If you do this......you're an asshole.

First time I've ever seen this......rolling coal. So help me God, if some redneck mouth-breather does this to me while I'm on my bicycle and I somehow manage to catch up to them at a light or something......I've got 16 ounces of bear spray fogger Velcroed to my handlebars and I'd be more then happy to return the favor.

Some people think they can do anything when they are behind the wheel of a vehicle......I'm not the most sedate driver, if the speed limit on the highway is 65 and traffic is light and the weather is good.....I'll hammer along at 80 mph or so.

On the other hand, if the weather is crappy and road conditions are poor, I'll be over in the right lane keeping plenty of space in front of me and my eyes focused down the road and in my mirrors. Too many distracted drivers on the highway follow each other way too close....that's how most accidents happen. Remove all the distance between cars and you've removed most of your reaction time.

Since I work in a shopping center, my favorite distracted driving is the soccer mom driving a 2 1/2 ton SUV she can barely see over the steering wheel of and shes talking on her cellphone, turned around  talking to her kids in the back seat and trying to drink her 6 dollar cup of coffee while backing out of a parking space.

A few years ago, I actually watched someone talking on a cell drive right into a light pole in our parking lot when I was going to work one night.....she was only going 10 or 15 mph, but she hit it dead center with her vehicle and set all the airbags off. Fortunately she was fine, but her van was totaled.....she wanted us to pay for the damages to her vehicle...not sure how her reasoning worked that one out.

I recently bought myself a new watch..........

It's one of those new Android Wear watches that does all kinds of shit. I've only had it for a day, but so far I like it.......more to follow.

I'm a nerd.

Till later.

Sometimes I'm a dick.

When I am at home, you're not going to find a more laid back easy going individual......when I'm at work-I'm very focused.

Having said that, I have some pretty awesome folks that I work with that make my job easy. Between all 3 of my cake decorators- there is almost 75 years of experience. Between myself and my asst manager, we have almost 75 years of experience combined. I have a retired dept manager as my head clerk.....I have some talented folks working with me.

.....and I have one or two people that .....how shall we say.....they are works in progress. Our company doesn't have "problems"- we have "opportunities", so I have a couple of walking talking "opportunities" that I deal with on a day to day basis.

I've read that how you handle problems (or "opportunities" if you work for my company)  define what kind of manager you are- I've got some room for improvement, because looking someone in the eye and telling them to pull their head out of their ass probably isn't the most positive thing I can say to someone who shows up to work 3 1/2 hours late, but it gets my point across.

Sometimes I just can't help it.......I'm a dick.

Till later.

So it's been a few years........

Where do I start? I think the last time I did an entry to this blog I was an overnight baker at the same supermarket chain I've been at since 1976.

After our son graduated from high school 3 years ago....I decided I wanted to get off of night-work and back into management. I was a bakery manager before our kids (now ages 20 and 26) started grade school.

I applied for an asst. bakery mgr position at another store- I aced out 6 or 7 other candidates and got the job.

Unfortunately, I got the opportunity to work for the companies worst bakery manager.

Let's just say I learned how to work with a manic-depressive woman going through menopause for about 18 months until a manager position opened up and I've been a bakery manager for the past year or so.

Retail management ain't for everyone........sometimes you have to be nice to someone when you really would like to be not be nice to them-and there is always the ever present stress to turn a certain percentage of profit.

Anyways......lots of stuff I plan to write about.

 If you were a past reader of this blog, some of the stuff I write about could possibly piss you off.......too bad-it's my blog :-)

Later.

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.

First time...........

Today was the first time I ever headed out for a ride when the heat index was over 100. Wasn't a very long ride (about 90 minutes) and I was very happy I didn't have any mechanical issues.

till later.

I am in charge...........

My boss is taking a well deserved vacation this week and I am in charge. It's been awhile since I've actually had the chance to run a bakery.

I was stuck on 3rd shift for 18 years, it was just me and the donuts.

So far, I have managed to not burn down the bakery or screw anything up....I still have 3 more days yet, so anything could happen. I kinda doubt anything bad will happen, everyone in our bakery pretty much knows their shit......I'd have to be a moron to have dumb things happen.

Been having tons of issues with my bike, first the clutch broke a spring and locked up. I didn't stress too much as this point as I have a backup motor.

Unfortunately, my back up motor wouldn't start. After that it was a comedy of errors between me and the vendor I bought my equipment from. After everything got figured out, the guy who built my motor is sending me a free motor for me to beta test.

Yay for me....somehow I started with one motor and after it's all said and done- I will have 3 brand new motors. I'm not exactly sure how that happened but I ain't complaining.

If you are new to my blog.....I am not talking about a motorcycle-I have a motor assisted bicycle.

Unfortunately, I have fairly bad arthritis in both knees and the motor isn't really a luxury, if I want to ride my bike....it's a necessity for me to bolt on a motor if I want to ride.

To be honest....I'd prefer to just be able to ride with a motor buzzing away behind me as I really like the peace and quiet of a good bike ride, but sometimes...ya gotta do what ya gotta do :-)

till later.

Nice to be back...........

After 2 weeks off the bike due to mechanical problems......it was nice to get out for a ride Sunday afternoon.

I'm not sure how the *real* cyclists cope with this weather.

All I was doing was making the pedals go around so it improves my range of motion and I was sweating like a stuck pig.

I can't really put any force into my pedal stroke because it hurts like a MF'er.

My lovely wife says it's good for my arthritis to get as much exercise as possible flexing both knees through a full range of motion and cycling is the perfect thing as I can use them and not have to put any pressure on them......the 4.4 horsepower motor I have mounted on the rear tire does all the work.

I know the hot weather makes peoples tempers flare, so I have been sticking to wide roads with large shoulders and mostly empty back roads.....I don't want to end up on this map.

I did about 50 miles today, rode over to Lancaster and back.....sounds like a pretty healthy sized ride, but you have to take into account that my average speed is probably close to 25 mph for most of the ride. The bike is probably capable of 40 mph, but 25 mph is quite fast enough thankyouverymuch.

I did have one small problem that I think is heat related, the centrifugal clutch on my bike got really hot on the last climb and got stuck in the fully engaged position...which meant that every time I came to a stop the motor would die......solution?

I didn't stop very much.

till later.

New motor........

Yeah, I know most folks with bicycles don't usually have a 4.4 horsepower motor mounted to the rear wheel.......

....but I'm different.

With this bad boy installed-it will hit 30 mph on flat ground-no sweat.

I used to be able to ride at 20-22 mph on flat ground with just human power-it's just nice knowing I have my little helper mounted over the rear tire ready to help out when my knee pain gets too bad.

Put the damn fork down.

Seems like we are getting hammered with a nasty heat wave here on the East coast.

While it's warm working in a bakery....you have to consider the fact that the bakery I work in is located in an air conditioned store......things could be much worse.

I've noticed that since I've lost weight.....I don't seem to mind it nearly as much as I used to. Some of our customers however.....lets just say that some of them wouldn't die if they skipped a meal or four.

We had a customer this week that was a very large framed woman, okay, lets be blunt and call it like it is-she was morbidly obese, probably in the area of 450-500 pounds. She was heavy enough that her ass was hanging off of both sides of the seat of her motorized mobility cart.

I'd say more ass was hanging off the side then was actually on the seat-you get the point, she was a big woman.

The part that gets my goat-she called me over the the front of the donut case so I could pick her out 2 dozen donuts.

2 motherfucking dozen donuts?

By the looks of all the other junk food she had and the half-dozen 6 packs of regular soda hanging off the sides of her cart-she isn't really watching what she eats.

When people like this claim that they are disabled and should be able to claim government assistance....that pisses me off.

Put the damn fork down.

till later.

So....where the hell was I for the last 8 months?

Let's back up to Thanksgiving week of last year.

After my dad passed away unexpectedly 3 days before Thanksgiving, I mostly lost the desire to write this anything on this blog or pretty much anything else for that matter....so that explains that.

In February of this year, a day shift job (asst bakery manager) opened up at another store and I applied for it and lo and behold- 18 years of night shift came to a close. I chose to work night shift so there was always a parent home in the morning for our kids while they went to school and since our son was a senior at the time- I thought it was a good time to have a normal life again.

With my dad's passing, I was able to use my parent's 2nd car to commute back and forth to work...so everything worked out ducky.

After so many years of working 6 nights a week and never really having a full day off ever....moving to first shift and being able to have an entire day off from sunup to sundown is like having a mini vacation every week.

I work at a smaller store and while it has had it's challenges, overall- I'm glad I made the move. There is a lot of work stuff I can't go into here on this blog, all I can say is that I am working towards getting my own dept to manage....the sooner I make that move-the better for me and my mental health.

One of the benefits of having a normal schedule is that I have lost a shitload of weight, as I write this-I have lost a total of 46 pounds and I need to lose another 19 pounds to reach my goal weight of 199 pounds.

Next time-who knows what I will blather on about.....I used to touch on quite a bit of politics on my blog, to be honest- I have lost hope of any thing good ever coming out of Washington, so I probably won't be discussing that subject much....it just pisses me off too much.

Maybe I'll write about how senior citizens and fat people that ride around in fat carts piss me off....who knows?

till later.

Gots me a new motor........

As many of you may know (or not) I used to ride my bikes quite a bit before I developed some fairly serious arthritis in both knees.

Here is a pic of my current ride.....notice anything unusual? Yup, my bike has a motor. Since I took this pic, the original motor I had on the bike was ruined by the 10% ethanol gasoline that is now sold.

Solution?

Buy another motor.....and use this stuff.

Problem was that the motor I bought lasted about 2 weeks before one of the head studs pulled out and it ceased running. Since the place I bought the motor from has very good customer service- they are shipping me a new improved version of what I previously bought and they are throwing in a new high performance carb.

From my past experience, this means I will be able to cruise along at 25 mph all day long with enough power in reserve to get up some of the steep hills we have around here. I carry enough fuel with me to go about 120 miles without stopping.

So, at some point in the next week or so, I'll have my bike back up and running and hopefully blogging and taking some pictures of where I travel. Having the motor on my bike gives me back my ability to get out and smell the flowers....so if you see me out there putting along and not pedaling....I'm not lazy- it just hurts.

I'm back........

Okay.....so I took a few months off from blogging. Quite frankly, I was burnt out, I pretty much lost interest last year after my father's passing in November.

That and the fact that I have mostly lost the abilility to ride a bike due to some fairly serious knee pain....I just sorta stopped writing.

I am gonna give this another shot and we'll see where it ends up.

I'm an artist...........

Do I make donuts for a living?

Nope.....I make art.

till later.

Sold......

I sold some of my dad's old camera equipment to a fellow bike blogger and friend Ed, who writes the Cycledog blog out of Oklahoma.

Much like myself, he and his family are on a tight budget.....I told him he can pay me whenever he has some extra funds laying around. A month, 2 months 4 months....whenever, I truly don't care.

Sometimes it ain't about the money, I'm more happy that I found a good home with a friend for my pop's equipment and Ed will get lots of use out of it.

Also, I have to say that I'll miss my Aunt Betty, she has been staying with my mom for the past two weeks.

It almost goes without saying it, but I love her just as much as I love my own mom. She's dealing with the loss of her own son (my cousin David) who recently passed away.....Aunt Betty is a rock and we're gonna miss her.

till later.

Selling a camera..........

I know a couple of the folks that read my blog are also photographers.......my dad was also into photography and we are selling some of his equipment as we have no use for it.

Selling a Nikon N6006 with a 35mm to 70mm Nikon lens and also a Nikon EM with a 50mm lens...also includes a padded carrying case that holds both cameras.

The N6006 is in brand new condition and the EM is in good condition. I've been on eBay and the prices for both camera are all over the place.

Not looking to make a killing here, I'd rather sell it to someone I know for a reasonable offer. If you're interested, make me an offer (you'll have to pay for shipping).

You can contact me here on my blog or email me at george.mcnallyatgmail.com