Rode the VTX to Kure Beach

As I write this I’m sitting on the back deck of Chrissy’s aunt’s beachhouse watching the waves roll in at Kure Beach. Okay, I got the gloating out of the way.

I rode the bike down here, and it’s the first time I’ve taken that long of a trip on the motorcycle. I’ve got to say it wasn’t bad at all. I took 401 South to Hwy 50, to Hwy 242, to Hwy 421 all the way into Carolina Beach, and then on to Kure Beach. My butt was pretty achy with only 2 stops between Raleigh and Kure Beach but it wasn’t too bad. With a better seat, if I didn’t need to stop for gas, I probably could make it all the way without stopping.

On the way I had a little scare on 421 however. I was following a flatbed truck hauling a diesel generator for quite a while until it’s right rear tire exploded and disintigrated in front of me. Luckily, I was following at a safe distance, so I was able to brake and then go around the truck when he puled of the road.

Anyway, I guess I’l get back to drinking my beer on the deck. Happy July 4th everyone!

Guitar One now Guitar Zero

I have a subscription to Guitar One magazine, and this month, instead of receiving this month’s Guitar One issue, I received a Guitar World issue. On the front page of the mag was a letter stating “We’re sorry to say that Guitar One has ceased publication…instead you’ll receive Guitar World.”

I’m now convinced that I am a jinx to guitar magazines. Back in “the day” (which was aTuesday by the way) there were pretty much 2 popular guitar magazines, “Guitar for the Practicing Musician” and “Guitar World.” I was an avid reader of “Guitar for the Practicing Musician.” It was a great Guitar magazine covering a plethora of guitar subjects. It also had a great variety of songs transcribed. Well, several years ago, that guitar magazine went out of publication so I didn’t have a guitar magazine to read. Then Guitar One came along, and had a similar format as GftPM. So, I subscibed to that. As you know from my title, that magazine is now gone as well.

It seems that Guitar World REALLY wants me to read it. It’s willing to slay its competitors (or in the case of Guitar One, its bretheren) to get me to read it. The problem is that Guitar World has always catered to the young testosterone filled guitar player, so their articles and ads are pretty much metal, metal, and more metal. The only story that sometimes doesn’t have the “shred” label attached to it is the cover story. (In this month’s issue, it’s the new Whitestripes album.) Since I’ve already paid for this subscription, I guess I’ll read Guitar World and hope they do some articles and guitar lessons that interest me. If not, I’ll just let the subscription expire and go it alone. Again.

Awesome Game

What’s better than using Brian to beat the hell out of Stewie?

http://www.addictingclips.com/Content.aspx?key=9B06A4A1CAD4EDC6>

Just Picked up a Nokia E62 – Wow.

I’ve been a Motorola guy for quite a while, and boy have I been missing out. After looking at some newer devices, I now realize that my first release Moto V3 Razr is slow, and the UI is lacking. My contract with Cingular expired in April, so with a 2 year contract renewal I was able to buy a refurbished Nokia E62 for $50. No refunds to deal with, it was 50 dollars. Period. It’s a Symbian Smartphone device with a full qwerty keayboard, a fully functional web browser, RSS reader, MP3 player, and the most important feature of all, it can sync with my MacBook over Bluetooth. The thing that really impresses me is the UI. It’s quite user friendly. The HTML browser is also impressive with the ability to zoom images in and out, and it’ll also show you a “thumbnail” of the webpage your viewing to make it easier to scroll to the section of the page you want to view. Oh, it’s also a 3G(UMTS) phone, so its download speeds are pretty fast. If you’re looking for an afforable Smartphone, I recommend you get your hands on one of these little gems.

High Fidelity and iMovie

I recorded a video of my band, High Fidelity at its last show at Chubby’s Lounge and have been editing the footage using iMovie. It’s been a while since I used iMovie (pre-iMovie HD) and I really dig it’s newest effects and features. So far, I’ve released 2 videos to YouTube. The first is us doing a cover of Cream’s version of “Crossroads”, and the other is us doing a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb.” With the latter I made it look like old 60’s film footage. It looks pretty cool. Check out the videos HERE.

Serenity Voted “Best Sci-Fi Movie Ever”

While I would not call Serenity the best sci-fi movie ever, I loved the film, and am glad that it got some recognition.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6517155.stm

If I had to pick the best sci-fi film of all time, it would have to be Forbidden Planet. That movie influenced so much future sci-fi that it deserves the “Best Ever” title.

Van Halen – RaRHoF, and Eddie

Well, Van Halen has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Eddie Van Halen has checked himself into rehab. When asked about a “full-blown” Van Halen reunion at the RaRHoF ceremony, Sammy stated (and I’m paraphrasing) that if Van Halen (meaning everyone in the band) would grow up, they could all get together and do a reunion tour right. He also stated that he hopes Eddie comes though okay. (Meaning, Eddie’s rehabilitation.)

Well, I hope Eddie get’s himself straight, and I hope that Van Halen “grows up.” I’d love to see a reunion tour “done right.” 😉