Uh. Party. At my place. Kinda got drunk. Dan tripped over me. Dan later says,"Hey Guys, Hey Guys... My Hands Match!". Tim and Nate probably shouldn't have done shots. Then they started speaking Japanese (seriously, both have apparently spent time there). Dilrd was least drunk. Dan took top prize. Go team!

Good times. Being that for once we could get a hold of everyone (since they were all in town for break) we all decided that the best thing to do was to get a tad drunk. This turned into really drunk. Of course this is not even a week before we all planned to get together for the new year and do the same bloody thing. Oh well I don't get to actually see these guys that much. I subsequently went and worked a 6 hour shift without a lunch break. Yay responsibility. Fortunately I am a lightweight and very little alcohol is required to get me dizzy. As a result I never get hangovers. I was actually in a pretty good mood at work today. Stayed late to help the manager catch up on some stuff. Our store is rather understaffed at this current moment. Such is life. I need to go order my motorcycle parts and then go to bed. With the crappy road conditions I have decided to overhaul the bike. Yay me.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas.

[link]
[link]

and as the late great writer Douglass Adams once said:

Go Stick Your Head in a Pig [link]

Merry Christmas.

Long time no post. I been busy. So anyway today I decided to ride my Motorcycle to work. Seemed like a good idea. I haven't ridden it in a while and I need to run it a bit every week or so to keep the charge on the battery. The streets finally dried up enough so I could ride it. During my 30min for lunch I decided to make a quick run to my parents house to grab some hardware. I recently got some Hercules Wall Mounts [link] to get my guitars off the floor (cat + conventional stands = knocked over guitar). The ride up to their house was snow free, however their street was not. I did not know this. As a result when I turned on to their street I immediately dropped the bike slamming my arm into the ice on the road in the process. Got the bike back up and turned around leaving my dignity on the road behind me. I parked and walked the rest of the way to get the screws. Now my handle bars are somewhat tweaked. It would appear that nothing else is busted that bad. Oh well, at least my guitars look nice up on the wall.

That is all.

I'm going to try to swap things up for a bit with a review of a movie I recently saw, 2012.

Director Roland Emmerich has made me smile more than once. He consistently does what Michael Bay consistently fails to do, make Shooty Shooty Bang Bang Action 'Splosion Disaster Thrillers that are actually good. Many would complain that his movies are just special effects laden 2 hour extravaganzas with throwaway plots; 200 million dollar excuses to blow up iconic landmarks. However, sometimes time that is exactly what I want to see. I don't need something deep every time I go to the movies, some weekends I just want some good old fashion explosions. Roland Emmerich delivers.

2012 gives me all the joy of seeing big things go boom without all that shaky cam cluster fuck crap that every other director seems dead set on. The shots are epic, the camera work is smooth and consistent, and I don't get the feeling that everything is being shot with a handy cam by someone who suffers a seizure every time he hits the record button. This is what Michael Bay doesn't seem to get. I actually got motion sickness during Transformers 2. If I am getting physically ill because of your camera work, you are doing something wrong, Mr. Bay. 2012 proves that there is still some life left in this genre yet.

Sure, it has its flaws. For one thing, the movie isn't much for plot, which can be basically summarized by "world is ending, run like fuck", with your assortment of b plot hidden political messages. However, given Roland Emmerich's past endeavors (namely The Day After Tomorrow) that is to be expected. Also, the main characters seem to have a knack for running their escapes unrealistically close to the wire. I often found myself often wondering how more competent individuals were fairing as opposed to the "nick of time" brigade the movie tends to follow. But it works; without the skin of your teeth fleeing sequences, this movie simply would not have the same punch.

Most of it's flaws are forgiven in several instances of cinematic epic-ness. I actually smiled as I watched all of California get swallowed up by the earth. A lot of critics booed this movie for the same things I though were great. I don't care if the movie relied heavily on CG, that's what I came to see. You don't go into a screening of a comedy expecting a psychological thriller, you go in expecting fart jokes and falling gags. The same can be said for disaster movies such as this. I sure didn't go into this expecting something smart or intelligent, I wanted to see stuff get wrecked. This movie did that, and despite a plot which was dubious at best, 2012 provided a movie going experience that left me satisfied that my money hadn't been wasted (unlike the aforementioned Transformers Dos). It all comes down to this: steady the camera shots, make the movie visually easy to follow, and kill Michael Bay.

So I went on a 290 mile ride with the Co Sport Bike Club. As a result I can no longer feel my posterior. Great ride and I actually stayed out of dead last this time, though not by much. There was another guy riding a bit slower than me through the turns (although on the uphill straightaways he always caught up) giving me some sort of an accomplished feeling. My poor little 500cc Bike was struggling to keep up the pace on the uphill sections. I kept on saying "Common baby just a bit faster!". John (the guy that was behind me) jokingly told me that I am going to be a crazy rider when I get a bigger motorcycle. I think he was just a bit annoyed that his 996 Superhawk was getting outrun by a noob on a 500. Not a big deal. I actually hope to ride with him again, It was kind of cool having someone to compete with for a change. Usually everybody is so much faster than me I am left riding by myself. As always it is great getting to ride with the guys from the club. Everybody is always friendly and welcoming, even to crappy newbie riders like myself.

As to the title of my journal, I had a bit of a scare on Coal Creek Canyon Road (CO72). I went into the right-hander going into the railroad crossing going a bit fast and hit a patch o sand. I didn't low side but I flew into the oncoming lane right over the railroad tracks. If the sand wasn't enough, the bumpy tracks almost kicked me off my bike. I went a lot slower through that section on the way back. Smooth....

On another note, I am going to keep that cat that wandered into my apartment. Her name is now Lola.

Nuff said.