I’ve reloaded the software, imported all the old entries, and begun rebuilding the templates so the Blogpile is beginning to look like the old site before it crashed, tho I still have more work to do on the templates, when I have time.
Test file
They reconfigged the server and my old bLog configuration didn’t survive.
So – I’ve rebuilt the blog configuration and will be re-entering some of the postings from last winter and such – tho – I reserve the right to skip a few.
Ah well – Vive la revolution!
Whoohoo!! Biker babe Photo!!!
The cool thing about having a bike is … Biker babe photos!!!
Let Sleepin’ Cats lie…
Okay – so we’re relaxing after dinner, watching Home and Garden TV, when we glance over at the cats and see them sleeping, Dolly hugging Teddy.
This is a real photo of our cats, not posed, no catnip was consumed in the making of this shot, no photoshop creativity (other than resizing the picture and minor contrast enhancement) – its pretty much directly out of my Olympus digital camera! And yes, Teddy is kinda hanging off the end of the sofa – he is the chill cat – he knows how to relax!
Click to enlarge to 600×800 pixels size
Bike update – with me!
I’m still haunting eBay for various parts – got a new shifter and tailight mount on the way, as well as a proper headlight with ammeter (wouldn’t be a classic British bike without a bouncing needle on the headlight!) … I’ve got a new seatcover and trim, but I’ll have a professional redo that after everything else is sorted…just as I’ll probably pay a painter to do a proper gas tank for me, later …
I’ve even got the right exhaust pipes & footpegs
But its really getting close now … we even have our vanity plate!
click to enlarge
On Closings …
August 1st, 2003 – Three years ago, Emma and I sat down and signed papers, closing the deal to purchase out house in Fairfax, Virginia. We were first time homebuyers, and, frankly, very glad to start building equity with a house instead of ‘paying money to the man’ in Rent. Much has happened since then, and we refinanced once in Feb 2002.
In June we contacted the mortgage company to request a better loan.
They waffled a bit, but we reminded them that getting a percentage of something is always better than taking a larger percentage of nothing …
Now, with the fallen interest rates, we will be sitting down at 5PM today, closing another set of refinance papers. Property values have risen so we can drop off the PMI fees, and we’ll save more due to an even better interest rate.
What a great way to celebrate the third year anniversary of our house!
All praise and thanks to god for these blessings!
Live the Triumph Life!!
While scanning the web for info on the bike, I ran across the website of a company that makes T shirts from Vintage ads – for Chevy, Dodge, Ducati – even Triumph. SO, I went to look at the Triumph ads and ran across this gem from 1968. Understand that the 500 was considered a “girl’s bike” – I suppose the 650 Bonneville was for the guys. That sort of thing is long gone, but … the phrase “The best of both worlds” holds special meaning for T people. Emma even thinks the model looks like me … I’m flattered …but … I dunno …
Click to see the whole ad!
RIAA: ALL AMERICANS are targets!
This pursuit of the RIAA to fund themselves by suing any and all peer-peer fileshare users is getting rediculous. Its bad enough that the Radio business has turned into shills for the blonde-blue-eyed clone-of-the-month. Its bad enough that the music industry has been systematically ripping off the artists that made the music in the first place (see Courtney Love, see Robert Fripp, etc).
Now the concept of the dead-but still struggling music bidness trying to extort money from all possible sources has completely sickened me. I hearby give the music bidness notice. I will no longer buy commercial recordings, I will not steal
the music, I will not trade the music, I will just – walk away and ignore the music
business and no longer provide ANY of my hard earned money to sponsor such scum..
Moving forward in Triumph!
Amazing what a little paint and a week of cleanup can do! This is whatI’ve accomplished with a couple rattlecans of lacquer – I plan to pay someone for a nice paint job later – but this will do for now.
I’ve bid and won on a seat, factory shop manual, and some other things that are yet on the way … It still needs a battery and a pair of tires – and I need to rig up a stoplight and headlight assembly. One thing – in 1970, Triumphs did not come with Turn Signals – if I want them, I have to fabricate the mounts, wiring and such!
But … it IS getting closer to the fun!
click to enlarge (enlarged pix is 240k!)
Just a daytrip to Merrimack (New Hampshire)
As usual – click to enlarge …
On Saturday July 12th I got up at 1:30am.
I started coffee, took a shower, and then hopped into a rented pickup, headed up to Baltimore to pick up Andrea and Jahnna. I’d told them about buying an old Triumph when Emma and I ran in them Dallas. We’d all gone to Dallas for the UFMCC World Conference, and Andrea had volunteered to ride along with me to New Hampshire when I drove up to get the bike. This pleased Emma greatly (she worries about me – isn’t love grand!).
Anywho – they live near Camden Yard, so after they jumped in, we left Baltimore at 3AM and headed north! The drive went well ’til we hit a traffic backup for the Triborough bridge in New York city. Ugh (and I though DC drivers were agressive and rude)!!
Once past NYC the drive again went really well. We were making marvelous time, it was a glorious sunny day and the views were beautiful! There were a lot of folks out riding bikes – tho a lot more rode without helmets that we’d expect!
We stopped on the edge of Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts around 9:30 for a pit stop and to call ahead and tell Greg we were way ahead of schedule –
but we just got their voicemail and decided to call again when we were closer!
We got to Lowell a bit after 11 and called again – and Greg was out running errands – so we left our cellphone number and decided to take a look around Lowell. I was excited – I mean, there’s the Merrimack River from the Tom Rush song, and I knew Lowell was Jack Kerouac’s hometown (!) – but Andrea and Jahnna didn’t know about them – tho they did think it was a beautiful place!
We got a call back from Greg who was surprised we were so close already – so we ended the brief sightseeing trip and headed on to his place in the town of Merrimack. All went really well, he was a friendly guy and we talked bikes for a while, and I trade some cash for the bike and a box of parts. After we finished loading the bike I asked Greg for suggestions on a good restaraunt where we could get lobster for lunch – and he recommended a little place called “The Lobster Boat”. Off we went – and very soon we were enjoying a wonderful meal. Our waitress recommended an appetizer: Lobster Fingers – and they were fabulous – strips of lobster in a tempura-style batter and quick fried – yumm! The real joy of lunch wasn’t the lobster (tho it was good) – we’d all ordered a sampler plate with lobster, scallops and shrimp – and the scallops !!! Absolutely tender melt-in-your-mouth scallops – I’ve never eatten such great scallops!
I’d almost drive there again just for that meal! Almost …
But far too soon, it was time to get back into the truck and head South …
we made a wrong turn somewhere and wound up jogging into Boston and then through Cambridge before we made our way back to the right part of 95 South,
but even that was interesting. We hit traffic again as we neared New York city.
It was just past twilight as we passed the Meadowlands, and it started raining … hard! Yuck! Well, it was raining on and off as we continued through New Jersey,
– and somewhere in Delaware I decided to take a break. I’d been driving all day and I knew I had an hour and a half worth of driving after I dropped them off in Baltimore… so it was time for a nap. We stopped at a rest stop and took did a pit stop and I laid my head against the passenger backrest. I must have gone to sleep instantly – the next thing I knew we were in the tunnel in Baltimore! Andrea drove us to their home, they unpacked, and I headed back to Virginia.
I made good time too – after the long drive up and back, I was home just after midnight …
… and I’ve got this great souvenir from the trip!