March 2015:
12/2007 Job on east coast evaporated. No other jobs popping up.
3/2008 bought a bar in hometown. thought I could make a little money and do consulting work.
Economy crashed, state made a no smoking in bars law and sales plummeted.
Family problems worsened, ending in prison time for one.
started having health problems.
Closed my bar business 3/2014
sold out to my landlord.
Slow sales.
Local economy bad.
my health problems getting worse.
Got diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
3/2015 I haven't worked for a year.
filed for disability.
may be in a catch 22.
too screwed up to work.
have too many assets (not able to use now, i am not age 65+)
abandoned by almost all family
without a great girlfriend I would be in terrible trouble.
going to be selling anything I can (legally) to make it.
living on $5,000 or less a year is not fun.
still waiting for my karma to balance.

Survived the winter in Iowa.

Lost most of my email in a computer crash in January.
This impacted the job hunting.

Started my BMW bike today, getting ready for a trip to Phoenix.
That is the plan, if the current round of interviews do not produce an offer.
I have an opportunity down there(good money, okay technology), and can go see the Cubbies in spring training.

Currently the weather in Iowa is not good and I am fighting the flu.

The trip back from the Seattle area went well.
Bought a Garmin Zumo 550, now I can get lost in style.
Cruised back at freeway speeds in comfort at around 25 degrees.
Enjoyed my Gerbing heated gear.
Camping was a bit cool.
Saw 2 motorcycles on the road on the return trip.
Stopped in WA and had lunch at the Oasis in the town where the "Northern Exposure" exteriors were shot.

Xmas was quiet.
Got a 15 word email from the kid.
He was taking a class (where/what?) & had lost all his phone numbers.
The ex was completely silent, no surprise.

Life is good....
Karma is positive...
Quality is happening...

May good things happen to you

Getting set to move to the east coast.

Driving the cycle from Seattle to Iowa.
Probally going the south route thru AZ,NM,TX.
That way I can stop and visit relatives,children, & friends, as well as avoid the snow.

Checking the weather.
Installed a GPS on the motorcycle.
        Using a Garmin Zumo 550, not using the fancy features yet. xm,weather,etc...

Iowa to the coast, I am trailering my belongings & cycle behind my pickup.
This will be the first trailer miles on the bike, ~65k so far.

Wouldn't take the pickup, but it looks like I might be on that coast for awhile (10+ months).
Cleaning out my storage and maybe having a give away, sale, dumpster run before the trip will be a good idea.

Haven't found an apartment yet.
But, have a place to crash for a while.

This should be interesting, I have been out on the west coast for years and enjoyed it.
Will get to see the "left" vs "right" coast differences.

If you see a motorcycle on the highway, with a rider in a red & black aerostich suit and silver helmet wave.

put more quality into your life !

Randal

Somehow, I got lead astray.

Was planning on going south to GA/FL for a month or so.

I think it was my resume on monster dot com being updated.

A flury of phone calls & emails, produced a short contract in the Seattle area.
( and a few possibles for afterward )

So a fast trip to visit friends & the storage bin in KC,

And then it's I-80 and west.

It was beautiful weather in KC, low 90's.

In Wyoming it turned, rain & snow in the western half.

Rode in Salt Lake area at 36 degrees with a steady snow falling.

Turned north and caught up with another motorcyclist on a BMW GS heading to Tacoma.

Did I mention I decided take the cycle?

With dry roads I dashed to Boise and crashed at a Motel 6.

Then rode the rest of the way into Seattle area.

I saw a few motorcyclists out riding on the open road, 4 BMW GS riders.
And about a dozen others riding locally on the nice days.
I did see a couple of dedicated commuters in Boise.

The only way to travel in this weather is in an Aerostich with heated liners.
I am running with Gerbings, (widders would be the other good choice)
Other than my choices of where to hang the controller, they were great.

I am going to look hard at GPS units.
It's not how to get there, it's navigating inside large cities.

Well, I am enjoying the work bit, short term focus on one task sure helps.
You don't have to say yes to everything as a contractor.

It's not "no" either, it's your task or it's "outside the scope of my statement of work"

go go go Cubs !

I am waiting furiously for next year

I went to see the IronButt Rally start in St Louis.
That was quite a sight.
I got lots of ideas for rigging my cycle out better for travelling.
Met up with several friends.
I even combat tour camped just down the street.

Then I hit a biker rally at Conesville IA.
A nice rally. Harley rider style.
I didn't drink as much as I could.
But, had fun anyway.

Then off to Chicago for a Cubs game.
A bit of a sideways weekend.
All sorts of missed information/messages.
Ended up going to the game solo.
Missed the group of friends game, food poisoning.
Went back to Iowa, stopping in Iowa City for a little shopping.

Now, I am hanging out, waiting for baseball season to end.
Hopefully with a Cubs playoff win.

And then myself and a traveling friend are heading south.
Me for a few weeks, him for the winter (?)

May the quality find you.

I rode north following the continental divide.

Crossed the red desert and fought with the mud from a rain storm.

Went out to the "hole in the wall", a long walk with not much of an ending.

Stopped at the Sturgis Rally for 2 weeks.

Had a ball.

The rally is not as much fun as it was years ago.
fun dampeners (police) and too much money grubbing (city/county politics).

Met lots of nice people.

I decided not to hit Bonneville, and headed for Iowa.

I will need the rest before heading to see the Ironbutt Rally start.
And then on to Conesville Iowa for a rally.

Went to the border south of Animas NM.

Saw lots of wildlife.
Roadrunners (no coyotes), turtles & spiders.

And rabbits are everywhere.
Completed a rabbit trifecta in about a mile.
That is to say 3 ran under my tires.

Got lost on NM hwy 59 for about 100 miles.
A very rough road.

Buried my oldest (worn out) Grateful Dead shirt on the Continental Divide.

Had a rattlesnake slither thru my campsite.

Went to a BMW rally and met lots of people.
Put a couple of new tires on also.

Leaving there I help a couple of broken down motorcyclists.

Stopped at St Elmo CO and saw the most hummingbirds I have ever seen in one spot.

Today, I am getting caught up with my online stuff and avoiding the rain.

A few days wandering thru the mountains, Sturgis, then Bonneville speed week.

Rode thru Death Valley on a 128 degree day.

The evaporative cooling vest www.ctaz.com/~party1 worked great.
Hot breeze on your face, but your body stays comfortable.

Stopped un in the Reno area for the July 4th fireworks.

Then down to the bay area to see friends.
And tag a note on the devil's door (ex-wife).
I let her know I was coming, and got an alcoholic style raging rant.
And all I was looking for was the kid's real email & mailing address (he is in AirForce)
Got it from recruiter.
Still no answers from him.
It is not too entertaining watching those two's tantrums.
But, if you don't know what they are up to, they might sneak up on you.
I don't need that again.

I am having fun !

Rode hwy 50 east across Nevada.
Met a ghostwriter in a ghosttown.
She writes horror novels.

Went thru Moab and am now heading for the border (NOT crossing it)
and then back up the continental divide.

I am burying my oldest (worn out & decaying) Grateful Dead shirt on the divide.

Jerry, we miss you.

Cruzing thru the day on ipod power.....

Started my out west summer tour.

Hit the Missouri BMW rally, had a fun time.
Saw Branson, what a tribute to dive tourist traps.

Then rode out to Las Vegas at fast clip with a bike riding buddy.
Did 1350 miles first day and then slept a few hours and rode another 300 mile into LV.

I am currently in Phoenix(Hell) and it is about 115 degrees.

Heading for Death Vally to cool off.

Sorry about the long delay. bandwidth issues, both brain & networking.

I finished up my fall by hitting Wrigley Field for my birthday with a bunch of friends.

I have had a quiet winter.
Been playing around with Ruby on Rails, very cool.

This spring I have been doing a little job hunting.
A strange experiance.

Once they relize you won't jump thru a flaming hoop naked for a $1, you are unmanageable.
Just a bunch of (not) contract work scattered all over the country.

So, I have been riding.

Saw 2 Cubs games this year so far.
Hit the Upper pennisula of Michigan.

Heading for a BMW rally now.

Making plans for a west coast trip soon.
Have mountain fun on the way back.
ANd stop at Sturgis for the week.

Invest wisely and don't live beyond you means and "You don't have to do every stupid thing that the man with a $1 says!"

put more quality in your life.....

note on idiot kid front: have email address rdavis224@gmail.com
feel free to spam it, he still is not talking to anyone.
I am considering it a dead end.
He keeps missing his chances to be human, but would rather be a _________....
And the ex would rather be silent, unless threatened with being in court (or actually talking to me in person)

Spent the week out on the playa at Burning Man.

quite an event. hard to describe.
a few pictures will be on my web site later this year.

I think I was the only motorcyclist to carry all their gear to the event.
Only saw 6 other bikes ridden in.

Went back east thru southern NV and then on to Chicago for a Cub game on my birthday.

Now I am doing a little job searching and planning a few side trips for the fall.
Maybe I can slip one or two trips in before bad weather (snow/ice)...

Ho Ho Ho....

From last post.
Stopped in Iowa for new tires & maint.
Rode a day on Ragbrai. (virtually) reality, got drunk with a bunch of bike riding friends on Ragbrai.
Went to KC, on to Savannah GA, then a ripping trip to Key West and back the same way.

Stopped at Tupelo MS to get some dirt from Elvis birthplace for scattering on my mom's grave.
Mom was a big Elvis fan.

After a couple of days in Iowa & KC I am heading west to Burning Man in NV.

Having a ball.

I have missed posting a bit here.

After Myrtle Beach, I headed west out of Savannah to Huntsville Alabama.

Visit Barber's Vintage Museum (exit 140 east of Birmingham)
Awesome amount of very cool vintage bikes.

Then I hit Texas, Austin,Langtry, Lubbock.
Thru NM with a stop at the Very Large Array at Sorocco & pie at Pie Town !
Wandered thru AZ & stopped at Tecopa CA (near Death Vally)
Rode up to an old silver mine and explored it.

the on the the southern CA border and rode the coast road to Seattle.
Visited the Sci-Fi museum, experience music, Seattle underground, Flight Museum.
The airplanes were the best. The scifi & music cost too much for what was there.

On to Canada then Thru to Alaska.

Hit Hyder AK on the 4th, threw axes & drank heavily.
Who knew I was a killer axe tosser.

Alaska was very nice, all the people were awesome.
Ended up riding up to Prudhoe Bay & heading Key West !
Ultimate Coast to Coast (IBA stuff)

Almost got toasted by a car accident a few yards ahead of me near Edmunton.
A 65 mph rear ender, and everyone walked away clean.
Those airbags are great. I didn't think they were quite that good.

Sturgis is getting ready for the bikers and they are trickling in.

It is hot in the lower 48, I am in Souix Falls, SD now and flying south after a weekend in Iowa.
That is home for me, so yes, I am out wandering around.
But, I may be the smartest "idiot" you ever meet.