Lessons learned

[julie at menloparkrandd.com (julie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)]

I found this this morning while waiting for the d**n sun to rise. I want Victor done d**n it... Change motorbike to car....

Lessons Learned
Just because an antique motorcycle is lying in the weeds doesn't mean it' s not comfortable there. 
Grease and oil under your fingernails does not impress guys when out on a date. 
Cardboard which sits beneath a dripping motorcycle is slick. 
Sand can creep under your safety glasses and your clothes. I would recommend taping yourself into a trash bag before using a sand blaster. 
Using the sand blaster is different from sand at the beach. Beach sand is fun, sandblaster sand is not. 
If you can operate an electric mixer, you can use an sander, a grinder or a drill. (and that goes the other way around for you guys). 
If you accidentally burn the bottom of a cooking pan to a crisp, use the sandblaster on it. It comes clean as a whistle. 
The air compressor (with enough hose) can be used to quickly dust the furniture in the house. 
Jesse James is not real. (ok, so maybe he is, but he makes it looks too easy). 
Bondo is not like cake icing. . Paint samples at the store look different in the sunlight. 
A permanent black magic marker works ok when you chip the new paint and don't want anyone to find out. . Gaskets can be made by anyone who can use scissors. 
A shop vac and dental floss are handy tools in the garage. 
Never paint when the wind is blowing toward you. 
Always drink beer when you're working on the motorcycle. You never know when you might need to use a can to repair an exhaust leak. 
Vinyl or surgical gloves won't keep the oil off your hands. They tear too easily. 
Manicure tools won't remove the oil from under your fingers. Buck knives are usually the best tool for grease removal. 
The PPG paint store people have never really painted anything themselves.(I think they're like the computer- help desk people who flip through probable answers until they come across one which works.). 
It's ok to sit on your motorcycle in the garage and make engine noises. 
New parts are very expensive. 
Old parts are usually dirty. 
You can use your daughter's big hair ties to hold the top set of spokes while lacing spokes on your rims. 
A solder gun needs to be plugged in before it gets hot (ok, so I didn't notice the cord wasn't plugged in while waiting ten minutes for the wire to melt). 
Battery acid makes holes in your clothes. 
American, Metric and Whitworth bolts are not interchangeable. (Attempting to make them interchangeable strips them out . . . wonder how I know that . . .). 
Using clear nail polish on regular bolts keeps them from rusting for awhile. 
The advertisements which state a certain brand of chrome polish "easily wipes off with no rubbing for a brilliant shine" are all lies. 
When attempting to order parts from British Only, they require a part number. You can't give them a part number unless you purchase one of their $12.95 books which gives you all the part numbers. 
Sometimes, if you think long and hard enough, you eventually will 'figure it out.'