To Quote Peter Tork "Do I Have To Do This All Over Again!?

Good freakin rainy morning folks!  All I can hope is, by the time y'all wake up this cra....condensation is over with!
ICK!
Speaking of "when it rains..it pours"....oy.
Seems Owen is off to a great start at carrying the baton of "bad choices" that was left in a vacuum when Kaleb left....
Ugh.
SOOOOO....yesterday, as I was getting ready to leave the house, after dropping the girls off from school,  I opened the door to leave, and was met by two uniformed police.
Oh.....yea.
Actually, both Angi and I were met, as she was already on the porch talking to them.  Now....THIS puses the boundaries of "misuse of tax payers money"!
Going back a day or two in our story, there was an "incident" at the kids church "lock in" this past weekend.   I won't get into specifics, but apparently the altercation between Owen and another boy ruffled some feathers there, but instead if even MENTIONING it to us, they reported it to his school?
The deputy there (knowing our family name in association with Kaleb....thank you so much!) Called Owen into his office, chastised him, then called us,...and couldn't apparently reach us...don't know WHY as we always have a phone on at all times!  Then, not catching us...called the police to come let us know he was trying to get in touch?
Seriously....what the HECK happened to schools serving up discipline then sending a note to sign, home?  I mean, yea, keep us in the loop, but when they're there....isn't that part of the bloody job?  I mean, all this poduction for young boys doing stupid stuff!?  That's a prerequisite for young malehood! If you dedicate THAT many resources when a boy does sonething stupid?  Well....there goes the Federal, state, and county budgets right there!  Forget Welfare, healthcare reform and the military....young boys are misbehaving!
SHEESH!   And this WASN'T EVEN A SCHOOL ISSUE!!!
Florida is SOOOOO like a donkey equipped with reverse...
ASS BACKWARDS!!!
Oh...don't get me started!
Anywho!
Our brilliant plan of home daycare is in the hands of a young lady who apparently has come down with the plauge as she has been sick all last week, and the first two days THIS week, so things have been...strained.  Logan and Elijah are picking up the afternoon as I have to shuffle off.  But I'm there in the AM....OK, I may have dozed off a couple times, bur it's the spirit that counts!
Nah..SERIOUSLY...I've gotten a lot done, but mainly keeping up with repairs.  Lots of good folk wanting desperately to ride!  Good on ya mates!  Also, put out some real gems last couple days, so check them out below!
Aside from that, kept busy ...cleaning!  SHUDDER!
Tonight at work..had a...mishap.  oh yea...I'm gonna hear about it tomorrow..for SURE!  I was bringing in the machines and musjudged distance with the forklift...
Oh...you see whats coming..
Yea...skewered one of them!  Oy!  The floor was wet from run off, couldn't stop in time!  Thankfully...it was ONLY a removable side panel, but i know I'm getting reamed tomorrow.
Ugh.
My life.  I am SOOOO TAKING BIDS!
I'll switch....you take over for me...and I'll do your legacy!
Any takers?
Wow!  Got real quiet all of a sudden!
Allrighry-roo!
Best getta shower...as I was too tired to take one last night!
Ick.
See Y'ALL soon!


And that entry was from Wednesday morning, but never got spell checked as we have all been just too busy.  Busy is good...when it pays the bills....enh, not so much that kind of busy!  More like, putting out fires!  Such is life for so many of us, I'm sure.
Today is Saturday and just shutting down for the day, and off to the house to help finish the weekend cleaning chores, so all we have to do tomorrow is chill!  Put out three more today, after a few repairs so give 'em an ogling, and we'll see ya on the 'morrow!
OH, and oddly enough....I never got reamed about the forklift thing?  Nah...they never even mentioned it.  I actually asked them if it was a problem making the new plate, and they just smiled and said no problem.   Weird! 

Pooh's Blustery Day!

Wha' Happen'?!?!
Yesterday afternoon it had warmed up, the air was clear with a low breeze...then I woke up this morning to find winter had come back around with a vengeance!  Not only had the freezing temps returned, but at some point it rained heavily and brought about a wind so stiff, that when I got to the shop the bikes out back had been blown several feet from where they had originally been moored!  WOOF! 
Suzanne definitely didn't like the hike in this morning!  Each time a gust came through she halted stubbornly!  Reminds me of a mule I once worked with, eons ago.  No, that's not a euphemism...I'm talking about an actual stubborn mule, Daisy.  She was the quintessential "Stubborn Ass" as it were!  Loved her though.
Anywho, slight reminiscent tangent there...
Yesterday morning, it was overcast as well, most folks were barricaded in, so needless to say it was a tad bit quiet.  We had a few repairs that kept me busy for most of the day, but did manage to get out one newbie, a nice lightweight ladies Schwinn MTB.  We did send a few bargain deal kiddo bikes to new homes, but the "Grups" stuck around for another day (OK...if you don't know what that is, check out episode 8, Season 1 of Star Trek; TOS) and finished the day off doing an assembly on a three wheeler.  Now HERE'S where "some assembly required" is laughingly understated!  You'd be surprised at what you can fit in a box 16X24X36!!! 
SHEESH!!!
I have to applaud Schwinn for their packaging prowess!  At least they used lots of bubble wrap!  That kept the girls occupied.  for a little while at least!
Totally off the subject...I have a pondering that has perplexed me for a little while and maybe someone out there within the sound of my voice can answer;  during our families last few sojourns to the grocery store, "hunting and gathering" I have noticed one thing; prices are still slowly eeking up. Why is that?  When food prices were way jacked up a year or so ago, the reason sighted by the industry was "cost of transportation".  Then, gas prices reaching $4.00 a gallon, one could, reluctantly, see the reasoning behind this.  BUT, gas is now well below $2.00 a gallon, so WHY the steady increases?  I know there have been other factors involved in cost increase, crop yields being effected by global warming, the avian flu outbreak in the poultry industry.  But is this no other reason then our governments still stubbornly holding on to the edict that they won't admit how REALLY bad things have gotten across our planet?  That PERHAPS it is ALL about Gasoline?  Not so much the cost, but because we have been SOOOO dependent upon it for SOOOO long that we have REALLY screwed up our planet!?  Instead of all the worlds governments getting SERIOUS about controls. regulation and limits on how many cars can be on the road, SERIOUS investment in alternative energy sources, heavily regulating the manufacturing industries output and giving not only America but all the developing countries a REAL BIG REALITY BITCH SLAP as to what NEEDS to be done!  Perhaps, the plateau so many "crackpot doomsday sayers" were warning us about decades ago really HAS come and gone!  And this is nothing more then the oil industries way of trying to milk as much profit as they can.  I mean, the air quality in China and India's cities is so bad it has been classified as "lethal"?  REALLY!?!  What is it going to TAKE to wake people up!?! Is the status of owning a BMW to ride to the local market so much more valuable then the ability to take your children outside!?! Or to inhale morning air WITHOUT feeling like you just smoked an entire pack of cheap cigarettes at once? 
Oh...and don't get me started about cell phones!  I may be a little behind on the information stream, but I had NO idea that they kill bees?! 
GAWD! 
All those cautionary Sci-Fi tales of Armageddon?  Alien attack, global nuclear war, or massive asteroids?  Nah.  "The Postman" is about as close to truth as you can get!  It's ALL gonna be because of us folks! 
Oh...I got a wee bit negative there!  Yea...beneath this calm, easy going exterior beats the heart of one really frustrated "Mo-fo"!
ALLRIGHTY, back to our contribution to the Global Effort...I'm gonna build some more non polluting modes of transportation!
You do YOUR part and come see us, post haste!


A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO TINA G.!!!
Sorry, I got your question regarding the classic 50's ride of your dads, but for some unknow reason cannot respond to it through Google, and I SOOOO don't want anyone to think I am ignoring them!  Hopefully you're reading this.  First, yes, I do know of a place willing to take it off your hands....US!  We're about it!  We can offer consignment services AND we take care of the cleaning and restoration as well!  If your looking to get an idea of it's value, just text us a picture at the shop (727) 831-9742 an I'll do the research.  We'd LOVE to get any and all old rides back on the road!  Hope to hear from you soon!

LADIES 26" MTB
ONLY $70.00!!!

Excuse me. Please Get Your Foot Of My Cerabelum.

Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing but I lost a day somewhere!  All day today I thought it was Wednesday!  It wasn't until Elijah brought it to my attention at work that it was in fact Thursday, did I realize how fried my brain was.  Speaking of "sauteed cerveaux" had a real Alzheimer's moment today!  Gent had brought in a ride for repairs Tuesday.  Logan took it in, and I  hit it Wednesday morning (the first Wednesday).  Done, I called and left a pick up message, and the Joe came in to snag it up.  When I gave him the bill he just looked surprised and said "I thought it was on warranty?"  Thus began a tense ten minutes of soul searching, questioning my sanity and deeply pondering the necessity of a catscan!  In ten years I have NEVER firgotten a bike I built and even though I've seen this common Mongoose MTB many times before I'd never seen THAT one!  After a couple minutes of explaining from the customer, I remembered him.  He came in on Friday with a Roadmaster in need of work far exceeding it's worth, and opted to buy the Mongoose....a DIFFERENT Mongoose!  Yes, the one before me was blue, but the one he bought was chrome!  Long story short...I had not misplaced my marbles in Never Neverland, he just didnt remember the color of the bike he bought, only that he bought a Mongoose.  As it turns out, he got scammed.  He bought the good Mongoose for someone else who was homeless, and they obvioudly sold or traded it on the street, than got this clunker and tried to scam repairs out of him....and us! Now before the humanist climb venomously down my throat, NO I'm not insinuating that homelessness equals criminal activity, but I've seen enough of this kind of thing to make a judgement call, so just relax, eat your granola and natural herb tea in that recycled ceramic cup and lets move on.
The vindication of the retention of my faculties was euphorically redeeming.
Managed to put out two sweet new rides today, a real sharp, like new looking 24" Mtb, and a BIG BOY GT Hybrid!  Oh...we can NEVER have enough of those!  Check out the swag below if you're so inclined.
The homefront is..well...
Suffice to say, angi has had her hands FULL! Miranda has been a real pip the last four days, as it has been a full moon.  She refuses to go to bed until the wee hours of the morning so she's been pretty much on my schedule.  I just had to lead her to bed as she passed out on the couch with her neck cocked in a very painful way!  Regrettably...she's going to feel it in the morning....later morning?
Elijah informed me today that not only is there a new woman in his life but that a friend of his was going to be teaching him how to drive a stick shift as he is in the process of buying a car, an SUV to be precise.
If you don't have to drive in our area....stay iff the roads!
Anywho!
Aside from that, life moves on as expected, and tomorrow I got the WHOLE day to build newbies!  Keep an eye out for update!  Okay, so now, I'm going to figure out where Suzanne took off too (RABBIT!) then go pass out!
See ya tomorrow!

LIKE NEW 24" DUAL SHOCK MTB!!
ONLY $85.00!!

THE RARE AND ELUSIVE "BIG BOY" HYBRID!!
ONLY $180.00!!!

Roads Unseen, Quickly Become The Right Direction To Travel.

oh...I. know.  I pop in and out, and am far less then consistent with my entries, but it's been a blustery, tumultuous few days.  Yes, fraught with drama, but then what can one expect given all the personalities running amuck around here?
sigh.
Where to recap?
I can remember, with a slight twinge of remorse, just the kind of know-it-all, arrogant little (and please forgive my language) prick I was when "manhood" filled me with the assurance that I was unquestionably more wordly and knowledgeable about the way  things worked, and the adults around me had NO CLUE how things were in MY generation!  So, it is with a forlorn state of drrad that i cringe at Kalebs recent, albeit. rash decision to jetison himself from the nest, and crash headlong into self sufficiency.  For lack of a better term.  Having recieved his first paycheck, rather then contribute to his upkeep around here, he and a friend moved in to a weely rental "apartment" (and, from what I've heard of the condition of his new digs...the description is VERY generous) with little money left over to eat.   Many have told me, I have to let him rise or fall on his own, but for all my bluster, I can't help but wish he would have heeded my suggestions and waited it out to see how the job works out.  Painting crews are notoriously....unreliable.  You can work steady for a couple months, get comfortable, then show up for work one day, only to find out there's NO WORK!  I hope for his sake...i'm wrong.
...but I know I'm not.
sigh.
The sibling upside, however,, is that Elijah truly HAS gotten it!
My father always taught me, a mans job is to work, and provide.  In doing so, he MUST take pride in whatever he does, and do it to the best of his ability.  In short. "If you can't do something right...get the F@$# out of the way and let someone ELSE do it!"
Words I have strived most of my life to live up too.
Tonight...I was brimming with unbridled pride to see the same lesson I have tried to pound into my sons head, has finally sunk in!  Elijah, came to the plant tonight with an awesome treat of Angis home cooked beef stew (which I devoured!)  then proceeded to...go back to work?  He saw a tank to one of the machines that had not been finished properly, and, disgusted, took it upon himself to fix!  Nit only did he do it with pride and gusto...but he did it WELL!  And...he was proud of his finish.
It may seem like a little thing...but a boy, who six months ago was a lump on our couch...is becoming a man.
Not only that, but Logan, recently turned fourteen, and discovering that Publix hires at his age, excitedly pleaded with me to let him apply so he could "help out the family"!
DAMN.....You could have knocked me over with a Finches feather!
Perhaps...all of Angi and my insistence on the importance of famy sticking together...was not lost!
Forgive me the indulgence folks, but my chest really puffed up with a flood of pride today!
The shop has been hopping, and the new schedule seems to be working (knock on wood!)  being there in the AM for open until mid afternoon is really helpping with the influx of repairs!  Thanks to all for the trust!  Even managed to put out a sweet classic Schwinn MTB today!  Nice little hardtail to rival the higher-Ups of it's time...before Wal-Mart screwed them up!  Tomorrow...I hope to put out a couple cruisers we have out back...as one has already been sold!  We'll see what come up next!
On another front, I am somewhat ashamed to reveal.  Going into my other job, I was informed upon hiring, that at some point in their near future, they woukd be relocating operations to a new building on the outskirts of Pinellas Park.  Originally, I paid it no heed, as I had anticipated my employment there would only be temporary.  I had no idea I would come to love the company and really appreciate the employers and employees.  So,  given my shift hours, I realized  using Greedo to get there was out of the question (yes, i've rode the distance before, but I am FAR to old to be doing it four days a week after  I worked ten hours, at 2.30 in the bloody morning!) and buses don't run that time of day!  So...I  am going to have to get....SHUDDER.... get motorized transportation!  AHHHHH!!!
I have lamented over this, but find I have no alternative...BUT.... I'm going LOW KEY!
I'm getting a scooter!  Yes, in the next few weeks I'll be searching for the perfect, retro style get around.  Have seen a coyple of the classic Italian style ones I want, so pretty soon there will be an adition to our shed!
oh...I've jawed so much.. and my nose is freezing, so I better run.
sre y'all soon!

Oh Yea...It's That Good!

Oh what a day!  A day of rekindeling my romance with bicycles and all the joy and motivation for working with them!  Another TERRIFIC TUESDAY!!  Sent three rides to new homes before eleven o'clock and had great fun yackin' with the folks inspired to come to US!  WAHOO!  Not to mention a flurry of repairs which were ALL brought in on referral!  Oh MAN that does SOOOO much to motivate the little veloist elf in me!  One such repair felt OBLIGATED ro come see us, as, in his words EVERYONE in his new community INSISTED he bring his ride to RE-Cycle!  And, an hour later, his needs met, he exclaimed hiw right they were, as he grabbed a handfull of business cards to hand out to folks in need.
Man, I'll tell you, ALL that love today had me on Cloud 9 and SOOO not wanting to leave the shop!
We picked up a real clean classic ladies Schwinn touring bike, to boot!  Needed a little TLC and a new set of tires and tubes, but boy oh boy is she gorgeOUS!!
The real bonus was not only meeting another "Mysty" (fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000) but turning on three other folks to the whimsical joy of Mike, Joel and the 'bots!  Yea, the episodes I have are pretty much running on a constant loop in the shop every day!
The new nanny seems to be working out, and Miranda seems to be beginning to adapt.  Yea, we lucked out finding someone we could afford and was good with kids.  This allows Angi and I to have a seamless transition in the afternoon with no close time.  We REALLY hated doing that, and all the inconvenience it caused folks, but, family first!
She will be going to school soon, so that will take some of the chaos away as well.
If I hadn't mentioned...Kaleb seeems to be headed on the straight and narrow....somewhat.  He started a job on a painting crew last week and is dilogently going to work each day, so....here's hoping!  This weekend we start some shuffling about in the house as we move the older boys into their own quartets in the back room.  Segregated from everyone else, they'll have a private entrance, giving them the illusion of freedom, while assuring they won't have access to the fridge!  My sincerest hope is, they get the point and branch out on their own!
Elijah continues to amaze me, as he not only truly loves hus job, but starting next week, begins training for welding!  You go son!!  I hope by the end of the year hes making tons more cash than me!
The other kiddos, without fail, are rarely a problem more than standard angst.  Logan, who during vacation did an EXCELLENT job helping out running the shop, is truly growing into his own mind.  I have a GREAT deal of respect for that kid!  I'll tell you, no matter who you are, if you're full of crap, he WILL tell you!!  He holds NOTHING back.  GOD..I envy his honesty, wit and sharp mind!
Ok...i've bragged enough, time to hit the sheets!
Stop by tomorrow and say hey!

Remus..Man if Mystery!

Well!  Don't I feel like the big poopie!  I gave the gift of a big meaty ham bone to Suzanne yesterday, which she gobbled up, marrow and all, only to have it disagree with her tummy!  Worse thing beyond her discomfort?  I was at work when it hit so Angi and the kids had to deal with the messy aftermath !
Oh boy!
She seems okay now, though, her usual excited full body wag greeting me when I got home and prerequisite full on atttack of hugs and kisses, but I still feel bad for everyone.  I got her some Gatorade to help restore her, and hope it helps.
Today, i kept busy with repairs, and putting out a few newbies that I'll have to add pics for later as I forgot to snap them today.  The weather worn Mongoose...pre Wal-Mart that is...turned out sweet! Got out a banger 20" and another "AS-IS SPECIAL " as well!  Angi picked up a couple more repairs in the afternoon, so I'll bang them out ASAP tomorrow then go back to new builds as we STILL have a lot to work with!
So, my latest fixation?  George Remus!
Oh, if you don't know him, Google!
Short synopsis, German immagrant, came to the states when he was five, left school at around fourteen to work in a drug store to support his family, then by nineteen bought the drugstore and expanded.  By 24, bored, went to law school and became a prominent and wealthy defense attorney.  Then, the Volstead act was passed, prohibition hit, and soon discovered the bootleggers he defended were QUITE wealthy!  Studying the laws of prohibition, he decided to get rich and became one of the most predominant bootleggers in America!  Oh, it goes on from there!  A VERY colorful life and he was the inspiration for the title character in the Great Gatsby!  As far as business smarts, bucking and USING the system...the man was brilliant!
Okay.  Gonna read a little more about him before bed!  See Y'ALL soon!

And here we are, later this morning, plugging away!  Picked up a very unique three wheel recumbent that needs quite a bit of work, but thats gonna be SAH-WEEEET when shes done!
Ok, that's it...back to work!

.....I just want to bang on these drums all day!

Welcome to another Monday!
This weekend was a hoot!  No, not blistering busy, as would be preferable, but the folks that did come in were incredibly nice!  Proud to say we won over six repair folk, who eagerly collected handfuls of business cards to hand out to friends as they were complimentary and surprised at not only the service but the straight forward way in which we worked with them.  Oh yes, we're bragging again, so mind your footing!

One gent brought in an old school Schwinn three speed with a bad rear end.  He'd brought it to another joint, and yes, got the prerequisite "you just need to buy a NEW bike!" but, when he said he WANTED the old one (as he had just bought it SPECIFICALLY for its age)  they said he needed to buy a new rear wheel ($199.00) and he asked, can they just fix it?  Apparently, the mechanic (salesman) sighed, annoyingly, and stated they were "backed up"  and it would be two weeks before they could get to it?  Really, with a full staff of mechs?  SHEESH!  I want to be THAT busy!!  Defeated, he headed out not knowing what to do.  As fate would have, a fellow rider told him about us.  In his words, the experience was all together different coming to us.  Not only did we whole heartedly agree with his desire to keep this choice piece of steel on the road, but we'd have him in and out in two and a half hours (we did it in under two...only because we had three repairs in line before him)  and the price was 1/8th of the other offer, a fact he found very pleasing!
Yep, the whole day was filled with such pleasantries as that, so I left at the end of the day feeling mighty good about myself for being blessed to help so many folks!
Elijah had an equally fullfilling day on Sunday, taking in three more fixer uppers, and sent the 24" Schwinn to a new, happy home.
Today, have an old school Mongoose in my rack, almost done, then on to a sharp looking Schwinn mtb.  Angi and I decided to just hang with the rest of the kiddos and have a semi fun day.  Eventually, a friend of Owrns showed up with a bag full if nerf guns...and the Zombie Apocalypse was upon us once again!  Mom and dad called the pirch a quarantine zone, off limits to corpses and hunters alike!  Eventually, it was baths and beds.  Angela, having recently broken down and got cable hoojed up at the house, handed me the remote granting me allowance to choose what I wanted to watch.  I lit upon a PBS docunentary about prohibition by ken burns.  Eventually...she passed out with her head on my lap!  Ha ha!  Guess I'm getting old and boring!
Anywho, off to work now...
So, without further blather, best get to it!
See ya soon!

Snooty....Much?

It may not always seem it, but we work pretty much on the basis of real world common sense.  Granted, in an etheral shroud of disorganized chaos, but you get
the point.
So, get a call this AM from a lady who needs an assessment done on her two bikes for repairs.  She's trying to decide whether it's more practical to repair or replace.  Very sensible.  No point in putting a bunch of moola into a bike to get it rideable, if you could just upgrade for the same price or a few bucks more.  She briefly described the issues then tentatively asked if we CHARGED for that.  I gave a slight chuckle and answered no.  It's relatively simple for someone who works on bikes for a living to be able to detetmine in five minuets what you need, then add it up (well...unless you work in a bank).  She sighed audibly, then informed me she had brought them to ANOTHER bike shop, and not only were they pretentious and rude but that they were going to charge her Forty bucks EACH to figure out what was wrong with them!!
WHAT!?
Ok, in all fairness, if you are use to working on $2000.00 plus bikes, and an assessment may involve a laser level, a bank of computers and flying in a consultant from NASA....ok....yea....maybe the double Jacksons are warranted, but....it's a Giant and a Schwinn.  In the case of the Schwinn...forty is probably gonna be more then the bikes worth if its busted!
Now WHO could EVER question why we got into this biz!   SOMEONE has to look out for us "little people"!  Sure as bajebuzz aint these boutiques!
Anywho.
Added a couple more to the line up today.  The Fuji went out..then....ten miuets later...went out the door.  Also put up a real sharp and like new 20" foldong bike and got in a real sweet Giant hybrid I'll have going tomorrow.  Other then that, and some repairs, was another still one.  But, tomorrow is Friday and I hope fer the best!  Still got lots to work on and a runner to get me parts!
So, big warm squishy kisses...i'm gone!

Back AWAY from the abbacus!

No, no, no....SERIOUSLY!?
THIS is how freaking BAD our dependency on technology has become!
I went to the bank this morning to make a deposit.  As I waited in line for the transaction in front of me to finish, i noticed there was some slight perplexity to it, being multiple cash deposits.  Once completed, the customer departed, but the teller suddenly looked concerned and started shuffling about stacks of bills.  Who I assume was the manager came over, more shuffling, then the other two tellers joined in to help.  The first teller took a large stack of fives and put it in the money counter, and in a few seconds stated "I have 90, fives....how much is that?"
My jaw dropped.  But what came next was worse!  Neither the manager nor the other two tellers had ANY clue...and started searching for a calculator #!#
ARRGH!!
Impatient to finish my business I spoke , barely hiding the sarcasm and said "450.00...the number you're looking for is....$450.00"
SHEESH!   Even more shocking was how surprised they were that I was so good at math!?  Its not advanced algorithms....it's freaking basic multiplication!!
No wonder Americas financial institutions are so ban-jacked!
Twas another slow cold one today.  But I did manage to pick up a soon to be sweet lightweight Fuji hybrid, big boy AND the offer of a writting gig for an Internet TV show, popping out scripts.  Oh, long story, but turns out an actor, turned acting teacher, turned film producer supplied the Fuji, we got to talking, he described the concept briefly, then offered me the opportunity.  More on that as it unfolds.
Did a few repairs, but not much else, sadly.  Need to gather up some parts for the rides in limbo, and found out...we were...out.  Simple stuff...until you don't have any more!
Hopefully will rectify that tomorrow!
Well...sorry so short....but running on two hours sleep for nineteen hours work....I'm bushed.  Well ok, hard to call the five hours at the shop puttering..."work"...but I wasn't sleeping!
Anyway, love y'all!
Night!

Yea, yea!  I know!  After all my bluster about the rides I built this weekend and the promise I made to post pics, by the time I got to the end of the post...I firgot!
Sucks getting old!
But, I went back today and tagged them on so it LOOKS like I  remembered.
Act impressed.
So, ok, today...put out two, but posted them on Monday's page.  Dont ask why, couldn't tell ya!  Well, maybe because two of the ones from this weekend went to new homes already, and I  promised pics of four.
Again....act impressed.
Other than sending the Sah-WEEEET ladies Trek Mtb we put together home with a nice young lady, and pushing out a couple more pick ups it was slooooooow.  That is more likely due to the fact that it was cold enough to play an LP on my chest today...think about it...
I took one step out the door this morning than lunged back into the hall closet to retrieve ALL MY COATS!  I looked like freakin Cartman when I  left! "RESPECT MY A-TOR-AH-TEE!"
But, gave me time to fix Greedo, as I have had no time to do so, and hes been garaged for the last week as I have been using angis powder blue ladies cruiser to get back and forth!  Oh yea.. I  AM a man totally secure in his sexuality.  I strike such the image toolin around on that puppy!  Sheesh!
Although...the last couple of days had been dedicated to the Mongoose.  Have picked up three pre Wal-Mart bad boys and will be banging on them tomorrow.  Not cheesy BMX mind you, but decent MTBS and a hybrid.  These will be CHA-OICE When done!
But...today, put my feet up on the counter, watched the trilogy of Family Guy  Star Wars and a couple MST3K flicks to pass the quiet moments.  Got a lot of looky loos though
 So the seasons kicking in as all their friends and neighbors preach the gospel that you want a GREAT ride at a GREAT price...only one joint in town to get it!
Then they come see us! Ah-HA!
Yea...I'm thinking of changing the store name to "Miracle Bicycles" .  Got the perfect tag line, too: "If the bike runs good, it's a MIRACLE!"
Hahahaha!
Alright....I'll shut up.
So...off to shower and nap.
See y'all soon!

Moanday.

Sometimes, there's just no pleasing people!  LOL!
They don't want to come out when its hot....or cold!  Friday, being very temperate, was a bluster of activity!  Sent four rides out to new homes, and brought in a slew of repairs to boot!  Then...the cold front came in that evening, and Saturday was quite quiet, although I took advantage of that and banged out four newbies, with another in my rack.  Yes...I'll remember to post pics at the end.  Maybe even update the "whats here" column while I'm at it!  Sunday was a wash.  Saturday night was a LONG night, and I was very under the weather the next morning.  Apparently, something building up in my innards decided to reveal itself that evening and knock me for a loop, so I was pretty much a paperweight Sunday, and spent the entirety of the day keeping the desk chair weighed down.  Hopefully, the long nights sleep I had last night has purged a goodly amount of poison from me, and I can work today.  The ride in my rack is a real nice older ladies Trek that I'd like to finish up.  Here's hoping!
As we still have a plethora of goodies to pick from, I could potentially be busy all day...
MORE OJ, PLEASE!
Okay, best get motivated.  See y'all soon!

The New Crew!

All bow down to the great and powerful wizard, J J Abrahams!
"Kali ma Shakti de! Kali Ma Shakti de!"
Once again JJ has proven himself a worthy recipient of the reigns of one of the worlds most significant cultural icons, Star Wars!
Having masterfully resurrected Star Trek, breathing new life into the floundering Federation, he turned his eyes towards another galaxy....far, far away!  After viewing this splendid, fan favoring treat, I left the theatre feeling vindicated, and thankful that someone gave all the "Lukians" a proper, contrite apology for the travisty that was "The Phantom Menace"!
Now, there is no need for spoiler alerts, as I  won't ruin a moment of digital gold of this film, short of saying, PAY ATTENTION  if you haven't seen it yet!  There are SOOOO many thoughtful tips of the hat to fans, not only giving them the treats they so richly deserve (the Falcons resurrection, and eye popping maneuvers) not to mention, the expected, yet still crowd pleasing appearences of the original six!  There is even an exciting moment of homage to the grandaddy of all the sci-fi epics, Metropolis, with the brief cameo appearence of a VERY close, robotic doppelganger for "Maschinenmensch (Maria)" in Maz Kanata's establishment.
And of course, none of his films would be complete without two prerequisites, the unmistakable homorous flare (and there are GEMS!), and the cameo appearances from such shows as "Lost" not to mention carry overs from Star Trek itself!
Sadly some less enlightened critics have branded the film "unoriginal".... but they missed the point, entirely!  First off, they are introducing the next generation of protagonists, while at the same time "closing chapters" in the original.  What you are witnessing is the passing of the batton (to a more, shall I say, diverse ensemble?) and while it may seem to be the retreading of some lovingly worn tires, they skate the thin line between homage and replication MASTERFULLY!  The original fans will cheer the new takes on old themes, and introduce a new generation to the cannon of the Lucas universe.
And who didn't want to see Han give Chwies cross bow a shot?
You have to forgive what seems like a somewhat plodding pace at times, as JJ knows the importance of character development.  There's the difference between the original and this one.  No, not knocking the original, but in this new offering the characters seem more compkex, offering mere hints of backstories ripe for the telling!  And as much as I would have liked to have known more of Solo's history, i am equally intrigued to learn more of the new casts motivations.
All in all, the new direction, not to mention the proposed stand alone films to come, offer up years of that same anticipatory sensations I lamented over while awaiting the release of the original three....a long, long time ago!