I'm a paid test driver.......

Not sure if y'all been following along, but I have been having a ton of small issues with my motor assisted bicycle. The guy I bought my motor from couldn't have been nicer or more professional, he shipped me 2 different motors, both of which turned out to be duds.

After the 2nd motor developed problems, he sent me an experimental motor to try out-he liked my feedback so much......he's sending me another motor and an install kit for another bicycle.

All I have to do is record fuel mileage, try out some various carb jets and try some different oil weights. He also wants my feedback on how the motor performs compared to the first motor he sent me.

He is also sending a bunch of extra parts that affect the final drive ratio of the gearing that the motor provides, I get to try them all and give him feedback on how the different gear ratios make the bike perform.

I'm not his typical customer as most of his clients want to go as fast as possible, I like going at a nice steady pace and only let the motor help when I need it to. That's one of the reasons I think he selected me to help him.....I ain't gonna blow his motor up in a week :-)

All I can say is wow. About a week from now, a box of parts worth 600 bucks is gonna show up that I didn't pay a dime for and I get to keep.

Things are good.

till later.

Here's the reason........

Here's the reason all family members get charged when I work on their computers.

The only exceptions......my mom and my father-in-law.

I don't wanna be too harsh, but I didn't break your damn computer......you did.

After I fix it and it's working perfectly.......if it screws up again 2 weeks later-99% of the time...it's not my fault.

It's like having an electrician install a new power outlet and 6 months down the road the lamp that it's plugged into blows a light bulb....do you blame the electrician?

Some people shouldn't have computers.

till later.

Okay.............

.............so I'm a 52 year old white guy.

For some reason, I am really digging this song and video.

Go figure.

till later.

Back in business........

Well, it took almost all of my Sunday off.....but 150 dollars worth of new parts later-my motor assisted bicycle is now working again. I'll throw some pictures up next time I break out my camera so any of you that are curious can check it out.

It's now geared differently, so instead of going 40 mph....it now has a top speed just shy of 30 mph but it climbs hills way, way better. Since it hurts like a MF'er to put very much force into pedaling...having the extra assist will come in handy.

All that works for me, I was at the doctor last week and since March-I've lost 50 pounds, my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers have all returned to normal. I have another appointment in 60 days and I want to lose another 15 pounds to get to my goal weight of 199 pounds.

In less then one week...our daughter will have her Masters degree and also be a fully licensed Physician Assistant. That is good news, but even better news is that she already has a job with a fantastic starting salary and outstanding benefits.

I can't put into words how happy I am for her- in addition to all that.....she also has a new boyfriend. I haven't met him yet, but I think he's a keeper. I've never seen her smile so much in pictures....as long as she's happy-that's all that matters to me.

The only bad news we've had all week is that our neighbor pointed out to us that one of our large trees in our backyard is dead. The last time our tree surgeon was out, he told us that if one of the two large trees we have growing next to each other dies.....it's a good idea to cut both of them down as trees like to grow in pairs.

We are not sure if we are going to cut both down.....the one tree that is still alive is over 200 years old and provides a ton of shade............I kinda have a soft spot for trees.

till later.

Hey....its only money.

Looks like it's gonna be a 150 dollar fix for my bicycle. On the bright side.......I now have an extra engine and tons of spare parts in case something else breaks.

I can hardly believe it's already August, I just had my bi-monthly doctor vist (I am on some very strong pain killers, the doc wants to keep a close eye on everything) and so far.....I've lost a total of 50 pounds since March 1rst of this year.

My blood pressure is 100 over 60, my sugar was 140 and I forget what my cholesterol numbers where exactly, but they were smack dab in the middle of "normal", there is 2 or 3 different numbers- I forgot which one was what all that matters is that my doc was happy and pretty impressed I lost a shitload of weight.

I do feel tons better, my knees still bother the living shit out of me on some days. Sometimes I have good days and sometimes I have bad days....overall- I can't complain too much.

My wife and I got some really good news, our daughter got a fantastic job offer to be a P.A. in the Allentown/Bethlehem area in internal medicine. She has a fantastic starting salary and a really good vacation/benfits package. She worked her ass off for the past 5 years of school, she went full-time straight through the summers to get her Masters in 5 years.....she deserves everything she has coming her way.

My lovely wife and her are taking a really cool road trip after graduation, they are driving all over the upper midwest and Canada.

After she gets through the next 2 weeks of completely insane coursework and testing....it's all good.

Our son is banking a ton of money so far for school, he is having a really good time in his "gap year", he figures he will be able to save 12 to 14 grand this year. That isn't a ton of money, but it will be a good head start when he starts college in the fall of 2012.

Next post, I hope I will have my bike all put back together again and on the road spinning away......

till later.

Not again...........

I got 20 miles in on my bike before I had a catastrophic bearing failure in the bracket that supports the motor. I could be out 9 dollars for a new bearing or 150 dollars for a new bracket.

People have worse problems then me- so in the grand scheme of things-no biggie...it's only money.

Speaking about money......can't this government find a more efficient way to spend money that doesn't exist?

till later.