Biketoberfest

Mostly, Blake and I like the old ones

Anyone who knows me does not automatically equate Jeeana with Biker Chick.

I don't wear a lot of leather, no tattoos (not even a heart with MOM), and people are not, generally speaking, afraid of me on sight.  Go figure.

Nevertheless, last Friday Blake and I went to Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach.

I "hem" and "haw" over many decisions.  This was absolutely no exception.

Four hours round-trip sitting on a hard lump, legs and feet locked into one position, back aching from the awkward riding position.  Blake's Thruxton is notoriously passenger-unfriendly, but when was I going to get another chance to see something as interesting as this?  Plus, childish as it was, Blake was going, so I wanted to go.

We rode down in a group, command ride, mostly with people we don't know, but one guy Blake sort of knows who is a class(?) behind him.  This guy's got his 8th kid on the way. I'll give you a minute to process that................. ................. ....................... done?

.:. side story.:.
My mother-in-law, Dana, is not impressed because she is part of a gigantic family herself. Seriously.  She's one of nine kids.  Wait, is it ten?  It's a lot.  The first time I met her side of the family, it was for a holiday party.  A few days before I went to the doctor's office and found out I had some kind of protein buildup on my eyeball from sand or something in my contact.
Doctor:  You have to put drops in your eye twice a day.
Me: Okay.
Doctor: You have to wear an eyepatch.
Me: ........  I'm meeting my broyfriend's entire family in three days.
Doctor:  Oh.
Me: Yeah.
Doctor:  You don't have to wear it.
So that's the story of how I almost had a lifetime of three hundred people calling me "matey" and asking me where my parrot was.  Crisis averted.
Okay, moving on.
.:.

Bikes!

Love the old school lettering

Prices in at over $37,000 dollars.  Whoa.

This raced at Bonneville.  Awesome!

Japanese.  Notice the intake is a pagoda.

Corrupted Triumph.  One of the few non-Harleys on the beach.

The command ride was really cool.  I'd never ridden in a group before.  There were six or seven bikes, all different types, so not only did we look cool, but we were safe.

We split up at the beach because Blake and I wanted to go to the triumph dealership right away and no one else really did (Harleys and crotch rockets).

The dealership also sold BMWs and Ducatis, but the Triumphs were where it was at for us!  They had a whole demo area set up with all the different Triumph models.  Including Blake's first bike, which he had for like, two weeks because it caused issues, and looked like death on two wheels... the Street Triple.  Bright, neon green, just like Blake's was.  Even Blake admits it wasn't the right bike for him.  Too sporty, too much power, too much temptation to do unnecessary speeds.

After we exhausted every inch of that dealership, we did a lot of walking.

Bike stores everywhere.  Custom shops, Harley, Indian, and a great little Mexican place where we got an awesome lunch for like, ten bucks total. 

Then we went over to the beach side.  More walking.  They'd actually shut down streets on Daytona Beach.  Bikes were parked in long, shiny rows up and down every street.  There were a lot of stock-looking Harleys, but Blake and I wandered up and down every street because once in awhile, you'd find something really interesting just sitting around.

Also, there were a lot of trikes.  Here's an example: Lehman Trikes. Basically, a cruiser bike with three wheels.  Some are built up like cars and have actual car engines in them (sometimes hybrid) and have actual doors and trunks.

Okay, not that we've got the Bike part of Biketoberfest explored.  Can we discuss the People of Biketoberfest?

I didn't expect to go there, stand in the middle of the street, take a deep breath and decide "these.... these are my people."  I expected to be surprised.  I was.

Let's talk about the very mature woman, skinny as a twig, wearing a black bodysuit that had slits cut up an down the entire side, the entire front and the entire back.  While this woman obviously had serious balls, she did not have underwear... or actual balls for that matter because she would have been arrested for flashing hundreds of people.  Maybe she should have saved that little number for later.  It looked like that crowd was going to get rowdy later on.

I was exhausted by 3 o'clock.  All the walking.  All the heat.  The exhaust fumes.  We made one last trek up and down the main street so Blake and I could get winged triumph patches sewn on our jackets (right where Blake's aviator wings go).  Then, we set out on the ride back.

My butt was killing me the whole day.  It was better we didn't have to sit down because I would've needed one of those doughnuts they give people with hemorrhoids. 

About a half hour into the trip, my eyelids got heavy.  I tried to focus on anything and everything, but it was tough.  The next thing I knew, Blake's elbow nudged my arm and he said, "are you asleep back there?"

I was.

I was asleep on the back of a motorcycle.  It's a good thing Blake's not a show-off or he would have accelerated me right off the back.

We pulled into a gas station and after Blake was done laughing at me, we had a snack and I felt much better.

We were ready to pull out and Blake noticed gas GUSHING out of car whose gas pump nozzle had been left unattended.  Seriously people, those signs don't lie.  Watch out.  That woman had at least twenty bucks of gas all over her car and draining into the gutter.  She ran out of the gas station and Blake was going to put it back in the holder, but the lady thanked him and said she could do it.  Blake was wearing heavy steel-toed boots.  That woman was wearing those sandals that make you feel like you're bare-footed. Hope she likes the smell of gasoline.    I do.

I'm happy to report I stayed awake the whole ride home and we arrived safe and sound back home just before dark, tired, but happy.  My butt, back and legs hurt for two days.  Yes, I complained about it, but I did it with a smile.

Happy *insert occassion here*

Turned 23 on Saturday. First birthday out of N.Y. (except for the teensy-tiny exception of my birth in S. Korea).

Blake and I went to the movies on Friday and saw "Observe and Report." Before seeing it, I read some reviews. They were not kind. I won't get into details, but it had its low (very low) points and its high (very high) points. So, it was disgusting, disturbing and inappropriately hilarious. It takes the award for "random funny." Seriously. Lots of things you just don't see coming.

Anyway, Saturday I made myself a cake (devil's food with cream cheese chocolate icing) and for dinner, Blake grilled a steak to perfection. It was a great night... until I got sick. Spent the last hour or so of my birthday seriously ill. Oh well. I was okay when I woke up for Easter.

What did we do for the big event? Well... I took an allergy pill, made fried chicken, passed out from said-allergy pill and then we watched a movie. The last half of dinner up until the movie-watching is blackout. Happy Easter. Thanks, Benadryl.

I like it.

Today was made good by one thing... the library. I have a deep, abiding love for public libraries. Some of my first memories are of story time back home, before kindergarten. The books. The painting. The pasta necklaces. All good memories.

I love walking the shelves, no particular book or author in mind, just reading titles and jackets. It can be a bit daunting in fiction, but in non-fiction, it's just... nice. I picked up a couple of WWII books today along with my usual assortment of fiction. I've learned the hard way that when it comes to checking out history books, best not to mix your wars. One at a time.

Also, I got groceries sans husband. He stayed home to study (thanks, Primary).

The rest of my day? Video games. Books. Finishing Airline. Have you seen it? Airline was a series that aired for one season on A&E. FASCINATING. I'm not a frequent flier, but seeing as how I married a military guy, I will be intimately acquainted with airlines through the years. This show dealt with Southwest and let me tell you, there is some serious crazy running around in airports across tthe nation. Yes, there is your normal array of unreasonably disgruntled customers who take out their frustration on the wrong people, but there is also a guy in a tiger costume, a guy in a velour mini-skirt who goes commando, a woman separated from her life-saving medication, an irate and curse-spewing grandma, lots of drunk people and a wedding dress with tire marks down its front. Yikes. The narration is boring, but the meat of the show is extremely interesting.

Unlike most reality TV shows, it's kind of informational. You get to see how an airline works. More importantly, though, I hope those crazy-angry customers see themselves on TV and realize how dumb they look.

The Tops

I love video games. I always have, from the time my sister first handed me the controller and let me take charge of Mario the Plumber.... those mushrooms and duck shells were awesome. Not having money to throw around when I was little, my experience with gaming was little to none... until I started dating my husband. He introduced me to the finer points of Microsoft's monster machine and I was hooked.

Here are my all-time-favorite games:

Halo (pick one): The reason I love this game? Pure nostalgia. It was the first game I truly cared about, talked about, knew the specs about. Master Chief is one of the greatest characters in video game history. My husband still beats me just about every time, on any map, but it's fun anyway.
A great memory? My college roommate Alyse and I, sitting for hours on the couch, playing co-op Halo and singing Elton John/Tim Rice's "Aida" soundtrack at the top of our lungs.

Elder Scolls (pick one): It's just so damn epic! Especially with the latest installment, Oblivion, the power to just walk or swim anywhere is unbelievably awesome. The map is gigantic and it truly is a world of its own. One of those games where you pick up the controller in the morning and then, you blink a few times and realize that it's 10:00 at night.
A great memory? Morrowind is the first game I ever played on Xbox. I was utterly fascinated at the "life" Blake had fashioned for his main character, the houses, the friends, it was unreal.

COD (pick one): I *heart* this franchise. It's one of the pinnacles of first person shooters. I now know weaponry of WWII from these games. And don't even get me started on COD4: Modern Warfare! I almost wet myself the first time I played that. Just kidding. It was exciting, though.
A great memory? "Death From Above" where you're manning the AC-130 ... aaammmmaaazing. That is one of my favorite video game missions ever!

Bioshock: Not only were the mechanics wonderful, but the city of Rapture in all its faded, creepy, art-deco glory was breathtaking... and did I mention creepy? It was truly a new concept, which is something that's hard to come by nowadays in gaming.
A great memory? Well, not so great memory. I know Bioshock isn't a horror game, but my nerves would be absolutely frayed after I played because the Big Daddies and Splicers freaked me out.

Fable 2: The first Fable was the very definition of "orgasmic letdown." The second one? Made up for it in freakin' spades!!!! I mean, come on, that pet dog was adorable. The way your character's physical appearance matched whether you did good or evil? I loved it.

Runners Up:
Assassin's Creed: SO innovative. Can't wait to see more.
GTA 4: Loved the story-line, but could do without the b*tches and ho's mentality
Mass Effect: Kind of weak in a few points, but a really awesome indication of where RPG's are going. The amount of side-quests and planets to discover is stunning.
Guitar Hero (pick one): mind-numbing, finger-numbing fun
Duck Hunt: To think, that little plastic red gun and pixelated ducks used to be classified as "video game violence"

A Guest!... or show a civi to work day (sort of)

So, as previously mentioned, Blake's cousin is coming down to visit. Very fun guy. We've had to reschedule his trip twice because of... well... what else? The Navy. Anyway, he's coming tomorrow, and the Navy can't stop him.

As part of the military, there are SO many opportunities. Lots of free or cheap things to do to entertain out-of-towners. True, every day won't be Mardi Gras, but we've got some fun things lined up.

As with Blake's sister's visit, we have a list of awesome, free things to do. Luckily, it's nice weather out and warm enough to visit the beaches on base. I could spend entire days lounging in the sand. Of course, the Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola is not to be missed. I mean, it's fascinating and 100% free! Also, the Blue Angels are once again practicing. On certain mornings, free of charge, you can sit in the bleachers and watch. There's also an autograph session after.

As for things we'll have to pay for, we're going canoeing at NAS Whiting Field, courtesy of the MWR over there. There's a small fee for that, but it's less than renting from other companies along the Blackwater river.

Pensacola beach, which is $1 (to get across the bridge). I'd never even seen a picture of it before we moved here. I'd heard the sand was white, but I never expected it to be so pristine and the water is the most beautiful, tropical blue color.

The annual Elberta German Sausage Festival is free to attend, but they charge for food. It's kind of like a town fair. It will also allow my husband and his cousin a few day's worth of sausage-related humor. As you can imagine, that is the part I'm most looking forward to....

It's nice to have company, just another person to chill out with, sit on the sun porch and have a beer.

Keeping Busy

Best laid plans and all that... I intended to do so much today. Blake's cousin is visiting us this week and though he probably doesn't care if the apartment is spotless (he's a man), I care. Instead of cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, I laid on the couch all day reading books... and sniffling... and being miserable. That's just the way it goes sometimes. You have everything all planned out and the universe points it little finger BAM! oh well.

On the up side, Blake brought me soup and water and blankies all day.

Tomorrow, though, I'm cleaning this place. Sick or not.

I usually clean on Saturdays, but yesterday we were busy buying the TV of our dreams. Forty-two inches of LCD heaven and a beautiful new TV-stand. *sigh* I do love technology. It's a lesson in patience, though, as our Xbox 360 is on its way back from the xbox hospital. We have this beautiful new TV and no way to watch or play anything on it. Oh well. The 360 comes back Tuesday. We get COD World at War tomorrow... and in a few weeks we're buying a PS3 so we can watch Blu-Ray, stream TV and movies and well... endless possibilities.

When it comes to cooking, decorating and just about anything other than technology, my frugal side always wins. When it comes to gadgets, my husband has an easy time talking me into things. We won't be spending our entire refund, but we'll definitely be unloading a good portion of it. Plus we've got some money coming from our move to Pensacola.

In other news, Blake starts Primary on the 30th. We thought he would have at least a few weeks off, but with the new push to hurry people through flight school, everything's on a faster track. The pool of students waiting around, getting paid only to muster in the morning was getting ridiculously large.

So, this week is kind of his last hurrah before six months of work-hard, work-hard. Luckily, his cousin is coming down so Blake can make the most of his free week.

Ah, Sunday

Another blissfully uneventful day in Pensacola, FL. What did I do all day? I can't say for sure... I know I watched "Sex and the City," and therefore, saw Cynthia Nixon's baby pillows. I watched "Up Close and Personal" yet again, though I don't know why I do that to myself. If you haven't seen it, please don't, because you will cry your freaking eyes out (like I do). Blake was very concerned when he saw I was almost sobbing by my computer. No, no, honey, don't worry, it's just Michelle Pfieffer and Robert Redford.

Blake and I made pizza dough last night. I couldn't for the life of me find pre-made pizza dough in the commissary or Wal-Mart (seriously, what gives, Florida?). So, I got home and decided to make a yeast-less crust. I'll admit, I was kind of grumpy. I blame PMS. Blake was tolerating it with wonderful patience.

So, I wrote down the recipe and we went to the kitchen and I wasn't really paying attention because, you know, I had to nurse the thundercloud over my head (not nurse like... nurse... but... whatever, you know what I mean). So I put in a tablespoon and a half of baking soda. Blake said, "how much baking soda?" and I said, "a tablespoon and a half" and he said, "oh." Into the oven it went. WOW. Have you ever tasted something with too much baking soda in it?

worst . taste . ever

So, I took the toppings off it and put it on top of tortilla chips. It was pretty good, but I felt bad for screwing things up. Blake told me he probably wouldn't have liked it anyway because he doesn't like "bready" pizzas. For some reason, it only made me feel worse that I screwed up something he wouldn't have liked. The mind is so perverse.

Today, Blake said, "if you were a pizza, what would you be? I would be a thin crust, white pizza and you would be... oh what do they call it? A personal pan."

Rainy, but Beautiful

or... Because of Winn-Dixie, not the dog, not the book, but the grocery store

Wonderful day today. It started with the mood-brightening sleeping in. True, it was only until 9:00, but it felt good.

Next, lunch at Quizno's. For those of you who don't know, they recently did the Million Sub Giveaway. Basically, if you didn't register for it within the first four or five days, you missed out. A free small sub. So, Blake and I headed down to our local shop and got our free subs, which were extremely tasty. May I just say that Quizno's is a million times better than Subway? Their food quality if so much better.

Then, I went to the library, which is one of my favorite things ever. The one closest to me is a branch library on the Pensacola Junior College campus. It's not very large, but books are books! I spent an hour in there, just perusing the shelves. It was great... and I got seven books out. They do four weeks, which is just plain awesome.

Then, I went to Wal-Mart for Blake and then, to Winn-Dixie.

I'm from New York State. We do not have Winn-Dixie grocery stores. Our best stores are Wegman's... and what stores they are. *sigh* I do love Wegman's and I miss them terribly, truth be told. Well, today I did my first serious shopping at Winn-Dixie and I am very impressed. The prices, the food, not that much different from Shaw's or Publix (which we also don't have in the north), but the deals! The deals were absolutely astronomically, orgasmically, beautifully beautiful.

Their buy one, get one deals were the best I have ever seen. I got eight jars of Classico pasta sauce , two packages of pork chops, two packages of chicken thighs, two bundles of broccolli, two bags of tilapia, pasta on sale, cheap tuna, sale milk, and cheap Parm-Romano cheese.

I saved $35 with all my sale items. I was in heaven.

To round out the day, last night, Blake and I made chocolate-chip-oatmeal-raisin-cookies. I found a recipe that is hands down, the best cookie recipe I've ever found. Yes, like all other recipes, it could use a little tweaking of amounts, but they're tasty. They also look like a picture in a book, like those expensive cookies they charge you four bucks a pop for at Starbucks.

Now, I'm going to play video games until I make myself motion sick (approx. 30 mins) and then read. Yes, I am having a very good day indeed

p.s.
This motion-sickness thing is creepy. I used to be very, very sensitive to first-person video games when I first started playing, though I've never been sick on anything but a roller coaster in my life. After awhile, my body learned to deal with the video game movements. Then, I received Quantum of Solace and man, it's like being a noob again... thirty minutes tops.