You Gotta Love it

A Bike to Lust After...

Once in a great while a motorcycle inspires me... It says BUY ME... Of course I would have to say that about something that isn't at my level of affordability, nor is it what the popular people like. The more I watched the show the more I realized I was tired of Juniors spiderwebs and obvious attempts to make the cruiser into a sport bike. Senior really has the sense for style - especially with his retro/modern old-school series. These bikes sing to me like the drifters of the 40's. There is a romance to a beautiful motorcycle that enables it to take your breath away just sitting on the pavement. This bike has a wonderful green paint - simple yet striking and of course the natural leather theme I have been working to implement on my bike. I would be hard pressed to choose between this and a drifter with all of it's flowing sheet metal - you see it's not about how fast you go, but how good you look getting there - and how much you enjoy the ride. Almost any motorcycle will go fast enough to ensure you are seriously maimed or killed should a mishap occur - but only certain ones can destroy all or part of you with style and finesse. This bike from OCC is one of those that has that superceding elegance. If you're a yuppie looking to impress me, do it with good taste and purchase a classic like this instead of a Hummer. That way I can get it cheap when you trade it in because you dropped it in your driveway and scared yourself so badly while doing so that you pooped your pants.

You can check it and others like it out @ OCC

Dreaming to Ride...

Unbelievable as it seems - I always seem to be thinking about riding off somewhere with just my motorcycle and what I can comfortably carry. When I was in a coma - I rode endlessly through twisty roads in hills of the greenest grass, very much like in the Windows "Bliss" desktop background.I long so for the feeling of freedom and bliss I felt then. I realize that here in the real world I am hamstrung by physical limitations and incapacites - but one day I will be able to ride all the way to the Grand Canyon, traversing the painted desert and stopping in the petrified forests of Arizona. Maybe I'll turn south after that, and make it all the way to the beaches of central Mexico - Stopping in Monterrey for some of the freshest squid in the world from the sea of Cortez and a quick jaunt on the Pacific Coast Highway before going through the border. Maybe... Maybe...

About My Wife

No matter what you do, somebody supports you in the foreground or background. In my case, I am tremendously appreciative of the support network the Lord has assembled for me - it is truly amazing. But the lynch pin is my wife who encourages and assists, and cares for me in ways unthinkable to most people. If you think your wife loves you ask yourself what she would do if she was given a choice to pull the plug on your ventilator and claim your insurance, or leave you plugged in and run the risk you will survive - but as a vegetable. Especially when she is very pretty, and easily passes for a woman 10-15 years her junior.

Then ask yourself if you survived, but had a wound ½ an inch above your anus which went all the way to your spine - would she help you clean it to ensure it did not become infected after each trip to the bathroom? Would she clean the wound and repack it 3 or more times a day for you? Would she take you home to die when you could no longer endure the hospital knowing you would likely not survive 2 weeks - even with full time home-health, and you were unable to even walk to the bathroom on your own, clean yourself afterword, feed yourself, or hold a cup or utensil?

Would she still look lovingly at you when you are bloated and crippled, as though she were looking through your physical form and into your soul? Would she give you another child - knowing that the future for you was far from certain and the prognosis bleak? If you can answer yes to all those questions then your wife really loves you, if you answered no - then I will be praying for you. True love is a rare thing - and though all that is mortal has blemish, with true love there is purity in the places that most matter.

She has kept me encouraged and guided my recovery. She has been my friend, my confidant, my assistant. When I could not see, she read and typed email replies to co-workers for me - until my eyes healed from the radiation. She reminds me to eat and check my blood sugar, ensures that I keep insulin and other medications when we leave the house, and watches out for symptoms which indicate I am wilting. Without her, I would not be here today - if I was a withered plant then her care, love, and attention were Miracle-Gro. For her, I am still working very hard to continue beating the odds and improving my condition.

Why I Ride

To start with, I'm not the owner of one of those fancy custom choppers - I don't even own a Harley. I have a Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom. Which is a cruiser and has been heavily modified over the years as happens to anybody's ride when it's actually ridden. I have pipes that ruble low and loud and I have driving lights and a high-intensity headlight that can blind people when switch to brights (both modifications made at the insistence of my wife after the uninsured jerk who smacked me tried to tell the police he never saw or heard me). I have enough performance engine work that I can almost hold my own with the sportbiker crowd in the low end - but like all cruisers, I wind out far sooner than they do. At the end of the day I don't need a lecture about how dangerous they are, my motorcycle is not dangerous, it's only vulnerable to the reckless and inattentive drivers who proliferate our country's vast highway system.

The truth is that I feel a certain way when I am riding, and no other legal venue is available to provide that feeling. It's like flying in the presence of the Almighty himself. Of course, I don't think there is any way to make others understand - and I'm not on a mission to do so.

Overall, my bike provides me with a firm motivation to get better and stay better. I was so determined to get back on when I got home from the hospital after tumor removal I simply tired to stand it up while sitting on it - and promptly was crushed beneath it. When I was in the hospital, it was obvious to visitors and staff that I was dreaming of riding while I was comatose. Little did they know, that was exactly what I was dreaming about.

Every person has things they love, which are important in their life - many things almost all humanity share in common, its the remainder that differentiate us. I am not asking anyone else to understand - my own mother said it best when she called motorcycles "Gasoline Powered Crack" - all three of her sons have been injured or maimed in some way while riding and broken countless bones as well. Still some of us get back into the saddle. When things are bad and I just cannot ride - I like to spend my time working on modifications or improvements for the bike - dreaming about the time when I can. It gives me something to look forward to. When things are even half-way good, I'll usually make a go if it and try to ride.

I'm not an outlaw, I'm just addicted to the feeling I get when I pull back on the throttle and the ground shimmers as it moves beneath me then feeling the way all my senses experience every inch of my travels - whether around the corner or around the country.

Protestant's Explained for Me

Not one to miss anything blatantly obvious, I was reading another persons blog because they were flagged as someone else who enjoyed The Little World of Don Camillo (which I talk about earlier in this blog). To make a long story short or a short story long - I'll at least speed things up by starting with the clip that caught my attention...

Preaching about what our faith meant to us at Saint Matthias’ day, I recalled the American writer Garrison Keillor, who every week broadcasts a story from the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. About twenty years ago, Father Emil, who was the Catholic priest in lake Wobegon was retiring and a member of the town’s Lutheran Church said to Father Emil that if he was ever looking for work, he would make a very good Lutheran pastor.

Father Emil replies, very gently, "Lutheranism is my idea of a holiday. To take those truths we find difficult, and bend them a little to make life easier. Yes, Luther was a great man all right"

Normally, I would not be able to agree more with the sentiment expressed therein - but what threw me for a loop was it's use by a protestant cleric in his sermon. Protestants, who eschew the basic tenets of the Church yet expect all rewards - and he a member of a sect that broke with the Mother Church in order to allow England's king to divorce his wife (again - and not for the second time either). Click Here to Go There

Jesus is all too clear about divorce:

Luke 16:18 'Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery, and the man who marries a woman divorced by her husband commits adultery.

Mark 10:11 and he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her.

Matthew 19:9 Now I say this to you: anyone who divorces his wife -- I am not speaking of an illicit marriage -- and marries another, is guilty of adultery.'

Which leads to the annulment process which frustrates so many because the marriage must have been invalid for it to be annulled, and it is purposely painful and drawn out in order to ensure that such a declaration is not pursued without real basis in canon law.

To make matters worse, other groups broke away over the authority of the Pope (Bishop of Rome) because they disagreed - but whether or not they agreed was irrelevant, the good lord left the church in the hands of Peter and his assigns - it not left to people who decided to split off because they didn't get their way.

One might also consider a quote from Cardinal Ratzenberger BEFORE he was elected Pope. "Truth is not determined by a majority vote." This simple and true statement is an affirmation that our modern society often leads us astray from the intentions of God. The very thought that they should be able to have it set up their way is no less than Lucifer's crime and will lead to a similar fate.

Simple Obedience is the key to pleasing the Lord. The church of Jesus Christ (The Catholic Church) does not ask anything of any member that would endanger themselves or their families. In fact, following his laws will bring you the peace your modern life cannot and will not ever be capable of.

Birthday Horoscope

VIRGO
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22

You are the logical type and hate disorder. This shit-picking is sickening to your friends. You are cold and unemotional and often fall asleep while screwing. Virgos make good bus drivers and pimps.

Balance in All Things

Of all the things I've lost, I think I miss my balance the most. It's the one thing I need to ride my motorcycle at low speed. You see once I get up over 30 mph the gyroscopic effect takes over and it's fairly stable on it's own without much help. Of course when you get over 60 mph you couldn't kick it over - it's going to stand up straight and tall thank you. Which, of course, is why I have inverted forks, a narrow front tire, and more rake than usual - with that combination the bike is even more unstable at low speeds but extremely maneuverable and responsive at high speeds where more traditional cruisers handle like (forgive the term here) "pigs". To explain to the layman, riding a motorcycle at high speed is a blase affair and won't impress other riders much - but when you see a biker playing around at a gas station doing small circles and puttering about more slowly than your toddler walk.... That is what we find impressive. Low speed skills are crucial to staying alive on America's maniacal highways, and something all bikers aspire to and enjoy trying to master.

Happy Birthday to Me!

"Happy Birthday to Me... Happy Birthday to Me... " Yes in just another few hours I'll be another year older. Scary to think that I am now a year past all expectations, the tumor in my head seems to be behaving, and efforts to compensate for all the damage already done either by the tumor or the treatment of the tumor are continuing. Overall things could be a lot worse. I am realizing that only now is my survival sinking in to the point that I don't worry that I will die in my sleep, or when I am home alone with nobody to help. On the other hand I am also wary of being too complacent and having things sneak up on me again. I know the doctor is upset that I don't come in more often, but I am always worried he will find something wrong and then I'll be right back in the hospital. I'm proud of myself that I have managed to keep my job through all this, that I can still ride a motorcycle on occasion, and that my loving wife did not pull the plug when she had the chance, has stood by me through it all, and takes care of me - keeping me out of a hospital ward or nursing home. I try very hard to keep my sense of humor and a cheery outlook because I have watched too many other people who seem to have their health tied to their outlook. I'm coming to grips with my limitations and the fact that things will NOT get better - doing this and being cheery is proving a challenge. I feel like a 20 year old trapped in the body of a 90 year old. Both my mind and my body have taken a massive hit from all the surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs. My brain especially took a hit during the first surgery to remove the tumor. I lost memories, personality, intelligence, and many other things. Some good came of it though, most people like me so much better since the surgery - and I lost good and bad memories, not just the good ones. As I tell myself every morning - it could always be worse...

My Little World

Speaking of classic literature, I think we should all start with the stories about a priest in a small town in Italy, and his very interactive relationships with both Jesus Christ and the local Communist. These stories are set shortly after World War II in an Italy undergoing reconstruction. The Little World of Don Camillo is actually out of print. Occasionally, you will find a copy in a library or possibly on amazon. Realistically though, the great thing about old books is that the copyrights have been allowed to expire and this ensures that future generations will be able to enjoy them for free - if they can find a copy to read. Fortunately for you, the sole reader of this rudderless and derelict diatribe - I have located a copy you may read on the web. It even includes the wonderful illustrations as found in my well loved yet dilapidated original copy. You can read the humorous drivel here:

http://www.meaning-of-life.info/DonCamillo.html

As the protagonist is a Catholic priest, I think Catholics will find it particularly humorous. Other religions will benefit from a comedic insight into the workings of a small parish of the church founded by Peter the Apostle.
In the end, if you have questions about Catholicism you can die - which will provide you with the answers you need, just a tad too late for them to be relevant or you can go to CatholicAnswers.com - where you can post a question about the most misunderstood faith on the planet or read through already posted questions. This can save you some embarrasment if you're not globally recognized for your ability to formulate intelligent questions. Keep in mind the words of Mr. Garrision who famously said "Now Kyle! There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."

The Holy Hand Grenade

You know, if I was a horse they would already have shot me. It seems that parts of me break before they're even fixed, and worse - more damage is permanent than is not. Some day's - no a lot of days, I find myself musing some lines from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail - where the monks chant endlessly the following litany:

"Die Jesu domine,

Dona eis requiem.

Die Jesu domine,

Dona eis requiem."

Which translates loosely from Latin into English to be something like "Sacred Jesus, Your Majesty - Please give us a break". I feel the need to explain this, because everyday I deal with functionally illiterate people who have been granted degrees from fancy institutions who were more than happy to collect their bribe (erps! I mean "tuition"). It seems that though Latin is so necessary to understand so many different sciences and disciplines that it is not required in High Schools or colleges. In any case, it's truly necessary to enjoy most of the Python's movies and I suggest you learn it rather than miss out on some outstanding British humor.