Holding pattern

It's 0125 and I'm about to leave the hotel and pick up a co-worker at the airport. Funny thing is, we should've been in Kuwait by now. Additional training was "requested" by the company.

A new adventure

After a long hiatus I've resumed blogging at Coffee brakes. Nothing much was going on between May and just a few weeks ago, but now things have picked up. I'm finishing up some training here in Georgia and off the get some additional training in New Jersey. I've accepted a job overseas in a somewhat dangerous place, but my company was the only one offering employment and I accepted. Beats working for Pitney Bowes making junk mailers. Going away will also clear my head a bit. I was getting emotionally attached to a friend of mine, but she made it clear there was no way she was ever going to consider becoming closer. My feelings were very strong for her so I had to make the decision to really distance myself from her. She wanted to remain friends, but at this point I don't think that can continue. It's great for her, but torture for me. Does that sound like a cop-out? Maybe, but I have to think about myself for once. Thinking about her got me nothing.

I'm excited and a bit nervous about going, but hopes and dreams aren't going to pay the bills.

Compliments

I had to wait until something worthwhile happened...

Being unemployed sucks, but I stay humble because I have a pension and education benefits from the military. I try to spread my "wealth" around since all of it comes from taxpayers. I always tip my girls at the spa because we've become good friends and they always make me feel better.

Some good things about being unemployed are more time for school and I get to spend more than 30 minutes in the gym. I recently asked the gym staff how long I've been a member...almost four months. Wow. That long? I am very pleased with the results. That's hard for me to admit because I'm my own worst critic. One of the girls said I look like a hot gay man. Her friend looked shocked, but she asked, "Have you seen hot gay guys? I wish more straight guys looked gay." It was my turn to be shocked. This girls was maybe 19-20. I assumed she liked guys her own age. "I do, but look at the guys here. They're either too skinny or too fat. None are serious about the gym and half of them smoke cigarettes right after they workout." I also found out there's a "rating" system the gym staff uses for fun. They wouldn't tell me where I was because that was one of the rules the manager put in place to prevent problems. All I got was "don't worry, you're up there." Now I know how thirtysome girls feel when they get carded. Wow... the stuff you learn at the gym...

Whoa.

It's worse than I thought. Instead of having a minor electrical problem, my SUV suffered a minor mechanical problem, which entails a major disassembly/assembly procedure. Replacing the timing belt is somewhat easy, it's all the crap I have to move out of the way that sucks.

My 91 Toyota 4Runner decided to break down tonight. It's usually very reliable, but she is getting old. No limping home tonight.

I'm thinking electrical problem, but it's late. I'll work on it tomorrow.

Freakin me out!

Usually I'm a skeptic when it comes to paranormal shows, but I watch them anyway. The show that really gives me the willies is "Paranormal State" on A&E. It could all be cinematic tricks, scripts or creative editing, but I still enjoy the show. The episode last night featured a returning demon and his "crew." They called themselves "Six," not to be confused with Battlestar Galactica's super-hot, long legged heart-breaker (and sometimes spine-breaker) of a machine.

I love the fact that the most of the main characters are young college students, and they mostly act like young college students of the scholarly type. Giving the benefit of the doubt, the kids on the show are a lot braver than me.

Need to blog more

My life is too boring to blog regularly, but it's been better the past few days. I had some weird dreams a couple nights ago. I dreamt I was lying in bed when water came rushing through the windows, filling up the room. Quickly the water went over my head and it became dark, but for some reason I could still hear the TV. I knew I was dreaming, but it took a supreme effort for me to wake up. I realized I had left the TV on. In my second dream, I was riding my motorcycle, but it was so slow. People were leaving me in their dust. When I awoke, my dogs were staring at me. I realized I did not turn off the TV after my first dream.

I went to the local Ducati dealer yesterday to try out some new bikes. Ducati North America had one of their transporters filled with some new models. My current Ducati is no slouch, but there must be something about new motorcycles. The two models I rode were tricked out with better exhaust systems and carbon fiber bits. Today I test rode a Can-Am Spyder. Although technically classified as a motorcycle, the Spyder has two front wheels and one rear wheel. It actually steers more like a car than motorcycle. That was fun, plus I got a free t-shirt, DVD and lunch out of the experience.

Working?

It's been a hectic few days. I'm strangely enjoying being unemployed at the moment, but I know it can't last forever. So far only one company has expressed an interest in my services so I'm filling out the necessary paperwork. I think I got all the critical paperwork out of the way, but I still have to get a clean bill of health from my doctor and dentist. This new job is overseas, long hours and a dangerous environment, but in these times I can't be choosy.

The world isn't so bad

It's been about a month and a half since my "un"- employment, but it's not so bad. Now more than ever I am glad I stayed in the military so I could retire. My pension isn't much, but without it I would be sleeping in my car. The unemployment benefits are helping as well as my GI Bill. I was not a big fan of the last administration, but the Veteran Benefits upgrade work very well for me. I would rather be working, but I'm actually doing better than when I was working. I have time for the gym, I can work on my tan while I study, I get to watch "As The World Turns" and "Guiding Light," and I get to work on my motorcycles.

I really should get rid of my "project" bikes and just stick to the maintenance and care of one, but I can't seem to get rid of them. I did sell one bike. I sorta miss it, but it's true: time heals all wounds.

I am working on one bike. It's fairly old, but it can still haul the groceries. The gas tank developed rust, which does not make the engine happy so I currently have a phosphoric acid solution turning iron oxide (rust) into iron phosphate. After I get all the rust out I'll line the tank with a polymer coating to hopefully prevent rust. I'm a little leery about the coating because some folks say ethanol will eat away at it. I never thought I would say this, but I'm glad my new bike has a plastic tank. I wonder what a wife or girlfriend would think of a gas tank over the kitchen sink...

I was planning on going snowboarding at the end of the month, but a broken tooth is about to wipe out my snowboard budget :-( So, while my friends are whooping it up on the slopes I'll be back in Florida working on my a. bikes or b. my tan. Yeah, the world isn't so bad...

Get the hell out

I listened to the news yesterday claim the fans from Pittsburgh were so "nice." BS. Most of the fans I ran into were rude and obnoxious. People from Pittsburgh attribute this to "The Steeler Nation." Wow. Bon Voyage. Be the Steeler Nation back in Pittsburgh.

Let me explain

I purposely made the title "Coffee brakes" because I've noticed more than a few people use the wrong word to describe the brakes in their car or motorcycle. The correct term for the device to slow or stop your car is "brakes," not "breaks."

Superbowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday has finally arrived. Tampa Florida will have a few hours on the world stage as the two best American football teams battle it out for the championship. Notice I said, "American Football." America is a big place, but we still don't outpopulate the rest of the world. The original football is still a much bigger sport overall. Some Americans insist on calling it "Soccer" to differentiate from American Football.

I love to travel. So why do I wish most of these tourists would go home? Because they're rude. You would think American values would teach consideration and manners, but I see the opposite, especially in other countries. American think French people are rude, but when an American is shouting at you as if talking to a 3 year old most people walk away. On more than one occasion I've told shopkeepers I wasn't American (even when they knew I was) in order not to be associated with rude, shouting Americans.

Yesterday I was minding my own business doing some shopping when a rude Pittsburgh Steelers fan asked where my Steelers jersey was. I thought about using the "no habla ingles" excuse, but he had effectively ruined my mood in the space of one second. "If it was up your ass you would know where it was," spilled from my lips before I could stop. Predictably, a fight was about to begin, but then the local residents came to intervene. "I never thought I would say this, but now I can't wait for you tourists to leave," said an elderly lady wearing a Steelers T-shirt. "As Florida Steelers fans we want to promote the image of Florida. After the game, get on your plane and get the f-" Fortunately her friend interrupted before she dropped a what I think would have been a delicious F-bomb. A few seconds of awkward silence, then one of the other guys apologized and dragged their friend off. Wow.

I hope the game will be exciting. I'm rooting for the Arizona Cardinals because I hate the Steelers, a fact I didn't tell my elderly savior. Bandwagon? Hell yeah! I think I pulled a hamstring jumping on the Cardinal bandwagon.