Busier Than Hell Is No Excuse

I know, I know; I haven't posted anything for a while. And I appreciate the (mostly) friendly emails prodding me for more activity. To those with gentle inquiries, thank you once again for your interest. And to those whom "Busier Than Hell" is not an acceptable excuse; I apologize for my lapse and shall endeavor to get back on track. But in my defense, it's been my budget season at work once again, and once again, I've been putting in 14, 16 & 18 hour days. That's the bad news. The good news is that it's finally (hopefully) behind me, as I just passed everything off to the next group. There'll be some changes, sure, but with any luck, nothing will be that bad.

So then, let's get on with what's been happenin'!

This past weekend found us at the Pot Belly for their end-of-season pig roast. The weather cooperated, even if a bit chilly. Turnout was excellent and food was plentiful. Raffles were moderate, but fun, and a number of folks walked away with some good stuff for their walls, as well as their livers. The band played long into the afternoon, the bars (upstairs and downstairs) slung drinks left and right, and there were many smiles on many faces. A great day overall.

As for bike improvements, I recently installed a luggage rack on the back tour pack. I know; riveting stuff, right? But hey, I'm trying to get you guys and gals caught up on things. The install was easy as cake. I thought about snapping some pics and doing a quick tech tip kind of post...but didn't. (It was basic; painter's tape onto the spots you're going to drill through, mark the holes, pre-drill the holes, drill the full sized holes, insert bolt/lock washer/washer assemblies, and tighten. Voila; luggage rack!)

And speaking of bike improvements, if anyone has any suggestions for a good, booming horn, lemme know, ok? My horn died and I've been looking on-line for a strong replacement, but all I'm finding are wimpy, high-pitched pieces of poop. I've looked at air-horns, too, but so far, the only decent sounding ones I've found, require quite a air compressor. I'm looking for something small, possibly even self-contained. So lemme know if you have any suggestions.

Ok, back to events; this year's Halloween run is on Sunday and I'm hoping for a good turnout. I've been pushing the whole costume thing and I think we'll have some good participation this year. Sweet! And, the weather (as of today) looks like it will cooperate, too. I'll snap some pics and will do a write-up afterward.

Speaking of Halloween, my company's annual Halloween extravaganza is coming up (next Friday!). This year's costume will be much different than recent years. No more giant boxes that prohibit moving around, no more cutting canoes in half and straining my back trying to walk around...enough of that nonsense. (Well, for this year, anyway.) This year's costume is going to be much lighter, much more mobile...and not very original. I'm going to go as a zombie. Yeah, yeah, I know; it's been done before. But, I'm hoping to do a really good job at it. I've bought a number of things on-line and am waiting on one more item to show up, then should be in good shape. I shot over to Building 19 today and picked up a gawd-awful polyester suit for $8!! Who cares how ugly it looks, it's going to get carved up and buried in dirt and mud! So anyway, I don't know that there will be many "preparation" shots, but I'll definitely get a final pic up here.

What else; well, on non-bike related topics, since the riding season is winding down, I'm shifting some of my focus back to the house - the basement, to be specific. Got a new bar top made (the saga of the bartop is a long one, and will receive it's own post at some point after it's complete). The flooring is next on the list, as is finalizing (and firing) the pellet stove. After that, will be furniture and maybe, just maybe, things will be done in time for next year's Cinco de Roasto.

Winter Vehicle. My Jeep Grand Cherokee that I picked up for short money and had expected to get one season out of, has just about given up the ghost. But I got THREE seasons out of it, so I can't complain. I'm in the process of purchasing a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, and I'm sure I'll get some pics of that up here once it's in my possession.

Ok, there you go. That should be enough to keep you busy for a while. Until the next post, get those scoots out there! Fall is here, and she's dragging her ugly sister (Winter) behind her. It won't be too long now before we're dodging the white flakes once again. So let's get out there, and...

Ride Hard, Take Chances!