Tag Archives: Mr. Blog

Dispatches From The Front: Japan, Part 2

2 May

May 2, 2012

This is the next set of selections from Allan Keyes, my brother, who is on a ten-day tour of Japan. Like last week’s installment, I’ve edited out all references to opium smuggling and multiple geisha madness.

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Dispatch #4

Busy day today:

1- Took bullet train to Nagano

2- Saw the Zenkoji Temple

3- Had traditional Sukiyaki lunch (we stir fry the meat on the hot rock and dip it in broth. Yummy)

4- MONKEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZOMG ELEVENTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5- Chestnut Ice Cream (with a corn flake base) delicious

6- Sour fish paste = BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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Dispatch #5

SUBJECT: Tastes like it sounds

-Saw Matsumoto Castle today.  AWESOME

-Ate soba noodle lunch. DELICIOUS

-Saw a museum with old drawings. MEH

-Saw a wasabi farm. NICE! Made our own pickled wasabi.  FUN BUT IT CAME OUT FAIL. Ate Wasabi Ice Cream. Suprisingly good.

-We have traditional robes in our room, we’re wearing them to dinner. Hilarity ensues, I’m sure. Later on I’m going to the Osan, which is the hot springs baby.

In the meantime, if you open the pic you understand the subject of this email.

Mets suck!

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Dispatch #6

I ate sushi and went in the public hot spring bath.  It was great.

You know what I said when I walked into the hot springs? “Me big American man”

[Editor’s note: The public hot spring baths are nude only]

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Dispatch #7

I’ve been eating like a pic and LOVING it 🙂  In fact, as I write this I’m watching Hanshin Tigers vs Hiroshima Carp while eating a bag of “cut chip style potato product”

As nuts as the cities are here – and they are nuts – this country is massively beautiful. Remember the film “American Beauty” where the kid is saying how there’s so much beauty in things like a plastic bag swirling in the wind? He’s a jackass who’s full of shit. If he ever saw some of these gardens he’d take one look at that plastic bag and want to smack whoever littered.

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The Editor’s and Staff of Mr. Blog’s Tepid ride would to thank Mr. Allan Keyes for the generous permission to use his emails in this blog, which I am sure he will give as soon as he gets home and reads this.

Beginning tomorrow and continuing next week, a special edition series of Picture Postcard will spotlight some of his best Japan pictures, ten each week.

American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior: Mikey Out?

30 Apr

April 30, 2012

MIKEY OUT? April 30, 2012
OCC starts a build that will be unveiled to the prime minister of Malaysia, while PJD finishes a pimped-out bike for baseball player Aaron Rowand. And Mikey drops an unexpected bomb when he considers quitting the show.

PJD starts right where the last show ended. Aaron Rowand wants a bike similar to the Black Widow but with baseball touches, which makes Paulie a little nervous since Aaron is very particular about what he wants.  It does not look like the Black Widow except in the black and red paint scheme. The rims have replica wooden bats running through them.

OCC is building a bike for the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The OCC crew is going there (Senior, Jason, and Jim) to find out about promoting travel and tourism.

Over at PJD, Vinnie and Paulie noticed that Mikey hasn’t been around in a while so Vinnie set out to find him. Wasn’t hard to do, he was at his gallery.

Mikey told Vinnie that he was thinking of quitting the show. He feels that the attention from the show is hurting his chance of having a relationship with his father. HMMM. Where did he get the idea of not being around the cameras? Oh yeah, last week when Paulie and Senior met without cameras. He is so easily influenced.

BTW- when did he become part owner of a pasta sauce company?

The guy on the right is Chef Angry Mike. He makes pasta sauce. The guy on the left uses it for finger paint.

Back at OCC, Jason is once again getting too involved in the building. He made his drawings, then he wanted to make changes during fabrication. Senior was not happy but who does he have to blame but himself? He’s allowed Jason to do pretty much whatever he wants around the shop, even to the point of laughing off a (probably phony) tantrum a few months back. Yes, what happened this week is extremely minor and not a big deal, but I point it out because (I  have not said this in a long time) Jason will be running OCC someday. Bank on it. Senior loves the guy.

Rick drops the news about Mikey leaving on Senior. Rick needs to stay out  of this. The less he is involved with the family troubles the better for him. Senior doesn’t understand why Mikey would leave. “I think this is a drastic step here.” Rick says he will get in touch with Mikey, and he is Mikey;s friend, but Senior wants Rick to pass the message that he is willing to talk to Mikey. Nothing wrong with Senior saying that, but again, Rick- don’t get in the middle of this!

Senior also pointed out that Mikey might ne the most popular person on the show. I think Vinnie and Rick might beat him, but out of the Teutuls that might be true.

I often say that the paint makes the bikes. Not in this case. The Aaron Rowand bike looks great even before the paint,and Nub once again justified the faith everyone has in him. From fabrication to paint this is one of my favorite bikes.

Near the end of the show Rick and Mikey hung out in a park and talked about how Mikey is doing. He cut his hair and shaved his beard and looks much better. Mikey confirmed that he is quitting the show (though a couple of minutes later he says he is undecided but leaning toward eaving) and hopes it will help his relationship with his father. “It is time to move on.” Rick told him that Senior misses him and Mikey said he misses his father. According to the commercials this arc continues next week.

NEXT WEEK:
MALAYSIAN ADVENTURE May 7, 2012
Senior, Jason, Jim and Steve travel to Malaysia, where they not only unveil their latest bike, but also encounter wildlife, swim under waterfalls and barter at the central market.

Oh boy.