Vital Statistics

It had been at least five years since I last cleaned and refinished our deck so it was far overdue for some care. The weekend before my birthday, I rented a pressure washer and cleaned the deck very thoroughly. After my mother offered to help me finish the job while she was here, I took Wednesday and Thursday off last week and we did just that.

On Wednesday we cleaned the entire deck including the railings with deck detergent. I mixed the detergent into a high concentrate so I could use my Ortho Dial ‘N’ Spray to spread it on the deck. Pretty clever, eh? What was not clever was sticking my hand into the liquid with the brush when we were scrubbing it onto the wood. At that concentration, the detergent is evidently highly corrosive and I ended up with about six small but deep holes in the tips of my fingers. Ouch!

Thursday was refinishing day. I decided on the $40/gallon Brazilian rosewood oil (BRO) which blocks 99% of ultraviolet light. Presumably this means I won’t have to do this job as often so the extra cost was not really a factor. Of course, as I bought my sixth gallon Thursday afternoon, I was definitely questioning the sanity of my decision. We spent most of the morning applying the BRO to the railings with paint brushes and then I did the same to the floorboards of the deck using a nifty sponge-on-a-stick contraption. The instructions recommended two coats, but we decided the railings would only need one. I finished the last coat to the deck boards just as it was getting dark on Thursday.

Bike odometer: 209 miles
Current reading: I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe, The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, NPR Story of the Day, Science Friday, Coverville, DrugMusic
Recent viewing: World Series of Poker, Sportscenter, My Name Is Earl, The Office, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Recent playing: Zuma
Recently accomplished: Cleaned deck with finger-eating detergent, filled in cracks in sidewalk and driveway, refinished deck with rosewood oil, hammered in nails that were sticking out on the deck (most of them), treated blister on thumb from hammering, hair cut, paid bills, made new fender for bike, bought a gift of appreciation
Imperative To Do: Finish old blog entries, rake, install new hard drive for Thomas, clean garage, return stuff to hardware store
Cool Link: Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick: The ultimate breakfast on a stick

Vital Statistics

My back is all better after the pressure washing whirlwind last weekend. In fact, this morning I felt like I had more energy than I have for quite awhile. I’m taking a day off from work tomorrow so I can expend some energy on the yard and house before the party on Saturday.

Bike odometer: 196 miles
Current reading: I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe, The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Science Friday, John Prine, Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Recent viewing: Countdown, CBS Evening News, American Masters: Gene Kelly, High Stakes Poker
Recent playing: Zuma
Recently accomplished: Cleaned and disinfected CPAP equipment, bank, post office, FedEx
Imperative To Do: Hair cut, new rear fender for bike, mow lawn, follow-up phone calls for birthday, finish old blog entries
Cool Link: Drug-danger league table: When ranked according to the harm they cause, which drugs are the most dangerous? (Hint: the top two are legal.)

Vital Statistics

I sold my truck on Thursday night. Tina has a friend, Robert, who has a nephew who wanted to fix it up and resell it. When he showed the conversation went like this:

He: How much are you asking?
Me: Fifty bucks.
He: Will you take forty?
Me: (rolling eyes and laughing) Yes.

I hadn’t been in the truck for quite some time so I was surprised how familiar it smelled when I sat in it the last time to start it (with a jump from the van). I suppose I’ll miss it but our last few years together were rocky. It’s probably better we go our separate ways.

According to MPG, an auto tracking program I’ve used for most of the time I had the truck, my total vehicle cost (including gas) was around $7500. I purchased it in the fall of 1995, when Tina was pregnant with Thomas. I drove it about 80,000 miles in the twelve years since. It ran better on “Plus”. It leaked a little oil and the transmission would get cranky when it was low on fluid. I bought a case of each just for the truck. The cab was always messy but it was perfectly functional and had everything I needed for truck use: tie-downs, rope, chains. It had a pretty cool cassette deck with an iPod jack that Tina got me one year at Costco. I pulled it out before selling it, but I don’t know what I’ll do with it. I had to slide the seat all the way back when I drove. The seat back wouldn’t fold forward when the seat was all the way back though. The truck came with a locking gas cap. Someone broke the key once and I had to replace it. Eventually, I replaced it again with a non-locking cap because it was such a pain in the ass to explain to the station attendants here how it worked. Nobody stole my gas after that. I’ve driven that truck to four different jobs over the years and hauled many loads of yard debris and junk. I guess I will miss it.

Bike odometer: 111 miles
Current reading: The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell by John Crawford, The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Spillane by John Zorn, Grace by Jeff Buckley, One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Decemberists
Recent viewing: 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Late Night with David Letterman
Recent playing: Zuma, poker
Recently accomplished: Sold truck, recycling, grocery shopping, sprayed the driveway weeds
Imperative To Do: Install network in Graham’s room, labels for my sister’s CDs, fix Newton server, kill and pull weeds
Cool Video: Colbert and Stewart at the Emmy Awards (“Good evening, godless Sodomites”)

 

Vital Statistics

Saturday morning I awoke to extremely sore calf muscles. Evidently, all the hiking/walking we did at Adventure Cove the day before took its toll. I did some yardwork, but mostly rested the whole live-long day. I did more of the same yesterday, but my calves are still sore this morning. And I discovered that I actively use those muscles when I’m biking. Now would be a good time to have a second car!

Bike odometer: 64 miles
Current reading: The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Taking The Long Way by Dixie Chicks, Science Friday
Recent viewing: The Daily Show, PGA Championship, 30 Days, South Park, The Dead Zone
Recent playing: Zuma
Recently accomplished: Mowed, trimmed and edged the lawn, trimmed some hedges, instructed Thomas on lawn watering, setup my new Airport Express, grocery shopping
Imperative To Do: Install network in Graham’s room, labels for my sister’s CDs, pay bills, fix Newton server, buy pooper scooper, kill and pull weeds
Cool video: Monster dunk

Vital Statistics

I’m waiting in the airport now for my flight to board for SFO. I had a middle seat but I bought a $24 upgrade for “Economy Plus” that gets me a window seat on the exit row. It’s a scam, but still worth it.

Yesterday Thomas and I went on the annual bike ride for his Cub Scout pack. This year I chose the route and it was quite enjoyable. There’s a length of bike path on Marine Drive along the Columbia that is about 4 miles long. When we got to the end, we pushed our bikes down to the beach and the boys played in the sand for over an hour. It was hot by the time we headed back and I was sucking wind by the end. Thomas really enjoyed it, though, and wants to go on more bike rides. I need to make time for that!

Bike odometer: n/a
Current reading: The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, The Prince by Machiavelli, I Love Being The Enemy by Reggie Miller and Gene Wojciechowski
Recent listening: Last Week’s Album Chart
Recent viewing: Dead Zone, Countdown, Sportscenter, Pee Wee’s Playhouse
Recent playing: Snood, Halo
Recently accomplished: Packed for trip, Cub scout bike ride, Costco shopping, filled up propane tank, paid bills, cleared Tivo bandwidth, laundry
Imperative To Do: Fly to San Francisco, check in to Marriott, pack money clip
Cool link: Flying man (or is that “falling with style”?)

Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 6231 miles
Current reading: Barrel Fever by David Sedaris, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Living With War by Neil Young, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coverville
Recent viewing: Heat at Pistons, Sportscenter, Pardon The Interuption
Recent playing: Poker Room, Halo
Imperative To Do: Call Sears, Graham’s birthday present, call doctor, bike repairs, get watch fixed, truck shopping, bank
Cool link: William Tell Overture, AKA Lone Ranger Theme, played with hands

Vital Statistics

There was no school Friday, so Graham went with Tina to her school and Thomas rode his bike with me to work. This was his first big ride and the first time he took his bike on the Max. He did great and enjoyed playing games with they guys at work.

Bike odometer: 6211 miles
Current reading: Barrel Fever by David Sedaris, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent viewing: Pistons at Cavaliers, Spurs at Mavericks, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Punk’d, Cavaliers at Pistons
Recent playing: GooBall
Imperative To Do: Call Sears, Graham’s birthday present, bike repairs, get watch fixed, truck shopping, bank
Cool link: Evolution of Dance: Awesome video with all your favorite dance steps

Vital Statistics

After the article appeared in the Oregonian two weeks ago, I had a lot of people tell me, “You’re famous!” After having heard this several times from people I knew, I began correcting them. “Famous means that complete strangers recognize you,” I said. “The only people who have commented on the article are people that I know.” Graham also thought it meant I was famous and bragged to everyone who would listen that his dad was in the paper. Overheard several times at Cub Scouts just the other night:

“Do you get the paper?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see my dad in it? He was in it.”

Well, today as I ordered my lunch from the burrito cart, a woman who was waiting for her lunch said to me, “This may seem weird, but I read this article in the paper awhile ago…” And so, now I am famous. A complete stranger recognized me and we had a nice chat about the article and how I am now famous and that she was the one that made me famous.

Bike odometer: 6150 miles
Current reading: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Rattle and Hum by U2, Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson, Express by Love and Rockets
Recent viewing: Mavericks at Spurs, Cavaliers at Pistons, Nets at Heat
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Picked up my new pedals, paid bills
Imperative To Do: Call Sears, bike repairs, get watch fixed, truck shopping, bank
Cool link: The Daily Show Excerpt: Stewart busts Bush on Goss

Vital Statistics

This morning, because I was starting a new book, I chose to climb the big hill on 162nd so that I would have a shorter bike ride and a longer Max ride. By the time I get to the Max station at 162nd and Burnside, I’m pretty out of breath and end up sucking wind while I do my doctor-prescribed back stretches as I wait for the train. Today I was unfortunate enough to suck in some unexpected smoke while I stretched. I looked up and some kid was smoking the last two puffs of his cigarette 10 feet away from me. I was standing directly under the No Smoking sign and considered getting his attention and pointing to it, but I chose to do nothing since he was nearly done with it. Nevertheless, during my entire ride and even up until now, I’m plagued with a cough that I just can’t get rid of. It started out as “the tickle”, but evidently coughing once or twice made it worse.

I continue to assume that smokers don’t know the effect they have on people.

Bike odometer: 6113 miles
Current reading: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Not Blue by Various Artists (compilation by Curt Nelson), Grace by Jeff Buckley, Dreamboat Annie by Heart, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks, Science Friday
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, My Name Is Earl, Distraction, The Daily Show
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed, truck shopping
Cool link: Hallelujah: Excellent Wikipedia entry about an incredible song. I totally dig the explanation of the “secret chord” in the first verse and how the lyric explains the chord progression of the song.

Vital Statistics

I’ve been noticing more and more that people are disobeying the “No Smoking” signs on the Max platforms. I haven’t said anything to anyone in awhile, but last night I disembarked from the Red Line train at Gateway and found two TriMet employees standing on the platform smoking and talking. What the hell?

Bike odometer: 6095 miles
Current reading: Forgotten Promise by Gretchen Von Loewe Kreuter, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen, The Caution Horses by Cowboy Junkies, The Score by The Fugees, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
Recent viewing:The Colbert Report, Sportscenter, Medium, CSI: Miami, Lakers at Suns, Bulls at Heat
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Mowed the lawn (front and back, very short), turned the compost, ordered new pedals for bike
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed
Cool link: What does Critical Mass mean to you?