Monday, June 30, 2008

2004 Kymco Cobra Cross 50cc

This is my 50cc Kymco Cobra Cross. Kymco is a Taiwanese scooter maker. It certainly doesn't have the reputation or magic of a Vespa, but it's a ball of fun anyway. It's kind of like driving a snowmobile over city streets in the summer time.

I drive this scooter to work whenever I can. Since it can't go more than about 45 mph, I take back streets. It takes about 1/2 hour. It is supposed to be restricted to go less than 35 mph, but the previous owner had the throttle/transmission "de-restricted".

Technically this is a moped and licensed as such. A "moped" is a scooter that has an engine size of 50ccs or less. In Minnesota anyway, you can legally park mopeds on most city sidewalks and bike racks. You cannot do the same (legally) with scooters.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Tired Doggie



Wednesday, June 25, 2008

1983 GHS Yearbook - Me (... as a private in the US Army)


This 1983 high school class yearbook sketch project got pretty grueling toward the end. But it was a great exercise. Now that I officially finished it you might be wondering... where is the artist? Well, the answer is, I never had my graduation photo taken for the yearbook.

I could pass this off by saying I didn't have a chance to get a photo because I joined the Army at age 17 (here's a sketch of my boot camp photo). While technically true, this isn't the whole truth. I could have had a graduation photo in the yearbook if I cared more. But I just didn't. I was a bit "anti-high-school-establishment" back then.. or at least against the "typical" expected high school participation in things, especially in regards to the the material stuff.

I never bought a class ring, never bought a graduation photo, I never participated on fund raisers, never joined band, choir, sports, debate, whatever... I never even went to prom or homecoming. I was in freshman football for about a month before I quit. I just didn't want to spend time (or my hard-earned cash) on any of these things.

Looking back, did I make a mistake? Well, not from the material side of things. I don't sit around wishing I had a class ring or a yearbook photo.

But I did pay a price from the social side of things. Because of my described attitude, I didn't interact too much with my fellow students. I had a couple close friends and I was really nice to everyone. In fact, I prided myself on being outside (above?) the typical "cliques" of high school. There wasn't anyone in my class I wouldn't talk to or joke around with. I wasn't exactly a severe introvert, but I also wasn't Mr. Popular. I was voted "Most Studious"by my class, probably for this reason.

Well, I guess this sketch exercise triggered a bit of soul searching, and maybe that's the point.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

John Mellencamp - Scarecrow

"Scarecrow" came out in the middle of my Army career (1985) and I'll always remember it in that context. I remember driving to Lake Belton outside of Fort Hood with a few squad mates on a (rare) free weekend. I had a generic 1980 Ford Fairmont with a cassette tape deck. This tape was a popular choice on the drive. The male/female ratio at Lake Belton was about 150 to 1, but we had fun anyway.

Favorites from this album included "Small Town" "Ain't that America (Little Pink Houses)", "Minutes to Memories", and "Lonely Ol' Night".

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Sunday, June 01, 2008