Meta tags:
description=Ramblings on motorcycles, tattoos, alternative everything, politics, war and life in New York City.;

Headings (most frequently used words):

to, the, new, york, city, and, hard, dog, ramblings, snapshots, boycott, rolling, stone, my, letter, editor, whiskey, angels, book, review, you, have, live, be, by, dan, laguna, ice, asked, me, for, hot, doomsday, blog, first, perfect, day, cost, she, waking, up, latest, opowell, email, subscription, biker, on, motorcycles, tattoos, alternative, everything, politics, war, life, in,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (606), and (336), that (158), was (101), with (91), you (74), for (54), from (48), like (47), one (47), are (45), have (42), but (42), just (38), this (36), were (33), way (31), your (30), all (30), had (30), into (30), she (30), his (29), there (29), not (28), out (28), some (28), their (27), about (25), would (25), new (24), around (24), they (24), her (24), book (23), city (22), time (22), back (21), little (21), what (20), biker (19), show (19), down (19), those (18), our (18), something (17), #motorcycle (16), here (16), only (16), these (16), more (16), day (16), york (15), long (15), world (15), can (15), which (15), even (15), when (15), know (15), see (14), every (14), really (14), through (14), old (13), same (13), along (13), been (13), will (13), other (12), leathernecks (12), island (12), brooklyn (12), very (12), writing (12), him (12), another (12), who (12), any (12), next (12), special (12), blackwater (12), get (11), bar (11), military (11), birds (11), opowell (11), categories (11), always (11), few (11), than (11), clubs (11), off (11), then (11), blog (10), end (10), uncategorized (10), posted (10), over (10), while (10), real (10), years (10), where (10), home (10), its (10), don (10), days (10), life (10), dog (9), ramblings (9), now (9), article (9), manhattan (9), again (9), most (9), them (9), think (9), people (9), seen (9), last (9), man (9), two (9), pictures (9), never (9), before (9), has (9), actually (9), black (9), used (9), dan (9), laguna (9), going (8), almost (8), after (8), couple (8), said (8), green (8), club (8), how (8), things (8), men (8), different (8), morning (8), nothing (8), rest (8), website (7), comment (7), marines (7), calendar (7), 2011 (7), bikers (7), baghdad (7), 2012 (7), night (7), should (7), both (7), first (7), ever (7), crowd (7), got (7), work (7), soldiers (7), bridge (7), ago (7), came (7), tags (7), later (7), across (7), pointman (7), war (7), small (7), too (7), didn (7), right (7), perhaps (7), army (7), soar (7), still (7), called (7), say (7), motorcycles (7), hard (7), 160 (7), com (6), email (6), sgt (6), powell (6), ice (6), dead (6), coney (6), went (6), sure (6), members (6), side (6), behind (6), could (6), cool (6), eyes (6), everything (6), between (6), place (6), point (6), mcs (6), marine (6), upon (6), make (6), turned (6), smile (6), matter (6), since (6), march (6), each (6), thing (6), whole (6), living (6), hope (6), complete (6), american (6), else (6), family (6), bikes (6), operations (6), combat (6), rolling (6), stone (6), comments (5), sign (5), free (5), roy (5), batty (5), police (5), paul (5), owen (5), count (5), great (5), december (5), david (5), garry (5), good (5), quite (5), face (5), asked (5), though (5), knew (5), east (5), toys (5), white (5), top (5), because (5), made (5), bike (5), particularly (5), flying (5), below (5), perfectly (5), evening (5), smoke (5), look (5), until (5), kill (5), fact (5), member (5), trying (5), accent (5), movies (5), somehow (5), course (5), minute (5), brothers (5), left (5), corps (5), former (5), level (5), beer (5), riding (5), live (5), straight (5), come (5), interesting (5), anything (5), under (5), today (5), case (5), takes (5), helmets (5), glory (5), convention (5), center (5), service (5), lower (5), forces (5), helicopters (5), incredible (5), unit (5), written (5), helicopter (5), team (5), videos (5), wordpress (4), write (4), nyc (4), times (4), lost (4), lady (4), gaga (4), javitts (4), hot (4), harley (4), village (4), dee (4), 2010 (4), italian (4), feel (4), best (4), wide (4), full (4), lots (4), expensive (4), grey (4), words (4), much (4), sense (4), funny (4), moving (4), year (4), enough (4), tour (4), iraq (4), editor (4), wrote (4), arms (4), yet (4), within (4), early (4), occasional (4), perfect (4), making (4), afternoon (4), talk (4), party (4), happened (4), president (4), road (4), spent (4), gold (4), rules (4), kids (4), familiar (4), together (4), league (4), own (4), angels (4), hair (4), many (4), woman (4), warrior (4), room (4), jack (4), sudden (4), kind (4), known (4), felt (4), light (4), anyone (4), looking (4), slow (4), welcoming (4), without (4), being (4), keep (4), annual (4), coco (4), everyone (4), order (4), number (4), usually (4), although (4), cold (4), often (4), appear (4), colors (4), support (4), past (4), away (4), action (4), insurgents (4), fast (4), vietnam (4), sunlight (4), car (4), nature (4), legitimate (4), started (3), name (3), view (3), subscribe (3), already (3), account (3), y2k (3), video (3), tribeca (3), doomsday (3), subspace (3), radio (3), soho (3), sex (3), saturn (3), romance (3), quantum (3), mechanics (3), phobos (3), teutel (3), oblivion (3), love (3), mayan (3), liberty (3), dogs (3), hexagons (3), disappointment (3), doonesbury (3), snyder (3), fish (3), cost (3), 1844 (3), january (3), try (3), muscles (3), working (3), bad (3), audience (3), basis (3), part (3), questions (3), seemed (3), let (3), camouflage (3), found (3), friendly (3), knowing (3), exactly (3), absolutely (3), stanford (3), absolute (3), levinthall (3), street (3), underneath (3), sandbox (3), stories (3), magazine (3), afghanistan (3), need (3), brown (3), entire (3), above (3), staten (3), possible (3), state (3), building (3), feels (3), moved (3), summer (3), beneath (3), delicious (3), cha (3), dive (3), walls (3), stars (3), sit (3), sitting (3), better (3), easy (3), thick (3), door (3), cover (3), sort (3), take (3), run (3), leather (3), belt (3), cowboy (3), hidden (3), copy (3), attempt (3), air (3), force (3), clad (3), well (3), moment (3), information (3), school (3), dark (3), turns (3), sliding (3), disappeared (3), hell (3), remember (3), drink (3), role (3), big (3), daniels (3), seem (3), themselves (3), guys (3), window (3), glass (3), town (3), wreathed (3), winter (3), alive (3), pain (3), respected (3), breath (3), streets (3), engine (3), quick (3), ready (3), earth (3), steel (3), six (3), spring (3), did (3), lunar (3), 699 (3), ride (3), true (3), want (3), ones (3), parking (3), final (3), accurate (3), mayans (3), cycles (3), version (3), various (3), chopper (3), general (3), smiled (3), find (3), standing (3), pilot (3), pilots (3), amazed (3), style (3), law (3), custom (3), certainly (3), favorite (3), uber (3), brother (3), bottom (3), may (3), patches (3), instantly (3), outlaw (3), yes (3), patch (3), organization (3), iceman (3), deep (3), bird (3), art (3), personal (3), read (3), missions (3), involved (3), places (3), hear (3), return (3), movie (3), relive (3), aviation (3), michael (3), zone (3), impossible (3), piece (3), tiny (3), nestled (3), units (3), carla (3), music (3), blur (3), staff (3), company (3), squad (3), suggest (3), allow (3), clear (3), crimes (3), snapshots (3), queens (3), astoria (3), site (2), required (2), content (2), log (2), subscribed (2), create (2), join (2), address (2), posts (2), value (2), springer (2), sgtroybatty (2), published (2), training (2), planets (2), lining (2), monolith (2), davidsons (2), davidson (2), greenwich (2), hamilton (2), aztec (2), author (2), afterwards (2), dinner (2), nearby (2), start (2), feedback (2), gamut (2), regular (2), surprised (2), soldier (2), myself (2), surrounded (2), largely (2), certain (2), age (2), autographs (2), expect (2), stand (2), wanted (2), reality (2), quiet (2), reason (2), currently (2), display (2), washington (2), fortunate (2), done (2), short (2), call (2), round (2), table (2), hosted (2), does (2), snippets (2), february (2), continued (2), sharp (2), direct (2), minutes (2), verrazano (2), indeed (2), hudson (2), apex (2), expanse (2), keeping (2), rank (2), structure (2), dreadlocks (2), helmet (2), determinedly (2), teeth (2), ripe (2), opened (2), lead (2), idea (2), walk (2), boardwalk (2), drop (2), unknown (2), watch (2), slowly (2), turning (2), help (2), anyway (2), ended (2), sucking (2), everpresent (2), post (2), schizophrenia (2), june (2), sunshine (2), fading (2), amid (2), wasn (2), interested (2), large (2), amount (2), least (2), vice (2), naturally (2), met (2), massive (2), wears (2), red (2), bandanna (2), vest (2), nights (2), goes (2), occasion (2), hat (2), social (2), fun (2), british (2), child (2), ironically (2), person (2), also (2), nypd (2), alien (2), amiable (2), gangster (2), saw (2), weeks (2), middle (2), banality (2), mean (2), seriously (2), dad (2), filled (2), germany (2), happen (2), guess (2), hearing (2), meet (2), trading (2), meeting (2), class (2), necessarily (2), food (2), rastafarian (2), poet (2), blonde (2), thank (2), doesn (2), mostly (2), cheap (2), bolted (2), wall (2), camaraderie (2), gun (2), group (2), common (2), swallowed (2), magic (2), kid (2), low (2), riot (2), playing (2), somewhere (2), flashed (2), lit (2), must (2), pretty (2), nice (2), developed (2), guy (2), wives (2), poised (2), halfway (2), ears (2), hey (2), comes (2), secondhand (2), recalling (2), story (2), condoms (2), truck (2), pointed (2), neon (2), snow (2), leave (2), sleep (2), dying (2), shadows (2), routines (2), hog (2), months (2), newfound (2), death (2), fresh (2), skin (2), greeting (2), wind (2), children (2), apartment (2), neat (2), completely (2), girlfriend (2), truly (2), believe (2), okay (2), accordingly (2), fiasco (2), bizarre (2), thousands (2), eclipses (2), singer (2), record (2), change (2), coming (2), loved (2), close (2), utterly (2), cycle (2), ends (2), four (2), backstory (2), calendars (2), periods (2), nobody (2), told (2), gone (2), wouldn (2), interaction (2), politely (2), vendor (2), dude (2), looked (2), retro (2), fighter (2), vertical (2), drown (2), essentially (2), shirts (2), selection (2), unfortunately (2), non (2), mass (2), bodies (2), cellphones (2), caught (2), walking (2), star (2), corner (2), paperweights (2), twisted (2), active (2), regarded (2), throng (2), entourage (2), funky (2), shared (2), single (2), names (2), 500 (2), instead (2), climbing (2), major (2), europeans (2), such (2), sun (2), sports (2), russian (2), included (2), machine (2), parked (2), outside (2), improbable (2), pittbull (2), voice (2), grin (2), front (2), ethnic (2), three (2), viewed (2), initially (2), respect (2), present (2), fall (2), percenters (2), example (2), generally (2), folks (2), location (2), floor (2), gives (2), inside (2), boat (2), stood (2), groups (2), touching (2), shell (2), shocked (2), usual (2), yellow (2), color (2), exhaust (2), lot (2), swaddled (2), given (2), precious (2), actual (2), fellow (2), buy (2), freezing (2), saturday (2), pick (2), pushing (2), ops (2), review (2), 160th (2), honor (2), uplifting (2), less (2), understand (2), ignorant (2), sacrifices (2), detail (2), highly (2), classified (2), surely (2), include (2), acid (2), rescue (2), clearly (2), drove (2), drive (2), put (2), entirely (2), events (2), someone (2), killed (2), mission (2), forward (2), killing (2), news (2), camera (2), iraqi (2), moi (2), memories (2), scream (2), immediately (2), open (2), reading (2), remembered (2), unless (2), second (2), rock (2), river (2), flown (2), regiment (2), retired (2), whiskey (2), veterans (2), plaza (2), film (2), noir (2), bourbon (2), memory (2), cutting (2), slipped (2), mind (2), unheard (2), rich (2), distant (2), frozen (2), shot (2), mid (2), forgotten (2), albeit (2), echoing (2), stern (2), roadside (2), bomb (2), hastings (2), kalashnikov (2), isaf (2), ied (2), cpl (2), morlock (2), boycott (2), ashamed (2), atrocities (2), moreover (2), letter (2), seeking (2), crap (2), unfamiliar (2), division (2), field (2), country (2), experience (2), education (2), combatants (2), armed (2), confidence (2), ptsd (2), followed (2), conversations (2), midnight (2), emotional (2), tattoos (2), alternative (2), politics (2), design, loading, collapse, manage, subscriptions, reader, report, privacy, subscribers, enter, receive, notifications, subscription, games, vegan, shoes, casan, starbucks, softail, pepper, spray, natalie, portman, modern, meets, gta4, grand, theft, auto, essay, contest, dick, cheney, billboards, older, entries, chic, restaurant, liquorice, risotto, exorted, hour, literary, repost, automatically, onto, facebook, send, parts, instant, definitely, miss, lord, knows, prepared, topics, able, produce, roundtable, directed, possibly, encountered, flesh, alone, presentation, foyer, female, feeling, heightened, fur, lifts, earnest, sympathetic, showed, wore, acus, uniform, upper, reminder, attending, photographs, fake, trapped, hint, unassuming, personable, exuding, calm, bemusement, equally, unchanged, haired, animated, garden, troll, pleasure, unusually, bit, reserved, game, photos, stellan, holm, gallery, west, 24th, sales, nicely, davids, opening, dumbo, seven, publicity, troy, steward, bouhammer, nurse, friend, clara, hart, armygrrl, multiple, denizens, discussion, 92nd, ymha, roger, rosenblatt, topic, levinthalls, tanks, hmwvvs, realistic, evocative, dioramas, juxtaposed, writings, courtesy, trudeau, says, waking, give, roaring, narrows, coasting, views, towers, linking, statue, empire, gently, curving, glidepath, gracefully, scattered, constellations, tight, synch, movement, led, flowing, german, stogie, chomped, splendid, chas, hang, iconic, parachute, tower, delicous, strewn, signed, portfolio, dilapidated, starfish, torn, fishing, nets, bra, panties, claimed, summers, process, local, grunted, margaritas, vsop, cognac, cuban, cigar, choking, wreathing, beard, apocalyptic, african, gandalf, channels, renaissance, sat, doldrums, raged, crashed, humidity, blaring, swinging, songs, swelling, rhythmn, finally, retreated, sunset, blatting, exhausts, aloof, slightly, disconnected, inordinately, suggested, mentioned, unlike, notable, oddity, diehard, wreath, braided, streaming, shoulders, filthy, dirty, veritably, screaming, miles, dubious, locales, buckle, boots, battered, key, federation, cowboys, improbably, licensed, worker, college, professor, batten, learn, regulations, slips, ducks, tongue, clipped, abbreviated, elongated, vowels, strange, junctions, avail, acutely, aware, won, shows, hated, brogue, captivating, worked, matched, demeanour, robert, niro, whatcha, doin, outrageous, rueben, crown, heights, deli, comfortingly, intriguingly, childhood, fused, deposited, moll, lap, riotous, sponsored, pulled, stool, flip, charlie, unfazed, jostling, biomass, testosterone, evil, might, exist, mom, imbibe, beers, rathskeller, 1962, joke, laugh, sterling, moss, sisters, why, fumbling, hesitant, inkling, futures, hanging, balance, tentative, fascinates, business, romantically, kernel, grows, meaningful, longer, smiles, reappeared, overloaded, plate, pudgy, chick, listlessly, flirting, farrah, fawcett, curls, liquor, automatic, weapons, floating, hunched, choked, fairly, reeks, oil, tough, doubles, clubhouse, motley, characters, whose, denominator, answered, swirl, brunette, seventies, curled, birthday, huh, brilliant, question, dingy, brightly, alarming, gotten, talking, suburban, toughness, surface, wary, women, forty, likely, potent, uttered, bottle, mouth, perking, emaciated, doberman, wan, somethin, eat, pang, valuing, owner, pale, rising, motorway, mechanically, laughs, husband, took, mirrors, ceiling, champagne, hottub, mega, replied, joisey, goethals, industrial, stop, franchised, mexican, half, decent, margarita, jumble, streaked, rememeber, motel, chuckling, herself, drifting, fog, pulse, waiting, horizon, laying, candle, brushed, darkness, body, stretched, tanned, mediterranian, painful, dangerous, sparkling, warily, watching, silent, interrogating, hers, sweat, reassuring, partners, drills, gasping, learning, stronger, young, descends, soothing, bandage, jiu, jitsu, warm, growling, purring, freedom, comaraderie, brutal, harsh, word, mar, joking, coffee, homemade, chocolate, chip, brownies, rolls, cheerfully, friar, parish, rounds, shower, euphoric, glorious, heat, needling, nerves, jangling, singing, seagulls, attic, hunchbacked, rucksacks, golf, route, rustling, awakening, canadian, geese, commuters, consumed, joy, cringing, caress, tequila, sunrise, dawn, 300, feet, freighters, pristine, models, muscling, atlantic, leaving, bedroom, lure, twittering, trees, birth, set, date, haven, succumbed, meds, earnestly, reassured, adjust, beliefs, probably, supportive, planetary, line, fizzle, bunch, falling, sky, tens, rivers, solstice, monoliths, poles, radios, teleportation, devices, manages, related, document, except, mindset, willl, drastically, nutshell, doomed, die, exact, shuffle, mortal, coil, finite, period, bucket, list, neatly, wrap, fulfill, destiny, accomplish, click, differently, treat, interact, cleans, floors, office, attendant, silently, hand, ticket, punk, teenagers, gym, play, xbox, effect, considering, unavoidable, roadblock, expanding, cosmos, fifth, extremely, provide, position, accurately, predict, solar, centrally, fixated, agrarian, societies, rely, prediction, planting, harvesting, crops, interestingly, believed, current, preceded, ages, fashioned, forms, gods, ritually, destroyed, venus, heliacal, risings, moon, phase, getting, ask, ancient, civilization, yucatan, pensinula, mexico, 5th, century, system, almanacs, having, 365, measure, portions, commonly, august, 11th, 3114, guessed, tzolk, according, notified, sorted, gyros, suppose, surprise, everybody, seems, aren, finished, wandered, leatherneck, passing, highlight, kinda, tell, sipping, lukewarm, budweiser, barreling, inimitable, pre, fab, tow, asks, sabrett, serious, munchies, rush, undulated, synthetic, further, european, lazer, mig, visor, biggest, neanderthal, cause, damn, stomped, sorrows, concession, areas, terribly, gloves, snivel, gear, grabbing, wallet, tends, parties, chain, switchblade, nope, distinct, lack, imagination, vendors, dot, approved, cracked, regulation, wash, aisles, outstretched, snapping, somebody, craned, neck, dolls, hollywood, variety, plastic, parabolic, arcs, scrawny, muscle, signing, ordinary, yep, original, rapper, johnny, mnemonic, tank, girl, replicant, wife, playboy, bunny, gawked, unlikely, pair, shuffled, spectacular, shop, eye, catching, unrideable, showroom, baubles, handlebar, moustache, grouchy, bear, attitude, stranger, 80s, band, sister, arranging, babies, charity, apparently, nowadays, growing, cast, alongside, didnt, meandered, everytime, stopped, check, turn, wonder, tend, engrossed, whenever, logjam, flow, meant, celebrity, theme, royal, enfield, aisle, cute, stroke, 500cc, vintage, livery, english, motorcycling, bygone, norton, bsa, triumph, strong, grabbed, attention, bullet, olive, drab, tool, kits, ammo, cans, zipping, dispatches, backroads, hurtgen, forest, taken, test, suspect, alarmingly, manufacturers, represented, cruisers, indian, incarnation, players, victory, bmw, japanese, honda, suzuki, yamaha, hogs, sportsbikes, touring, racing, trikes, wild, choppers, bobbers, including, kitchen, sink, paris, dakar, rally, insane, conceivable, shiny, chrome, doo, glued, velcro, aside, prerequisite, ural, companies, section, rugged, battle, paint, sidecars, adjustable, spotlights, spare, tires, tools, needed, pkc, fed, ensemble, mob, joint, garish, waded, imposing, edifice, pitbull, goatee, gravel, wrapped, velvet, entrance, sporting, mischevious, signature, ish, ega, ritual, greetings, exchanged, began, genus, occasionally, latino, borrow, aspects, classes, fit, posers, frequently, disappear, spontaneously, similiar, jackets, independents, lone, wolves, enthusiasts, affiliated, wear, lexicon, tells, initiated, wealth, belong, dismissal, springs, codex, cloth, main, roughest, toughest, associated, illegal, activity, hence, moniker, hells, legit, booth, plenty, sale, traditional, follow, byzantine, protocol, dominant, abiding, founded, specific, denominators, geographical, occupations, solely, shunned, sanitation, trashed, united, brotherhood, carpenters, electrician, formed, minimum, rcs, gathering, preprinted, tickets, nodding, ignoring, clearing, path, event, brings, tri, area, heard, chance, chaos, reigned, mirroring, joyride, packed, mix, attendees, simulatneously, rough, eyeing, reach, wannabes, affiliation, squeeze, trophy, money, nervous, upstairs, pissing, pecking, hipster, manhattanites, accidentally, sucked, gravitational, pull, cacophony, barely, contained, disorder, bursting, battery, park, tunnel, confronted, dueling, cabs, oblivious, pedestrians, rushing, angular, resurrection, wtc, picked, twirling, drafting, aggressive, taxis, slid, convenient, paltry, sum, bucks, crackhead, waved, god, paying, entry, destination, midtown, attendance

Text of the page (random words):
saturn subspace radio the doomsday blog y2k 4 comments the first perfect day leaving her apartment at six in the morning her bedroom thick with the lure of sleep birds twittering in the trees around me welcoming the sudden birth of spring on the island the joy of riding the hog without cringing at the steel caress of the wind welcoming it this morning as i soar into the tequila sunrise dawn at 300 feet over the hudson freighters below pristine like children s models muscling their slow way into the atlantic pt grey clad soldiers hunchbacked with rucksacks at the ready the golf course route green gold and rustling with awakening earth i drop back and take my time greeting the canadian geese and the brooklyn commuters each consumed with their morning routines morning shower euphoric glorious heat needling skin and nerves alive and jangling singing along with the seagulls that live in my attic work easy comaraderie friendly people no quick brutal death or sudden harsh word to mar this army morning just joking over fresh coffee and homemade chocolate chip brownies the day rolls along cheerfully like a friar making amiable parish rounds young evening descends on brooklyn like a soothing bandage riding the hog to jiu jitsu the streets warm and welcoming for the first time in months the engine growling beneath me purring with the newfound march freedom the class ripe with sweat and low level pain familiar reassuring respected partners in the drills gasping for breath learning the new routines perhaps men need pain and something stronger than themselves to feel alive later laying with her in the candle brushed darkness her body stretched out next to me long tanned mediterranian trading painful muscles for something more dangerous her eyes dark and sparkling green in the shadows warily alive watching me in that silent interrogating way of hers and at the end drifting into fog wreathed sleep i can feel the winter dying around me and the slow pulse of summer waiting just over the horizon posted by opowell march 9 2010 categories uncategorized leave a comment cost we were in nj joisey just across the goethals bridge in some industrial truck stop of a town i d never seen before looking for franchised mexican food and a half way decent margarita she pointed out to the neon jumble on the other side of the snow streaked glass ha i rememeber that motel she said chuckling to herself mechanically in one of her secondhand laughs the one your ex husband took you to i asked recalling an old story with the mirrors on the ceiling and the champagne glass hottub no she said a different one lots of condoms mega condoms oh i said who was it anyone i know no doesn t matter she replied her face turned to the window pale in the rising light of the motorway i felt that old familiar pang that comes from valuing something more than its owner posted by opowell february 23 2010 categories uncategorized tags biker dog ramblings cost lost nj sex sgtroybatty value 1 comment she hey ya wan somethin ta eat magic words for bikers and former marines and all the more potent when uttered by a woman i turned to look at her beer bottle poised halfway to my mouth my ears perking up like those of an emaciated doberman huh she asked me again and flashed a brilliant smile at the end of the question a sudden white expanse that lit up the small dingy bar so brightly that it was almost alarming she had the kind of face that made you think you must have known her for a long time but just had never gotten around to talking to before pretty friendly in a suburban kind of way nice but with a sense of toughness just below the surface in that wary way that women over forty seem to have always developed around themselves one of the guys y know or more likely one of the guy s wives uh sure i answered she turned in a swirl of brunette seventies curled hair and disappeared into the next room swallowed up by some magic show kid s birthday party low level riot that was playing out somewhere in the back of the building i went back to my beer and jack daniels and playing the role of the day i was at the marine corps league on staten island and the role of the day was the big bad biker the marine corps league doubles as the clubhouse of my motorcycle club the leathernecks a small motley group of characters whose only common denominator is that we are all former marines i was there for a meeting or something hell i don t remember and it doesn t really matter since what we mostly do at the league is drink the liquor is cheap there are automatic weapons bolted to the wall and a good amount of camaraderie floating around the old men hunched within the small smoke choked room the place fairly reeks of gun oil and tough love to me it feels something like home she reappeared a few minutes later sliding a overloaded plate of party food to me between the rastafarian warrior poet on my left pointman the vice president of my mc and the pudgy blonde chick on my right the one i had been sort of listlessly flirting with a moment before i turned to thank her but she had already disappeared those farrah fawcett curls fading into the grey smoke of the bar one of the things that always fascinates me is the way in which people meet oh not for a business meeting or a school class or even necessarily for a one night stand no i mean romantically when that kernel grows into something meaningful and longer when that woman who smiles upon you in the dark turns into the one person that rules your nights i mean seriously think about it for a minute you might well not exist at all if your mom had not happened to imbibe one too many beers while sitting next to your dad in that smoke filled rathskeller in germany in 1962 and if he didn t happen to make that one really funny joke the one that made him laugh and look just for a moment like sterling moss then it never would have happened you and all your brothers and sisters would never have been i guess that s why i always like hearing about how people meet of those fumbling words and hesitant trading of information all with no inkling of the possible futures hanging in the balance of that first tentative smile some people talk about the banality of evil i think about the banality of romance i saw her next two weeks later at the league in the middle of a riotous biker party sponsored of course by my own mc she pulled up a bar stool with a flip of her charlie s angels hair determinedly unfazed by the jostling biomass of testosterone around us so whatcha doin she had this outrageous brooklyn accent as thick and delicious as a rueben from some crown heights deli it was both comfortingly familiar and intriguingly alien at the same time as if all the new york movies of my childhood had fused together and somehow deposited this amiable gangster moll in my leather clad lap i ve spent the better part of a year trying to batten down that accent to learn it s hidden rules and regulations to copy the way that it slips and ducks around my teeth and tongue clipped and abbreviated and with long elongated vowels at strange junctions but all to no avail i m acutely aware that i m way off in any attempt to copy it the same way air force kids used to make fun of my british accent as a child so i won t even try here ironically in those b movies and tv shows i hated the brooklyn accent but here in person and with green brown eyes behind the brogue it was captivating it also turned out that she worked for the nypd a fact that matched perfectly with her demeanour and that robert de niro accent we sat there most of the afternoon and into the early evening doldrums of that june evening making easy small talk the biker party raged and crashed around us thick with june humidity and blaring sunshine through the swinging bar door ac dc cover songs swelling and fading in rhythmn until the day finally retreated into the sunset amid the last few blatting exhausts she was easy to talk to in an aloof and slightly disconnected sort of way so much so that i wasn t sure if she was interested in me or just happened to have an inordinately large amount of time to kill that day that is at least until pointman suggested that we take a run to coney island pointman as i mentioned before is the vice president of my motorcycle club mc he naturally is a marine but unlike any marine you have ever met pointman is black a notable oddity within diehard biker clubs with a massive wreath of braided dreadlocks streaming down around his shoulders he always wears a red bandanna with his leather biker vest which is filthy dirty veritably screaming of long miles on the road and nights spent in dubious locales the bandanna goes with the massive gold belt buckle that he always wears and cowboy boots and upon occasion battered cowboy hat he is in fact a key member of the federation of black cowboys and even more improbably is both a licensed social worker and a college professor he is the one man i know who channels renaissance man and schizophrenia better than i anyway pointman ended up sitting with us sucking on vsop cognac and his everpresent cuban cigar its grey choking smoke wreathing around his beard making him look like some post apocalyptic african gandalf cha cha s he grunted margaritas a splendid idea cha chas is our hang out on coney island just a short walk down the boardwalk from the iconic parachute drop tower it s a delicous dive bar of a place it s walls strewn with signed portfolio pictures of unknown stars dilapidated starfish torn fishing nets and the occasional bra and panties it s the only bar on the entire island where you can actually sit on the boardwalk and so is a perfect place to people watch point and i had claimed it a couple of summers ago and are in the process of slowly turning it into a biker bar with the help of a couple of other local mcs she said she had never been on the back of a bike before those sharp green brown eyes direct and wide she d give it a try though and a few minutes later we were roaring across the verrazano narrows bridge coasting down into the wide arms of brooklyn i love the verrazano as it has one of the best views in the entire city and indeed it was here that i got my first view of my new home the bridge towers above the hudson linking staten island and brooklyn and from its apex it is possible to see everything from coney island to the statue of liberty to the empire state building at night particularly that gently curving expanse feels like a glidepath flying gracefully down into the scattered constellations below her arms were tight around me and yet she moved perfectly in synch with the movement of the motorcycle and i pointman led the way keeping within the rank structure of the mc his dreadlocks flowing back from underneath his german war helmet stogie chomped determinedly between his teeth the city wide and ripe and free in the early summer evening opened beneath us and i had that delicious sense of not knowing where the night would lead to be continued posted by opowell february 18 2010 categories uncategorized tags bikers coney island doonesbury leathernecks leathernecks mc marines owen powell romance sgt roy batty 1 comment waking up so i had dinner last night in manhattan with garry trudeau and he says i need to start writing again i was in the city as we denizens of brooklyn call it for a round table discussion at the 92nd st ymha hosted by roger rosenblatt from time magazine the topic was david levinthalls book i e d which came out last year levinthall does these cool pictures of soldiers and tanks and hmwvvs very realistic and evocative and all the more so because they are toys the toys and their dioramas are juxtaposed in the book with writings from real soldiers in iraq and afghanistan and that s where i came in a couple of snippets of my writing made it into the book courtesy of david stanford the editor at garry s website the sandbox i wrote for the sandbox while i was in baghdad a few years ago the last time i had seen the two davids levinthall and stanford was at the book opening in dumbo underneath the brooklyn bridge a year ago the last time i had seen garry was two years ago in washington d c when his book the sandbox came out i was fortunate enough to have seven of my stories in that one and we had done a short publicity tour for it along with troy steward from bouhammer com my nurse friend clara hart and armygrrl another soldier all of them had multiple stories in the book garry was exactly the same as when i had seen him last absolutely unassuming very personable and just exuding this calm sense of bemusement around him david stanford was equally unchanged a funny white haired animated garden troll of a man and as always an absolute pleasure to be around david levinthall was unusually quiet this time a bit reserved for some reason but at the top of his game his photos from the book are currently on display at the stellan holm gallery on west 24th street and book sales are moving along nicely i showed up at the y not really knowing what to expect i wore my acus my grey camouflage work uniform even though i knew it would stand out in manhattan s upper east side i wanted to be a reminder to the people attending that while the photographs were fake the writing and the soldiers behind the words were very much real and trapped in a reality that the toys could only hint at the best part of the roundtable was the questions from the audience and i was surprised that most of them seemed to be directed at me i think it was quite possibly the first time that most of the audience members had ever encountered a soldier in the flesh let alone one in full camouflage after the presentation i found myself in the foyer surrounded by a largely female crowd of a certain age and that feeling was heightened lots of fur expensive face lifts and earnest questions but friendly and sympathetic i even got asked for a couple of autographs afterwards we all went to dinner at a very chic italian restaurant nearby and it was here over liquorice risotto that david and garry exorted me to start writing again so here i am i m going to try to write every night for an hour or so on my blog and see if i can get the old literary muscles working again the blog should repost automatically onto my facebook so feel free to send me feedback both good and bad one of the best parts of writing for doonesbury com was the almost instant feedback from the audience and i definitely miss it lord only knows what i ll write about so be prepared for a wide gamut of topics which i m sure new york city should be able to produce on a regular basis see you here posted by opowell january 27 2010 categories uncategorized 1 comment older entries opowell 21 december 1844 2012 author aztec baghdad biker dog ramblings bikers billboards brooklyn coney island cost dead birds dead fish dee snyder dick cheney doonesbury end of the world essay contest ft hamilton grand theft auto great disappointment gre...