Kinda spacy this morning, an after-effect of last night. A long soak in the spa and white mocha hasn't helped much, but I like this loose, spaghetti-muscle feeling.
Since I'm not riding tonight, the book can be closed on September:
- Twenty-seven rides totaling 137.54 miles for an average of 5.09 miles a trip.
- 12:45:12 total time on the bike for an average of 28:33 minutes a trip
- 6,942 calories burned off for an average of 257.11 calories burned each trip.
These numbers are okay for someone at my novice level, except the stats become mediocre after subtracting the two longest rides (Bay Trail and last night). On the other hand, the overall numbers serve as something to beat in October, which will be a challenge in the changing weather. Good thing the winter riding clothes I ordered get here next week.
Serenity the movie tonight. And there's a sense of serenity in my soul right now.
18 days until the USN
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Done...Well Done...Overdone
I'm writing this more than an hour after returning from the ride and just about everything hurts and/or aches: back, calves, left knee, right wrist, etc. etc. etc., and the manly yawns have set in, the kind that involve the whole body. Even the hair on the back of my neck has to stop and stretch in the middle of one of those bad boys.
And why, you ask, dear reader?
Distance: 15.17 miles
Time: 01:17:38 minutes
Average speed: 12.13 mph
919 calories burned
Check out those calories, baby! That's a personal deep-dish pizza, girlfriend. Two snaps around the world and a buttsmack for Bob! Can I get a "Halleleuh!" from the choir?!
Back to the literary thing. I was getting happy feet at work, eager to shuck the immoral coils of the hourly wage life and excise the poisons I'd had for lunch. When the clock hit 5:00 PM, I was out the door before the PC finished powering down. Got home, packed some fleece in the backpack, threw on a bright orange shirt, and booked.
Above is a Mapquest picture of Carson and the blue line is a lame MS Paint expression of my trip (if you want graphical beauty, call Danielle). I call this, "The Three Albertsons," but it's actually two Albertsons (north and south) and the 7-11 on east Highway 50. I skipped the third Albertsons because that would shorten the trip (silly me).
There's so much going through my brain about this ride that I want to remember but the flesh is weak. A quick recap:
- There's no such thing as a flat road in this stinking town.
- The old couple holding hands, with him gently helping her over the curb.
- Me yelling at a driver for cutting me off in the Fifth Street traffic circle. She was on a cell phone, natch.
- Being blinded in both eyes by a sudden sweat attack and doing a fast stop without seeing where I was going.
- The frozen air around the pond behind the Railroad Museum.
- Pushing hard on the pedals to get an end result I could live with. I could live with those stats any day.
- Finishing the ride by going up the Fifth Street hill and not really minding at all.
- The other couple at the south Albertsons playing and touching each other, and the woman following them, admiring them, telling me, "Now that's love."
One last thought: there's no way I would have gone as far or as hard if the usual afternoon wind had been blowing. The lack of breeze made all the difference in the world.
Going to bed now. Good night.
19 days until the USN
I'm A Baaaaad Boy
I've been really good on my diet but I got too hungry and gorged on a personal pan pizza from Round Table.
My punishment: The Three Albertsons Ride. Yep, gonna touch all three Albertsons in Carson. Will probably leave around 5:30 PM and not make it home until close to 8:00 PM.
That'll show me.
Riding On Empty
Having a low-powered day; no riding of any sort this morning because common sense says the body needs a little recovery time from long rides. Dunno if yesterday counts as "long," but what the heck. My legs want to rock and roll, though, so I'll probably go out tonight and work off some energy and calories.
Got nothing more to add, so that's all for now.
19 days until the USN
Got nothing more to add, so that's all for now.
19 days until the USN
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Bone to Wide
The workday ended, and it was me and Dollar for the road. The afternoon was bright and warm, and I was motoring around town in a t-shirt and shorts, scaring children and dogs with my lily-white skin, but I didn't care. It was a great ride up the college hill which is getting easier after the third time.
And my fitness routine is working a little. Somebody today said I have "chicken-legs," which could be viewed as an insult, but I'll take all skinny innuendos I can get.
The above picture from August 2005 is courtesy of Chris and is probably the biggest gathering of our relations since 2001. Going left to right:
- Elaine (Aunt Lily)
- Uncle Mike
- Billie the Navigator (Mike's sister)
- Dr. Robert, Billie's husband
- Cousin Chris, Elaine's oldest
- Cousin (Dr. Dr.) David, Elaine's youngest
- Danielle
- Trina
- Lara
- The Bride
- Uncle Frank, Elaine's brother-in-law
- Your humble writer, Bob the Blob
They are the brightest people I know, without exception, and a good group of people.
Distance: 8.00 miles (12.8 total today)
Time: 43:38 minutes (01:07:18 total)
417 calories burned (693 total)
20 days until the USN
The Frozen Chosen One
Cold, cold ride this morning (35 degrees on the bike computer). Woke up before 0500 after getting to sleep after 0000, yet had the uncontrollable urge to ride. The Bride and I spent some time getting lights on my bike because it was still pitch black outside when I hit the road. A sweater, two shirts, sweat pants, and a stocking cap kept the cold out except for places that were exposed (neck, fingers, etc.), so I was pretty well frozen by the time I got to Raley's via Curry. After two minutes inside there, my frozen sweat melted then froze again when I rode to the gym. Soaked in the spa for a long while.
Work is interesting. We're getting a new phone system and there's workmen right next to my desk tearing down temporary walls and reconfiguring rooms to make more offices. We're on a help desk that lives/dies by the phone, and the construction dudes are making a lot of noise. At least it's keeping me awake.
And somehow I gained four pounds over the weekend. Time to get a new scale.
Edit: Wow! - From CNN Breaking News: "House Majority Leader Tom DeLay indicted on one count of criminal conspiracy by Texas grand jury, according to Travis County clerk's office."
Distance: 4.80 miles
Time: 23:45 minutes
276 calories burned
20 days until the USN
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
[Post Deleted]
Should not be allowed near a keyboard when I'm pissed.
Apologies, all.
Three weeks until the USN
Apologies, all.
Three weeks until the USN
Monday, September 26, 2005
The Found Weekend: Monday
[Writing these entries after the weekend, so everything I want to remember won't be here, but not gonna let that hold me back. I'll post them around the day and times they happened so it's easier on my brain and the character maximum on Blogger is not at risk. You'll want to read these from the bottom up.]
Woke up, all bright and shiny and ready to get back to Carson. Got the truck all packed up and Dollar out of bike purgatory and was about to put the truck in reverse...
...when a kind soul pointed out we had a flat tire. Again.
For those of you keeping score at home (or if you're alone), that would be three flats on cars and one on a bike. Liz had the brains to bring "fix-a-flat" in a can, so we were able to make it to our old friends at Firestone Tires, where we waited ninety minutes for them to fix the tire (including thirty minutes when they did nothing with the truck in the bay and the hood up and no other customers). After they finally dropped the hood and relieved us of $32, we got on the road and had a completely uneventful drive home.
Had class last night where we did a worksheet in class, then came home, put my head on the pillow and crashed.
22 days until the USN
Woke up, all bright and shiny and ready to get back to Carson. Got the truck all packed up and Dollar out of bike purgatory and was about to put the truck in reverse...
...when a kind soul pointed out we had a flat tire. Again.
For those of you keeping score at home (or if you're alone), that would be three flats on cars and one on a bike. Liz had the brains to bring "fix-a-flat" in a can, so we were able to make it to our old friends at Firestone Tires, where we waited ninety minutes for them to fix the tire (including thirty minutes when they did nothing with the truck in the bay and the hood up and no other customers). After they finally dropped the hood and relieved us of $32, we got on the road and had a completely uneventful drive home.
Had class last night where we did a worksheet in class, then came home, put my head on the pillow and crashed.
22 days until the USN
Sunday, September 25, 2005
The Found Weekend: Sunday Night
[Writing these entries after the weekend, so everything I want to remember won't be here, but not gonna let that hold me back. I'll post them around the day and times they happened so it's easier on my brain and the character maximum on Blogger is not at risk. You'll want to read these from the bottom up.]
BASEBALL!
Elaine and Mike took me to my first A’s game a couple of years ago when the team was playing the Texas Rangers. A-Rod was still with them and the ink on his ridiculous $252 million contract was barely dry at the time. We sat behind some tattooed gangbangers and we all gave Alex a bunch of crap the entire game. It was a great day.
Tonight's game promised to be more fun because it was the Rangers, again, and the A's were fighting for their postseason lives. Our seats were perfect: right behind the visitors' dugout, close enough for me to spit in Buck Showalter's left eye. One of my baseball heroes, Orel Hershiser, is the pitching coach for the Rangers, and Kenny Rogers of mini-cam infamy pretty much stayed involved in the entire game, despite pitching the previous night. I sat down and didn't get up until the seventh inning stretch.
And I wish I could say good things, but here's the bottom line:
The A's choked away their postseason in that game.
Here's the Chronicle's article about the game and this paragraph is the final nail in the coffin:
"[Eric] Chavez and [Nick] Swisher were a combined 0-for-8, and there was nothing pretty about it. Both made crucial outs in two-on, no-out situations. Chavez popped out in the eighth after Kendall and Kotsay opened with singles, and Swisher struck out in the ninth after Jay Payton doubled and Johnson walked."
There is the age-old rationalization that everyone uses in this situation: "We wouldn't even had been in that situation if (Player X) hadn't got us there." And there's a grain of truth to it, especially for the A's. They were sucking this season and 3B Eric Chavez got tired of it. In a moment that will live in A's history, he stood up in the team bus one day and let everyone know his thoughts on the quality (or lack thereof) of their play. From that moment, the A's played better, especially after some key teammates came back from the DL.
On the other hand, what Chronicle didn't say that Chavez swung and flied out on the first pitch in a key situation and killed the rally and probably the A's season. I've said this a dozen times and have taken the heat for it: Pitching Wins and Good Pitching Will Always Beat Good Hitting. The A's had ten hits the entire game, and men on third base with no outs twice, but suffered when they kept swinging at first pitches.
The math is easy. Ten hits + two runs = bad hitting + good opposing pitching.
All that aside, the call that changed the game was when Rangers catcher Rod Barajas successfully argued a strikeout and got the call changed to a foul ball. Two pitches later, Barajas hit a three-run homer. I was impressed by the home plate umpire who discussed the pitch with his colleagues, and they all agreed it was a foul ball. In the old days, there would have been no discussion and the call would have stood. A kinder, gentler baseball.
Even though the A's lost, it was still a great day to be at the park. The company was perfect, the weather was outstanding, and everything was just fun. A bad day at the park almost always beats a good day at anything else.
23 days until the USN
BASEBALL!
Elaine and Mike took me to my first A’s game a couple of years ago when the team was playing the Texas Rangers. A-Rod was still with them and the ink on his ridiculous $252 million contract was barely dry at the time. We sat behind some tattooed gangbangers and we all gave Alex a bunch of crap the entire game. It was a great day.
Tonight's game promised to be more fun because it was the Rangers, again, and the A's were fighting for their postseason lives. Our seats were perfect: right behind the visitors' dugout, close enough for me to spit in Buck Showalter's left eye. One of my baseball heroes, Orel Hershiser, is the pitching coach for the Rangers, and Kenny Rogers of mini-cam infamy pretty much stayed involved in the entire game, despite pitching the previous night. I sat down and didn't get up until the seventh inning stretch.
And I wish I could say good things, but here's the bottom line:
The A's choked away their postseason in that game.
Here's the Chronicle's article about the game and this paragraph is the final nail in the coffin:
"[Eric] Chavez and [Nick] Swisher were a combined 0-for-8, and there was nothing pretty about it. Both made crucial outs in two-on, no-out situations. Chavez popped out in the eighth after Kendall and Kotsay opened with singles, and Swisher struck out in the ninth after Jay Payton doubled and Johnson walked."
There is the age-old rationalization that everyone uses in this situation: "We wouldn't even had been in that situation if (Player X) hadn't got us there." And there's a grain of truth to it, especially for the A's. They were sucking this season and 3B Eric Chavez got tired of it. In a moment that will live in A's history, he stood up in the team bus one day and let everyone know his thoughts on the quality (or lack thereof) of their play. From that moment, the A's played better, especially after some key teammates came back from the DL.
On the other hand, what Chronicle didn't say that Chavez swung and flied out on the first pitch in a key situation and killed the rally and probably the A's season. I've said this a dozen times and have taken the heat for it: Pitching Wins and Good Pitching Will Always Beat Good Hitting. The A's had ten hits the entire game, and men on third base with no outs twice, but suffered when they kept swinging at first pitches.
The math is easy. Ten hits + two runs = bad hitting + good opposing pitching.
All that aside, the call that changed the game was when Rangers catcher Rod Barajas successfully argued a strikeout and got the call changed to a foul ball. Two pitches later, Barajas hit a three-run homer. I was impressed by the home plate umpire who discussed the pitch with his colleagues, and they all agreed it was a foul ball. In the old days, there would have been no discussion and the call would have stood. A kinder, gentler baseball.
Even though the A's lost, it was still a great day to be at the park. The company was perfect, the weather was outstanding, and everything was just fun. A bad day at the park almost always beats a good day at anything else.
23 days until the USN
The Found Weekend: Sunday Morning
[Writing these entries after the weekend, so everything I want to remember won't be here, but not gonna let that hold me back. I'll post them on the day and times they happened so it's easier on my brain and the character maximum on Blogger is not at risk. You'll want to read these from the bottom up.]
Sunday morning:
Got up bright and early because sleeping comfort was not to be found on the granite slab. Went downstairs to take advantage of the sumptuous morning buffet offered by this peachy-keen Holiday Inn Express that separates a man from his horse (or bike). In the other hand, they offer heated pastries and free coffee so I forgave them (though not in Dollar’s presence).
Got Dollar out of the closet and headed over to Aunt Lily’s for breakfast and a ride. She and Uncle Mike have this odd fixation on breakfast cereals: they got enough to stock a 7-11. She listed them all (ten different kinds?) and I naturally picked the first one. We reminisced for a while and got mutually angry at the Republicans until Liz joined us. She wasn’t feeling too hot and had a sore throat, but she motored on like a real trooper. She took our picture (above) before heading back to the room for rest and Orange Juice.
Aunt Lily and I hit the road and what a day on the Bay Trail! No wind, perfect temps, and good company. Down Bancroft (or was it Dwight?), north along the Berkeley Aquatic Park, across the pedestrian bridge, then north along the bike trails through the Golden Gates Fields Racetrack, past the hills of El Cerrito, and into the shorefront of Richmond. Passed and got passed by numerous bikers and joggers enjoying the day and sucking in the exhaust of the adjacent interstate, but it’s not a perfect world.
At Marina Park, we took pictures of each other and of the Rosie the Riveter Memorial, which is sadly overgrown with weeds in spots. The women honored by this memorial changed the modern workforce and probably started Women’s Lib decades before it became an everyday phrase.
We headed back to the house and we carbo-loaded (French Toast) after easily the longest bike ride I ever took. It felt damn good.
Distance: 17.10 miles
Time: 01:51:47 minutes
692 calories burned
23 days until the USN
Saturday, September 24, 2005
The Found Weekend: Saturday Afternoon
[Writing these entries after the weekend, so everything I want to remember won't be here, but not gonna let that hold me back. I'll post them on the day and times they happened so it's easier on my brain and the character maximum on Blogger is not at risk. You'll want to read these from the bottom up.]
Booked out of lab and headed home for some quick packing and heading out the door. Loaded Dollar in the bed of the truck for some California riding. Lab ended at 1500ish and we were rolling at on High395 by 1600ish. We had a good drive to Berkeley and arrived around 2045ish. What stuck in my mind:
- Street Vibrations is the area's local hogcall, and the turnout is so massive, the Nevada Department of Transportation stops all road construction projects in northwestern Nevada so there won't be any traffic slowdowns. Many of these boys and girls have no problem passing cars at 70+ MPH and driving around them with they ride in formation is nerve-racking because there's little room for error. They faded away as the night settled in. Guess there’s a limit to their insanity.
- There used to be a series of trucker-friendly highway signs on the downward slope of the western Sierras that warned the big haulers about down-shifting and cooling off their brakes. They’re long gone in this era of fiscal belt-tightening and that’s a shame because they added a tone of friendliness to a long stretch of road.
- Probably the most sobering sight was on a trailer bed between Reno and Boomtown: three desert-camouflaged, combat-armored Humvees which were probably on their way to Travis AFB to be flown to Iraq. Those vehicles will probably be protecting our kids from gunfire and shrapnel inside a week.
- What is it with people who drive in the dark with only their parking lights on? On an interstate highway? At 70+ MPH?
We got our room and the usual Fred Flintstone Special: a queen-sized bed with the comfort of granite. Dollar spent the night in the electrical closet because management doesn’t allow bikes in the rooms. Guess they’re afraid we’re going to ride down the halls and stairs.
24 days until the USN
The Lost Blog
[I wrote this Saturday afternoon in lab, then didn't get to posting it until Monday night. The date/time of the writing is accurate, though the posting was not timely.]
Woke up this morning and was off-sync: nothing felt right and I was just plain crabby. I yanked my sprained wrist yesterday and thought maybe that was the cause, but realized several hours later that my mood was probably affected by the overcast cloud cover. I've gotten so used to waking up and riding in the bright light that I've become a sun child. That is probably why when I walk into the office in the morning (no windows), I feel like I'm facing a firing squad. This is going to be a long winter.
Did some last-minute shopping for the trip (munchies, mostly) and noticed precipitation coming down on the mountains directly to the west. Discussed taking the chains with the Bride, but we're fairly sure things will be okay (but we're getting a tarp for my bike). Did some token packing but most of what I want to wear is in the dryer, so that's why I went out in the crisp weather in shorts. I'm in lab now, wearing a sweater and thick pants. Welcome to the first week of Fall.
The family was watching Xanadu last night, which is on my list as one of the worst ever made (what was Gene Kelly thinking?!). Olivia Neutron-Bomb is easy on the eyes, but most of the acting is wooden, the plot is leadenly predictable, and the soundtrack is disco music long after disco was dead and buried. So how did it get in our house? The Bride likes it a lot, and being married means you make allowances for temporary insanity, which is why I got her the soundtrack on an album when we were first married...followed by cassette...and CD. And she has the movie on VHS...and DVD. In all, I must $80+ on that stinking movie. Writing that last sentence has me wondering who is the insane person in this relationship.
Plugging my way through Faithful, Stewart O'Nan's and Stephen King's diary about the 2004 Red Sox season. They're artful writers (no surprise) who make this reader feel like I was in their frontal lobe as they live and die with their favorite team. I'm already chewing my nails off just from the first two season meetings with the Evil Empire and will probably be speeding through the last few chapters that cover the postseason and perhaps the greatest comeback in sports history.
Had a random memory in lab after feeling a fan blowing air on me. One summer long ago (1976?), I had to stay with family friends and we all went to Lake Lahonton, which is a remnant of the prehistoric ocean that used to cover the western United States. I don't remember using or even thinking about sun lotion, but I got the worst sunburn of my life (and that's saying something). The only way to feel comfortable was to sit in front of a circular fan, so even nearly thirty years later, that's what I think of every time I sit near a big fan. (BTW, that burn wasn't nearly as bad as Danielle's from way back when. She gets the record as the worst sunburn I've ever seen.)
So today’s blog entry is brought to you by Ol’ King Sol, lifegiver to my favorite planet and source of the gravity well I call home. And look…it’s out right now. The day just got a 100% better.
Woke up this morning and was off-sync: nothing felt right and I was just plain crabby. I yanked my sprained wrist yesterday and thought maybe that was the cause, but realized several hours later that my mood was probably affected by the overcast cloud cover. I've gotten so used to waking up and riding in the bright light that I've become a sun child. That is probably why when I walk into the office in the morning (no windows), I feel like I'm facing a firing squad. This is going to be a long winter.
Did some last-minute shopping for the trip (munchies, mostly) and noticed precipitation coming down on the mountains directly to the west. Discussed taking the chains with the Bride, but we're fairly sure things will be okay (but we're getting a tarp for my bike). Did some token packing but most of what I want to wear is in the dryer, so that's why I went out in the crisp weather in shorts. I'm in lab now, wearing a sweater and thick pants. Welcome to the first week of Fall.
The family was watching Xanadu last night, which is on my list as one of the worst ever made (what was Gene Kelly thinking?!). Olivia Neutron-Bomb is easy on the eyes, but most of the acting is wooden, the plot is leadenly predictable, and the soundtrack is disco music long after disco was dead and buried. So how did it get in our house? The Bride likes it a lot, and being married means you make allowances for temporary insanity, which is why I got her the soundtrack on an album when we were first married...followed by cassette...and CD. And she has the movie on VHS...and DVD. In all, I must $80+ on that stinking movie. Writing that last sentence has me wondering who is the insane person in this relationship.
Plugging my way through Faithful, Stewart O'Nan's and Stephen King's diary about the 2004 Red Sox season. They're artful writers (no surprise) who make this reader feel like I was in their frontal lobe as they live and die with their favorite team. I'm already chewing my nails off just from the first two season meetings with the Evil Empire and will probably be speeding through the last few chapters that cover the postseason and perhaps the greatest comeback in sports history.
Had a random memory in lab after feeling a fan blowing air on me. One summer long ago (1976?), I had to stay with family friends and we all went to Lake Lahonton, which is a remnant of the prehistoric ocean that used to cover the western United States. I don't remember using or even thinking about sun lotion, but I got the worst sunburn of my life (and that's saying something). The only way to feel comfortable was to sit in front of a circular fan, so even nearly thirty years later, that's what I think of every time I sit near a big fan. (BTW, that burn wasn't nearly as bad as Danielle's from way back when. She gets the record as the worst sunburn I've ever seen.)
So today’s blog entry is brought to you by Ol’ King Sol, lifegiver to my favorite planet and source of the gravity well I call home. And look…it’s out right now. The day just got a 100% better.
Friday, September 23, 2005
"He's the Man."
I finally broke down and bought this silly jersey. If it doesn't fit when it gets here, it will by the spring, so help me, Waist!
Finished tonight's class and dismissed my students without a chance of anyone landing in the hole, which is an improvement. They still don't have all of the class materials they need, but they didn't need them tonight. I will be calling WSCC on a daily basis next week.
This absolutely slays me. Please don't tell anyone in the White House. It'll give them ideas. Thanks, Aunt Lily.
BATON ROUGE, LA. - The White House announced today that President Bush has successfully sold the state of Louisiana back to the French at more than double its original selling price of $11,250,000.
"This is a bold step forward for America," said Bush. "And America will be stronger and better as a result. I stand here today in unity with French Prime Minister Jack Shalac, who was so kind to accept my offer of Louisiana in exchange for 25 million dollars cash."
The state, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild.
"Jack understands full well that this one's a 'fixer upper,'" said Bush. "He and the French people are quite prepared to pump out all that water, and make Louisiana a decent place to live again. And they've got a lot of work to do. But Jack's assured me, if it's not right, they're going to fix it."
The move has been met with incredulity from the beleaguered residents of Louisiana. However, President Bush's decision has been widely lauded by Republicans.
"This is an unexpected but brilliant move by the President," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. "Instead of spending billions and billions and billions of dollars rebuilding the state of Louisiana, we've just made twenty-five million dollars in pure profit."
"This is indeed a smart move," commented Fox News analyst Brit Hume. "Not only have we stopped the flooding in our own budget, we've made money on the deal. Plus, when the god-awful French are done fixing it up, we can easily invade and take it back again."
"The money gained from 'The Louisiana Refund' is expected to be immediately pumped into the rebuilding of Iraq.
And I'm the Man of the House and have the song to prove it! (WARNING: Not for dial-up unless you want to wait a long time.)
Addition to the Desert Island Book List: How could I forget The Godfather by Mario Puzo? And if the island has electricity, The Godfather Trilogy is going, too.
"It's not Time that makes us Old."
Haven't been able to upload images onto Blogger lately, so here's what I would have used if things were working. The busses was my first choice (third row) and Tom DeLay was next (second row from the bottom). The one about Bush buttoning his own shirt is hilarious (tenth row; about in the middle of the page).
Wish I had something literary, thoughtful, or snappy to offer, but truthfully, I just want to get through the day so Liz and I can enjoy a mini-vacation in the Bay Area. The mental recharge will be great.
The Bride and I went to dinner and a movie last night because she needed some serious escapism. Just Like Heaven was okay and fairly formulaic, but sometimes you need a movie like that just because. Reese Witherspoon looked like she hadn't eaten all month, not unlike the look Meg Ryan had before she faded away. One funny thing about the movie were the names of the significant female characters: Elizabeth (the mostly dead character played Reese), Katrina (neighborhood skank), and Laura (male character's dead wife). No Danielle's or Bob's mentioned.
Speaking of which, the USN countdown below is moving too damn fast.
Is this cruel or cute?
And this is plain cute.
Lara posted a great t-shirt on her blog at her Greatest Journal (not attributed, but the link was courtesy of Dear Ol' Dad). Here's another good one.
Lastly, per IMDb, "the Rocky Horror Picture Show and this movie are traditionally shown to incoming Harvard University freshmen. (answer)" Be afraid.
Stationary Bike:
Distance: 4.48 miles
Time: 20:00 minutes
252 calories burned
25 days until the USN
Wish I had something literary, thoughtful, or snappy to offer, but truthfully, I just want to get through the day so Liz and I can enjoy a mini-vacation in the Bay Area. The mental recharge will be great.
The Bride and I went to dinner and a movie last night because she needed some serious escapism. Just Like Heaven was okay and fairly formulaic, but sometimes you need a movie like that just because. Reese Witherspoon looked like she hadn't eaten all month, not unlike the look Meg Ryan had before she faded away. One funny thing about the movie were the names of the significant female characters: Elizabeth (the mostly dead character played Reese), Katrina (neighborhood skank), and Laura (male character's dead wife). No Danielle's or Bob's mentioned.
Speaking of which, the USN countdown below is moving too damn fast.
Is this cruel or cute?
And this is plain cute.
Lara posted a great t-shirt on her blog at her Greatest Journal (not attributed, but the link was courtesy of Dear Ol' Dad). Here's another good one.
Lastly, per IMDb, "the Rocky Horror Picture Show and this movie are traditionally shown to incoming Harvard University freshmen. (answer)" Be afraid.
Stationary Bike:
Distance: 4.48 miles
Time: 20:00 minutes
252 calories burned
25 days until the USN
Thursday, September 22, 2005
WOF Hates Me
A slacker morning so far. Took the day off to work on class stuff and will be inspired soon. In the meantime, listening to iTunes and doing some recreational surfing and drinking down my daily 2.2 liters of water.
The latest fad in casino marketing is slot machines with a TV show or movie motif. Some are ingenious and well detailed, like the Star Wars machines, and some are just plain spooky (Gilligan's Island). One of the earliest machines, if not the first, is Wheel of Fortune, based on the show hosted by Pat Sajak and what's-her-name. The casino version is a regular slot machine with a rotating wheel that awards money when you get the right icon on one of the spinning wheels.
I am not a gambler by habit because I think gaming is for suckers. Over the long and short run, the house is going to win. Period. Get over it. There are more fun ways to lose the money, but I do succumb every once in a while and, frankly, WOF hates me. I have never succeeded at that silly machine, but still we battle. Two or three times a year, I'll drop $5 in a machine and watch it disappear, sometimes without a single hit. Gave it another try this morning...
...and...
Nothing. Not a single stinking hit. I might as well as set fire to the Abraham Lincoln or, better yet, sent it to the Red Cross. In fact, I'll do that next time I'm so stupidly tempted.
So I'm driving home and had one of the most surreal coincidences in my life. Sitting at the corner of Williams (Hwy 50) and Roop in front of the Carson City Community Center, waiting for the light to change, and got to reminising about all the times I worked the graduations for Western Nevada Community College. The Center is the only place in town for such an event. As I was mulling, the morning sports guys on the radio were talking about their new trivia contest. The music they were playing in the background: "Pomp and Circumstance." Very weird.
This is hilarious for some reason:
"MORE SPORTS RESULTS: The Beverly Hills Freudians tied the Chicago Rogerians 0-0 last Saturday night. The match started with a long period of silence while the Freudians waited for the Rogerians to free associate and the Rogerians waited for the Freudians to say something they could paraphrase. The stalemate was broken when the Freudians' best player took the offensive and interpreted the Rogerians' silence as reflecting their anal-retentive personalities. At this the Rogerians' star player said "I hear you saying you think we're full of ka-ka." This started a fight and the match was called by officials."
The latest fad in casino marketing is slot machines with a TV show or movie motif. Some are ingenious and well detailed, like the Star Wars machines, and some are just plain spooky (Gilligan's Island). One of the earliest machines, if not the first, is Wheel of Fortune, based on the show hosted by Pat Sajak and what's-her-name. The casino version is a regular slot machine with a rotating wheel that awards money when you get the right icon on one of the spinning wheels.
I am not a gambler by habit because I think gaming is for suckers. Over the long and short run, the house is going to win. Period. Get over it. There are more fun ways to lose the money, but I do succumb every once in a while and, frankly, WOF hates me. I have never succeeded at that silly machine, but still we battle. Two or three times a year, I'll drop $5 in a machine and watch it disappear, sometimes without a single hit. Gave it another try this morning...
...and...
Nothing. Not a single stinking hit. I might as well as set fire to the Abraham Lincoln or, better yet, sent it to the Red Cross. In fact, I'll do that next time I'm so stupidly tempted.
So I'm driving home and had one of the most surreal coincidences in my life. Sitting at the corner of Williams (Hwy 50) and Roop in front of the Carson City Community Center, waiting for the light to change, and got to reminising about all the times I worked the graduations for Western Nevada Community College. The Center is the only place in town for such an event. As I was mulling, the morning sports guys on the radio were talking about their new trivia contest. The music they were playing in the background: "Pomp and Circumstance." Very weird.
This is hilarious for some reason:
"MORE SPORTS RESULTS: The Beverly Hills Freudians tied the Chicago Rogerians 0-0 last Saturday night. The match started with a long period of silence while the Freudians waited for the Rogerians to free associate and the Rogerians waited for the Freudians to say something they could paraphrase. The stalemate was broken when the Freudians' best player took the offensive and interpreted the Rogerians' silence as reflecting their anal-retentive personalities. At this the Rogerians' star player said "I hear you saying you think we're full of ka-ka." This started a fight and the match was called by officials."
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
A Night with Rorey and Ryno
As promised, I shucked my office gear and was on the bike by 5:30 in a glorious September evening. No wind, perfect temps, and a boatload of cabin fever to work out of the system. Up Mountain and down Washington to the Bike Shop, then generally north to College Parkway to check my mailbox. Down College Parkway at 31.2 mph and south to Mountain and home. Riding outside is so superior to stationary bikes.
Swung by the Air Force recruiter's office on the way home and spoke some lingo with TSgt Rorey. It was fun to remember the good days in blue, but I'm too old and fat to go back. Ah well.
Funny story: I entered an automatic fantasy football draft on Yahoo! Sports just for fun, but abandoned the team because, well, they sucked. I was doing some research on players this week and looked in on my team. They're number one in their FFB league (!) and my Yahoo! fantasy baseball team is in first place, too. On the other hand, my "real-life" FFB team is in last place. Life is balanced, I guess.
Found out that the best second baseman ever (sorry, Joe) does a baseball column for Yahoo! Sports, so I dropped him the below email.
"This is a long overdue fan letter. No response is needed or expected.
I am not a life-long Cub fan, but I became one with good reason. My wife and I were married in 1983 and we were stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, just south of Omaha, Nebraska. As newlyweds, we searched for common ground to build a future on, so it's probably no surprise to hear that we got into the habit of watching the Cubs and listening to Harry and Steve on WGN. Hearing Van Halen sing "Jump" today brings back a load of memories, including some about our baby who was born in 1984. That was a good year for us, too.
And here we are, twenty-something years later. The bride and I are still together and living and dying with the Cubs, and that 1984 baby is a woman now and is leaving for the United States Navy in October.
I wanted to say, "Thank you," for your team's part in being there as we built a family and congratulations on your entry into the Hall of Fame.
Bob
PS: We transferred to Japan in 1989 and I climbed Mt. Fuji in 1990. I proudly wore a number 23 Cubs shirt to the summit.
Take care."
Distance: 7.0 miles
Time: 42.02 minutes
321 calories burned
27 days until the USN
Logical Rationalizations
Woke up too early and didn't have much mojo (Liz was up most of the night from a thunderstorm that passed through). Got on a stationary bike this morning, but no stamina and no legs. I'll suck it up tonight.
Came to work and found folks working frantically on two servers that were down: one in LV and one in Reno. Since there's no practical way to notify folks, users were calling in droves. That's cool. Passes the time.
Why does this idiot go away or at least pretend to learn some common sense?
From the internet:
"Important Questions and Answers Regarding Health
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is good for only so many beats, and that's it, so don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine; that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING! Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated by it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans--another vegetable! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! ''Round'' is a shape!"
Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 9:00 minutes
125 calories burned
27 days until the USN
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Chain Home
Took a day off from pretty much everything: teaching, exercise, and good eating. About the only "normal" thing I did today was go to work, which is not stressful and challenging, but the big boss at my day job announced today she was taking the position of Chief of Information Technology at the State Legislature in a couple of weeks. There be changes coming.
I cancelled class tonight because the books for the class haven't gotten to the prison yet, so we'd be spending time looking at each other and me trying to think of things for them to do. The secondary reason is I did something stupid last night that frustrated the COs and could have gotten a student tossed in the "administrative segregation" (the hole).
It's prison policy that students must come to, and leave, the education building as a class. When spring is turning into summer, however, the yard is open late, so things are a little looser. Towards the end of spring semester, if a student told me they were done for the night, I let them go back to their unit alone.
For some dumb reason, I assumed the prison was on the same schedule, which was dumb, dumb, dumb, because it's dark enough now to close the yard just after class starts. Despite this, I was sending students back to their units across a closed yard, which means Control had to account for them and the Towers had to track them. If an inmate was slow or decided to play games, then he could end up in the hole or worse. On top of all this, NNCC is the prison that had the recent escape and all of the officers are walking on eggshells. The watch sergeant tore me a new one, as he should have. I took my medicine and apologized and got out of there.
Now I'm probably exaggerating the situation, but the incident really shook my mojo because it was a dumb mistake and I know the rules, and students always pay for the teacher's mistakes. I'll do better next time.
So I spent the night reading a good book about Navy boot camp. And finishing The Winds of War, which I've only read about twenty times now. Also finished in the last month: Moneyball, three books of the Harry Potter series, and Shogun (read that about 50 times now). I got a couple of books queued up next, including Jeff Shaara'a book about the First World War. His dad wrote one of my favorite books about the Civil War (not that there's a lot of competition).
To be perfectly honest, I can't get enough of reputable historical fiction, which means to me that the author did scholarly research to support an interesting story. (Please don't talk to me about Forrest Gump: entertaining movie, crap book.) My favorite HF novel is required reading at West Point. To me, it is a precious book and I've only read it twice; I have to be in the proper frame of mind. And yes, I prefer military historical fiction, although some eras leave me cold (American Revolution).
What got me started? Gone With The Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird...the movies. I saw them when I was a kid and got to wondering what I was missing in print. It turns out the answer was, "A whole lot." Now the world stops when I find some good, reputable historical fiction.
If I had to pick a few books to take to a desert island:
Absolutely anything written by Robert Anson Heinlein, God rest his soul...
The aforementioned GWTW, TKaM, Shogun, TWOW, War and Remembrance, and Once an Eagle.
AWB Mike or Jeff Shaara
AWB Stephen Donaldson or Orson Scott Card
The original Dune trilogy by Maestro Herbert
The Gunslinger series and It by that guy from Maine
AWB Anne McCaffrey
Almost anything by Stephen Ambrose (non-fiction category)
If I needed to start a fire on a desert island, I'd bring James Patterson books, but I'd use them for kindling after I read them.
:-)
Got Nothing Here
Have things to write, but busy at work. Trying to cut the caffiene from the diet and it simply ain't working. Need a fix....you got a dimebag of Folgers, man?
No riding today, either.
Four weeks until the USN.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Good Times
Ah, manna from the gods...well, actually two mannas, which have lately been my diet. I cannot have enough fruit and yogurt. The local stores sell fresh, cut-up fruit in plastic bowls. Plop a cup of cherry low- or non-fat yogurt on them and voila! I'm full and my very-deadly sweet tooth is satisfied.
And pancakes are the best thing ever. And this web site says they're only 64 (!) calories a serving. Can that be right? If you know the truth...I can handle it.
And for the record, I'm a little suspicious of calorie calculators because the simple ones don't account for physiology and geography, but I haven't found one that works. And there's probably only a 10-20% +- error rate, anyway...
After I biked home yesterday, we all sat around the house and waited for Liz's parents to show for lunch, as Trina asked them. They didn't show up until 4:00 because Liz's mom did what she wanted to do like always. We got to listen to them talk...and talk...and talk. I learned long ago they have selective hearing when I'm in the room, so I played the silent, dutitive husband and let them blather on. They gave Trina a nice going-away present and took us to dinner.
The biggest downside of the evening is Liz's dad promised to take Liz, Lara, and Danielle to Ireland next summer for Liz's brother's wedding. It started off that it was just going to be Lara and Danielle until I pointed out that Liz should go to her brother's wedding, which somehow never occurred to her parents. After they left, Liz said based on her personal experience, her father probably wouldn't have the money, anyway, and that no one should get their hopes up. I told the girls that if they really wanted to go see a wedding in an Irish castle, then they should jobs and start saving their money right now. All in all, a normal visit.
Kicked butt on the stationary bike. Need to do that more often.
If you're not watching this show, you're missing a lot.
Yesterday - Outside
Distance: 2.2 miles
Time: 12:40 minutes
100 calories burned
This morning - Stationary
Distance: 4.3 miles
Time: 20:00 minutes
320 calories burned
29 days until the USN
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Chain, Chain, Chain
Did the first lab session yesterday and had a full house, which is pretty cool because it's good to have the company during those three Saturday hours.
Here's a little more prison talk and I'm not giving away any great secrets or anything: the security at both of the prisons is pretty tight for someone like myself who walks in off the street. There are:
- Locked gates and fences surrounded by razor wire,
- Correctional officers inspect everything I carry in,
- Senior COs inside secure Control rooms,
- Towers with high powered weapons overlooking the yards I either walk by or through to get to class, and most importantly,
- The students.
Prison is mysterious to the general populace because a vast majority have no reason to go to prison, so these folks are educated by assumptions and word of mouth. Here's some myths and truths I've figured out for myself or found on the internet:
The guards are armed and deadly to the prison populace:
- In Nevada, they're Correctional Officers, not guards. A Nevada CO must be a police school graduate and must be certified by the State (POST) as a law enforcement officer, just like highway patrol troopers and police officers.
- The COs that are armed are in the towers, but the officers have access to several non-deadly weapons to keep the peace. From what I've read, only the shift manager (usually a lieutenant) will use these weapons and only as a last resort.
- If deadly force is called for, the officers are the right and freedom to protect themselves and the general populace, just like a police officer.
Murderers and rapists are confined to maximum security:
That's true at the beginning, but inmates earn good time and, over the years, can be sent down depending on their behavior and available beds. Felons with "lesser" crimes will move through the layers of the system depending on their behavior and how close they are to their release time.
Inmates are angry people:
The young ones certainly are because they remember freedom. Lifers and other long-time inmates have a more realistic view of things and know they must work within the system to gain and hold privileges. They've figured out through trial-and-error that they can and will be penalized for acting on sudden emotion. I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect the maximum security prison in Ely has a comparatively younger population than the three prisons I've taught at.
Prisons are revolving doors for escapees:
The minimum security camps have their fair share of "walk-aways," but those camps have fewer fences and controls because the inmates are close to release, anyway. The COs take security very seriously at medium and minimum because the prison in Carson are very close to houses and families. To my knowledge, there's only been one escape from a Carson medium prison in the last five years and that guy hid in a truck.
Inmates are stupid:
Not a chance. They're just like the general populace and have the same wide range of skills, cunning, and intelligence as you would find in any office. Many of them are behind bars because of a lapse in judgment that may have lasted five whole seconds or because of a long series of crimes. Don't ever think they're stupid or underestimate their ability to survive.
I'm in danger every time I go to prison:
This one represents the difference between "possible" and "probable." Yes, it is possible an inmate will attack me or take me hostage, but I realistically face more danger from the idiots on the road when I drive to the prison. The Department of Corrections policy for hostage situations is realistic negotiation to minimize the stress of the situation as much as possible, but violent incidents involving "civilians" are rare.
The reason is simple: the inmates want us in the prison to teach them. We have a product they can use to better their lives or at least suck up the time of day. If something were to happen to a teacher, there would be an incredible range of official reprisals from the Nevada legal system, but that's nothing compared to what would happen to the inmate from his fellow inmates who want an education. For his own safety, the Department of Corrections would probably have to relocate the dude to a prison in another state (which happens all the time).
That's all for now. I'll write more as I think of it. Send me questions if you got them.
Riding Popsicle
Just took a quick ride to work to grade papers and froze my ass off. Tried to stay in the sun and get a good ride. Pretty much went down Robinson to Saliman to work. I'm cold on the ribs under my arms and there's lots of padding there.
I got no words right now. Later.
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 15:48 minutes
184 calories burned
30 days until the USN
I got no words right now. Later.
Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 15:48 minutes
184 calories burned
30 days until the USN
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Oh Yeah
Happy Birthday, AMM!
I'm always late with her birthday...
dunno why...
yeah, I know why.
31 days until the USN
I'm always late with her birthday...
dunno why...
yeah, I know why.
31 days until the USN
To Thine Ownself Be Untrue
Drop some ammonia into a Petri dish teeming with disease and the cells will be eradicated, save a finite few. Set out the most deadly poison known to insects and one cockroach will always walk away, even after ingesting enough of the stuff to kill a hundred thousand of his comrades. A tornado will wipe clean a trailer park and destroy dozens of lives in Kansas or Oklahoma, except for one infant who’s been gently blown into a tree somewhere and is nested safely until retrieved.
This is the essence of evolution. All herds are being constantly culled by Nature, Man, Fate, or whatever, and the one who lives past the culling carries the genes and chromosomes of survival and the ultimate fate of the species. If this creature has a glimmer of a conscious thought, it may wonder to the Heavens why it carries this heavy burden of the future.
Unless the lucky soul is a man. Then you can pretty much guess he will lie to himself about said circumstances and go fetch himself another beer.
Men live in a state of constant falsehood and are happiest when living a lie. This inbred instinct for self-stupidity started when a dude single-handedly hunted the neighborhood saber-toothed tiger or mastodon to prove that he were brave and virile enough to win the heart of the local cave-dwelling hottie. Naturally, the tiger or mastodon killed that dude and the next twenty idiots to single-handedly hunt them, but one guy eventually got through the tusks and claws and brought home one mighty fine pelt. To him went the spoils of victory, including said hottie, and together they produced the next generation of lucky idiots who eventually took on more predators. And thus was born a man’s ill-informed habit of believing in himself, which was a confidence born of lies and rationalizations. If you have troubles swallowing all that, just ask those twenty-one dead idiots.
And we men do lie to ourselves constantly and (no surprise) it usually has something to do with women. We’re born thinking those milk-laden boobs belong to us alone and we’re none too pleased to find out that we’re going to be bottle-fed. The first time that cutie in our fifth-grade class smiles at us, we truly believe beyond all doubt that she thinks of us every night and nothing else. And when we’re pushing AARP-age, we still think we’re attractive to girls twenty years younger because of our maturity, silver BMW, and/or great skill in bed, and that she would know this if she would only take the time to talk to us or even just look at us without pity in her eyes.
Along those lines, we’ll really love you more if you join us in our rationalizations. Tell us that our guts don’t stick our when we drop ten pounds (and should lose fifty more). Tell us that we don’t have a comb over, but that we’ve rediscovered a haircut that was cool when we were younger. When we do something that causes us a minor thrill like changing a light bulb, be proud of us and don’t ask about our bad back. And for the love of God, sneak the Viagra into the pill box along with the other medications we might be taking for stress, blood pressure, and low self-esteem.
We know deep down inside we're pathetic. Duh. What I’m trying to say is try, or pretend to try, to be happy for us every once in a while, and know that we men really are simple creatures and we're doing our best when living a lie. You want our species to survive, don’t you?
Black is Slimming. Yeah, Right.
Had a lazy morning after yesterday's long day. Didn't exercise or do anything generally healthy, and even went to have a calorie-buster kind of meal at one of the casinos. Went to work for a little overtime and found some recent pictures in my email. I'll go more in-depth on those later, but this one took my breath away.
That's me last month and, lawd almighty, look at that gut and chin. If you're one of my mature female relatives or friends, I can already hear you saying I'm not that big...but wow. Never again. I am totally rededicating myself to a healthier lifestyle and smarter eating habits. Realistically, I will allow myself a burger or a slice of pizza now and then, but I will not get that large, again. I'm about 253 today and will be much lower by the end of the year. You read it here first.
Yesterday was a long one and I was in a bitchy mood from before dawn until bed. Said a couple of things about people that were cruel and unfair. I try to be a better person than that but it didn't show at all yesterday. Did eventually get the truck back and did have class last night, which was a total disaster. Could not get all of the class materials my students needed so I felt they were handicapped in completing their assignments. Tried to get the prison education clerk to show up and unlock his cabinets, but for some reason he wouldn't leave the chapel, per Control. Frustrating (!). At one point, I told everyone to go take a smoke break and I "borrowed" some materials from the prison high school so we could finish class. Hell of an example I set for my felons last night.
And these students! They finished three weeks worth of assignments last night! I was flabbergasted at the number of papers they turned in and will be spending much of tomorrow grading them...
...when I'm not with Liz's parents tomorrow. More on that later.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Shaken and Stirred
As mentioned below, we've had a few shakers in the area this morning. The map in the below entry changes over time so there's a snapshot of the fun so far. They upgraded the biggest one to a 4.2, which ain't bad.
Earthquakes can mess with people's mojos and make them all nervous and twitchy. We had someone in the office doing a darn good "Chicken Little" imitation.
Fun with cars continues. Woke up at 0415 for no good reason, so I played on the computer until Liz woke up, then walked down to the van to see it would start. It didn't, so I got Liz on the phone and she brought the Taurus down and we successfully jump-started the van. I puttered around the house and did some class prep, then realized I'd lost complete track of time and still had to bike to work. You'll notice below that it didn't take too long to get here. A few minutes after arriving, Liz called to say the van would not start again and she was taking a sick day (good idea, it turns out because the earthquakes hit shortly after that). At this moment, I'm waiting for Les Schwab to call on the truck.
Distance: 2.00 miles
Time: 10:41 minutes
103 calories burned
32 days until the USN
Earthquake
We just had a 3.8 shaker. All is well. Liz did not go to work today and was not in the Kinkead Building when it happened.
Here's the map.
Here's the map.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
B***h, B***h, B***h
Happy Birthday, Mike! You Da Man!
Important lesson: bad days don't cure themselves. They grow and fester, and suck the life out of a beautiful day unless you take control of it and try to turn it around like a power steering wheel without the power. This was not one of those days.
The workday dragged on in a torture-Dilbert-way but it finally ended like they all do, and I was headed out the door with bike in hand when Liz called me on the cell: the truck had a flat tire. I rode over to Kinkead and saw the driver's front tire was flat to the ground. We wrestled with the jack and the lug nuts, but couldn't get the damn nuts off with the tools we had on hand. I called Becky for a lug wrench, and she brought her husband Anthony. He's a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper by trade, and it took him all of ninety seconds of watching me wrestle with things before he "suggested" that I get out of the way so he could finish the job. It took him about three minutes to get the old tire off and to put the spare on. We thanked them profusely and parted ways.
We found a big nail in the tire, and found another nail in the other front tire, too, but it hadn't gone flat, yet. Thinking an ounce of prevention would work here, Liz and I drove home to get the van so we could drop the truck off at the tire place. After leaving it there and taking Liz home, I went to a local restaurant about half a mile from the house to pick up gift certificates for Becky and Anthony. Went back out to the van...and the battery was dead, again. It wouldn't turn over. At all. No problem, because we bought Trina's car from her, so I called home to get Liz to drive it down to jumpstart the van...except her cell phone was in another room in the house and she couldn't hear it. Probably wouldn't done any good because Trina's car has a leak somewhere and tends to overheat after short periods of time. I walked home.
So as I write this, the truck is at Les Schwab with nails in two tires and the van is down the road with a dead battery and the overboiling teapot that is a 1988 Ford Taurus is in the driveway. The upside was today was still nice and warm, and I had a quiet walk home.
Anyway...
For some reason, I got the idea this morning that I was going to get a tattoo today, perhaps something with a Japanese or Chinese character, but I didn't want something that said, "This is an idiot American." There's a fascinating web site called Hanzi Smatter, and it's dedicated to educating the English-speaking public about the misuse of characters from Asian languages. Above is an example on how easy it can be for tattoo artists to make a simple mistake on a well-meaning illustration about "wife" and end up inscribing "poison," instead, or vice versa.
Here is what translator wrote about the Serenity logo (the misspellings are his, not mine):
"Two seperate readers have emailed me asking if the poster for new upcoming movie, Serenity, is correct. Apparently this movie was either based on or a spin-off from a television show called "Firefly". I have never seen the show myself, but rumor has that some of the show's dialogue were in Mandarin Chinese. The two characters featured in the poster are correct and they do mean "serenity", or " tranquil; tranquility".
One question I have is: why use Simplified verison of [Hanzi character], when the Traditional version [another Hanzi character] is better?
Update: Firefly's "Chinese" Dialogue May Be Machine-Translated
Several readers have commented about the pseudo-Chinese dialogue in the show "Firefly". Samples of Chinese dialogue with English translation suggested that the show's scripts are either directly machine-translated via translation tools like Babelfish, or their so-called "Chinese consultant" is an idiot with bare minimal knowledge of the Chinese language."
He also take Aunt Lily's former employer to task:
A tip from an UK forum has lead me to a Chinese guidebook published by Lonely Planet. I am still trying to figure out if the publisher wanted the cover to say "clock"...or "China", since both pronounciations for "clock" and "China" are homophonetic (zhong1).
The translator takes a reasonable amount of pride in his web site and knowledge of the languages, but is, candidly, intolerant of some folks who make honest mistakes in their passion to be unique. Nevertheless, he has a valid point criticizing people who haphazardly (or drunkenly) get their bodies permanently marked up without doing proper research. What can start out as a tattoo about "love" could easily turn into something about "barley," as it did for one unfortunate soul.
For the record, if I do get a tattoo with an Asian character, it'll be something real simple like this.
Don't Get Me Started
Let's get it out of the way right now: I woke up on the wrong side of the broom this morning. Dunno if it's a letdown after yesterday's two rides (12+ miles total) or I'm feeling bloated and crampy or something. Got up, stomped around the house, made some minor, irrational, and emotional decisions, and got on the bike to clear the mind. Along the way, found that I forgot my bike lock, strained my wrist again (argh!), and broke the bungee cord for my pack. Then the silly-ass calorie counter says I only burned 89 calories this morning. Fried flour didn't solve anything, so I'm here at work, stewing slowly, waiting for the next rock to fall out of the sky.
Basic organizational rule: if you want workers from another unit to do work for you, you must first coordinate with that supervisor's unit. Seems fairly basic. Keeps everyone informed and shows a little respect to the supervisor.
Carson High is closed today. The kids probably don't realize today will be treated as a snow day and they'll have to make it up at the end of the school year.
Happy Birthday, OJC.
I'll write more when the sun reappears...
Distance: 2.20 miles
Time: 15:07 minutes
89 calories burned
33 days until the USN
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Climb Every Molehill
When God imagined an afternoon for bike riding, this is what She imagined. It was warm, the wind died away, and there was nothing but me and the road. Took the back way via Ormsby and Winnie, then headed up the hill to the college. Went most of the way with the gears cranked down as far as possible, but I made it without stopping. Damn. After checking my mailbox, headed down the hill and set a new max speed for me. After going up and down that hill, took it very easy going home. Did notice the incline from Carson to Mountain via Washington was barely noticeable. The journal says I burned 272 calories, but I hope I did more than that because I ate a turkey sandwich from Subway and their nutrition guide says it's is 280 calories. I broke even. :(
Mi primo es un blogger!
Mandatory Serenity link for mi familia: Serenity Now! is an article by Jason Silverman of Slate explains how fan passion fueled a movie.
The idea is good but these are ugly t-shirts. Not even Teri Hatcher can make them look good.
It ain't just the Republicans pissing me off these days. From the internet: Amid Katrina Chaos, Congressman Used National Guard to Visit Home - Two Heavy Trucks, Helicopter Were Involved in Lawmaker's Trip at Height of Crisis
Distance: 6.70 miles
Time: 44:08 minutes
272 calories burned
34 days until the USN
Saddle Up!
Three classes under the belt and last night's will probably be the most interesting of all of them. Many to the Friday (IS 101) and Monday (COT 202) students have touched computers before, but the Tuesday (IS 101) students are mostly beginners. They're also an older group, which means they've probably spent that last few years of the Home Computer Age behind bars, so they're in the right class. Carried a bunch of books from NNCC out to my truck for the Warm Springs class.
Old political cliche: When your domestic agenda is a mess, fall back on your foreign agenda...and vice versa. If you're the current administration, you're screwed no matter what.
Interesting article about Liz's last State job. There's a remote chance Liz may be called to testify, so there will be nothing more about it here.
And here's an article about Liz's current location. Looks like they figured it's easier to listen to complaints that move the employees to a safer location. Somewhere, lawyers are drooling like hyenas over a lame impala:
Panel to consider options for Kinkead Building complaints
[Nevada] Appeal Capitol Bureau
September 14, 2005
Nevada's Interim Finance Committee will be presented Thursday with options for dealing with employee complaints about the state's Kinkead Building in Carson City.
The State of Nevada Employees Association has complained on behalf of the nearly 300 workers there of a leaky roof, slanted floors and cracking concrete as well as problems with heating and ventilation systems.
The association said it will be keeping a close eye on lawmakers and pushing for action to either move the workers elsewhere or find a way to replace the building.
SNEA officials say workers want out of the building.
An engineers' report has warned the building could collapse in a serious earthquake and concluded there are numerous structural problems that make it more economical to tear Kinkead down than to fix it.
SNEA officials say the state has ignored the problems in the building for years. The complaints became more vocal from workers after last-minute changes to the governor's proposed budget eliminated funding for a replacement building to house Human Resources employees.
A report on the Kinkead Building is scheduled for IFC's Thursday meeting. The committee isn't expected to take any action until November.
Until I get some cold weather biking gear, it's the stationary bike at the gym in the morning.
Distance: 5.45 miles
Time: 22:00 minutes
263 calories burned
34 days until the USN
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Giggles and Grins
Who's Number One in the Yahoo Public 125756 Baseball Fantasy League? That would the Carson Cubs, owned by little ol' me. I've been battling all season to catch up with the Pirates (he's goooood) and finally got to taste a little success. The contradiction in playing fantasy baseball is I have two really good Cardinals on my team (Pujols and Carpenter) and only one really good Cub (Ramirez), so I've spent a lot of the season contradicting myself.
(BTW, Mike Piazza sucks. I had him on the team twice and he fizzled each time, and him in a contract year, too.)
Went to the gym this morning after some fried flour and hopped on a stationary bike all macho-like and cranked up the settings because in my mind, I ride like Greg LeMond's large brother. It took all of twenty seconds to discover I bike more like Pee Wee Herman's large brother. Nevertheless, it was a sweatmaker and a good ride.
From CNN Breaking News: "President Bush says he takes responsibility for the federal government's failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina." No kidding.
Distance: 3.71 miles
Time: 20:00 minutes
206 calories burned
Five weeks until the USN
Monday, September 12, 2005
Another Brick in the Wall
Just left my first class at NNCC, where the usual beginning-of-the-semester chaos continues. The lack of books put a crimp in things, but the students seem ready to learn and wanting to use computers. And the computers! Brand new and with flat screens. What a nice change from the dinosaurs we've tolerated for so many years.
Life is funny. In my day job, folks are working on reports involving child abuse and neglect. Listening to what's happened to kids at the hands of adults....I just am not good with it. And the irony is I've taught some of those abusers. Not long ago, I had an elderly grandfather-type student in class who was pretty much the type of person I expected from someone of the Greatest Generation. I was shocked to learn that he was incarcerated for child molestation.
So how do I reconcile this? There are moments it baffles me, too, especially on days when I've put in the full ten hours at the office, then go out to the prison to be locked up (literally) with that most wretched hive of scum and villainy. When I walk out the gates after class and put the razor wire in the rearview mirror, the bands around my chest relax and I start to breath normally.
So why? There isn't one single reason out there because that would be too easy, so in no particular order of importance...
- They need an education. Felons have proved to a judge and jury they can't obey certain laws, but that didn't happen overnight or in a vacuum. Most kids got their first taste of society in preschool and school, and for some of those kids, K-12 was a series of academic failures and run-ins with teachers and principals. So now those kids are now in prison, making up for lost time in school. And...
- They want to learn. They may be in prison, but they're not stupid, especially students in the "mature" age range (35 and older). After years behind bars, they realize their life is a tragedy of missed opportunities. Most of my students want to be in class and they want to talk to teachers, compared to decades ago when they ditched school. I've heard it more than once: "I can't believe I'm back in school." And they're so hungry for knowledge. I can't keep up with them sometimes.
- They're getting out. When I was a grad student in another life five years ago, I wrote a paper on prison education and found, to my surprise, the average inmate will leave prison within five years of incarceration (excluding lifers). The general public likes to think that we've thrown away the key when we've lock up a DUI or a drug dealer or worse, but inmates earn release time through academics, prison work, and good behavior, not to mention changes in the law. In five years, would you rather they be outside with the skills that got them in jail, or would you rather they have a GED and thirty college credits?
- It's a somewhere between a passion and a hobby for me. My life is b-o-r-i-n-g. It hasn't always been that way, but the drama I used to inject into my days have fallen on the wayside as I've gotten older. As the calendar flips over, I've slowly begun to realize I'm not really an expert at a single thing. My professional life is a series of "jack of all trades" type jobs. I can't write a novel, engineer a network, or tune a car, but I can fix grammar in a report, trouble-shoot a server, and find a good mechanic. About the only single thing I do good is explain things. Slowly. Inmates are perfect for that.
- The money ain't bad and it's a great resume filler: "I teach at the college."
- Letty.
Some random Hurricane Katrina web blurbs:
From CNN: White and black Americans view Hurricane Katrina's aftermath in starkly different ways, with more blacks viewing race a factor in problems with the federal response, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday. The poll found that six in 10 blacks interviewed said the federal government was slow in rescuing those stranded in New Orleans after Katrina because many of the people in the Louisiana city were black. But only about one in eight white respondents shared that view. The numbers were similar on whether the rescues were slower because the victims were poor, with 63 percent of blacks blaming poverty and 21 percent of whites doing so. The poll, based on interviews with 848 whites and 262 blacks September 8-11, had a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points."
From IMDB: "Acknowledging that after the 9/11 attacks four years ago, journalists had offered to government leaders "a preponderance of the benefit of the doubt," NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams said over the weekend that covering the inept response of government to Hurricane Katrina may bring "a healthy amount of cynicism back to a news media known for it." Indeed, several reporters who were most diligent in holding officials' feet to the fire have had their reputations burnished by their passionate coverage of the hurricane aftermath, particularly Fox's Shepard Smith (who was invited to appear on David Letterman's show), CNN's Anderson Cooper, CBS's Tracy Smith, and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough."
From Slate: "The NYT reports that despite Hurricane Katrina's damage, the name Katrina does not risk extinction. After Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the name Hugo actually moved up the list of popular baby names. Still, a Manhattan teenager interviewed for the article got so fed up with references to the storm that she now insists on being called "Kat." Another Katrina suggested eliminating naming storms altogether, thereby avoiding injury to all the Katrinas, Ivans, Charleys, and Camilles: "I think we should name hurricanes after vegetables we hate," she said."
Finally: "At the Houston Astrodome, three-year-old Joshwa Coyette cries out for his mother, who is believed to have drowned during Hurricane Katrina. Associated Press photo by Jessica Kourkounis"
Crisp and COLD
Somehow, without warning, we're scraping windshields and seeing our breath in the morning when we leave the house. Memo to Mother Nature: Nevada is a desert, so please give us back the morning heat. I like wearing shorts. Liz likes my legs.
This is last night's bike ride: From work to down Roop to Subway, then north on Frontage and Carson. Crossed blocks to King, then home. Didn't ride today because of class tonight.
On this Day in History, JFK married Jackie in 1953 (they were married for only ten years). Coincidentally, Nikita Khrushchev was elected as first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on the exact same day. Funny how these things go together.
Only at work for a short time and there's actually work to be done. So much for today's nap.
Yesterday's ride:
Distance: 5.10 miles
Time: 00:31:02 minutes
234 calories burned
36 Days Until the USN
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Heeeere's Johnny
Rode to work to pick up some overtime. Took it easy on the wrist: up Mountain, across Winnie, down Roop, crossed at Telegraph to Stewart and across the Carson Mall for some white mocha. Down Carson and across Fairview to the office.
Got all antsy last night after writing my blog (Republicans sooooo push my button), so I went to the gym for a non-wrist-bearing workout and burned 300 calories on the elliptical trainer. Then soaked in the spa until Grampa Moses decided to jump in and the water into Skin Soup.
Liz found we can add how many calories we burn on the Bike Journal. Will update it later.
Distance: 4.50 miles
Time: 00:26:40 minutes
37 Days Until the USN (Trina was confused about when she left. This time it's right.)
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Speak Truth to the Throne
Is the caption referring to Hurricane Katrina or President Bush? More thoughts below.
I've been on the Bloggers's DL due to this stinking wrist, but have decided to take one for the team and start playing through the pain. This is how it got sprained on Thursday: I was doing a rear-dismount and, while holding the handle bars, twisted and turned the wrist at the same time. It made an unpleasant "Rice Krispies" sound, and it got more painful as the day progressed, despite time in the spa and lots of direct cold. On Friday, I wussed out and went to the doctor who sent me for an x-ray. Nothing was or is broken, so I've had the arm wrapped up since the appointment. Becky at work very thoughtfully brought me one of her old braces from when she had carpel tunnel. The wrist is better and I will be on the bike tomorrow.
And I've desperately missed it, too. I haven't had any exercise since Thursday morning (58+ hours now) and I'm going stir-crazy and feeling more than a little blobish. Did a little vicarious riding by watching Liz try out her "new" wheels and saw her go around the neighborhood. Here's hoping that's the start of something good.
Last night was the first class at Warm Springs and it has a nice little computer classroom for about 15 students. Got the nickel tour of Control and one of the housing units. They gave me keys and a radio, and it was off to class. The students are about what you expect of incarcerated folks: they tested me as students have been doing forever, and I responded. Couldn't do much without the books, and the PCs didn't have the lessons, either. Normal start to a semester. Monday night is the first class at NNCC which will be equally as disorganized.
An interesting opinion piece by Mark Morford in the San Francisco Chronicle says we should get off President Bush's back for his response to Hurricane Katrina because he is doing the job we hired him to do. Quoting, "He is the CEO president, the megacorporate businessman's friend, the thug of the religious right, a big reservoir-tipped condom for all energy magnates, protecting against the nasty STDs of humanitarianism and progress and social responsibility." The article rips into him quite deeply and is supported, in part, by this more journalist piece from Associated Press.
I am not a Bush aficionado. He is a puppet for the Religious Right and seems to make faith-based decisions instead of science- and fact-based decisions. The people working for him are arrogant, inhumane, and too quick to wrap themselves with the flag to protect themselves from righteous public scrutiny and anger. No one was fired for a long series of national and international embarrassments like WMDs, Iraq, Abu Ghraib Prison, Valerie Plame, and so on. Those who did leave via "retirement" were rewarded for their mistakes, and those who stayed are caught up in a continual game of "cover your ass." No wonder an AP poll found that Bush's approval ratings have dropped below 40 percent.
Mr. President, the solution is easy. Stand up and say, "I am responsible. The buck stops here." Fire a few people and not just for show. Bring in fresh, feeling administrators who will do their jobs for the honor of serving the public good, like Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen. Let's see a little less hugging of the poor people, less time creating sound bites nobody believes, and do a little more work with the shovel and sand bag. Make New Orleans or Gulfport or Keesler AFB your base of operations for a few weeks. Get your daughters out there in the muck like Sean Penn and have them help recover some lost souls.
You're supposed to be the most powerful man in the world. Don't tell us you care. Show us you care. That will make us all powerful.
Edit: The above picture is real and not created with PhotoShop, per the Urban Legend web site.
Friday, September 09, 2005
One-Handed Bandit
The wrist is sprained, not broken. I'm off Dollar for a few days. Will probably go to the gym...bleh...
Yeargh
Not much blogging and probably no riding for a while because I yakked my wrist yesterday. No bruising or swelling, but it's darn painful, especially on the keyboard. Advil and cold wraps don't help, so I'm going to the doctor today and there's probably an X-ray in the immediate future.
Good news:
- Not teaching a fourth class at the college. More later.
- Football season started yesterday.
- My classes start tonight.
Change in this countdown. Trina's actually leaving October 17:
38 Days Until the USN
Good news:
- Not teaching a fourth class at the college. More later.
- Football season started yesterday.
- My classes start tonight.
Change in this countdown. Trina's actually leaving October 17:
38 Days Until the USN
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Dragging
Really, really slow this morning, but not in a bad way. Had a hard ride to work because I discovered I was in the third spoke on Dollar and instead of using common sense, decided to stay there and push myself all the way to work. Went to Smiths for trail mix and to Kupps for some caffiene. In between stops, I was really moving and walked in the office drenched like last night. Some time in the spa cleaned out the aches.
Looking at the Bike Journal, I've ridden every day this month and sometimes twice a day. I'm not riding tonight and taking tomorrow off. Period. End of discussion. Is this the first symptom of obsessiveness? ;-)
I'll write more later.
Distance: 3.00 miles
Time: 00:16:13 minutes
40 Days Until the USN
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Sweatin' to the Oldies
That's the front of the house at 9:30 tonight. Why did I take that picture? Because the camera makes the brick look good.
Did another long ride home. Took the usual ride to the Bike Shop via Roop/Stewart/Curry, then up Curry to Nevada to Long and up Carson. Took a Snickers break at Albertsons, then up College Parkway, down Ormsby, down Winnie really fast, then south on Mountain. Walked in the door dripping with sweat, and for some reason, WifeyPooh didn't want a big hug and sloppy kiss.
The bike computer says I did a whole 6.4 miles in thirty-six minutes. The Bike Journal says I'm averaging 10.8 miles an hour a ride, but it sure seems I'm going a lot further. It's gotta be the hills. ;-)
The college wants me to teach another class. Oy vey. 12 credits x $650 = $7,800. Hmmmm. Lots of experience. Hmmm. WifeyPooh will kill me. Hmm. Gotta sleep on that.
Distance: 6.40 miles
Time: 00:36:53 minutes
41 Days Until the USN
CJ Rehnquist - A Classy Dude
One last post on William Rehnquist. He was proud of his military service in World War II, as shown by his tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery. He is number 29 on the list (the last).
He could have had "Chief Justice" inscribed, but instead chose to honor his time as an Army sergeant. Good for him.
He could have had "Chief Justice" inscribed, but instead chose to honor his time as an Army sergeant. Good for him.
In Search of a Mug
Chief Justice Rehnquist was carried to his viewing in Washington D.C. today. The second person on the left side of the coffin (right side of the picture) is the nominee to replace him. The Washington Post wrote a touching article about this. (Subscription may be required.)
Nice ride this morning. Still a little saddle sore so took the direct route to work. Stopped by Kupps Coffee for some caffeine but they don't sell mugs for the bike, so went to Starbucks for some crap coffee that was way too sweet. I hate Starbucks.
Gilligan died this weekend. Someone on the Biking Forums web site pointed out all of the significant "Denvers" in the entertainment business are gone now: John Denver, Bob Denver and Denver Pyle.
Notes from the internet...
"The screwage of Nevada":
"Update: In July 2004, as News of the Weird mentioned, a federal appeals court ruled that the leak-safety standards for the long-awaited nuclear waste depository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain were too weak, in that the Environmental Protection Agency would only regard the facility as safe for 10,000 years (almost five times the length of time since the birth of Jesus). One National Academy of Sciences panel had recommended against the site unless leak-safety could be certified for at least 300,000 years. In August 2005, EPA issued a revised durability standard, now claiming the site would be free of unsafe leaks for a million years. (Context: 110 years ago, science had not even discovered radioactivity.) [New York Times, 8-10-05]" [From the September 4th "News of the Weird"]
"The Sunset Years":
"Senior Citizen Shoots Cheating Hubby - West Virginia woman claims paramour had venereal disease
SEPTEMBER 1--Meet Mollie Hardbarger. The 73-year-old West Virginia woman is sitting in a Mountain State lockup after pumping a .22-caliber slug into her 69-year-old husband's stomach earlier this week. According to a criminal complaint filed in Ritchie County Magistrate Court, Mollie told cops she shot her hubby Hallie "because he was having sex with a local female." And, as if it wasn't bad enough he was stepping out with someone from the 'hood, "this particular female had a venereal disease." Ouch. The septuagenarian, who has been charged with malicious wounding, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Meanwhile, Hallie is in critical condition in a local hospital's intensive care unit." The Smoking Gun has a sad picture of the perp.
"Some working girls at the Moonlite BunnyRanch would like to become Red Cross volunteers."
Becca Brat, who is from Baton Rouge, La., Max and Air Force Amy plan to attend a Red Cross training class in Reno so that they can volunteer with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in the Gulf Coast. "We want to take the class and use whatever skills we have, even though we're not nurses," said brothel prostitute Air Force Amy, who doesn't give out her full name. "But I was in the military, so I should be able to help." Nevada Appeal (subscription may be required)
Edit:A lame hypochondriac test.
Distance: 2.90 miles
Time: 00:18:38 minutes
41 Days Until the USN
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Ark is Here Somewhere
That is the garage, courtesy of our spiffy new digital camera. Hard to believe we finally joined the twentieth century when it comes to photography. (I hear that internet thing is going to be big, someday, too). We no longer have an excuse not take pictures. The daughters are psyched about the new toy but they will have to be patient for a little while longer.
As you can see, the garage is packed to the rafters. Must give credit where credit is due. I was certain that there wouldn't be enough room to fit everything from the storage, but the proof is in the camera. The Bride did a fantastic job organizing the place. (BTW: the people at Staples are helpful, but their greeter is much too perky. She was scaring people with her loud cheerfulness when they came in the door.)
Fairly productive day for being on annual. Took a one-mile ride to the Kinkead building to pick up the truck and took Trina's bike into the Shop so The Bride can use it. It'll have a new seat and a bike computer because she deserves the best. Spent some time at the college to try to fix the book order thing and found they're as organized as usual. Got some blood drawn by an excellent vampire (felt nothing from the needle) and had Chinese with the Bride.
The health insurance debate is important but never really took center stage with me because I've been lucky and have stayed out of the hospital. Last February, I had an emergency appendictomy and got charged (not kidding) $20,468.62 for the experience. This includes pelvic and abdominal CAT scans ($2,381), an overnight stay in the OB ward ($1,249), some time in the recovery room ($1,143) and, oh yeah, the operation itself ($11,371). The anesthetic and other mind-numbing drugs were extra. Got the bill today for all of this with the insurance taken out: $249.53 or about one percent of the original charges. Considering everything that could have happened, I'll pay this bill without (much) grumbling.
[Pause in blog writing while I work on the OFFL web site, run errands, and generally chill. Also need recovery time from Chinese food buffets...bloated...bleh...]
I let a nitwit under my skin this afternoon. He's a fellow owner in my fantasy football league and has the maturity of....ah, there I go again. It's always better to take the high road. I put the little snot on my spam list and his email will go straight to the dumper from now on.
Bill King is the voice of the Oakland Athletics and there are times I know he's not watching the same game the rest of us are seeing. Listening to him on the radio, he once said the A's are 4-51 when entering the ninth inning and behind in the score, which in his opinion was "pretty good," even though that means the A's lose 92% of the time. Tonight he was talking about a Mariner batter who crowds the plate and struck out on an outside pitch, which he amended about three seconds later to say it was an inside pitch. The man is a goof on the mike.
Madison Week 1 lineup:
QB Carr
RB Holmes
RB James
WR Givens
WR Johnson, Andre
TE Johnson, Eric
K Feely
D/ST Jets, Jets, Jets
Distance: 0.90 miles
Time: 00:05:35 minutes
Six Weeks Until the USN
Monday, September 05, 2005
My Bikefriend's Back
That's my nephew Corey and his sisters Amber and Amy in September of 1992. Corey was fifteen months old when that picture was taken and he turned fourteen in June 2005. I have no idea what to tell him when he shows up in a few years.
Been working in front of the PC all day, doing mostly OFFL stuff, but that got boring and Dollar was calling. Took a look at the stinking bike computer, but wasn't too hopeful at the beginning. Back in the day when GWB was failing classes at Yale, I tried to assemble something furniture-like for my brand new Bride. Being about as mechanically inclined as a Pushmi-Pullyu, I did the "they want a flat screw there and not a bolt?" thing. From that point forward, the Bride did the furniture assembling in the house. Nevertheless, I figured out what was wrong with the bike computer. Yay, team.
Another long ride down Curry, left on Koontz, left on Carson, down Frontage, right on Colorado, and left on Utah. Soaked in the spa at the gym. Up Fairview, left on Williams, right on State. Up the Long Street hill to Roop, down Winnie, left on Mountain. It was the longest total time on Dollar and my butt hurts. I'm taking tomorrow off and let everything settle back on the flab where it belongs.
Had my first dog last week and had my first angry driver today. Saliman is down to two lanes for road construction, so while I was riding along the barriers, some folks yelled at me, "This ain't a bike path!" Since the riding space was limited, there wasn't much either of us could do.
Moving on...
Just did a quick calculation: the Bride and I've been married 279 months today. If an average month is 30 days, then we've been married:
- 1,196 weeks
- 8,370 days
- 200,880 hours
- 12,052,800 minutes
- 723,168,000 seconds
Which means we'll hit a billion seconds in about seven years.
Jerry Rice retired. There are those who prefer their sports heroes retire at the top or near the top of their game. My thought: unless they got a really good back-ended contract like Steve Young or have the name recognition of Michael Jordan, let them keep reaching for those big paychecks and loud crowds for as long as possible. Who does it really hurt? Jerry's a first-ballot HOFer, even if he retired 10 years ago. Folks who say aging athletes are shaming themselves need to refocus their energy on the athletes that really do dishonor their respective sports: drug users.
In case it missed your attention, Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts is 50 years old. William Rehnquist was eighty when he passed on, so we could be talking about one of the longest Chief Justice tenures in history if Judge Roberts is confirmed (and he will be). At least the new CJ won't be Associate Justices Scalia or Thomas. The church-state separation thing would have had to find a new country.
A more personal perspective: Judge Roberts is six years older than me. It's possible with medical science advancing as it is, this Chief Justice could outlive me. Probably not, though, since I had grandparents on both sides that lived into their nineties, but it is a sobering thought.
Does this happen to you? I take a liking or a hating to a movie or something, and it's generally the polar opposite of someone in my family or workcenter, and they take it personally and get huffy. Folks, grasp this concept: I gave an opinion on something that was created by artists and millionaires outside of your control or influence. I wasn't attacking you in any way or even hinting that your opinion was more or less important than mine. My tastes were groomed by decades of crappy television, disco music, Stephen Donaldson books, and a hate for Jerry Bruckheimer history-revisionist movies. For twenty seconds, please stopping taking every little statement I make so damn personally.
Whew. I feel better. ;-)
Distance: 9.90 miles
Time: 00:56:41 minutes
43 Days Until the USN
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