Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: n/a
Current reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Recent listening: Coverville
Recent viewing: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Some Kind of Monster, Brokeback Mountain, Creature Comforts, Super Bowl XLIV, The Colbert Report
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online, Hand of Greed
Recently accomplished: Finished antenna attic setup, mounted hooks in office, purchased new handheld vacuum
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again), Scout accounting, haircut, clean ice maker, cardboard recycling
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: the usual suspects
Current reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Recent listening: Muse, Tom Waits, XTC, Massive Attack, Portishead, DJ Shadow, The Chemical Brothers, Tones on Tail
Recent viewing: Timeline, Shaft (remake), Medium, Flash Forward, Heroes, Dollhouse, Buffy, Better Off Ted, The 13th Warrior, Memento, The Illustrated Man, World’s Greatest Dad
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online
Recently accomplished: Ordered birth certificate, Scout bookkeeping, passport application, voted
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, hook up antenna in the attic, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again)
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: sore sinuses
Current reading: Timeline by Michael Crichton, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Corey Doctorow
Recent listening: Fairground Attraction, Essential Rarities by The Doors, Love and Rockets, Live at the Olympia by R.E.M.
Recent viewing: Jericho (Season One), Beef, Overnight, Capturing the Freedmans, Orgazmo, Everest: Beyond the Limit (Season Two), Die Hard, NFL Wildcard Playoffs
Recent playing: geoDefense, Link4 Online
Recently accomplished: Christmas tree recycling, grocery shopping, replaced furnace filters
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, hook up antenna in the attic, get passport, clean office, clean roof, fix bathroom door (again)
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2567
Aches & pains: numbness in left thigh, minor stomach flu, congestion, cough, sore right hip
Current reading: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein, I Am America (and So Can You) by Stephen Colbert
Recent listening: Run DMC, Bach, The Doors, Neil Young, Fairground Attraction, News from Lake Wobegon
Recent viewing: Deadwood, Countdown, The Rachel Maddow Show, How I Met Your Mother, The National Parks, Arrested Development, Nova, football
Recent playing: geoDefense
Recently accomplished: Tina’s 40th birthday party, Christmas shopping (most), vacuumed office
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, put antenna in the attic, get passport, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, clean roof
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2557
Aches & pains: numbness in left thigh
Current reading: Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut
Recent listening: Son Volt, Seals & Crofts, Firefall, Bread, Brave Combo
Recent viewing: Fringe, Glee, Mad Men, The Colbert Report
Recent playing: Doodle Jump, geoDefense
Recently accomplished: Fruit pickup and delivery, expense reports, winterization, yard work
Imperative To Do: Clean gutters, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, replace rusted grill parts, clean roof
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2557
Aches & pains: sore back and sciatic nerve
Current reading: My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
Recent listening: Warren Zevon, The Beatles, Bright Eyes
Recent viewing: Iowa vs. Wisconsin, Wartburg vs. Coe, miles of Iowa corn & beans
Recent playing: Doodle Jump
Recently accomplished: Iowa trip planning, visited Sunleafs in Dubuque, met J. Kelly Poole in Cedar Falls, Wartburg Homecoming 2009
People I was lucky enough to see while in Iowa: Troy Munn, Mindy Eastmann, Kalen “Bubby” Eastmann, Taran Eastmann, Mark & Kathi Ring, Logan Ring, Kent Ring, Berdean Ring, Kathryn Warburton, Lorell & Myrtle Christensen, Michelle Cummings, Frank Fox, Jeff Mitchell, Annette Adams, Carl & Kristy Borchardt, Randy Maravetz, Jeff Fox, Art & Amy Sunleaf, Maja Sunleaf, “Belle” Sunleaf, Lizzie Sunleaf, Kelly Poole, Terry Letsche, Rob Marquardt, Caroline & Jim Druschke, Dave Marx, Lynn Olsen, Bob Dahlke, Terrell Hale, Al Vandenbergh, Tim Lieder, Jim & Sharon Parcel, Arnie and Louise Duryee, Sue Barnes, Judy Christensen
People I wanted to see but ran out of time: Mariah Mindy Ring, Oren P. Phipps
Imperative To Do: Return cans, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, replace rusted grill parts, clean roof
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2557
Aches & pains: occasional dizziness (high blood pressure medication)
Current reading: My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs, Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Recent listening: Bach, Mojo Nixon, The Beatles, Adam Ant
Recent viewing: Medium, Mad Men, Heroes, Brainiac, Fringe, FlashForward, Simpsons, Family Guy, Glee, Leverage
Recent playing: Doodle Jump
Recently accomplished: Fixed backups, Scout finances, yard cleanup
Imperative To Do: Return cans, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008, rebates, replace rusted grill parts, set up Iowa liaisons, clean roof
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
With only two weeks of summer remaining it’s high time I updated you about what’s been happening in the Ring household.
For the second year Troop 820 (Thomas’ Boy Scout troop) held an unofficial “family camp” in June. If you recall, last year we went to Idaho for three days of biking. This year we drove to La Pine, OR, where we camped in the “high desert” at 4100 feet. I was huffing and puffing there for two days before I realized that the altitude was the problem. During a bike ride to the shower I figured out that deep breaths counteract the lack of oxygen. Once I knew that, I no longer dreaded getting off my ass and walking to the next campsite. While we were there, the boys enjoyed a long bike ride and floating down the Deschutes River. It wasn’t really that warm but I think the altitude made it feel warm.
Continue reading “Blowing through the jasmine in my mind”
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2529
Van odometer: 155709
Aches & pains: mosquito bites (healing)
Current reading: My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Recent listening: Seconds of Pleasure by Rockpile, Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Revolver by The Beatles, Faith and Courage by Sinéad O’Connor
Recent viewing: The Lady in the Water, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series), Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Sphere, Dear God, Roadside Prophets, The Last Days of Frankie the Fly, The Golden Compass, Truth or Consequences NM, Helvetica, A Scanner Darkly, I’m Not There, The King of Kong, The Killing of John Lennon
Recent playing: Peggle (for iPhone)
Recently accomplished: Bachelor week, Caravan DEQ and registration, cat boxes
Imperative To Do: Read Sam’s script, return cans, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2529
Van odometer: 155627
Aches & pains: mosquito bites
Current reading: My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Recent listening: Collected Works by Simon and Garfunkel, Red Hot + Rhapsody by various artists, Bachbusters by Don Dorsey, The Story by Brandi Carlile, Musique Vol 1 by Daft Punk, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis
Recent viewing: The Prestige, Terminator: Salvation, Rescue Dawn, Star Trek, Rocky Balboa, NBA Conference Playoffs, Witness for the Prosecution, Up, Call of the Wild, The Third Man, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Recent playing: Galcon, Peggle (for iPhone)
Recently accomplished: pulled blackberries, haircut, weed and feed lawn, turned compost, cat boxes, took Ming to vet
Imperative To Do: Read Sam’s script, return cans, put antenna in the attic, clean office, finish Best of 2008