From the knee of John Harley...

It was a beautiful Saturday. After a nice morning of sleeping in and a late breakfast, Erica and I decided to run a few errands before we hit the beach. "Let's go open my TCF account" she said, in anticipation of incoming paychecks from her new jobs. We hopped in the car towards the bank.
On the way we stumbled across an art fair that spanned for blocks, full of all kinds of booths and food carts. We decided to take a quick look after taking care of business at the bank.
We walked for a couple of hours, laughing, looking, eating overpriced fair food and holding hands. I bought Erica this really cool dress that looks amazing on her (I love how she looks beautiful to me in so many ways every day). The band up the street caught our ears from a few blocks down. It was this crazy string/rock fusion and they were excellent! We danced and clapped as we talked about how cool it would be if they played at our wedding someday... of course I hadn't proposed yet, but it was a fun topic for conversation.
When leaving the fair we were getting hungry so we decided to go one of the local restaurants down the street and grab a bite and a drink. It was a beautiful evening on the patio of Leona's. We talked about the day over a candlelight dinner and decided to go for a walk on the beach after dinner....
The moon was a giant yellow ball resting heavily on the horizon of the lake leaving a trail to the edge of the Earth. The lake, as smooth as glass. To add some intensity to the serenity, lightning was illuminating pink clouds miles off to the West.
And then she gave me the cue I was looking for.... "This reminds me of Hawaii".
Backstory: It was my hope to take Erica to the ocean and propose, but I knew she would see that coming and, we're college students... Need I say more?
When I heard that I grabbed the ring that I had been nervously carrying in my pocket since we left for dinner, dropped to one knee as I spun her to face me and as she began to giggle and utter expressions of nervous disbelief, I asked her to be my wife. She asked me to repeat my request so she could hear me ask without her reactions drowning out my voice. I asked her again and she said "Yes" with a kiss and a smile.

It was the best night of my life (so far... the wedding is coming up) and I thought you all might like to share.

A Bittersweet Goobye

I wrote this before moving to Chicago last summer and thought I would post it here as I watch, for the first time since 2001, the beginning of the motorcycle season without a ride of my own.

A few months ago, upon the wonderful decision to move to Chicago and pursue an education, I started thinking about selling my Harley as a way to help pay for school, rent and the general costs of living. Family and friends told me not to, they told me I was crazy for even thinking it. So, I held off on the idea. I mean, come on, I love my bike... what am I thinking? Right?

As the big move drew near, the thoughts of sharing a place with my lovely Erica and her sister Heather, attending college again and living in a new city were all making my heart go pitter-pat. (Seriously, I can't think of a time when I've been more excited than I am about this!) Along with that also came the practical side of Yours Truly thinking about a job, bills and all of that fun junk. I was trying to think of ways I could save some extra cash to keep out of pocket expenses down, which would also increase the number of hours spent doing homework or taking in the glorious city of Chicago instead of working, so the idea started creeping up again and I gave it some more thought. This time, I didn't tell everybody right away so I couldn't get talked out of it before I could make my own decision. This bike could pay the rent for a year or more, give a little cushion in case of emergency.... from that perspective, it didn't sound so crazy. The thought of going to school full-time and working a more comfortable part-time schedule sounded pretty good. Not only that, where would I keep it? No garage = No Harley... It seemed like a waste to have this beautiful machine sitting in storage, collecting dust and carbon build-up instead of being ridden. It was meant for the open road, for speed and style with a rumble un-matched by any other machine or living creature. I hate seeing a sweet bike or classic car that the owner won't ride because it's worth a lot, it's rare or worse yet, they just "don't have time". The builder made it to run, and that's what it should do.

Along with the afore mentioned practicalities, I had other things to consider.
Not too long ago, a friend of my family and his wife were nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. Fortunately, they survived, but their bodies will never be the same. News of the accident shocked my family and I, and really got me thinking about all of the close calls I've had. Damn! There's been more than I'm comfortable admitting. I reflected back to countless news stories and personal accounts from other riders of fatal or life-changing accidents that I've heard about. I started thinking about my future, my goals and dreams and decided that I really want to be alive to make them happen. I'm not saying I will die if I keep riding, but, I definitely increase my chances every time I hit the road on two wheels. I quit smoking for the same reason (bye the way).

After much deliberation, I decided to hang up my chaps, at least for now, and focus on my family, school and the wonderful future that is un-ravelling in front of me.

So, today it finally happened. I watched my bike, MY Harley, roll down the street in the back of a pick-up truck and out of my life, leaving me with a wad a cash and a million wonderful memories. I know it was the right thing to do, but sometimes saying goodbye is tough, even when it is right.

I'd like to thank my Harley for always being there for me, for making me feel good when I was down and for making one of my childhood dreams come true. I will miss you, 1998 Harley-Davidson FXSTC Softail Custom, but I will never forget you. Thank you for your contribution to my future, and for being an amazing part of my past. I will always appreciate you.

And just for the record...

A few of my writings have referred to global warming and the effects of pollution. I am neither an environmental scientist or any other qualified professional on the topic, far from it honestly. There is a lot of debate rolling around about whether global warming is actually a problem or if we're just seeing the effects of the downside of a continuing cycle that has been happening for thousands of years. For everyone's sake, I hope it's the latter. I don't know if pollution from our automobiles is actually as harmful as some are trying to tell us it is or if its worse than we thought. I have never claimed to be too much of an environmentalist. I do my best to be responsible for my waste, not to be a total pig and trash any place that I feel inclined but, I don't always recycle when I should or go out of my way to buy products that are better for the environment either. I struggle with this issue a lot being a car and motorcycle enthusiast and an aspiring father who will eventually leave this world behind to my children and theirs. I don't ever want to give up on the culture that I have been drawn to since I was a young boy and I sometimes feel like I am betraying that every time I write about global warming and oil alternatives. I also don't want to be the a gung-ho big block cowboy that disregards the possibility that these issues are real and leave a mess for the next generations of my family to deal with.

As long as I'm making confessions, I am also not an economist nor have I ever held an executive position in the oil industry however; I can say with a great amount of certainty that fuel prices are extremely excessive and if something doesn't happen soon, our economy will be "running on E" and we'll all be asking for oil alternatives just to be able to afford to drive to work every day. These oil companies need to be regulated before they do more economic damage than they already have. It can get worse, and it will if nothing is done about this.

As I work towards educating myself as much as possible on these issues, I want to let my brothers and sisters of the Ol' Skool Kulture know that I haven't "turned to the Green side" and left them for dead. I plan on building a led sled when I get out of school and it will most likely have a big nasty motor that would make any grown hot rodder cry. I plan on teaching my kids all about the car and the culture. On the flip side, doing what any father or hopeful future father would do, I'm trying to protect my own and leave them with a good, healthy life when I go.

I haven't forgotten you....

It's been too long since the last time we were together. Life has taken a lot of twists and turns, time has been running as if it were scared by something but, amidst the craziness of life, I've been thinking about you more and more lately. I have been approached by a few people recently with an opportunity for us to be together again and I'm not sure what to do. I was hoping that writing to you may help me decide what happens next for you and I. I remember when we spent hours together every day creating some of the best memories I'll ever have. I've been feeling guilty for leaving you behind, but honestly you would hate it here. I know, we would be together here but we would never be able to spend any time together and that would be hard for both of us. I know you're safe and warm now, and I want you know that I'm coming back to you.

I remember the first time I saw you... I was only ten years old and you were one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. You were hiding in the basement, just waiting for me to find you sitting there waiting for me. I did a double take and actually jumped as I rushed towards you. I was so excited that all I could do was smile as I started hitting you uncontrollably. I continued the beatings every day and we both knew it was meant to be.

As we grew closer, I bought you little gifts to make you look more beautiful and to let everyone know you were mine. A new cymbal, that double kick pedal you'd been asking for and don't forget when I bought that new rack (you know, that one we planned on using together on the road). Yeah, we've really had some good times together. I've laughed and cried with you, taken you on many travelling adventures, spent countless days in the studio with you...

Well, I guess what I'm trying to say to you Tama Rockstar DX, Zildjian K/Z Series cymbals, Tama Iron Cobra Pedals, Roc-N-Soc Throne and Vic Firth sticks is that no matter what happens next, you are still in my heart and I haven't forgotten you.

Who's kidding who?

This past Tuesday, which was appropriately April Fool's Day, the Associated Press reported that the executives of "Big Oil" went before the U.S. Congress to defend their record $123 billion in profits and to fight for their $18 billion in tax relief. They are asking Congress not to refuse these tax breaks or they may not be able to afford to invest in alternative energy research. "On April Fool's Day, the biggest joke of all is being played on American families by Big Oil," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. during the hearing.

Meanwhile, in the hallowed halls of Chevron Corporation, Chairman David O'Reilly(who opted not to testify in this week's Congressional hearing) received a 17% raise in 2007 totaling a salary of 15.7 million for the year. That doesn't include the 600,000 stock options he excersized after a 27% increase in Chevron's stock price, putting a modest 18.2 million in his pocket book. This is just one example of the excess and greed happening right here in our backyard, at our expense.

Being a brain wielding human, it is hard for me to believe that someone isn't capitalizing on the misfortune of the other 99% of our population. We're slowly slipping into a full blown recession and are watching gas prices rise like a thermometer in hell, but these select few corporate tyrants are living like a Pharaoh.

Oil and energy alternatives will not happen tomorrow. It takes time to research the next major move for our entire energy infrastructure, and even more time to build it once we've found an answer and I will support these efforts however I possibly can. In the meantime, energy providers should not have an open ticket to dictate prices and rape the American public. Someone once told me not to "shit where I eat"... I think someone should send that message to "Big Oil".

Becoming a Master: The beginnings of a Chicago adventure

So there we were, Erica and I sitting at our favorite table at Figlio (one of Uptown Minneapolis' finest establishments) and it was about time that we stopped flirting around with these notions of returning to student life and started making decisions. We had both done our homework and knew more about our respective schools than most of the professors probably did. Erica was debating about applying at Columbia University in New York, University of Oregon in Eugene or Columbia College in Chicago. She was ready for her Master's degree and the time was at hand. She'd been writing for the Sun Current for 5 years, and she had the respect and street cred to prove it. Any school would benefit from having her amongst the ranks.

I wasn't trying to decide if I wanted to go to school again, but which program and what city did I want to be in?... Those were the issues at hand. I had initially chosen a Harley-Davidson technician program, but I was not all too happy about living amongst the sea of Depends and rental cars in Orlando for 2 years. I love motorcycles and the thought of living in a place where I could ride year-round was awfully tempting, but ultimately not enough to lure me into moving there. I didn't want to ruin my passion by making it a job and I didn't want to worry about living in the frozen tundra trying to keep a job working on motorcycles. And, last but not least, here is this amazing woman that I'm starting to fall in love with.... no education is worth losing the greatest opportunity a man could ever ask for. (I always seem to complicate things for myself, but this was fate and I knew it!)

Meanwhile, Heather (Erica's sister) had decided to apply at Columbia College, Chicago for her shot at a Master's in photography. So, inspired by Heather's bravery and resolve, Erica decided to take a crack at Columbia too.... how sweet would it be to go to college with your sister right?
Simultaneously, I am taking all of this into consideration and find out that the school in Florida has a campus in the suburbs of Chicago. The program is automotive and I felt like I would be better off working on cars in Minnesota that bikes, and I really have loved cars ever since I learned what a wrench was as a little tyke in my Grandpa's garage.
And that's how the adventure began....

As it came out over the next few months that we had a ll been accepted and would be moving to Chicago together, our family and friends were all so proud and excited for us. None of us had ever lived away from Minnesota before and what a great city to spread our wings in! Chicago would be the home of life's next chapter.

With moving day drawing near, we decided to take a road trip to the 2nd city to find an apartment. We found a great place 2 blocks off of the beach on Lake Michigan and less than a block from the Red Line train to downtown. As soon as we saw it, we knew the search was over... and we only looked for a day. Amongst the excitement and laughter and ambitious chatting about our new digs, we realized that we were all going to be earning a "Master's" title. Heather and Erica would be earning earning their Master's degree and I would be working towards a Master ASE certification and hopefully a manufacturer specialty as well. That was the dawn of "The Masters".

It seemed like only minutes later and we had moved in and started school. The hustle and bustle of student life is now coming at us head on. Mac N' Cheese is back on the menu, late nights doing homework and loading the car with laundry whenever we head home.... we are officially students again.

Currently, Erica and Heather are nearing the end of their first semester and are both kicking the proverbial ass of the collegiate world. I have a 4.0 and am just happy to be working towards a career that I will enjoy every day.

So far so good here in the Windy City. Pleased stay tuned as more tales of this fair city come your way from here at Masters HQ in the beautiful Rogers Park, Chicago, IL.