Of Bathrooms and Bolivia

Last week, with no apparent warning, it was time to paint the master bath. It was looking a little raggedy, and I never did like the mirror the previous owners left us.

Diane picked the color - "Hint of Olive" it's called - and I painted the walls and trim. (You can see the old color, the color our bedroom still is, on the right edge of the photo.)

The mirror is new, too. Bought the glass at the Home Depot on Saturday, and I made the frame.

What does any of this have to do with Bolivia? Nothing. But we got word today that Bolivia is where Gina will be going with the Peace Corps. Reports for training in mid-January. Her tour ends in late April 2010.

Coolest Car Ever?

Here's my new dream car. It is a BMW, but not the new M3 or 1-series or even an M6.

It's a 1939 328 roadster.

The chances of my owning one of these are about nil, but I have to wonder - would a Nova frame be about the right size? Or maybe a PT cruiser?

Now that would be a project!

Buying Local, But...

I believe in buying local. I prefer shopping at the local Ace Hardware in Arnold, and at the local Napa Auto in Arnold. Not only are they close, but I'm willing to spend a few bucks more to support stores - and people - in the area.

So today I'm feeling guilty.

We need tires on our rigs. Diane got 72,000 miles on a set of BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, and I got 40,000 on Bridgestone Duelers. (I'm considerably less enamored with the Bridgestones...) There's a tire shop here in Avery and I've had repairs done there and like the guy and went to price tires there today, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to beat, say, Costco's price. (I'm not a big Costco fan, but Diane is so we are members.)

Both the local guy and Costco guy recommended Michelin LTX's highly, and so do consumer review sites. I'd spend $50 or $60 more per car to shop locally, I really would. But with a special coming up Oct. 8 at Costco, the difference is $185 - per car.

That's just too much money to leave on the table, so as much as I hate to say it, Costco got the order.

(By the way, this is a slightly different font than I usually use. What do folks think?)

More Top Gear Madness

For folks who don't get BBC America, Top Gear, the show referenced in my previous post, does have a website, www.topgear.com, and on that website has video clips of different show segments. Here's a typical example: Cadillac CTS clip

Also check out the Cool Wall, where you get to decide if a particular car is seriously uncool, uncool, cool or subzero, and pop-up Jeremy tells you if, in his not-so-humble opinion, you're right and why. It's worth putting cars in different places just to see the pop-ups. (His discription of the Jeep Wrangler, for instance, notes that it was made in the Stone Age. By monkeys. Another car he describes as, "ugly and serves no descernable purpose. Like Wales."

Some Say He is Stumped by Clouds....

I have a new favorite TV show. Or am I supposed to call it a program?

It's Top Gear, a BBC import. They test and review new cars (and some very high-end cars indeed...) and do dumb automotive-related stuff. Some lines from recent episodes:

"This is what it'll be like for me in hell: A TR, a racetrack and a pedantic Scotsman..."

"Odious little man."

"I'm on fire..."

To an audience member: "Have you seen your ears?!" (He really did have big Dumbo ears...)

This one is a conversation:

"It's on fire."

"It can't be on fire. (looks) It's on fire."

"Run!"

We get it on BBC America, and if you haven't seen it (and enjoy sharp-witted British humour) check it out!

Blackouts and Burglars

I often sing the praises of mountain living, but there are occassional downsides as well.

There was the scorpion I found in the garage the other night, for instance. Not a big deal (or a big scorpion...), but I assume there are some folks out there who really wouldn't want to find a scorpion in their garage.

Last night we had an eight-hour power outtage. Power went out around 2:20 p.m. when a transformer blew. Diane was home and saw it flicker around 4 p.m., followed the loud BOOM of another transformer blowing.

More BOOMS followed at 5:45, 6:30 and 7:30ish. Not quite sure what was going on -- nor was PG&E apparently -- but they got it back on at 10:30 p.m. And honestly it hasn't happened much since we've been here. Diane says the power used to go out every time it snowed at her old house in Avery, but we rarely lose power here. The BBQ and propane stove came in handy for dinner last night.

Then about 5 a.m. I heard noises in the house - it sounded like Idgie eating her dry food, which she doesn't often do at 5 a.m. So I got up to investigate and let her out to pee if need be, and I as walk toward the laundry room where the dog food is I head footsteps on the stairs down to the garage.

But the crunching sounds continued. Curious...

I turn on a light and see the masked burglar - a young raccoon calmly munching away on kibble. He hides behind the bag, and I try to figure out the best way to de-raccoon my house. (I'd left the garage door cracked open six inches or so to get some air in the garage over night, which is how he got in.) I set up a little barrier with a blanket and bar stool blocking off the hall coming out of the laundryroom that didn't lead back to the stairs, then just watched. He watched me, ate a few more kibbles, then came out.

Rather than sneaking along the wall as far away from me as possible then running down the stairs, the raccoon walked over to the blanket and stood up and looked at me a while -- and another one I hadn't seen behind the dog food bag followed him and stood and stared too -- then they both waddled down the stairs and took off. As burglars go, they were damn cute. Idgie and Diane slept through the whole thing.

Guess I shouldn't leave my garage door cracked open at night...

Bears and Extra-Large Dogs

Saturday was fan appreciation day at Memorial Stadium, and Frankie's Birthday, so naturally we went.

Diane got that penant you see peeking out behind Oski signed by a bunch of players and Cal Coach Jeff Tedford (see photo), and I got Frankie's football signed by the same bunch of players and coach while he was playing with the band.

The coolest thing we saw, though, was Betty. Betty was about 8 weeks old, and Diane got to pet her. She's an American Mastiff, but I didn't take pictures.

Here are some, however, of grown-up (and not so grown up) American Mastiffs.

The big guy here is Thibodeaux. (No idea who the woman is.) The small photo is also Thibodeaux when he was a pup. American Mastiffs apparently have a very nice temperment - kinda lazy but loving and loyal.
They are usually tan with black masks, or like the girls pictured below, brindle. We're not ready for a new member of the family and I'm not sure I'd go the purebred huge dog route anyway, but I do like big sweet dogs. And what faces!

Clearly Movement in the Right Direction

Yes, it's another electric usage and cost comparison, so you have been warned...

Thanks to CFLs, reinsulating our spa and a decent conscious effort to turn lights off and only use the ones we need, our August electric usage was 650 kilowatt hours, down from 998 last year. (22.4 per day from 33.3)

Our bill is $100, down from $200 last year.

Last year we were using an average of 33.4 kilowatt hours a day; this year it's 24.1 Last year from May to now, we'd paid PG&E $858. This year it's $476. (A 44.5% drop) Our usage is down from 4,210 to 2,923, a 30.6% drop.

This is clearly movement in the right direction. Can you imagine if everyone did this?

In Praise of New Parts

I love new parts.

Ordered a couple of small pieces from Bob's BMW in Jessup, Maryland last week and they came in yesterday. One was a plastic threaded knob that holds down the battery, replacing one that was functional but broken.

The other was this, the bleed valve for the front disk brake. (The rear brakes are drums, so no bleed valves there...)

The problem with brake fluid, which is what you bleed through this valve, is that it absorbs water from the air and promotes rust. The valve getting rusty can make it hard to turn, which can lead to rounding off the shoulders if you use a 12-point box-end wrench instead of a 6-point box-end wrench and necessitate buying new parts.

But new parts are shiny and clean and install nicely and make my motorcycle happy and safe, which is a priority, especially when it comes to brakes.

(Hey, here's another benefit of my workbench painting last week - neater pictures of parts!)

Bored & Geeky - A Bad Combination

On Monday afternoon I was stuck waiting for a phone call and didn't have any pressing work until said call came in. So I was Bored.

Decided to paint my workbenches white, since I had cabinet paint and they would look better and clean up easier than the unfinished (and stained) MDF and plywood does.

Did buy the sky blue paint and add the checkered band across the center bench. Like I said, Bored and Geeky...

Superhero Names for Us All

So I went to the post office today to send two more copies of my book proposal to my agent, and they have a Marvel comics promotion for usps.com which includes a $10,000 sweepstakes. So I entered, and after I submitted my entry it takes me to a "discover your secret identity" page. Type in your name and it tells you your superhero name. (It is very poorly named itself, because your secret identity name is your regular boring street name, a la Clark Kent, not your superhero name.

ANYWAY, I did us all.

According to the Post Office, I am really "Sledge Eternal Brain."

Sonnjea is Samurai Barracuda.
Scott is Samauri Krusher.
Sara is Sabretooth Vulcan.
Dave is either Eel Vulture or The Deadly Voyager, depending.
Annoymous Diane is Doomsday Nova
and...
Retired Mama is Radiation Madman! I knew it!!!!

Pie and Parts

Yeah, with that headline I'd be worried too. But the pie is delicious, peach, and entirely Diane-made right down to picking the fruit.

Here's the original picture of my motorcycle, and below it a current picture. I'd used Publisher to put in clever little arrows to point out improvements, but they've disappeared. (Apparently I'm not as clever as I thought...)

But if you look closely, you'll spot them. The front fork brace was chipped and rusty and the

nuts holding it in place were rusty. The rear shocks were rusty. The sidecovers were missing. The valve cover was faded and chipped.

I've also used the ebay to find a tool tray, which was missing when I got the bike, and made the seat lock work so the new tool tray won't go missing.

In other news, I saw Bourne yesterday and it's quite good.

Diane Goes to Football Camp

You know it had to happen.


Diane went to football camp today - about three hours on Memorial Stadium with Cal coaches and players in a camp for women.

She was walking slowly up the stairs when we got home, but I think the only muscle she really strained was her smile muscle!

Just a bit low!

Done and Done

Today I finished graduate school.

OK, I got the degree from Columbia University back in 1993, but it came with strings attached. Those strings were pulled by Sallie Mae, who has enjoyed getting a check from me every month for the past 14 years.

Well, Sallie can go to hell.

A few months ago, I transferred most of my remaining $7,500 balance onto a Discover card with a locked-in interest rate of 3.9%. (Sallie was taking 9%...) Paid off the remaining Sallie Mae balance a few months ago, and have been working through the $5,000 I put on Discover. Today I paid the last of that off and am, finally, DONE WITH STUDENT LOANS!

Unfortunately, Sallie had a buddy named Chase. Working to get him off my back next.

The Right Tool for the Job

Last night I adjusted the valves on my motorcycle. That requires taking the valve covers off. (The valve cover is the squarish thing right in the middle of the picture with the silver horizontal lines running through it.)

It's not a difficult procedure, at least on paper, but 33-year-old motorcycle factors can crop up at any time, especially the first time I do something on the bike.

Take this nut, for instance. It's just a nut. 13mm, as it turns out. It's recessed in the valve cover pretty deeply and there's not a lot of space around it. I managed to get a 1/2" socket around it on the left side cover, but it wouldn't work on the right side.

I was rapidly approaching that frustrating mechanical position known as "Stuck." (It has other, more colorful names as well, but this is a family blog for the most part and we'll stick with Stuck.) The fact that I ended up at Stuck some hours later and into this morning when a 33-year-old stud stripped (so much for this being a family blog) is beside the point, because I've now fixed that too. But back to the nut - if I can't get a socket around it I can't finish the procedure.

Then I remembered that earlier this week when I visited Retired Mama and her Financial Adviser (a good band name, by the way...) she gave me a gift: This quarter-inch-drive socket set. (Mr. Fix It and Edward David are getting them too - if it was supposed to be a surprise, oops.) The largest socket in the set - 13mm. It fit into the tight space perfectly and the nut spun right off.

Nothing beats having the right tool for the job. Thank you Retired Mama!

Spanky's the Leader

When we walk in the forest, Spanky, our joyful black lab, always takes the lead. He doesn't get far ahead, and he always waits and keeps an eye out for us.

Back in February, after they found cancer in his nose, I asked everyone to think good thoughts for our boy. Thank you for those good thoughts. They brought us six months of joy and love with Spanks. He got to see (and eat!) lots of snow; he got to swim in several lakes, creeks and ponds; and last Thursday, when Diane got home after a three-day business trip, he greeted her with such unbridled joy and love I just had to laugh.

The cancer's progressed, though, and on Thursday we're taking him to the vet one last time. There has been a lot of tears (and there's more coming) but as I write this I can't be sad. It's his time and I'm so grateful for the months we've had

Spanky's going to go on ahead, like he does. I know he'll be keeping an eye out for us, waiting to show us the trail when we finally catch up.

A Spoiler-Free Harry Review

I bought my copy of the last Harry Potter book on Saturday (and not at midnight, thank you very much...) and finished it last night.

I won't talk about the plot at all. I haven't liked all the books in the series (the fifth one in particular) but this one was excellent, a fitting and fine ending to a long saga.

Nobody'll Notice But Me...

I promised (warned?) there would be new motorcycle pictures soon.

This was what it looked like when I got it. Notice the frame, especially at both ends of the diagonal stiffening bar. Had some pretty significant chipping and paint erosion, I'm sure from spending the last 33 years in the Bay Area.

This is what it looks like now. I blasted and repainted both stiffening bars, and cleaned and touch-up painted the frame. I'm sure no one will ever notice, but I will...

I still need to find a speedometer or gauge cluster, and ignition switch and original key - the key is broken off inside this switch and anything will turn it - and need to replace the off-brand tires with better-handling Metzlers.

Yeah, and there's front fork reflectors I still need to replace (they're missing) and any number of little bits and pieces along the way that will need replacing or repairing as the years go on.

But - take a look again - at least this machine is worth it!

Playing with Tape - and Being Seen!

Today, before nap time, I played with tape.

Kindergarten never really leaves you.

Actually, I took reflective tape and cut it to match some of the design lines on my motorcycle helmet so that people will see me and not run me over.

I'll let you know how it works!

Here's what it looks like not in total darkness. You can still see one black stripe by the cheek that hadn't been covered yet when I took this photo.

My jacket also had some reflective stuff built in, (which you can see in the photo below) so really nobody has an excuse for running me over at night!

Rejoice in the Roundel!

It's cool owning a classic BMW. (Expect to see some new pictures soon.) I was in Modesto today for a meeting and stopped in the BMW dealership and the counter guy knew me by name. (And no, I haven't bought that many parts yet!)

The logo is cool. I sewed this patch on my jacket today, and the other day I replaced old faded reflectorized decals on my saddlebags with these: handcut from reflectorized tape.


I know, I'm a geek.