Cube Zombie Slave To The Cube…But Trying To Find More….

Oh…By the way….

I'm going to be doing the City of Oaks half marathon on November 7th. I won't be running but I'll be doing it "road march" style. A few weeks ago I bought a pair of combat boots through The Boot Campaign. It's such a great program $45 of every purchase goes back to the USO. When I was in the Army I went to many USO shows and got to meet the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders twice while I was in Korea. The USO certainly has an important place in the lives of our service members and anything I can do to help them continue their mission is the least I can do.

I'm extremely nervous about the prospect of doing it...But I'm also really excited. I've been a fan of the armed forces for a lot of years. Some of the best times I had were had with the folks I served with. This is going to rock!

Unplugging

Offline for the next 7 days....Back with some new posts in week after next...

Remembering

Tonight I'm remembering my friend Shane Pugh who was killed in Iraq March 2nd 2005. He and I started at United Blood Services on the same day and worked together for almost 5 years. We were also both Medics in the Army. Shane's Humvee was hit by an IED. He and another soldier were injured. The other soldier lived. Shane didn't.

“Shane was an expert in dealing with wounds that come when that happens,” said Maj. Gen. Harold Cross, adjutant general for the Mississippi National Guard. “Though he was injured himself, another soldier lay wounded next to him. Shane directed a group of primarily engineers on what to do to stop that soldier’s bleeding enough to where he could be stabilized.”

Shane was a good friend. I've lost several friends that I served with but Shane's death was the hardest. We never served together but no matter how long it had been since we'd seen each other we would just pick up like we'd talked yesterday. Shane posthumously earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Mississippi Medal of Valor.

I've seen a poem floating around the net lately by Charles M. Province and to me it really hits home and embodies the armed services as a whole:

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

I miss my friend. I miss all the friends, husbands, mothers, brothers, and sons who've died for this country. Maybe I should have posted this on Memorial Day. Or maybe every day people who've died for this country should be remembered.

I can has a shop?

One of the shortcomings of the house I'm in now is that there is no garage/shop. When we bought the house I really wasn't thinking about that type of thing. I was just thinking what a good deal we were getting and how much land the house sits on.

Fast forward almost 3 years, I don't regret buying the house. I love the area it's in and I love having the land (most of the time anyway). But one thing I really, really want is a shop. Some place where I can work on my bike and not get frustrated and also do a bit of work on my jeep. I'd also like to get back into some leather working. I haven't really done that since my days in the SCA. I need some hobbies..But the things I want to do require separate space to work in. I don't plan on selling this house within the next 10 years so I think building a shop would be a good investment in the property.

I'm saving up to get one built. I have a long way to go. And not to mention trying to figure out how big of shop I want. Since I want to be able to work on the bike and jeep I think 2 bays would be plenty. One of them with a recessed motorcycle lift in the floor.

In case one of my 4 readers feel the need to spend a little money I won't stop you from dropping a bit in my paypal account ..And don't worry..You don't need a paypal account to donate...I'll even put something with your name on it on the new shop when it's built...See...value for your money right there

Back

I made it back a couple of hours ago and had a freaking blast...It was a bumpy trip for a few reasons but you'll have to wait for the ride report . Kate and I are taking the bike down to the USS North Carolina tomorrow so I won't get anything up until after that...Plus I'm exhausted

New Theme

Anyone want to spin up a new motorcycle related theme for this site? The one that I'm using is horribly coded and, well, broken...I'm not artistic enough to come up with something but I'd be willing to pay a moderate fee to get something...Here's hoping

Politically Correct

Go fuck yourself...I'm sick and tired of society waiting for the government to "save them" or the old "protect the kids"..Fuck off...Take responsibility for your kids...Don't wait for the government to save them. Perfect example..Last night on the news there was a story about banning novelty lighters:

WAH!! I'm inept and need the state to tell me no

Are.You.Fucking.Kidding.Me.

Last month, Goodwin said a child playing with a novelty lighter started a fire at a Jamestown, NC convenience store.

"Thankfully no one was hurt, but I'm concerned that if this bill is not made law, someone will get hurt next time," said Goodwin.

***SIGH***

I'm not even a parent but I think that if you *talk* to your spawn and tell them that playing with lighters/matches/fire is dangerous and then if you catch them still playing with fire BEAT THEIR ASS!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!

I don't want the state or federal government telling me that I can't buy a lighter that looks like Nemo if I want because you can't control your spawn...

And that brings me to gun control...Seriously...Banning assault rifles will not stop them...More legislation red tape will not stop criminals WHO BY THE VERY NATURE OF BEING A CRIMINAL ARE NOT GOING TO LEGALLY OBTAIN A GUN! All that red tape is going to do is make it harder for tax paying, law abiding citizens to buy guns...Why is this so difficult to understand?? I'm all for background checks but to take it further than that I'm opposed...In North Carolina I had to get a background check and then I was *allowed* to get permits for 5 handguns. I don't plan on buying all 5 but why am I limited??

Yes, I'm aware this is about motorcycles...If you don't like it fuck off...I'm in a bad mood because people have no personal responsibility and now they're expecting the state/federal government to raise they damn kids...I do have an idea of how to fix this but it will never happen...Remove every single warning label from everything...Let nature take it's course..That's not politically correct but that's the way it would be if I ruled the world...So take your politically correct nanny state and shove it up your ass...

Diners

I really like diner food..There, I said it..Put me at a local greasy spoon and I'm damn happy.  I was out running errands today and decided to stop in at Rockin Comet Diner in Clayton NC. I've only eaten there a couple of times and to be honest I wasn't impressed. This time I ordered the chicken fried steak with green beens and mac and cheese. Although the chicken fried steak was more chicken fried than steak it was still awesome and really hit the spot.

My favorite diner is still Waffle House..Some may argue this is not a diner since it's a chain but to me it doesn't get more diner than Waffle House. I usually go at least once a week and get the same thing every time. It's gotten to the point that when I walk in I get a "hi" from all the staff and have a sweet tea at my stool before I sit down. It's also to the point I don't even have to tell them what I want. They just ask if I want the usual. The usual consists of: 3 eggs (overeasy), double order of hash browns (scattered, smothered, covered, and diced), and finally a side of patty sausage. That's a good meal right there.

Right up near the top of my list is a place called Holy Smokes. It combines the diner feel with outstanding bbq. If you're around Raleigh and looking for good bbq I highly recommend it. Thankfully the meat can stand alone and they don't serve it in the typical eastern NC style. I'm not a fan of the vingar bbq stuff that marks eastern NC..If I want sauce I want something that sticks and doesn't taste like I'm eating pickles...Sorry if you're reading this think what I just typed is scraligous..I just don't like vingar bbq..blech...

To me there is nothing better than hopping on the bike and riding to a diner for some food. I plan on exploring more of NC on the bike and I'll post back with what I find. If you know of a diner or some place interesting drop me a comment, I'd love to check it out...

Google Docs

I've been looking for an easy way to keep up with maintenance on the bike. I think I've found it. Google Documents. I'm able to update via Google and since I have the doc published it updates within 5 min on my site. You can see the Google App spreadsheet in action by going to the C109RT page.

UPDATE 2/4/2008
More fun with google apps . I've added the trip stats from my Oct trip to the Oct 2008 Trip Overview.