Taking It on the Chin

Before I get started with today's wisdom, I thought I'd throw this pic up here and tell you a bit about this bike.
This is the 2009 Suzuki DR-Z400SMK9 that I once owned.
It no longer belongs to me, but I bought it new in October of 2008, rode it for 6,400 fun-filled mikes, and sold it to a lucky fellow in October of 2009.
So that means...let's see...let me get my calendar out...I owned the bike for one year.
This is one of those motard bikes I told you about - basically a dirt bike with sportbike radial tires and a big, nasty front brake to haul you down from speed in a gnat's hair.
Do gnats have hair?
Are they blonde?
Or brunette?
Can anybody out there in Blogland tell me?
Anyway, It wasn't so rip-roarin' straight off the showroom floor, though.
Oh, no.
It was all choked down with EPA regulations, being a street-legal bike, so it was up to me and my wallet to straighten that out in a hurry.
And straighten that out I did.

What I added was:
*3" square hole in the top of the airbox to let in some real air.
*Keihin FCR39 carburetor.
*HotCams intake and exhaust camshafts.
*Cylinder Works 94mm (440cc) big bore kit.
*FMF Powerbomb head pipe and Q2 muffler.
*Michelin Pilot Power tires.
*MotoMaster 320mm motard race-spec front brake rotor.
*Brembo 4-piston cast radial-mount front brake caliper.
*Braided steel front brake line.
*Brembo 16x18 radial forged master cylinder with a trick little mechanical brake light switch from Yoyodyne in New Jersey.
Yes, you can still find the occasional useful thing in New Jersey. :)
*IMS 2.6 gallon plastic fuel tank - smaller and flatter than stock.

Those were the main mods, although there were a few other minor ones I can't recall right now.
After that money was spent, this bike was major fun to ride on twisty roads.
Good acceleration and good handling and a fierce front brake.
Need I say more? :)


I cut myself a good one on my chin while shaving, and the good ones take a while to finally clot up and stop bleeding.
I think I lost enough blood to make me feel a bit light-headed, and I hope that this won't get in the way of doing a good job at work, today.


Since my light-headed head made me cover my wound with my finger in the first pic, I took a second pic so you can see it in all it's shocking glory.
Razors can be quite sharp, in case nobody ever told you so.
Good thing I'm not a hemophiliac.
Look it up, people.
It's also a good thing I trimmed my nose hairs, huh?


Since my head was feeling light and airy, I didn't put too much effort into hauling the week's groceries home in the ol' Ranger.
I hope the milk doesn't end up tasting like wheat bread, you know?
My trusty Ranger is quite trusty, although it's not the fastest vehicle out there.
There's a word I've heard that describes slow vehicles, but I just can't remember what it is.
I think it reminds me of seafood. :)


Here we go: More meeting people that I work with.
This is Dan.
His last name is similar to a famous rock guitar player, and with a slick hairdoo like that, I'm going to have to ask him if he's related.
Dan's a great guy to have at our shop, although he does make a habit out of not eating breakfast at home before he comes to work, as you can plainly see in the pic.
Oh, no.
Dan would rather punch in on the time clock, and then go buy breakfast.
And then sit and eat it.
He's obviously very comfortable with doing this, seeing how he has such a happy-go-lucky and carefree smile on his face.
Luckily for him that he does such a marvelous job at what he does, or else the boss would get on his ass about this.
You know, that reminds me:
Just what does Dan do there? :)


Pop quizz!!!
Quick!
Post a comment and tell me what this is. :)


What we have here, people, is health food.
Good for your arteries.
I try to eat good food, but every so often while patrolling the local Big Y supermarket, this stuff will just leap into my cart, where I'll have no other choice but to bring it home.
Those sad, puppy dog eyes get me every time.


Here at jerk...I mean work...piled into a neat and highly organized ensemble is the day's delivery, hot off the UPS truck.
Immediately I'll start digging in, handling each and every item...I mean product...and sending it off to the rightful destination, be it on the customer special order shelf where it waits until the customer comes to claim it (after a hearty phone call telling him to get his butt down there and pick it up), down to the Service Dept. R.O. shelf, or out onto our own showroom for retail sale.
All of this activity has to be recorded into our computer inventory database, so a clear head is needed to perform.
Oooh, my chin.
During the day, lots of stuff goes on right here in a hurry, so stand the heck back.


Oh, look.
I just made a label.
This must mean that a product is destined for one of our neat and tidy showroom display areas.


After much ass busting and mouse clicking, this is what that once neat and tidy and mighty pile is reduced to.
Aaahh.
Nothing but clear and clean floor space.
Now I can go home with a clear conscience knowing that all of the work has been done and done well.
However, I wonder where all of those empty boxes and styrofoam peanuts and packing paper went off to...


Oh, yeah.
Here they are.
Sitting in an ungodly pile directly behind where I sit all day.
Guess I'm not quite done after all, huh?
See?
I told you I lost a lot of blood. :)

-John