JUST A BIKER

Reposted with permission from another forum:

JUST A BIKER:

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you, roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me, driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you, stare at my long hair.
But you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me, cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper o r map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me, leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you, go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker, a person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.

Repost this around in hopes that people will understand the biker community.
Read my full blog Here 

Having Kids at 40 something

The other night I was hanging out with a few friends at my Local Watering Hole and one of the occasional female customers that I chat with asked me a strange question. Some back story first thought: I had made reference as to how young 21 seemed to me now a days. There was a table of, what could only be described as "Kids" to me, but were indeed old enough to drink Alcohol. None of them looked legal to me, but I witnessed the bartender "proof" them. I later found out that some of them were as old as, get this... 23! Now my Daughter is in her 20's and I don't recall her ever looking THAT young to me as she grew to adulthood.

So here we chatting about memory road, and out of left field she asks me "Would you ever consider having kids now at your age?" Now this is a fairly well off business woman that always dresses well and has made sure she not reliant on anybody else, this is no nut case, we've talked before and we've had decent harmless conversation. So I replied "If I was still married or with you?"

Instantly my mind was off and running... I was remembering all the Joys that I experienced as a parent... The First Step and then getting woke up every 4 hours by a hungry Baby. Holding her in my arms with that Baby smell... And then lugging around enough crap to be a portable diaper changing station. That warm feeling when you are burping them and then that WARM feeling when they regurgitate down your back. How fast that first year went while raising Baby and then how fast a year of our lives went that we didn't get out much to do anything together other than for Baby...

A particular thought went through my head. My Daughter was fascinated with the VCR's tape door slot. I eventually got one of those child-proof slot guards, but that was only after several issues arose. When the VCR stopped working the first time, I found myself cleaning out the remains of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she didn't finish. When that VCR died, I kept it around as a project to eventually figure out what killed it in the future. It sat around my house for around 15 years before I decided it simply wasn't ever going to get fixed and that a new one was cheaper, and besides, we've moved on to DVD.

One the way to the trash, I dropped it and out popped a Dime! Yes, a dime... It seems that my little darling started her own savings account when she was young and apparently the VCR was her personal piggy bank. All of this flashed in my mind in like a second or two, like a micro burst of memory.

Fast forward to present, she replied "With me..." But it was too late, I was already laughing about the Dime and how my Daughter had foiled all attempt to repair that dang VCR! I was thinking about another Blog I had written several years ago in regards to selling "Genetic Material". Several other random thoughts bounced around my head while pondering her question.

She didn't say another word, just grabbed her purse and walked away, settled her check and left. OK, so what have we learned here? First off, don't wait until you are in your 40's to try to find a suitable mate to have children with. Secondly, if that was a pickup line or screening process, it needs work... So in the meantime, I guess that just killed any chance of having a serious conversation, or ANY conversation for that matter, with her in the future. Third lesson learned: Make Sure Brain Is Engaged Before Opening Mouth. I'll blame that on the Beer... I wasn't trying to insult her and I usually have more tact than that.

Whooooopsssieee!
Read my full blog Here 

MY LIVING WILL:

MY LIVING WILL: Last night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, "I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."  They got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine. They are so on my shitlist!     

Read my full blog Here

10 things NOT to say to or in front of a Woman

1) The "C" Word... Ever!
2) "I told you so"
3) "My X wife said..."
4) "You're wrong!"
5) "I don't like this gift (shirt, pet slippers, rob, underwear, etc) that you just gave me."
6) "You drive like crap..."
7) "It was only a kiss!"
8) "Lifetime for Women again???"
9) "Your problem is..."
10) Any name other than hers while in bed... (Unless you're trying to break up with her.)

Read my full blog Here

After the Casey Anthony Trial

The Casey Anthony trial is over, but one couldn't tell by the Media swirl that is still running around. One can't go a single day without hearing something in regards to the trial: "She got away with murder", "I think it was an accident", "Man fights with woman while arguing over the verdict", "Casey to be released on Sun, July 17th", "The Jurors are getting threats", etc. I could go on but you get the point.

What is astonishing is that the entire Country has been sucked into this tragedy and this dysfunctional family's plights. The masses outside the courtroom trying to get a seat in the courthouse, the people milling about outside waiting for a verdict, the majority of the people expressing their outrage at the verdict, all give evidence as to just how deeply this case has affected so many people.

The news Media haven't finished with this yet either. There's InSession discussing all kinds of legal issues, HLN has Nancy Grace review the entire case start to finish, News Paper articles on all aspects of the trial, commentary all over on whether the State got the evidence in front of the Jury and any mistakes they made, and then on the flip side, we hear the same about the Defense. Commentary on the Jurors and how the system needs change...

So even AFTER the Trial, it's still being poked and prodded, discussed and argued over. Is there no end in sight? With the advances in technology, News is almost instantaneous now. You receive it on your TV, Cell phone or Mobile Device, Social Networking sites, RSS feeds, etc. How does one get away from this constant exposure of this sad case?

This is rash, but someone has to say it: Step AWAY from the Casey Koolaid and move on. Stop watching the coverage non-stop. Go shopping, watch other TV stations, stop discussing it with others, go out for a nice dinner, just something other than being enthralled by all the over exposure and media coverage.

I'm not saying forget this case and the lessons learned from it, but take a step back and take a break, regain some perspective.

Social Media

So, if I'm going to blog about Cell Phones, why not the entire Social Media craze? Why is it that I cannot leave the house without my phone? I seriously get Separation Anxiety if I forget my Cell at my house. I WILL turn around and drive back to get it rather than go a few hours at the risk of not "Being in touch".

We've got people wandering around, so busy looking at their Cells, that we ignore each other on the street now. The first time I saw an IPad I was totally blown away by it. Now we have all sorts of Electronic Gizmos that we cannot leave home without. A family outing has become a checklist of Digital Equipment... PSP, GPS, Cell Phone, Kindle, Digital Camera, Netbook, etc.. And DO NOT forget the spare batteries and chargers for all these devices plus all the various cables and cords to attach them to our heads, vehicle, wall, etc.. You need a whole suitcase just for your electronics now.

Then we have all our Social Networks that we belong to like MySpace and Facebook, Message Boards, Search Engines, etc. And even more questions: Which Browser should we use? Internet Explorer, FireFox, Google Chrome? How do we have time to actually do anything aside from staying in the Network? We get our news instantly through RSS Feeds to our Mobile Devices now too, so that's a game changer right there, no more News Paper required.

How much further will this go? Are we going to get to the day and age where you have a Device inserted under your skin that handles your phone calls, tracks your location, acts like a GPS when you need directions and allows you to browse all these things via your mind? Seriously, what's left to do, what direction haven't we been yet? And all this has happened in the last 30 years...

Cell Phones

The advances in Cell Phone Technology and Networking have impacted our society at even the most base level. 80-90% of Americans own a Cell, so the impact isn't Localized, it's a National event. Let me elaborate...

There are few, if any, places where your LG, Nokia, Samsung, Droid, IPhone, Blackberry, Motorola, Pantech, Sanyo, Sony Ericsson, Apple or Casio doesn't operate. How does this impact Society you ask? For one thing, when your Cell rings and you don't answer it, the person on the other side immediately thinks you've snubbed them. Face it, your Answering Machine (Wow, they still make these?) is now your Voice Mail and you carry it with you all the time. The "I wasn't home" while screening your calls doesn't cut it any more.

How deeply does this go? Have you read a book or saw a movie lately before Cell Phones? Doesn't it weird you out? Literature and Theater has lost a means to add Dramatic Tension!

Scenario 1: The Hero misses the Note left for him warning him that the bad guy is going to blow something up at a certain time and it gets blown on the floor... Nope, that doesn't work any more because nobody leaves a Note anymore, they call and leave you a Voice Mail or send you a Text Message.

Scenario 2: There's a car crash, the Hero has a broken leg and can't escape the vehicle but yet the Highway is 75 feet away. Too far to shout but oh so tantalizingly close... Nope, that doesn't work either because he just lips open his phone and calls 911 or they locate him through GPS and Cell Tower Triangulation.

Scenario 3: The Heroin is trapped in her car with a rabid dog underneath stalking her... Sooo... she calls 411, gets the Animal Control Office's number, calls them and is rescued.

Some of the best moments in Entertainment have now been nullified by our access to cheap Mobile Devices. I bet a bunch of people that read this are doing it via a Mobile Device yourself!

Think about it...