell her to take the Thousand Oaks Fwy 23 south to the 101 West.
She says mama, should I go Los Angeles Street/23 North? WHATTTT!!!??? She says, "Sorry, just kidding!". (I'm gonng KILL HER).
1:58 PM she's coming up to the 101. Great time, she's making great time. I also had noticed that where she was going, there was no offramp for that street, so I look up where she's going, find it, do a Mapquest (which is why it was up on the PC) and tell her that she'll have to get off at Exit 63. I send her a text about where to go.

2:05 PM she asks me if I can find Del Norte St. Huh? Whaaa??? I tell her that might take some time, but I'm scrolling scanning thru Mapquest and I just happen to see it. I tell her it's exit 59. She's good with that, she's at exit 50.
And that is where it stands now at 2:47 PM.

Tip Top Restaurant Carlsbad Trip on a holiday Monday 7-5-2010 with the usual gang of misfits (except Minita and Luis-they're NOT misfits!)

It started out GREAT...
I woke the hell up late, at 7:19 AM and the meetup time 8 AM at Starbucks by Best Buy on Chapman. GREAT.
Can you say, "Lightspeed"?
Luckily I had just washed all my stuff from the Mt. Pinos trip and it was still folded on the dryer so I just grabbed it all and started throwing clothing on, then realized I had taken a bath the night before and went to bed with my hair all wet.
So I had to stick my head under the faucet and blowdry my hair.
Bub, that saintly person that he is, moved my car and started my bike. I don't deserve such a kind, thoughtful man.
Know what else he did? He texted Johney and told him that I was on my way but going to be a tad late, would they wait for me? Johney replied with a resounding, "No".
He then said he was kidding, yeah, they'd wait.
I was (as usual) debating on 3 layers or 4, chaps or none, thermal t-neck/socks or no... I chose WISELY. Thermal T-neck, thermal socks, high boots (the ones I use for horseback riding), sweater w/hoodie, zipup aerobic jacket and my MC jacket. Again, luckily my passport purse was all together so I just had to throw in some money, put it around my neck with the camera, phone inside pocket, GO.
I left at 7:45, got there DEAD ON 8 AM.

We were waiting a bit because Johney called Luis, Minita and Pedro, and they got there around 8:15 or so, so we left at 8:19 AM.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. Guess who lead the pack? The AB is back in the saddle.
John R. and Johney asked me if I knew where we were going, and I pretended not to know..."uh, Ojai? Ventura?" John R. got exasperated and said no, Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. (Of COURSE I knew, I made sure I looked it up last night because I have it saved on Mapquest!) So they said for me to lead.
K. I was nervous because I don't think I've lead with John R. as TG, don't remember, just hoped I didn't screw up.
Nobody said it was supposed to RAIN, though. Ok, John R. said a foggy mist, but when drops hit the visor and stream down, plus you can't see a 'dry' track in your lane, PLUS the cars on the other side have their windshield wipers going, that TO ME is rain. We hit spots of rain suddenly, kinda cold rain, so I slowed down from my 75-80 to 70 and got into the 2nd lane. I appreciate the confidence that all the riders have for me, I really do. I guess I didn't let them down, I was told I did a good job. Hoped I did, I kept it steady speeds, when I noticed that the other side cars had their wipers going, I slowed it down and got over to the #2 lane.
We were supposed to hook up with Wayne around El Toro Rd, and John R. told me before we left that I didn't have to go over and go slow, he'd pick him up and they'd come up to us. Problem is, the independent riders in the group didn't know that so they went over 4 lanes and all of a sudden I'm looking behind me and everybody's over except for me.
I thought that everybody was supposed to follow me, you know, like 'into the jaws rode the four hundred' and that stuff?
We have too many independent thinkers around here, which is still ok anyway because of the Palomar Airport Road which came up a bit more suddenly than I thought, so the guys in the back went over.
(Guys, just kidding, you can think independently any time anywhere if I'm leading, because I appreciate it-Johney can usually read my mind, even from 7 bikes back and pretty much know when I'm gonna do something about the same time I do it. EXCEPT why did the back end guys get into the car pool lane when it opened up going north on the 5? I mean, I was debating it, but decided not to since  I looked WAY ahead and noticed that they both seemed to be going about the same and since I make the trip 3X a month, I know that the carpool lane goes slower than the regular traffic, so those that stayed with me left those in the carpool lane in the dust. )