The Finer Things

Vision Screening

One Lap

I presume that is some sort of signal that means that there is only one lap remaining in the race.

Two Wheels Tuesday

How about a cut-away drawing of a streamliner German scooter?

You don't see those every day...

Some Words

A kind of second childhood falls on so many men. They trade their violence for the promise of a small increase of life span, in effect, the head of the house becomes the youngest child. And I have searched myself for this possibility with a kind of horror. For I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment. I did not want to surrender fierceness for a small gain in yardage.

-John Steinbeck

Hammer Time

Sunday Drive

Watch your speed...

She Don't Surf

Last Nights Dream

It had something to do with Captain Kirk, shelving and my cousin, Kevin.

There was a wedding, or something, going on as well...

In the background.

I only know this because, as in real life, I had escaped into a nearby bar.

Where I happened to cross paths with James T. Kirk...

We struck up a conversation and he kept going on about these shelves and how great they were - he just had to show me...

So we struck out from the bar, to look at the damned things.

Outside, I noticed that the rate of erosion was rather startling.

Earth was going down holes like water down the drain.

We discussed if the ground holding a bridge we needed to cross would hold up the pilings, by the time we got back...

Anyway, Kirk and I get to the stupid shelves he is so keen on - and it turns out it is something that my cousin and I had assembled...

I tell Kirk as much, and mention that they were a lot nicer when they were first built.

The quick moving surface of the ground had undermined the shelves a bit, you know...

No matter, James T. is just stoked to meet the guys who put up the shelves.

He wants to give us some sort of award, or something...

Luckily, my cousin Kevin was also in attendance at the wedding, or whatever.

Kirk and I head back to round him up.

Kevin is happy to get out of the weird social thing, so he bolts with us into the back alley.

After introductions and more talk about stupid shelves, Kirk whips out these lime green Star Trek shirts and presents them to us...

We pull them on and do that fist pump thing people are always doing in movie posters.

That was it.

What do you think?

Something about environmentally sound shelving being needed in the world?

Perhaps it was about the way time erodes relationships? 'Cause I don't think I have seen Kevin for two decades...and, you know, I am kinda deep like that.

What really stood our, for me, was just how great those green Star Trek shirts looked...

Fueler Friday

-Fuck yeah.

Eric Otto

Tomorrow is Never Promised - Erik Otto - White Walls from Colin M Day on Vimeo.

Well, I don't live in the Bay Area anymore...

So, I missed this 'til just now.

But Eric has a show at White Walls.

If you are there, you should check it out.

He is a good guy and does nice work...

1320 Week

Perhaps the best car name, ever?

Probably not, but still good.

Texas car, if you couldn't guess.

1320 Week

My mom had a Gremlin, when I was a kid...

Not exactly like this one.

Half Funny Hump Day

1320 Week

Bobby Langley, around 1965

1320 Week

Crossley, Williams and Swan car.

Around 1964, I think.

Moonraker Monday

Wally Bell, 1966.

You didn't think I was going to subject you to some crap Bond movie ramble, did you?

Because I could...

Instead, it is going to be drag racing week, here.

Sunday Drive

Players are gonna roll...

Haters are gonna hate.

Hot Cougar

Whoah...

That is one hot Cougar.

The car, you asshole.

What did you think I was saying...

What kind of person do you take me for?

Lost Control

Yup.

Fan Mail Friday

I get this kinda shit all the time.

Funny Car Friday

Oh, geez...

I like funny cars.

TCB-LF

The King and some lieutenant from the Memphis Mafia...

Showing some class.

Bucky Bowl

To Do List

Being Dickheads - Cool

Two Wheels Tuesday

Who doesn't like a cool old pic with a chick and chopper?

(If you are the person that answered 'me' - you probably clicked the wrong link...maybe just go check this out, instead.)

Have You Seen?

Did you see where I set down that grenade launcher?

Shit...

I am always loosing that thing.

Monday Melt

If I didn't stumble upon this picture, I don't think you could have convinced me that they just melted down surplus aircraft after WW2.

Like the whole aircraft...

Wow.

Note, this picture is from Arizona...

I imagine the heat from a furnace burning hot enough to melt a plane makes the weather seem nice and cool, after you get home from work.

Also, check out the row of planes in the background.

Sunday Drive

We just want to be free.

To drive our machines...

Without being hassled by the man.

First Blood

The Dapper Dog

Did you know that it is National Hot Dog Day?

Hell, I didn't either...

Who keeps track of hot dog day?

I did plan on telling you about The Dapper Dog, however, and today seems like a good day for that...

The DD is a neighborhood food cart, which lands intermittently a block or so from where I sit.

As you might imagine, they serve up hot dogs.

Chicago dogs, plain old dogs, chili dogs, the usual...

But then they mix in some odd stuff, like toppings of mac n cheese or mashed potatoes.

Fun stuff.

Perfect food to satisfy your inner seven year old...

No, they don't have poppy seed rolls, you angry Chicago dog purists...

Get over it.

They do dish up a nice grilled beef dog on a crusty, toasted hoagie kinda roll with a fun selection of random stuff to pile on top.

I dig The Dapper Dog, when they bother to show up...

Cannonball

You probably have a good idea that I like old machines, by this point...

And that I like old machines being used as intended, rather than collecting dust in some garage or museum even more.

Roughly fifty folks are about to take off on a race across the country - on motorcycles made before 1916.

Let that sink in...

3300 miles on motorcycles coming on one hundred years old.

How many things in your life were made before 1916?

Anything?

Something?

Maybe some little thingy, that you just look at.

Something sitting on a shelf, for you to covet and show to friends?

The Vintagent provides better details than I would attempt, over here.

Shinya is documenting his trip, on an old Indian, here.

The word epic get tossed around rather a lot lately, usually in an exaggerated way.

Riding across an entire continent, on a motorcycle made a hundred years ago...

That is epic.

Edit:

Not to be outdone, there are a bunch of loons driving/riding old iron from Beijing to Paris, right now, too...

Jalopnik tells the story over here.

Actual race progress reports can be found here.

OK, Peking to Paris in a ninety year old car makes the Cannonball seem almost reasonable, right?

I mean, most racers can at least speak the same language as the locals, if you don't count some weird southern drawl...

I salute you, as well, Silk Road crazies....

PYT Thursday

PYT583...

The license plate, you leering pervert.

There is a restaurant in our hood, also called PYT.

It is one of those new school, fancy burger joints.

You know, with lobster-arugula burgers and nine dollar booze infused milkshakes...that whole genre of shit.

This isn't any sort of review, however...

I have only been there a few times, and never even ordered a burger while there.

I will tell you more about it some other time, perhaps...

Lombard

Frisco style...1968.

Status Update

Water Wiennie Wednesday

Two Wheels Tuesday

It has been a little heavy on the HD stuff from me lately, I admit.

How about a Kwacker triple in a Rickman frame to make up for it?

Good lord...

I Am Watching

Mothra Monday

Sunday Drive

Clint Eastwood's goddamned monkey knows how to signal for turns...

That was the whole reason I brought you along.

Here I am, sticking my arm out to signal...

Like a freakin' monkey.

Crystalised

Grillin?

It is Labor Day weekend...

The end of summer and yada-yada..

One of those holidays that you are supposed to enjoy outside.

So, who is cookin' some shit up, out on the old grill?

What have ya got?

What time should I head over?

Art Walk Tonight

You are wearing that?

I am overdressed, again...

Aren't I?

I never know what to wear to these things.

Well, you look great...

You are sure to score some free drinks in that get up.

That is for sure...

Hmm.

I can't be alone in thinking this is a different sort of fantastic.

Walter Potter?

I am not exactly sure what I can add to this...



Walter Potter rules.

Layback

Relax.

Colbert, For Real

Given the number of Americans who think Obama is Muslim, or from another country, or a Karl Marx space alien here to destroy the world...as revealed in recent polls...

I am wondering how many folks think that Steven Colbert's neo-con shtick is for real?

Seriously...

There has to be a certain number of folks lacking in any ability to detect irony or sarcasm.

Some of them must be politically conservative.

Perhaps, they think there is some old equal time law, which forces Comedy Central to have a voice that represents their beliefs on the air...

The Colbert Report is it, in their addled, water-filled heads.

Really, the guy has flags, talks about freedom, mocks politicians and professors...

It all seems very real, in spite of what that guy at work tells them.

There must be, at least, a hundred of them.

Believers...

Perhaps, my own liberal, college educated mind has read too much into the show?

Maybe it is for reals...

It is only marginally more absurd than most of the Tea Party tripe, The Colbert Report.

Has the wacko Hollywood media elite let a giant whopper slip through the liberal net and speak to Joe Sixpack?

Parody can be so confusing...

So, with that, is it funnier that there are people wearing "Obama Been Lyin" t-shirts think Colbert is real...or completely thinking the elected president is a Marxist Muslim from Kenya?

I know, neither option generates much confidence in the world we live in.

September