Flu, Chrome, another round of dieting, ‘Johnny Got His Gun’, ‘Bonk’, van leak repair, ‘Burn After Reading’,
(posted from home)
(This post covers 15 – 22 May, 2009)
--------------------------------------
Friday, 22 May-
I had to buzz in to the Home Depot again to get more silicone seal to finish the van. I also picked up some Tazo Iced Tea at Starbucks since it’s an ingredient in an upcoming recipe.
Back home I finished up the van and cleaned everything up, then got back to researching questions about the diet.
That evening I went for a walk but only for three miles. The road I normally walk is now covered in stone as part of a resurfacing project and the passing cars covered me with dust.
That evening we watched what is becoming our standard Friday-night lineup. ‘Smart Talk’ on PBS had an interesting interview with Linda Thompson, the woman who upset Harrisburg mayor Steve Reed in the Democratic primary. In her TV interview after the election, she seemed spacey but she did well tonight.
Bill Moyers then had a good show about nationalized health care and the single-payer option which government is failing to pursue. And Now had an interesting show on the rehabilitation of terrorists in Saudi Arabia.
--------------------------------------
Thursday, 21 May-
After working with the diet book some more, we decided we needed protein powder. We spent an hour or so researching exactly what we want and then I rode in to the GNC in the Galleria Mall for it.
That afternoon I started my project to find and fix the roof leak. On our last visit to Detroit we had a few days of heavy rains and found a wet curtain. Apparently there was a small drip at the largest window on the left side. I couldn’t figure out how it could be coming down from the roof when I had sealed it well previously. But there’s a decorative trim over the roof-to-van joint which has a vinyl strip. I had sealed the bottom of that strip but not the top. And while sealing the top, I think I spotted the real problem.
Now, I believe the problem isn’t the roof joint but the top of the window seal. I sealed it with an excellent-quality silicone rubber sealant but ran out of sealant about a foot from the end.
I also took a few minutes to put another coating of rubber-roof ‘paint’ around the van’s vent bubble to (hopefully) prolong the life of the sealant.
That evening we watched the Coen film ‘Burn After Reading’ with Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Richard Jenkins. It’s a strange story of attempted blackmail against a low-level CIA analyst by two utter morons. This one wasn’t the Coen brother’s best effort. It was amusing, perhaps even ‘funny’. But for some reason it didn’t have the spark of genius that was ‘Fargo’ or ‘Blood Simple’. Perhaps the extras give us a clue. The brothers tell us they wrote the movie for each of the celebrities because they thought it would be interesting to see them play off each other. It thus seems more like an exercise than an inspired story.
--------------------------------------
Wednesday, 20 May-
The diet is going very well. I’ve lost five pounds in two days! I spent the morning continuing to research info about the diet and working in the office. That evening I rode the Concours in to Home Depot to pick up a silicone seal cartridge for tomorrow.
That evening we watched the rest of the ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ extras.
I also finished the book ‘Bonk’. It’s a history of sex researchers and presents many incredible facts and opinions. The author has an irreverent tone and manages to keep the subject light—just the right mix.
--------------------------------------
Tuesday, 19 May-
We voted in the primary elections today. It sounds simple but to have any idea who you’re voting for takes some research. Labashi really digs in and prints off a ream of information for me and that’s a big help.
Before going to the poll today I thought I’d try the state’s voting simulator. It worked fine at first. But on a whim I tried the Espanol version and soon ran into a problem. When you select ‘Write In’ on the English version, a keyboard pops up for you to put in your candidate. But on the Spanish version, you select ‘Escribalo Aqui’ but the keyboard doesn’t appear. You can’t write in a candidate or learn how the write in process works from that point on. That’s incredible!!!! With all the concerns about the validity of electronic voting, you’d think this bug would have been found.
At the polling place I received another shock. The sample ballot posted outside the door was the wrong one. It was the one for Wrightsville. And only the Republican sample was posted.
When I asked why only the Republican version was posted, one of the helpful volunteers said ‘That’s probably because there are a lot more Republicans than Democrats who vote here’. What a concept that is! You only provide the helpful sample ballot for the Republicans!
I was so shocked I asked if Democrats were even welcome here. She realized she had made a mistake and asked someone else, who helpfully explained “That’s what they gave us. And that wasn’t the only thing wrong!!” That pretty much exploded my head.
Other than that, the voting process went fine.
That afternoon I walked-four and that evening we watched some of the extras on the ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ DVD where we learned Dalton Trumbo’s history. Interesting guy!
--------------------------------------
Monday, 18 May-
This morning we started the new diet. Our last go-round of the Protein Power diet was an eye-opener on how easy it is to lose on an ultra-low carb diet. I think we made the mistake on our last round, though, of limiting our variety far too much. Day after day I’d have the same breakfast (Stauffer’s Chipped Beef) and grew tired of it. We also eventually missed pizza and pastas.
We’re approaching it a bit differently this time. We’re using the menu in “The 30-day Low Carb Diet Solution”. By sticking to this plan we can get some weight off and then at the end of 30 days elect to continue as is or transition to substitutions. In other words, we don’t have to wade through all the mind-boggling array of possibilities to come up with what we’re going to have for the next meal.
Today I also continued working on the sorting old statements, paid bills and caught up the offline blog. In the afternoon I rode the Concours in to town (mostly for a ride) though it was a very windy day. Since the repair of the exhaust system, I’ve been really enjoying my time on the bike.
I also walked my four-mile course today.
That evening we watched ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ with Timothy Bottoms and Jason Robards. We saw this one back in the Seventies and I’ve had it on my Netflix wish list for more than a year. It’s the story of a young World-War I soldier who loses his arms, legs, hearing, and face to a mortar explosion, yet is kept alive in a hospital for years afterward. He’s thought to have no mind but begins communicating with his caretakers.
Recommended! (And I see on RT that a new version of it recently came out).
--------------------------------------
Sunday, 17 May-
Labashi and I spent much of today food shopping. It’s time for us to go on a diet again. I generally lose ten or fifteen pounds when we travel and that was true for my Florida trip this winter but I’ve regained it (and we’re not planning a long trip this year until Fall).
We had tried an Atkins-style diet years ago and was very impressed with how it brought blood pressure and cholesterol counts into the good part of the range. On my recent doctor’s visit my blood pressure was higher than expected.
I walked my four-mile out-and-back course today and that evening we watched the “Survivor-Tocantins” finale. We were glad to see ‘JT’ win. And it looks like the cat has come out of the bag on Coach. It appears the whole point of his appearance on Survivor was to ‘build a brand’. And when we learned his book-publisher was in the audience, it all became clear. If he had won Survivor, fine, all the better for the brand, but otherwise his “personality” is merely a publicity thing for ‘brand Coach’, the Viking-samurai-nativeAmerican ‘warrior’. Somehow, the only word that comes to mind is “Loser”.
--------------------------------------
Saturday, 16 May-
I’m ready to declare I’m over the flu but it’s a rainy day today so I spent much of it playing with the Google Chrome browser after a quick install this morning. I had switched to Opera some time ago—probably two years back--- when I became frustrated with IE hanging up time after time. I like Opera in general and it fails a lot less than IE but I’m curious whether Chrome is even better. Sometimes a web site will only work correctly with IE (Netflix Instant Movies, for example) so I still occasionally fire it up.
Based just on today’s testing, I seem to get fewer router hangups with Chrome when I view YouTube videos but it’s of course too small a sample.
That evening we finished the ‘Corner Gas’-Season Two disk set. We hit several sub-standard episodes in the middle of the season but quality improved to the point where I’m ready to put Season Three in the Netflix queue.
--------------------------------------
Friday, 15 May-
I was still feeling under the weather today (just a minor flu, I think). I posted long-overdue blog updates and patrolled my regular web news sites.
Labashi took care of the lawn mowing since we’re due to have rain for the next few days. That’s normally MY job.
That evening we watched more local election coverage on ‘Smart Talk’, then “Bill Moyers’ Journal” (making the case that Pakistan is not as dangerous as the media suggest) and “Now” (problems with UN peacekeeping).
*********** END OF POST **************
(posted from home)
(This post covers 15 – 22 May, 2009)
--------------------------------------
Friday, 22 May-
I had to buzz in to the Home Depot again to get more silicone seal to finish the van. I also picked up some Tazo Iced Tea at Starbucks since it’s an ingredient in an upcoming recipe.
Back home I finished up the van and cleaned everything up, then got back to researching questions about the diet.
That evening I went for a walk but only for three miles. The road I normally walk is now covered in stone as part of a resurfacing project and the passing cars covered me with dust.
That evening we watched what is becoming our standard Friday-night lineup. ‘Smart Talk’ on PBS had an interesting interview with Linda Thompson, the woman who upset Harrisburg mayor Steve Reed in the Democratic primary. In her TV interview after the election, she seemed spacey but she did well tonight.
Bill Moyers then had a good show about nationalized health care and the single-payer option which government is failing to pursue. And Now had an interesting show on the rehabilitation of terrorists in Saudi Arabia.
--------------------------------------
Thursday, 21 May-
After working with the diet book some more, we decided we needed protein powder. We spent an hour or so researching exactly what we want and then I rode in to the GNC in the Galleria Mall for it.
That afternoon I started my project to find and fix the roof leak. On our last visit to Detroit we had a few days of heavy rains and found a wet curtain. Apparently there was a small drip at the largest window on the left side. I couldn’t figure out how it could be coming down from the roof when I had sealed it well previously. But there’s a decorative trim over the roof-to-van joint which has a vinyl strip. I had sealed the bottom of that strip but not the top. And while sealing the top, I think I spotted the real problem.
Now, I believe the problem isn’t the roof joint but the top of the window seal. I sealed it with an excellent-quality silicone rubber sealant but ran out of sealant about a foot from the end.
I also took a few minutes to put another coating of rubber-roof ‘paint’ around the van’s vent bubble to (hopefully) prolong the life of the sealant.
That evening we watched the Coen film ‘Burn After Reading’ with Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Richard Jenkins. It’s a strange story of attempted blackmail against a low-level CIA analyst by two utter morons. This one wasn’t the Coen brother’s best effort. It was amusing, perhaps even ‘funny’. But for some reason it didn’t have the spark of genius that was ‘Fargo’ or ‘Blood Simple’. Perhaps the extras give us a clue. The brothers tell us they wrote the movie for each of the celebrities because they thought it would be interesting to see them play off each other. It thus seems more like an exercise than an inspired story.
--------------------------------------
Wednesday, 20 May-
The diet is going very well. I’ve lost five pounds in two days! I spent the morning continuing to research info about the diet and working in the office. That evening I rode the Concours in to Home Depot to pick up a silicone seal cartridge for tomorrow.
That evening we watched the rest of the ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ extras.
I also finished the book ‘Bonk’. It’s a history of sex researchers and presents many incredible facts and opinions. The author has an irreverent tone and manages to keep the subject light—just the right mix.
--------------------------------------
Tuesday, 19 May-
We voted in the primary elections today. It sounds simple but to have any idea who you’re voting for takes some research. Labashi really digs in and prints off a ream of information for me and that’s a big help.
Before going to the poll today I thought I’d try the state’s voting simulator. It worked fine at first. But on a whim I tried the Espanol version and soon ran into a problem. When you select ‘Write In’ on the English version, a keyboard pops up for you to put in your candidate. But on the Spanish version, you select ‘Escribalo Aqui’ but the keyboard doesn’t appear. You can’t write in a candidate or learn how the write in process works from that point on. That’s incredible!!!! With all the concerns about the validity of electronic voting, you’d think this bug would have been found.
At the polling place I received another shock. The sample ballot posted outside the door was the wrong one. It was the one for Wrightsville. And only the Republican sample was posted.
When I asked why only the Republican version was posted, one of the helpful volunteers said ‘That’s probably because there are a lot more Republicans than Democrats who vote here’. What a concept that is! You only provide the helpful sample ballot for the Republicans!
I was so shocked I asked if Democrats were even welcome here. She realized she had made a mistake and asked someone else, who helpfully explained “That’s what they gave us. And that wasn’t the only thing wrong!!” That pretty much exploded my head.
Other than that, the voting process went fine.
That afternoon I walked-four and that evening we watched some of the extras on the ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ DVD where we learned Dalton Trumbo’s history. Interesting guy!
--------------------------------------
Monday, 18 May-
This morning we started the new diet. Our last go-round of the Protein Power diet was an eye-opener on how easy it is to lose on an ultra-low carb diet. I think we made the mistake on our last round, though, of limiting our variety far too much. Day after day I’d have the same breakfast (Stauffer’s Chipped Beef) and grew tired of it. We also eventually missed pizza and pastas.
We’re approaching it a bit differently this time. We’re using the menu in “The 30-day Low Carb Diet Solution”. By sticking to this plan we can get some weight off and then at the end of 30 days elect to continue as is or transition to substitutions. In other words, we don’t have to wade through all the mind-boggling array of possibilities to come up with what we’re going to have for the next meal.
Today I also continued working on the sorting old statements, paid bills and caught up the offline blog. In the afternoon I rode the Concours in to town (mostly for a ride) though it was a very windy day. Since the repair of the exhaust system, I’ve been really enjoying my time on the bike.
I also walked my four-mile course today.
That evening we watched ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ with Timothy Bottoms and Jason Robards. We saw this one back in the Seventies and I’ve had it on my Netflix wish list for more than a year. It’s the story of a young World-War I soldier who loses his arms, legs, hearing, and face to a mortar explosion, yet is kept alive in a hospital for years afterward. He’s thought to have no mind but begins communicating with his caretakers.
Recommended! (And I see on RT that a new version of it recently came out).
--------------------------------------
Sunday, 17 May-
Labashi and I spent much of today food shopping. It’s time for us to go on a diet again. I generally lose ten or fifteen pounds when we travel and that was true for my Florida trip this winter but I’ve regained it (and we’re not planning a long trip this year until Fall).
We had tried an Atkins-style diet years ago and was very impressed with how it brought blood pressure and cholesterol counts into the good part of the range. On my recent doctor’s visit my blood pressure was higher than expected.
I walked my four-mile out-and-back course today and that evening we watched the “Survivor-Tocantins” finale. We were glad to see ‘JT’ win. And it looks like the cat has come out of the bag on Coach. It appears the whole point of his appearance on Survivor was to ‘build a brand’. And when we learned his book-publisher was in the audience, it all became clear. If he had won Survivor, fine, all the better for the brand, but otherwise his “personality” is merely a publicity thing for ‘brand Coach’, the Viking-samurai-nativeAmerican ‘warrior’. Somehow, the only word that comes to mind is “Loser”.
--------------------------------------
Saturday, 16 May-
I’m ready to declare I’m over the flu but it’s a rainy day today so I spent much of it playing with the Google Chrome browser after a quick install this morning. I had switched to Opera some time ago—probably two years back--- when I became frustrated with IE hanging up time after time. I like Opera in general and it fails a lot less than IE but I’m curious whether Chrome is even better. Sometimes a web site will only work correctly with IE (Netflix Instant Movies, for example) so I still occasionally fire it up.
Based just on today’s testing, I seem to get fewer router hangups with Chrome when I view YouTube videos but it’s of course too small a sample.
That evening we finished the ‘Corner Gas’-Season Two disk set. We hit several sub-standard episodes in the middle of the season but quality improved to the point where I’m ready to put Season Three in the Netflix queue.
--------------------------------------
Friday, 15 May-
I was still feeling under the weather today (just a minor flu, I think). I posted long-overdue blog updates and patrolled my regular web news sites.
Labashi took care of the lawn mowing since we’re due to have rain for the next few days. That’s normally MY job.
That evening we watched more local election coverage on ‘Smart Talk’, then “Bill Moyers’ Journal” (making the case that Pakistan is not as dangerous as the media suggest) and “Now” (problems with UN peacekeeping).
*********** END OF POST **************
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 23:59
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