Without getting into a whole “he said,” “she said” thing. My Honda never suffered a dead battery in the winter, unlike The Primcess as I just found. More troubling is Princess has her battery tucked WAY under the gas tank safely away from jumpability without removing the tank and pain in the butt Bagster cover. Now I know why the Germans got stuck in Russia and why Stalin knew he’d win: “Comrades, our winter will kill their batteries and they won’t be able to charge them.” Really Conrade Stalin? “Never question Stalin, it sickens me.”
February 20, 2010
February 16, 2010
January 20, 2010
Vegetarian Abalone?
So I bought some stuff on sale at the chinatown vegetarian meat place including two frozen vegetarian abalone.
Let me just say if the meat version is as odd as the veg version I don’t know what the attraction may be. The veg version also has algae to give it a slightly fishy, yet unnervingly slimey texture- much like a real abalone I suppose..
Granted, I microwaved it, but I don’t necessarily believe that made things better or worse. Thinly-ish sliced, and it was sort of a quivering-ish sort of gooey splat in a caucasion skin tone that made it seem disturbingly like something someone might find growing progressively larger on their body.until the urgent need for removal set in out of progressively growing fear of a “something wrong” situation.
As. I continue to think about what I’ve just consumed I feel slightly skittish in the tummy area.
I am both attracted and repulsed at what I may find if I google an abalone to see what sort of life form the veg version attempted to mimic with – I suspect – disturbing authenticity from the slime to the soft and gooey-ish texture. Whether or not I ever google this sea-based life form, what I’ve just experienced will never – I fear – be free of my memory.
December 1, 2009
Best Map Case EVER
It seemed like a simple issue – WHERE to keep the maps. Envelope? Yeah, right: totally useless and messy. Experience from previous motorcycle trips, however, proved how awesome it is to have functional tools, bits, and bobs. To me – and granted this may be some sort of fetish – having the perfect (insert item here) is a major part of the whole experience.
What I wanted: pen pockets outside, maps inside with enough space so I could flip thru them. Trivial, perhaps, but we’re talking Zen here. The perfect, most functional design that would allow me to find and store maps (and scraps of paper) while traveling using a case compact enough to fit in a tank bag. And make it bright – like orange, maybe, so it wouldn’t be lost (woops) or forgotten.
Sadly, my experience with sewing (other than a button) ended tragically with a sewing machine and my not having any clue what they were talking about in the instructions when it came to threading both the top needle that went up and down and apparently a lower round needle that’s the key to the whole sewing machine concept. Sadly for me, the pictograms of how to thread them, combined with my lousy eyesight means… well… it means nothing is being sewed.
Then it hit me: a guy on advrider.com posted about doing custom sewing. After some measuring and thinking and rough drawing on PhotoShop, off the designs went. $15 (plus shipping & handling) and a very few days later, I got my map case.
Outside: pen/pencil/highlighter pockets.
Inside: maps in outer pockets that allow for flipping thru maps, inner pockets for scrap paper, ferry schedules, unused maps.
The maps inside layed out to show how much the case holds!
Filled and closed (velcro holds it securely shut).
Awesome! In addition to the great work done, it’s really cool to have a custom-made piece of gear. Yes it may only be a map case, but it’s awesome, and it’s orange.
More Info including how to buy YOURS NOW in your choice of colors.
