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My 2 Cents Worth

There is a column in the Des Moines Register called 2 Cents Worth. There have been a lot of people calling in and complaining about loud pipes. Well my 2 Cents Worth on that is loud pipes save lives. Thank god for the sound of the pipes because most people don't even think about looking in their mirrors or checking to see if a motorcycle is possibly riding in their blind spot.

She's a Beauty!

What an awesome looking ride! 2001 Heritage Softail - If you are interested in buying this motorcycle go to Zook's HD in Des Moines, IA. Just traded it in on a 2006 Street Glide.

I totally love this bike! Sweet Ass Bobber built by Radical Cycles Des Moines, IA 

Tragedy on Saylorville Dam

The other night at 1 am, two young adults lost their lives in a motorcycle accident by the Saylorville Dam. Witnesses say that the couple was traveling along at around 100 mph when they lost control and hit the guard rail. So very sad because I'm sure the gentleman's female passenger was in heaven riding with a good-looking motorcycle guy before tragedy showed it's evil head.

The thing that bothers me most is all the talk that helmets would have saved their lives. Get real people, they were traveling at approx 100 mph. That means when they hit the guard rail their bodies were still traveling at 100 mph. They were thrown onto the rocks above the dam. I seriously doubt a helmet would have saved them. Their internal injuries would have most likely killed them even if a helmet would have been worn.

I don't feel because of the wrong judgment of this motorcycle rider that a helmet law should be passed, it should always be the rider's choice. And the rider's actions were to blame in this tragedy, not the fact that a helmet was not worn. I do feel that every motorcycle rider getting their license in Iowa should be required to take a Motorcycle Safety Course. Automobile drivers have to, so why should motorcycles be any different? I took the Rider's Edge course and there are other courses given throughout the state that are just as good, including the classes at DMACC and the ones given by ABATE of Iowa. I learned so many things from this class. I thought, heck motorcycle riding will be a snap...how wrong I was. By taking the class it made me so much more aware of how serious you need to take controlling your motorcycle while still having an amazing time.

I am saddened by the loss of these two young adults and by all of the other motorcycle related deaths in Iowa this year. It makes my heart sink when I hear another fellow motorcycle rider has lost his or her life.

Enjoy the freedom of the ride...just remember your not in a cage and the only thing protecting you from harm is yourself.

Ashton & Demi in Des Moines???

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore were in Des Moines at Aura. It doesn't sound like Demi was very nice to the friendly Des Moinesians who requested pictures of the couple. And then Ashton couldn't get a helicopter to fly in and pick them up. Come on Ashton...you grew up in freaking Homestead, IA...come back down to earth would ya? Hopefully Demi doesn't eventually dump her boy toy or Ashton might end up back in Homestead reminiscing about the days when he was famous. Don't forget where you came from Kutcher.

She has the best Job ever!!

Natalie Jackson of Motorcycle Freedom probably has the best gig on the planet. She gets to ride amazing motorcycles and gets to meet amazing biker people. I just watched a free MagRack show that she hosted about the Ventura Chopper show in honor of David Mann. She got to see Mann's incredible biker art and she interviewed up and coming chopper builders. She even got to interview bad boy Russell Mitchell of Exile Cycles. Lucky her!! Hats off to Natalie Jackson, one happening biker chick!

Burt Reynolds

You know...Life was so much simpler way back when Burt Reynolds was a hunk. :)~

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was an excellent flick. A total must see chick flick! It was refreshing to watch and made me cry in all the right places. Guys beware...I'm sure it will make you yawn but it would also be the perfect opportunity to snuggle close with your female loved one and comfort her when she cries during the touching scenes. :)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants gets 5 stars!

Pink - No More Stupid Girls!

I would like to give a big round of applause to Pink! Her song "Stupid Girls" rocks and I think it let's the world know how a lot of girls and women in America feel. Women are so much more than just looks. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy looking good but I also want to be recognized for my brain.

Melinda & Candace

I had the most enjoyable night last Wednesday. My friend Melinda and I went out for dinner at the Court Ave Brewing Co. and then went to the Civic Center to hear Candace Bushnell speak. Melinda is a great woman and someone I really look up to and Candace Bushnell wrote my favorite HBO Series of all time, Sex and the City. It was a wonderful night. What cracked me up the most though was the amount of people that must have been offended about what Ms. Bushnell was talking about, because they got up and left the speech. I think it's a great idea to either go to something like that with an open mind or to do a little studying up on the speaker you are going to listen to. She wasn't even that raunchy but I keep forgetting we are in conservative middle America. Plus if you have never seen the Series Sex and the City you really wouldn't know what she was talking about 1/2 the time so why waste your time. ha! She said one thing that the character Carrie Bradshaw said in the Series....You really need to take good care of your relationships with your girlfriends because they are people you can almost always count on but men in your life will come and go. It's too bad that you don't learn that when you are a teenage girl and boy crazy. I don't know how many times I brushed my friends aside for some stupid boy who dumped me a few weeks later. I would go crawling back to my friends who I'd abandoned, they'd take me back but after a few more times of doing this they kind of wrote me off. I don't blame them one bit though. I think I have the best friends that I've ever had at this point in my life. My friend Michelle from work is a great friend and I cherish my friendships with the gals in Art Group. Anyway...back to Candace Bushnell, I really enjoyed her talk. It was great to see her and hear what she was really like. She's definitely a New Yorker. The best part of the night though was the fact that Melinda shared her extra ticket with me and that we had a really nice conversation at dinner.

Rob Zombie

Saw Rob Zombie at the Val Air Ballroom on April 13th. I'd have to say it was probably the best concert I've seen. I would have loved to have gotten closer to the stage to see Rob but I would probably be deaf. I haven't rocked like I did that night since my hair band loving days of the 80's. I was headbanging with the best of them. I had a great time. Thanks for a great show Rob Zombie. Now you just need to come back to Des Moines and play a much larger venue like Wells Fargo Arena!! It sure did rock though.

Crotch Rockets

I just don't get young guys on crotch rockets. Tonight I was driving to art group and there were two young guys on crotch rockets behind me. The one kid kept popping wheelies right down the city street. For one thing where the hell is a cop when they do these stupid stunts. I've seen them going down I 80 popping them. Insane!! I guess it's their life that they are putting at risk but it just pisses me off. Riding a motorcycle is not something to take lightly. It can be a deadly machine, even more deadly than a car. One wrong move and splat...you can be eating the pavement. I seriously think that young guys on crotch rockets think that nothing can happen to them. Well big mouth me, as I drove by them, rolled down my window...slowed up and said...For god sake Ride Safe! I'm sure they called me a bitch and probably some other fun words but seriously I don't care. Optimistic me hopes that they thought about it and it may have saved their lives tonight as they cruised Des Moines on their bikes. I try not to be a hater of this sub culture of motorcyclists but they are seriously so much different than Harley Riders. I'd be lying if I said that Riding your bike like you stole it isn't fun but I think riders of motorcycles other than crotch rockets use their heads more often than the crotch rocket riders out there. Ok...I'm done venting. Enjoy the Freedom of the ride and Ride Safe!

From Crash to Romantic

I watched the movie Crash the other night. Amazing film about racism in the United States. If it wasn't for the brief nudity I think it should actually be shown to junior high or high school students. And so what about the brief nudity...have you seen the music videos lately. Just show it. There is such a strong message in the film and it was incredible how so many of the characters lives crossed paths. You never know when your enemy may be the one that saves you, so you should treat everyone you meet with respect. If you haven't watched this movie, even if you are the most racist person on the planet, it's a must see! RENT IT and open your mind!

On a much lighter more romantic note. I wasn't trying to be a voyeur the other night but I was standing out on my deck and saw the most romantic sight. There is a woman who lives in the townhome across from mine and she must have had a date because I think she's a single woman. Anyway, her and her date were dancing in her living room and you could see it through her window. It was so cute and so romantic that it brought tears to my eyes. It brought hope to me that romance hasn't died. :)

Winged Migration

If you haven't seen the film Winged Migration it's definitely a must see.

Hell's Angel The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the HAMC

Well I finished Sonny's version of the story. A much better read than Hunter Thompson's book. While the guy did have a rap sheet a mile long I felt like I learned a lot about his life and the story of the Hell's Angels. The last paragraph of the book brought tears to my eyes...My thoughts overpowered the roar of two hundred Harleys gunning through the Alps. I know I've paid a terrible price for my freedom. I've learned the hard way that to understand my heart is to understand the evil that lurks inside. I can't hide behind religious traditions and superficial heroes. It's impossible to be delivered away from man's constant inhumanity to man. As a warrior, you've got to know pain and sadness alongside joy and solitude. It is to those who long to ride - forever free - that I write these words...and the Angels shall be Kings! Wow...that's some deep writing. I think these men where a misunderstood group. People were too afraid to let them have their freedom and had to mess with them every chance that they could. The Hell's Angels are a brotherhood of some badass mfers but the true Hell's Angels stuck by their brothers at any cost. If you are a lover of the freedom you feel riding a motorcycle you should definitely read this book. I've just started Freedom Credos from the Road by Sonny Barger.

Hell's Angels: Hunter Thompson vs Sonny Barger

I finally finished Hell's Angels by Hunter Thompson. It was really a very boring account of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. I felt that Hunter Thompson used the Angels to get a story to write his book. He really didn't tell any of the real stories about the club. He didn't really even go into great depth on any of the things that really happened while he was with them. It was like he was afraid of them and in the end turned on them. I've started reading Hell's Angel The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. So far I'm enjoying this book so much more and I look forward to getting a different prospective on the Angels than I did with the Hunter Thompson book. I'm fascinated with motorcycle clubs as a whole. I really feel that in the 60's if the police and the government would have just left the Angels alone there would have been far less problems. By the police and government making such a big deal out of the Angels I feel that it fueled how they acted. I'm not saying that the Hell's Angels were a group of stand up guys but I do feel like they were given a bum rap just because of how they decided to live their lives. I watched Easy Rider the other day, there is a scene in the movie where it is implied that regular people are afraid of the freedom that they see motorcycle riders having. I think that is true. General people just don't get the freedom and never will. I look forward to Sonny Barger's side of the Hell's Angels story. I better get to reading!

Check out these websites

WomenRidersNow.com
IronCowgirls.com
devildollsmc.org
oneshottattoo.com
choppersinc.com
godfatherschopshop.com

Madden at Outback

John Madden was spotted at Outback Steakhouse in West Des Moines on Monday, February 6th.

Rob Zombie

Ok...I can't believe it's true but I'm going to see Rob Zombie on April 13th at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines. I've loved this guys music forever but I'm not sure how well I'm going to do with a mosh pit and goth kids. I'm sure it will be a very interesting experience and one that I will not soon forget. I'm just interested in hearing the opening act Bullets for my Valentine or something odd like that. Might have to check them out on rhapsody before the show. Stay tuned to hear about this experience. Seriously though...I can't wait. Rob Zombie! WOW!!