Last year, I discovered Holga. She's an inexpensive, clunky camera made almost entirely of plastic. It's the not-so-great design that makes it great. Each camera has light leaks and slight distortions that make each photo a little different. Holga photos takes with medium format 120 film that leave cool steaks and textures and dark spots or edges

While I love Holga, developing gets a little expensive. I usually send the rolls of film (you choose 12 or 16 photos a roll) to Dwayne's Photo. He's the cheapest. Just be careful when you buy film. If you want prints, make sure you don't buy slide film. That's where it gets super expensive. In Stockton, I think the only place to get 120 film developed at is Wolf Photo, by Chucky Cheese on Pacific.

Here are some photos from my first roll of film.

I'm fighting myself in my thoughts to understand why someone would think that I'm so SELFISH, when I only see it as having a DESIRE for certain things.  When I type out my feelings, and someone reads it and says that the whole thing is about 'Me, me, me, me' - that was a big blow to me.  I still can't seem to get over that little phrase.  So I have to ask myself - am I really that SELFISH, or do I just DESIRE some things for myself?

Let me give some examples, and I'll start with the present and work my way backwards in time . . .

[ ] Walt was hurt when he said I accused us as being in a one-sided friendship.  I don't understand why that was taken the wrong way, because it is the way that I see it.  For example:  He says he wants me in his life and wants to be my friend, but is friendship only chatting online during working hours?  It is Sunday morning, and I haven't heard from him since Friday afternoon.  He didn't sign on Friday evening.  He didn't sign on at all yesterday.  There were no text messages, no phone calls.  I know he is talking to his friends in the chat system on WOW, so why is my friendship different?  So it causes me to ask myself...  Is me wanting him to talk to me SELFISH or is it my DESIRE to just communicate with my friend?  Is it SELFISH to want someone to talk to me not just when it's convenient for them?  It's not convenient for me to be woken up at 3am to go pick up a friend from a bar because he's too drunk to drive home, but I do it, because it's called friendship and doing what's best for them.  I have a DESIRE to talk to my friends - to find out how their day is going - to find out how they are feeling - if they need help with anything, etc.  That is SELFISH? Or just DESIRE to be close to a friend...

I know people have a life and are busy, but it only takes 30 seconds to say "Hope you had a good day" or "Thinking about you..."  Those little phrases mean all the world to me.  Just shows that you care.

[ ] I sent him an email with 2 pictures in it - one of my PT Cruiser, and one of my 36 Chevy Pickup.  I was expecting a response about the truck mostly.  Something like "wow - that's a nice truck" or maybe "your dad did a great job restoring that" or any comment at all.  But the only response I got was "a black car in Phoenix? Yikes..."  Was me wanting a nice response instead of poking fun of my car being SELFISH or was it a DESIRE for him to enjoy something I have?  You know why that comment stunned me?  Because I had no car - my credit was shot because of the divorce and losing my house, so my options on getting a car were very limited.  With my shot credit, they were only willing to sell me 3 cars - an Oldsmobile Olero, a Ford Taurus, and the PT Cruiser.  Based on my little choice, I got the PT Cruiser.  In the year that I've had it, I've had nothing but problems.  The timing belt went out - cost me $600.  I've blown 3 tires.  The A/C had to be re-done, and now the Radiator Fan Motor has gone out.  With $700 in child support, I can't afford to keep repairing this car.  So even though I know he'll say he was kidding about the remark, I felt as though I just needed someone to say something about how I've kept up the payments for over a year now, and I have been able to keep it repaired, etc.  Is that SELFISH, or is it just my DESIRE for someone to see that I'm trying to make it on my own now with what little I had to work with?

I think I'm going to stop giving examples.  I had all this stuff I was going to type, but now in re-reading it, that phrase me, me, me, me is haunting me even more.  I guess when it's all said and done, I have to wonder something.  I've spent my whole life NOT being SELFISH.  Whenever a friend wanted to get together, I always went over to their house.  When someone needed money, even though I was broke, I did what I could to help them.  When someone was hurting, I would stay up past my bedtime to console them.  When someone needed a ride to work, even though it was out of my way, I gladly gave them the ride.  When someone didn't have time for me because they wanted to spend time with their partner, I stepped aside.  When Misael would keep me up all night, and then wake me up early on Saturday morning to make him breakfast, regardless of how exhausted I was, I went in and cooked for him.  When he needed me to pay his cell phone bill so he could find a job, rather than pay my own bill and risk losing my phone, I paid his.  When Jared needed a ride to his A.A. meetings, and I was low on gas, I would roll my coins to afford to get him there.  On an on...  when someone needed me, I was there.  To DESIRE someone to go out of their way for me, to show that I am important to them - is that SELFISH of me?

Maybe it is . . .

Will I change anything? No.  Why?  Because my DESIRE to keep the peace in my relationships is easier than the SELFISHness to fight for what I want.  If a friend doesn't feel like talking to me outside of work hours, then that's the way it is.  If someone doesn't want to come hang out, then that's the way it is.  If someone doesn't want to help me fix my car because they have better things to do, then that's the way it is.  Even though inside it causes me to feel shut off, it's easier on the relationship to just say 'ok' and smile and let it go.

I'm not SELFISH.  I have DESIRES.  What is wrong with that . . .

Okej, sem si rekel pri zadnjih dveh. Ble so res ene kripe, ma vredne niti počenega groša, malce bolj se je zapletlo pri tretjem. Še nekoč sem imel kolo predvsem za čezdnevno trajbanje sem in tja, zvečer pa za pijanščine. Kolesa sem imel vedno stara in zjahana, da mi ni bilo žal ko so mi ga ukradli. Nato pa sem imel tovrstnih koles poln kufer, saj niso šla nikamor, non stop sem skakal okrog njih s šreufencigarjem, da sem pritrjeval odpadajoče dele itd.

Dejstva so bila sledeča: Na dan naredim med 10 in 15 km po mestu s kolesom in stara kolesa tega tempa ne vzdržijo. Odločil sem se, kljub strahu po kraji, da kupim novega. Stal je sicer le 120 eur, a je bil kul. Vse je delalo, bil je hiter, bremze so bile odlične.

A kaj ko so mi še manj kot po enem letu ukradli še tega. Kupil sem spet eno kripo, ki je šla po enem letu v maloro. To poletje sem bil brez kolesa, res grozno, a sem si zarekel, da starih koles ne bom več kupoval. Nakar pa se zagledam v cruise kolesa. Res hudo. Odločil sem se, da bom kupil tega, a je izbor res neverjeten, odločitev bo težka. Cena niti ni tako važna, se pa giblje v mojem izboru med 400 in 600 evri.

Kupil ga bom, a se bom z njim vozil le tja, kjer ga bom imel pod kontrolo. Torej ga bom imel za uživaštvo. Mal po mestu gor in dol, na kavico in še kam, vsekakor pa ne za žure in puščanje na kakšnih ograjah ali pred študentskimi domovi. Skombiniral bom bus, taksi in kolo.

Nujno bi imel črno kolo, izjema je le "M.A.S.H." kolo, ki mi je padlo v oko.

Sicer pa za taka kolesca zelo dobre firme:
- http://www.felt.de/
- http://www.nirve.com/
- http://www.electrabike.com/

... kej zanimivga dobite pa tudi na:
- http://www.abikestore.com/
- http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/
- http://www.beachbikes.net/
- Delajo pa jih tudi že vse večje firme, ki delajo tudi obična kolesa. Vendar so brez duše :)

Še nekaj primerkov, ki so mi padli v oko:

A Navy squadron set off for Venezuela on Monday, an official said, in a deployment of Russian military power to the Western Hemisphere unprecedented since the Cold War.

Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said the nuclear-powered Peter the Great cruiser accompanied by three other ships sailed from the Northern Fleet's base of Severomorsk on Monday. The ships will cover about 15,000 nautical miles to conduct joint maneuvers with the Venezuelan navy, he said.

Dygalo refused to comment on Monday's report in Izvestia claiming that the ships were to make a stopover in the Syrian port of Tartus on their way to Venezuela. Russian officials said the Soviet-era base there was being renovated to serve as a foothold for a permanent Navy presence in the Mediterranean.

Read more

Kavinsky

Estas bicis surgieron en la costa de California en la recuperación de la crisis del 29, y tenían el nombre popular de playeras (beaches), porqué eran usadas sobre todo en las largas playas californianas; o el de globeras (balloon), por sus característicos neumáticos.

Posteriormente, cuando estas bicis se difundieron por el resto de Estados Unidos -y un poco más tarde y escasamente, por Europa- sufrieron ligeros cambios en el cuadro, asemejándose un poco más a la forma de las bicis europeas tradicionales, y adelgazando ligeramente los neumáticos, para que así se pudiesen desenvolver un poco mejor entre el tráfico de las ciudades. Unos dicen que el cambio tuvo lugar en San Francisco, otros que en Chicago, pero eso en el fondo no es muy importante. Este modelo pasó a denominarse townie cruiser mientras que para el antiguo modelo californiano quedó el nombre de beach cruiser.

Ventajas de las cruiser:

• Mucho más comodas que las tradicionales, están diseñadas para que andar en bici sea placentero.
• Amplia gama de modelos, para todos los gustos, es una bici para presumir de ella por la calle.
• Sencillo mantenimiento, en una cruiser no encontraras elementos pequeños y caros que tiendan a estropearse, lo único que tendrás que hacer para cuidarla es limpiarla (algo que harás simplemente para presumir de bici) y hacer una revisión general ocasional si te metes mucho por charcos y la orilla de la playa.
• Precio para todos los gustos, desde las más sencillas de entre 200 y 300 €, hasta las más caras de unos 800 €.
• "Fardas mazo, titi" cuando vas montado en una bici así por la playa.

Desventajas de las cruiser:

• Freno de contrapedal trasero. La mayoría de ellas usan freno de contrapedal trasero -o coaster-, que aunque prácticamente no requiera mantenimiento no es tán bueno como el v-brake, el cantilever, o el freno de disco, aunque algunos modelos ya tienen v-brake o cantilever, sobre todo las townies.
• Pocas marchas. Lo normal es que tengan 1 o 3 velocidades, lo que para playa y ciudad está bien, pero cuando sales de ahí y las cuestas son un poco más duras puede dar la sensación de que con eso no va a ser suficiente, aunque hay algunos modelos de 7 y hasta 9 velocidades

Os dejo las fotos de unos cuantas bicis, con sus precios y una dirección donde poder comprarlas:

La Electra Cruiser 1 (para chicos), 285 € en Tablas Surf Shop, una de las más míticas.

La Electra Cruiser 1 (para chicas), 285 € en Tablas Surf Shop, mismo modelo que la anterior pero para chicas.

La Electra Deluxe 1, 485 € en Tablas Surf Shop, una de las más bonitas.

La Electra Deluxe Woman, 485 € en Tablas Surf Shop, mismo modelo anterior pero para chicas.

La Felt V12, 475 € en Tablas Surf Shop, muy sencilla.

La Felt MP, 799 € en Tablas Surf Shop, ya se la he visto a dos personas, una de las más completas.

La Nirve Rober August, 390 € en Tablas Surf Shop, una de mis preferidas.

La Nirve Rober August (para chicas), 370 € en Tablas Surf Shop, si tuviese novia le regalaba esta bici.

La Hood One, 199 € en Hood Bikes, buena, bonita y barata.

La Electra Townie 3 Balloon Tangerine, 679 € en Beach Cruiser, townie para chicas superchula.

Hay muchas más, como la Electra Townie 21, famosa por ser la más cómoda, pero si las pusiese todas estaría días y días publicando el post. Si estais interesados en estas bicis las principales marcas son Nirve, Electra, Felt, Schwinn (ésta principalmente en USA), Johnny Loco, y últimamente Hood Bikes; y las podeis comprar en: Tablas, Beach Cruiser, Chopper & Cruiser Bikes, Johnny Loco y Hood Bikes entre otros sitios.

Una pequeña nota: aunque he puesto distinción entre bicis de chicos y chicas esto no debe ser ningún impedimento a la hora de escoger una cruiser, ya que a diferencia de las bici de carretera o de montaña en las cruiser el diseño de la bici no se ve marcado por las diferencias anatómicas, las marcas y las tiendas sólo hacen una diferencia estética.

]]> http://fuckgas.wordpress.com/?p=95 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:28:47 +0000 fuckgas http://fuckgas.fr.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/gutter-ball-bonanza/

Friday, October 3, 2008 - Meet at On your Left Cycles (618 Baxter Avenue) for the grill and beers (bring your own consumables) at 8pm - ride around 9 or so. As always, all bikes are welcome regardless of wheel size or gear count. Come join the fun!

Tout est dans le regard, dans le sourire, dans la démarche. Et dans la raison de consultation.

J'ai déjà eu une patiente venue en rendez-vous juste pour me voir, me donner des nouvelles. Imaginez mon malaise... Heureusement, elle a quitté la région.

Ne vous inquiétez pas, je n'en profite pas. Je tiens trop à ma femme et à mon permis de pratique.

On aura beau dire, ça fait du bien à l'égo quand même. Surtout quand ces femmes ont de l'allure.

C'était encore plus vrai en ville lors de ma résidence : clientèle jeune, se souciant de son apparence, éduquée, professionnelle, universitaire. Ici, en région, l'obésité et l'ignorance fait son œuvre. Le charme est une rareté.

Et c'est bien pour dire, pas besoin d'être très beau, il s'agit juste d'être médecin.

En dehors de l'hôpital, ça peut avoir un avantage d'être médecin pour un célibataire en recherche... Faut voir le regard des gens lorsqu'ils apprennent qu'on est médecin*. Il faut bien garder quelques avantages à cette profession si l'on veut attirer les meilleurs candidats !

*Ça me fait penser... Un jour, j'ai rencontré un Premier ministre qui serrait des mains au passage dans la région. Ne sachant pas que j'étais médecin, il me demande mon nom comme à tous les autres habitants présents. Je lui dis : « Xix Yigrec ». Il me dit : « bonjour Xix » puis passe aux autres mains. Puis une dame lui dit que je suis le docteur du coin. Il tasse alors tout le monde, m'appelle maintenant Docteur Yigrec et me présente à ses deux ministres présents, son attaché de presse et sa fille puis me jase personnellement durant 10 minutes. Et je ne viens même pas de la région, contrairement à tous les locaux venus le rencontrer et qu'il ignorait maintenant pour me donner toute son attention... Non, je n'ai pas voté pour son parti. Oui, sa fille était sympathique.

Life has been a little crazy here lately. More on that another day. For now, I am another year older. Ralf and the kids whipped up some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and baked this yummy Texas sheet cake to celebrate.

I was surprised with a shiny new cherry red cruiser bike just right for trawling around the neighborhood.

My birthday cards were an assortment of bathroom humor, celebrity news, and Star Wars themes. I'm guessing the kids had the run of the local Hallmark yesterday.

As I was rummaging through boxes searching for an old photo, I came upon my baby book. Nostalgia overcame me so I'm posting a few images of me through the years.

My birth day.

A little like the Heat Miser, don't ya think?

Age 8

Come on, don't tell me you didn't own a plaid blouse with a lacy collar and bow back in the day. And the double imagery makes the most of my feathered bangs and extra large teeth.

Age 10

Still the big teeth and feathered hair, although this is about the time I became a perpetual permer. I'm still anxiously anticipating perms coming back. Anyone know when that'll happen?

Age 14.

In the thick of the 80's. The popped collar, sweater vest, again the feathered bangs, and caked-on eyeliner.

Senior prom at 17.

The ultimate in big hair... and lace.

Age 22

Our engagement picture. See, my hair has tamed WAY down although if you look close enough the spirit of feathering can still be found and will never entirely leave me.

Age 31

Three kids down and one to go. Wash and wear is the name of the game.

This is actually almost 2 years ago but it's my most recent portrait. I look pretty much the same. And I am now, officially, an age that sounds too old to be true, and not at all the age I feel,

.... drumroll....

I am now...

38 years old!

Have an awesome week.

We had been out patrolling the area, quite a number of us too - around fifteen cruisers of various flavours as well as a number of nimble interceptors and one or two assault cruisers. The mood and discipline was on top as we jumped from system to system scanning for targets. This corner of space was awfully quiet tonight. "Contact; one badger", our scout suddenly reported in a firm voice. "He's going into warp, trying to scramble...", he continoued as our Fleet Commander gave order to the rest of us to activate the jumpgate. "I'm loosing him... Damn.", a brief moment of complete silence, then his voice again sounded in the cockpit of Lily Rose, my beloved Celestis. "I lost him, no contacts in the system". The badger mk 2 had slipped away from us. Our fleet continued to jump from system to system, constantly recieving reports from our recon one jump ahead.

Suddenly; contact, one Hurricane at the next jump - our scout told us. We held position and regrouped, I felt a slight touch of nervousity and grinned. "Everybody jump", our commanders voice suddenly broke the silence. As space-time returned to normal around Lily Rose, i saw our target aligning for a jump. He was about to slip away trough the very same gate we had used to enter this little corner. We followed trough, and as I returned to normal space I felt something was wrong. The sensors on Lily suddenly showed a large spike on the subspace spectrum. I instantly engaged all thrusters as well as my Microwarpdrive, but it was too late.

Battleships, Heavy assault cruisers and Battlecruisers materialized all over the place. We where outnumbered and outgunned. A quick look at my sensor told me that a gigantic mass still hadn't emerged from warp. The until recently quiet and calm backwater system turned into a battlezone and in one instant the space was filled with metal and gas as our fleet went down one by one. Then, for a brief millisecond everything stopped as the outlines of a capital ship took form right above us. A Thanatos, spitting out fighter drones had at last made it into normal space. Our fleet was sinking, only three managed to get out alive, yet not unharmed. I went down as well as Lily Rose - a salvo instantly penetrated the shields and took a huge bite out of her armour. As she struggled to get away another barrage turned her into a pile of metal and energy forever expanding outwards in the barren wasteland between the stars. Then a flash of light and...

I took a deep breath and stood up. Marching slowly thowards the hangar.
Last night my beloved Celestis Lily Rose went down, along with a large chunk of our cruiser fleet.

Sono diversi anni che non ho ufficialmente una bicicletta tutta mia, da quando la mia ultima mountain bike è andata in pezzi non ho avuto mai la voglia di comprare una bici nuova e così sono andato avanti prendendo in prestito quella di mio padre.

Ma quest'estate ero decisamente intenzionato a ricomprarmela, poi tra un impegno e l'altro sono arrivato ad Agosto che ancora non avevo acquistato niente...e nel frattempo c'è stata la laurea.

Laurea=Regalo

Sapendo di questa mia esigenza da un ramo della mia famiglia mi è stata data carta bianca per l'acquisto di un nuovo ciclo. Non me lo sono fatto dire due volte.

Ho fatto un piccolo giro di negozi ed ho individuato la bicicletta ideale. Volevo una cruiser!

E chiaramente l'ho comprata...non posso che mostrarvela:

Questa cruiser mi piace un casino...è piena di stile. Il manubrio non è eccessivamente largo, la sella è comoda, il telaio è spettacolare, ha le marce, ha la luce...insomma non gli manca niente! Anzi si, forse una cosa gli manca...il campanello, ma a questo si può facilmente rimediare.

Se vi interessano alcune informazioni sull'azienda che la produce potete cliccare qui: www.trubbianicicli.it.

Pedalare per me ora è un piacere.

Bene, questa settimana vi ho tartassato con i principali regali che ho ricevuto per la laurea ma adesso abbiamo finito (forse).

E' tutto...a Lunedì.

After dinner last night Bella and I suited up, and went out cruising in the T-hood.  As I was planning to hit some bike paths I strapped a bell onto her, one that I received as a gift years and years ago, and always kept for the day I would have a rockin cruiser to put it on.  With an extra pair of gloves in case my hands got cold, and my camera in the basket off we went!  First we cruised up north to visit Bob the Deer, who was in a good mood:

I have a feeling Bob's modeling career is only beginning, and that certain knitted items will look lovely draped in his antlers. 

Then we swung by to see what was shaking with Horatio/Benecio the Buffalo.  I'm still going back and forth on his name a bit.  He was a bit down as a bird had crapped on him recently:

Poor Benecio/Horatio.  I'm not sure about his modeling future, he is not so convenient for draping knitted items over.  He is very nice however.

Next I tried out my movie-making skills.  Which aren't very good, but I promise to work on them.  It is a bit difficult to ride a bike and take a movie at the same time.  I was wearing my helmet however, which is good with my track record of crashing.  The bell is a bit loud, but was fun to ring, as you can hear in the movie, I tend to giggle every time I ring it.  I first show you downtown Calgary in the distance, which you can barely make out, then the ski jump at Calgary Olympic Park, and then we go around the corner.  Just at the very end the mountains come into focus.  I wish I had kept rolling for a little while longer so that you can get a good view of them!  They have snow now.  For a cruiser bike, I can get going pretty fast!

Bella and I survived our cruise around the T-hood with no problems from local hoodlums, and next we plan on visiting the "estate" area to see if we get kicked out.

The Russian cruiser Moskva (foreground) conducting a counter-terrorism exercise with the Spanish frigate SPS Navarra and the British destroyer HMS Nottingham. Photo: NATO.

Reuters | Tuesday, 26 August 2008 Russia's flagship cruiser has re-entered the Black Sea for weapons tests hours after the Russian military complained about the presence of US and other Nato naval ships near the Georgian coast.

Russia, cruiser, weapons, Black Sea, Nato naval ships, Georgian coast, US Navy ships, Moskva, Abkhazia, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Black Sea, Igor Dygalo, Interfax, Reuters, US warships, Spain, Poland, Turkey, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, USS McFaul, Bryan Whitman, US Coast Guard, Dallas, USS Mount Whitney, Tomahawk cruise missiles, RIA news agency

Abkhazia and S. Ossetia follow Kosovo's example
Russian MPs have voted for the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This is just the first major consequence of Kosovo's declaration of independence, says political analyst Aleksandr Pavic, from the Belgrade Institute of Political Research.

The PT Cruiser in Brazil will cost about R$62,000 (US$ 38,000).  It is imported, which increases its cost.

The same model in the USA will cost about US$ 17,000.

If you earn the monthly minimum wage in Brazil, R$ 415 (US$256), it will take you about 149 months to pay off the car, or 12.44 years.

This is the more appropriate method of determining the cost of living in Brazil.....purchasing power.  How many hours, weeks, months will you have to work to buy X item compared to what it would presently cost you in your home country.

Despite their high cost, you do see a few of these PTs around.

A basic Fiat Palio 1.0, 4 doors, no options is listed at R32,370 (US$19,998).  Palio is number one in car sales in Brazil.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36596 in Sports & Outdoors
• Color: Pink/Pink/White
• Brand: Nirve
• Model: 1441
• Released on: 2007-05-09

Features

• Single-speed 26-inch retro bike for women 5 foot and taller
• Proprietary Galaxie frame with classic pink/white color and retro design details
• Double-spring saddle and cruiser-style handlebars for all-day comfort
• Full-length fenders, coaster brake, and Hello Kitty handlebar bell
• 26-inch whitewall tires with Hello Kitty treads; welded kickstand

Customer Reviews

Super Cute!
The title of these review comes straight from the packaging of this product and I must say it is "Super Cute!" So, I had been eyeing up this bike forever. No one ever had it locally and Amazon was out of stock for a while on it. The when they had it back in stock you had to pay for shipping. I held out more and at the time of this review there was free shipping like they had offered in the past. So when UPS delivered it, it comes in this huge heavy hello kitty decked out box unassembled. I had tried to assemble it, but gave up after a half hour of getting no where with it. So I had to go to bike shop pay 40 bucks and have them assemble it. Then, because it is HUGE they couldn't stick it in the back of my jetta with the two back seats down. The guy had to remove the front wheel to squeeze it in. It wasn't hard getting the wheel back on at home, but if you ever wanted to take it with you, you would definitely need a bike rack.

So far the review sounds burdensome and not worth it, however once I had the bike assembled I must say that I am truly impressed by it. There is so much attention to detail. The bike seat is even embroidered, and it comes with a cute little bell all with hello kitty on it. Even the wheels have hello kitty treads on them. The company nirve also sends touch out paints just in case.

Riding it, you really need a flat surface because it is a cruiser. But that's why it's awesome. The handle bars are aligned almost like a chopper so it's easy to ride one handed and just relax while riding. It's also nice in that there are hand and foot brakes. The ride itself is so smooth. It's funny but you do "turn heads" with this bike if that's the kind of thing your into.

All in all, I love this bike. It's fun, cute (I mean "super cute") and has great quality. Just keep in mind that it is way larger than the little photo on amazon allows (for example, on the frame where the hello kitty is painted I can't clasp my one hand around it and touch my fingers together)

O que mais chama a atenção no PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 é sua coloração. Enquanto a carroceria apresenta tonalidade em branco pérola, o teto do veículo virá pintado em preto, batizado de 'Brilliant Black Crystal Pear' pela montadora. Couro preto e contornos cromados caracterizam o interior do modelo. Nova grade dianteira, detalhes estéticos em alumínio espalhados pelo exterior e rodas de liga-leve de 17 polegadas exclusivas completam as alterações visuais no retrô. Custará, nos EUA, US$ 22.700 (ou algo em torno de R$ 36.500).

Por Fillipe Vivas

Brianna "Wildflower" Bertrand - Bri raced hard against two older boy racers again this week.  Her strong racing paid off in one of the races in her moto, another rider went down hard near the finish line, and she was able to pass the rider and take second place.  Overall she took 3rd place.  In the girls "open" she won all the races and won the free ticket to the Ottawa Rapidz game. Again she was really pumped for the girls race.

Bailey "Dash" Bertrand - Over the weekend Bailey found a used "old school" expert sized cruiser for a deal. He has some money saved and wanted to buy it, so he could race against his Dad in the Cruiser class.  The reason he is able to, is that there are no younger riders also racing cruiser.  So that means each week he will race his 20" Expert and also his 24" Cruiser.  Two sets of races.  He is the only rider doing that at our local track. This proved to make his races more challenging as he was "more" tired. In the 20" moto, he won all three races for 1st place.  In the 24" Cruiser moto, he placed 3rd twice and 2nd once.  In the second race Bailey had a battle right to the finish line and narrowly was beaten by the other rider.  In the 24" he is racing two 33 year old riders.  He took 3rd for the moto.

Brendon "Flash" Bertrand - Great racing in this class again this week.  Seems every week there are some really good racing between a few of the riders in this class.  One of the riders in this class again this week was an Expert rider, so that meant it was going to be a fast moto.  In one of the races, Brendon clipped another rider and went down.  Overall Brendon was able to place 3rd for the total points moto.

Reg "Hound Dog" Bertrand - This was a great moto, pretty close through most of the races.  Right into the 1st and 2nd corners it was very close, and in the second race another rider and I both were battling for the same line neck and neck and my handle bar locked into the other rider, causing me to go down in the second corner.  In the other races I was right on the back tire of the lead rider, but was not able to overtake him to gain 1st.  Overall I placed 2nd place.  It was really fun lining up in the gate with Bailey, he was really excited to be racing with me as well.

The races two weeks ago were some good ones, and a new team member decided to enter into the new Cruiser Class that is forming at the club.  That would be me, on my new DK Fury 24" Cruiser.

Here are the results:

Brendon "Flash" Bertrand - Brendon had some good battles all night again.  The competition in his class was pretty good.  There were 4 riders in the moto, and Brendon didn't qualify for the main, it was between another rider that he has had some good battles with all year, and on this night, the other rider went to the main.

Bailey "Dash" Bertrand - Bailey had some good strong races with another rider tonight.  In the main, there was a three man gate, and Bailey and another rider heading into corner number three had a incident. The other rider came over and intentionally knocked Bailey off the track.  However, he battled hard and came all the way back to have a very close finish, and placed 2nd.  Directly, after crossing the line, Bailey came over to me to launch a protest of the race (I am the Head Official). This is a rule in the rulebook, this week I felt that I had a clear enough view and made the call to DQ the other rider.  I talked with the other rider and his parents after the race, they weren't to happy with the call, and said it wasn't fair to DQ the rider.  However, the way I see it, it really isn't fair to the rider that was fouled if I don't make the call.  In any situation (we have have had a few this year) one party is not going to be happy.

Brianna "Wildflower" Bertrand - Bri once again had to race with the older boys.  She still is having fun, but with the creation of the new "open" all Girls moto, she is very excited to get in the gate with the girls.  In her official moto, she didn't qualify for the main.  In the all Girls moto she was racing really hard, she won one of the races, and was rewarded with a free Ottawa Rapidz ticket.  She was very excited.

Reg "Hound Dog" Bertrand - Carried over the nickname from my hockey playing days. With live play-by-play announcing of the races it is a common for riders to have nicknames.  To the on looker, it may seem that racing is pretty easy, to someone riding in a practice session it may seem racing is not that difficult, that there is not much action or excitement.  Well, get on a bike, line up in the gate, and take a try in a real race, neck and neck into the corners and over the obstacles mere inches apart going full speed, takes it to another level.  My results for the night were not that great....the first race of the total points moto, I completely ran out of gas after the 3 corner.  In the second race, I took 2nd place.  In the third race, again nothing left with the legs, came third.  Overall for the night I placed 3rd.  It was a blast racing however, and something that I will be continuing to do for the rest of the season.