So I'm sure everyone's tired of me talking about how awesome my wife is . . .

Tough shit .

I had been talking about getting a new helmet for riding to work . Just a local around town helmet that was legal ( DOT compliant ) and wasn't some stupid grafix ridden abortion . I've been wearing my beanie style job since the helmet law was enacted for short rides around town , but it's pretty rediculous overall and I wanted to upgrade a little . I have a nice old full face that I wear if I'm going for more than a short ride or if I'm spending any amount of time on the freeway just because I'm pretty and I want to stay that way . I know how much it sucks to come off on the freeway at high speeds & it's not fun . I've been lucky in the past , but now days I'm not much of a risk taker with shit like that .

I'm always scouring the swap meets & eBay for that perfect Bell helmet from the 70's , gloss white , no flash or fancy , one that would actually fit me maybe . . . and then Biltwell starts making these novelty helmets that are pretty close to the old Bell helmets . Not a bad price either . Maybe this is what I need ?

Well Amy does her homework and figures out that Bell is remaking the famous 3/4 open face helmet in a limited quantity . Why own a copy when I could have the real thing she decides . A modern version and compliant in my DOT mandatory state I live in .

Long story short , I got one of these for my birthday last week . Real Bell 3/4 helmet , the colour I wanted , no old ass dead foam in it , wont have to fuck with it to make it fit my mellon . . . perfect right ?

No way . It was almost a full size too small . Enter the simple ball peen hammer . It has dozens of uses , but hitting things is among the top 10 , and I've had to do this dance before . I've worn and collected vintage / old / busted helmets since I was a kid on a vespa and NONE of them have ever fit me correctly . I have a huge head , ( size 8 ) and every helmet / hat manufacturer has a different idea of what a size 8 should fit like .

After about 1/2 hour of light taps inside on the styrofoam interior , I gained about a 1/4 inch all the way around my head and guess what , it fits like a glove . You want it to stay slightly snug because it will form to your noggan eventually , but as you can see , it fits and I'm safe & sound as well as stylish this morning .

Horray me .

Eye candy for a rainy thursday morning in San Diego

This is coming up soon . . . a free knucklehead chopper ?!?!?

Well it isn't actually free , but you can buy a raffle ticket for $25 and win it . . . Shut the front door !

My new iPhone rules

It makes movies ! Awesome . . .

You know how a band will say " you know you made it when Weird Al does a parody of your song "

Well there are lots of ways you can measure how far you've come in life and whether or not you've made it .

This is the " Mike's Mister Potato Head " breakfast special at the Antique Row Cafe here in my hood . It's right down the street from the tattoo shop and I eat there almost every day .

I guess I've reached status when they name a breakfast special after you , and especially when it's something this good .

A 1 lb. baked potato , covered in melted american cheese , chopped up seasoned chicken , chives and last but not least , bacon . Top it off with a big blob of butter . It comes with soup or salad on the side with a serving of garlic bread , but you want to lose the soup / salad idea because it will fill you up and you wont be able to enjoy the nap inducing feast of the potato . . . I get an extra side of garlic bread and you're in caloric / cholesterol / heart attack heaven !

I might not be rich or famous , but I have this !

So you might remember that Davey's nocal po~po cruiser was down with some trouble in it's guts a few weeks ago . . .

Well after a few phone calls and a couple hectic weekends in the garage , a nice new Rev Tech 100 incher is calling the space between Davey's legs , home . It's a 4X4 motor ( 4 inch stroke and 4 inch bore ) and is supposed to be just about bullet proof . I guess there's new management or some shit going on up there with the Rev Tech crew , and the new motors coming out of the shop are solid and very nice .

That and the factory is 20 minutes away form Davey , makes this motor a good choice for him . strange noise ? Need a service call ? I'll be there in 10 minutes . . .

At a price better than having the broken motor rebuilt , he has a brand new / big inch / highway monster , ready to rock .

Good job Davey , nice work ! Can't wait to see you at Kutty's party .

$4000 , 2008 Buell Ulysses

I think it's about time to send the Buell down the road . It's a 2008 Ulysses with a Lightning instrument cluster / fairing , Renthal bars , relocated plate . . . mostly stock otherwise , super fast and a good running machine . It has a simple exhaust issue that could be fixed with some of the money you save at this price . I just ride it too fast and don't need that hassle in my scene currently . Take it too a good home . . . email me if anyone has any questions

maquee@cox.net

Artsy fartsy - self indulgence

Get out your hankies

This is my wife Amy . . . if you have been following this mess of a blog for any amount of time you've seen that she can not only ride a skateboard drunk , cook an amazing array of meals , but she is the mother of my son , & can sell skateboards to anyone in the world . She keeps a tidy house , and can put a 9mm round center mass ( if you're standing fairly still or moving around slowly ) . She rides on the back of an old Harley & drives a slammed 2003 F-150 pick up truck to work every day .

In the past she's owned a 1964 Fairlaine with a HO 302 , a 1957 Ford , a 1963 Galaxie and they were all daily drivers . She never complained once when we went to Paso Robles every year for the shitty old car party we used to attend in my long list of drafty chopped up old heaps . We've been to countless early morning swap meets and flea markets and spent never ending hours digging through rusty old car parts trying to find that one gem in the piles of junk .

She usually has 3 different bags of candy in her purse for if you're a good boy and wears a knife in her boot for just in case you're not . She makes crafty things for her friends and would rather stay at home with her crazy family and watch a cartoon alien movie for the 30th time than go out and party on the town . She lets me get a little drunk with my friends but will also let me know when I'm getting a little too drunk and reels me back in when I try to flip a pool table over because someone said some weird shit at the bar .

She likes that I wear Old Spice and can ride any kind of motorcycle ever made and lets me work in the garage for hours without bugging me . She knows when I need a cold drink and even knows when to make it extra strong . She knows when to speak her mind and wont back down , but she ( mostly ) knows when to shut the fuck up too .

I've had a good long run with Amy . She started out as a customer at the tattoo shop , then became a friend , then a friend with benefits , then a full time girlfriend and eventually ( after a few trials and tribulations ) my wife .

I've made some good decisions along the way & I feel pretty lucky to be where I am in my life right now so I'm sharing .

Caught this old timer parked outside our local diner

1924 Ford , tall "T" according to the owner who was almost that old himself . I love seeing old shit like this on the road tearing it up . When he drove off it sounded like a giant steam pressure cooker . Awesome .