Trip to grandniece's birthday party ; trying an air purifier ; getting motorcycles ready for Spring; maintenance for Labashi's car ; trip to Cburg for house 1 minor repairs
(posted from home)
(This post covers 15 – 26 March, 2011)
----------------------------
Saturday, 26 March -
Today I ran into town on the Concours to pick up a toilet tank-to-bowl kit from the plumbing supply. As I left the area I made a mistake and turned left at a right-turn-only sign in a construction zone--- with a police cruiser behind me. In thinking back on it I can only think that I missed the sign because of all the visual clutter of the construction zone. In any case, the officer was very professional and I appreciated it. I ended up with a warning, I think because the officer recognized the temporary and confusing nature of the construction zone and the fact that there were no barriers to my turning left there-- no curving curb or arrows painted on the street (again, because it's temporary).
That afternoon I felt very tired, a bit nauseated, and had a pounding headache (I think I'm coming down with a flu or something). I read and napped for a few hours after taking some Excedrin and the headache slowly-- very slowly-- faded.
That evening we watched 'Amelie', a Big Love S4 episode and a Dexter S3 episode.
-----------------------------
Friday, 25 March -
Today I drove to Chambersburg to work on house 1 (the one for sale). We learned early this week that the water test taken as part of the inspection process had failed. This is not particularly alarming given that the water hasn't been circulated at all for several months.
Maypo and I lifted the top off the well using the tractor's loading bucket and then treated the well with chlorine and ran the treated water through all the pipes and the water heater. We then took care of some other small items from the inspection report-- cleaning out the gutters, fixing a bathtub drain actuator, and fixing a mis-wired receptacle (lesson taken: test receptacles with a polarity tester, not just a light).
That evening we went to supper at Norland Pub before I headed home.
At home Labashi and I watched 'The Social Network'. If it weren't for the photos and videos of my grandnieces and grandnephews, I'd give up my Facebook account after seeing that. Facebook may have made a lot of money and will undoubtedly make much, much more but I still don't like it and don't think it is well-engineered. The user interface is kludgy and unpredictable. It just doesn't feel right to me.
I'm reading James Michener's biography now and it's quite surprising, particularly his early years.
----------------------------
Thursday, 24 March -
This morning I took Labashi's car to Rahal Honda for service. I was delighted to find the service department now has loaner iPads for customers. All I had to do was give them my driver's license to hold until I returned it. I had the engine and transmission oils changed and had the brake fluid flushed and replaced, this at the 40,000 mile mark. The car passed inspection but the rear brakes were right on their lower limit so I gave the okay to have that done now. I'd rather do that than return in a few months and risk damaging the rotors in the meantime.
I loved playing with the iPad during my two-hour wait. But ultimately I decided I wouldn't buy one. At first I thought the touch-screen interface was cool but as I played I noticed it kept misinterpreting what I was trying to do. I was just trying to scroll up or down and it kept shifting into copy mode. And I didn't like the on-screen keyboard. It operated reliably enough but I didn't like the upshift/downshift. And it seemed clumsy to hold. It had a very nice stand to place it at different angles but I didn't find any of them-- or laying it flat-- to be nearly as comfortable as using the laptop.
It would be a different story if I was doing something like reading a magazine and perhaps that's its niche. I also happened to sit beside a fellow customer who had brought in her personal iPad. She confided that she hated it, even though (she said) it was the model with max memory and all the bells and whistles.
On the way home I stopped in at Cycle Tech to pay for my Concours. I had dropped it off last week for repair of the clutch hydraulics and a flush of the brake system and had gotten the 'it's ready' call. I paid the $160 bill and got the keys (since they were closing shortly). I then went home to pick up Labashi and my riding gear and returned for the bike.
That evening we watched several episodes of Dexter, Season Three.
---------------------------
Wednesday, 23 March -
Today I spent a few hours researching South Africa as a possible vacation destination. I found a 4 x 4 camper rental that would substitute for Mocha Joe. Bottom line, though, is it would have to be a much shorter-duration trip than we normally take in our own van and we'd have to save up awhile to make it happen.
I've been having some sleeping problems for the last few days so I took a short nap in the afternoon to catch up a bit. I think I have my sleep pattern disturbed and need to get back into my normal pattern. This time it's a bit odd in that I feel sleepy after reading but once I turn off the light I wake up and then won't get sleepy again for hours. Then I'll sleep an hour or two and wake again.
-------------------------
Tuesday, 22 March -
This morning we received the air purifier we ordered last week. Setup was easy and gave me a look at the three filters and the inside of the unit. It appears to be a quality unit and, as advertised, is very, very quiet. The automatic mode uses odor and dust sensors to determine how fast to run the fan. Just walking up to the unit stirs up enough dust for it to recognize and react. We're trying to improve the air quality in the house and cut down the amount of dust circulating as well as provide a means to remove cooking odors on occasion.
That afternoon I walked 5 miles at Rocky Ridge County Park.
-----------------------
Monday, 21 March -
I spent the morning on the web including an hour or so researching maintenance for Labashi's car and then scheduling the appointment. I've decided to be a little more proactive and go ahead and have transmission oil changed and brake lines flushed at 40,000 miles since we're planning to keep the car.
That afternoon I walked the 5K cross-country course at Rudy Park. It was a nice, sunny wal
-----------------------
Sunday, 20 March -
Today we spent the morning and early afternoon chatting with Orat and Taro around the kitchen table. It's surprising how fast time flies and how much fun it is to chat on and on about whatever comes to mind with these guys.
At 1500 we drove over to the local park to help finish the setup of the room for the birthday party. We then had a great time meeting extended family and watching the pleasant chaos all the kids created just being kids. Our grand-niece was flooded with presents, including a (battery-operated) ride-on John Deere Gator. Man, I would have eaten ALL my vegetables for that when I was a kid.
------------------------
Saturday, 19 March -
Today we drove up US15 to Orat's home in the Rochester area for our grand-niece's third birthday party tomorrow. As we drove we had plenty to keep us busy. The Susquehanna was very high-- above flood stage in some areas.
We visited Orat at his pizza shop and overstuffed ourselves with Ontario County's best pizza. We then went on to the house and watched television with Taro for the evening.
-------------------------
Friday, 18 March -
Today we finally had our new bathroom floor installed. Labashi had made arrangements for it to be installed while I was in Florida but the installers had shown up (TWICE!!) with the wrong flooring. The installers are subcontractors, though, and they didn't do the ordering. If they hadn't been such nice guys, we might have called the whole thing off and ordered the flooring from the Internet and installed it ourselves (since the delays meant I'd be home).
The actual installation of the 'Adura' vinyl plank flooring only took a little over an hour. It looks great!
This morning I installed the harness for my electric jacket liner on the BMW's battery. I then tried it out with a ride into Starbucks for a mocha. The temperature was around 50 and the heat was very welcome.
I then rode to nearby Rocky Ridge County Park for a walk. I only walked for two miles but was very glad to get out.
That evening we started watching a documentary called 'Objectification' about industrial design but we both soon fell asleep and abandoned it.
---------------------------
Thursday, 17 March -
Today I spent a few hours manning the vacuum cleaner. Labashi had been using the living room area to refinish a cabinet for the bathroom and that added sanding dust to the regular dust.
We've been talking about getting a quality air purifier. I had done some research on it before I left for Florida. Today I continued that research and then ordered one. We selected a RabbitAir BioGS-- a re-branded Mitsubishi. This particular model isn't top-of-the-line but seems to get very good reviews.
---------------------------
Wednesday, 16 March-
I spent the day on the web. I've just run upon the term 'longreads' and spent hours reading very interesting articles recommended by various sites under this term. One of the best was an article about the health-care costs and outcomes in McAllen, Texas.
--------------------------
Tuesday, 15 March-
The big project of the day was the blog. Once I get so far behind, I generally have a hard time determining what I had done so many days previously. On my Florida trip I started using a small calendar book to jot down a few notes and reminders. That was a big help today.
Late in the day I finally finished and posted the blog update.
I'm still reading 'The Swamp' and loving it. Though it's called a 'political history' it's a recounting of what happened in the Everglades to make it what it is today. Things make more sense to me now. For instance, this year I took notice of the raised-highway construction going on along the Tamiami Trail just west of the the Miccosukee casino. I had only gotten a vague description of what it was locally (as in “another government boondoggle”). It is one of many projects to restore a more natural waterflow – 'sheet flow' – through the Everglades. The Tamiami Trail is said to be restricting waterflow to one-third its historical (pre-Trail) level.
*********** END OF POST ***************
(posted from home)
(This post covers 15 – 26 March, 2011)
----------------------------
Saturday, 26 March -
Today I ran into town on the Concours to pick up a toilet tank-to-bowl kit from the plumbing supply. As I left the area I made a mistake and turned left at a right-turn-only sign in a construction zone--- with a police cruiser behind me. In thinking back on it I can only think that I missed the sign because of all the visual clutter of the construction zone. In any case, the officer was very professional and I appreciated it. I ended up with a warning, I think because the officer recognized the temporary and confusing nature of the construction zone and the fact that there were no barriers to my turning left there-- no curving curb or arrows painted on the street (again, because it's temporary).
That afternoon I felt very tired, a bit nauseated, and had a pounding headache (I think I'm coming down with a flu or something). I read and napped for a few hours after taking some Excedrin and the headache slowly-- very slowly-- faded.
That evening we watched 'Amelie', a Big Love S4 episode and a Dexter S3 episode.
-----------------------------
Friday, 25 March -
Today I drove to Chambersburg to work on house 1 (the one for sale). We learned early this week that the water test taken as part of the inspection process had failed. This is not particularly alarming given that the water hasn't been circulated at all for several months.
Maypo and I lifted the top off the well using the tractor's loading bucket and then treated the well with chlorine and ran the treated water through all the pipes and the water heater. We then took care of some other small items from the inspection report-- cleaning out the gutters, fixing a bathtub drain actuator, and fixing a mis-wired receptacle (lesson taken: test receptacles with a polarity tester, not just a light).
That evening we went to supper at Norland Pub before I headed home.
At home Labashi and I watched 'The Social Network'. If it weren't for the photos and videos of my grandnieces and grandnephews, I'd give up my Facebook account after seeing that. Facebook may have made a lot of money and will undoubtedly make much, much more but I still don't like it and don't think it is well-engineered. The user interface is kludgy and unpredictable. It just doesn't feel right to me.
I'm reading James Michener's biography now and it's quite surprising, particularly his early years.
----------------------------
Thursday, 24 March -
This morning I took Labashi's car to Rahal Honda for service. I was delighted to find the service department now has loaner iPads for customers. All I had to do was give them my driver's license to hold until I returned it. I had the engine and transmission oils changed and had the brake fluid flushed and replaced, this at the 40,000 mile mark. The car passed inspection but the rear brakes were right on their lower limit so I gave the okay to have that done now. I'd rather do that than return in a few months and risk damaging the rotors in the meantime.
I loved playing with the iPad during my two-hour wait. But ultimately I decided I wouldn't buy one. At first I thought the touch-screen interface was cool but as I played I noticed it kept misinterpreting what I was trying to do. I was just trying to scroll up or down and it kept shifting into copy mode. And I didn't like the on-screen keyboard. It operated reliably enough but I didn't like the upshift/downshift. And it seemed clumsy to hold. It had a very nice stand to place it at different angles but I didn't find any of them-- or laying it flat-- to be nearly as comfortable as using the laptop.
It would be a different story if I was doing something like reading a magazine and perhaps that's its niche. I also happened to sit beside a fellow customer who had brought in her personal iPad. She confided that she hated it, even though (she said) it was the model with max memory and all the bells and whistles.
On the way home I stopped in at Cycle Tech to pay for my Concours. I had dropped it off last week for repair of the clutch hydraulics and a flush of the brake system and had gotten the 'it's ready' call. I paid the $160 bill and got the keys (since they were closing shortly). I then went home to pick up Labashi and my riding gear and returned for the bike.
That evening we watched several episodes of Dexter, Season Three.
---------------------------
Wednesday, 23 March -
Today I spent a few hours researching South Africa as a possible vacation destination. I found a 4 x 4 camper rental that would substitute for Mocha Joe. Bottom line, though, is it would have to be a much shorter-duration trip than we normally take in our own van and we'd have to save up awhile to make it happen.
I've been having some sleeping problems for the last few days so I took a short nap in the afternoon to catch up a bit. I think I have my sleep pattern disturbed and need to get back into my normal pattern. This time it's a bit odd in that I feel sleepy after reading but once I turn off the light I wake up and then won't get sleepy again for hours. Then I'll sleep an hour or two and wake again.
-------------------------
Tuesday, 22 March -
This morning we received the air purifier we ordered last week. Setup was easy and gave me a look at the three filters and the inside of the unit. It appears to be a quality unit and, as advertised, is very, very quiet. The automatic mode uses odor and dust sensors to determine how fast to run the fan. Just walking up to the unit stirs up enough dust for it to recognize and react. We're trying to improve the air quality in the house and cut down the amount of dust circulating as well as provide a means to remove cooking odors on occasion.
That afternoon I walked 5 miles at Rocky Ridge County Park.
-----------------------
Monday, 21 March -
I spent the morning on the web including an hour or so researching maintenance for Labashi's car and then scheduling the appointment. I've decided to be a little more proactive and go ahead and have transmission oil changed and brake lines flushed at 40,000 miles since we're planning to keep the car.
That afternoon I walked the 5K cross-country course at Rudy Park. It was a nice, sunny wal
-----------------------
Sunday, 20 March -
Today we spent the morning and early afternoon chatting with Orat and Taro around the kitchen table. It's surprising how fast time flies and how much fun it is to chat on and on about whatever comes to mind with these guys.
At 1500 we drove over to the local park to help finish the setup of the room for the birthday party. We then had a great time meeting extended family and watching the pleasant chaos all the kids created just being kids. Our grand-niece was flooded with presents, including a (battery-operated) ride-on John Deere Gator. Man, I would have eaten ALL my vegetables for that when I was a kid.
------------------------
Saturday, 19 March -
Today we drove up US15 to Orat's home in the Rochester area for our grand-niece's third birthday party tomorrow. As we drove we had plenty to keep us busy. The Susquehanna was very high-- above flood stage in some areas.
We visited Orat at his pizza shop and overstuffed ourselves with Ontario County's best pizza. We then went on to the house and watched television with Taro for the evening.
-------------------------
Friday, 18 March -
Today we finally had our new bathroom floor installed. Labashi had made arrangements for it to be installed while I was in Florida but the installers had shown up (TWICE!!) with the wrong flooring. The installers are subcontractors, though, and they didn't do the ordering. If they hadn't been such nice guys, we might have called the whole thing off and ordered the flooring from the Internet and installed it ourselves (since the delays meant I'd be home).
The actual installation of the 'Adura' vinyl plank flooring only took a little over an hour. It looks great!
This morning I installed the harness for my electric jacket liner on the BMW's battery. I then tried it out with a ride into Starbucks for a mocha. The temperature was around 50 and the heat was very welcome.
I then rode to nearby Rocky Ridge County Park for a walk. I only walked for two miles but was very glad to get out.
That evening we started watching a documentary called 'Objectification' about industrial design but we both soon fell asleep and abandoned it.
---------------------------
Thursday, 17 March -
Today I spent a few hours manning the vacuum cleaner. Labashi had been using the living room area to refinish a cabinet for the bathroom and that added sanding dust to the regular dust.
We've been talking about getting a quality air purifier. I had done some research on it before I left for Florida. Today I continued that research and then ordered one. We selected a RabbitAir BioGS-- a re-branded Mitsubishi. This particular model isn't top-of-the-line but seems to get very good reviews.
---------------------------
Wednesday, 16 March-
I spent the day on the web. I've just run upon the term 'longreads' and spent hours reading very interesting articles recommended by various sites under this term. One of the best was an article about the health-care costs and outcomes in McAllen, Texas.
--------------------------
Tuesday, 15 March-
The big project of the day was the blog. Once I get so far behind, I generally have a hard time determining what I had done so many days previously. On my Florida trip I started using a small calendar book to jot down a few notes and reminders. That was a big help today.
Late in the day I finally finished and posted the blog update.
I'm still reading 'The Swamp' and loving it. Though it's called a 'political history' it's a recounting of what happened in the Everglades to make it what it is today. Things make more sense to me now. For instance, this year I took notice of the raised-highway construction going on along the Tamiami Trail just west of the the Miccosukee casino. I had only gotten a vague description of what it was locally (as in “another government boondoggle”). It is one of many projects to restore a more natural waterflow – 'sheet flow' – through the Everglades. The Tamiami Trail is said to be restricting waterflow to one-third its historical (pre-Trail) level.
*********** END OF POST ***************
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 23:59
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