With a Quickening Pace We Race

Awhile ago the Most Amazing Wife and I decided our bathroom needed to be made less ugly. Then we decided no better time than the present to get this party started, so we are now eyeball deep in Project Make Our Bathroom Less Ugly. We had planned on ripping out the wall paneling circa 1950 something and paint the walls, and put in a new sink and new medicine cabinet. Well as is the case with most home improvement projects it didn't go as planned. We pulled the wall paneling off and discovered the drywall underneath was trashed and needed to be replaced. Ok, no problem. Then we found the shower tiles were laid on the wall paneling and that was laid directly on the drywall. So when we took out the drywall we had to gut the shower. Ok...so we'll go to the gym and shower for awhile. Then we realized the shower fixtures aren't compatible with today's technology and the shut off valves that control the shower rotted out. So we had to redo all of the plumbing to install the shower fixture. Then we decided well we're down to bare studs let's go for broke and tile the floor. We had hope to have it all finished by Christmas, mind you we started in the first week or two of December. Well, we didn't hit it so we revised it to New Years. Well New Years is coming up and we still have a few hills to clear so our goal is to now get the floor in by New Years.

We finally have all the walls up with 2 coats of primer, waiting for their final coat of paint. We're going to start cleaning and laying out the floor plan for tiling in the next day or two. After that's finished we can put the sink in, the new mirror and cabinet, tile and paint the shower and put the shower fixture in. Ya.

I feel like we can see the finish line from here, we are starting to put away tools that we don't need anymore and think about installing things. We've been taking pics throughout this odyssey and hope to post the whole slideshow here and everywhere very soon. After we take a shower in our new shower of course.

For This Next Trick...

We recently passed the one month mark with our larger 4 legged furry charge and are bearing witness to a marvelous transformation of canine behavior. When he first strode through our doors he was a handful. He needed to smell everything inside and out jump around, and be where we were every second of the day. We knew part of it was his adolescence and part of it was being in a new surrounding, but none of that made it easy. Since then we've been attending dog school with the incredible Judy Moore of Canine Behavior Counseling.

Before we started her class we explained some of the things we were seeing in his behavior. She said she has a couple different classes for basic obedience and an Outdoor Adventures class for dogs that need some work on socializing with other dogs before they can effectively learn anything. To ensure he landed in the right class she came out to our house with one of her dogs as a distraction dog, to get a feel for him and recommend the right class. We are now 4 weeks into 6 weeks of the Outdoor Adventure class and we're flat out thrilled with the results. The class consists of a variety of dogs all of them fearful or anxious around other dogs or better yet people, and most of them are bigger than our little Mr. Cecil. There have been a couple rows between 2 of the other dogs in the class that occurred nowhere near Mr. Cecil but completely freaked him out all the same. Other than being exposed and shaken by those incidents, he relaxes a little more with each class and has even made some friends! Sure he still gets ancy being around other dogs but it's less frequent and certainly subdued. There are even times when there are other dogs that are barking or growling and he just lets it go and pays attention to us. In the honor of full disclosure he doesn't arbitrarily look up at us, we tell him to 'watch me' (look at me and we'll give you a treat) before he'll do it.

One of the best 'watch me' instances happened this morning on our morning walk. We were walking down a nice quiet residential street when another dog owner was out with her 2 collies walking up the street toward us. We did the 'watch me' command a few times before they got close, and once they got close one of the 2 collies went over threshold with excitement at the sight of Mr. Cecil. Mr. Cecil for his part looked at the dog for a couple seconds while I told him to 'watch me'. After saying it only twice he looked AWAY from the over threshold larger than he is Collie and stared right at me quietly waiting for his treat! He got his well deserved treat and we kept walking while he kept looking at me, waiting for the vending machine to spit out more doggy deliciousness. Oh that's not all. Nay nay. We have trained him to 'leave it' when we drop a treat on the floor in front of him, and we have him sit and calmly stay while we pour his food into his dish and put it down on the floor. We are amazed at how far he and we have come in the short window we've had him, and we're super excited to include him in all sorts of adventures knowing that he's going to be a balanced well behaved little guy.

To Be or Not to Be

That is the question. About 5 months ago I was let go from my prior employer and have been trying to get back into the industry I called 'what I do' for almost 6 years. I proudly stand behind my work. I also enjoyed what I do or did and I was good at it, the numbers don't lie. That's why I get so frustrated sometimes standing on the outside looking in after so many resumes to my industry mates end up in the wind. I have my opinions on why that is but this is not the place to air that. I'm starting to read the writing on the wall, that the industry I called what I do for so long is done with me. I can't change the circumstances I've been handed, I can only respond, and my response will dictate how I'm measured as a person.

I have a couple ideas for a career path in mind, two very different ones. They both involve some level of a return to the classroom. One involves an expensive and intense return to the classroom, and a pretty nice schedule when all is said and done. The other would involve a much cheaper and less intense return to the classroom, learning on the job and more obscure Presidents rolling in sooner. The first option is becoming a teacher. The return to the classroom would entail a consolidated Masters Degree program at the local college. The program is great, not cheap and cut throat. I also have not taught in a classroom so I don't know if it's something I really like. It does sound really cool though. For the short term I'm in the process of becoming certified as a substitute teacher to test the waters and pull down some more obscure Presidents. The sub gig is basically a requirement before entering the program so hopefully everyone that goes into it knows before they get there if it's what they really want. Wise move Master Luke.

The other path I'm pondering is some sort of trade i.e. plumbing, electrician, general contractor, carpenter, just something with my hands. We own a house. For those that have a house you know how busy they leave your hands. Those that don't own one have probably heard the horror stories and torrid tales of repairing appliances and fixtures and money flying out the door for one thing or another. Low and behold I have found I really enjoy doing those things. In our house alone I've stripped wood paneling and wallpaper, sanded spackled sanded and painted 3 rooms, removed carpeting, replaced the trap on the bathroom sink once, replaced pipes in the kitchen sink at least twice, taken the kitchen faucet apart once (and will be doing it again today to fix a stubborn wobble) replaced the threshold on an exterior door and built a cloffice, installed new crown moulding and trim and fixed window sills. Oh by the way a cloffice is a closet turned into an office. Slick eh? After all these projects I find myself looking for the next project to complete or dreaming up possible things I can do. I've pondered doing something like a trade recently but had thought I might resent it if I was being paid for it. With one of the recent projects I conquered, replacing the threshold, I found myself counting down the days until I could start the project, I was actually excited to do it. It had a few speed bumps along but even with those it was still really enjoyable. I'm realizing that I might not resent doing something like that if I was paid for it and am beginning to embrace the possibility. I love the idea of doing something that has a tangible benefit to society (which is present in both options so the jury is still out on which career path I'll head down.)

I'm not sure which one I'll pursue. I'll do a lot of research and talking with people and most importantly talking with the Tremendous and Lovely Wife and deciding what works best for us. For now I have some finishing touches to do on the crown moulding and a stubborn wobbling kitchen faucet to fix before I study for my sub teacher certification test. 5 extra credit points if you remember how to calculate the volume of a cylinder.

Happy Matrimony

So this post is long overdue. It's been awhile in the making due to one thing or another and alas it's finally here. After much anticipation and a constant chorus of 'WHEN?!?!' in our household our wedding pics have finally arrived!! Our marvelous photographer the fantastic Clare Norton has completed the tedious task of editing and sifting and organizing all the moments of our most beautiful day. She handpicked a fistful for a nice album and put the rest on a series of DVD's for us so we can print or wallpaper as we please.

Time stood still on that day in September and as easy as it might be (doesn't everyone have 1.21 jiggawatts of electricity at their disposal?) we can't hop in the Delorean and revisit that day. All we have to remember that day are our memories and the wonderful images captured by a bounty of cameras. Here is a snapshot of the Awesomeness!

Behold the Threshold

I don't remember when I realized that the threshold to our seldom used front door was decrepit, but I do remember thinking we should fix it before it snows. I knew I'd need some tools that we didn't already own and aside from being used for the task at hand, they'd be helpful for other jobs around the house. So a trip to the hardware store and we're a circular saw and speed square richer. I also picked up the threshold itself along with all the other parts I knew I'd need and circled yesterday as The Day, the day before the rains came to conquer it.

You could tell by looking at the threshold itself that it was in pretty bad shape but what I wasn't able to discern was the state of the boards underneath. Once I removed the old threshold, front fascia board and the boards behind it I found a robust any colony having their own little party in there. They had beat it up some but I think the moisture was the primary culprit. The sub sill and boards underneath appear to extend into the framing of the house behind the siding, and I have no idea how far back the punky wood runs. Does it run to the corner of the house? Does it stop in the next few inches? Is it on both sides? Do I feel like stripping down everything on the front of the house to get it all out? Not really. I decided to do what I needed to to finish the job and seal the living daylights out of it and hope it holds for the time being. Dismantling the front of the house looking for rotted wood is a job for someone else some other day, perhaps when we put a second story on the house.

With fascia boards in hand I covered the wood in borax (rot and insect repellent extraordinaire) threw down a vapor barrier and slapped them in. When I took out the old threshold I discovered that it was original or most likely was original to the house: it had a top and bottom horn on both sides and the casing for the door extended out over and was flush with the top of the threshold. So there are only 2 ways that threshold and that door arrived at their final resting place: by building one side of the door frame put the threshold down and finish building the other side of the door frame and then dropping the door in. The other option would by building the two sides and bottom of the door frame and then sliding the threshold down from the top and then finishing the frame and installing the door. They dropped a cool 11 nails into the top of it (mysteriously only a couple went into the sub sill as well.) They even nailed through the studs into the ends of it. What the hell were they expecting would happen to it? Were they going to hang elephants from it? Anyway we've discovered it's a very sturdy house.

So after hearing about all the home improvement excitement the elder version of myself stopped by to join in the power tool wielding party. We tried slamming the threshold into place but realized the casing was blocking it, so a few well placed swipes with the jigsaw later and the threshold popped into place. I ran some expanding foam up underneath it and managed to get a thin coating of it all over my fingers. This stuff doesn't come off, I did heed their 'wear gloves' warning but then took them off when I thought I was done got some on the can in the process and soon it's too late. I'm contemplating taking fine grit sand paper to my finger tips so I don't spend the next few weeks with tufts of pet hair stuck to my fingers. At least the threshold won't budge. Even with all that fine handiwork done it's not quite finished yet, I'm going to slap a finished fascia board on it next week after the rain stops and it's had a chance to dry out. I'm pleased with the outcome and am kind of excited for the next home improvement project that comes our way. Hopefully it'll involve using the new circular saw. If not I might just turn it on and wave it some scrap wood for good measure.

Let there be...change

As you might have heard we recently adopted a dog, Cecil. He's a 2 year old border collie, hound, beagle mix. We know some of what he's been through just from what the rescue group told us after we adopted him and we're finding out much more as we go. We've discovered he's afraid of a lot of things even the cat. He'll whimper and whine when the cat is around doing such hazardous to his health things, like sleeping on the couch. If he's in his crate and the cat is around he whines and then growls we suspect out of some sort of fear aggression response. We've made his crate as cozy as possible and even give him treats when he's in there (and the cat is not around) to foster the concept 'this is your happy place.' Lately he seems to be turning his nose up at it and fighting it probably because he's understanding now that it means he'll be in there for many hours (overnight.) He is/was crate trained when we picked him up. When he gets spooked by the sleeping cat he whines and gets as close to us as he can. We wonder if his fear of the cat and his inability to curl up next to us when he's in his crate are causing him to growl at the cat out of a fear aggression response. It's getting old. Every 5 minutes at night we have to get out of the bed as soon as we hear him growling and correct him. We don't coddle him when he whines but we don't want to let the aggressive behavior go unchecked. Ah Cecil. It's just a cat buddy!

Cecil!

The Cute and Wonderful Wife and I have talking about getting a dog for almost a year now and decided we would wait until after the wedding for many reasons. We've scoured the web pages of local animal rescue shelters and hadn't found a dog that sounded like it would fit in our home. One dog was described as "She really likes to GO GO GO and wants a family that does the same." Others had problems with cats or with children. As fate would have it The Cute and Wonderful Wife had been chatting with our wedding photographer Clare Norton about our search for a dog. Clare recommended the Almost Home Rescue shelter it's where she landed her 2 wonderful dogs. The Cute and Wonderful Wife checked out the page and found Cecil. We knew as soon as we read the description he has the perfect temperment and energy for our household.

We don't have any pics that you can coo over so put on your thinking caps. Come on now don't be shy. He's a black and white hound beagle border collie mix. He's only 2 and he's had a tough go of things already, he was chained up outside by his prior owners and just left there while other dogs from the neighborhood would come and attack him. He still has some scars on his legs from when he was attacked. Through all of that he's kept a stiff upper lip and by all accounts he gets along well with other dogs, animals, (his foster parents have chickens and he doesn't really pay any attention to them) and young kids. His foster mom said he's listed at 25 pounds but that's pretty generous. She also mentioned he's a mellow laid back kind of guy and likes to lay on the couch and chill with his pack leaders. She repeatedly said he's so well behaved and calm that would make a brilliant therapy dog. While we're not looking for that it certainly is a great thing to hear.

We have had our home evaluation (and passed-obviously) we've sent in our paperwork and arranged for the pick up. We've secured a den for him (a crate with some nice blankets for him to lay on) and a couple toys, a leash, food dishes, and some food. Now all we have to do is....wait! Gah! We can't pick him until tomorrow afternoon. It feels like an eternity. We are ready and excited to bring home our new companion and want to make the transition a calm balanced and safe affair for him and for us his pack leaders (yes Moxie is a pack leader too!) We'll post pics of the newest member of our pack very soon. Cecil!

Eat your heart out Ikea Part II

Adding roman numerals to things always seems to make things more regal doesn't it? Back to the Future II and III wouldn't have the same zest if they were Back to the Future 2 and 3. The Superbowl would be a bit less than the Superbowl if it were Superbowl 44. This post is no different it needs to live up to the regalness started by its predecessor a post done in July.

The Cloffice is done. I finished drilling the holes to accommodate the cords in the back slapped a couple coats of poly on it and screwed it onto the metal support braces. As promised in July here is a pic of The Cloffice, or basically a nice piece of wood in our closet.



See? Pretty ritzy eh? We're pretty proud of our handiwork. This helps us maximize precious square footage in our house and it's a nod to the scandanavian design elements of clean simplistic lines and not wasting an inch of space, all elements that we absolutely fell in love with when we were in Iceland.

Born to Run

So I just finished plowing through Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and it's really opened my eyes to all or the little I knew about running. Personal insights aside it's an interesting and funny read mixing cutting edge anthropology, science and some excellent story telling. But, onto the cool science stuff.

The author wants to be a runner but is constantly plagued with injuries even after running short distances. In a last ditch effort to overcome his injury prone ways he heads to the Copper Canyons in the Mexican dessert like Skywalker seeking Obi Wan to find a reclusive tribe of ultra runners. The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico have practiced running up and around and through the canyons in the dessert up to 50 miles at a stint, for fun. People of all ages run effortlessly for miles and miles through dangerous switchbacks and canyons under the searing dessert sun without so much as the latest and greatest sneakers, hydration packs power gels or a even good pair of socks. They slap on some cheap sandals and set off for a cool 50. After spending a few days with Tarahumara he heads home to do some research and see if science can explain how they do what they do, as well as apply some of what they do to his own body.

So how is it that the Tarahumara peel off 50 miles at a time in cheap sandals without showing any injuries? Apparently it's our own fault. It's our shoes. The human foot is perfectly engineered to run long distances but we feel compelled to wrap it in all sorts of fancy rubber and trappings to prevent it from doing this that and the other thing. A long long time ago Neanderthals roamed the planet. They were happily chillin' when somewhere along the way homo sapiens dropped in. Of the two species Neanderthals were stronger, tougher, had harder-to-break bones, bigger brains and better natural insulation against the cold. Yet within a scant 10,000 years of their arrival homo sapiens were the only kids left on the block, the Neanderthals were gone. How did the strongest smartest and sturdiest lose to the weak one? Neanderthals lacked the ability to run. After the great big winter died down and the jungles and canyons gave way to great big open plains the Neanderthals way of hunting with spears and bow and arrow didn't do them any favors, you can't hunt an animal with a spear that can see you coming from miles away. Sure they could sprint or jog a short distance but they couldn't flat out run like we humans can. Have you ever heard of any creature in the animal kingdom running for 26 miles at a time without stopping? They don't because they can't. Homo sapiens are perfect engines of locomotion we have legs full of springy tendons the ability to sweat to release excess body heat and the ability to breathe while running. All pelt covered creatures release heat by panting and can't take multiple breaths and run at the same time. Point humans. Animals can sprint for a short period of time but ultimately have to stop and pant to release built up heat. Humans also have arched feet and short flat toes perfect for running. That's great that we can run like hell for a long time but that doesn't help us when a cheetah for instance can do laps around us and then turn us into hamburger. It's the endurance not the speed that set us apart and put us at the top.

The author found a tribe in Africa that still hunts animals by persistence hunting-running an animal down until it's exhausted and THEN hurling your spear at it. So that's how we did it. We simply ran animals down until they couldn't move anymore and killed them. Opposable thumbs don't hurt either. Hello top of the food chain.

All this talk of primitive life on the plains sans the newest running sneakers and sans any injuries lead to a blurb about the barefoot running world and the Vibram Fiver Finger shoe. All the information taken together presents a pretty compelling reason to go barefoot. The Beautiful and Awesome Wife and I recently ran a 10K with a friend of ours who was sporting the Fiver Finger shoes. She's been running with them for awhile and really enjoys them and did quite well in the race. She was a bit sore after the race but then again we all were. The Fiver Finger shoes do lend themselves well to other activities i.e. water sports which we do plenty of. That and you feel like you're barefoot how cool is that? I'm certainly intrigued by them and the thought of running in them. I'd like to give it a shot but I haven't arrived at the I want to run barefoot table yet. Maybe sometime I'll shed the chains that shod and answer the call to running barefoot.

I do!

So we got married! Woo! After months of planning and anticipation, the big day finally arrived. After all the work everything turned out perfectly, from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony and the reception. We danced down the aisle to Stevie Wonder, we danced some more at the reception, we reveled in the wonderful food and drinks, and most importantly laughed loved and cherished every minute of this most beautiful day.

After a couple days of changing gears we set off for our honeymoon in Iceland! Iceland is the most beautiful place we've ever seen and the trip was the greatest trip we've ever been on. We stayed at a great hotel in downtown Reykjavik, the Hotel Fron. It was located in the heart of Reykjavik an easy walk to just about everything and anything you would possibly need. We explored all the great sights and sounds of Reykjavik and ventured out into the countryside eager for more Icelandic adventures. We smeared white silica mud all over ourselves in the Blue Lagoon, we watched geysers erupt in Þingvellir National Park. We walked through some of Iceland's history, exploring the canyon that housed their first parliament around 1000 a.d. They got it right the first time their parliament is the oldest continuously functioning parliament in the land. We strolled through all the museums we could find, we checked out the local flea market and perused the local fish market wide eyed and slack jawed at the specimens for sale: rotten shark meat, all kinds of fish, minke whale, lamb and horse meat. We ate at the most popular restaurant in the country, a hot dog stand. We crammed as much as we could into the 8 days we were in country. We left Keflavik Airport with a yearning for more of Iceland, wanting to keep experiencing it, wanting to bring it home and continue the experience. Everyone seriously needs to visit Iceland. Go! Right now! Seriously stop reading this and go book your tickets.

Amazing

A couple years ago the Awesome Fiancee and I were wandering aimlessly about our wonderful city window shopping for nothing at all. We dropped into a store that sells all sorts of weird knick knacks and trinkets like hot sauce that vows to burn center parts of your anatomy or aluminum Batman lunchboxes. We were puttering around the store when we noticed the music wasn't mindless drivel or elevator music. It had substance. It had strength and sincerity. The singer was clearly talented and we played the guessing game on who it might be. It doesn't sound like Aretha Franklin or Sheryl Crow, certainly not Madonna. Her voice was full, rich and strong and on top of that the song was simply beautiful. We kept listening wondering who is this? We finally asked the shop keeper, it was Ingrid Michaelson covering an Elvis Presley song, Can't Help Falling In Love.

Fast forward to the present day, we now own a cd of hers and are more familiar with her amazing work. We heard Ingrid would be doing a show near our fine city right around our wedding, so we marked off the day in our busy pre-wedding calendar. We arrive at the venue and after a little snafu with our seats we eventually get settled in. About 45 minutes into the show Ingrid settles down at her piano and reads from a piece of paper that someone named Brian is asking her to the prom and that he can't wait. Cue funny banter and jokes about being too old. She then says it's a wonderful thing when this song is sung to or for someone very special and launches into Can't Help Falling in Love. After the last chord had been struck and the applause subsides for her cover of The King's work, still overflowing with joy and emotion the Awesome Fiancee holds up her phone and points to it saying, "I asked her to play that." "What?! How'd you get her phone number?" No, the Awesome Fiancee didn't call or text her. She created a twitter account for the sole purpose of reaching out to her directly to request that she play the song as a surprise for me.

I am the LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE.

Ye Olde Brew

Once upon a time the Awesome Fiancee used to live in a very cute little cottage type house that dated back to the 1920's. When she moved into the house there was a stash of empty bottles in the basement that were rumored to have always been with the house, dating all the way back to when it was built. A lot of them had been covered in dirt and mud so it appears someone possibly dug them up somewhere on the property while planting a garden or found them laying around and just decided to hold onto them. They're old, quirky and cool looking and just exude us, so when we combined housing units we decided to take the bottles with us and clean them up so we can use them as decor for our wedding.

Well the wedding is a scant 17 days away (!!!!!) and we're ramping up our bottle cleaning efforts. Yesterday I grabbed a couple that seemed to hold some real promise in the cool and quirky looks department and started in on them. After I had scraped away some of the dirt and mud on the first one I noticed it had "Suffolk Brewing Co., Boston, MA" stamped on the side. I used to live in Boston and have lived in New England all my life and have never heard of that brewery. I thought it was really cool and decided to keep plugging away on the cleaning to find out what else we had. I started in on the second one and found "Continental Brewing Co., Boston" stamped on the bottom. A little time with Ye Olde Google tells me that the Suffolk Brewing Co. in Boston was open from 1861 through 1890! I'm holding something that is close to 150 years old AND it's a piece of glass! Flush with excitement at my Antique's Roadshow moment of discovery I did some digging on the second one and found this article in the NY Times archives from August 8, 1900 discussing the merger of the Continental Brewing Co., of Boston, MA with 9 other Boston breweries to form the Continentals Brewing Co. (no that's not a typo)Now that I know what we have I may dial down the cleaners I'm using on these bottles.

Sans speedy crispiness

I remember a brief period in my time on this rock when we didn't have a microwave, but I was too young to be anywhere near cooking appliances to understand the experience. Eventually one did arrive. As I grew older with one at my beck and call it became the end all be all and I treated the stove like a second class citizen. The microwave did everything for me. Every conceivable food item that needed heat thrown at it went to the microwave. I'd shudder if some sort of food item COULDN'T be nuked. At one point in college I even used it to dry out some damp (clean) socks. (Thank you Uncle Buck.) Ya. When in doubt nuke it!

The Awesome Fiancee had a microwave that went out in a blaze of glory. Literally. As fate would have it the prior owners of our charming estate left us a titanic microwave. It was a Model T of microwaves. It was as big as an old TV and took what seemed like an eternity to heat things up. Not all of the parts on it always worked but alas we decided to hang onto it because it was a working microwave. We used it when it was convenient and didn't really think about replacing it. Our biggest concern at the time was where do we fit it on the counter? Our kitchen is modest and the titanic sized microwave wasn't helping our cause. It had slowly sucked the life out of the counter. The sink would fill up with the dirty dishes from breakfast and by the end of dinner they had migrated to the stove top. We decided we really don't have room in the kitchen for it and it wasn't blowing anyone away with its heating prowess so after very little deliberation we gave it the heave ho. I wondered what it would be like not having the capability to warm up left overs in 3 minutes or cook a meal in 5, or cook popcorn as easily, or rejuvenate that dying cup of coffee. The Awesome Fiancee on the other hand didn't seem to be as concerned. She knew something I didn't. She could see beyond the great beyond. She could see a time that people once knew when life was simpler and people with pacemakers didn't have to hide. She saw life without a microwave and didn't shudder. She assured me everything would be just fine and ironed out my food concerns: yes popcorn can be made on a range top, leftovers of all types can be reheated in a saucepan and we can still create fine dinners just not as quickly.

I don't remember the last time I yearned for a microwave and I haven't screwed up any meals due to the lack of the microwave. Not a one. All the meat makes its way out of the freezer early in the day and the range top takes care of heating up everything just fine. Leftovers? No problem there either. Beet risotto with walnuts and goat cheese? Range top took care of it. Chicken and rice? Done. Lentils? Steaming on the plate. When we registered for our wedding I never even thought to suggest a microwave. Thanks but no thanks we're all set, we don't want one.

Red Rain

So I never thought I'd say this amidst a wonderful sunny summer afternoon but I want rain. A solid continous everything gets wet when you walk to the car kind of rain. Rainy days are a nice change of pace, they have a sort of refreshing feel to them. All the plants and the lawn and the trees have a satiated look to them and every non living thing seems a bit cleaner, brighter, and rejuvenated.

We have had 1 day of solid appreciable rain fall in the past month. I'm not some sort of gloomy person that derives pleasure when it's grey and rainy, I love a sunny and 75 degrees kind of day anyday. But this is crazy. Crazy. Our lawn looks like a dirt road and our trusty rain barrell is empty.

Our rain barrell has saved our bacon this summer: holding every scant drop of moisture the heavens threw our way so we can keep our illustrious garden going. Without any of the wet stuff falling out of the sky these days we've resorted to drastic measures. Yep. We finally caved and turned on our hose to water the garden. It felt awkward cumbersome, and unfamiliar. We obviously use water in our every day lives but this was different. Our rain barrell had done such a wonderful job it had become our standard when watering the garden, and we didn't worry about giving the tomatoes a little extra moisture because hey it's free! Now it's over. Well, until the next rain which is predicted for Tuesday. Rain rain come back anyday you'd like!

Stop Making Sense

After one spin of a Talking Heads album and it's pretty apparent that their front man and creative steam engine David Byrne is an interesting chap, the name of their live album is entitled "Stop Making Sense." Ya. I do like their music, talented bunch. So I recently ran across David's book Bicycle Diaries. I admit I had judged it before I even laid my hands on it, I thought it would be odd and interesting. I even hoped that it would be weird and at points captivating in its oddity and hopefully include some discussion on cycling. David did not disappoint.

So he started riding a bicycle as his primary means of transportation around his adopted home of NYC in the early 80's when motorists didn't give a damn about sharing the road with anyone, especially cyclists. He found it to be more convenient and exhilarating to whizz down the dirty potholed streets. It also afforded him an opportunity to see and experience a lot of things you wouldn't if you were stuck underground on a train or crawling through traffic in the back of a cab. As his work and personal pursuits of interesting and different things took him gallivanting around the third rock from the sun he started bringing along a folding bicycle to explore his destinations. The book is broken out into chapters devoted to cities he's visited, a record of what he's seeing, doing, or people he's meeting with and most interestingly what he's thinking as he's cruising around these foreign lands. Oh boy.

In the chapter devoted to one of his trips to Berlin he ponders what he calls the biggest self-deceptions of life; that life has a "meaning" and that each of us is unique. He opines that "Maybe what we think of as self, of us as individuals, of each of us with unique personalities and character, also exists in dogs, and might even extend down the food chain as far as insects. Insects with character and personalities? Why not? Why stop with doggies? An insect might be just like me. I, what I call I, might not be unique at all." For the meaning of life he mentions that religions all over the world have dealt with this and continues on and on. We can skip that one.

Then there are his thoughts on language as a prison while cruising around Manila on his collapsible 2 wheeled steed. He said "The Philippines did have a written language before the Spanish colonists arrived, contrary to what many of those colonists subsequently claimed. However it was a language that some theorists believe was mainly used as a mnemonic device for epic poems." He continues, "One theory regarding language is that it is primarily a useful tool born out of a need for control. In this theory written language was needed for control. In this theory written language was needed once top-down administration of small towns and villages came into being. Once there were bosses there arose a need for written language. The rise of the great metropolises of Ur and Babylon made a common written language an absolute necessity-but it was only a tool for the administrators. Administrators and rulers needed to keep records and know names-who had rented which plot of land, how many crops did they sell, how many fish did they catch, how many children do they have, how many water buffalo? More important, how much then do they owe me? In this account of the rise of written language, name and accounting seem to be language's primary "civilizing" function." And ya, it gets better, "What's amazing to me is that if we accept this idea, then what may have begun as an instrument of social and economic control has now been internalized by us as a mark of being civilized. As if being controlled were, by inference, seen as a good thing, and to proudly wear the badge of this agent of control-to be able to read and write-makes us better, superior, more advanced. We have turned an object of our own oppression into something we now think of as virtuous. Perfect! We accept written language as something so essential to how we live and get along in the world that we feel and recognize its presence as an exclusively positive thing, a sign of the enlightenment. We've come to love the chains that bind, that control us, for we believe that they are us."

Wow. OK. So it would be difficult to get through a modern day without the written word but do we need all the trappings of modern society? Many cultures and people over the course of history seemed to get through their lives with the spoken word passed down generation to generation and some hieroglyphs to compliment some of their stories. Instead of texting IMing or emailing we could all revert to using crayons and pictures. I call dibs on the Burnt Sienna!

Eat your heart out Ikea

We recently decided that we needed some more desk space in one of the rooms in our humble abode. There is an ol' desk in here that was holding up all sorts of stationary odds and ends and is serving its purpose at the moment of what we want it to do but it's chewing up valuable real estate. And it's right next to the cat's litter box. Ouch. After a well timed conversation with a good friend of ours a solution presented itself-build a cloffice! A cloffice is a clever mash up of words that describes a closet that has had its doors ripped off, all the clothes removed and a desk or flat surface thrown into the center to create a working surface. Some industrious souls even paint or decorate the walls with wire racks, dry erase boards, put plants on the desk, add lights or dart boards to give it the feel of a real desk or office space.

We've opted for something in the middle. We ripped the doors off and threw them to the curb with a quickness, painted the walls to match the walls in the room and hung some braces. We picked out a nice flat piece of unfinished pine to serve as our Tablet in Which We Will Rule the World From, others know it as a desk. But, not here, nay nay. So. The braces are hung, the wood is cut and settled in. Now we need to find a suitable polyurethane coating to cover it with so that the infinite beauty of the wood will be preserved for eternity. It's been a remarkably simple fun and super cheap little project, and the best part is we're gaining use of space we already have! Once it's finished we'll throw up some pics...of our closet....with a nice piece of wood in the middle.

Workin' for the weekend...

I have discovered a spot of hope or dare I say a sign that not all our tax dollars are being frittered away on $2,000 dollar toilet seats and $80 dollar pens. I'm on the prowl for gainful meaningful employment in a particular career field and received a mailing announcing a Job Search Workshop at our local state run career center. I'm open to new avenues and people I can talk with to help me in my crusade for a steady way to pass my days, so I decided to attend. I'm pleased as punch I did.

There were a swath of backgrounds and professions being represented at our little forum. Most of the folks had been in their respective fields for many years, one of them had been in his field longer than I've been making laps around the sun. Some people voiced frustration with running into the silver shield, others were interested in learning how to use technology to search and apply for jobs online, what job search engines are reputable, even what search engines data mine. Luckily I know my way around a computer and the search engines pretty well and was just hoping to glean some more information on how to streamline what I do know and maybe find a couple more resources I can use in my hunt.

Our Facilitator was a strong positive woman that engaged everyone in the process and balanced her message to give a little bit of information to satiate all the needs in the room. She also introduced everyone to a couple state web pages we have at our disposal. One is designed to help you find information about the demands and quirky specifics of a particular occupation and the second one was a super nifty search engine that allows you to enter very specific criteria about your skill set (what search engines allow you to indicate active listener as search criteria?) It then combs the database of openings and spits out the closest match to your skill set and interest. Thankfully it doesn't spit out a list of jobs for you to sift through nor does it have a listing of job openings to scroll through. No no this puppy is designed to seek and destroy.

So our intrepid Facilitator also introduced us to the amenities the career center itself has to offer including free laser printing for resumes/cover letters, free business card printing, free phones to use for job interviews etc., free faxing and photocopying and a bank of computers to use for anything you need related to what you're looking for. I might utilize some of the services and I might not, even if I don't it warms my heart to see that our tax dollars are doing some real hard honest good for everyday people.

3 Stooges 2 wheels and 1 Tree

So I ran across a clever bike rack design at bicycle design called the bike tree. It's essentially a pillar with a flared bottom or ramp so you can drive your trusty two wheeled steed 'up' the trunk where it appears to grab the front wheel and roll it up the trunk to it's resting place underneath a canopy. I think it's a brilliant idea to store your mount out of the easy reach of lecherous hands that harbor ill will towards it or lust after it, and for those that crave every inch of concrete for things other than bike racks. Done and done. Although when I saw it for the first time I immediately thought of how much fun the Three Stooges would have with it. I'm an unabashed Three Stooges fan. I used to watch them on the weekends when I was kid and spent countless hours every New Years Eve in front of the TV while one of the local TV stations ran their annual Three Stooges marathon. I would laugh until my sides hurt watching Moe Larry and Curly turn the most benign situation into a cavalcade of slaps eye pokes and hitting each other in the head with hammers or dropping tools on each others feet. I envisioned the boys being dumbfounded by it and Moe getting caught on a bicycle as it's rolled up the trunk and dangling by his shirt collar while Larry and Curly rush around trying to release him. Eventually one of them would stumble across the solution to return Moe and bicycle to ol' terra firma at a high rate of speed resulting in lots of eye poking, bonking each other in the hand and 'nyuk nyuk nyuk.' Ah I miss the Stooges thanks be to the marvelous interwebs for housing them in all their glory.

Speaking of riding the 2 wheeled monster the Marvelous Fiancee and I recently visited some wonderful friends in the Windy City. It was our first foray into Chitown and we had a wonderful time dancing socializing and picnicking with some wonderful people, all while exploring all the city had to offer. One of the highlights was "The Bean" a piece of urban art that is basically a highly reflective silverish giant bean dropped in the middle of a downtown park. We took full advantage of the opportunities to play tricks with the camera and get some cool shots of ourselves and that skyline complete with the building used in the Adventures of Babysitting. The city also boasted a robust bicycle friendly community complete with extensive bike paths and signage through the meat of the city, bike racks everywhere including a huge one outside of Wrigley Field that was loaded to the gills. Everywhere we went we saw people riding road bikes hybrids mountain bikes bmx cruisers etc. Here in our little corner of the world we have a solid bicycle friendly community comparable for the size of our city. While it's pretty solid it has some room to grow for sure, but Chicago ya done good I say.