Safety Gear

I am not sure here safety equipment is AMA endorsed.

Snow Leopard

Hey! I could give a tinker's shit about the new Apple OS!






I just felt the need to post this pic.
It seems that every website I look at is having some snow leopard picture party.

I was feeling left out.

Fucken Awesome

SpiderBait

Radical Rules Ring

This "street legal" car just chalked up a new record for a trip around the ring.


Sure we could discuss the practicality of this car being driven on the street.
I am sure many would say that this isn't quite a "street" car, but rather a race car with turn signals.

To which I can only answer with "Stop being such a pussy."


I think this might me the perfect car to run up to Callistoga in, or maybe down 101 to Monterrey.
You know, a weekend jaunt...

We could talk about a lack of room for luggage, but really, what more do you need than some fresh socks and drawers? Maybe a jacket?

Not all car need to be god damned luxury land barges, with DVD players, navigation and things like seat cushions.
Some cars should just really good at doing what cars are supposed to do.

Some cars should just be brutal, viscous, sphincter challenging machines.



My only problem with this car is that it is named Radical.
Radical?
Really?
You bastards need to consider rebranding.


Anyway, breaking records for hauling ass...
That is cool.

Friends Forever Friday

Godzilla loves giant kittens.

Futurism

I am not going to on another rambling post about the decay and decline of America today.

No, today I am going to comment on my own optimism.
I do still have some.
No, really...





When I was a kid, I was sure the future would look a lot like this picture.


There would be rockets and pretty girls.
The cars would look like they could fly - and the really cool ones would have wheels and tires that matched what I saw on HotWheels cars.


In spite of everything happening around me, I still hang on to some of that futurist idealism.
Technology continues to outpace me, as much as I try to keep up.

There is cool stuff, world changing stuff, developing.
The progress made in my lifetime is as staggering as anything else in history.


I am still pissed that I don't have a jet pack, though...

Threes

They say that deaths come in threes right.

Today has to be a nervous day for folks in national level politics around the world.
Lots of sideways glances going on between oafish pols, from here to Swaziland...




Ted cashed it in.
We probably know too much about the Kennedy's.

Perhaps that era of American optimism is officially over now.









And then there is this guy.
al-Harik, we hardly knew ya...

Because, well, you were Iranian and that scares us.







No romantic eulogies here, today.
I am sure you can find that post-mortem drivel from far better hacks than myself.

No, I am wondering is there is a betting line on who chuffs it next.
If I were making odds in Vegas, these two might be the even money picks.




Kim, we have been speculating that you are ready to kick the bucket for years now.
What gives?










Fidel, you released those healthy looking pics just last week.
So we know you must be in bad shape.








I don't know, though...

Kim and Fidel are big names.
Kennedy and al-Harik did get their names on the marquee, but were never the star of the show.

I am thinking there is some quiet Parliament level dude, maybe some Eastern European guy who is going to give up the ghost.
It'll probably involved some extra-marital, pocket fleecing sub-plot - because we are talking about politicians here.
His expiration will, likely, be noted in passing by the media.

Wall of Death Wednesday

History

BART

Today, the hold out union (ATU) votes on their contract...again.

The negotiations have drug out months beyond the expiration of contracts for all of the workers at Bay Area Rapid Transit. The other two unions involved in the contract talks have already voted and approved.

The ATU wasn't quite satisfied and threatened to walk, after the BART board decided to implement some bullshit.


I am sorta torn about the whole thing...

You know, I am a lefty, socialist quack.
So I get the merit and value that a workers union can provide.

Alternately, it's public transit.
BART riders don't all ride for convenience, many have no other option.


The ATU striking would have sunk the Bay area into commuter chaos, with roughly 300,000 folks left to find other ways to get around each day.
Remember, traffic is bad here already. Really bad.
Another 100,000 cars driving around isn't gonna help.

And there are those riders with few alternatives.
The ones who would likely loose theirs jobs, should they not be able to show up.

And so on...


The ATU members number around 900 people related to this contract vote/strike.
They were holding out for a few personal days, some verbiage about OT work rules and loosing three positions through attrition.
Reasonable things to stand up for, sure.


Still a tough fight to pick and win much sympathy from the public.
A strike would have been tantamount to holding the region hostage.

For the past two months, transit agencies, cities, businesses - pretty much everybody has been trying to develop some contingency plan in the face of the possible strike.

The last one crippled the Bay.

Even with the planning, everyone agreed a strike would suck.
There is no solution, no way around it.
It would suck in an epic sit-in-a-car-and-think-about-it-for-three-hours kind of way.


Estimated for the costs of the negotiations soar over the million dollar mark.
Plus the tab for everybody trying to figure out what to do if the shit hit the fan.

And so on...


So, let's hope those 900 people are satisfied today.

Make Time

See, that is all ya need.


With a Beeza...

You'll spend more time gettin' busy...

With your beezie.


Making time, that should be reintroduced to the lexicon.
Don't you think?

Driving Into the Future

Yes, that is one dashing dash.

Sitting there, behind that wheel, I am sure the vehicle operator could sense that they were driving into the future.


And it was a fantastic future, with robots and flying things.
Dinner would cook itself, people would vacation on the moon.
Hell, there would probably even be some jet packs...


All of that would become reality because our national purposes were manufacturing and science.
People did things, by which I mean that the actually did stuff...with their hands, and their minds.
They were building the American dream.


Sure, there was some trouble.
There was racism and a developing arms race.
Folks were afraid of communists.
We had a few wars.
As I think about it, there was some discrimination for everybody but the white dudes.

Sort of what we have going today...


However we don't seem to do much making any more.

I mean we turn out pundits like there is an assembly line.
They do a pretty good job of manufacturing social discord.

We have got a shit-ton of "designers" these days.
That seems to be about as good as having a fantastic number of "DJ's" around.
At least we get a large number of people adept at making fancy coffee drinks for the rest of us, with that contingent.

We got awfully adept at making pretend money for a little while.
The wheels kind of came off that machine, though.

There is a whole "maker" movement, these days.
That seems to largely focus on the making of small, ironic, hipster crafts.
I am not sure etsy is really going to fix the economy.

We still do a great job of making things to kill people.
The industries that make tank, bombs and what have you are one of the few remaining strong manufacturing sectors in the Unites States.
So, we got that going for us.

Reportedly, we're gonna jump into the green industrial boom at any moment.
Some time after we finish propping up the free market.
We're water-headed tightwads, so I bet will have most of that stuff made off shore.



I am all for admitting that the American dream is dead.

I think we proved that theory right around the time I was born.



I am just a little sad that we have been so completely reduced to consumers.
For the last nine or so years, our purpose...our collective national goal...has been to go out and buy stuff - to stimulate the economy.

No space dreams, no exploration of the bottom of the sea...
Let's get through these couple of wars...

Just go out and buy some shit...


Doesn't quite seem like we're driving into the future.

Loose Nut

Given the old timey skateboard vibe that seems to have taken over this week, howzabout we listen to some old timey punk rock music?

I think I still have this on cassette, some where.


This album has been the soundtrack for more skate sessions than I can remember. Still just as good.



Though you can't exactly see it...

If you watch closely, you might catch a glimpse...

Kira has got the 10.5.



And, no...given Mr. Rollins choice of shorty-shorts, I couldn't get through this post without pointing out that the ones mentioned in the chorus are not the only loose nuts evident in this performance.

Frontside Friday

Bernie O'Dowd floats frontside.
Circa 1984...

The Bird

This would be the only reasonable response to expect from Tony Alva, after commenting on his shorts.

Wompin' Wagon Finale

Evidence that the Wompin' Wagon was capable of whuppin' ass...

That is all I got on this old warrior.

Tubular, Dude

Alva and Hackett have me thinking that every pair of shorts I own are, like totally, too long.

Dude.

Also left thinking that my hair is too short.


God, I feel like such a square, man...

Yoot

When I was just a yoot, I could play with HotWheels and Matchbox cars for hours - days even.

I probably still could, now that I think about it...


In my head it was kinda like this, only not in LimeyLand.

Firearm Safety Friday

Don't go off half-cocked.





Stay cocked and locked.

Bonneville

It is that time of year again...

The season when folks haul themselves across a flat stretch of salt as fast as they can.



Know what is missing?

You and me, brother.


Hell, it's almost over.

Somebody died this year.
Tipped over a car at over 200mph
Tragic...but I suppose there are worse ways to go.

Another guy up'd the carburated, wheel driven, streamliner record, if I'm not mistaken.
Topped 300mph.
That's about twenty five miles per hour faster than where the bar was.
That is fast.

My pal and occasional source of hotrod advise drug his partially completed car out for the inspectors to look over.
He'll be taking a swing at putting his name in the books next year.

Most all reports are that it has been a damned fine year on the salt.



Maybe next year...

Remarkable

Am I the only person thinking that folks have overlooked the most obvious source of these earthquakes off the coast of Japan?

I mean c'mon folks.

Have you completely forgotten about frickin' Godzilla?










We all know Godzilla didn't move to New York, in spite of that insipid most recent Godzilla movie.

No, Godzilla lives off the coast of Japan...
You know, like where the earthquakes are happening.

Two plus two here, you guys!



I bet Godzilla is redecorating.

Wompin' Wagon Wednesday

Next week - Action Shots!

Health Care Reform Explained

There has been a lot of "vigorous" discussion recently on the subject of the proposed health care reform initiatives. It is a complex subject which seems to generate strong opinions in nearly every American.

Yet the depth and breadth of issues which plague medical-industrial complex and the bill being championed by Congress are so shockingly complicated that actual debate about positives and negatives has been reduced to a shouting match.


It is exciting that a political conversation can so invigorate my fellow electorate into the town hall equivalent of a mosh pit.
Everyone from the gerrymanders to the geriatric seem to have some violently passionate point they wish to share with their fellow citizens with tremendous verve.


It occurred to me that much of this might be as a result of either confusion or misinformation regarding the proposed health care reform initiative.

As a leading expert on nearly everything, I feel the need to help America understand the White House vision of our nations health care system.



In the most simple terms, it is entirely based on Star Trek.









President Obama is a member of the Star Trek generation.
The impact of Roddenberry's vision of a future society based on equality and service to one another should not be glossed over.


With that, and the passage of the proposed legislation, each and every American will be issued a uniform of closely fitted, synthetic clothing.

This will help our citizens see the similarities we all share and will also contribute to our desires to lead healthier lives.
How so, you ask?


The pants will, in fact, make our butts look fat.


Our collective vanity and the power of peer pressure will have us all going to the gym more often, taking walks, working on our abs...


There has been a lot of talk about rationing, in the debate about the debated bill.
It is true, there are many Americans and only so much funding for this type of system.

There is some discussion that the forthcoming uniforms will involve some color coding, which will help determine where one is prioritized in the allocation process. The details in this part of the bill are one of the few items remaining unresolved, at present.

Preliminary drafts have suggested that the uniforms variations will be of either yellow, blue or red jerseys issued on the basis of ones importance in the furthering of the American ideal.
Or something like that...
As I mentioned, it is still in the revisions phase.

I am sure that will all sort itself out.

I am hoping that I don't get stuck with a red shirt, as blue really brings out the color of my eyes.




I am going to go off on a bit of a tangent here, with some unsubstantiated stories regarding the President.

I have it on good authority that Mr. Obama is actually the son of Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner.
They are, in fact, members of Star Fleet and fell in love at a remote outpost-Deep Space Station: Hawaii.
Following the birth of their love child, it was decided it would be quaint to raise him in the twentieth/twenty-first century.
Shatner and Nichols piloted a space ship at time/space warping speed on a course around the sun to bring their son to a perceived better, more simple time.
Their commitment to the ideals of Star Fleet and continuing demands on that service led Shatner and Nichols to find a suitable foster family for their young son.
Reports are that they continue to commute to the future for work, but prefer to reside here in our present - so that they might see their son grow to be a man.




I hope this has helped you understand the dynamic intricacies of the debate and also some of the motivations that have gotten this giant shit ball rolling.

You are welcome.

I am glad I could be of service.

Moist

Yeah that is the creepiest picture ever, huh?

Eesh.

I am not sure why I felt the need to gross both of us out with that.


I was really just thinking about the weather.
Not here...the weather here has been great.

But, man, just a stretch west of here things are going on.
Typhoons, tsunamis and tropical storms.
All at once.

Things are more than moist on most of the Pacific Rim.


I read that moist is a word that makes most people uncomfortable...one of the lesser favored words in the English language.


Perhaps this post is my own subconscious attempt to drive away all four of the regular readers here.

I will stop, now.

Baseball

Finally getting to a game.
Somehow, I always think that I will make it to more games.
Today, I am going to catch my first of the season.


Man, I love baseball.

Last year we got a bigger TV, and I can sorta watch baseball at home.
It is just not the same, though.
You gotta go to the park to really enjoy baseball.

Ever since the first time I went to see the Indians play Detroit, back when they were at the old stadium (shared with the Browns), I have loved going to see some ball.

The Clippers, in Columbus.
Whatever that farm team is called in Portland, oh, The Beavers - who play in a stadium shared with the local high schools.
Caught a few Twins games, while there on work.
The Braves are fun to see at home.
KVC and I fell in love with the Mariners and their park - I think Ichiro may have had something to do with that.

Now we're here in SF.
Yeah, the A's are here too.
I haven't been to an A's game, sorry to say...

Once you go to see the Giants, in AT&T Park, it is hard to think of better venue.

Sorry A's, we'll visit someday.

Today it's an afternoon game, SF vs. Cincinnati.
Lincecum has got his arm going this year, but we'll miss him today.
It seems like the rest of the line up is getting it together, a little.

Up against the Reds who are having a bit of a tough year...
I cannot think of the Reds without thinking of Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, though.
They were the team to pull for, when I was a boy, so I might have a soft spot for 'em still.


I don't really care who wins today.
I just want to experience the game.

That is the best part.

The nine dollar beers, eating a big ol' hotdog and getting mustard on my shirt, maybe some garlic fries.
Oh, peanuts...gotta eat a bag of peanuts.

Then there is the stadium with its smells swirling around you. The spilt beer, cut grass, faint pish and dirt scents carried on salty sea air.

The crowd, standing up for the big play, yelling off the bad call, cheering!
Sun in the eyes, seering the nose.

The sound of the bat slapping a poorly considered pitch foul.


We'll be there.
A few rows up from third.
KVC is bringing her glove, to shag that foul.



Ah, summertime and baseball.

For me, summer officially starts today...

Smiling Cobra

I must have forgotten or something...
I went the whole month of July without listening to The Melvins.

So now you get to make up for it with me.

Foxy Four Friday

I still want to build a seventies style Honda chop.

Really, doesn't everyone?


We don't get to see the front end.
I would want a chromed girder there, made with skinny tube, super long, tiny dirt bike drum front brake.


C'mon, admit it...
It is pretty cool.

History

What? Talk to people?

Like, we actually have to communicate verbally?

I don't know about you, but I am thinking that today is pretty funny.

Thank God SMS still works...

I am not that nice

A lot of people say I am a really nice guy, very patient.

Really, it is all a veneer.
It, in most circumstances, is a facade I throw up to minimize my interaction with society.


In all truth, I am shockingly impatient and anti-social.

Case in point, people with these cutesy family stickers:


I fucking hate them.
I abhor your need to put this shit in my face.

I could care less about how many dogs you have.
I am not interested in your children.
Further, I have no interested in how successful your kids are in school, their grade point average or number of times they appear on the honor roll.

Fuck that.
I don't want to know...

What I want to know is how you manage to navigate that battle ship sized mobile home, while talking on your Bluetooth and changing the DVD in the entertainment system?


I have no concern for your self-involved, braggardly, precocious assumption that I might have even a passing interest in ultimate-family-unit.

I am busy trying to avoid the blindspot of your myopia...

Wompin' Wagon Wednesday

It would seem that the rules regarding chassis design and safety equipment for drag racing have evolved some since the 60's.

Can-Am

Alright, I will stop the Can-Am thing...

Can-Am

Can-Am

White Rabbit

I realized that we usually do music on Saturdays, and I left you hanging...

The whole Can-Am thing left me thinking you might be satisfied.
Then I started thinking about how the world was in the peak of the Can-Am era.

It was different.

Awful wars, big dreams.
All of that...
Thoughts of freedom reigned on the sides of the right and the left.

What was Can-Am, but chasing the rabbit down the hole?

How far do you want to go?


I presume that was part of why something like the Can-Am series and top-fuel from that era is so much more ephemeral than what we have these days.


Big heady stuff.

History is so much better with some conscious thinking about the larger picture, huh?


So, here is a song from the era.

Pretty sure there may have been some thought enhancement going on with the Can-Am guys.
I mean really, the vacuum car?

That is far out stuff, man.

Can-Am

Alright, check this out...




These were state of the art race cars.
High dollar stuff...







Towed on open trailers, behind pick-up trucks.


Talk about simpler times...