http://www.brainbucketmag.com/ Brain Bucket Magazine - Daily Motorcycle News and Event Coverage en-us Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:29:00 GMT 1440 CPG-Nuke Dragonfly Brain Bucket Magazine News http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.brainbucketmag.com/images/logo.gif http://www.brainbucketmag.com/ http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=394.htmlHe’s sad Bambina won’t call him or return his texts or emails. She’s basically fallen off the face of the earth. Poor guy! He really liked this girl. He really liked her a lot. Although I was happy for him, I cautioned him against getting too emotionally involved. She’s a full-time working model and is back and forth from South Beach to LA. She’s promoting clubs in LA as well doing the fashion show circuit. She’s just too involved in her career to invest herself in a relationship with someone that lives in Middle Tennessee. In closer proximity to each other, I imagine they would see more of each other and could foster a more serious relationship. But the logistics of developing something across thousands of miles makes that more of a pipe dream than a reality. It's just too difficult without them falling head over heels for each other. His appetite for her was very strong. He talked about her to everyone he met. He talked about her so much that is was starting to lose its cuteness. It was kinda sappy! Suzy talked the talk and did the song and dance. She made John feel like she thought a lot of him. They had great time together. She liked riding. She enjoyed being around him and he enjoyed being with her. Maybe it’s premature. Maybe his is sadness unwarranted. Maybe instead of being sad, he should be disappointed that while they are pining for each other, they’re just not able to see each other. Either way, I hope that they both keep things in perspective.Monday, August 18, 2008 (22:29:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=393.htmlI had to fly to DC for some business on Monday and Tuesday. My plan was to arrive in DC on Sunday so I could check in to the hotel and get ready for the next couple of days. I booked an early flight to DC, but not so early that I couldn't sleep in a little. I boarded my plane and was waiting for the take-off, when this guy comes in last minute. He had short black hair loads of tattoos and was wearing dark sunglasses. He looked a lot like Vanilla Ice. I had to do a double take. I couldn't stand it anymore. When we got off the plane, I had to find out who this guy was. I didn't think he wanted to be called Vanilla Ice. I seem to remember he wanted to be called by his real name. I walked up to him and asked, "So what's Mark McGrath doing flying coach?" "Mark McGrath? I don't know. You'll have to ask him," the guy said. "But isn't Mark McGrath that Vanilla Ice guy?" "Vanilla Ice sounds more like it," he said. "But I don't know Mark McGrath." "I'm sorry dude!" I said as I walked away in shame, not knowing if I just pissed off Vanilla Ice or Mark McGrath. I immediately called a friend to ask him what Vanilla Ice's real name was. As I was on the phone, he came walking back up to me and asked if I had figured out who he was yet. I said that I hadn't and was really embarrassed. "My real name is Rob Van Winkle. I am Vanilla Ice," he said. No I really felt like an idiot. I was sure I must have pissed him off and was ready for a good tongue lashing. I ended my phone call and shook his hand, apologizing profusely. He said that was ok and not to worry about it. He had just played the Riverfront Park in Nashville the night before and was on his way back home. He was pretty upbeat. I asked how he was doing citing some recent news I had heard about him and his wife. he had been arrested in April on a domestic battery charge and was subsequently released and the charges were dropped. He pretty much repeated a statement that I found on his website. He explained his position with such sincerity, I couldn't help but believe him. I asked him what kind of new stuff he had coming out. I wasn't really a fan of his earlier music. When he said that he was doing much harder stuff resembling Korn and Mudvayne, my interest was piqued. He encouraged me to check it out. I might like it. I must say that I do like his new stuff. I also found him to be a nice guy, especially considering I just confused him with another artist. I wished him the best and offered to share a beer with him. He declined, saying that he was eager to get back home to his family.Monday, August 11, 2008 (04:23:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=392.htmlLast night, I took my dad to the Toyota Tundra 200 in Nashville at the Super Speedway. We had a blast. Dad had a great time, because he got to meet a lot of the people he's a fan of. I had a great time because my dad did. I used my connections to get the two of us press passes to the race. This pass allowed us to roam anywhere we chose to. We got to get up close and personal in the pits during the race and right up next to the drivers as they were getting ready to roll out for the first lap. My dad was a fan. It was almost to the point of embarrassing. He wanted to take pictures with all of these different drivers. One driver he really wanted to meet was Todd Bodine. We weren't able to get close to him until just before race started. Todd was getting ready to get into his truck and was wrapping up an interview when dad decided that the time was right to meet him. We walked up to the truck and as dad was waiting to meet Todd, I introduced him to Bo Bice. I know Bo from some other business and thought dad would like to meet him. And Dad did. Bo was super nice to dad and talked to him about how he and Todd have been friends since the Toyota Celebrity Race two years ago. When Todd walked around to get into his truck, Bo stopped him and said, "Todd, meet my good friend David. He's a big fan of yours." Todd shook dad's hand and said, "So you're the one they keep talking about!" Dad was enamored! And I was tickled pink that he was having a good time! All in all, it was a great day!Sunday, August 10, 2008 (10:50:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=391.htmlI love music. Right now, I am listening to Mudvayne. I also dig stuff like Disturbed. I'm more into the heavier metal. My favorite band right now is Nonpoint. I really dig their music. I got the chance to see them live a few weeks ago in Nashville at a little place called On The Rocks. I met a couple of cute young ladies at the show and was kinda sweet on one of them. She wanted to go drinking after the show, so we went a couple of doors down to a little Irish pub. We were there having a beer with about half a dozen other people. They were all on one side of the bar and we were on the other. Well, lo and behold the singer and bass player for the band walked in and joined us for a few drinks. We ended up closing the bar at 3 am with these guys whose music I love! It was really cool. I did have one sappy fan moment. I told Elias, the singer, that I had just gone through a transition in my life and that lyrics spoke to me on an emotional level and helped me deal with that transition. I thanked him for letting me interpret the lyrics and making my own connection. After that 'fan moment' he asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I ran a little online motorcycle magazine. He said that he dad was into bikes and he would love to turn his dad on to it. I told him about Brain Bucket and he said that he was already a fan! How cool! He said his dad would send him links to articles here and my very own blog. He knew what he was talking about too! He recounted some of my stories here and laughed at some of my antics! I was flattered! Not only did he know of Brain Bucket, but he was a reader. It was cool to know that this guy, who's music I listen to nearly daily, read my e-rag! That's not the first time it's happened either. Well, it was the first time on that level. But I do get people that meet me, find out what I do, and are fans already. I know how much traffic we get here, but when I get to put a face to a reader's name or IP address, it hits home that people actually read this thing! I've also been very fortunate to develop a fan base not only for Brain Bucket, but for my photography on other projects and in other magazines. It's not big, but in some circles it can be. Whenever I meet someone who knows me by my work, it's nice. Especially if they like my work. I had dinner with a friend the other night. She knew a little about Brain Bucket and my photography, but only what I told her. I didn't blow it up, but actually downplayed it. That's kinda my style. She told me a story today about an encounter she had at a store. It was flattering to say the least. She ran into an old friend in a store. They began catching up and he told her how he took up photography. He said that he was enjoying it and made $300 for a wedding last week. She congratulated him and said that she too had a photographer friend. She named me and he didn't believe her. "I told him your name and he laughed hard and says that there is no way I could know you because you are too big to travel in my circle," she told me in an email. She added that "he totally didn't believe me. He stood there and talked about seeing your work on something... not brainbucket but some other modeling website." "I think it's awesome that you are so good at what you do that you are so widely known. Even in small towns where a tiny photographer is a fan and admires your work. This guy isn't Nonpoint or anything but he is a nobody who idolizes YOU and your work. I thought it was pretty cool anyway." How cool is that? She's right, he's not Elias Soriano from Nonpoint, but it's just as flattering nonetheless. Her email definitely put a smile on my face!Saturday, August 09, 2008 (05:07:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=390.htmlAs some of you may know, I got my old Police Electraglide back last week. I got it back on Saturday July 26 to be exact. Since then I have ridden nearly 900 miles. I'll be well over the 1,000 minimum for the upcoming dyno tune. Last night, I went out to a little Irish pub in downtown Nashville, called McFadden's. I know one of the guys that's on the security detail there and wanted to see him. Unfortunately, he's not on the security team there anymore. I hung out for a while and had an overpriced Bud Light draft. They eye candy wasn't that great, so the beer price wasn't justified. I ended up leaving there at about 10:30. If you've ever been in downtown Nashville on a weekend night, you'll know that traffic is pretty bad. I headed down Broadway from 2nd Avenue towards I-40. The new motor was starting to get pretty hot. So first chance I got, I opened her up a little. Now, this bike is loud! It's borderline obnoxious. It starts to take off at about 2700 RPM and that's when it really screams. I wasn't darting off the line, but I was rolling on the throttle and getting up to the speed limit pretty quickly. I passed a Saleen Mustang between lights. I guess the guy thought I wanted to race or something. I heard his girlfriend say something like, "Oooh, a motorcycle!" When the next light turned, I made it off the line a little before he did. Now mind you, I wasn't interested in racing. I just got a jump on him. That's when he layed into his throttle and edged by me. He edged by me, but just barely. I wasn't even giving her 75% of what she was worth. It didn't really matter to me. But when I pulled up to the light next to them, I could hear his girlfriend laughing. "You showed him," she was probably saying. I just looked over and chuckled. That dumb cunt and her puny dicked boyfriend had no clue, none whatsoever. I didn't want to keep the boor bastard from getting laid that night, so I let him have his moment of glory. I hope I don't have to encounter more dumb asses like that very often.Monday, August 04, 2008 (01:32:52)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=389.htmlHere's another story in the love life of John. John's a nice guy. He's alright looking and fun to be around. I enjoy hearing his stories and getting to be a part, albeit vicariously, of his love life. John met a smoking hot chick the other day. He said that he was planning on doing some riding and invited this girl to go with him. She accepted and they made plans to meet up a few hours later. The time came and John called her. We'll refer to her as Suzy. Suzy didn't answer initially and John was a little disappointed. Once he had given up on her, she called. John headed straight over to pick her up and away they went. They rode the night away. Once the riding was done, John took her back to her place. She indicated that she would like to hang out with him more and they went into her place for a little conversation. What started out as nice conversation ended with some real fun and John left at 6 am, just in time to go to work. They saw each other again a couple of days later at John's place. He cooked for them and they sat around talking after dinner. One thing led to another and they ended up having another late night. Earlier on the first night they were hanging out, John made a comment in passing about how he wanted to learn Spanish. He said that he thought the best way to learn was to find a girlfriend of Spanish descent. He also said something about being called 'Papi' and how it was a fantasy of his. The second night they were together that's exactly what Suzy did. Little did he know that Suzy had some Spanish in her blood and that she was raised in a Spanish community. John already liked this girl and talked about her incessantly! When she called him papi, it sent him over the top. Since then, she has used the term of endearment to address him. And he really likes it. She'll send him text messages addressing him as papi. He can't get enough of it. Although, I think he can't get enough of this girl, whether or not she called him papi. That's just icing on the cake. So let this be a lesson, girls.Saturday, August 02, 2008 (17:33:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=388.htmlSo for the past few weeks, my blogs have been mostly entries about my old Police Bike getting its makeover, or heart transplant. This has been a trying time for me, as I don’t have a backup. I haven’t been doing any real substantive riding to speak of for the past couple of months. It’s been killing me. The other day, I rode a Harley-Davidson Nightster with 8” mini apes and forward controls. It was set up like a little bobber. It had Vance & Hines short shots and an HD heavy breather intake. The EFI was set up with an HD race tuner. I never thought I would have that much fun riding a little Sporty! Well, it was nice getting paid to do it, but I would’ve done that for free. That little bike was peppy and a lot of fun to ride. So, this got me thinking. Maybe I should buy a second bike again, just for times like these. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a fun little bar-hopper to scoot around town on. “How should I do it?” I asked myself. “Should I buy a complete bike, a kit, or piece one together myself?” I wanted to see what people had in the way of custom bobbers (choppers to the lay person) for sale, so I did a Google. I got loads of results. Some of it was useful and some wasn’t. Let’s try eBay! So I did. I was extremely disappointed! I got loads of stuff that was of no interest to me. And then I remembered a site a friend emailed me about, ChopperPartsandMotorcycles.com. This site is a filter for eBay listings. If you’re looking for chopper parts on eBay and don’t want to have to weed through the extra crap, then this site is for you. I was excited to see some Jesse James Gas Tanks going for $200 or less. Jesse’s still one of my favorite builders. While browsing some of the parts, I noticed that they also filter the “choppers for sale” listings as well. Now this is what I wanted to see! How much are people getting for the high-end stuff? But wait! I wanted a bobber. Remember when I thought that the average person wouldn’t know the difference between a bobber and a chopper. Well, this site has ads filtered based on whether or not they are bobbers too! That’s right, there’s a section for bobbers for sale! Now that’s cool!Friday, July 25, 2008 (03:55:36)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=387.htmland I am sad. I had plans to pick up yesterday, but for some reason, I fell very ill at about 10 am. I left work at 1 and my head hit the pillow at 2. The next thing I remember, it was 8pm and I was still feeling like crap. I cancelled plans with two separate people and set aside today to recover. I'm still feeling a little under the weather, but hopefully, by Friday I can be putting away some of those 500 break-in miles. I'll baby it for the first week and then after the dyno, it's back to the old Mike! This time, only faster!Thursday, July 24, 2008 (03:26:00)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=384.htmlWhile I was in Texas this past week I was suprised to hear a radio message from the Texas Dept. of Transportion. The basic message gives a scene of a women in her suv not looking both ways and then back causing the accident with a biker , then the voice-over talks about how there are more bikers on the road then before and that looking back after checking once can prevent an accident. That and the signs along the road showing a picture of a bike saying share the road let's me know that atleast in Texas bikers are making their voices heard and the state is listening. Now when all the states do the same I will quit worrying about how much danger we are all in when we ride. Be safe out thereTuesday, July 22, 2008 (04:37:32)http://www.brainbucketmag.com/Blogs/display/mode=display/id=386.htmlI got the good phone call today. My bike is complete. All I have to do is come up with the cash and go get it. I can't get it today, but will very soon. I promise that! I asked about the dyno results and was told that the bike needs to be broken in first. Bruce told me that I would have to ride the bike on a break-in download for 500 miles and then bring it back to the true dyno tuning. I asked if we could go ahead and schedule my dyno run for next Monday! Unfortunately, Bruce thought I was joking and wants to wait a couple of weeksMonday, July 21, 2008 (03:22:00)