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.