Twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house,
all the children were whining,
ticking off me and the spouse!
OK... not to much really. Surprisingly they were rather well behaved (mind you "well behaved" means no collateral or structural damage, nor major bodily injury has occurred) Mom and Dad popped in some Christmas movie and snuck off to the bedroom to wrap the final gifts acquired in a hurried flurry of activity this afternoon. You know the whole "wait...he's got more gifts then him!" not taking into account the cost of said gift, it's the volume that has to match! And as always every year my lovely wife and I agree that as times are tight we will focus on kiddos and Mom and Dad will have to settle for a gift certificate for 1 hour of quality alone time redeemable on demand, but then sneak out at the last minute and buy stuff for each other anyway. Although this year I saw her wrapped stash and think she out did me this year. Shortly after the ending of "A Christmas Story" we heard a moment of silence then the annoying crooning of JigglyPuff and we realized someone had snuck in one of their many "Pokemon" videos (I have NO IDEA who bought these bloody things!) so after wrapping I came out and at my own personal bodily risk started my own "Mystery Science Theater 3000" spoofing of their entertainment choice. They were laughing but offended at the same time. A viscous maiming of yours truly ensued quickly squelched by the appearance of a scolding Mom.
At this point we settled down with Christmas cake cookies and some egg nog while dad performed our one and only true family holiday tradition, the reading of "The Tomten". Now this isn't necessarily a "Christmas" story but it takes place in a New England like setting and has marvelous illustrations and what makes it even more poignant is that fact I am reading the very same copy my father read to me every Christmas eve since I was four. It holds very special sentimental value to me as I was not an only child but this was a traditional rite that was shared strictly between my father and I, alone in my room as I snuggled to bed awaiting Christmas morn. I however expanded the audience to include all the children.
So they are now snuggled up (well except for Elijah and the two youngest girls as they are a wee bit of the night owls) and mom and dad await them passing out for Santa to visit.
So with that I would like to thank each and every one of you who made this year a lot of fun and we wish you and yours the very best of Christmases and hope for a good new year!
RE-Cycle Bicycles, 380 Patricia Ave Dunedin, Fl 34698 (727) 831-9742 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!!!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Post It....And They Will Come
WOW!
Don't know if I am a marketing genius or just lucky! But thanks to all the folks who responded to our impromptu one day sale on Sunday! Sold NINE bikes yesterday in just under five hours (actually the bulk of 'em sold in about an hour!) Also had several repairs come in and we thank you very much for the trust. Needless to say it being Sunday we took it easy on rebuilds, but do have a ladies multi speed cruiser in the rack as we picked at it slowly like a Christmas goose. So today is your LAST day of shopping chances! And we still have several sweet rides that would look just DARLING under your tree! So I'm off to the shop and will see you there!
Don't know if I am a marketing genius or just lucky! But thanks to all the folks who responded to our impromptu one day sale on Sunday! Sold NINE bikes yesterday in just under five hours (actually the bulk of 'em sold in about an hour!) Also had several repairs come in and we thank you very much for the trust. Needless to say it being Sunday we took it easy on rebuilds, but do have a ladies multi speed cruiser in the rack as we picked at it slowly like a Christmas goose. So today is your LAST day of shopping chances! And we still have several sweet rides that would look just DARLING under your tree! So I'm off to the shop and will see you there!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Public Service Announcement!
In honor of the Holiday and all the shoppers doing their bit last minute we will be doing an unprecedented move and open tomorrow, Sunday from noon till five. Furthermore we will be initiating a shameless ploy to separate you from some of your Christmas funds by offering a special ONE DAY ONLY 20% OFF SALE! That's 20% off everything across the board! So pick from any of the sweet rides we still have in stock!
SEE YOU TOMORROW!!
SEE YOU TOMORROW!!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
What If....?
I like to think I'm a rational thinking individual. I primarily don't believe in that which science can not substantiate, and the realms of magic and supernatural are sequestered to the confines of fiction.
However.
Given the significance (however ludicrous it may be) of tomorrow there is a little nagging doubt coming from some small corner of my psyche.
"What if all the wacko "the end is near" types are right and tomorrow IS the end of everything?"
I actually caught myself today casually running through the implausibility of it all. Reaffirming myself of the complete unlikelihood of someone thousands of years ago predicting the end of time...down to the last day.
But...you know, there's still that nagging doubt.
ANYWAY!
As it has been very slow in the plaza the last few days I wonder if there are other folks out there that may not think the same thing. Maybe building a bunker or something? Well all I know is more then likely there are gonna be a LOT of believers running around on the 22nd hurriedly trying to fill their Christmas shopping list!
Ah HA!
Well as it was quiet once again I spent the day...OK, I won't lie. Spent the morning and early afternoon on facebook engaged in a heated debate about gun control and school safety. Me, a major left liberal and two major right wingers!
Did I mention it got heated?
BUT, as further proof that there is good in all, it never got nasty or personal.
Wish all politicians could learn from us "common folk"
Did get busy in the afternoon though, and put out a sweet looking ladies cruiser! Check out pics below.
So that's gonna do it for now, as Mamma and I have to go and do the Christmas shopping.
Yes...I know..last minute. But if our kids had an inclination that there was goodies hidden in the house they'd tear it apart looking!
Good night and see y'all tomorrow!
However.
Given the significance (however ludicrous it may be) of tomorrow there is a little nagging doubt coming from some small corner of my psyche.
"What if all the wacko "the end is near" types are right and tomorrow IS the end of everything?"
I actually caught myself today casually running through the implausibility of it all. Reaffirming myself of the complete unlikelihood of someone thousands of years ago predicting the end of time...down to the last day.
But...you know, there's still that nagging doubt.
ANYWAY!
As it has been very slow in the plaza the last few days I wonder if there are other folks out there that may not think the same thing. Maybe building a bunker or something? Well all I know is more then likely there are gonna be a LOT of believers running around on the 22nd hurriedly trying to fill their Christmas shopping list!
Ah HA!
Well as it was quiet once again I spent the day...OK, I won't lie. Spent the morning and early afternoon on facebook engaged in a heated debate about gun control and school safety. Me, a major left liberal and two major right wingers!
Did I mention it got heated?
BUT, as further proof that there is good in all, it never got nasty or personal.
Wish all politicians could learn from us "common folk"
Did get busy in the afternoon though, and put out a sweet looking ladies cruiser! Check out pics below.
So that's gonna do it for now, as Mamma and I have to go and do the Christmas shopping.
Yes...I know..last minute. But if our kids had an inclination that there was goodies hidden in the house they'd tear it apart looking!
Good night and see y'all tomorrow!
 |
| SLICK LADIES CRUISER ONLY $85.00!!! |
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Hi HO Cowboy!
Ain't nothin' Like a Busy DAY!
And today was nothin like a busy day!
BUT...that's OK cause it gave me time to get some more goodies out! YAY! Put up a real sweet Men's Diamondback cruiser, and a GORGEOUS Fuji M600! This thing is like showroom new! And a cute little 16" Nascar bike for some cute little mullet wearing spawn! Also started working on a sharp looking ladies cruiser as well. Thanks to Justin from the Barber Shop Downtown Dunedin for visiting with his repair and the Mom for bringing in her boys bike after it's unfortunate hit and run. Glad we could beat out all the other bike shops in town by HALF on price!
Now, just so everyone doesn't think I only rag on Republicans I will gladly admit their is enough shame and blame to go around the other side of the isle as well.
This bit of finger pointing goes to the Editor In Chief himself, Mr. Obama! His address to the country following the New Town Massacre was moving to say the least! I'm not ashamed to admit given the situation when he choke back his tears I let mine fly. But given time to reflect and with the continued activity and mobility to approach the touchy subject of gun control and a willingness to take on all the strength and might of the NRA's political power in light of this recent tragedy has me wondering. OK, more then wondering. Convinced rather.
See in his tenure there have been other mass shootings, recently the movie theatre killings and words of mourning and solace were given then...nothing. Now probe, no committees of any substance Zip! Then came the elections. Perhaps I'm being a tad cynical but I'm really fed up with politics constantly getting in the way of the common good, decency, morality and our safety as a nation. It seems clear to me that in his first term he tender footed his way through, not willing to step on bigger toes, but now that hes in his last term he chooses to act? More power to him if he can bring about some real substantive change, but how many lives could have been saved if we had made a "assertive effort" to curb this kind of violence back in Columbine? Our leaders need to grow a back bone and to hell with the lobbyists and special interests. it's clear our children's safety is of little concern to their bottom line!
All right...
Stepping off my soap box!
And that'll do for tonight! Hope to see MORE of you tomorrow!!
Hint, Hint!
And as promised here's some of the latest goodies!
And today was nothin like a busy day!
BUT...that's OK cause it gave me time to get some more goodies out! YAY! Put up a real sweet Men's Diamondback cruiser, and a GORGEOUS Fuji M600! This thing is like showroom new! And a cute little 16" Nascar bike for some cute little mullet wearing spawn! Also started working on a sharp looking ladies cruiser as well. Thanks to Justin from the Barber Shop Downtown Dunedin for visiting with his repair and the Mom for bringing in her boys bike after it's unfortunate hit and run. Glad we could beat out all the other bike shops in town by HALF on price!
Now, just so everyone doesn't think I only rag on Republicans I will gladly admit their is enough shame and blame to go around the other side of the isle as well.
This bit of finger pointing goes to the Editor In Chief himself, Mr. Obama! His address to the country following the New Town Massacre was moving to say the least! I'm not ashamed to admit given the situation when he choke back his tears I let mine fly. But given time to reflect and with the continued activity and mobility to approach the touchy subject of gun control and a willingness to take on all the strength and might of the NRA's political power in light of this recent tragedy has me wondering. OK, more then wondering. Convinced rather.
See in his tenure there have been other mass shootings, recently the movie theatre killings and words of mourning and solace were given then...nothing. Now probe, no committees of any substance Zip! Then came the elections. Perhaps I'm being a tad cynical but I'm really fed up with politics constantly getting in the way of the common good, decency, morality and our safety as a nation. It seems clear to me that in his first term he tender footed his way through, not willing to step on bigger toes, but now that hes in his last term he chooses to act? More power to him if he can bring about some real substantive change, but how many lives could have been saved if we had made a "assertive effort" to curb this kind of violence back in Columbine? Our leaders need to grow a back bone and to hell with the lobbyists and special interests. it's clear our children's safety is of little concern to their bottom line!
All right...
Stepping off my soap box!
And that'll do for tonight! Hope to see MORE of you tomorrow!!
Hint, Hint!
And as promised here's some of the latest goodies!
 |
| FMF BMX LOADED WITH GOODIES ONLY $350.00!! |
 |
| RESTORED GT CLASSIC BMX ONLY $250.00!!! |
 |
| GORGEOUS LADIES MTB ONLY $90.00!! |
 |
| MEN'S 26" MTB ONLY $70.00!!! |
 |
| LIGHT WEIGHT NISHIKI COMMUTER ONLY $110.00!! |
 |
| LIKE NEW FUJI M600 ONLY $145.00!!! |
 |
| SLICK MENS 26" CRUISER W/NEW CLOUD 9 COMFY SEAT!! ONLY $130.00!!! |
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Circle The Wagons And Pass The Amunition! The School marms A Comin'!!!
Wow....
Really!?!
Have you heard the latest brilliant idea some are proposing? In the wake of the Connecticut tragedy some are suggesting that in order to prevent further school violence...that we arm school staff and/or teachers!
Yes.
Seriously!
And what's even more scary is those making the suggestion are not some gun toting, plaid wearing, pick up driving, tobacco chewing Redneck whack jobs but these are Republican Senators.
OK.
Yea your right, not much difference. But still!
Oh I could go into a litany of reasons why this is a BAD idea. But simply put haven't we learned that escalating an already bad situation isn't the answer. Why not put some of the tax payers money into something useful, like securing our schools a little better. I've been to enough schools to know just how easy it is to walk in and be right in the middle of things. Hallways, cafeteria's, front offices the security is a joke! Look with a little cash and a minute amount of smarts I could solve the problem. Lock all doors and replace glass ones with steel. Have two entries in and out except for fire doors that open only from the inside with an alarm the sounds when opened. Have the main entrance two doors with a hallway in between. On the exterior door (which is always locked and can only be opened from the outside by a buzzer. With a security camera on the outside anyone wanting to come in must be ID first. Also, why not require any parent with an enrolled child have a corresponding ID for that school. Yes, front office personal would have to be hired and put in place, remaining diligent but isn't this a worthwhile expense to safeguard the lives of our children? Look, until our Governments get their proverbial heads out of their asses about mental health care we have to protect our own!
ANYWAY!
Today was end of the year tax preparation day at the Ol' Dungeon! I'm not the neatest and most organized person when it comes to cataloging receipts and such. Put it this way....we have a REAL big shoe box that everything gets tossed into and I gather it up at the end of the year. So that was my day.
BUT! Managed to get in some soon to be goodies today! WAHOOO! Really needed an infusion of new blood so keep an eye peeled for them!
So that's it for this evening! Mama found a copy of Teen Wolf on netflix so I'm vegging out with the classics tonight!
See ya tomorrow!
Really!?!
Have you heard the latest brilliant idea some are proposing? In the wake of the Connecticut tragedy some are suggesting that in order to prevent further school violence...that we arm school staff and/or teachers!
Yes.
Seriously!
And what's even more scary is those making the suggestion are not some gun toting, plaid wearing, pick up driving, tobacco chewing Redneck whack jobs but these are Republican Senators.
OK.
Yea your right, not much difference. But still!
Oh I could go into a litany of reasons why this is a BAD idea. But simply put haven't we learned that escalating an already bad situation isn't the answer. Why not put some of the tax payers money into something useful, like securing our schools a little better. I've been to enough schools to know just how easy it is to walk in and be right in the middle of things. Hallways, cafeteria's, front offices the security is a joke! Look with a little cash and a minute amount of smarts I could solve the problem. Lock all doors and replace glass ones with steel. Have two entries in and out except for fire doors that open only from the inside with an alarm the sounds when opened. Have the main entrance two doors with a hallway in between. On the exterior door (which is always locked and can only be opened from the outside by a buzzer. With a security camera on the outside anyone wanting to come in must be ID first. Also, why not require any parent with an enrolled child have a corresponding ID for that school. Yes, front office personal would have to be hired and put in place, remaining diligent but isn't this a worthwhile expense to safeguard the lives of our children? Look, until our Governments get their proverbial heads out of their asses about mental health care we have to protect our own!
ANYWAY!
Today was end of the year tax preparation day at the Ol' Dungeon! I'm not the neatest and most organized person when it comes to cataloging receipts and such. Put it this way....we have a REAL big shoe box that everything gets tossed into and I gather it up at the end of the year. So that was my day.
BUT! Managed to get in some soon to be goodies today! WAHOOO! Really needed an infusion of new blood so keep an eye peeled for them!
So that's it for this evening! Mama found a copy of Teen Wolf on netflix so I'm vegging out with the classics tonight!
See ya tomorrow!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Of Teenagers And Computers
WELL!
That was a bit of a hiatus! Sorry for the disappearance from the airwaves but it's a byproduct of a teenager being allowed access to the shop computer. Some unknown virus found it's way into my system when Mr. Elijah (although he venomously denies it) was out and about on the web visiting God knows what sites. I don't know what it caught, and more ominously I don't know how I fixed it but we seem to be working again so cross your fingers!
So where to begin?
A lot has been going on the last couple of weeks and although most of the excitement hasn't necessarily been in the shop the world at large has seen some mighty intense events.
First off, the shop!
As Christmas rapidly approaches the kiddo side of the shop is getting a little light with no builders to fill it. Although for the more generous of Santa's we do have a couple SWEET, REAL BMX'ers! An old School GT FULLY restored! And trimmed out with some wicked cool swag! Also a light weight FMF with close to a grand in high end goodies! And priced at only $250./350. respectively!
Our adult side is a little better stocked but dwindling. I will have some good pics tomorrow as I haven't bothered with this comp down.
And For the avid "sale" watchers we are in the midst of a two week long "Mayan Doomsday Sale"! Yes it's four days left in our ringing in the Armageddon Special as we await the end of the Mayan calendar! As anyone who is in the know, knows that many a reliable Internet nut job will tell you that Dec 21, 2012 is the date set aside by Fate and Destiny to blow up the planet! So in the spirit of such happy tidings we are offering up a 10% savings on all bike purchases! (regular pricing taking effect on Dec 22)
And speaking of the end of the world....
I gotta tell ya this story.
(all the names have been changed to protect the innocent)
A valued friend and ex employee of ours whom still frequents our establishment came in the other day to do a little side work for us. In passing he told me a tale of another ex employee who was always, shall we say, a unique individual. They still keep in regular contact and apparently a brief while back he announced that he was leaving the Florida area to move to South Carolina. Apparently during some in depth Internet research (remember, the Internet is a cornucopia of reliable intell) he discovered that on the 21st of this month the Earth will shift on it's axis and the magnetic polarity of the planet will switch. In turn this change will magnetically attract the moon INTO our Earth causing the "other" moon that exists inside the Earth will be shot out the other side. Becoming our new moon. And as South Carolina is centrally located in the country...he'll be safe to continue his musical career.
Hmmmm?
I guess it's true what they say about musicians and conscious altering drugs.
There is SO much wrong with this prediction of future events but my biggest question is...The asteroid that crashed into the Earth killing off the entirety of all the Dinosaurs was only 6 miles wide.
6 miles!
I'm no scientist but I'm pretty sure the moon is a little bigger then 6 miles. So one would believe that an object it's size striking the Earth may make South Carolina safety a little irrelevant!
And speaking of Science fiction....!
MOVIE REVIEWS!!!
Have been a lot of good (well most but allot none the less) of DVD releases lately and here's my take on a few!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter!
Yes, ludicrous title but surprisingly a really awesome "alternate history" flick! Short synopsis, Abe Lincoln as a boy witnesses the sudden death of his beloved mother by, yes you guessed it a vampire. The "wasting" disease claims her and he grows to seek vengeance for her death. Later as a young man during a clumsy attack on his mothers killer he is saved by a "hunter" who eventually trains him in the art of vampire killing. Armed with his slayer weapon of choice, a long ax glazed with silver he sets out to perform his duty. At this point the story intertwines more aggressively with actual historic events. With one twist. As the European vampires migrated to the new world they settled in the South. A silent detente being struck they stuck to the South, agreeing to leave the North alone. A motivating factor for their setting up shop in the plantations of the deep south was the relative abundant supply of food that would not draw undo scrutiny of their feeding practices and presence. Slaves. Imported not only for labor but for food. It gave a whole new reasoning behind the causes of the Civil War.
The over done slow motion "action catching" aside it really turns out thought provoking yarn!
Prometheus!
George Lucas opined an appropriate quip "A special effect is a tool. A means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing"
That pretty much sums it up.
Want more?
Personally, I'm getting pretty tired of the "made for franchise" movie making approach of late (Marvel not withstanding). This movie plays like a 2 hour long prologue for what is sure to be another run of "Alien" sequels. But what's worse is Mr Ridley Scott seems to have abandoned much of the original mythos in taking this "pre" aliens look at not only their origins but our own (go out and rent for that explanation) Seems like what we learned in "Aliens vs Predator" was all but forgotten. For the sheer joy of eye candy the $1.27 it will cost you at Redbox will be worth the "couch change"
Better yet, just go review the original Alien and Aliens. Much better watch!
Brave!
enh.
Starting to get a little worried about the creative output of the once great Pixar. Not only are they starting to pump out sequels but it seems Pixar wasn't "brave" enough to do anything more original then a remake of "Brother Bear" but set it in ancient Scotland and making the protagonist a girl.
It was no where near as humorous as any of the other Pixar greats and the emotional keynotes they attempted to strike just hit a dull note. Nothing like the emotions wrought by Scully and Boo in Monsters Inc or the unexpected pit crew showing up at the end of "Cars". Although the advance of the cinematic computer rendering of beautiful Scottish landscapes was at times breathtaking the story just fell flat.
The Amazing Spiderman!
Ok. Here is another of my pet peeves.
The Reboot.
Not happy to leave an established storyline alone, Marvel especially has taken to "rebooting" a franchise. In short, having already witnessed one "origin" movie which leads into a succession of films they knock out a trilogy (or less) then REDO the whole thing from scratch! IE. The Hulk (and rumor has it Fantastic Four and Daredevil) So it was with great trepidation that I approached this film in the same fashion as I did when the put Ed Norton in the big green guys skin.
And the same thing happened here that happened with the Hulk...
I LOVED it more!!!
Yes, I got sucked in. I really dug the new direction and the more spry Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Toby Macguire did all right, but I liked the seamless way in which Andrews character took to the new powers (and the fact that he used web cartridges and not spun from his own body) And thankfully...no Kristen Dunst! That girl peaked in "An Interview With A Vampire" The choice of "The Lizard" was a choice one and definitely saw shades of "Ditko" in the filming!
Definitely one to add to the collection!
Now on to current events.
Even though the horrendous events that occurred in Ct. require much deliberation I feel it in bad taste to discuss here. I have voiced my opinion to family and friends via Facebook, but my diatribes through that venue are rarely censored as I choose to do in this format, and discussing the tragic events without the use of damning profanity for the evil individual who committed them would be rather difficult. Suffice to say I can not begin to grasp words to offer the families as solace or comfort. I only hope their unwilling and unfathomable sacrifice will inspire the leaders of our country to take SERIOUS measures to ensure that any individual capable of such unspeakable horror is not given the opportunity to amass such firepower as to wreak such havoc. And equally as important is a stringent and comprehensive overhaul of our countries mental health services.
I in the meanwhile will only say prayers for them and give thanks for my children each and every day.
Good night folks.
That was a bit of a hiatus! Sorry for the disappearance from the airwaves but it's a byproduct of a teenager being allowed access to the shop computer. Some unknown virus found it's way into my system when Mr. Elijah (although he venomously denies it) was out and about on the web visiting God knows what sites. I don't know what it caught, and more ominously I don't know how I fixed it but we seem to be working again so cross your fingers!
So where to begin?
A lot has been going on the last couple of weeks and although most of the excitement hasn't necessarily been in the shop the world at large has seen some mighty intense events.
First off, the shop!
As Christmas rapidly approaches the kiddo side of the shop is getting a little light with no builders to fill it. Although for the more generous of Santa's we do have a couple SWEET, REAL BMX'ers! An old School GT FULLY restored! And trimmed out with some wicked cool swag! Also a light weight FMF with close to a grand in high end goodies! And priced at only $250./350. respectively!
Our adult side is a little better stocked but dwindling. I will have some good pics tomorrow as I haven't bothered with this comp down.
And For the avid "sale" watchers we are in the midst of a two week long "Mayan Doomsday Sale"! Yes it's four days left in our ringing in the Armageddon Special as we await the end of the Mayan calendar! As anyone who is in the know, knows that many a reliable Internet nut job will tell you that Dec 21, 2012 is the date set aside by Fate and Destiny to blow up the planet! So in the spirit of such happy tidings we are offering up a 10% savings on all bike purchases! (regular pricing taking effect on Dec 22)
And speaking of the end of the world....
I gotta tell ya this story.
(all the names have been changed to protect the innocent)
A valued friend and ex employee of ours whom still frequents our establishment came in the other day to do a little side work for us. In passing he told me a tale of another ex employee who was always, shall we say, a unique individual. They still keep in regular contact and apparently a brief while back he announced that he was leaving the Florida area to move to South Carolina. Apparently during some in depth Internet research (remember, the Internet is a cornucopia of reliable intell) he discovered that on the 21st of this month the Earth will shift on it's axis and the magnetic polarity of the planet will switch. In turn this change will magnetically attract the moon INTO our Earth causing the "other" moon that exists inside the Earth will be shot out the other side. Becoming our new moon. And as South Carolina is centrally located in the country...he'll be safe to continue his musical career.
Hmmmm?
I guess it's true what they say about musicians and conscious altering drugs.
There is SO much wrong with this prediction of future events but my biggest question is...The asteroid that crashed into the Earth killing off the entirety of all the Dinosaurs was only 6 miles wide.
6 miles!
I'm no scientist but I'm pretty sure the moon is a little bigger then 6 miles. So one would believe that an object it's size striking the Earth may make South Carolina safety a little irrelevant!
And speaking of Science fiction....!
MOVIE REVIEWS!!!
Have been a lot of good (well most but allot none the less) of DVD releases lately and here's my take on a few!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter!
Yes, ludicrous title but surprisingly a really awesome "alternate history" flick! Short synopsis, Abe Lincoln as a boy witnesses the sudden death of his beloved mother by, yes you guessed it a vampire. The "wasting" disease claims her and he grows to seek vengeance for her death. Later as a young man during a clumsy attack on his mothers killer he is saved by a "hunter" who eventually trains him in the art of vampire killing. Armed with his slayer weapon of choice, a long ax glazed with silver he sets out to perform his duty. At this point the story intertwines more aggressively with actual historic events. With one twist. As the European vampires migrated to the new world they settled in the South. A silent detente being struck they stuck to the South, agreeing to leave the North alone. A motivating factor for their setting up shop in the plantations of the deep south was the relative abundant supply of food that would not draw undo scrutiny of their feeding practices and presence. Slaves. Imported not only for labor but for food. It gave a whole new reasoning behind the causes of the Civil War.
The over done slow motion "action catching" aside it really turns out thought provoking yarn!
Prometheus!
George Lucas opined an appropriate quip "A special effect is a tool. A means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing"
That pretty much sums it up.
Want more?
Personally, I'm getting pretty tired of the "made for franchise" movie making approach of late (Marvel not withstanding). This movie plays like a 2 hour long prologue for what is sure to be another run of "Alien" sequels. But what's worse is Mr Ridley Scott seems to have abandoned much of the original mythos in taking this "pre" aliens look at not only their origins but our own (go out and rent for that explanation) Seems like what we learned in "Aliens vs Predator" was all but forgotten. For the sheer joy of eye candy the $1.27 it will cost you at Redbox will be worth the "couch change"
Better yet, just go review the original Alien and Aliens. Much better watch!
Brave!
enh.
Starting to get a little worried about the creative output of the once great Pixar. Not only are they starting to pump out sequels but it seems Pixar wasn't "brave" enough to do anything more original then a remake of "Brother Bear" but set it in ancient Scotland and making the protagonist a girl.
It was no where near as humorous as any of the other Pixar greats and the emotional keynotes they attempted to strike just hit a dull note. Nothing like the emotions wrought by Scully and Boo in Monsters Inc or the unexpected pit crew showing up at the end of "Cars". Although the advance of the cinematic computer rendering of beautiful Scottish landscapes was at times breathtaking the story just fell flat.
The Amazing Spiderman!
Ok. Here is another of my pet peeves.
The Reboot.
Not happy to leave an established storyline alone, Marvel especially has taken to "rebooting" a franchise. In short, having already witnessed one "origin" movie which leads into a succession of films they knock out a trilogy (or less) then REDO the whole thing from scratch! IE. The Hulk (and rumor has it Fantastic Four and Daredevil) So it was with great trepidation that I approached this film in the same fashion as I did when the put Ed Norton in the big green guys skin.
And the same thing happened here that happened with the Hulk...
I LOVED it more!!!
Yes, I got sucked in. I really dug the new direction and the more spry Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Toby Macguire did all right, but I liked the seamless way in which Andrews character took to the new powers (and the fact that he used web cartridges and not spun from his own body) And thankfully...no Kristen Dunst! That girl peaked in "An Interview With A Vampire" The choice of "The Lizard" was a choice one and definitely saw shades of "Ditko" in the filming!
Definitely one to add to the collection!
Now on to current events.
Even though the horrendous events that occurred in Ct. require much deliberation I feel it in bad taste to discuss here. I have voiced my opinion to family and friends via Facebook, but my diatribes through that venue are rarely censored as I choose to do in this format, and discussing the tragic events without the use of damning profanity for the evil individual who committed them would be rather difficult. Suffice to say I can not begin to grasp words to offer the families as solace or comfort. I only hope their unwilling and unfathomable sacrifice will inspire the leaders of our country to take SERIOUS measures to ensure that any individual capable of such unspeakable horror is not given the opportunity to amass such firepower as to wreak such havoc. And equally as important is a stringent and comprehensive overhaul of our countries mental health services.
I in the meanwhile will only say prayers for them and give thanks for my children each and every day.
Good night folks.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Cheaper's Not Always Better!
Alright, so it's not the best thing a resale shop can proclaim but in today's episode it applies! In spades!
But before I get to that I'd really like to express my appreciation for all the great folks who came out to see us today! Darn near wiped us out! And thankfully picked up many new soon-to-be's as well! Among them a sweet ladies GT auto bike! For the uninitiated that's a multi speed cruiser that shifts it self! And thanks to the very kind gent who had heard "great things about us" (never get tired of hearing that) and brought us a cool little donation! This one will probably end up hanging from the walls. It was his grandmothers who had intended on cleaning it up for the grand kids but never got around to it, and as he heard we treated old bikes with respect wanted us to have it. It's an early 70's Schwinn "Pixie" bike. Little 16" boy's/girls bike. The type with the removable top tube to give it an instant sex change!
So as I was intimating had another one of those "told ya so's" today. On Monday had a couple visit, just into town looking for a couple of rides. They checked out the Trek 720 and the Giant we had. Liked the rides but said they were going to look around. No problem. Well had a gent come in today and snag up the Giant right quick for a states run and left a happy camper. Shortly after the couple from Monday came back in. She riding a Duent single speed and he an older Schwinn road bike. Their expressions appeared less then impressed. In fact they seemed rather demure. Apparently the $200.00 they spent on their Craigslist finds was a little less of a bargain then they thought (in all fairness they did save $35.00 by not buying the two they saw here) The Duent's tires were dry rotted and one blew out, both it's crank and rear axle were loose and the chain kept slipping off (paid $80.00 for that one) The Schwinn...well suffice to say the two bent rims were the least of the problems! (paid $120.00 for that one) Now in all fairness to the couple they in fact had not been the purchasers. A family member purchased the bikes for their visit for them apparently to save them some cash. Well anyway, they were interested in the two they had ridden (and loved) when they first came in. As the Giant was already sold he picked up the Big Boy Raleigh instead (which he liked even more) and rode off happy. Well OK, maybe not ecstatically as there trade ins were worth far less then had been paid for by them.
Morale of the story? Always use caution when purchasing from Craigslist (except here of course) as they offer no warranties (not like us!)
ANYWAY!
Now that I have gloated....
Managed to put out two new goodies today! A real fine ladies 26" Schwinn MTB and an equally fine light weight Nishiki commuter! Regrettably I have no pics! Forgot the camera phone at the shop! Sorry! But will post 'em up tomorrow!
So that's about it for this evening! I have bathed ALL the little ones and am now EXHAUSTED!
Y'all have a great night!
But before I get to that I'd really like to express my appreciation for all the great folks who came out to see us today! Darn near wiped us out! And thankfully picked up many new soon-to-be's as well! Among them a sweet ladies GT auto bike! For the uninitiated that's a multi speed cruiser that shifts it self! And thanks to the very kind gent who had heard "great things about us" (never get tired of hearing that) and brought us a cool little donation! This one will probably end up hanging from the walls. It was his grandmothers who had intended on cleaning it up for the grand kids but never got around to it, and as he heard we treated old bikes with respect wanted us to have it. It's an early 70's Schwinn "Pixie" bike. Little 16" boy's/girls bike. The type with the removable top tube to give it an instant sex change!
So as I was intimating had another one of those "told ya so's" today. On Monday had a couple visit, just into town looking for a couple of rides. They checked out the Trek 720 and the Giant we had. Liked the rides but said they were going to look around. No problem. Well had a gent come in today and snag up the Giant right quick for a states run and left a happy camper. Shortly after the couple from Monday came back in. She riding a Duent single speed and he an older Schwinn road bike. Their expressions appeared less then impressed. In fact they seemed rather demure. Apparently the $200.00 they spent on their Craigslist finds was a little less of a bargain then they thought (in all fairness they did save $35.00 by not buying the two they saw here) The Duent's tires were dry rotted and one blew out, both it's crank and rear axle were loose and the chain kept slipping off (paid $80.00 for that one) The Schwinn...well suffice to say the two bent rims were the least of the problems! (paid $120.00 for that one) Now in all fairness to the couple they in fact had not been the purchasers. A family member purchased the bikes for their visit for them apparently to save them some cash. Well anyway, they were interested in the two they had ridden (and loved) when they first came in. As the Giant was already sold he picked up the Big Boy Raleigh instead (which he liked even more) and rode off happy. Well OK, maybe not ecstatically as there trade ins were worth far less then had been paid for by them.
Morale of the story? Always use caution when purchasing from Craigslist (except here of course) as they offer no warranties (not like us!)
ANYWAY!
Now that I have gloated....
Managed to put out two new goodies today! A real fine ladies 26" Schwinn MTB and an equally fine light weight Nishiki commuter! Regrettably I have no pics! Forgot the camera phone at the shop! Sorry! But will post 'em up tomorrow!
So that's about it for this evening! I have bathed ALL the little ones and am now EXHAUSTED!
Y'all have a great night!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Old Girls New Life
As is the way of nature, all things have their time. And so too is true for bikes. As we always say every bike will find it's owner. And the classic Schwinn Starlet is no exception. Yes after adorning our show room with her graceful lines a gent referred to us by Bullet from "Hands on" came in today to get cruisers for his daughters and was taken aback by her beauty. A quick text photo to his wife and she was in love. So at the end of the trip he walked away with her and two other cruisers. Thank you so much sir for granting her a new life with someone who can truly appreciate her opulence.
Well today also finally saw a welcome break in the stock rut we had! And by rut, I DO NOT mean having TO MUCH stock, but no where near enough! Yes I spent the last day and a half after cleaning the shop twice on the Internet finding out all sorts of useless information! Example you may ask? Well for one, do you know that in 3500 years of recorded human history we have only enjoyed a total of 356 years without war? That in ancient time peasants had dirt floors and only the rich had slate floors. But due to mud and rain making the stone slippery they would throw loose thresh down on the floor to absorb the water near the entry ways. But as it to would become slippery whenever they opened the door the thresh would slide out the open door, so they attached a thin piece of wood in the doors opening, hence the term "threshold". And even more disturbing is the practice of a bris in Jewish culture. After the offending piece of flesh is removed from the babies thingy the moil(sp?) fills his mouth with wine and puts it around...yea, you guessed it, to sterilize it.
Now I'm not one to mock another cultures religious practices but HUNH?!
I thought there were laws about these things!
ANYWAY!
So as I was saying, finally got some fresh goodies in today! YAY! Put together a REAL sweet Raleigh hybrid. Nice big boy frame decked out with new slick tread tires, a REAL comfortable NEW Cloud 9 seat, and this pup is FULLY refurbed! Also put out a NEW Hyper BMX with the 22/9 drive, orbital brakes etc! And when I mean new I mean only a month old! Also picked up a soon to be sweet Nishiki commuter and a real nice looking ladies Schwinn MTB! As well as a vintage men's Raleigh three speed that needs WAY MUCH work, but I wouldn't see her go to the scrap heap!
Now onto something completely different! Contrary to popular fear our wondrously hysterical comic strip "...Warts and all" is not dead. As this year has been a busy one for our artist AfroMonkey as he has WAY to many pans in the fire not much has gotten done but as I was bored yesterday and found myself on Facebook of all places complaining on how bored I was he chimed in and announced that he too was in a lull coming into the Holidays and if interested i could shoot him a few scripts! SO as I am sure he is now regretting that statement, sent him many a script I did! I have five notebooks full! My children are an never ending source of hilarity (tongue planted firmly in cheek!) So hopefully in short order I will be having some new material to premier here! And as I have no fear (or humility) to shameless self promotion, for those of you not familiar with our award winning comic strip here's a small sample! Hold on to your sides firmly!
Yes, really They're all just as funny!!! Check 'em out at "wartscomics.blogspot.com"
So without further ado! I'll wish y'all a wonderful evening and best get myself ta bed! Talk ta ya all tomorrow!
And her's the new rides!
Well today also finally saw a welcome break in the stock rut we had! And by rut, I DO NOT mean having TO MUCH stock, but no where near enough! Yes I spent the last day and a half after cleaning the shop twice on the Internet finding out all sorts of useless information! Example you may ask? Well for one, do you know that in 3500 years of recorded human history we have only enjoyed a total of 356 years without war? That in ancient time peasants had dirt floors and only the rich had slate floors. But due to mud and rain making the stone slippery they would throw loose thresh down on the floor to absorb the water near the entry ways. But as it to would become slippery whenever they opened the door the thresh would slide out the open door, so they attached a thin piece of wood in the doors opening, hence the term "threshold". And even more disturbing is the practice of a bris in Jewish culture. After the offending piece of flesh is removed from the babies thingy the moil(sp?) fills his mouth with wine and puts it around...yea, you guessed it, to sterilize it.
Now I'm not one to mock another cultures religious practices but HUNH?!
I thought there were laws about these things!
ANYWAY!
So as I was saying, finally got some fresh goodies in today! YAY! Put together a REAL sweet Raleigh hybrid. Nice big boy frame decked out with new slick tread tires, a REAL comfortable NEW Cloud 9 seat, and this pup is FULLY refurbed! Also put out a NEW Hyper BMX with the 22/9 drive, orbital brakes etc! And when I mean new I mean only a month old! Also picked up a soon to be sweet Nishiki commuter and a real nice looking ladies Schwinn MTB! As well as a vintage men's Raleigh three speed that needs WAY MUCH work, but I wouldn't see her go to the scrap heap!
Now onto something completely different! Contrary to popular fear our wondrously hysterical comic strip "...Warts and all" is not dead. As this year has been a busy one for our artist AfroMonkey as he has WAY to many pans in the fire not much has gotten done but as I was bored yesterday and found myself on Facebook of all places complaining on how bored I was he chimed in and announced that he too was in a lull coming into the Holidays and if interested i could shoot him a few scripts! SO as I am sure he is now regretting that statement, sent him many a script I did! I have five notebooks full! My children are an never ending source of hilarity (tongue planted firmly in cheek!) So hopefully in short order I will be having some new material to premier here! And as I have no fear (or humility) to shameless self promotion, for those of you not familiar with our award winning comic strip here's a small sample! Hold on to your sides firmly!
So without further ado! I'll wish y'all a wonderful evening and best get myself ta bed! Talk ta ya all tomorrow!
And her's the new rides!
 |
| BIG BOY RALEIGH HYBRID ONLY $150.00!! |
 |
| NEW HYPER CO BMX ONLY $75.00!! |
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Numbers Don't Lie
A perplexing quandary has haunted my casual thoughts from time to time that speaks to many subjects. World hunger, war, Politics, Finances and religion to name a few. That question is "How can so many people faced with the same information and evidence come to such diverse conclusions?"
One such can of worms was opened in a recent post I made regarding our current financial crisis. Thankfully mine was not the only opinion to be featured solo as a couple good folk chimed in with their opinions. Now it is my usual fashion to respond, in kind in the opinion column but they brought up such good conflicting viewpoints I felt it would be prudent to re post them here.
Then respond in my own thought provoking way.
Poor misguided soul you are.
Investment in the USA will just fall through the floor with the logic of slapping all the investors of the world with more taxes.
folks that have worked their way into position to make over the $250k will not even bother investing and creating jobs. They simply will walk away. workers will start losing more jobs ...... You will have no more customers to purchase your products you sell and then you will be asking yourself how you will make it.
Now, not to be outdone...
Sorry, but I gotta disagree with you there, Anonymous. Corporate profits are at an all time high, but we here closer to the ground have yet to see an advantage. The myth of "job creators" has been repeatedly and thoroughly debunked, and the fact that people like you are still arguing for this spectacularly failed economic paradigm only goes to show how effectively the lie has been promulgated.
I say we link arms and go over the "fiscal cliff" (which is really more like a curb, but whatever; the rhetoric is what it is). The Republicans want to play chicken, and I say we take them on. Is it POSSIBLE that our taxes will go up? Sure - but it's also just as likely that the backlash will be so severe that a) the tax code will be retroactively amended (remember, this is for tax year 2013, which won't have to be settled until April '14. It'll be an accounting NIGHTMARE, but it IS possible for Congress to amend the tax code at any point before that) and b) will piss off so many people that the 20114 elections - in which ALL 435 House seats are up - will result in a massive lay-off of the obstructionists using this sort of thing for their own political power.
One such can of worms was opened in a recent post I made regarding our current financial crisis. Thankfully mine was not the only opinion to be featured solo as a couple good folk chimed in with their opinions. Now it is my usual fashion to respond, in kind in the opinion column but they brought up such good conflicting viewpoints I felt it would be prudent to re post them here.
Then respond in my own thought provoking way.
Poor misguided soul you are.
Investment in the USA will just fall through the floor with the logic of slapping all the investors of the world with more taxes.
folks that have worked their way into position to make over the $250k will not even bother investing and creating jobs. They simply will walk away. workers will start losing more jobs ...... You will have no more customers to purchase your products you sell and then you will be asking yourself how you will make it.
Now, not to be outdone...
Sorry, but I gotta disagree with you there, Anonymous. Corporate profits are at an all time high, but we here closer to the ground have yet to see an advantage. The myth of "job creators" has been repeatedly and thoroughly debunked, and the fact that people like you are still arguing for this spectacularly failed economic paradigm only goes to show how effectively the lie has been promulgated.
I say we link arms and go over the "fiscal cliff" (which is really more like a curb, but whatever; the rhetoric is what it is). The Republicans want to play chicken, and I say we take them on. Is it POSSIBLE that our taxes will go up? Sure - but it's also just as likely that the backlash will be so severe that a) the tax code will be retroactively amended (remember, this is for tax year 2013, which won't have to be settled until April '14. It'll be an accounting NIGHTMARE, but it IS possible for Congress to amend the tax code at any point before that) and b) will piss off so many people that the 20114 elections - in which ALL 435 House seats are up - will result in a massive lay-off of the obstructionists using this sort of thing for their own political power.
So OK...Let me see if I can quantify my response in relatively easy to understand parables, as I tend to be long winded on these subjects.
In a word "Top Down" growth does not work. Putting an enormous amount of wealth in the hands of so few does nothing to elevate the general population.
Now yes, if someone works hard and builds their wealth they deserve it. And yes, if a company is productive they expand and in expanding create more jobs. But here's where it gets fuzzy. Most major corporations are looking at the bottom line, as in "how do we add a 1/4 of a point to our investors stock options?" Job cuts are most probably the first option.
During the Clinton administration we saw an enormous amount of growth and prosperity and that was when the tax rates for everyone were MUCH higher then they are now! And even more importantly were much higher then the current proposed "tax hike" This time of joyous prosperity saw Clinton leaving office with an estimated budget surplus of 1.7 trillion dollars.
Then came the Bush regime. Not only did his dirty little wars depleted much of that windfall but his incessant tax rebates (yes I did like my $1500.00 check but I hear tell corporations got A LOT more then that) and pretty soon we were WAY in deficit land!
Then came the Great Recession!
Surprise, surprise.
Now, as to the idea that allowing major corps to keep more money as incentive to add more jobs? Let's look at a few recent examples. First, during the many "ill advised bail outs that Obama gave out (auto manufactures not with standing) some executives took the cash and gave themselves BIG bonuses, planned executive retreats in the tropic with intimate Jimmy Buffet concerts to name a few "wise" investments in our countries future! SO much for trusting them to do the "right" thing.
ALSO. Over the last year out of all the figures coming out of the corporate sector they estimated an average of 18% growth in employee productivity. Sounds good, hunh? Well, let's dissect that figure for a moment. Most companies were laying off, on average 47% of their work force. That's almost HALF. So in the face of such staggering, impending unemployment those folks remaining at the job were faced with a choice. As more oppressive work loads were thrown their way it was made very clear to them that if they couldn't handle it there were MANY folks waiting in the wings to take over their jobs that could handle it. The end result was that someone on salary used to working 40 hours a week were now working 60 plus hours a week, with no increase in pay! And trust me, there was no point in risking a complaint. Just look at Hostess, when the crews went out on strike they just closed up shop, filed for bankruptcy and paid their executives hefty bonuses to stay on to break up the companies assets to sell to the highest bidder. Now as the economy has improved and companies are slowly coming back and beginning to show profits are they reinvesting it back into their work force? Hiring on new workers? NOT to the extant that the money would facilitate. Oh NO! This time has shown that given the right incentive and motivation their remaining employees would continue to produce at the same back breaking pace for as long as they can perpetuated job insecurity.
ALSO. Think about tax refund time. What happens in February through April of each year when the tax return checks start to flow in. Well the average American worker takes their windfall and spends it. In the American economy. They don't plop it in an off shore tax dodging Cayman Island account (HEY Mr. Romney!) No they reinvest it into our very economy! We for one used our tax refund from 2010 to open up our shop! And I know of many folks who in some ways did the same. Would a major corp do that? Doubtful. I'm sorry but there is no data to support that higher taxes impedes growth, adversely it inspires creativity. Some of which may not necessarily be on the up and up, but that's one way in which successful business remain successful. Creative accounting.
Growth MUST start at the bottom. Small business incentives, allowing the working class to keep more of their money in order to ensure that they flourish. Yes the business must remain to employee, but coming from an old carpenter....
"No building, regardless of how large, or majestic it may be will stand if not built on a sturdy foundation"
No as far as our little ongoing venture! Would like to give many thanks to all the folks coming out yesterday and today and blessing us with their patronage. Made for a fantastic end to the week! Would have mentioned it yesterday but as stated a LOT of folks came out on Friday especially with a plethora of repairs leaving this old boy a wee bit tuckered out, and after celebrating Momma's Birthday I just done passed out! So forgive me if I left anyone feeling shunned. Many a ride found new homes and we are working away on some new goodies to be premiered next week! Keep an eye out for them sweeties!
So that's it for now. Have been talked into watching "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" Yes. That's what I said. Hey could be worse. Could be "Abraham Lincoln, Zombie Hunter"
Seriously.
These movies actually exist.
Night y'all!
In a word "Top Down" growth does not work. Putting an enormous amount of wealth in the hands of so few does nothing to elevate the general population.
Now yes, if someone works hard and builds their wealth they deserve it. And yes, if a company is productive they expand and in expanding create more jobs. But here's where it gets fuzzy. Most major corporations are looking at the bottom line, as in "how do we add a 1/4 of a point to our investors stock options?" Job cuts are most probably the first option.
During the Clinton administration we saw an enormous amount of growth and prosperity and that was when the tax rates for everyone were MUCH higher then they are now! And even more importantly were much higher then the current proposed "tax hike" This time of joyous prosperity saw Clinton leaving office with an estimated budget surplus of 1.7 trillion dollars.
Then came the Bush regime. Not only did his dirty little wars depleted much of that windfall but his incessant tax rebates (yes I did like my $1500.00 check but I hear tell corporations got A LOT more then that) and pretty soon we were WAY in deficit land!
Then came the Great Recession!
Surprise, surprise.
Now, as to the idea that allowing major corps to keep more money as incentive to add more jobs? Let's look at a few recent examples. First, during the many "ill advised bail outs that Obama gave out (auto manufactures not with standing) some executives took the cash and gave themselves BIG bonuses, planned executive retreats in the tropic with intimate Jimmy Buffet concerts to name a few "wise" investments in our countries future! SO much for trusting them to do the "right" thing.
ALSO. Over the last year out of all the figures coming out of the corporate sector they estimated an average of 18% growth in employee productivity. Sounds good, hunh? Well, let's dissect that figure for a moment. Most companies were laying off, on average 47% of their work force. That's almost HALF. So in the face of such staggering, impending unemployment those folks remaining at the job were faced with a choice. As more oppressive work loads were thrown their way it was made very clear to them that if they couldn't handle it there were MANY folks waiting in the wings to take over their jobs that could handle it. The end result was that someone on salary used to working 40 hours a week were now working 60 plus hours a week, with no increase in pay! And trust me, there was no point in risking a complaint. Just look at Hostess, when the crews went out on strike they just closed up shop, filed for bankruptcy and paid their executives hefty bonuses to stay on to break up the companies assets to sell to the highest bidder. Now as the economy has improved and companies are slowly coming back and beginning to show profits are they reinvesting it back into their work force? Hiring on new workers? NOT to the extant that the money would facilitate. Oh NO! This time has shown that given the right incentive and motivation their remaining employees would continue to produce at the same back breaking pace for as long as they can perpetuated job insecurity.
ALSO. Think about tax refund time. What happens in February through April of each year when the tax return checks start to flow in. Well the average American worker takes their windfall and spends it. In the American economy. They don't plop it in an off shore tax dodging Cayman Island account (HEY Mr. Romney!) No they reinvest it into our very economy! We for one used our tax refund from 2010 to open up our shop! And I know of many folks who in some ways did the same. Would a major corp do that? Doubtful. I'm sorry but there is no data to support that higher taxes impedes growth, adversely it inspires creativity. Some of which may not necessarily be on the up and up, but that's one way in which successful business remain successful. Creative accounting.
Growth MUST start at the bottom. Small business incentives, allowing the working class to keep more of their money in order to ensure that they flourish. Yes the business must remain to employee, but coming from an old carpenter....
"No building, regardless of how large, or majestic it may be will stand if not built on a sturdy foundation"
No as far as our little ongoing venture! Would like to give many thanks to all the folks coming out yesterday and today and blessing us with their patronage. Made for a fantastic end to the week! Would have mentioned it yesterday but as stated a LOT of folks came out on Friday especially with a plethora of repairs leaving this old boy a wee bit tuckered out, and after celebrating Momma's Birthday I just done passed out! So forgive me if I left anyone feeling shunned. Many a ride found new homes and we are working away on some new goodies to be premiered next week! Keep an eye out for them sweeties!
So that's it for now. Have been talked into watching "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" Yes. That's what I said. Hey could be worse. Could be "Abraham Lincoln, Zombie Hunter"
Seriously.
These movies actually exist.
Night y'all!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Red Shows True Colors
Yes I'm sure by now some of you are getting tired of me ranting about Republican motivations....But here I go again. Now truth be told there's plenty of blame to be spread on both sides of the isle in regards to our current fiscal crisis, but even given that truth there is something to be said for compromise. Given the amount of bantering about the left seems willing to give up some concessions if the right will just yield a tad on taxes.
Yes, there I said it, an ugly word. But lets face it, in order to live in a secure capitalist nation, you gotta have taxes. Yes, there could be a little more frugality in the way it's spent BUT...it's needed.
Now I gotta give props to the man elect for his shrewd turn of phrases! I've been in sales for years and he REALLY knows how to serve up an assumptive close while tossing the ball CLEARLY into the others court. When he stood at his first press conference after being re-elected and stated (and I paraphrase) that he was ready to extend relief to the working middle class by extending the tax breaks of the "Bush-era" to the 98% of Americans making less then $250,00.00 a year. That he had his pen ready to sign it into law.
ooooooooooo!
BURN!
Now the Republicans ONCE AGAIN are stymieing the process by dragging their heels saying they are ready to deal but only if the democrats take tax hikes off the table. Instead they want to remove the tax loop holes which allow for so many rich folks to get such breaks on their taxes (think Romney's 13% tax bracket) which is not a bad idea, but they also want to make deep cut in entitlement programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps.
Uhn hunh!
So in effect DON'T make the uber wealthy pay an additional 3% but instead take health care and food away from the poor and elderly?!
So OK,
Yes.
That may seem like the Republican way of doing things but does anyone else see any moral dilemma with this idea?
And honestly if you are on the right side of the camp, do YOU benefit from a paycheck in excess of a quarter of a mill? and if so why are you reading a blog about used bikes?
It all boils down to this, as of January first 2013, if these matters are not settled we ALL loose any tax breaks we have and the average American will be looking at paying at least an extra $2000.00 next year come tax time! I'm sorry but as much as I believe we should all be able to keep as much as we can out of what we work so hard to earn , those 2% can pony up a little extra to help a limping economy flourish again. It's not like they won't be able to get it all back once things get on a more even keel.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to the folks coming in and helping us in their own way with our fiscal cliff. Sold the Schwinn cruiser to a discerning gent today and had many more a looky loo checking us out. As always thanks for the repairs coming in, our true bread and butter. And I must say we still have many more gems for you to peruse through and could really use the sales! So come on down and we'll wheel and deal!
Speaking of new gems! Check out the two latest below! A gorgeous racing tire Trek 720 commuter, and a FULLY refurbed scrap truck find in the way of a Giant Sedona!
So we'll see y'all on the 'morrow!
Yes, there I said it, an ugly word. But lets face it, in order to live in a secure capitalist nation, you gotta have taxes. Yes, there could be a little more frugality in the way it's spent BUT...it's needed.
Now I gotta give props to the man elect for his shrewd turn of phrases! I've been in sales for years and he REALLY knows how to serve up an assumptive close while tossing the ball CLEARLY into the others court. When he stood at his first press conference after being re-elected and stated (and I paraphrase) that he was ready to extend relief to the working middle class by extending the tax breaks of the "Bush-era" to the 98% of Americans making less then $250,00.00 a year. That he had his pen ready to sign it into law.
ooooooooooo!
BURN!
Now the Republicans ONCE AGAIN are stymieing the process by dragging their heels saying they are ready to deal but only if the democrats take tax hikes off the table. Instead they want to remove the tax loop holes which allow for so many rich folks to get such breaks on their taxes (think Romney's 13% tax bracket) which is not a bad idea, but they also want to make deep cut in entitlement programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps.
Uhn hunh!
So in effect DON'T make the uber wealthy pay an additional 3% but instead take health care and food away from the poor and elderly?!
So OK,
Yes.
That may seem like the Republican way of doing things but does anyone else see any moral dilemma with this idea?
And honestly if you are on the right side of the camp, do YOU benefit from a paycheck in excess of a quarter of a mill? and if so why are you reading a blog about used bikes?
It all boils down to this, as of January first 2013, if these matters are not settled we ALL loose any tax breaks we have and the average American will be looking at paying at least an extra $2000.00 next year come tax time! I'm sorry but as much as I believe we should all be able to keep as much as we can out of what we work so hard to earn , those 2% can pony up a little extra to help a limping economy flourish again. It's not like they won't be able to get it all back once things get on a more even keel.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to the folks coming in and helping us in their own way with our fiscal cliff. Sold the Schwinn cruiser to a discerning gent today and had many more a looky loo checking us out. As always thanks for the repairs coming in, our true bread and butter. And I must say we still have many more gems for you to peruse through and could really use the sales! So come on down and we'll wheel and deal!
Speaking of new gems! Check out the two latest below! A gorgeous racing tire Trek 720 commuter, and a FULLY refurbed scrap truck find in the way of a Giant Sedona!
So we'll see y'all on the 'morrow!
 |
| GIANT SEDONA ONLY $135.00!! |
 |
| TREK 720 ONLY $125.00!! |
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Missed It....By That Much!
Maxwell Smarts historical quip has to be the soundtrack for my luck!
In a long list of missed opportunities today was quite a disappointment. First, years ago I missed out on the chance to crash the Tampa filming of the Punisher by having to work, then recently I missed watching the tenth anniversary of "Firefly" but today I stood helpless when I heard a blurb on traffic conditions on the Gandy Bridge, mere minutes (ok...about 30) from the shop that there would be rolling closers of the bridge as BBC was in town from nine to three filming...
TOP GEAR!!!
ARRRGH!!!
Yes. my newest obsession, in my town (OK...roundaboutly) And more then likely at least two of the presenters would have been in attendance. Sod it all! I would have love to have seen them rocketing back and forth across the bridge but ever the dutiful shop keeper I remained at my post! Probably wouldn't have been able to get close....
Yea.
Keep telling yourself and maybe it won't sting as much!
ANYWAY!
Today was relatively quite about the ol' storefront so I putzed. Also put out a REAL sweet 1972 Paris Sport that has been converted into a single/fixed flip hub track racer. Light weight frame on a classic ride! Also have a kewl Trek 720 commuter on my rack that'll be hitting the floor first thing tomorrow, just gotta cable it up and she's good to go.
ANYWHO!
Y'all need to come by and check out the goodies tomorrow!
See ya then!
In a long list of missed opportunities today was quite a disappointment. First, years ago I missed out on the chance to crash the Tampa filming of the Punisher by having to work, then recently I missed watching the tenth anniversary of "Firefly" but today I stood helpless when I heard a blurb on traffic conditions on the Gandy Bridge, mere minutes (ok...about 30) from the shop that there would be rolling closers of the bridge as BBC was in town from nine to three filming...
TOP GEAR!!!
ARRRGH!!!
Yes. my newest obsession, in my town (OK...roundaboutly) And more then likely at least two of the presenters would have been in attendance. Sod it all! I would have love to have seen them rocketing back and forth across the bridge but ever the dutiful shop keeper I remained at my post! Probably wouldn't have been able to get close....
Yea.
Keep telling yourself and maybe it won't sting as much!
ANYWAY!
Today was relatively quite about the ol' storefront so I putzed. Also put out a REAL sweet 1972 Paris Sport that has been converted into a single/fixed flip hub track racer. Light weight frame on a classic ride! Also have a kewl Trek 720 commuter on my rack that'll be hitting the floor first thing tomorrow, just gotta cable it up and she's good to go.
ANYWHO!
Y'all need to come by and check out the goodies tomorrow!
See ya then!
 |
| FULLY REFURBED W/NEW TIRES,TUBES,SEAT AND WHEEL SET!! ONLY $180.00!!! |
Monday, November 26, 2012
Post Holiday Confusion
OK. Does this happen to you or am I alone in this? You're use to a set schedule of where you're suppose to be each day of the week then they throw in an extra day off in the middle of your week and it's like Friday becomes Monday then Monday feels like Friday? I'm not complaining for the added excuse to over eat, but it throws me WAY off!
And what's with all the added unofficial "Spending" Holidays this year? First it's Black Friday (which is now more like Black Thursday and a half!) then we got "Small Business Saturday" (ok...I can get behind that one) Then we have "Internet Monday" and now "Charity Tuesday"? Look folks, bad enough we empty our purses for Christmas and Valentines day, and I grant you the "Spending Holidays" are just a part of Christmas but do we really need all the added incentive for spending our hard earned cash?
Being the grumpy old curmudgeon I am (I always watch A Christmas Carol in reverse so it has a happy ending. An over joyous annoying grandfather type is shown an alternate outlook on life and becoming depressed at the depravity of man cripples a young boy and becomes a penny pinching old grump! YAY capitalism!) over the last couple of years I developed a new family tradition on thanksgiving. After we've all stuffed ourselves we sit the kiddos down and ask them what two gifts they want for Christmas (I'm not cheap...It's just that I'm tired of spending all that time and money to fill up under the tree only to have the majority end up broken and discarded by the end of the morning) and thankfully they are all pretty realistic with their wishes, so once done I excuse myself, call up Amazon and place my orders.
Christmas shopping done!
No malls, no crowds, no long lines, no annoying trailer park refugees crawling the isles! 20 minutes and a laptop and I'm back to watching cartoons with the kiddos!
Yahoo!
(or Google!)
ANYWAY!
Yes, one of those moods today. I'm sure I'll get more in the spirit as we get closer to the day but for now...allow me to wallow.
So today was a whole lot a fun! OH yes! Once again keeping myself occupied, aside from the two bikes I put together (get to those in a sec) spent time once again updating the stock and purging. Seems I did that WAY to often! Whenever we get in a bike for parts I always swear I'm gonna keep the parts organized...but.... They end up just being shoved away until finally I can't move and have to do something about it. And today was wheels! So needless to say Terry, our scrap guy loved us today!
Well at least now I can find the good wheels!
So...new out today
Tum...dum....dA! A real sweet 26" Motiv MTB, 21 speed! Extra clean bod on this one with some right meaty tires! And fresh off a scrap truck from this morning I think I broke a record in prep time on this one! Gorgeous (now) vintage Western Flyer ladies cruiser just oozing chrome! LOVE the detailed fin style chrome chain guard! She was broke down to frame cleaned and rusticated, frame repainted and reassembled in under three hours! SWEET! Check 'em out below folks!
Well that's it fer now folks, hope to see you all tomorrow!
(just come in 15 minute intervals...it's a small shop!)
And what's with all the added unofficial "Spending" Holidays this year? First it's Black Friday (which is now more like Black Thursday and a half!) then we got "Small Business Saturday" (ok...I can get behind that one) Then we have "Internet Monday" and now "Charity Tuesday"? Look folks, bad enough we empty our purses for Christmas and Valentines day, and I grant you the "Spending Holidays" are just a part of Christmas but do we really need all the added incentive for spending our hard earned cash?
Being the grumpy old curmudgeon I am (I always watch A Christmas Carol in reverse so it has a happy ending. An over joyous annoying grandfather type is shown an alternate outlook on life and becoming depressed at the depravity of man cripples a young boy and becomes a penny pinching old grump! YAY capitalism!) over the last couple of years I developed a new family tradition on thanksgiving. After we've all stuffed ourselves we sit the kiddos down and ask them what two gifts they want for Christmas (I'm not cheap...It's just that I'm tired of spending all that time and money to fill up under the tree only to have the majority end up broken and discarded by the end of the morning) and thankfully they are all pretty realistic with their wishes, so once done I excuse myself, call up Amazon and place my orders.
Christmas shopping done!
No malls, no crowds, no long lines, no annoying trailer park refugees crawling the isles! 20 minutes and a laptop and I'm back to watching cartoons with the kiddos!
Yahoo!
(or Google!)
ANYWAY!
Yes, one of those moods today. I'm sure I'll get more in the spirit as we get closer to the day but for now...allow me to wallow.
So today was a whole lot a fun! OH yes! Once again keeping myself occupied, aside from the two bikes I put together (get to those in a sec) spent time once again updating the stock and purging. Seems I did that WAY to often! Whenever we get in a bike for parts I always swear I'm gonna keep the parts organized...but.... They end up just being shoved away until finally I can't move and have to do something about it. And today was wheels! So needless to say Terry, our scrap guy loved us today!
Well at least now I can find the good wheels!
So...new out today
Tum...dum....dA! A real sweet 26" Motiv MTB, 21 speed! Extra clean bod on this one with some right meaty tires! And fresh off a scrap truck from this morning I think I broke a record in prep time on this one! Gorgeous (now) vintage Western Flyer ladies cruiser just oozing chrome! LOVE the detailed fin style chrome chain guard! She was broke down to frame cleaned and rusticated, frame repainted and reassembled in under three hours! SWEET! Check 'em out below folks!
Well that's it fer now folks, hope to see you all tomorrow!
(just come in 15 minute intervals...it's a small shop!)
 |
| ULTRA FINE MOTIV! ONLY $90.00!! |
 |
| VINTAGE WESTERN FLYER ONLY $95.00!! |
Friday, November 23, 2012
Hmmm? Who Knew?
Well it seems that American manufacture goods are alive and well after all! And they sell like hot cakes, even when their sale prices are higher then similar goods made in China! And you'll never guess where they sell the best!
China!
Yes folks, you read that right! When American manufacturers have trouble hawking their goods here they get smart and send them to China! Where recently an extensive consumer survey was completed and discovered that 68% of Chinese shoppers would rather purchase American made goods, even though they are more expensive because, and I quote "American goods are by far more durable and of higher over all quality"
WOW!
No there's a shocker!
But have no fear good people because pretty soon we here in America may actually get the opportunity to purchase these finely crafted wares here in America where they are made...in America.
Yes, experts predict that given the steady increase in over all wages of manufacturing labor in China (remember..that's why we shipped all the business over there in the first place) that within the next decade the cost of labor there coupled with the expense of shipping our goods....back to us (?) over here...will make it more cost effective to make our stuff there...over here...so we can buy it here...
Hold on...'Gotta stop my head from spinning.
K.
So it seems that perhaps in the near future Wal-Mart can break out those "Made in USA" tags that they used to put on Chinese made goods so as to fool us that we were actually buying American made goods on real American made goods!
Either that or they'll ship the whole she-bang back to Mexico.
ANYWAY!
Seems some of the Black Friday shoppers decided to pay us a visit today and a gent came in to pick up the Mongoose BMX first thing. Then the cool flip hub Trek found it's owner right quick after. Had several folks visit with their re-pairs as well (thank you so much) and truth be told that's what I did most of the day (in between brakes trying to over come my self inflicted food coma from yesterday!) and at the very end of the day the sweet Nishiki we got Wednesday evening made it's way to it's new owner as well! Truth be told it hung out a lot longer then I thought given all the calls I got about it.
Which of course begs the moral of the fable, if you see something you like here don't wait and "come in in a couple day's to check it out"
Famous last words!
So with that, it's chill time!
Tomorrow is "Small Business Saturday!"
Come pay us a visit!
China!
Yes folks, you read that right! When American manufacturers have trouble hawking their goods here they get smart and send them to China! Where recently an extensive consumer survey was completed and discovered that 68% of Chinese shoppers would rather purchase American made goods, even though they are more expensive because, and I quote "American goods are by far more durable and of higher over all quality"
WOW!
No there's a shocker!
But have no fear good people because pretty soon we here in America may actually get the opportunity to purchase these finely crafted wares here in America where they are made...in America.
Yes, experts predict that given the steady increase in over all wages of manufacturing labor in China (remember..that's why we shipped all the business over there in the first place) that within the next decade the cost of labor there coupled with the expense of shipping our goods....back to us (?) over here...will make it more cost effective to make our stuff there...over here...so we can buy it here...
Hold on...'Gotta stop my head from spinning.
K.
So it seems that perhaps in the near future Wal-Mart can break out those "Made in USA" tags that they used to put on Chinese made goods so as to fool us that we were actually buying American made goods on real American made goods!
Either that or they'll ship the whole she-bang back to Mexico.
ANYWAY!
Seems some of the Black Friday shoppers decided to pay us a visit today and a gent came in to pick up the Mongoose BMX first thing. Then the cool flip hub Trek found it's owner right quick after. Had several folks visit with their re-pairs as well (thank you so much) and truth be told that's what I did most of the day (in between brakes trying to over come my self inflicted food coma from yesterday!) and at the very end of the day the sweet Nishiki we got Wednesday evening made it's way to it's new owner as well! Truth be told it hung out a lot longer then I thought given all the calls I got about it.
Which of course begs the moral of the fable, if you see something you like here don't wait and "come in in a couple day's to check it out"
Famous last words!
So with that, it's chill time!
Tomorrow is "Small Business Saturday!"
Come pay us a visit!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Nazi's Have Landed!
So in the end, remember if your looking for accurate news....don't look here!
A lot of folks use alternative media to get their news. John Stewart, Steve Cobert, Rush Limbaugh (although have no reason why on that one!) But I am definitely not one to look to!
It is with that pre-qualification I must update previous entries. Seems that Hostess is indeed out of business. The negotiation with the unions bore no fruit so the Bankruptcy court has approved their filing and they are entering negotiations to sell off their assets. So within time some of their properties may be back on the market but it will never be the same., So my original assessment stands true.
OK! Scary little tidbit of a story here. Ever have one of those morning that you wake up and you're not sure where you are, or what you're doing or even worse who you are?
Yes. That was this morning for me. And what's worse was the baby was involved!
See, in our house the morning feeding is my domain. As Miranda is still on her special formula, that has no proteins, she has to eat every two hours so the three am feeding is still on. Well this morning all I could remember was standing in the middle of the living room and had put Miranda down on the changing table and I couldn't think of what I was there for, then couldn't remember which baby she was or what I was suppose to be doing. Thank God I eventually came too and gave her the right bottle!
So yea...that's been my day!
ANYWAY!
Thanks to Kaleb who opened up the shop so I could imbibed enough coffee to function.
The day did get better as we had a busy pre-Holiday day. Managed to put out a whole bunch a new goodies as well! Some real sweet ones to boot! A gorgeous Trek 3700 MTB we fully re-furbed, a slick Schwinn 7 speed cruiser, a few bangers, a nice light weight aluminum BMX, another aluminum men's cruiser and a real gem of a find that needs to be filed under "the silly things people do!" Gent came in with a 2012 Nishiki Colorado MTB. He bought it two months ago online, and when he received it paid some guy to assemble it. Seems the guy put the pedals on the wrong side and instead of realizing it forced it all the way in! BOTH SIDES! Totally stripping out both cranks. Then, instead of replacing the crank, used duct tape to try and make it work. At this point the poor owner was quite disgusted and instead of having it fixed just stuck it in the garage, frustrated. After two months he heard about us and that we buy and came in and sold it. Cheap. So this $522.00 bike is now fixed up and ready to go!
ANYWAY!
SO the other day, further proof that we love the barter system, had a gent come in who needed some parts for the bike he's rebuilding and having little cash offered to trade us some home made model planes he hand built. We checked them out, they were cool so we did the deal. Check 'em out below.
So in the end, y'all have a good turkey day and be sure to come see us on Friday!
Night!
A lot of folks use alternative media to get their news. John Stewart, Steve Cobert, Rush Limbaugh (although have no reason why on that one!) But I am definitely not one to look to!
It is with that pre-qualification I must update previous entries. Seems that Hostess is indeed out of business. The negotiation with the unions bore no fruit so the Bankruptcy court has approved their filing and they are entering negotiations to sell off their assets. So within time some of their properties may be back on the market but it will never be the same., So my original assessment stands true.
OK! Scary little tidbit of a story here. Ever have one of those morning that you wake up and you're not sure where you are, or what you're doing or even worse who you are?
Yes. That was this morning for me. And what's worse was the baby was involved!
See, in our house the morning feeding is my domain. As Miranda is still on her special formula, that has no proteins, she has to eat every two hours so the three am feeding is still on. Well this morning all I could remember was standing in the middle of the living room and had put Miranda down on the changing table and I couldn't think of what I was there for, then couldn't remember which baby she was or what I was suppose to be doing. Thank God I eventually came too and gave her the right bottle!
So yea...that's been my day!
ANYWAY!
Thanks to Kaleb who opened up the shop so I could imbibed enough coffee to function.
The day did get better as we had a busy pre-Holiday day. Managed to put out a whole bunch a new goodies as well! Some real sweet ones to boot! A gorgeous Trek 3700 MTB we fully re-furbed, a slick Schwinn 7 speed cruiser, a few bangers, a nice light weight aluminum BMX, another aluminum men's cruiser and a real gem of a find that needs to be filed under "the silly things people do!" Gent came in with a 2012 Nishiki Colorado MTB. He bought it two months ago online, and when he received it paid some guy to assemble it. Seems the guy put the pedals on the wrong side and instead of realizing it forced it all the way in! BOTH SIDES! Totally stripping out both cranks. Then, instead of replacing the crank, used duct tape to try and make it work. At this point the poor owner was quite disgusted and instead of having it fixed just stuck it in the garage, frustrated. After two months he heard about us and that we buy and came in and sold it. Cheap. So this $522.00 bike is now fixed up and ready to go!
ANYWAY!
SO the other day, further proof that we love the barter system, had a gent come in who needed some parts for the bike he's rebuilding and having little cash offered to trade us some home made model planes he hand built. We checked them out, they were cool so we did the deal. Check 'em out below.
So in the end, y'all have a good turkey day and be sure to come see us on Friday!
Night!
 |
| MEN'S 26"CRUISER ONLY $55.00!! |
 |
| 2012 NISHIKI COLORADO $220.00!! |
 |
| CLASSIC TREK TRACK BIKE WITH FLIP HUB FIXED/SINGLE ONLY $175.00!!! |
 |
| TREK 220 ONLY $75.00!!! |
 |
| GIRLS 24" MTB ONLY $55.00!! |
 |
| ALUMINUM BMX ONLY $55.00!!! |
 |
| MEN'S 26"CRUISER ONLY $95.00!!! |
 |
| TREK 3700 MTB ONLY $175.00!! |
Monday, November 19, 2012
um....never mind and Pissing Contest In The Sandbox.
Well I fell victim to the early hype but not as bad as some folks. Seems I may have been a tad bit premature (wouldn't be the first time! nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!) in my proclaiming the demise of Hostess. Apparently the unions have had a bit of a change of heart and are trying to work out some agreements to keep the company solvent. In the hoopla seems Ebay has gone ablaze with folks auctioning off boxes of the beloved treats and are selling in excess of $90.00 a box.
So now I don't feel some dumb.
Look, plain and simple yes the Twinkies have a shelf life of a quarter of a million years but that doesn't make the collectible!
ANYWAY!
As I have been perking my ears to the news of late I came to a stark conclusion. In my 45 years here on Earth I have been hearing over and over the rhetoric coming out of the middle east (Palestine and Israel to be precise) about the ongoing debates over "peace in the middle east" and trying to ferret through all the opinions, and approaches and mandates can make ones head spin, bringing you to the undeniable conclusion that these folks are never going to pull it together and take their heads out of their ass.
I have broken the entire ordeal down into an easy to understand parable.
In the middle of a multicultural park sits a large sand box.
Joe Palestine sits playing in the sandbox.
Bobby Israel is at other end playing as well.
Before you know it Uncle Sam, the playground supervisor hears a tussle.
He comes over to investigate and finds the two boys tussling in the sand, both have bruises on them and in unison exclaim "he threw a rock at me first!"
after much debate and conversation both reluctantly agree to a truce but if only the other one drops the rock first. Finally Uncle Sam gets them to both drop the rock but as he walks away they pick the rocks up again.
The end.
I think it's about time the other players involved in this eternal squabble should just say "look. You two schmucks need to settle your differences, so we're taking our toys and going home. Call us when you grow up!"
That's my take.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to the early Christmas shoppers for coming into visit us. And to all the folks getting ready for the riding season! Keep the repairs a-comin!
And because of all those blessed repairs didn't get any newbies finished today, but real close with a sweet men's Schwinn 7 speed cruiser!
So keep an eye out for that one and more tomorrow!
I'm out!
So now I don't feel some dumb.
Look, plain and simple yes the Twinkies have a shelf life of a quarter of a million years but that doesn't make the collectible!
ANYWAY!
As I have been perking my ears to the news of late I came to a stark conclusion. In my 45 years here on Earth I have been hearing over and over the rhetoric coming out of the middle east (Palestine and Israel to be precise) about the ongoing debates over "peace in the middle east" and trying to ferret through all the opinions, and approaches and mandates can make ones head spin, bringing you to the undeniable conclusion that these folks are never going to pull it together and take their heads out of their ass.
I have broken the entire ordeal down into an easy to understand parable.
In the middle of a multicultural park sits a large sand box.
Joe Palestine sits playing in the sandbox.
Bobby Israel is at other end playing as well.
Before you know it Uncle Sam, the playground supervisor hears a tussle.
He comes over to investigate and finds the two boys tussling in the sand, both have bruises on them and in unison exclaim "he threw a rock at me first!"
after much debate and conversation both reluctantly agree to a truce but if only the other one drops the rock first. Finally Uncle Sam gets them to both drop the rock but as he walks away they pick the rocks up again.
The end.
I think it's about time the other players involved in this eternal squabble should just say "look. You two schmucks need to settle your differences, so we're taking our toys and going home. Call us when you grow up!"
That's my take.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to the early Christmas shoppers for coming into visit us. And to all the folks getting ready for the riding season! Keep the repairs a-comin!
And because of all those blessed repairs didn't get any newbies finished today, but real close with a sweet men's Schwinn 7 speed cruiser!
So keep an eye out for that one and more tomorrow!
I'm out!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Tragedy!!!
Although the headlines are emblazoned with CIA and Military sex scandals and impending war (again) on the Gaza strip the pale in comparison to a true tragedy! One of global importance that shakes the very foundation of American life as we know it!!!
Best that you sit down, grasp your knees and prepare yourself...
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TWINKIES ARE NO MORE!!!
Yes. It is sadly true. The creators of this confectionery dream, Hostess have been experiencing serious financial problems and filed for Bankruptcy in March. And to add insult to injury two of the Unions working for the company went out on strike. The head honcho's let them know that they were going to have to take a cut in pay and benefits or they were going to have to close their doors. The truckers union agreed but the bakers union said no way. So while the picketers carried the placards and sipped coffee the plants closed their doors...for good. Much to the shock of the 18,500. workers now out on the street.
Yes Twinkies and Greed. Two American classics!
Although personally I'll miss the Ding Dong's more.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to all the folks coming into visit on Saturday! WOW! What an outcome! Sent six rides to new homes! And managed to get three new ones out as well! Although two sold quicker then I could blink! The sweet looking Hyper BMX went to a sweet kid who traded in an older Mongoose BMX. As he was buying that had another gent looking for another BMX to replace the one he drove over with his truck. He ended up buying the other trade in (after I fixed it up) and traded in the one he ran over, which I have refurbed in exchange.
SO.
Friday night was the premiere night of the latest in the Twilight movies. The last in the Twilight movies! Of course Momma was to be there front and center buying our tickets way in advance. We got there an hour and a half early to become front of the line getting prime viewing seats! A good thing as the theatre was sold out. I have to admit, this was by far the best in the run. Being as it had minimum of sappy "laying in a field of flowers staring into each others eyes" love stuff. The head character Bella, after becoming a vampire at the end of the last movie was a bad ass. And (CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT) at the onset of the intense fight scene the director and screen writer slipped in some section that DID NOT appear in the book. Several key characters met with their demise which sent Momma and MANY other Twihards in the audience into angry spasms of "THAT wasn't in the book!!!!"
As it turns out the characters did not die. Alice, the member of the Cullen clan who's "vampires gift" is the ability to see the future, shows the leader of the Voltari, Aro (there the head honchos of vampire society) who has the ability to read ones mind through touch, what will happen if they go to war. It was a real sly move on the directors part that he pulled off REAL well!
So at least now I get the right to go see the latest James Bond Flick!
And once again, proving just how much of a late bloomer I am..Very recently I became addicted to "Angry Birds" the crack of online games! And I must say I love my wife dearly for her supporting my habit by finding the latest and COOLEST of Angry Bird games...
Angry Bird, Star Wars!!!
Oh yes! Little bird Lukes, and Han's, Artoo-Deeto, Cee Threepios! You name it!
She loves me! She really loves me!
Alright, y'all have a great night and we'll chat later!
Best that you sit down, grasp your knees and prepare yourself...
.jpg)
Yes. It is sadly true. The creators of this confectionery dream, Hostess have been experiencing serious financial problems and filed for Bankruptcy in March. And to add insult to injury two of the Unions working for the company went out on strike. The head honcho's let them know that they were going to have to take a cut in pay and benefits or they were going to have to close their doors. The truckers union agreed but the bakers union said no way. So while the picketers carried the placards and sipped coffee the plants closed their doors...for good. Much to the shock of the 18,500. workers now out on the street.
Yes Twinkies and Greed. Two American classics!
Although personally I'll miss the Ding Dong's more.
ANYWAY!
Thanks to all the folks coming into visit on Saturday! WOW! What an outcome! Sent six rides to new homes! And managed to get three new ones out as well! Although two sold quicker then I could blink! The sweet looking Hyper BMX went to a sweet kid who traded in an older Mongoose BMX. As he was buying that had another gent looking for another BMX to replace the one he drove over with his truck. He ended up buying the other trade in (after I fixed it up) and traded in the one he ran over, which I have refurbed in exchange.
SO.
Friday night was the premiere night of the latest in the Twilight movies. The last in the Twilight movies! Of course Momma was to be there front and center buying our tickets way in advance. We got there an hour and a half early to become front of the line getting prime viewing seats! A good thing as the theatre was sold out. I have to admit, this was by far the best in the run. Being as it had minimum of sappy "laying in a field of flowers staring into each others eyes" love stuff. The head character Bella, after becoming a vampire at the end of the last movie was a bad ass. And (CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT) at the onset of the intense fight scene the director and screen writer slipped in some section that DID NOT appear in the book. Several key characters met with their demise which sent Momma and MANY other Twihards in the audience into angry spasms of "THAT wasn't in the book!!!!"
As it turns out the characters did not die. Alice, the member of the Cullen clan who's "vampires gift" is the ability to see the future, shows the leader of the Voltari, Aro (there the head honchos of vampire society) who has the ability to read ones mind through touch, what will happen if they go to war. It was a real sly move on the directors part that he pulled off REAL well!
So at least now I get the right to go see the latest James Bond Flick!
And once again, proving just how much of a late bloomer I am..Very recently I became addicted to "Angry Birds" the crack of online games! And I must say I love my wife dearly for her supporting my habit by finding the latest and COOLEST of Angry Bird games...
Angry Bird, Star Wars!!!
Oh yes! Little bird Lukes, and Han's, Artoo-Deeto, Cee Threepios! You name it!
She loves me! She really loves me!
Alright, y'all have a great night and we'll chat later!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Guilty Pleasures
Just to show I'm not the Ultra left wing, tree hugging, granola crunching pinko so many may assume I have a confession to make. In the spirit of equality and to prove both side of the ecological aspects of the life we all share have something to contribute I must admit I get a great deal of pleasure out of a little British show called....
Top Gear.
For those of you not acquainted it is a program dedicated to an unfaltering love for all things automotive. A magazine show, talk show, informative look at all the latest and greatest and a smattering of what once was. The three gents in control of the show are everything I and my ilk should despise. Sometimes sexist, homophobic with a general nose up at everything non-British (unless it is a begrudgingly cool "foreign" car) and definitely, venomously opposed to bikes, buses, trains, boats, and planes. They take great pride at laughing at those who protest for the environment, lambasting their (and other) governmental intrusions, yuppies and metrosexuals in coffee bars (did I mention they definitely dislike bicycles?) and for some unknown reason they REALLY don't like Meatloaf! That's the singer not the entree. BUT, through it all is a real tongue-in-cheek dry British humor that makes the whole ordeal very entertaining. Although I cringe at times to their reference of men with pony tails and facial hair, I get a real kick out of their shenanigans. Whether it be setting the worlds record for the amount of car flips, setting a camper ablaze with the rear of a jet car, or trying to outrun a British tank that is shelling them it's all in good fun! And to top it off if Miranda is feeling a little cranky we just hit Netflix for the next episode and she sits transfixed to the screen.
Yes, as much as I may dislike the impact the bloody things have on our environment it is hard to argue with the craftsman appeal of some of the marvelous works of engineering they feature.
Now if they only could make an equalling appealing solar car....
ANYWAY!
Today for some unforeseen reason we were dead. I mean D...E...A...D. DEAD! Barely a soul in the whole plaza! Have no idea what was going on, and even though we did get visits from a few of the reg's (hi Mike!) and a few new looky loo's was just real slow. It did however give me much opportunity to put out a few new goodies! Check 'em out below! I really like the sweet condition Schwinn Skyliner! ALWAYS a smooth ride!
So please, please, PLEASE give me some reason to come out of the Dungeon tomorrow! I mean you know you want to buy a bike for the oncoming gorgeous weekend we're gonna have. Yea, you know it! Come on...
All the COOL kids are doin' it!
Night y'all!
Top Gear.
For those of you not acquainted it is a program dedicated to an unfaltering love for all things automotive. A magazine show, talk show, informative look at all the latest and greatest and a smattering of what once was. The three gents in control of the show are everything I and my ilk should despise. Sometimes sexist, homophobic with a general nose up at everything non-British (unless it is a begrudgingly cool "foreign" car) and definitely, venomously opposed to bikes, buses, trains, boats, and planes. They take great pride at laughing at those who protest for the environment, lambasting their (and other) governmental intrusions, yuppies and metrosexuals in coffee bars (did I mention they definitely dislike bicycles?) and for some unknown reason they REALLY don't like Meatloaf! That's the singer not the entree. BUT, through it all is a real tongue-in-cheek dry British humor that makes the whole ordeal very entertaining. Although I cringe at times to their reference of men with pony tails and facial hair, I get a real kick out of their shenanigans. Whether it be setting the worlds record for the amount of car flips, setting a camper ablaze with the rear of a jet car, or trying to outrun a British tank that is shelling them it's all in good fun! And to top it off if Miranda is feeling a little cranky we just hit Netflix for the next episode and she sits transfixed to the screen.
Yes, as much as I may dislike the impact the bloody things have on our environment it is hard to argue with the craftsman appeal of some of the marvelous works of engineering they feature.
Now if they only could make an equalling appealing solar car....
ANYWAY!
Today for some unforeseen reason we were dead. I mean D...E...A...D. DEAD! Barely a soul in the whole plaza! Have no idea what was going on, and even though we did get visits from a few of the reg's (hi Mike!) and a few new looky loo's was just real slow. It did however give me much opportunity to put out a few new goodies! Check 'em out below! I really like the sweet condition Schwinn Skyliner! ALWAYS a smooth ride!
So please, please, PLEASE give me some reason to come out of the Dungeon tomorrow! I mean you know you want to buy a bike for the oncoming gorgeous weekend we're gonna have. Yea, you know it! Come on...
All the COOL kids are doin' it!
Night y'all!
 |
| SCHWINN JETLINER ONLY $115.00!! |
 |
| LADIES CRUISER ONLY $70.00!!! |
 |
| LADIES 18 SPEED COMFORT CRUISER ONLY $70.00!!! |
 |
| LIKE NEW 24" MTB!! ONLY $65.00!! |
Monday, November 12, 2012
Tasking
Ever had a job you really didn't want to do and found every way you could think of to get around doing it? Well, I ran out of excuses today.
Gritted my teeth, strengthening my resolve and taking a long haggard breath I strode into the back of the Dungeon.....
And started prepping parts stock!
ARRRGGHHH!
Even after the purge we did back in July of more then 3000 pounds of excess parts we still have an enormous amounts of...well....stuff I'd forgotten we even had. And as I progress through each tote I slowly came to the realization that I should have done this a LONG time ago. Several dozen times I came across a part that made my exclaim "Jeeze! I really could have used this the other day!" But at least I'm finally managing to get the parts display bins up front filled! Also found some real sweet vintage Suntour components. Don't know how much I'll get done on it tomorrow though as we had a huge influx of repairs come in (thank you kindly for every and all referral bringing them to our door!) that will need my immediate attention first thing in the am!
The Gorgeous Peugeot Success Road bike did not last to long and I'd like to thank the young lady who bought it for her patience and persistence in coming back to us (again and again) until she found just the right road bike for her! Glad we could finally hook you up! Also shout out to Mike for bringing in the umpteenth BMX for us to sharpen up for him! This time he brought another two. One for repaint (thank HEAVEN his son got away from the whole "Hot Pink" paint concept! *WHEW!*) and another 24" BMX, this one a Redline. This man changes BMX's more often then I change underpants!
OK....yea...that ain't saying much.
eyyyyewwwwwwwww!
SO no new goodies today however by some strange twist of technological glitch the pics I tried to send to my computer on Saturday that I thought didn't send....arrived this evening. So here ya go!
Y'all have a great night!
Gritted my teeth, strengthening my resolve and taking a long haggard breath I strode into the back of the Dungeon.....
And started prepping parts stock!
ARRRGGHHH!
Even after the purge we did back in July of more then 3000 pounds of excess parts we still have an enormous amounts of...well....stuff I'd forgotten we even had. And as I progress through each tote I slowly came to the realization that I should have done this a LONG time ago. Several dozen times I came across a part that made my exclaim "Jeeze! I really could have used this the other day!" But at least I'm finally managing to get the parts display bins up front filled! Also found some real sweet vintage Suntour components. Don't know how much I'll get done on it tomorrow though as we had a huge influx of repairs come in (thank you kindly for every and all referral bringing them to our door!) that will need my immediate attention first thing in the am!
The Gorgeous Peugeot Success Road bike did not last to long and I'd like to thank the young lady who bought it for her patience and persistence in coming back to us (again and again) until she found just the right road bike for her! Glad we could finally hook you up! Also shout out to Mike for bringing in the umpteenth BMX for us to sharpen up for him! This time he brought another two. One for repaint (thank HEAVEN his son got away from the whole "Hot Pink" paint concept! *WHEW!*) and another 24" BMX, this one a Redline. This man changes BMX's more often then I change underpants!
OK....yea...that ain't saying much.
eyyyyewwwwwwwww!
SO no new goodies today however by some strange twist of technological glitch the pics I tried to send to my computer on Saturday that I thought didn't send....arrived this evening. So here ya go!
Y'all have a great night!
 |
| PEUGEOT LIMESTONE ONLY $140.00!! |
 |
| DAHON FOLDING THREE SPEED $95.00!!! |
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Whoops! Where'd The Week Go?
Went back on my word there for a few days!
Sorry, I mean to keep y'all updated but just been engrossed in work all week.
So lets recap.
First off, family news! Any of you (few) folks who tune in regularly you'll remember that a couple weeks ago we were given the startling news that our first grader Rozlynd was being considered for the "gifted students" program (and no that does not refer to the politically acceptable reference to the students that go to school in the "short" bus) but rather to those performing far and above the norm. Well they tested her last week and she scored in the highest percentile! She is currently reading at a fourth grade level. Yes I know, compared to all other nations our schools have a hell of a Bell curve, but impressive by American standards none the less! And doubly surprising as this is a girl who can't even pick up her dirty towels and forgets to dry off before leaving the bathroom! Now she goes on to level 2! Whatever that means.
ANYWAY!
We have put out many new goodies the last few days, alas due to one of our now regular SNAFU's, the pics will once again not download to our computer. Don't ask me, I'm clueless! I just wait a couple a days, pray to the God's of microchips and Viola! it starts working again.
Yay technology!
So what we have left from the latest pack are SEVERAL kiddo bikes, a real sweet Peugeot Limestone, 21 speed commuter classic cromoly frame, a couple bangers, a real cute Dahon classic folding bike with a big ol' puffy seat and....crud! I know there's more, but you can check 'em out when you come in next week!
Once again we took Saturday to get the shop reorganized and started puttin' out some more spare parts. Again, flabbergasted at some of the stuff hidden back there!
Alright! On to "current events"
First off, now that the election is behind us and the right guy got voted back in (as I said before Florida of course couldn't get there act together again this election cycle and didn't declare Obama the winner until Friday....sheesh!) And of course all the Corporate supported Right wing "speaking point" mouth pieces have been bad mouthin' the whole outcome. Lord! Look, suck it up! The American population has spoken LOUDLY! Two more states legalizing same sex marriages? Two states legalizing recreational Marijuana? the world it is a chagin'! So take note the republicans and moral majority (or is that minority?) need to make some "in-house" changes. For the most part your concept for smaller government, lower taxes (for the 99%) and less spending (done fiscally wise) are all good ideas but you get WAY to hung up on trying to force your morality down every ones throat. Stick to practical matters and let the real majority figure everything else out.
Oh and it is with no small sense of hysterically giggling pleasure that I and millions of others bore witness to the utter disgrace and downfall of Carl Rove. PLEASE let this be the last time this man is EVER allowed out in public again!
So that should be enough for me! Y'all have a good weekend and we'll see ya tomorrow!
Sorry, I mean to keep y'all updated but just been engrossed in work all week.
So lets recap.
First off, family news! Any of you (few) folks who tune in regularly you'll remember that a couple weeks ago we were given the startling news that our first grader Rozlynd was being considered for the "gifted students" program (and no that does not refer to the politically acceptable reference to the students that go to school in the "short" bus) but rather to those performing far and above the norm. Well they tested her last week and she scored in the highest percentile! She is currently reading at a fourth grade level. Yes I know, compared to all other nations our schools have a hell of a Bell curve, but impressive by American standards none the less! And doubly surprising as this is a girl who can't even pick up her dirty towels and forgets to dry off before leaving the bathroom! Now she goes on to level 2! Whatever that means.
ANYWAY!
We have put out many new goodies the last few days, alas due to one of our now regular SNAFU's, the pics will once again not download to our computer. Don't ask me, I'm clueless! I just wait a couple a days, pray to the God's of microchips and Viola! it starts working again.
Yay technology!
So what we have left from the latest pack are SEVERAL kiddo bikes, a real sweet Peugeot Limestone, 21 speed commuter classic cromoly frame, a couple bangers, a real cute Dahon classic folding bike with a big ol' puffy seat and....crud! I know there's more, but you can check 'em out when you come in next week!
Once again we took Saturday to get the shop reorganized and started puttin' out some more spare parts. Again, flabbergasted at some of the stuff hidden back there!
Alright! On to "current events"
First off, now that the election is behind us and the right guy got voted back in (as I said before Florida of course couldn't get there act together again this election cycle and didn't declare Obama the winner until Friday....sheesh!) And of course all the Corporate supported Right wing "speaking point" mouth pieces have been bad mouthin' the whole outcome. Lord! Look, suck it up! The American population has spoken LOUDLY! Two more states legalizing same sex marriages? Two states legalizing recreational Marijuana? the world it is a chagin'! So take note the republicans and moral majority (or is that minority?) need to make some "in-house" changes. For the most part your concept for smaller government, lower taxes (for the 99%) and less spending (done fiscally wise) are all good ideas but you get WAY to hung up on trying to force your morality down every ones throat. Stick to practical matters and let the real majority figure everything else out.
Oh and it is with no small sense of hysterically giggling pleasure that I and millions of others bore witness to the utter disgrace and downfall of Carl Rove. PLEASE let this be the last time this man is EVER allowed out in public again!
So that should be enough for me! Y'all have a good weekend and we'll see ya tomorrow!
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