Insomnia Sucks

Feel asleep at 10:30pm after a shawarma and falafel, wide awake at 2:30am. Had a dream I went skiing with Denzel Washington, then helped Dukie from The Wire make pasta. Last night’s fall-asleep time: 5:30am. But I think the late-night wine and coffee were to blame. Lately my sleep hygiene is filthy. Not sure why though, doing most things right.  Could use more exercise, per normal. I’ve been thinking of taking up running.

First 2008 Ride

Took the MC out for the first substantial ride of the new season yesterday. The weather was right on for armor and leathers. I did the run up to Nyack. Nyack was full of other riders, like bike week or something. Blame the weather.  I took 9W up with the Harleys, Palisades Parkway back with the sportbikes. It’s interesting to see how the cruisers stick to the secondary roads, and the super-sports prefer the highway. P Parkway is a great ride, nice moderate radius turns and relatively smooth pavement. A lot of police though, so you really have to watch your speed. Having said that, I hit an indicated speed of 105mph at one point. Rode out to the end of Peirmont Landing for the views of the Hudson. It’s pretty rad out there. An interesting little community where you’d least expect it. I wanna get out today too, but the pavement is still a little wet. Maybe later . . .

We have to kill again

New season of The Wire is on HBO.  I nearly forgot about it.  So last night I on-demanded the first three episodes and watched them back to back.  Great stuff so far.  I like the Baltimore Sun story thread.  When McNultey said “we have to kill again,” I jumped up off the sofa and laughed like a banshee.  Still waiting to hear Clay Davis deliver is trademark “sheeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt”.  Prediction: Herc is going to play a key role in bringing down Marlo.

New Amp!

I got a new guitar amp a few days ago. A low-watt Vox for apartment practice. And practice I need as I am essentially Sid Vicious of the Six String. So I dusted off the Mexican strat and plugged in. The stings needed to be changed, but instead I just cranked up the treble on the amp. The amp is okay, tube pre-amp, solid-state power amp. And it’s got those goofy “amp modelers” that keep you from focusing on your playing as you try to sound like Angus Young. I played for 90 minutes or so. Then I took a shower. While in the shower my dog Holly ate through the guitar cord. I do not think she yet appreciates my unique guitar stylings. Well she’s gonna, ’cause I managed to splice the cord back together by using a cheese knife and some gaffer’s tape. Good as new; rockin’ on! Now Holly just gives me pained looks when I hit all those sour notes that I tend to hit. And she been sniffing at my g-tape handy work. Happy Christmas Eve Day!!

Wipeout!

I was run over by a dog. The dog was off its leash and running full speed down the sidewalk as I was rapidly descending the stairs of my stoop. I was taking Holly (my dog) out, and the other dog was going for her. The dog and I didn’t see each other, and the dog’s skull crashed into my right knee while in mid air before I had put it down. I lost balance, fell, and rolled over on my back and into the minivan parked on the side of the street. My knee kinda hurts, and I’m sure it will be bruised tomorrow. My right hip, which I fell on, is gonna be bruised too I bet. The dog seemed okay, a little stunned perhaps. Holly was fine. The minivan sustained no damage. The irony is that I had just finished a ride on my motorcycle and had been wearing “armored” pants minutes earlier.

More motorcycle stuff

I put stiffer fork springs and a new Zero Gravity Double Bubble windshield on my motorcycle. Big improvement in handling at speed. Much more stable. Better in the wind too. Also noticed that a tight fitting motorcycle jacket is essential. If your jacket gets blown around by the wind, you definitely feel that you and the bike are being blown around. A well fitting jacket makes it feel like you are slicing through the wind, which is what you are actually doing. The wind can mess with you, don’t get me wrong, but you sure don’t want to exaggerate it’s effects. The front fork upgrade has made such an improvement on the bike I now want to upgrade the rear shock too. This costs more than a front fork upgrade. I am worried that once I spend the time and money to get everything just so, that’s when I’ll decide to upgrade to an entirely new bike altogether with a larger engine. But right now I am not lusting for more speed or acceleration. Just better handling at highway speeds and in the wind. Hopefully these suspension upgrades will give me this, and keep me from getting a bike with triple the horsepower.

Motorcycle Diary Entry

About a month ago I bought a motorcycle. All it took was one ride on the back of my friend’s Vespa. About ten years ago, I took motorcycle lessons and almost got a bike, but I opted for a car instead. I was living in New York City at the time. So recently I took a few more lessons, and took the plunge. I bought a Kawasaki Ninja 250. It’s a small bike, light and not very powerful compared to most other bikes out there; a good beginner bike. Though it has a fairing and the Ninja tag, it’s really a standard motorcycle more than a sport, or super-sport bike. Or else something that is often referred to as a sport-standard. She’s still plenty fast for a newbie like me, faster than 95% of all the cars out there. But slower off the line than 95% of all the motorcycles out there. I bought the bike used (already broken in) from a dealer. It came with a aftermarket performance Muzzy mufler. This plus the up-jetting of the carburetors required with such a pipe give the bike a few extra precious horsepower. And it lowers the bike’s overall weight too. You get the weight reduction since the custom pipe is much lighter than the stock pipes, and because the centerstand has to be removed from the bike to fit the pipe on. As well as the power gain and weight loss, you also get a much louder bike. And since this is a 250cc bike, a little extra noise to let people know you’re around is not a bad thing at all. “Loud pipes say lives”, as the Harley riders say.

All in all, I love this bike. It’s not so fast that an accidental slip of the wrist is going to put you through a wall. It’s just fast enough to keep you entertained as long as you keep the revs up. And it’s cheap. Cheap to buy and cheap to run and insure. I’ve been getting about 70 miles per gallon with a mix of driving around town and out on the highway. I must be having fun ’cause I’ve put about 800 miles on the bike in one month!

So here are some observations that I’ve made while zipping around on “the Ninj”, as I’ve been calling it. These observations are to be taken at face value, and may not represent good riding practices. I am a newbie after all, so don’t take anything I write too seriously or as sagely advice . . .

Speed kills, but first it thrills! While riding a motorcycle, it feels like you are going twice as fast as you are in a car. This is both good and bad. But mostly good!

Taxis and limos tend to turn first and ask questions later. Keep you eyes on them, they are full of rude surprises.

Soldiers talk about having your head on swivel and maintaining situation awareness while in combat. These are good practices for motorcycling too.

Semi trucks coming at you in the opposite lane suck, due to the blast of wind they produce. But following a semi is kinda fun, since they tend to maintain speed and never make sudden moves, and there’s a nice pocket of calm air right behind them.

Wind gust can be very dangerous on a bike. I’ve been spooked quite a few times by a good push from the wind. It’s a strong force of nature.

When downshifting to decelerate, it pays to let the clutch out slowly in case you’ve skipped over a gear. Yeah, I’ve done the opposite and partially locked and skidded out the rear wheel more times than I’d care to admit. It produces an odd sound and motion. In both the bike and in your lower intestines.

Follow the Harleys. They know where the nice roads are.

Rear view mirrors lie to you. They don’t give you the full picture. Always look over your shoulder to confirm things.

You can’t scratch your nose with the face shield down, so don’t even try.

Motorcyclists are nice to one another, they always wave to each other. Try to keep the custom alive and always wave to your fellow motorcyclist if you can spare a free hand. Try to keep this tradition alive too: give car drivers the finger a lot.

If motorcyclist had their way, double parking a car would be a felony.

“Push left, go left, push right, go right,” actually works. Don’t over think it though. Just look through the turn and lean in. Sticking your inside knee out actually helps too.

I’ve racked up a lot of miles on bicycles. When you get into trouble on one, you almost automatically take your feet off the bike as a precaution. This doesn’t work so well on a motorcycle. But it’s a two-wheel instinct that I have. I’ve got to unlearn this. Putting your foot down while going 60 mph accomplishes nothing positive.

Getting up on the pegs is good practice when riding up over bumps or pot holes at speed. And it’s kinda fun too. Just make sure the bike doesn’t kick out of gear on you.

Tailgaters suck.

Always keep the high-beam on, especially during the day. Only turn it off when behind a cop.

Guys on super-sport bikes that are four times as powerful and expensive as a 250 hate it when you can keep up with them. And you’ve got to wonder what they are thinking when you leave them behind.

Charging up a steep hill is a lot of fun. Coming down a steep hill sucks.

Down shifting is a good way to slow down, but it doesn’t really let the guy behind you know what’s going on. Hitting the brakes to light up the brake light is a good idea however you decide to decelerate.

Applying neutral throttle is a lot of fun.

Picking up your bike sucks.

Little kids like to yell “pop a wheelie, pop a wheelie” at you.

You can actually pop a wheelie even on a 2500cc bike. I’ve done it accidentally by letting the clutch out too fast going into both first and second gears. Little wheelies, though, barely a foot of air. I doubt I can (nor do I want to!) do it in all six gears like you see in those videos on YouTube.

It seems the best time to ride is early in the morning on weekends, or late at night any day of the week. The car traffic is more bearable at these times.

“It’s not a matter of if you go down, it’s a matter of when.” This is a very sobering statement. I’ll never pay my medical insurance late again.

At the DMV, they shouldn’t even ask if you want to become an organ donor, it should be mandatory to get a motorcycle practice permit and license. This would make you think, right?

They should hand out boilerplate living wills with your motorcycle registration at the DMV.

Overall, motorcycling is sweet, sweet fun and the risk has been worth the reward. Thus far anyways.

This is what I’ve got so far, more may come!

Bjork

They are shooting a music video for Bjork in the film studio next to my edit suite, and the music is coming through the wall. The constant repetition of the Bjork song is driving me NUTS!!!! Her voice carries through drywall like nothing else. Egad! On the bright side, Bjork is less pretentious in real life than I figured.

Where Have I Been?

The weather has been so great here in the greater JC/NYC area that is has caused me to do two things:

1. Buy a boat

2. Buy a motorcycle.

Two new ways to die!

Actually I only own half the boat, my friend owns the other half. Fractional ownership.

So I’ve been spending most free time out in the great outdoors lately. Keeping away from the computer, except for work related activities. It’s supposed to rain for a few days, so I’ll probably post more nonsense soon.

Busy

Busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy.

Talent. HUH! What is it good for?

Hello, I am Louis James and I am a videotape editor.

Today I spent all day putting together a demo reel for an actor. Not something I usually do, but it was a gig brought to me by a good friend. And a gig is a gig, right? This actor shall remain nameless, but you most certainly have seen him in at least one of the almost thirty films he’s been in. One film was one of Miramax’s highest grossing films. Most parts he’s played have been in the supporting or character role, having been the lead only in small indie-type films that you probably haven’t seen. The guy is talented and has played in films staring the following actors: Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, and Terence Stamp, to name a few. Big-time actors as you know.

The problem is, he is having trouble, and has been for a while, getting cast again in another film. But with the body and quality of work he has he shouldn’t be. [He will though, it's a lock, it's only a matter of time for sure.]

I bring this up because I’ve been noticing that a lot of people I know are having the same problem. They are talented and experienced, yet they do not seem to be working, or else they are working shit jobs that they hate just to keep an income. And I’m not talking about other actors at all, I am talking about many people in many different arts and industries. What I am also noticing is that a lot of people without much talent, experience, or even brains seem to be doing just fine. And this sucks. That’s not to say that I want to see anyone unemployed, but why do the truly gifted so often go unrecognized? And it’s not from lack of ambition; the people I’m talking about are pushing themselves hard. They’re just having trouble connecting.

Sometimes I think it’s because the people doing the hiring aren’t talented enough themselves to be able to spot talent and lump everyone into one big group. Sometimes I think it’s because talented people often do not want to lower their standards and won’t take jobs that don’t past muster. Sometimes I think it’s because talented people are more likely to complain at a substandard job if economically forced to take one, whereas an untalented person is less likely to complain. Sometimes I think it’s because there are simply not enough jobs out there that actually require talent.

All I know is it takes a lifelong and lifestyle commitment to develop talent, and it is a damn rotten shame it is not as recognized or rewarded as often as it should be.

But then again a bunch of people just died in a big-ass hurricane and a bunch of other people just died in a big-ass stampede, so what the hell does any of the above really matter anyway?

[Shit, did this post just read like the end of a Doogie Howser episode?]

Just back from the DMV!

The trip to “The New DMV” the “MVC” wasn’t as bad as I expected. I was in and out in an hour. Everyone smelled okay and no one vomited. I guess they’ve changed a bit in the past four years. I was guilted into becoming an organ donor by the woman clerk, which I thought I already was but apparently was not. Here’s a tip though: bring your passport & birth certificate if you have ‘em. I did “just in case”, but since I did not bring multiple credit cards (I have only one), a social security card (which I misplaced years ago), a utility bill, my high school diploma, a DNA sample, an RNA sample, a urine sample, a stool sample, etc., I would have never made the six-point ID verification system requirements. They have these new post 9/11 “digital” driver licenses to prevent forgeries, . . . hang on, the ice cream truck just pulled up . . . . . . (mmm, chocolate jimmies!) . . . yeah “digital” ID’s made from some kind of a digital printing machine. But the resolution is really low! It looks like it was printed on “draft” mode on my Epson C82! The photo is very blurry!!! Maybe the ink cartridges were low. The brochure describing the features of the new licenses looked better than the actual license itself! Oh well. Anyway, I decided that since driver license photos always look bad, I went in there unshaven and decided not to smile. I was going for the whole Colin Farrell/Mohammad Atta look, and boy did I nail it! It makes a nice match to my passport; I’m sure to get cavity-searched the next time I travel abroad or get another speeding ticket.