Where was I?

My 69 F-100 "Rat Rod Shop Truck" Project

My 1st truck ever was a 1989 F-150 that I bought 2 years after I graduated high school & I loved that truck. It was a V8 w/a standard transmission & it served me well for 2 years before I sold it to move to upstate New York for a summer of laziness. While I had a great time in New York that summer, I definitely regret selling my truck to fund my trip.

When I got home from New York in the fall, I decided it was time to buy another fun vehicle so I bought myself a 1986 IROC Z-28. I loved that car & drove the hell out of it for 3 years before I parked it to move to Colorado for a winter of being a “ski bum” (snowboarding actually but you get the point).

Long story short, I hauled that Camaro from house to house for almost 15 years fully intending to one day put the time & money into it to make it the car I always wanted. Surprise! I never did, so last weekend I decided it was time to move on & find a project that was a little further along & much more friendly to my wallet.

Since I’m a dirt bike rider as well, I decided my next project needed to be a truck. I started out looking for a 67-72 C10 pickup to buy but after a little research I realized that Chevrolet C10s are pretty rare & pretty expensive. Then I remembered how much I loved my F-150 so I started looking at Ford F-100s. Wouldn’t you know it; I found the perfect truck for me & this blog will document my project from beginning to end.

Truck:

1969 F-100 LWB Styleside I purchased the truck from a retired guy who began rebuilding this truck years ago with his son & has since lost the time & interest in completing it b/c he’s got other projects that he’s more involved with.

Starting point:

The truck has a really straight body (except for a bullet hole in the bed, which I plan on keeping) & decent original paint still. There is very little rust (almost none) in the body as well. 2 spots on the driver side door & rocker panel, a couple of spots in the bed & some minimal rust (no complete holes at all) in the floor boards.

The previous owner began the EFI & AOD swap. The 5.0L EFI & AOD (plus wiring harness, computer, fuel tank, radiator, driveshaft, etc.) came out of a running 1990 Lincoln Town Car w/86K miles on it. I was informed by the previous owner that the intake gasket needs to be replaced but other than that it’s supposed to be in good shape.

It also came with the power disc brakes up front & power steering swaps already completed. The brakes seem to drag a little & there is a little slack in the steering wheel but all the components are there so I’ve got a good foundation to start my build on.

Planned repairs/restoration:

• Clean & paint the engine bay
• Clean & complete a minor restoration of the interior
• Clean everything under the body
• Complete the EFI/AOD Swap
• Tune up brakes & steering components
• Drop the suspension 4”-5”
• White wall tires w/matte black stock rims & chrome “moonie” hub caps
• Leave the original paint (add weathered lettering graphics on the doors)
• Replace weather stripping & anti-rattle tailgate kit
• Replace windshield
• Add side mirrors & polish up all chrome/trim pieces

Below are photos of what I’m starting with & over the next few months (hopefully not years) I intend to update this blog with photos & info about the process.

Here she is sitting on the trailer headed home.

This will be my "rat rod's" home until I get it back on the road.

This is the 5.0L V8 EFI engine w/AOD transmission from a 1990 Lincoln Town Car that will be the drivetrain for my project.

The interior is actually in pretty good shape. While the outside will look like a junker, the interior is going to be clean, fresh & modern while maintaining it's classic look.

As you can see, even the tailgate & bed are in really good shape. There is very little rust on this truck so I'm in pretty good shape.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog to check out my project & don't forget to check back periodically to see how it all comes together.

Next step; clean the engine bay & undercarriage.

Mutiny Bikes Dallas/Fort Worth Trip Edit

If you've never seen a Joe Simon film (which is unlikely if you've seen my blog before) then you're unaware of the skills he has behind the lens & with editing. Joe has made the majority of my favorite BMX films (not to mention some amazing wedding films) of all time. Recently, some of the Mutiny Bikes team riders took a 4 day trip around Fort Worth, Dallas & my hometown of Denton, TX. As usual, Joe produced the following film that makes BMX look as artistic as it truly can be. Enjoy this edit and then check out Joe's VIMEO profile for more of his work.

My First Mac

I recently got my first Apple MacBook and decided to make a video using Final Cut Express. Nothing particularly entertaining about this video but then again I didn't make it to entertain, I made it so I could learn more about video editing.

My First Mac from Nudnik on Vimeo.

Amazing Scientific Photos - Caleb Charland

Check out Caleb Charland's website for more spectacular photos that highlight the world of science.

Clouds365 & Speeding Tickets

Thanks to the amazing power of Twitter, I came across two websites I found very interesting. The first is called Trapster.com which offers a place for users of the internet to share known speedtraps with each other. They even have an iPhone app. It also has a blog page where somebody shared the fastest speeding tickets known to man. The world record for speeding tickets happened in the great state of Texas at 242 mph. Follow THIS link to learn more about speeding tickets and click the link above to share any known speedtraps with the rest of the world.

 

I found the next website because of a Twitter account that I follow called Amazing Pics. They tweeted a story about a guy here in Dallas that took a photo of the clouds as a part of a 365 project. Some of the photos are really cool but the timelapse videos below were what really got my attention. Enjoy the videos and then follow the link to Amazing Pics for more photos of happy little clouds.

8-25-09 from Kelly DeLay on Vimeo.

11-08-09 from Kelly DeLay on Vimeo.

These should get you stoked to ride

Thanks to BMXFEED I found this video from a post on Least Most from a cool site Sasquatch Canyon. Makes you want to ride doesn't it.

Dusty Afternoons from jackson allen on Vimeo.

I also found a cool video of Alex Magallan on Sunday Bikes while he was in Austin, TX. That guy has some crazy good skills on a BMX bike.

Alex Magallan in ATX from SundayBikes.com

Snow in Austin by Joe Simon

This is a short Film that Joe posted to his Vimeo profile he took during the recent snow storm in Austin, TX. Enjoy!

Winter Illusion - A Short Film from Joe Simon Films on Vimeo.

Crank Faster Blog

North Texas local shredder and filmer Tazz Hernandez has a blog up at Crank Faster with some really good stuff on it right now. In particular there's an interview with Stephen Bruner and a link to Travis Kincaid's Flickr account with photos from our trip to Ray's MTB Park last week. Check it out !

BMX roadtrip with no car?

I found a post on Least Most (a great new BMX blog) about 3 friends who took a trip on road bikes with their BMX bikes in tow. They covered hundred of miles in a couple of weeks. This seems like such a great idea that I want to try a mini-version of the same thing. Click the link above to check out the photos and learn more about their journey.

Christophe Le Canne Memorial Ride in Key Biscayne

Update:

I created a video from the footage I took on the day of the memorial ride. Enjoy!

Christophe Le Canne Memorial Ride from Nudnik on Vimeo.

Today I participated in a the Memorial Ride in Key Biscayne, FL to honor the memory of local cyclist Christophe Le Canne. Christophe was killed last Sunday morning when he was struck by an alleged drunk driver while he was crossing a bridge. The goal of this ride was to draw attention to the dangerous conditions that bicyclists are forced to deal with when they go on rides in designated bike lanes around the Miami area. I am staying in Miami because of a work trip and I had made plans with the VP of the Southeast region to go on a road bike while I was in town. He just got into the cycling over Christmas so he was excited to go for a group ride and when he heard about this memorial ride it seemed like a worthy cause. I met up at his house in Miami and we pedaled about 6 or 7 miles to the meeting place on Key Biscayne. It was impressive how many riders showed up for the ride. It has been estimated that there were at least 4,000 cyclists present. At one point, we were on the road and it was a see of riders, taking up two lanes as far as I could see in front of me and behind me. I have never been part of anything like that before and it was an impressive show of solidarity. The mood within the crowd of riders was somber but also energized. The camaraderie that is shared among cyclists is something that is hard to explain to non-cyclists. I have spent most of my road bike cycling experience in a solo setting and so it was really nice to be a part of such a large gathering of like minded people. The vast majority of the participants were not your casual bike rider, as was evident by the prominent sound of 100s of shoes clipping into pedals every time the crowd would begin to move. But that didn't deter a few casual bikers from joining in on the experience and pedaling the road bike route down and around Key Biscayne. I pedaled a total of 42.6 miles and I averaged 15.5 mph, which included a lot of stops. I even impressed myself with my climb up the tallest bridge in Miami. I don't consider myself a climber but for that one bridge I felt good. The next bridge, however, was half as tall but three times as long so it kicked my butt. For the rest of the ride we held a pretty steady 20+ mph pace and I was able to stay in the peloton so I felt good about my efforts. I truly enjoyed myself on this ride and I hope that they decide to make this an annual event to bring attention to the dangers associated with simply riding a bike on the roads.

 

Not BMX? Sometimes

While it's true these videos are not BMX related, it is also true that I found them on a BMX blog. Dig for Victory is a blog by a trail digger in the UK and he posted these videos to his blog and I liked them so much I had to post them too.

With the right preparation, I think I could break this record.

Real or Fake?

So, what do you think? Do the photos below look like videogames? I found a great blog post about the evolution of video game graphics in the last few years. It's a pretty impressive collection of images.

Great post on Event Photography

I found this post by Connor Walberg at the All Photo Buzz blog via strobist tweet and thought it offered some great insight and recommendations for aspiring event photographers. There are also some amazing pictures like the one below.

"Old guy" Jon Faure still kickin' it!!

I can't believe I didn't post a link to THIS but, a couple of months ago I came across an interview with a 45 year old father Jon Faure, who shreds a Sunday Model C with his 16 year old son (I hope to be that cool in 15 years). Not surprisingly, it seems he's still at it and Cruiser Revolution just posted a few photos of Jon shredding Woodward West recently. It reminded me that I treasure the fact that I can still ride a "kids" bike for fun and has totally inspired me to write an article about "old farts" that still ride BMX. I'll be working on it for a while but check back periodically. If you are no longer in your 20s and still participating in action sports then please read the interview above and check out THIS blog from another guy in his 30s that loves action sports. In the meantime, check out the photos below and follow the links above to some other cool sites for big guys who ride little bikes.

How to Raw / Paint your BMX bike

This article will cover the process of getting that raw bike frame look, removing anodized color from rims & stems, and painting bike parts with canned spray paint. I have also included a link to a SHORT VERSION if this article seems too long to read, but keep in mind, the SHORT VERSION doesn’t have all the warnings of the long version.

Here is a list of what you will need:

A bike and/or part you want to change the color of

Tools

Newspaper

Clothes hangers

Sandpaper (varying grits)

Rubber gloves

Masking tape

Paint stripper

Oven cleaner

Mineral Spirits

Canned spray paint/clear coat

All of these items can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.

The first thing you need to know if you’re going to repaint or “raw” your bike is what you want the final product to look like. I love to paint my BMX bike a lot. I like changing up the color schemes on a regular basis. In the last 3 years, I’ve had at least a dozen variations of colors on my bikes with one of those color schemes lasting almost a year and a half. That being said, it’s important to have a visual in mind when you start the process of changing colors on your bike so you know what parts are getting what color.

My first “good” BMX bike went through more than half a dozen color combos while I owned it with the rims, sprocket, hubs, forks & bars changing color every couple of months. My current ride started out factory blue with white highlights. Originally I had to paint the hubs & rims to match the factory blue as well as the brakes, lever, sprocket, & seatpost white for highlights. I ran that color scheme for the longest time because the factory color was great but after awhile I even grew tired of that and had to change. That’s when I went to the green & brown colors inspired by a U.S. Army Harley motorcycle.

This is why I am stressing the importance of having a game plan before you begin painting. If you’re anything like me than patience is not a virtue for you and you attack your bike with spray can in hand without a plan. In the past this has not been as big a problem but for my last color scheme it didn’t pay off as well. When I painted my bike green & brown I decided to paint over the blue & white instead of stripping it off and painting it fresh from scratch. That’s where I made my mistake. The paint and colors came out just fine but after my first session I started to see little spots of blue coming through where I scratched off the green. Being a bit of a perfectionist like I am, that began to bother me. That is why I promptly decided to change colors once again after only 4 months.

Since I have never been rich enough to have an actual spray paint gun I have always painted my bikes with Krylon and I have gotten numerous compliments on my bikes paint jobs. I figure this means I’m doing something right so I’m going to share my techniques with you today. First thing you need to do is realize that to do it right, you have to take your bike apart. Most people don’t like this idea because it just adds to the time it’s going to take to complete the project but to make it look good you have to do so. That’s why I paint my bikes when it’s going to rain for a few days. If you like painting your wheel sets as much as I do than this will also force you to learn how to lace a wheel. That can save you money as well because you won’t have to pay somebody at your local bike shop to do it for you. THIS is the website that taught me how to lace up a wheel but I suggest you do a Google search on the topic and read multiple articles on the subject. I also highly recommend you take photos of your wheels laced up before you take them apart so you have a reference for putting them back together. You can also do one wheel at a time so you can look at the other wheel as a reference. If you’re going to paint your frame than take your bike completely apart before you start painting. That means pulling the wheels, forks, bars, headset, cranks, seat-post, brakes, and chain off. You can leave the bottom bracket bearings in if you want but I don’t recommend it if you’re going to use paint stripper on your frame. The thing that most people don’t take into consideration is the overspray that happens when painting your bike. This means you need to have every part that you DON’T want to paint kept separate from the parts you DO want to paint.

Now that you’ve taken your bike apart, it’s time to sand down any rough spots. These rough spots are generally caused by falls and grinding which means you should check the chain-stays, bottom bracket, crank arms, etc. I suggest you start with a medium grit (80-120) to get the big scratches out. Then move to a fine or extra fine grit (180+) to smooth out the sanding marks from the medium grit. Once you’ve done that it’s time to strip the old paint off. From this point on, YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH ANY PART OF YOUR BIKE OR SUPPLIES WITHOUT GLOVES. I personally like to use a pair of surgical gloves as my first layer & rubber house cleaning gloves for the outer layer. In order to begin stripping the old paint off your bike you need to create a place to use the paint stripper. DO NOT DO THIS INSIDE AN ENCLOSED SPACE. I do all my work in my garage with the garage door open. I also lay down multiple layers of newspaper to protect my garage floor.

I suggest you test the paint stripper out on a small area of your bike first before you cover the entire part. I like to use the spray on stripper but you can get the kind that paints on if you prefer. I have found they both work just as well. Paint stripper can be found at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc. Keep in mind also that for most bikes, it is going to take multiple rounds of stripping to get everything off the bike. When you’re applying the stripper make sure you put a thick layer on the part you are stripping. I used 4 cans of the spray-on stripper to remove the paint from every part of my bike. I like to do one side at a time and I don’t like to do too many parts at one time. The reason being is that if you let the stripper sit on the part for to long it will dry out and begin to gel on the part which makes it more difficult to wipe or scrape off. Most strippers will get the first layer of paint off within 5 to 20 minutes. Now that you’ve sprayed down the part and waited, it’s time to wipe off the stripper and see what paint is left. Spray paint from a can will generally come off easily but a factory paint job will take multiple wipe downs. As you can see, the green paint bubbled up letting me know it was ready to be wiped down. I usually start wiping the part down with paper towel to get the majority of the chemical off and then I give it a good wipe down with a steel wool pad. My recent experience with stripping my bike parts taught me that the paint on some parts is tougher to get off then others. The paint on my frame came off after two coats that soaked for 20 minutes. The paint on my handlebars took 4 coats and the forks took 5 coats with the last coat soaking for 2 hours. Even then I had to scrape the paint off with a metal scraper to get it completely clean. Once you’ve removed all of the paint, and you are down to bare metal, it is time for the next step.

Remember; NEVER TOUCH A BARE METAL PART WITH YOUR BARE HAND. The oils in your skin will cause the part to rust pretty quickly, ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES. Now that you’ve removed all the paint from the part, hose the part down with water and rub the remainder of the stripper off with your gloved hand. At this point, rust and time are your worst enemies. Immediately after hosing the part down, clean it with a rag and mineral spirits. Mineral spirits (or paint thinner) will remove any remaining water and oils that may have gotten on the frame which will keep it from rusting. Once again, do this outside because the fumes from the mineral spirits/paint thinner can be toxic, or at the very least give you a headache.

If you’re running any aluminum parts on your bike (i.e. stem, seatpost, rims, etc) then there is a good chance you have some anodized parts on your bike as well. If you want to remove the anodized color from your aluminum parts then you will need to get some oven/grill cleaner. I bought a commercial strength over cleaner from Home Depot but any oven cleaner from the grocery store should work just fine. You will want to do this in a similar manner to stripping the bike except that you won’t want to let it “soak” as long. The oven cleaner will begin to oxidize the aluminum part if you leave it on there too long so I suggest waiting only 5 to 10 minutes between layers. If you do find some oxidization of the parts then just sand it down with a very fine grit sandpaper to remove any marks left behind.

Now that all your parts are paint/anodizing free and have been cleaned with mineral spirits, it is time to paint/clear coat. Before your begin painting, you will want to mask off any areas that you don’t want to get paint into (i.e. bottom bracket, headtube, drop outs, etc.). On my frame I always mask off the drop outs, bottom bracket, & brake mounts. On my handlebars I mask off the area where the stem clamps down and on my back rim I mask off the sidewalls where the brake pads rub. Paint acts almost like a lubricant and can cause your rear wheel, handlebars & brake pads to slip. Once you’ve stripped the parts to bare metal, you want to cover that bare metal with either paint or a clear coat to protect it from rusting. If you’re painting your bike then 3 or 4 coats should be enough paint to make the part look good. Once you’ve finished putting color on your bike, put 2 or 3 coats of clear coat on there to protect the paint. If you plan to leave your bike with the raw metal look then you will want to put 7 or 8 coats of clear spray paint on there to make sure you have enough to protect the part from rust. This being said, you will probably need a total of 3 to 5 cans of spray paint and/or clear coat to repaint an entire bike (frame, fork, bars, crank arms, sprocket, rims, hubs, spacers, headset, stem, etc).

I usually hang my parts from coat hangers so that I can paint each part completely instead of having to paint one side at a time. When painting your bike with spray paint it is important to remember to use light coats sprayed at a distance of 12 to14 inches from the part. Spray each part with one layer at a time and allow the manufacturers suggested dry times between coats. Most spray paints require 10 minutes to an hour between coats and a total dry time of 1 to 24 hours. Check the back of the can before you buy the paint to make sure the dry times work for your schedule. The first layer of paint should be thin enough that you can still see metal underneath. Being patient and spraying numerous light coats of paint will prevent you from getting runs in your paint job which are a dead give away that you did it yourself, and makes the paint job look bad. If you do get a run in the paint then wipe it down immediately with a rag and let the paint dry completely. Then you can sand down the remainder of the run and start painting again afterwards. Remember, be patient with the painting process and allow the recommended total dry time before you put your bike back together. If you get anxious and try to put the bike back together before it is completely dry the paint will scratch off easily and once again, make the paint job look bad. If you take your time and do it right, you will get compliments on the quality of the paint even if the color scheme looks horrible.

Now that you’ve finished painting the bike and let it dry completely it is time to put the bike back together and go for a ride. I hope this helps anybody planning on painting or “rawing” their bike. If I’ve left something out or if you have a question just post it in the comments below and I’ll try my best to answer it.

How to Raw / Paint your BMX bike SHORT VERSION

Here is a list of what you will need:

A bike and/or part you want to change the color of

Tools

Newspaper

Clothes hangers

Sandpaper (varying grits)

Rubber gloves

Masking tape

Paint stripper

Oven cleaner

Mineral Spirits

Canned spray paint/clear coat

 

All of these items (except for the bike) can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.

 

Step 1:

Take your bike apart, making sure that all parts being painted have been removed from parts that are not being painted.

 

Step 2:

Sand down any rough spots, scratches, etc. to ensure a smooth surface. Use a medium grit sandpaper first then work up to an extra fine grit.

 

Step 3:

PUT ON THICK RUBBER GLOVES. Spray on paint stripper in a thick coat. Allow 5 to 20 minutes for the paint stripper to work. Wipe off the paint stripper with paper towels or steel wool pad. This will take numerous layers to get all the paint removed. After all the paint has been removed, spray the part down with water and wipe off any excess paint stripper with your gloved hand.

 

 

 

Step 4:

To remove anodized color from aluminum parts, spray the part down with oven cleaner and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not let the part soak too long or it will begin to oxidize. Wipe off the oven cleaner and spray it down with water to clean it thoroughly.

 

Step 5:

Clean your raw bike parts down with mineral spirits or paint thinner. DO NOT TOUCH BARE METAL PARTS WITH BARE HANDS. The oils in your skin will cause the metal to rust. ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES.

 

Step 6:

Mask off any areas of your bike part that you do not want to get paint into with masking tape. Paint your bike with a total of 7 or 8 thin coats of paint/clear coat. Use thin layers to prevent the paint from running and make sure you put enough coats to avoid potential rust. Allow the suggested dry time between coats and before you put the bike back together.

 

Step 7:

Put your bike back together and go ride.

 

The pure elation that BMX can bring

Tonight I finally got proof that I can now land tuck no-handers and it reminds me of the pure joy and elation that BMX can bring to your life. Anyone who has gotten on the back of a BMX bike and tried to learn a new trick knows exactly what I'm talking about. I have personally spent hours upon hours trying the same trick over and over again only to continue failing attempt after attempt.

Some people may ask why we continue to keep trying the same trick, falling time and time again. They ask what could compel us to keep doing the same ridiculous trick knowing that we are going to continue getting hurt, whether it be bloody shins, bruised thumbs, rolled ankles, or even broken bones. I'll tell you exactly why we allow ourselves to continue getting hurt day after day for the sport we love, because nothing in this world beats the feeling you get when you finally pull that trick you've been trying to land for countless hours, days, weeks, even years.

Tonight I achieved that feeling when I landed my first REALLY clean tuck no-hander out of the bowl at Woodward Skatepark in the Grapevine Mills Mall. I've landed a couple before tonight (most of them sloppy & ugly). Once I even landed a relatively clean one although I had no proof of it so it didn't count. Tonight I finally got my proof in the form of a witness, two videos and a photograph. Here is photographic proof. I apologize for the poor quality but the batteries on my flash died and I had to have a random skater take the photo for me. This was the only photo he took with my hands even off the bars.

I must have landed 6 of them in a row and they all felt great. I wish there was a way to bottle that feeling so that others could experience it for themselves. Unfortunately, the only way I know to enjoy the satisfaction you get from finally pulling a trick you've been working on for awhile is to spend the time working at it. Dedication and determination are the key factors in successfully achieving the euphoric feeling of pedaling away from landed trick.

I'm sure there are other sports and activities where a person could achieve the same if not at least similar feeling but BMX is the way I choose to do so and I couldn't be happier. People may think I'm ridiculous for riding a "kids bike" at 31 years old but right now I feel like a kid and at my age, that's priceless.

Below is one of the videos I took with my phone. I will admit that I didn't extend and hold it cleanly but I don't care because I'm stoked on it anyways.

Tazz's BMX Blog

I can't believe I haven't posted this before because if you aren't already, you should definitely checking out Crank Faster. It's a blog by a local BMX shredder and avid video maker. I first met Tazz last year when he joined a big group of riders for a Sunday Street Session in downtown Dallas. In fact you can see the video from that session below.

Zizzo's Photo Day from Tazz Hernandez on Vimeo.

Anyways, he makes lots of videos and pretty much posts anything he finds interesting which generally revolves around BMX. Like I said, he's a shredder on a bike and a champ behind the lens. Bookmark his blog because I promise you'll want to come back to it time and again. In the meantime check out a couple of other videos I found on his blog that I was stoked on. Enjoy!

Random Footy from Tazz Hernandez on Vimeo.

Tazz & Russ: A Weekend in Tulsa from Tazz Hernandez on Vimeo.

5 books everyone should read

What five books should every person read?

 When I first started thinking about the answer  to this question I thought it was going to be simple, but then as I narrowed down my list I realized that it's a lot more difficult than I thought. Below is my list of 5 books that I think everyone should read and it surprised me to see how many of the books on my list focus on religion. Especially because I don't consider myself to be a terribly religious person.

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy in Five Parts by Douglas Adams.

    First off, this may be called a trilogy but there are actually five books in the series. I know the question asked for five books and my first suggestion already maxes out that limit but when you consider that you can buy all five books bound into one, I think it's safe to add this title. This was the first book I ever read and therefore holds a special place in my heart. The religious, economic and political commentary throughout this series of books may be 20 years old but it is still pertinent today. The humor used to comment on our species as a whole makes this a fantastic read. BTW, 42.

2. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

    The second book on my list of must reads is added because this is the book that turned me into a reader. When I was in college I had a job at bookstore and truthfully when I started there I wasn't much of a reader. For some reason though, this book turned me into a reader and for that I recommend everyone read this book. Be aware that this is a difficult read and I'll bet I reread every chapter at least twice due to the complexity of the material. That being said, check it out and enjoy.

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

    This is a book that everyone should read no matter how many books you're limited to reading. This book was originally published back in 1937 and it is just as important and relevant today as it was 80 years ago. I promise you this book will change the way you look at the world around you, and if you're smart it will change the way you interact with everyone you come in contact with on a daily basis.

4. The Bible

    Now the reason I have added this book to my list may surprise you. I get a lot of grief when I tell people that I think the Bible is the greatest work of fiction every written. I am not saying that everything written in the Bible is fictitious but I am saying that I don't think it is 100% the truth either. I think the Bible gives humans a good guide for how to live life but I also don't think it is the true word of God. I think everyone should read the Bible because of it is the best selling book in the history of the world and if that many people have read it then you should too. If for other reason than to have a better understanding of the vast majority of people around you.

5. God's Debris by Scott Adams

    The final book on my list is from the very same author who created the comic strip Dilbert. You wouldn't think a cartoonist could write such a thought provoking book about about quantum physics, God, dating, etc. but he did. Even though this is a relatively short book, I highly recommend it because as a theory for the creation of everything it fits my outlook quite nicely. I actually look at this book at a "Bible" of sorts because it follows a Buddhist outlook that I think fits my ideologies on God quite nicely. I actually read this book in one sitting and I bet you will too.

10,000 Blog Page Views

As of today, "Where was I?" has surpassed 10,000 page views. It took just over a year and a half to reach this landmark but considering there have been 3,500+ page views in the last 30 days, it's easy to see that the vast majority of the 10,000 page views have come in the last few months. According to Google Analytics, 49% of my visitors have come to my blog to see the pictures of the new skatepark in Lewisville, TX. If you're curious what everyone is so interested in you can find that post HERE. It would also appear that 69% of this blog's traffic come from Google Searches. I'm going to keep plugging away at this blog and hopefully I'll break the 50,000 page view landmark soon enough. Thanks to everyone who has stopped to take a look at my blog and feel free to leave comments on any post that makes you inspired to comment.