Monday, October 31, 2005

All Hallow's Eve

Bloody hell, I am already slacking. When I first began "blogging" I was going to do my damndest to make this a daily thing -- I've not updated in 4 days -- I ought to be sent to the naughty chair for that.

On with the show -- so far, and granted it's not dark yet, no little ragamuffins demanding sugar have darkened my doorstep. I did purchase one bag of Hershey's assorted miniatures -- I poured the bag out, seperated all the Special Dark's - because those are the ones I dislike -- and placed them on top of the candy bowl so those would be the ones to go first.

Hey -- no one has ever accused me of being compassionate or being good at sharing. I attribute it to the "only child syndrome" -- never had to be compassionate; never had to share. It's me baby -- It's all about me. Which by the way is the theme for my birthday January, Friday the 13th, which is only 2.5 months away.

Danny Davidson of Williamson County Customs called last night. Secret, super classified inside stuff about a new bike he will be working on with Alan Lee of Gangsta Choppers. To date, the bike is scheduled to be featured on the new Art of the Motorcycle book. Ooooo -- I know dirty -- I know stuff about this bike that any aspiring builder wanting to crack into the big boy's club would looooove to know -- but, as I stated earlier, it's all about me, so if you want the scoop, let me know what's in it for me and I might let you know. Not likely because then people wouldn't spill their secrets to me -- but you never know -- you might be the first.

Received an odd text message last night on my cell -- an acquaintance - no love interest -- sent me a message saying, "wanna fuck" -- I can only assume he was stoned and/or sent it to the wrong person. I didn't reply -- it was all far too odd.

So I have been focusing on getting my place tip top organized. I've been focusing on my prosperity bagua's due to wanting to make sure a certain production budget is funded ASAP. It must be working because today I receive a check for $200 that was TOTALLY unexpected and was initially sent to the wrong apartment # -- luckily it was my upstairs neighbour so he gave it to me....so kewl!!! I like this feng shui stuff -- plus I had also written two checks during the night of the full moon to myself -- one is in my day planner and the other in my wallet -- so I guess with all my focus on pulling in financial windfalls, things are working well.....now if I can just score that MegaMillions!

Have you ever considered what you would do with a substaintial lottery win? Maybe because I'm a Capricorn, I have. Less the taxes and the lessened amount due to the Cash Value Option (I'd much rather invest my own money than have the lottery commission making profits from it), I have give it decent thought. After paying off those taxes, I will pay off my motorcycle and have my car totally tricked out. I will also invest in 2 additional cars -- a new Corvette and something that can carry more than 2 people. I mean honestly, with 2 Corvettes and 1 Harley -- that's more than $100k in transporation that can only carry 1 passenger. I don't want an SUV -- something stylish. And I would like a Ford Harley-Davidson 250 that's totally tricked out for hauling a trailer with the bikes. Also, there will be a tricked out coach. I would like a gorgeous home and I think it will need to be custom built because of all the bells and whistles I would like plus my desire to be as reliant as possible on solar energy. I would love to have a huge estate with lots of land, trees and ideally a creek or a built in water feature near the home's front with Koi. The pool will be a lagoon type with waterfall. An indoor atrium, library, game room, media room, dining, etc. Select individuals will receive $10k -- hopefully, upon winning the lottery I can have things set up in such a way, like a trust, that the public won't know I won. The lionshare of the money will go towards investments - I am quite fond of the book Your Money or Your Life so I will be looking into US Treasury Bonds.

To keep up the facade of needing to work for a living, I will continue to be involved with media whether that is television productions and/or a magazine.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Music - Madness - Mayhem

Out of curiosity, has anyone else noticed that some of the best music on the airwaves these days is in the car commercials??

Watched an interesting segment on Tavis Smiley a little while ago. Author(ess) Barbara Ehrenreich was discussing her new book, Bait & Switch and had some interesting comments. She did "research" on trying to find a job -- paid for career coaches, job fairs, networked, posted the resume everywhere you are supposed to post it, etc etc.

After all that the only job she was offered was commission only with Aflac. She said that white collar jobs come down to one thing -- those insane personality tests that are given. Corporate America is looking for people that are easy to shape, are followers and will just adapt.

She was giving all these examples of how people pursued the American dream, got their MBA's but at the end of the day, they are still given half an hour to clean out their desks.

She also made an excellent comment about health insurance -- we need a national plan because it makes no sense for health insurance to be tied to one's job when one's job isn't tied to us.

Oh and here's a funny part -- the career coach didn't know who she really was and has already published a best selling book -- after doing the personality test she was advised to not consider writing!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Back to normal -- whatever that is...

Feeling better today - not so emotionally out of sorts. We went to Texarkana on Saturday to visit with a gentleman that has expressed an interest in putting the money people together for a potential new magazine. While that's in the works, I've decided to move forward with the online version and all the pertinant info on the ROBBO series will be there.

Saturday night we ended up camping at Talking Trees Campground which is near the Talimena Scenic Drive in Oklanowhere. When we arrived around 9pm, it turned out we were the only people there! Had the hot tub to ourselves and the tent wasn't bad. I didn't care much for the sleeping bags because they tapered towards the bottom and I like to be able to move my legs a bit. There was an interesting item called a Thermarest which took the place of an air mattress...that worked quite well. The only odd thing was that there is a railroad track behind the property and I think 3 trains went by that night. It was a bit eerie hearing it so close because it couldn't be seen and they were loooooong trains also. The next morning I kept hearing Aerosmith's "...train kept a rollin' all night long..."

I found it odd that others weren't camped there. Evidentally the Christian Motorcycle Association was having their annual gathering a bit closer to Mena, Arkansas -- which was only about 15 miles away...tons of bikers were all over the roads.

The next day, Sunday, we rode south and ended up visiting Michael's step-grandparents who he had not seen in 10 years. They used to ride all over the country and the grandmother was in the Motor Maids. We were there for a couple hours and they had some fantastic stories. I also met his aunt Carol who has built a very unique cabin behind her parents house. They have 36 acres so there was ample room for everyone.

Sunday was ridiculously cold -- a week earlier it was in the low 90's and then there we were in the low 40's -- not bad until you add in the 60mph wind chill factor for riding the bikes! We made it as far as Sherman and you would think we could have gone on home as it's only an hour or so north of Dallas but I was so damn cold I just couldn't do it. We stayed at a Comfort Suites and then left at a leisurely 10:00am on Monday morning.

We took some backroads home and stopped in Tioga at Clarks Outpost for BarBQ -- Tioga is the birthplace of Gene Autry and Clarks has been proclaimed the best barbq by chef Dean Fearing at The Mansion. It is quite good. Finally got home around 2pm.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Dazed & Confused

I'm a bit out of sorts tonite. This morning got off to a truly awful beginning. I was screamed at for about 15 minutes straight -- nothing I did, just the lucky recepient. At least it reillustrated why I stay as far away from certain relatives as possible. I was mentally and emotionally drained the entire day and yet the person in question felt the need to keep calling back to say they were sorry. I took a Tylenol PM a while ago so hopefully I will fall into sweet oblivion soon.

I'll write tomorrow about this past weekend.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Friday Night in front of the computer....

I keep going over and over the business plan for the magazine. I've titled it, "Conceptual Overview" because the reality is that I don't have the financial background to do a proper business plan. The concept and overview I can definitely handle.

Michael and I leave in the morning and we are going to ride to Texarkana where the primary financial investor is located. After lunching with him and reviewing what I've put together (as I will be praying silently that he likes it), we are then going to ride up to Mena, Arkansas and camp somehwere near the Talimena Scenic Byway. We'll come home Sunday or Monday.

It looks like I may have a new home for the love birds...luckily the posting Teri put up at Nokia resulted in at least one query. Hopefully they will take all 5 of them.

I also think the magazine idea is viable - it will be interesting to see how it progresses. In order to launch in March, I will need to get the green light, literally, immediately. There is so much workd to get accomplished and I am still in full blown pre-production mode on the ROBBO series.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Feng Shui -- Declutter -- and yet more biker stuff

Teri was off a few days last week - the joys of working for a European company -- they are very liberal with time off -- and she went on a cleaning kick. Tossed, tossed, tossed and bagged stuff for donation. She is just floored that she has held onto so much stuff for so long. She still has a ways to go but is feeling very "lightened" by the whole experience. The project she had been working on and disliked like a fiend was canceled today. Normally she would be in a funk but this time she is looking at it as a positive opening and an opportunity to transfer to somewhere else in the company.

We've talked a lot about the need to declutter. I used to contribute articles often to the Alternative Healing section on AOL -- but they changed the format and are pulling in generic content from other places. Regardless, I am still a big proponent on the principals of Feng Shui and believe that there is a lot of validity to it. Honestly, you can't live in visual chaos and be productive; and you can't live like a pack rat. The reality is the nature abhors a vaccuum and whether it's a thought or a material need, the need will be filled. You may not get what you want -- but you always get what you need.

As I write this I am stunned by the chaos my own office space is in. As a principal I wouldn't pick up after Michael because I am not his wife nor his mother nor his maid. Regrettably, not only did he clutter his own life, he cluttered mine. In retrospect, I would have been better off personally by just picking up after him. This room has been like this since May!!! That's FIVE month's I've wasted trying to work in this chaos. That's just not right!! So needless to say, I will definitely be picking up tomorrow.

Also tomorrow I told Joyce I would go with her to court. Small claims case for a print job she did and got stiffed on. I was hired by the event that did this so I am the one person that knows most of the details. Plus, more than likely I will be before the same judge soon as I have to file claim against the illustrious CFO also. Beaucoup bucks are owed to me on that project.

I found out today that the North Texas Rock Rally will be at a new location in 2006 - somewhere near McKinney. Gary Littlefield asked me today if the tv project I was working on was the same one Nicky Bootz was involved with -- I told him it is.

I received the final agreement today so all the builders are locked in and ready to go. The series should be quite dynamic with this lineup. Biketoberfest is going on -- hopefully Nicky will make it up from Melbourne and meet some of the guys. I know he and Johnny Chop have already hooked up and DuSold is out there as he has been invited to participate in yet another show -- this one is supposed to be on Fox.

I just returned from Janet's where she was having a birthday / decision to divorce celebration for Gayla. I never get past the point of being a bit taken aback by people happy to break up. I could understand it if abuse was involved, but in situations where it's someone's pet peeves, etc., that still baffles me. I read so much about people who bitch about their mates' snoring and Michael does that often but it's never bothered me. I'd much rather hear it and know he's with me than have him gone. He still apologizes for doing that and I keep telling him it doesn't bother me -- you would think after 10 years he would understand it REALLY does NOT bother me.

Dad phoned tonight -- still in Hattiesburg. He doesn't know when or if FEMA will send him somewhere else anytime soon. Mother phoned yesterday -- her cardiologist told her "thanks for being a client; however, you need to find another doctor." I don't know what it means when ones' doctor dumps them.

The meeting on the magazine is Saturday -- hopefully all will go well and we will have a green light again soon. It's nice to see Michael getting enthused again about projects.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Ch-Ch-Changes

Amazing news in from Exile Cycles -- they will be participating in the ROBBO series. The powers that be are quite pleased about this.

I am SO tired of 90 degree temperature -- it's late October for fudge sake! Yet again, on a Thursday, we have a cold front coming in. I wonder what the deal is with cold fronts on Thursdays -- 4th week in a row it's happened. Just wish it would stay cool.

I'm searching for a home for the love birds. I'll be on the road so much next spring that I have no way to take care of them. I spoke to a pet store today and the guy asked if I had any neighbors or friends that could take care of them -- well, the boyfriend will be on the road also, my neighbor is working for Jerry Covington so he's commuting between Dallas and bumfrick Oklanowhere, one friend works for Nokia and has to go to Finland a lot and the other friend is possibly going to Montana for 2 months to renovate a home -- so no, I don't know any "normal" stay at home type people. Hence the need to find a nice home for the love birds.

Michael and I checked out some spaces today for possible offices. Ended up at Aw Shucks on Lower Greenville -- bloody love their shrimp cocktails with medium spice. Michael whipped up his special blend of sauce for his fried shrimp -- way too much horseradish -- but he loves it. Checked out some pawn shops because he's looking for a bass amp for his son, then came home.

I am hoping I can find someone willing to run down to the State Fair with me tomorrow -- the fair closes this weekend and tomorrow is dollar day -- it's the only time of the year I eat a corny dog and I don't want to pay $13 to get in just to pay to have a corny dog.

I got a heads up today on a possible interesting film coming out next February. The World's Fastest Indian starring Anthony Hopkins. Hopefully an advanced screening will be held locally so I can check it out -- the trailer on the site looks great. The URL is: http://www.worldsfastestindian.com/

Monday, October 17, 2005

Across The U.S. -- A Biker & A Football Star

I've heard only snippets about the odyssey that was recently had by Nicky Bootz and Ian Wright. Since Nicky was so well received by the European audience when the Lone Star Biker Bash special was shown last January, Men & Motors decided to reintroduce him to their viewers before the ROBBO series begins.

So, they recruited Ian Wright who played for Arsenal and had Nicky and he ride from Melbourne, Florida to San Diego. They had an advance team a few days ahead of them that decided where they were going to visit. Well, as luck would have it, the weekend that Hurricane Rita came ashore, 2 million people from Houston decided Dallas would be a primo destination so all the hotels were booked here and the advanced team for the show couldn't get rooms.

The team ended up traveling further north and made the decision to go to Amarillo. Now, I was just in Amarillo a few weeks ago returning from Sturgis -- there's nothing there but truck stops, strip joints and the Big Texan Steak Ranch, a place that serves a big ass 72 oz. steak. And their only recent claim to fame is when the good ol' boys up there tried to sue Oprah for her comments about beef. This was also the case that, rightly or wrongly, introduced the world to Dr. Phil as he was Oprah's courtroom adviser when it came to the jury.

But I digress and back to the tale at hand -- Naturally, they went to the big ass steak place. Nicky told them point blank he was not going to eat a 4 pound piece of meat. But that's what was in store for our adventuresome boys.

So, he and Ian are at a table being served one hellatious thing after another - one of those items being a shrimp cocktail. Now a guy that lives on the Florida coast is going to know a thing or two about seafood -- evidentally the Amarillo version left ALOT to be desired. They consumed a lot -- but I won't tell you if they finished the steak or not -- that will have to wait until the show airs.

I've promised Nicky that I will not force fed him copious amounts of meat. He's hardly high maintenance -- as long as cold beer, a hot welding torch and a strip club are in close proximity, he's good to go.

I think the ROBBO series will be well received -- so far for participating builders we have:
As soon as the last 2 builders are secured we will issue the press releases.

Tonight is the full moon...bella luna...

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Fast Cars - Fast Bikes - Fast Life

Hello and welcome to my little part of the world. Since blogging seems to be the thing to do, I am going to give it a try and see how long it holds my attention.

Here are some details about me: My name is Raine and I live in Dallas, Texas. My interests are varied but the big ones are my 1995 teal Corvette and my 2001 Harley-Davidson Low Rider. By some strange twist of fate, my bike has evolved from my hobby to my career.

I have spent the past year as editor of Thunder Roads Texas Magazine but I gave that up due to my silly belief that contributors should be paid. I have been asked to be involveed with a new publication so hopefully that will proceed quickly.

I am also a co-producer of "Real Original Biker Build-Off" that has been commissioned by London-based Men & Motors Television. The concept of ROBBO is that 6 US builders will build a motorcycle in "real" time before the cameras. Nicky Bootz is hosting and the finale will be held at Laconia Motorcycle Week 2006.

So I guess if you have a passing interest in motorcycles, keep checking back for more info on that and my life in general.

a bientot...