Party Again

Jen's having another party. This one's bigger and longer. Her friends from high school are all coming down from NYC for the weekend. It's being billed as "A Weekend in the Country." Lots to do to get ready. First was finding a home for all our trim.

It's been laying in the floor of our family room for roughly five months now. We'll probably need that floor space for people to pass out and sleep on. Also we're having a pellet stove installed in a couple of weeks in this room. It's our car on cinder-blocks so to speak.

So I threw together a little shelf to keep it all neat and tidy. Probably took longer to stack all the trim then it did to build the shelf.

With the shelf done, we had some dinner then ran off to Lowes to see what they had as far as cheap deck furniture. Having a pool and a deck makes for a shortage of furniture. Asking your guests carry their chair back and forth between the two is like asking them to get their own beer out of the fridge - on the front porch. Lucky for us Lowes was having a sale. In particular the same furniture we bought last spring was now 30% off. A quick consultation with the accountant decided we should go for it and buy nearly a second set of the same furniture. Yeah it's a little like going to the mall wearing matching jogging suits, but the furniture is sturdy and the right price.

We got most of the chairs, but are having trouble sourcing the table. I've got a few ideas. Of which dating my cousin is not one of them, so we'll see.

After we got home, Jen went to bed and I went about cleaning up the basement. We still have unpacked boxes all over the place. They're haphazardly strewn about the downstairs hallway, family room and one of the other rooms. It's a total mess (I should have gotten pictures). Kind of like buying beer with food stamps. Into the wee hours of the night I moved and stacked all the boxes into the one room. Not only did I consolidate the location of the boxes, but I stacked them in such a way you can actually enter and use this room, though only in a limited fashion - like find a box you need to unpack. Now the hallway is clear and the family room looks like what it was intended for - not an old U-Hual you've parked back in the weeds.

Tonight I finish up with the basement then hit the upstairs for vacuuming and polishing. What is it with Jen's parties and me working so hard anyway?

- b

Mystery Injuries

Looked worse yesterday. It's on my chest at the base of my sternum. Jen asked, "What's that from?" I couldn't remember. Tonight in the shower I figured it out. Yesterday morning while riding with Buddy I did a log-over and my foot came unclipped from my pedal. Without my left foot to stand on, I fell to my sternum on the seat. I've cracked ribs in a similar fashion on two different occasions. Luckily no ribs this time.

What I can't figure out is this one.

It's under my right bicep near the top. I usually don't bruise easily or so badly. I've had it a few days. It's not a location that's typical of a mt. bike crash. There was another on my left forearm, but it's finally faded. It was a mystery too.

What's not a mystery is the bruise my last Japanese Encephalitis shot left.

The shot was a week ago tomorrow. Fun stuff. Good thing I don't have another one of those for two weeks.

I'm wondering if the bruising isn't just a side effect of these shots. Maybe I should check my sixty one page pamphlet again and see?

I feel a little like The Fly, though no jars of parts - yet.


- b

Holy Crap I

That's a roman numeral if you're wondering. I've been wanting to use that title for a while. I'll probably use it again, hence the roman numeral one. Anyway...

Started the day with fixing the dryer. Apparently a month ago when the guy came to fix the control unit of the dryer he pulled it away from the exhaust vent and didn't put it back - correctly.

The dryer's been blowing humidity and dryer lint behind the dryer for a month now. I suppose it's partly my fault that I didn't check while he was here, but you'd think that would be a routine thing for a dryer guy. It's probably better he didn't find it and fix it. It took me nearly three hours to get it right (sort of) again.

Next on the project list was my leaf fence. Last year after spending weeks cleaning up all my own leaves, my neighbors Oak tree dropped its leaves and blew into my yard. It annoyed the hell out of me. Mostly because it was after all the other leaves and grass cutting was done. I had to make special occasion out of cleaning up these leaves. Luckily I had this lattice just waiting to be cut up into something. Two swift cuts, a sledge, some rebar, zip ties and it was done. Hopefully it works and doesn't piss off the other neighbors. You can see the tree down near the fence.

It's only 16" high and 24' long. Jen's worried it's not tall enough. I'm worried it's not wide enough. I had to leave some room for my other neighbor to get his tractor around a tree to the right that you can't see in the picture. I imagine if he doesn't like it or there's not enough room, he'll just run it over. Not that I've ever actually experienced that kind of maliciousness from him, but I get the impression I could. We'll see.

So that job was a quicky. The big job of the day was finishing the cat box. Yeah it took three months to get back to and finish, but it's done. Check it out here. You know - if you're into that sort of thing.

Sort of mid-stream I decided to start another project. Some of the siding on our house is pulling away from the house. Our siding is wood. Over time it buckles and warps. We're not exactly ready for new siding, so I had to do a quick fix. I'll build a page just for this job, but not tonight. Here's a peak.

I ran out of caulk. Add this to the list of unfinished projects.

Jen and her Mom spent the day weeding again. While doing so they ran into this guy (or girl).

They're growing up nicely, though I don't see as many as I did when they were babies. This one appears to be about 2/3s its full size. I tried getting it on my hand for perspective, but I freaked out when it actually landed on my hand and shook it off. Yeah Ima dumbass. Oh well. I'll just have to try/make up for it when they're bigger.

Looks like Jen's Mom enjoys her visits so much, she's sharing the experience with her mother (Jen's Grandmother) next month. Should be cool having them all running around and relaxing here for a weekend. Really doesn't bother me at all. Just wish I could get more done to make it more pleasant for everyone.

Currently Jen is counting our beans -seeing how much I've spent lately and how much I can spend on the other side of the world. I've contacted a firm that charters Treks in the Himalayas. Have to figure out how much cash I get before I get serious booking anything with them. So far doesn't look like I'll have time for much, but could be able to lay the ground work for future trips. An example I'm toying with now is flying (domestic flight) to Leh and staying in a guesthouse for a weekend. In the future, I would do that, then head out for a week long Trek over some snowy mountain pass at 6,000 meters. We'll see. We've got some big house expenses coming up, so city hopping through India might be a stretch this time around.

- b

Weekend So Far

Started my Typhoid vaccination the other day. It's four pills full of live little buggers that I have to take every other day and an hour before I eat. I think I'm experiencing some side-effects (details I won't go into), but not completely sure. Made going for a ride with Buddy yesterday morning interesting, as I had to get up an hour earlier to take the pill then eat breakfast before the ride. Why I don't just take them an hour before dinner? I dunno. I'm not that smart. Though I do know, I should safely be able to eat raw eggs for the next five years when this particular vaccination is done. WooHoo!

After the ride it was home to do chores. One of those chores being getting the Ninja inspected. We have a 94 Ninja 250 with 7700 miles on it. It's inspected and for sale. I'm asking $1,000. It's a great little bike, but I've got too many (things). Passed with flying colors. I really don't know why I let it sit for two years. If you're interested, it's good to go. Let me know before I really advertise it.

After the bike it was time to fix the tractor (again). The little mandrel/bearing job I did a few weeks ago imploded on itself when the pullies went bad. Unfortunately they took the new mandrel with them and I had to order a whole new setup. This all happened the week before we left for vacation. I was going two weeks of now grass mowing and getting ready to leave for another week. I ordered the parts, but there's no option to overnight or anything quick. In desperation the day before we left, I ran around borrowing things to get my yard cut. Things like Marks tractor and Henderson's trailer...

But that was last week. The parts came in while we were on vacation. I installed them and got the grass cut.

Meanwhile Jen and her Mom were going crazy with weeding. Weed, weed, swim, weed, weed, weed. Is all they did Saturday. So much so, I had to get a little creative with the compost bins.

So the picture doesn't quite do it justice. The weeds were filling up the bins, but not packed enough to actually decompose. I found some old compost piles from last years leaves to put on top and squish everything. Made a neat compost layered cake of sorts. Yeah I was playing a bit.

While working in the yard we saw lots of nature. Jen nearly put her hand into this.

We decided to leave it be and move onto somewhere else in the yard. Last year we had four or five of these in our pool shed. This year none. I'm surprised we've only found one this year.

What has increased is our Cicada Killer activity. Last year we had maybe three or four. This year it's at least seven. They all live along our front sidewalk. They like dry loose soil and that's the dryest part of our yard. They dig burrows to live in and lay their eggs. To feed the eggs, they paralyze Cicadas and drag them into their burrows. It's really neat to watch, though they're not very smart. They can walk for hours around their burrow before they find it. For the most part they're harmless, though their size is intimidating (about as big as your thumb). Jen wants them gone because they fly all around the sidewalk creating a general nuisance (they like to fight each other too). I'm assuming the Cicadas are the beginning of their end, so I'll probably wait till next year when we have fifteen or so buzzing around, then I'll thin the herd.

The other cool thing this year is the mud dauber living on our front porch. I noticed a week or so ago these things appearing in this same spot on our porch. Hmmm paralyzed wolf spider? Keeping an eye out, I eventually saw the culprit. The mud dauber does a similar thing to the Cicada killer. Builds a home (a organ pipe looking tube of mud in this case), finds and paralyzes another kind of being, stuffs it into its home and lays its eggs on it for baby food. I can't believe in the whole wide world of our yard, these little insects are actually able to go out and find what they need (though our yard is full of wolf spiders). Granted the mud tube homes can become unsightly and a nuisance, but watching the process is interesting.

Currently it's raining. Hopefully it will pass in the next hour or so, and we'll get back out into the wildness of our yard. Have to check up on the progress of all our praying mantis too.


- b

Summertime Driving

Come January I'll miss these days.


- b

Down East Pictures

Got some of the pictures up with very brief commentary.

Enjoy!

- b

Domesticity

How is it that Jen's having a pool party for her friends and I end up doing the yard work?

Guess that's what I get after spending the last four months riding my bike all over the place. Speaking of bikes, I pseudo washed mine tonight (sprayed it with the hose in the dark). Tomorrow night will be the first time in two weeks I've ridden off-road. With any luck it will rain tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night will be another exciting disaster for me. Can't wait. I'm looking forward to it.

ps. what's the glowing thing under the wheelbarrow? Another ghost orb?

- b

Happens Every Time

Every so often I get a fire under my ass to sell my Jeep. For some reason lately that fire had started again. I was determined to sell it this time. Get it running and get it out of here. It's taking up too much space. I haven't used it in years. Someone else should take care of it and enjoy it.

I bought a battery, poured a little gas in the carb and it fired right up. Idled nicely all by itself. Sounded good. Felt good. I couldn't sell it.

I called Bill. He has a 79 CJ-5 we rebuilt after college. He was aware of my determination to sell this time. He also knew it wasn't going to happen. He promised we'd take them out this year - maybe even twice. We also schemed up a plan to store them (his and mine) at his parents place in Julian. That would give me the space I want and the convenience of using it without having to tow it everywhere.

So it stays.

For now.

- b

Toxic Cocktails Day 2

Went in for my second round of vaccination/immunizations.

Decided to go for the Rabies too. The company's paying for it. Why not?

Side-effects weren't so bad this time. The Japanese E. burns going in, but it's not so bad.

The office is kind of funny. It's an occupational health/travel medicine place, so it mostly has people for drug tests, work site injuries and me getting rabies shots.

The rabies adds a forth day to my vaccination schedule. At least it will be only one shot that day.

I ordered my Lonely Planet Himalayan Trekking book today. Confirmation from my counterpart in India says they really are only a half-days train ride away. Looks like I'll be taking the night train out of Delhi to be playing in the snow Saturday mornings. Should be some fun adventures.

- b

Picture Pages, Picture Pages

Had some time to put together some pages from events past (pool party, Cranky Monkey, Lodi, Lumberjack). Should have up the Maine pictures (there's a lot) soon.

You can see it all here.

- b

End of Season

I had my first of 3 vaccination/immunization days. The Dr. took an hour to explain to me all the risks and dangers I'll be encountering on my month long stay in India, then gave me a list of optional immunizations/vaccinations I can take to protect myself. A lot of what can happen to me are flue-like symptoms and diarrhea that could last a week or more. Since I hate (absolutely loath) getting that stuff here and certainly don't want to get it halfway around the world (in a third world country), I opted for everything (except rabies, though there's still time).

So now the Dr. is explaining the vaccination/immunization process. Some shots/pills will take the course of a month (3 visits) to be fully effective. In the meantime I may experience some side effects as these weakened (some actually active, but mostly inactive) viruses and bacteria swim through my body. I could experience head-aches, fever, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, etc. as my body fights them and produces anti-bodies to protect me on my trip.

As she's saying all this, I start thinking about my August schedule (been thinking a lot about it lately, 100 miler, two weeks off, 18hr, two weeks off, another 100 miler) and how it resembles my June Schedule. Then I'm thinking how trashed I felt after June, then I'm thinking about these side effects, getting sick and being alone on the other side of the world feverish, puking and pissing out my ass for a week (or more). So I ask her. I throw my August schedule out there for the Dr. to evaluate. She gets a concerned look on her face and tells me she wouldn't "recommend" it.

The least concern is the vaccinations could effect my performance. Next up the list of concern is I could get sick with these weakened things running through me. The biggest concern is my body says FU, I don't have the capacity, I'm not building anti-bodies. Now my vaccination/immunizations are useless and I get sick with jaundice or Japanese Encyphilitis (think West Nile) while I'm halfway around the world by myself in a third world country.

Continuing riding/training and seeing how I feel won't do it. Of course I'll feel fine leading up to an event. It's the effects of the event(s) that make the difference. And there's really no option to "take it easy" in those kinds of events.

These aren't the sniffles I'm worried about. I've heard lots of stories of sick people being flown back to the US for proper care. Sometimes a family member has to fly over first to accompany them because they're so sick.

I am fit, healthy and run little risk of contracting something when I'm in top shape. Doing the kind of events my August calls for would not leave me in top shape. Doing a 100 mile race the week before I leave is too risky.

Historically I've gotten sick each September - body is worn out from training/racing. Granted it's usually a sniffle, but even that would weaken me for the trip let-alone be annoying flying fourteen hours.

It's taken a week or so, but I've come to terms with this. I will lose my chances at third in the NUE series. I will miss the opportunity to race and have fun with my teammates at the 18hr race. It's for the better. It's for other opportunities.

Stay tuned for details on my possible Himalayan trekking adventures!

- b

The Week in Pictures

Just some random pictures/thoughts that showed up this week.

Put a little squish on my bike in preparation for some upcoming races.

Buddy was kind enough to send me the full size version of my misery.

Our lightening detector doubles as an invisible fence for the dog.
When there's lightening, the control unit beeps to let us know.
The line running around the yard is simply a huge antenna. It will
pick up any kind of signal or pulse.The guys at work
think I should hook it up to speakers during a storm and see
what there is to hear. I'll pass on that supernatural nonsense.

A prize to whoever guesses how old my dad is AND how many
tons of gravel he shoveled himself this week.

Got pretty warm this week, then it rained and cooled off.

The strangest thing happened to Topher's car while we were in the bar
the other night. Must have been a chinook or something.

Though I didn't get any pictures, we had a skunk rumble in our backyard the other night. All kinds of skunk squeals and smells for an hour or so.

- b

Toxic Cocktails Day 1

Started the first of three immunization/vaccinations days for my trip to India.

Because I'm going for so long, my trip is considered an "extended stay." The recommendations for immunizations become "more recommended."

Today I started with shots for Hepatitis A & B, Japanese Encephalitis and Polio. I also got pills to take for Typhoid (salmonella) and prescriptions for malaria medicine and Cipro (extended dosage).

Side effects for all of these - may feel like shit for a little while.

So far they're working. I don't feel well.

- b

Dear Mother DTown

I apologize for not riding your trails more frequently this summer. I realize I've missed some excellent conditions and should try to get out more.

From my training in your hallowed grounds, I've put myself in a position of competition that has drawn me away from you for the time being. This is only temporary. I will be back to ride, train and enjoy you for many many years.

Please accept my offerings of sweat and blood as a reconciliatory gesture. I will ride again.

- b

What's Wrong With Me?

I feel great. I've felt like ass for about a month. Every since the Mohican, I've been beat. My nutritionist friend said to be sure I ate a lot to keep from getting burned out. I ate a lot. I got fat and burned out anyway.

Yesterday I rode like I hadn't ridden since the beginning of June. Today was no different. Hot and humid I powered my way to work with sweat dripping everywhere. Felt great. Felt like I could ride all day. My legs are still a little sore, but pushed on none-the-less.

In other too personal cycling news, my saddle sores (really good link by the way) have sort of cleared up on their own. How you ask? Not sure really. Funny thing is I kind of forgot to use chamois cream a couple of times and that seemed to help???? Not sure what that's all about, but it's working.

- b

Fitting

After pulling a thorn out of my arm (at work I was - it had been there since July 4th), I heard a kid/coworker whining that he missed out on the job boom, the housing boom, the blah blah who gives a f*ck boom.

Now I see this and get a completely different perspective.

I'm somewhere in between and happy that way.

- b

ps. I found the link on Swobo.
pps. All this is a collection of memories for myself down the road. One day I want to look back and see what the hell I was thinking. Unfortunately the above link (either of them) won't last that long. In the interest of maintaining a relevant time capsule, I must include the fact the link is a photographers website of photos he took while riding the rails with some young/adventurous hobos.

Bang Head Here

Went up to Thorpe for a group ride on Sunday. The group was huge. I think the count was thirty-seven riders. When you turned a corner, it looked like a parade in front or behind you. It was huge.

I wasn't at the top of my game. Still feeling slow and worn out from June I guess. I settled in somewhere near the back of the pack and concentrated on just riding everything. Went pretty well for a while, then I made a mistake. This local guy Werner went down a hill that I know is difficult and totally worthy of getting off and walking. He went down so smooth I figured I'd give it a go.

The first part is a pretty big drop (literally a vertical drop of at least a foot or more) onto the loose/loamy off camber slope. As I dropped in I realized there was a rather large rock (almost football size) directly in my path. I tried to let the front wheel and suspension soak up the rock and roll over it, but the rock moved. For a brief moment I was pushing the rock while my ass end was still on top of the drop and coming down. I guess I panicked and grabbed a handful of front brake. My fork compressed, then launched me and the bike into the air and down slope.

There were reports of me being nearly six feet in the air. I know I was lifted long enough to see the rocks and trees below me that I wanted to avoid when I hit. Pete Rose style I slammed my arms, face, chest then knees into the dirt avoiding the obstacles. Go me! Then the bike came down. Bang! On my head. Ouch. It bounced off my helmet and into the rocks I narrowly avoided. I was covered in dirt. My skin burned with abrasions. My bell was rung.

I pulled myself into a sitting position as a few people ran to help. Some got my bike while others asked if I was ok. I was, but I needed a minute to sit. I took a good long minute. I felt banged up, but otherwise ok. My leg was bleeding. It stopped by the time it reached my sock. I stood up and checked my bike. It got some pretty bad dings and chips.

I walked the next tricky section, then got on and rode off. Dehydration set in shortly afterwards. I had to stop a few times, before we made it to the break point, to drink and eat on my own.

Once caught up with the rest of the group, I got a lot of concerned looks and questions. I was still covered in black dirt. At that point I was more interested in drinking and eating then cleaning. A few people took some pictures, but I have not seen them yet.

We rode for a little while longer. I felt better and even started having fun again. Back at the parking lot we jumped in the Lehigh and washed off.

I got home and Jen had some homemade black raspberry cobbler for desert.

Little bit of medicine to make the headache go away.

Today I'm sore, but not bad. My arms, legs, shoulders and hips are all red with abrasions. That was the second time I've been down that hill. I guess the third time I'll get it.

- b

Twilight Crit 07

Iron Hill brewery had their third annual Twilight Crit Saturday night. We've gone every year since the first and it gets better each time. Last years was ridiculous with some steroid pumped doper lapping the entire field in the 1-2-pro race. This year we actually knew a bunch of people in the 1-2-pros, so it was a lot more fun to cheer and watch.

We got things started off right with some public beverage consumption. Ever since the first year when Marcus brought a soft cooler (more easily disguised), I had to get one myself.

After some beverages and food, we found a real nice spot in the fourth corner to sit and get a real feel for the action. They were flying. The breeze as they went by was nice and kind of scary. We were literally inches from the racers as they sped out of the corner and up the slight hill to the finish. The pictures came out pretty cool. In some of them, you can see through parts of the racers to background. Very strange speed effect in the exposure of the picture.

As they powered past us, you could hear the bikes stressing under the power of their pedaling.

Local pro Scott Zwizanski worked hard for his teammate who won.



Fatmarc worked hard at being Fatmarc.

Then Jen grabbed the camera and took some cool shots. She set it up to take multiple successive shots with one click of the button. To do this, the camera doesn't use the flash (or she set it not to, not sure which). Anyway it took these ghost-like images of the riders speeding past.

I don't think Jen was too impressed, but I like them.

A few last beverages, then home for the evening.


- b

Not Good Enough

The aluminum protector I attached to CJs cast didn't work.

We came home from somewhere and found he'd chewed right through it. We put the cone back on his head, but it doesn't really work either. He can still get the tip of his cast if he stretches. At least he's getting better walking around with the cone. The first couple of times he walked into everything eventually gave up and laid down. Now he's a little more mobile.

The roof vent fix didn't work either.

The rain storms we had this week left puddles in our kitchen again. Saturday morning I climbed up on the roof to fix it some more. First I filled in the last little gap between the vent and flashing with more flashing. The puddles happen when the storms blow from the west. The gap faces west. I also noticed a gap between the vent and the shingles that faced west. Back down and up the ladder with some roof tar to take care of that.

Now it just has to rain again to see if it works.

- b

More Ridiculous Pictures

Maybe one day I'll have enough time to sit around and make up stupid things to complain about.

Read more here.

- b

Mmmmmmm Yum!

Cropped but not photo-shopped label we have here at the house


- b

Trainer Time

Just as I left work it started to rain. Forecast called for rain all night. Still achy and stiff, I had no choice.

With the right beverage and company, it wasn't all bad. Jen and I watched Dreamgirls. Not a bad flick to watch with your chick.

ps. If you're looking for some Surly Jim Brown SS disc hubs, you can find them here.

- b

FOURth of July

FOUR hours on a mt. bike + FOUR hours cleaning the floors + FOUR beers = a stiff and achy July fifth.

- b

Are They Kidding?

-b

Bell Skillz

Tim has some crazy-mad bell skillz. When I first heard it, I thought he had some kind of musical device attached to his bars cranking out the smooth beats. Nope. Just a bell and his fingers. Being my first commute into work since my hundred mile adventures with Tim, I went crazy with the bell. My fingers ached working the ding and mute for just the right sound. I had something unique by the time I made it to work, but it still needs refining.

There's always someone raising the bar.

- b

Sunday, Busy Sunday

Started the day with a couple cups of coffee. The Yuengling Lagers at the wedding last night left somewhat of a dent. Wrote a blog entry then got ready to head to the city for Sara and Jeff's engagement brunch. Of course that's when CJ had his little deal with his cast. Finally get in the car to head downtown and find ourselves sitting in the Rt. 76 parking lot. Take an exit, jump on rt. 23 and take the scenic route.

I once worked for a man that told me there weren't really that many rich people in America. Take a spin on 23 between Conshohocken and City Line Ave. and you'll see why I don't work for that man anymore.

We make it to the brunch forty-five minutes late. Oh well, the lox was still fresh.

A bit of an oxymoron, the brunch was at a nice place in West Philly. Kirch and Amanda were there. We hadn't see them since they got engaged (congratulations again to you too as well). Some Pimms, coffee, champagne and we were headed back home to the burbs.

I had mentioned a few weeks ago our pool skimmer troubles. Today i got around to some investigative work. The problem apparently is a crimped flexible hose buried somewhere in the ground between the skimmer and the pool pump. Visions of digging up flexible hose wrapped all around our backyard have plagued me now for some time. Since the skimmer is anchored in concrete, I took the easy route and started digging at the pump. After shoveling a few piles of dirt away, I discovered some very good news - I think.

The flexible appears to only be used as junctions from the devices (i.e. pump and/or skimmer) to hard pvc pipe that runs between the devices. I was afraid they (the original pool installers) ran flexible all the way from one device to the other and I'd have to dig up the whole yard to replace it. With my limited understanding so far, they (the pool service/repair people of today) should only have to cut (through concrete) the old skimmer out, replace the crimped flexible pipe at the skimmer (since it looks good at the pump), replace the skimmer and pour a new patch of concrete. Shouldn't be too bad. I'll keep you posted.

So what was Jen doing while I was getting my hands dirty with this? She was getting her hands dirty of a different kind. The black raspberries are ripening, so she picked a bunch.

There's some mulberries in there too. I can't wait for my oatmeal and black raspberry breakfast tomorrow morning!

Last on the list was cardboard. We've accumulated a small forest worth of recyclable materials. It was time to break some of it down and haul it off.

Uh that's a wagon... Unfortunately everyone and their cousin lovn' brother had already been to the cardboard recycling drop off spot and there was no room for my deposit. Now it sits packed in the car till Tuesday I think. Essentially I moved the crap from one inconvenient spot around the house to a more inconvenient spot. Genius!

And one final note, the baby praying mantis that were running all around last week are growing pretty fast. This guy is at least twice the size he would have been a week ago. They'll probably be too big to pick up next week. Maybe I'll get Jen to try.

- b

Miserable Dog

Right before we left for our brunch date this morning, CJ decided he'd had enough of his cast and started chewing it off. I made an emergency trip to PetSmart to pick up a cone. CJ wasn't happy about that.

In fact he was miserable. He wouldn't move. He wouldn't listen, obey or anything. He just sat in the sun baking. When he did move, he was off balance and bumped his cone into everything. It was really a pitiful sight.

I had to come up with something better. As with anything better, it involved the following materials.

That's a roll of duct tape in the middle if you couldn't tell. A little snipping, some bending and we have a custom dog-cast toe protector.

Wrap it up and we're good to go - for now at least.

He's already chewed it a little, which I expect him to do. Hopefully the aluminum will at least slow him down. He's certainly happier.

- b

Fix It Friday

You know you're old when you spend a Friday night home doing chores and not out doing things like Nighttime Time Trials or just going to the bar. Actually I've spent the last couple of weekends away. It was kind of nice to stay home for a bit, even if it was to do chores I've neglected for a while now.

First on the bill was a new belt for Jen's car. If you've been keeping track like I have, this is the third belt in a year. When I started this here bloggy thing (scroll down past the caterpillar), one of the first things I talked about was throwing a new belt on her car. The AC compressor had locked itself up and burnt off the belt. I bought and installed a belt that bypassed the compressor, so she'd at least have power steering.

Fast forward (or rewind if you will) to May and we had the compressor replaced with a new belt. Almost immediately the new belt squealed like a stuck pig. Very annoying, though Jen never really complained. Five minutes in the car and I was ready to hurt someone. On such a trip, I was conversing with my father (over the phone) about the possible causes for the belt squeal, then it quit. The squeal just stopped. Hmmmm. The AC was still blowing, but it wasn't blowing cold air anymore. I went to turn, but the car wouldn't turn anymore (the power steering and AC compressor run off the same belt if you hadn't figured it out already). When I got home the belt was gone.

Did I mention Jen was livid? We've spent a lot of money on this car this year. Each year we spend more and more to keep it running. When we do the math, it's still cheaper then a new car. Though it's close enough now, we're starting a new car fund. Inspection is due in November. Last year it didn't really pass the emissions part of the test. I'm sure with me in India for a month (away from my bikes and whatever else I can imagine spending money on), Jen will be able to save up quite a lot toward a down payment on something hybrid by then.

Anyway, the belt worked. Went on pretty easily and the car fired right up. The AC works too. Still not sure was wrong with the other belt. I'll probably drive it a few days before releasing it back to Jen with a bill of good health.

Whole lotta story for just a belt huh? Wait till you read the next.

So the tractor's been making a funny noise for a while now when I'm cutting the grass. It's also been cutting the grass pretty poorly. Being around things mechanical for more then I care, I was pretty sure the noise was a bearing destroying itself. Spending hours upon hours each week driving in circles I was even able to narrow the noise down to the left side of the tractor. The left blade to be exact, so I went online, looked at the parts diagrams and ordered what looked cool.

First step in the overhaul process was pulling the mower deck. I've never really enjoyed this. I hate it actually, but each time I do it, it gets easier and I dread it a little less. It's like that one hill in a race you dread climbing each lap. By the time you're finished, you've figured it out and it's not that bad of a climb. You almost laugh at your original anxiety for the thing.

I still hate pulling the deck. The part in question is the blade on the left. Here's a quick description of what has to be done. From the bottom you see the blade is bolted on. Basically the blade is bolted to an axle with a bearing on each end that runs through an aluminum housing that is bolted to the mower deck. On one end of the axle is the blade as you see above. Bolted to the other end of the axle is the pulley to spin the axle and therefor the blade.

Disassembly is the easy part - just unbolt everything. As I'm removing parts and pieces, I'm noticing the telltale signs of mechanically woe. With the blade removed, I see some lopsided wear on the bottom.

With the pulleys removed, I see more wear.

Pull off the aluminum axle housing, drive out the axle/bearing combo and...

Viola! the old torn up axle on the right, next to the new one on the left.

It appears there's a significant amount of material missing from the old one. I couldn't really tell if it was originally designed like that or it really wore itself away.

Reassembly went pretty quick, though I had to improvise a part with a washer I had lying around. When I took the pulleys off, a piece of what used to be a special spacer fell out obliterated. I've since ordered the new part, which means I'll have to pull the deck again. Oh joy.

I ran it and cut the grass Saturday. Not sure if I was paranoid or what, but I still heard a faint "I'm destroying myself" sound. There are two other blades with all the same bearing/axle combos in addition to all the other failable parts this tractor seems to be constructed of. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

- b