Just because I can

From: jcrubin78 @ You Tube

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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Pass on the “Seeds of Greatness”

I wanted to pass on this absolute gem of what I call universal wisdom. It was written by Mr. Denis Waitley the best-selling author, speaker, poet and lyricist. I read it on his ezine, and it is a keeper!

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Seeds of Greatness by Denis Waitley

The Safari Called Life Check-off List:

• Learn from those who have gone before

• Travel lightly; no extra baggage

• Be prepared and expect the unexpected

• The more you learn the less you fear

• Slow down, watch and listen

• Respect your environment

• Leave your ego behind

• Anticipate, innovate and make do

• Be optimistic; tomorrow did not exist before

• Collect memories instead of souvenirs

• Enjoy the journey

• Celebrate all life, not just your own

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Reproduced with permission from the Denis Waitley Ezine.

To subscribe to Denis Waitley’s Ezine, go to www.deniswaitley.com

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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Custom Fabricated Motorcycle Inspection Sticker Plate

Custom Fabricated Motorcycle

Inspection Sticker Plate

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There is one thing besides riding, riding, and more riding that I like to do with my 1998 Harley-Davidson XL, and that is fabricating custom parts for it. Below are photos of a custom inspection sticker plate that I just completed.

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Photo 1

Overview; the original and the custom replacement at different stages.

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Photo 2

The original Harley inspection sticker plate. Very utilitarian shape – it was an excellent candidate for replacement with a one-off custom.

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Photo 3

First I found some material for my project. I used a piece of 1/8 aluminum for my replacement. After cutting the blank to size, I drilled a mounting hole.

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Photo 4

I got a pencil out, put my designer hat on, and did a little layout work. The next step was to rough cut the design.

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Photo 5

A rough cut inspection sticker plate.

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Photo 6

Next I smoothed out the the jagged edges with a hand grinder and hand file. I then sanded the whole piece.

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Photo 7

Here it is primed and painted. The plate had a good shape, but I thought it needed something more.

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Photo 8

I decided to file a double knife edge to it. This gave it a two-toned look, and it also enhance the 3D appearance. The final step was to give it a little clear coat paint.

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Photo 9 & 10

The finished piece.

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Photo 11

The custom inspection sticker plate mounted on my Harley ready for an inspection sticker.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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A Month of Blogging

Well it’s been a month of blogging for me. I started this blog on May 27th, 2008. I was totally new to the world of blogging. Just like with my weight loss, I wish I had before and after pictures of my blog. I am generally pleased with my blog progress. It was helpful to keep reminding myself from time to time with what I wrote in my May 31, 2008, blog post titled “How do you create a BLOG?“, and that is to keep working on it a little at a time every day.

I have been impatient at times with different aspects of my blogging ever since I started JB’s Weblog. At times I have been impatient with developing blog traffic. Though I have made good progress in bringing more visitors to my blog. At times I have been impatient with learning the “how to” in designing a blog. Though in hindsight I guess I did pretty well in designing my blog. At times I have also been impatient with deciding what direction to take my blog, including the last couple of days. Thankfully I read an article yesterday that has helped me put “things” in perspective. This article “Patience is a Virtue” was written by fellow blogger Jenny Mannion. So in regards to my blog’s direction, I guess I did fairly well, and I will be patient in “finding” which path to take it on.

I believe I need to do the following in order to continue good blog growth. I need to continue to have fun with learning blog design and writing good blog posts. I need to continue and expand trusting my judgment with blog design and writing. I need to understand that it is o.k. if I don’t have all the blogging answers.

All in all I have enjoyed my blogging experience, and I have enjoyed using this free hosted blog software from WordPress.com. Obviously I am not a blog expert, but if I can, I would be glad to try to help new WordPress.com bloggers. Drop me a line, and I will see what I can do.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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What the ?

What the ? – part II is much better!

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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I Wasn’t Born A Smoker

When I was thinking of or actually trying to quit smoking cigarettes I was always thinking that this is hard to do or this is impossible to do. One truth that I kept returning to and gave me comfort was the thought that “I Wasn’t Born A Smoker”.

I smoked cigarettes for so long that I had a hard time visualizing myself being a non-smoker. If I could not visualize myself being a non-smoker, it was unlikely that I would achieve my goal of becoming a non-smoker. So along with other positive thoughts to help me quit smoking I kept referencing the fact that I wasn’t born a smoker.

I wasn’t born a smoker – what a beautiful thought. If I wasn’t born a smoker and I was smoke-free for a large part of my life then was I a smoker or someone who smoked cigarettes? I then proclaimed that I was born a non-smoker and that I will return to being a non-smoker. These thoughts along with other positive thoughts, and a lot of hard work, has brought me to the point were I can proudly say. I am a non-smoker — I am smoke-free.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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2 Pounds Per Week

I am still on track with my goal of eliminating one to two pounds of body fat per week. My goal is to weigh between 150lb to 160lb by Dec. 31st, 2008. I have been recording my weight weekly ever since March 10th, 2008. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

First, some background, as I mentioned in my “A Win-Win-Win Situation” article, one of the “wins” was weight reduction. So here is the time line.

I quit smoking and started light aerobic exercise (walking) in November 2007. I increased my walking gradually and added other exercises in early January 08. Between November 07 to February 08, my weight was 230lb plus or minus a couple. So I didn’t gain weight after I quit smoking, but there was an anomaly that I noticed in March. I was gaining weight – What???

It went like this. I was substantial increasing my exercising, and to compensate for that, I was also increasing my food consumption. At my annual physical I learned that I weighed 244lb. The first thing I did was to buy a bathroom scale. The second thing I did was to figure out what I had to do in order to stop gaining weight and to start losing weight.

My assumption was that if I am exercising strenuously every week then I should be losing weight. This assumption was obviously incorrect. After a lot of research the “magic” answer came to me. It is just a matter of simple math – the net result of calories consumed minus calories expended. You do not need to be a member of Weight Watchers in order to understand this. So I started counting calories (1800 calories a day works for me) and every since, along with exercising, I have been slimming down slowly but surely. Below is my weight chart.

* Consult your health care provider before engaging in

exercise and or a change of diet.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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A Way

“A Way” in My Life

It is funny how sometimes we need other people to remind us of our beliefs. Oneonta Taekwon-Do recently put on an excellent seminar. My Taekwon-Do instructor Mr. Raymond Mannion, 2nd Dan brought up an excellent point in which he learned from his instructor Grandmaster Suk Jun Kim, 9th Dan. That Taekwon-Do is “a way” of thinking and living – it is not “the way”. Meaning there is more than “one way” in given areas of life. I believed in this principle before this seminar, but sometimes we need reminders to apply this principle to all areas of our lives, and for this, I am grateful.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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The Trip to Loudon/Part V

The Trip to Loudon/Part V

This is the last part of the “The Trip to Loudon” story. It has been fun writing about the Laconia, Loudon, Loudon Road Race Series racers, and the New Hampshire Speedway. I enjoyed watching the races. Like all specialized regional racing events at big circuit race tracks there is plenty of elbow room. Every seat is the best seat. Every view is the best view. You can easily walk up to and talk to all the racers. It is all quite enjoyable. Below are the last photos that I took at the New Hampshire Speedway on Saturday, June 14th, 2008. I only took a couple of photos on the trip home at the Bennington battle monument in Bennington, Vermont before we got soaked riding across New York State.

Holy NASCAR

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Three Out Of A Turn

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A Racer

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Coming Out Of A Turn

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Out Of The Pits

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Get Ready

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GO!

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Two Into A Turn

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Three For The Lead

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The Front Stretch

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S Turn

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Leaving The Racing

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We made one impromptu stop on the way home at the Bennington Battle monument in Bennington Vermont – end of Story.

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A couple of links related to “The Trip to Loudon.”

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Loudon Road Racing Series

Laconia Motorcycle Week

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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Timing and Change

Unfortunately sometimes a change that we are working on will not produce the desired result that we want simply because of the timing. It does not mean that we should not work on the desired change because the timing might be wrong. In fact we might need to fail at the wrong time, so we can learn how to succeed at the right time.

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~ JB ~

JB’s Weblog

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