Guitar Hero Surprise....

Last night Pam the birthday girl, Dan, Christina and I beat GH3. But along the way the Knights of Cydonia song was on there, a hidden jewel, and was also Dans video of the year for 06. Well maybe a little bold, a little tangy, I have chosen Knights of Cydonia as my pick for 07!



Enjoy many times over!!

Daft Dancing....

So theres a couple cool things I saw on this holiday vacation.... Daft Bodies (seen below) and Lauren dancing to the Ok Go song....the sweetest....you have to go there and watch it fo real yo!!




The holidays, being always interesting, were just that: interesting. Luckily I got my prescription and Kona the destroyer is holding up to name if not exceeding it. She was in Ned for 15 minutes before peeing twice and pooping once in the cabin. Shes fired.

Saw Aliens vs Predator last night and... all I can say is beware a frightfully bad movie. So bad I laughed through most of it. It came right out of the 80's I swear. Just remember the line: "people are dying, we need guns"

Other than that, I guess well see how much wood has been stolen when I get back.

G.I.Joe....

On my way back to colorado, I thought Id leave you to laugh at this....

Ok Go....

Rubbin On and On....

Finally got that damn tire on. Dont try even if its a little cold. Must be warm. Will not flex. And getting the rim lock in place is a total bitch. In fact the whole thing was a pain in my ass. Nevertheless it DOES make a mean rooster tail now!!


A dirty greasy disc also helps the onlookers know youre coming with the screams of fear combined with a total inability to stop, ie. lots o fun!!!

Ski Porn....

Winter has truly come and it time to get ready.... ie, SKI PORN!!!

Note: Taos is now open to Snowboarders...as of March 2008!!!

The View....

Yesterday the new windows arrived and boy are they sweet:



Then after filing down huge heel callous and lightening pain from ginormous crack in said heel I ran across this 4 minute history of Saudi Arabia form the intro to the movie The Kingdom. You cant put a whole lotta detail in 4 minutes, but the destricption is a nice informational watch:



And then the guy who delivered the windows was wearing this shirt from HERE:



Note: Im also looking for an old and small wood burning stove. Cheap or free. Keep your eyes peeled. Whatever that really means?

Tricks for Treats....

So we had a good night of cooking and eating. I made the Green Chile Chicken Casserole, A made the candycane cookies, and Kona made the tricks.



Then like always, excellent dinners and Sonic the Hedgehog sessions require premature napping when no one is looking.


EDIT: I forgot the construction update....

Manga Magic....

Read this and be amazed. Right to Left. Amazed.

Boating....

So when the weather is foul and dirtbiking is not the wisest option, and skiing would suck, I dream of boating....sloppy wet and wild boating....just the way your mother likes it Trebek!!

So It Turns Out That...

.... changing motorcycle tires is incredibly harder than mountain bike tires. In not sure why they even have tubes as they dont even bend or flex especially when its cold out. Solid. Ridiculous.


I got the old one off and compared tread. It looks like it has the knobby bits still but if the weather is foul and terrain is saucy, youre screwed. I might even try and flip the tire and try the other side for a day. Im sure Ill be disappointed. We shall see the light later. Right now Im trying to make the tire more flexible, so its inside by the dryer warming up. I try.

And we gots more wood. Note: this post begins with Saturdays awesome sunrise/storm!

Favorites....

I havent been in a while, but I was this morning and I love it. People kick ass and so does....

Craigslist.

Updatapotomous....

A couple changes to the gig:

Added Garretts blog
Removed Brendens vacant blog

Internet is fixed for real, I mean the dudes were here for at least 3+ hours. Working from home actually proves way more productive and efficient. Who woulda known. And my dirtbike stuff came, so from now on I dont have to listen to Garrett and Brian telling me I should get a chest protector anymore. And thanks G, yours saved my life on the DH race.....stoopid little root.

Pictures later...maybe
K

More Precip....

So holy cow, were gettin more and more rain. Exponentially increasing the average from the last couple a years. I have about 10 cords up in the sticks to be hauled and the mud is hindering that process. And that right there is sad. I bet my crappy trailer is singing in the rain....

Updates:
The garage slab is getting poured on Fri.
The Kawasaki Frightster (Deerhunter) is hard to ride with low tires.
Riding bikes is fun when Im supposed to be working.
Ordering toys for myself right before christmas is exciting (SUPER)
CAD seems like the biggest waste of time that I can think of.
Making maps is quite fun on the otherhand.
Schmegma!

I Found it First.....

This is an item that would normally go on Dans site, but I found it first:

Mud, Blood, Sweat and Tears....

It started in the late afternoon, tons of it. It never stopped. It partially destroyed the lattice on the back porch. It brought its buddy, wind. IT was RAIN.

Precipitation:

8.69in / 220.7mm

Thats what the weather station reads.

The next day friend and I plan to log. But Amanda stole my phone and the internet lies on its death bed, apparently in throes and woes. Communication is at an all-time low.

The sun shows its glorious underbits and the day takes hold. Of what I know not. Load the trailer, load the 4runner, beer, axes, chainsaw, safety, firearms, dog.


We arrive to the area and the main road is sloppy and sideways with a trailer is always fun. As we cross the cattleguard memories float though my mind. Highschool, Bozeman, 4 wheel drive and lots of fun and destruction. I look ahead at the road before me and I tighten my seatbelt, this is gonna be scary.


4 Low and second gear, engine pinned at 5000 rpms, mud spraying, trailer catching air. Avoiding the ruts like the plague. There is no return from there. Keep those tires spinning or the day is over.


Turns out that the Toyota is amazing in this terrain and we ended up doing those slide turns and big 4x4 spins in the grease. Cut some trees up and prepared them for the haul. Found the mother lode of dead and down. I want to go camping there, and I found another new pile of class 4 and 5 trails. Kick ass. Unfortunately bc it was so slick we came back empty handed, but thats ok, we jsut cut up about 15 cords of wood. Amazing.

The Electric Toaster....

Just a quick update on what I just saw.

So Im making a pot roast that wont really be done till next weekend. I care.... But Im missing some major ingredients so I gotta make a spin over to the local grocery.... After setting an ice cold beer in the firepalce to warm up for the stew, I stew about for a bit and decide the toaster van is the weapon of choice for my 1/4 mile mission. I fire the feisty bastard up and make my list. I have to drive kinda slow due to the almost flat front tires and even though theres not a lot of traffic I get to wave at almost everybody. Strange.

At Store. Park. Proceed inside and commence collecting the items of need. For flavor, for goodness. Pay, grudgingly. This place is expensive. Thinking about the wine Im gonna buy this afternoon. Yeah, all three cases of it. Exit with paper bag in hand.

I take the big left turn out the door and scope for my toaster. Not seen. To many parked cars. Before I see the van I see a coil of orange? I screw up my face. Apparently this is an extension cord. Apparently this extension cord is wound up and hanging on my mirror. How could I have left home and not seen a power cord on the door? I figure it out, as I coil the rest of it....

A couple of days ago the dog was chewing on said bright orange electrical extension cord so I piled it all up and tossed it over the wall towards the garage. My fleet of vehicles also park here. I know for fact I hit the van on the toss. I didnt know I hooked the hitch. Niether did I know that drove to the store with said 40 foot cord tailing my mission. Luckily it didnt wear all the way though, just most of the way. I bet theres about 12 peoples telling this story of what they just saw, crying and laughing.

Shoulda plugged it in.

Cheers Matey....

This is a little ode to my buddies the Brimers. You make the best wine EVAR!!!! Dipped into the stash last night and the plum port is fantastic. You guys rock. Be careful, some of this drink is the real deal....



As well, an update on the new foundation. Looking good.


Then theres the wet noodle:

Thence Digging Shall....

I dont know what that means.... But the construction has begun, so work, here I dont come today.


But I have my own little projects and such. Por Ejemplo, the chimney...


And the ride yesterday was absolutely fantastic, I found about 8 new long and difficult trails, though some unrideable due to the snow and mud and lack or the buddy system. If the weather stays ok and the mud persists Im gonna have to get a new mud tire...

The new fork oil preformed awesome. The chain needs lube. New clutch plates should be ordered. And trails must be mapped. Unfortunately I put myself out of commission for marathon eligibility from a slippery muddy kick starter. The liitle bastard slipped and aced me in the back of the calf above my boot 3x. I can barely walk today. Gimpy, if you will. But hes a sleeping.....

Its Officially....

.... fucking freezing. But Im gonna attempt a ride anyway. New fork, oil change, drilled the snow-shovel, filters....yeah, its time. Aluminum drillings are cool looking btw.






Missions as of late include more stove pipe to keep the scary embers farther from the house, tiling the hearth around the fireplace with a mural, moving all the shit from the garage to a mediate localtion, and more vehicular modifications to increase winter productivity for the encroaching darkness.



BTW: Mom, I need your symbolic drawing for the hearth. I reckon the tile work I do while unemployed as a new unfound artist is going to envelope most of the corner.

AND: Dad is a philosophical sort of bloke if you ask the right questions. Stuff like coffee, dogs, cats, golf, woodwork.....

Tough wood....

I spent all day yesterday doing chopping, and to think I could have been dirt biking. And I think I should quit my job while Im ahead.

There always a need for the approach....

Then I have two angles, both with a scale barrow.


So the wooden fence project is a go!

Friday Off....

Kona is freaking out. I reckon we got 2 in overnight. Stoked. Unfortunately with Murphys law in full effect, the dirtbike overhaul for the weekend is gonna be a near miss. I drilled the skidplate, oil change, new fork seals, lube and gas.....2 inches of the powpow. Now what do I do? Perhaps a mtb ride to kick my lungs in the face. A sit in the snow with shiesha? Most likely its gonna end up chopping logs and takin naps, drinking coffee, burnin lots of wood in the fireplace.

I need a recipe for making a homemade outdoor wood burning hot tub....

Jeebus.....

Slow and sad. I want to quit my job and do something worthwhile. In the meantime I recreate via chainsaw and axe. It really relieves quite a bit of the stress, murdering the already dead forest. So allow me to show my collection. And right after I took this pic I split all the big daddies in anger and rage.
Now I had to view it from different angle due to the nature of the beast just t get the full effect.

And notice the new goodies....Dog door insert for the sliding glass door on the back. Rad!

Mutha' Load....

So there I was with Timmy in Billings, looking at this piece of shit pu-together trailer for a record score of $200. Little did I know that this trailer in question would still be with us after doubling its max capacity and cruising down the interstate and offroading our way out of the national forest. Allow me iterate in pictures.

Driving up the road in the way back we come across this HogMolly just loafing in its extremely dead standing nature. This was the The One.


So a friend has introduced me to my new little tradition. Its not the most productive, but its super fun and way safer then felling a tree with a chainsaw, and gets you in way awsome shape. The Michigan Axe. Swing and flip and keep kicking ass till you cant move your arms anymore. When the beast is ready she'll whisper sweet nothings into your ear and slowly and catastophicly lay down.


Now to the interesting part. That poor excuse for a trailer has superceded chinese technology feats as we know it. RAted at a 1500 lbs, and obviously falling apart when empty, I dont know how we made it back, or why we even tryed. Wait, I know.... last tree we felled and cut got stolen before we could get it all out. And were sending a sign to the heights asking for more brain cells. It definately has not been answered yet. In the meantime I guess its time to cut some fricken wood, as Im sure I have enough to last the winter if the power fails, the rest is for sport, maybe a couple bucks on the side too.

Each log is about 400 lbs totalling the trailer at 2400 lbs. Thats about 1000 over and if look closely the hubs are toast, with custom caps made from Tecate cans duct tape. Not happy. It whined and moaned the whole way home. I reckon its time for a little beefing up the abused little red.... I mean the load was as big as the 4Runner....

Sorry about the lack of posts, but the 9-5er really makes life less interesting. As well were having a little dirtbike extravaganza in AZ soon, so if you wanna join ....

Mod Phase III....

Ive been waiting for the weekend for soooooo long. I gots the new job at the surveying company, sucks. Consulting is obviously better. Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

So with my weekend time I have gone shopping for a big pvc tube and some rather hard to find bits, unbeknownst to me. But it is clear that Phase III of the "why are you doing that?" Project has almost been completed. Allow me to elaborate via digital photographicos:


So here we have pulled out the entire Intake Silencer, the airometer thingy that measures the volume of air comming in, and the filter, and the hoses that connect them all. Man its dirty in here....

Heres our new parts from Lowes and the TrueValue and AutoZone. In retrospect all of these parts can be purchased from a single HD or Lowes. BTW, when I got into the engine I took a gander into the throttle body...and...omg....it looks like someone spilled something horrific in there and then a sandstorm happened: on the list of things to clean. As for the parts its really easy and simple and such.

It really does take a beer to calm down while cutting a tube (rolls) on the garage floor. So I had a couple and recommenced. Using a hose clamp as a guide you kinda measure visually, mark it and go. If you eff it up you and buzz over to HD for more parts on the bike. I had to cut again to get it more better.

Measurements are a go. Drilled a brass hose fitting in the pvc and recycled the old rubbery hose thing going to the intake, unfortunately it cracked, so I siliconed it and the brass fitting and am hoping for the best.

Viola, finished. It should be louder at WOT, and beefier sounding. Cruise control should actually work on hills. It should surpass all of my expectations for th $15 I spent. It should. The only reason it doesnt yet is bc Im waiting to start it till tomorrow when the silicone has set up better. Super 'Cited I am.

But couldnt leave ya without the grande vista of the evening....