Hallelujah! Crestor saves the day!

I just got my blood work back. My previous Cholesterol level was at 244. Since I’ve been taken Crestor and in addition Mrs. Harley Howie making me eats oat meal (taste like rubber by the way) every morning, my Cholesterol is now at 148! That’s’ pretty darn good!!!

The doctor said since Crestor seemed to be working I should keep taking it. He also said Crestor might cause some side effect to the liver and I should go back for more blood work in 3 months to check the liver function. But he did not see anything wrong with my liver function on this blood work.


I am much relieved. I actually do felt better. I guess Mrs. Harley Howie is going to make me eat Oat Meal every morning from now on, despite of the fact that I still get nightmares from that Old Amish man on the box. Hey! Come on now! Let's be honest. I am sure may of you guys out there feel the same way I do about this Quakers old man. I guess I better learn to live with the old man if he can keep my Cholesterol low and healthy!

Thanks to the folks of Alternative M/C!!!

Just want to give my thanks to the fellows at Alternative M/C. I was riding my bike on the way out from Fort Lauderdale Harley Davidson last Sunday. But what I didn’t realize was that the air in my front tire was pretty low. A few guys from the Alternative M/C were gathering around the parking lot and noticed my front tire was flat. They immediately attracted my attention and point it out to me. If it wasn't for them, I probably would be in big trouble on the I-95 with the possibility of blowing my front tire while riding at 75mph. I didn’t get the chance to give my thanks but, thank you guys very much whoever you are.

Little Boy on a FAT BOY - part 2

Hence looms the problem. This beautiful beast just might be too “FAT” for a little guy like me. It was the same reason why I picked Sportster to be my first Harley. I just can’t imagine myself riding a Fat Boy. Not only I thought I probably would not able to handle a big and heavy bike like Fat Boy, I also was afraid how I might look riding it. You know, it’s like one of the stories I heard about how a girl decides on picking her first new car – It’s got to look pretty, drives pretty, and I look pretty in it! That’s how I went through my first Harley purchasing process. I finally settled for a Sportster because it’s still a pretty big change from a Rice-Rocket to a cruiser. I would not want to ride a bike which is so big and bulky, that might makes it look like a monkey (me) riding on an elephant (the Harley).

But, when I took the Fat Boy out for a spin, I realized all of my worries were exaggerated. Not only the bike handles very smooth, especially when you’re making turns. It’s also not very “top-heavy”, thus giving you a lower point of gravity. That’s good news for guys with short legs like me. I don’t have to worry about tipping the bike over. Especially bikes like mine which has a pretty high ground clearance (which I hate to admit I did drop it a couple of times). The Fat Boy’s got a lot of torque. When I took it on I-95 I immediately crank up on the throttle. The bike just took off to 75 mph in no time. I think I must’ve went as fast as 125 mph and didn’t even feel a thing (do not tell that to the Florida Highway Patrol).

So….what’s next? Well, first Mr. Harley Howie needs to pay off the car loan (which the last payment will be in 6 months). Second, need to get the A/C fixed on Mrs. Harley Howie car. You don’t want to know how much the repair shop tried to rob me just because it’s a European import. Last but certainly not least, need to take Mrs. Harley Howie on a real nice vacation. Since we kind of made our wedding ceremony in the last minute, we never really went on our honeymoon. So, a trip to the Bahamas on a cruise might be a good idea. As for my Fat Boy, don’t worry. I’ll have my Fat Boy soon.

Little Boy on a FAT BOY - part 1

My good friend Wendy’s brother in law, who works at the Board of Education in New York, was in town for the Spring Break. He also likes to ride motorcycles. So Wendy and Steve found a place where he can rent a Harley for the weekend. And we all went on a very nice bike ride last Saturday afternoon.

Pat is a pretty big guy. I imagine him to be at least 6’2” and probably 280 Lbs. So, a tiny bike like my Sportster probably wouldn’t suit him very well. Since it’s a rental and he’ll have it for a couple days, he asked us which Harley we most likely would like to take a test-spin. After many rounds of discussion among ourselves, we all agreed that Pat should rent a Fat Boy.

I’ve always been fascinated with this bike. I first saw the bike in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (I can’t believe I actually spelled his last name) hit movie “Terminator 2”. In the movie, The Terminator (the current governor of California) had just arrived from the future thru Time-Travel. As he walked into a biker bar naked (only life form can go thru time-travel), he “kindly” asked a biker for his clothes and his motorcycle which was parked outside the bar. When the biker laughed at his face, sticking a hot burning cigar to his chest and refused Arnold’s request because The Terminator didn’t say “please”, Arnold broke his arm, threw him over the bar, breaking like 50 glasses, took his clothes and rode away with his motorcycle. And what a beautiful motorcycle it was. That was the Fat Boy’s debut.

When you wrap your eyes on around this bike (if you can), you will notice its big and fat front forks with solid front wheel, a huge head light and a wide handle bar, all chromed and shinny. Generous floorboards on each side of the bike make you feel you can just put your feet down and ride it for hours and hours (no matter what boot size you wear). But don’t let the “beauty” fool you, it’s also got muscles. It’s got an 88 cubic inch Twin Cam engine with your choice of carbureted or easy-no-choke-no-brainer EFI (Electronic Fuel injection). I personally would not want to mess with the carbureted engines again after what I’ve gone through with my Sportster. Last but not least, with a set of shotgun pipes that would even wake up the dead. I immediately fell in love with the bike. Everything about this bike is: big, FAT and big!


(To be continued tomorrow)

Yeah...I know! But...

Boy! I had a very hectic week. Most of my agonies are work related. I didn’t think I accomplished a whole lot of what I wanted to do this week. Instead, I ended up finishing up lots of “busy work” which took most of my time. We recently opened up a partnership with an existing customer of ours. It’s a good thing for the company because we’re getting more orders from them. But the bad thing is: I don’t have enough people in the warehouse to help fulfilling these orders. And, this deal struck so sudden that I did not get the chance to plan on my inventory forecasts. This means, some of the items in my warehouse will be depleted very soon. And you know who is going to get the blame when the customer called and complain? That’s right! You’re looking at it. Yours “unworthy”….me! If I could get at least a week “head-start” on this deal, I’d have plenty of time to analyze exactly what I needed to stock in my warehouse so we will not ended up with back-orders. Of course, I couldn’t say that to my boss. That’d be “not taking my responsibilities”. I should be a team player. Shut up and get the job done.

The only comfort I could take my mind off work is ride with Mrs. Harley Howie. We now make our motorcycle riding a weekly must routine. For example, last weekend we took rides all over town. We’ve been to so many different places last weekend that I don’t even remember where we’ve been. Actually, I have a very bad short-term memory where I can’t even tell you what I had for dinner the night before. This happens pretty regularly especially after 2 beers into my gas tank. When we make a “pits stop”, Mrs. Harley Howie often likes a cold Margarita (with salt). I like to stick to my regular drinks: Miller Lite or Coors Lite. NO Budweiser’s. Somehow I just don’t like its taste. Don’t ask me why cuz I can’t tell ya. It’s just a matter of personal preference.

In addition to cold beers, I also enjoy a nice piece of cigar with my cold drinks. It’s so refreshing. I used to be a smoker but I quit a couple of years ago for the wrong reasons (the story behind it could be a totally new blog). The funny thing is ever since I kick the habit, I never had the urge to smoke another cigarette. However, I do love the taste of cigars. I kept fooling myself “Its okay! As long as you don’t inhale it’s alright….” Nevertheless, I can’t begin to describe the feeling when you hold a cigar in your hand with the smell of a good cigar in your breath. Guess I’ve been watching too many God Father movies. I am not trying to “look cool”; I just like the feel and taste of it. I am not trying to be the devil’s advocates here but if you get the chance, try it! See if you know what I mean.

Another Pride of Taiwan!!!

Born in Tainan, Taiwan, the young 25 year old right handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang will be pitching for the Yankees in the game against the Oakland A’s tonight.

Wang had a very good rookie season for the Yankees last year. Due to the numerous injuries the team had suffered with its starting pictures, the coaching staff had put him in as the number 3 pictures in the rotations for the team.


He had 8 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 4.02 in 17 starts last season. Most amazingly, he started in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against Los Angeles. Even though he recorded a loss in the game, he became the youngest picture to ever start a Yankees postseason game in nearly eight years.

Wang has never face against Oakland before. And I can’t wait to see what he can do. However, he was hit by a batted ball in a spring training game on March 26, but the X-rays were negative. I just hope this youngster would not try too hard in the game tonight.

The game is playing in the West Coast, which means it’ll be my bed time by the 2nd inning. I guess I’ll just have to Tivo it

Bike Show!!!

Mrs. Harley Howie and I just got back from the bike show. Even though I saw one of my favorite bike builder Chica, I must say I was somewhat disappointed about the show. Personally I think the Fort Lauderdale Bike Show is getting worse every year. Last year I could still remember seeing lots of dealers and vendors. However, this year there were only a few. First off, I did not see any Harley dealers there at all. Second, I hardly saw any motorcycle accessories vendors. I did however bought Mrs. Harley Howie a very cute "elmo" patch for her vest. However the inscription on that patch is rated "PG-13" Basically it's Elmo fliping you the finger saying "Tickle This"! I got myself a patch of "Jack Daniels Taste Drinker". That's about the highlight of the show I am afraid. But be sure to check out the pictures Mrs. Harley Howie and I took.



Choppers from Broward Motor Sports.



26 in. wheel trike.



A V-Rod with 300 rear wheel.




Chica and me of course.



Possible future bike - a Victory.



Here are a few of the bikes Chica build. Its totally "Old-Skoll": rigids for true hard cored bikers who are not afraid of their butts get sored from riding with no rear suspension.



Can't find the strater on the handle bar? Try the original kick start in the rear by the oil tank. And finally, a sucide-shift for riders who are looking for a little challenge handling the bike.



I love these original "Old-Skool" designs and looks.



And somehow Chica can still find ways to put today's technology on motorcycle parts and integrates them into his vision.