A Love Affair With My Kindle

My Kindle is with me just as much as my cell phone, because I never know what my schedule will bring. Sometimes with my job I'm busy--and at other times I'm sitting there for HOURS with nothing to do. A long time ago I had the ability to be bored and be happy at the same time, but now I seem to have a mind that is constantly in need of stimulation. And, no, t.v. doesn't count. That's mind numbing, not stimulating...

So I do a pretty good job of making sure I always have a couple of books to read on my Kindle. I do so thru Amazon, they have a pretty good assortment of novels and bios. The Kindle is capable of storing 3,500 books. It also has WiFi, so if I'm in an area where there's a signal I can log onto Facebook or Yahoo and check messages. Or I can log onto Amazon and find a new book. Also, if I am busy with my hands or on a road trip I can activate the little feature that will read the book to me.

I don't know how many books I've read since I got the Kindle a little more than a month ago, but it's at least 6. The price is usually less than $9.00 for a book, and once you select the book on Amazon it is sent to your Kindle wirelessly in less than 60 seconds. I'm amazed at how long this device can stay charged! I have run the battery down only once, and it takes about an hour or so to get a full charge. What is even nicer, the charger for the Kindle matches my cell phone. That's almost unheard of these days.

So there you have it, my commercial for an item that doesn't need advertising...

Auction Memories

This past weekend we watched the high dollar auto auctions on T.V. and it reminded me of our automotive auction experiences back in 2009. What a great time, it was at the Peterson's Automotive Museum in downtown L.A.
One person who has had my admiration for many years is the very talented George Barris, and he put in an appearance at this particular auction. I was star-struck.
So the moment I saw him apart from the crowds I approached and asked if I could get a photo. He was MORE than accommodating, he was happy to hang out with us and take pictures. I couldn't believe I was standing there talking to GEORGE BARRIS....

He joked with Shay and I when he noticed that I had had Shay do this particular pose behind his back...

So he playfully did this pose:

You're sitting there saying to yourself, "Big deal, who is this George guy?"

He and his brother began building custom hot rods in L.A. back when the industry was just starting to take off. Soon he began building exotic customs for movies and t.v. shows, which is where his work is really known.
He designed and built the original Monkees Mobile, the Green Hornet's car, the Munsters Mobile, Batmobiles, the Flintstones' car, KITT from Knight Rider, the Beverly Hillbillies truck, "The Car," and he was the builder of the General Lee.

One of my favorite Barris customs was not from a t.v. show or movie, it was a novelty custom--just one of many. It's called Kargoyle:

I've always loved cars, and it was a big thrill to get to know Mr. Barris. He's invited us for a tour of his shop in L.A., and one of these days I'm going!!!

SCORE Race in Laughlin, Nevada

On my birthday, I worked in Nevada at an off road race. The annual SCORE Desert Challenge. One thing I notice about Laughlin, Nevada; they invest tons of money and resources to welcome this race every year. Just like Mexico does. They realize the economic impact--like the thousands of people who come from out of town and rent hotel rooms, eat in restaurants, buy fuel.....and they don't take this for granted.
Besides....it's always a good show.


This car belongs to John Langley, who is the creator and producer of the show COPS. Sometimes he brings a film crew along to document his participation in the off road races. We finally had a conversation with his film crew last year--and it turns out it's the same crew that tapes the show COPS. Now, that's funny to me!

The orange vehicle belongs to Robby Gordon, and he's out on the roof trying to put out a small fire...

The first ever wedding to take place at the SCORE Start/Finish line...

This car seems to be missing something...

At the end of racing on Sunday, we had a spectacular sunset!

We celebrated my birthday with lobster. LOBSTER!! I have never been treated to a lobster dinner for my birthday before. I guess that's pretty cool. (and pretty sad at the same time, huh?)

Can't Not Watch, Part 2

The Wrestler is a couple of years old, and I remember hearing all the hype about it when it was in theaters. Part of the excitement was the fact that it starred Mickey Rourke, who used to be good looking. I've seen pictures, I would have to agree.
I finally saw it and I was just stunned. What a great movie.

The scene that really clarifies just how miserable this guy was, would have to be when the main character Ram is staggering home to his little old rented trailer house on a cold night after a wrestling match and he finds his doors padlocked. Landlord wanted his money.
But it gets more miserable, like when he has to take a part time job at the deli counter in the grocery store. As he makes his way thru the back room of the store to get to the deli, he imagines the roar of a crowd waiting for him to appear in the ring for a big wrestling match. Saaaaad.....

Purple Sunset

This was a couple of weeks ago, I was cooking dinner on the grill when I noticed the purple color of the sky

Balloons...

Actually at the Balloon Festival here in Havasu there was only one balloon. The wind was too much on Friday night for the others to stay inflated.
Soo.....we saw one balloon....and paid $5 to do so....

The next day I worked so I didn't get to see the balloons do their thing. But I hear it was cool.