Deal's Gap

Not much has happened with the car.  Nothing, in fact.  Put gas in and drove it--all the way to North Carolina!  Unfortunately, the weather was a little cold and it rained all Friday night, but I still had a good time!  I left the house at 6.30am and drove top down all the way with a stop in Lexington for breakfast with a friend I was doing a caravan with to get there.  I finally arrived at my cabin at Nantahala Village at 3.30pm, totally pooped!

I managed to get some driving done despite the rain.  Here is a shot of me on my way in, just up the hill from the Crossroads and the Motorcycle Resort.  I actually made the front page of Killboy.com, but was pretty far in the background (or in the front, depending on where you were standing):

Squint reeeeeeal hard and you'll see me heading around the bend!

I also went fishing with some of my friends while I was down there.  Admittedly, I've fished about twice in my life, so "rusty" was not the word!  However, after a couple hours, I managed to reel this one in:

Yeah...it's tiny, but at least I got to eat it!

I even got to fly my Solo Pro in the cabin!

New Kicks!

Christy and I have started working out together, which I've really loved.  I've soooooo missed running!  We've been at it since the beginning of December and, despite a couple setbacks and getting my butt kicked by the trainer on several occasions, I'm happy to report that we're both still trucking!

Partially as motivation and partially because we honestly needed to replace them, we both went to get new running shoes.

Now, for those who may not know, I was (and sort of still am) a shoe geek.  Besides all my trips to Runners Supply, I was lucky enough to work at Bob Roncker's Running Spot, one of the best running shoe stores in the country as well as coming back to Runners Supply to work during one of my summers in Canton.  During any free moment, I would run back to the stock room to try on all the shoes to get myself familiar with them (I mean, you can't sell what you don't know, right?).  I kept a catalog in my mind of model names, features, weights, fits, etc. and loved it!  

Aaaaaaaanyway...back to the present.

My old shoes (when I bought them) were the latest and greatest of Nike's Structure Triax line.  I picked them up while Christy and I were on honeymoon at the now defunct Honolulu Niketown.  They were light, responsive, cushy, and decently supportive.  Good shoes, overall.  I've been running in various models from the Structure Triax line since I was a freshman in high school, and it's nice to see that Nike kept making them as a quality mid-range shoe.



Out with the old...and in with the new: the Asics GT-2160.  Like the Structure Triax, I'd run in one of the shoes from this line in high school as well.  In fact, the GT-2040 had been the first regular running shoe that I'd run sockless in (by Senior year, I was racing regularly in spikes and flats without socks).  These are pretty quality shoes as well.  I like them because they're a little more stiff than the cushy and light Nikes.  While this sounds counter-intuitive, keep in mind that I'm just over 200lbs.  Light and cushy shoes get pounded to death at that weight, but I find that more solid shoes are actually more comfortable and supportive without feeling like bricks.

And now, the two shoes side by side:



Soooooo...a lot of rambling about new shoes--especially because I've only run in them about three times for a total of 5-6 miles.  Truth is, much like running, being a shoe geek is a hobby I forgot that I enjoyed!

Ponderous Parking Protuberance

This happens more often than I'd like to admit at work (or, well, anywhere when I drive The Tick): I will walk out to the car only to find that it is now completely invisible, even though I remember exactly where I parked!  To combat this, when I park the car, I will often purposely leave it even or a little past the end of the car next to it.  

Why, you ask?  Well, I'm a little paranoid about the car getting bopped by someone who enthusiastically pulls into a spot without carefully seeing if there's a car occupying it.  I've nearly done this before (the owners of the NC, Mini Cooper, and several other cars at work could stand to not park so far into their spots!).  If nothing else, it makes the car a little easier to find when I walk out at the end of the day.

This strategy can backfire, however.  Every day, half the parking lot does a shuffle right around lunch-time.  What this means, of course, is that the car you evened yourself up with in the morning might be replaced by something MUCH bigger in the afternoon. 

This was one of those days.

This is what I saw when I walked out to my spot this evening:

It's worth noting that at the original angle I approached the car, I couldn't see it at all!

There's The Tick!

 

This really does happen quite often.  In fact, I keep a running album of The Tick next to stuff.  Feel free to browse :-)

ps - It took me almost as long just to get to the highway as it did for me to get to work (door-to-door)! 

One Hit Wonders Weekend

Now I don't know about most of you, but when I hear the phrase "one hit wonder," I normally think of the 80's.  Maybe it's because my age was still in the single digits when the Berlin Wall fell, but I find that a lot of the songs I liked back then were by a group from whom I never heard another song.  I think of groups like Information Society and songs like "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" or the ever so famous "Come on Eileen" (and yes, I know the lyrics):




That said, I'm forgetting that the 90's had plenty of OHW's (I like my acronyms...I like 'em a lot!).  Consider "Lucas with the Lid Off" or Us3's "Cantaloop":



Why am I having this random thought?  First, this is my blog and I can think whatever random thoughts I want to, of course.  The second reason is the title of this post; one of the local stations here in town had a One Hit Wonders Weekend.  Always nice to hear some songs I haven't heard in awhile!

What were some of your favorite One Hit Wonder tunes?

A Sign of the Times

Those of you who haven't been near or talked to me for more than 5 seconds since last Thursday may not know it, but Christy left for Tanzania a week ago.  She's due to come back on the 26th.  Please keep her and her group in your thoughts and prayers.  If you're curious, check out our blog for her thoughts on going back.  The Cliff's Notes version is that she loves being there--to hear her talk about it, Tanzania is one of the greatest places on Earth.  I love to sit and listen to her tell stories because it's so obvious that to her, it really is!  I will say for sure that after listening to her, I'm sold!  

It means a lot to me to see her being the woman I love--passionate, caring, loving, and diligent!

While this is her sixth trip, it's actually the third she's taken since we met.  She left for the first one back when we were dating.  In fact, she'd just met my parents for the first time that Memorial Day.  Back then, she was participating in We Care Ministries when she was in the 'States, so I knew that the next time I saw her would be more than a month (almost two) later.  I knew when she came back that my wait for a wife was over.  I also knew that if I could be apart from her for as long as that trip was (or seemed to be in my mind), I could do anything!

Soooo...thinking all this one week after my wife of (now) three years left for Africa, I find myself confident, but still...I miss her!

I love you, baby!

1989...Coolest Year. EVAR. Part 2

If you haven't read Part 1 of the Coolest Year EVAR list, have a look.  In the meantime, let's roll on!

6. Nintendo Game Boy - Honestly, I can't remember when I came to be in possession of Nintendo's "wonder brick", but the fact is, Gunpei Yokoi's pride and joy was released to the US in--you guessed it--1989.  None too soon for this video game nut!  For the first time, I could take my games with me--and how!  I don't know how I'd have made that first trip to Hawaii without it.

Did You Know?  The late Yokoi-san was the inventor not only of the Game and Watch series and a producer of the Metroid series (among others), he has been credited with patenting a staple of modern gaming, even in the analog stick era: the humble D-Pad.

5. Family Matters - I'd have included The Cosby Show, but it started in '84.  The adventures of the Winslow family and Black and Nerdy prototype Steven Q. Urkel were the linchpin of ABC's TGIF lineup.  It became so popular that Urkel got his own cereal, despite the fact that he was apparently so nerdy that he drove a BMW Isetta (which in my opinion only made him quirky, not nerdy).

The show would make a jump from ABC to CBS along with Step By Step (whose premier Urkel had literally crashed) for '94, though I'd argue by then the magic had long since been lost.  Jaleel White would eventually bounce through several roles, one of them being, strangely enough, the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog!

4. Tienanmen Square - You know the picture.  I'm pretty sure it's one of the most famous of the 20th Century.  Honestly, I was too young to really care what was going on when this photo was taken, but the image (and, oddly enough, not the video) have been burned into my mind forever.  TV news can be a wonderful thing.

3. Berlin Wall Falls - Probably an even more significant event than the student protests in Tienanmen.  Largely regarded as the official swan song of Communism--and not just in Germany.  This was another event that I really didn't understand until much, much later.  Watching several specials over the years, I really just can't imagine what people on either side of the Wall really had to experience on a daily basis.  Even comedies based off the event are tragic...

2. Ducktales - Why does this game make the list?  Is it because the Moon stage theme is quite frankly one of the coolest video game themes ever?  Maybe.  Is it because I can't get the cartoon's theme song out of my head any time I hear it?  Quite possibly.  There are plenty of reasons why it could make the list: great gameplay, simple (enough) controls, plenty of secrets, and the aforementioned music--all hallmarks of Capcom's great 8-bit games.  That said, this one makes the list for one reason and one reason only: it's the first game that I ever beat.  How many of you can say that you remember the first video game you ever beat?  

Now that I think of it, I seem to recall my first issue of Nintendo Power was the Ducktales issue!

Yeah, it's not much, but hey...I was eight.  What do you expect?!

Last but not least on the greatest things of '89 was a game that I never actually have beat:

1. Mega Man 2 - Though some of us get a laugh at just how many Mega Man games there are now (officially, there've been 10 8- and 16-bit games in the main series, 8 in the Mega Man X series, and let's not get into all the spinoffs from that), at one point, there were only two.  Like many other folks, the sequel was the first one I got to play and WOW...I was blown away.  HUGE bosses, one of the greatest game soundtracks ever, and a difficulty level that, while pretty high, was never cheap (I'm looking at you, Ninja Gaiden)--this game had a lot going for it.  To this day, I've never finished Dr. Wily's infamous castle (MM2 was the first to feature the castle), though I guess I probably could...and I wouldn't be the only one who's given it a thought.

There you have it: ten reasons why 1989 was one of the best years of my life.  I've left off a few things (you might want to Google "River City Ransom" sometime), but this covers most of the main things I could think of offhand.   Yeah, I talked mostly about video games, movies, and TV, but like I said...I was 8.  Having a brother (whom I idolized) that was into computers and comic books, no one should be surprised that this is what I could remember of 21 years ago!  Lots of things were changing in my life and, in many ways, I happened to be in the right place at the right time to enjoy a childhood at the end of one decade and the beginning of another.  Jesus Jones summed it up pretty well two years later:

Signs of Spring

Those of you who know me know that I'm not shy at all about going top-down if I feel like it.  Honestly, I enjoy being top-down more when I need a long-sleeved shirt or jacket (but best when that's paired with shorts).  

What follows are a bunch of pics I took with my cellphone.  Sorry if they're not exactly awesome!

Last Friday, I saw that the high was going to be over 40deg F.  Seeing the sun was out that morning, I couldn't not go top-down!  What my mind had blanked out was the fact that the morning temp was 25deg F!  In the process, I was able to set a personal temperature record while fully convincing the neighborhood kids at the bus stop in front of my house that I'm probably crazy.

Surprisingly, I was able to treat one of my co-workers to a ride back to work after lunch.  Guess I'm not the only crazy one, huh?

The same day, I snapped a pic of The Tick along with a Civic I'd parked next to.  I'm always amazed at just how small my car is!

This morning, I noticed something interesting as I walked in.  Aside from a few sadists, my building's motorcycle parking has remained conspicuously empty--until today.  Sitting next to a well-appointed Vespa was a new visitor: a BMW R1100S.  Pretty bike, huh? 

Why, hello there!

One last picture: I had the opportunity to park The Tick next to the '89 Mariner of a coworker.  This car is probably one of the oldest Miatas I've ever seen up close and personal and, while it has definitely seen better days, it is still on its first owner and shows no signs of croaking any time soon (knock on wood!) as it completes a daily commute of about 40-50mi!

Can't wait for more top-down days!

Project OEM Plus™ gets a Boost

 For more on this story, check out our blog :-)

New Year's Resolution

My New Year's Resolution is pretty simple this year: manage the mail pile better. 

If you've lived in a house and/or paid bills in your life, you know that mail seems to pile up if you don't keep on it.  An irrational fear of finding out you've been canned via the mail or something similarly nefarious does nothing to help this.  When I was living in Ft. Thomas, I had a box full of mail that was unopened, presumably to be shredded.  I seem to recall thinking that the wedding gift I probably used (or at least appreciated the most) was a simple shredder.  Needless to say since we got married, moved, and bought a house, the mail stream has yet to relent.  Unfortunately, my patience for actually sitting down to sift through it all has yet to find itself.  

I mean, come on...we're in the 21st century here--doesn't anyone believe in doing things online?!

(The honest truth is that I'm lazy about doing the mail because I tend to keep tabs on everything online, and therefore know that most of what I get in the mail is either junk or a notification that I probably would have gotten too late had I not already taken care of it online.  That, of course, does not matter because it doesn't get rid of the giant piles Christy and I keep putting off every couple weeks.)

So anyway...a quick picture just to give you an idea of what I'm working with here.  To note: the mail pile today contained at least one item from Oct 23rd and I had emptied the shredder prior to going through my part of the pile...

  

Ummm...yeah.

RC'ing over New Year's

After celebrating Christmas with my family (with many thumbs up), we went to Texas to spend New Year's with Christy's family.  I was really looking forward to the trip because I love getting to see my nieces and nephew, but this trip was extra cool because I was finally going to get to meet the little gal that Christy's middle sis and her hubby adopted!

I'll let Christy and her middle sister (yay, btw, for middle children!) tell you the rest of the story with her family went (short version, it went very well).  Instead, I'll tell you about another part of our trip: RC'ing!

The last time Christy and I went to Texas for Thanksgiving, her dad surprised me by unveiling a plane he'd made based on a color scheme I'd modeled on the RealFlight RC simulator.  The plane was a 38" Yak-54 sold by DWFoamies.  He'd already put the airframe together and I did the stripes on wing.  I also helped add the various electrics and the engine as well as the landing gear.  Here is the finished product: the Yak-2!

Christy's dad called it the Yak-2 because it was the 2nd DW Yak-54 he built--the first was still flying, though heavily patched.  In fact, the Yak-1 was the first of the two I got to fly.  I left after Thanksgiving with the plane assembled but its first test flight had not yet taken place--my father-in-law reserved that honor for me on my next visit!

On New Year's Eve, we met up with some of his friends to do some flying.  Here was my debut in front of my father-in-law (doing the filming), his boss, and one of the project managers for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:

I couldn't have been more pleased with how it went!  The second flight went pretty well, though I nosed over on landing.  The third flight was on video, though--with a perfect landing!

Needless to say, I was pretty pumped!  In the meantime, we added a battery strap to hold down the battery instead of the velcro pad that held it down previously.  We liked the feature so much that we retrofitted it to the Yak-1:

 

 

Unfortunately, it was not meant to last...Statistically, the longer you fly without an accident, the more likely you are to have one.

It only took two days for me. 

I crashed the plane nose-first into a parking lot following a flight that'd been going great.  I'll have the video later, but it appears from the pic below that the elevator ripped in two during one of my flights on a somewhat windy day, causing a loss of control.  

Here're some of the pics:

 

Thankfully, my father-in-law is a very easygoing guy and reassured me that foamies are very rebuildable, as the Yak-1 can testify (man, I wish I'd have gotten a close-up of it!).  I started working on it that same night:

 

 

As of yesterday morning, the plane was completely ready for an engine test and then another flight test.  Perhaps I'll have the honor of doing a first test flight for the second time!

To close, I'll leave you with a couple pics of my father-in-law's fleet as well as some of his friends.  I really had a great time and look forward to maybe one day building my own plane!

1989...Coolest Year. EVAR. Part 1

When my brother Lance got married back in '04, I took the one opportunity I'd ever had for some comedy at his expense by recounting world history over the time he and Gretchen had been friends, dating, or otherwise. As I rolled over current and past events, a thought occurred to me: 1989 might have possibly been one of the most important years of my life--maybe even in recent history!

OK...maybe that's going a bit too far...


That said, some pretty cool stuff happened in '89. The 90's weren't yet here, the 80's were going out in a blaze of glory (didn't someone in the 80's sing about that once? wink, wink...), and the world was indeed going through some big changes. So what's the big deal about 1989?

Yup...time for another list! Perhaps I'll put this one in order later, but for now, these are in the order I can recall them.

10.) Lance is Gone! - For the first time in my life, I was without my big  brother. Having graduated in Perry High School's class of 1988, he headed off the next fall to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Even though he was only two hours away, at 8 years old, that two hours may as well have been 12. His room was still as he left it (which meant I could sneak in and play with his Star Wars stuff!), but not seeing him in front of that Apple IIe in our dining room was...weird! Since I had pretty much all good memories of growing up with him (despite Dad's telling me that that story wasn't always true), I was really missing him...the guy was my idol!

9.) Batman - If you don't remember this movie, you:
a.) Apparently have no soul
b.) Were not alive in the past century

c.) Did not watch TV or go to Taco Bell, your local shopping mall, or pretty much anywhere public in 1989
d.) Did not enjoy Diet Coke just for the taste of it

For an 8yr-old whose older brother was into comic books, the release of Batman was nothing short...of epoch-making (how's that for a play on words?). In 1989, you simply could not escape Bat-mania. The movie made $750 million in merchandising alone and, for those whose last picture of the Bat was Adam West running down the pier carrying a giant cherry bomb above his head, a completely redefined our vision of the man in the cowl. Well, that and I still randomly quote some of Jack Nicholson's lines from it to this day.

8.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game - I guess you could argue that X-Men or The Simpsons had more famous beat-em 'ups, but as anyone who lived through the late 80's and early 90's knows, the only other thing you couldn't escape besides Batman were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Heck, the only reason their first live-action movie won't be on this list is that it came out in 1990.

I never had enough time or quarters to beat this one, unfortunately. Maybe one day I'll buy an old cabinet to go right next to my "one-day" Marvel vs. Street Fighter cabinet!

7.) Mom and Dad celebrate 20 years together - On November 1st, 1989, Dad dragged Spence and I out on the front lawn to take a picture with a big sign while we waited for Mom to get home.  I'm guessing given that I'm holding my RC car that he had to bribe us a little bit to do it (though making Mom smile didn't take much bribing on our part!).  Of course, I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but this was a pretty big moment for them.  These days, 20 years of doing anything is to be commended--to be married for that long is nothing short of astounding.  The only thing that makes this moment any less significant is that in a little over a week, they'll have been married for double that!


Well, that's it for the first installment.  I'll be adding to the list periodically.  Share some of your experiences from '89 if you're interested :-)

Toodles!

Yay...I've been scammed!

Thought I'd throw this one out there for everyone. Just a warning.

Just today, I received a relatively unmarked envelope from Canada, of all places. Here's what I saw:

Now, in case you didn't get a good enough look at the check on the right, here it is:
If you read the letter closely, you'd see that apparently, Homelife Trust is offering me $25,000US and all I have to do is cash the check attached and send in $2500 to pay for taxes on my $25,000 which is supposedly part of a stimulus package (considering I already got the homebuyer's credit, that's more than a little odd). So...I get $2500 for nothing with the promise of about $20k more? In the words of mah homey Admiral Ackbar:




Basically, you can deposit the check, but eventually, the bank will figure out it's a fake and come after you for the full amount. Hopefully by that point, you a.) haven't spent any of your ill-gotten gains or b.) have not been stupid enough to actually send the jerkwads the $2500 to cover taxes. If you've done either or both, now you're out $5k and you've got no one to blame but yourself.

You have been warned.

Not too much to report...

Not much done this week...at least not with the car. I was really busy this week with work, hosting friends on Monday, a church committee meeting on Tuesday, and teaching a class on Wednesday. My folks were in town last weekend (see our blog for more about that). All in all, it's been a busy time, and I'm just looking to relax this weekend!