You'll need a few props..

Post #342,894 by Ashton 5/22/11 5:48:20 AM Reply	You'll need a few props.. (Just study the habits and tics of the prominent Money-Gurus, Murican style) Herewith a few basics, more could ensue -- it's formulaic, donchaknow? 1) Get that Cadillac Eldorado ca 1959 [BIG fins] -- mandatory transport for any Raptor-in-Chief's point man. 2) Be sure that 'Rose' (not-her-real-name) is a hermaphrodite, with whom unSpeakable perversions can be rumored (but never photographed; PhotoShop will do for the imagineering sub-cult denizens.) 3) Diamond [Big] stickpin, at least one Armani with embroidered D V monogram, best seen if the Caddy is the de rigeur convertible model. As for shoes ... prolly OJ has tarnished that particular blasé brandname [Blahnik or something] Gotta be Expensive. Ya gots to show that you'unses what's thick with Gawd's favored Raptorfolk -- are advised [ca '69 slang] If'n ya Got It, Flaunt It! and like that. Now when the $$$$ starts rolling in ... you'll need periodic flavor-enhancers aka Stunts: Say.. you acquire a pristine '52-54 Vincent Black Shadow, deliverable in these parts. No modrin techno-geeky gadgetry can touch the Shadow, for pure timeless Class. And evoking (more) curiosity. And converts. I'd be happy to pilot it down old Hwy 33 to your area, with my specially decorated jacket, sporting on back, *________________* *RAPTORZ RULEZ* (Coalinga, Firebaugh and similar Gawd-forsaken off-map places will hear of this Veloci~~pede~~Raptor acolyte, connecting The Chosen Breathren) -- as its sanctified driver becomes Harbinger of The Word ... even yet unto their World, while enroute to HQ-South. I could wear my leather Mad Hatter hat and full mess-dress USAF uniform (under The logo'd Jacket), stop for a few minutes of yea verilys and secret signs -- at appointed retreats/stops for teh Faith filled. Just a thought. Er, later ... can I borrow the Shadow once in a while? Or thrice.
Post #342,897 by drook 5/22/11 9:54:10 AM Reply	Where'd you get the mess dress? Where you a flyboy in a previous incarnation? -- Drew
Post #342,914 by Ashton 5/22/11 6:32:45 PM Reply	Berkeley miscl. clothing shop (Wore it to the party at Lab, the day 'heavy ions' first got accelerated. My pic made it to front page of the House Organ.) S.O .made a lightning run with the gear, cummerbund etc. for the occasion. So she got to play, too. Convergence happened (my long-time association with this outfit) when I got a chance to quip to a Gov-connected local elite, ~~ "Ve of zee physics-industrial-militia vant to know how ve can make a veapon mit dis teknologi!" But I reckon that usage in Service to Raptorz, could be a worthy encore, next..
Post #342,916 by Andrew Grygus 5/22/11 7:18:43 PM Reply	You seem really hung up on that bike. You should just go out and buy one. So what if you have to mortgage your soul to pay for it. What good is a soul without the bike anyway?
Post #342,917 by Another Scott 5/22/11 7:40:25 PM Reply	The memories and stories are better than reliving them. I loved a 1970 Pontiac GTO growing up, but even though I sometimes toy with the idea of getting one sometime in the future, some things are best left in the past. Of course, a GTO is nothing like a Black Shadow (which truly was an amazing machine), but I imagine that even if Ashton could get one he would think long and hard about actually putting the money down. Lots of kitties could be helped with $75k. ;-) Cheers, Scott.
Post #342,918 by drook 5/22/11 7:57:46 PM Reply	And few things wreck a good bout of nostalgia quite like ... ... realizing you're too old to find out if it was as good as you remember. -- Drew
Post #342,921 by Another Scott 5/22/11 8:02:31 PM Reply	Yeabut, not applicable here. I'm sure Ashton could still ride down the highway like this if the mood struck - http://upload.wikime...2C_record_run.jpg ;-D Cheers, Scott.
Post #342,923 by drook 5/22/11 8:07:03 PM Reply	Dude! Planking!!!11!1!11one!!1!! -- Drew
Post #342,926 by Another Scott 5/22/11 8:12:22 PM Reply	So it is! 63 years ahead of his time. ;-)
Post #342,935 by Ashton 5/22/11 10:13:12 PM Reply	Heh.. I should have remembered that photo! And the brief story of that ride: Rollie Free was hitting high 140s, noted that his leathers were fluttering / no skin-tight fit, that set. Time for the record run was evanescing, he had fresh experience that bike was handling well, no wobbles, was rarin to GO ---> So he did That and juuust broke 150, a record which stood for n-years (too lazy to look up.) And yeah.. slightly reduced reaction-time / inner-ear-gyroscope etc. are no hazard to piloting such a beast routinely. [that was a Lightning, of course not a Shadow ] Not about to attempt '100 map-miles in an hour' these days and I've seen 122+ a few years ago in the Plutocrat, just for a poor-man's 'dynamometer check' of HP at 4000' alt. Still haven't found a good formula for extrapolating that test to likely HP at sea level. I no wind tunnel to calibrate shape efficiency. You're also right about the (maybe 100K+ by now) and what Else that could do. This scheme only works if there are so many C-notes flooding into Raptor HQ, that even Andrew stops updating the spreadsheet. Certainly I'd overtly embezzle a few sacks of those for general kitty welfare, if I could. The Vincent would be chump change at the L Ron Hubbard level. And we all know now that Barnum was Right, eh? Zoooom

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