"Keep a Journal: How else are you going to get a good look at who you were?"

Monday, December 25, 2006

Happy Xmas!

Merry New Year!

Humbug...

We've dispensed with christmas. Got a call from Karen at five to eight this morning. Possibly she forgot that we're one hour behind them. Anyway, the kids got up straightaway and headed for the prezzies. We all unwrapped. I got new socks (whew...the old ones are getting a little threadbare), and an mp3 player. L got me some good earphones to go with. I also got a very nice plush terry robe...curious because that's the same thing I got Laurie! I had no idea.

The tree is down, the decorations are stowed, the pine needles swept up. I go to take the tree to get mulched next week.

I am going on vacation next week. But I gotta work three days this week first.

Hopefully, I'll be reinstated as a machine operator sometime soon.

Hopefully, I'll get the stairs done this week...now that I have figured out how I'm going to do it.

Hopefully, I can start working on my New Years' Resolutions...

Hopefully...

Sunday, December 10, 2006

I'd like to endorse this product:

It's the cat's pajamas. Really just a telescoping gaffer's pole with some specially molded plastic clips...but Brother, I'm telling ya: the EASIEST way to hang Xmas lights I've ever SEEN.

No ladder needed.

Plus, the pole itself (with threaded friction clamps on the joints so it doesn't collapse while in use) folds up to about 1 meter length when you're finished with it. We bought the genuine article...there are cheap knockoffs out there that are worse than useless. You pay the same money, but forget about using them for their intended purpose. Somebody oughta sue the unscrupulous trolls who are making these inferior copies.

We put up the tree tonight too...this is by far the tallest Xmas tree we have purchased (shades of Clarke Griswold). This sucker is almost 8 feet tall. The Angel's head is almost scraping the ceiling; this after we trimmed the top with shears so the Angel would fit!

The missionaries stopped by to say hello and "what's up?" and return that copy of FLEEP I printed up for them off Jason Shiga's website. I don't think much of Shiga as an artist, but MAN can that guy write a gripping story! FLEEP messes with your head. More specifically, the author messes with his protagonists' head...and takes the reader along for the ride.

Speaking of being taken for a ride. I've been "off the Machine" for three weeks now...and it's getting old. I've already written the theory exam for re-certification (and I'm not too upset about that...I would have had to write it in another few months anyway...) -- I aced it.

Owing as how Bill Mason (our newly minted machine trainer) has some issues with an apparent non sequitir in the manual, ie: recommended procedure for picking a load out of the rack requires turning the machine square with the racking before inserting the fork boom or lifting the mast to the shelf height. Trouble is, the Hyster lift trucks won't turn into the rack in some of our more narrow aisles -- without hitting the racking on the opposite side of the aisle.

Carlos Siferra has "taken charge" of machine operation safety. He's the one who decided I was to re-certify to get my licence back. I am the first operator to do so on the Hysters with Bill Mason as Instructor.

Bill dropped his aforementioned issues squarely in Carlos' lap. He told me that unless the manual - recommended procedures are altered, he'll basically have to flunk everybody...and we don't want that, do we?

Carlos is caught between a rule book and HBC Logistics senior management; who all insist, by the way, that there is no problem at all with the Hyster trucks. The Hyster Trucks are built EXACTLY to the specs we gave them and our complaints about them are baseless.

sigh...

The Hysters are:

-Heavier than the Raymonds.

-Without linked steering gear. Surprising since (see above) a machine of that size ought to have linked steering.

-Under-powered. Their ground speed is comparable to the Raymonds, but the lift capacity is about 1250lbs less.

-Longer overall by about 8 ". Our racks are placed with about 14 inches clearance for a Raymond. The Hyster's extra lenth cuts that margin in half. With a load on the forks, the end-to-end diagonal profile is actually longer than the aisle is wide. Apparently, no-one thought of sending the overall diagonal length of the machine to Hyster, or mention that putting a standard 40x48 pallet on the forks would increase that length a further 4-6 inches.

-A trip hazard. With a step up height of over a foot; most of our guys got tripped up by these things for the first few days that we had them.

-Equipped with TWO safety switches. Full interlock switches that kill ALL the power (lift included) to the machine unless one of them is engaged (usually the deadman). You can't step off and observe the fork carriage from the "outboard postion"...you have to get another operator to stand next to your machine and spot you.

-Using a backrest that is 4 inches taller than the Raymond. This has resulted in several rack bars being hit. I had one such incedence in which I pranged the bottom of the shelf bar hard enough to knock out the locking pin! No damage to the bar, and I wasn't removed from machine operation for that one. Hyster has probably claimed that the backrest height is exactly the spec we gave them. If measured from the floor, the top of the gaurd is indeed 52"; as specified.

However...

It is necessary to raise the forks 3 to 4 inches in order to pick up a pallet with them. The Raymond backrest was more like 48 inches from the floor, and just under 52 inches when raised sufficiently to pick up a pallet. After lifting with the Hyster, we're trying to cram a 56 inch fork carriage into a 58 inch rack bay. Sometimes it's a poor fit; especially when there's more than 20 feet between the operator and the target shelf. You really need 20/20 vision to pull that off...

Barry even suggested painting the fork tips bright yellow so they were easier to see...

Maintenance DID just that...but lowering the backstops by cutting them and re-welding? Nope, still sitting on that one.

Oh, I do hate to go on about it...but according to the operation manual, there are things that these Hysters are supposed to be able to do as part of their "normal" operation...and they can't.

I go on vacation last week of December; what the hey, I couldn't get any vacation time from May until September...I took Spring Break off, then saved the rest for square dance festival week and a final week at Xmas.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

My daughter is developing a bit of wit.

Or...she's just being a wise-ass.

The Grrrl-ige is well on her way to a fine career as a teenager. She's still a 'tween' -- for now.

Examples from the "kids say the darndest things" file:

I was sitting here putting around on the computer when my insistent daughter came down to ask a favor. As her pleas fell on lazy ears, she stepped back a pace and said (hands on hips); "C'mon dad, don't make me use the CUTE voice!"

I came in thursday after work; to a super-clean walk and bare-to-the pavement driveway. We had the only clean walk and drive on the block, at that time. I boasted; "We have the ONLY clean walk and drive on the block! Do you know what that means...?"

And Coral piped up; "You're obsessed?"

ZING!

Lotsa fun.

I had a minor "rack bump" at work. Owing to the presence of multiple witnesses, and the fact that I am basically honest; I reported it as per company guidelines.

Big mistake.

I have been off the machine for TWO weeks now. The hold up was primarily that my boss, my boss's boss, and the senior dept. member responsible for "re-certifying" me apparently couldn't get their schedules to co-incide.

There was no damage in this particular incident...So why am I "certifiable"?

I also took some flak from one or two of the guys, but only in a joking manner. Most of the dept. staff wonder why I seem to have been singled out for such shabby treatment. Marv joked that I was now a "level 0" employee. I pointed out to him that while I may be a pedestrian, I'm still getting paid as a machine operator. From one point of view; I'm getting all the benefits with none of the inherent risks.

Gloria M., friend and confidante from my singles days...is getting divorced.
She needs all the friends she can get and has rekindled our acquaintance. She's got an unlimited LD plan, so I had my first LD phone call in about 12 years last week. We caught up. She'll be fine, in time.

Kwy appears to have dropped off the face of the earth. Should give 'im a ring and see what he's up to . Donovan too.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Found something interesting recently:

Alma 46: v24 - "...let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said -- Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment."

One of the recent arguements against the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as scripture has been a study which claims to show little or no similarities in modern Jewish DNA and modern DNA from North and South American aboriginal peoples. It's being trumpeted as the death-knell for the LDS church.

Personally, I think the whole premise is flawed.

Now, I don't know anything about mitochondrial DNA analysis, or haploid combination comparisons, or statistical relevancy vs "contamination". I do hope the scientists who published this study didn't decide what they were going to find before the results were in.

In any case, the results came as no surprise to the anthropological community. The DNA analysis shows that most, if not all, North and South American aboriginal peoples have primarily Asian ancestry.

No Jewish DNA found.

Okay...let's look at this a little more carefully:

First of all, Lehi's descendants did NOT cover all of North and South america. Their civilization most likely fit rather comfortably in Mesoamerica. Somewhere in Mesoamerica. That covers from as far north as Mexico to as far south as Colombia and perhaps even Ecuador and Peru. The assumption that they did cover the entire western hemisphere was naivety on the part of some of the early leadership of the church. This assumption did not last (at least among the early church leaders) much past the 1840's. If you are trying to prove or disprove that American aboriginal peoples had Israelite DNA; and therefore were or were not the Nephites and Lamanites spoken of in the Book of Mormon, looking outside of Mesoamerica would be somewhat pointless.

Secondly, Lehi's descendants had been living in Mesoamerica from about 591 BC (when they made landfall) to about 279 BC (the chronology markers in Omni say "between 279 and 130 BC") when they encountered the people of Zarahemla. These were the descendants of Mulek (last and only remaining son of Zedekiah, King of Judah) and those he brought with him after escaping the Babylonian conquest of the Kingdom of Judah. Lehi's descendants were israelites of the tribe of Joseph and it wasn't until about 300 years after their arrival that they could have started to intermarry with Mulek's descendants - whom I presume were of the tribe of Judah.

The nephites and lamanites eventually intermingled, to the point where the designation "nephite" and "lamanite" denoted more ones political and religious affiliation than actual ancestry. Those espousing the "nephite" banner (whether actual descendants of Nephi or not) were destroyed about 385 AD. This left the lamanites, who were a hybrid of mostly israelite blood from the tribe of joseph, and some admixture of joseph and judah. The Book of Mormon also states that after the Lamanites had wiped out their rivals the Nephites, they then went on and began destroying each other. As they didn't leave any records (those inclined to keep and preserve them were all dead at the time), we have no idea how much of the Lamanite civilization was left between 400 AD and whenever the first Europeans showed up in Mesoamerica.


IF (note the big if) we are to take the Patriarch Jacob's prophecy literally, then I don't see how a comparison between modern day descendants of the lamanites (mostly tribe of Joseph) and modern day jews in Israel (mostly tribe of Judah) is going to prove or disprove anything...

To wit: according to Jacob's prophecy; there aren't any descendants of the tribe of Joseph left in modern-day Israel to make a comparison with. It's a simplistic view, I admit...but sounds an awful lot like "apples and oranges" to me. Personally, I'd be surprised if the study found any correlations whatsoever...

Monday, October 23, 2006

Getting old sucks.

I estimate I've got about another 20 - 25 good years left in me before something (current favorite candidate is Rheumatoid Arthritis) comes along to spoil my fun...

I'm building bikes again.

The Apollo is working out, but is coming along rather slowly. I find I may actually have to BUY a part to complete it. hmm? Oh, a 175mm LH square-taper pedalcrank in generic aluminum.

Long story...

I traded the 2 ring crankset to Dave F for a low-profile Sugino ovaltech 3 ring set. Problem is; the Sugino set was mismatched on the bike Dave took it from. I had planned to use the 2 ring set on the Schwinn World Sport I'm planning on restoring - there is a brisk trade in old Schwinn 10-speeds on Ebay - but instead I'm going to use the Sakae set from the ATB. The Beast (ATB) is currently sporting a reconditioned Shimano Biopace crank. I will likely have enough parts left over to leave Big Red (hybrid roadie I'm currently riding) as is; or, I may restore it also to its original state as a cheap dept store 10-speed.

Score:

One lightweight Apollo 18 speed, equipped as a commuter.

One Schwinn World Sport 10 speed, with upgraded parts.

One "TOUR DE QUEBEC" 10 speed, with whatever junk I have left over.

I keep the Apollo. The Schwinn gets sold for 100$ to someone with a taste for nostalgia. The TDQ gets sold for whatever (20$? 50$?) I can get for it.

The Beast will get a motor...as soon as I can afford one. Mebbe one of these:

I should mention that I still have the Marinoni...currently halfway through a conversion into a cyclocross bike. Would be a FAST ride...if it were actually rideable in its present condition.

The wife and I were talking about the need for another (motor) vehicle. I am thinking motor scooter, or perhaps motorised bicycle as a stopgap measure. At least until we get the last few thousand of our debt paid down. Will be sometime next year, most likely.

In the meantime, I'm keeping busy.

Projects for Next Spring:

- Strip and paint the deck. This now includes dismantling part of the railing nearest the garage and replacing some rotten timber. One of the steps on the stair needs replacing too. T'ante pis!

- Laundry line. I know, I know - I've been promising THAT one for several years. Will finally be able to do it. How? Hint: we're getting rid of Granpa's sattelite dish. That 20' pole oughta be good for something.

- Finally finish the stairs and railing. The wife may not let this one alone. Could be I'll be finished BEFORE spring. Not holding my breath.

- Get MY shop cleaned out and set up. Had to include one just for me, eh?

Saturday, October 07, 2006

I found an old Apollo 12 speed in the bushes by St. Cuthbert's church.

Abandoned.

How can I tell?

Two flat tires (one with the valve stem ripped out), a REALLY bent back wheel, and the brake lever bent inward to indicate the bike had been picked up and dropped again several times.

Spotted it while on a grocery run with the kids. Brought it home.

That back wheel has been the most difficult part of the project thus far. I've just (re)built my first wheel!

With a steel rim, once you release the spoke tension, the rim will assume the classic "taco" shape. An aluminum rim, however, will hold its shape and cannot be bent straight while under tension.

So I had to dismount the rim off the hub. Whacked the heck out of it with a mallet (among other things) to get it more-or-less straight, then had to re-assemble the wheel. First time ever.

Turned out pretty good. Wheel now rolls straight, but it's not "round" enough; I have to re-do the tension in a couple of points because there the rim is off centre to the hub.

Did I mention that I made an improvised wheel truing jig? No? Well, money is rather tight right now, so dropping 150$ on a wheel truing stand like this is out of the question. A little Googling found a plan from one of Sheldon Brown's devotees to rig up an old fork as an impromptu wheel stand. What can I say? It works! Remember the random act of kindness from a recent post? Uh-huh, guess which fork I used?

Ok, that covers the bike shop; what else is there?

Work:

Lotsa overtime. Am working Monday for 55$ per hour. If not for the money, I wouldn't bother...

I mean, I don't like being there when I DO have to be there...

Colin.

Is Ok, thanks. He's got an inhaler now. A precaution, as the MD's still can't tell us whether or not his attack was some kind of fluke.

Now he's bugging me to feed him a late dinner...so I will have to sign off now.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Got Lice?


Coral had a headful of the little suckers...picked up at school on the 1st day. We've cleansed all the bedding, tried chemical shampoos (twice)...

...and thus far, Coral is the only one who's got nits.

Thus far.

Wish any of the local hair places would cut her hair, this would make dealing with the nits much easier. As for myself, I can always shave me own head by my lonesome.

Homebrewed a battery pack for my bike light. Works no worse than the one it came with. I have light for the majority of my trip. Guess I have to make do for now.

Nitehawk Pheonix: Came with a 5 cell NiMh battery pack, and a fader switch. Cost: about 200$ retail. 1st year: the fader switch shorted out, I cut it out and bridged the cable. 2nd year: battery pack began to lose burn time, and the connector plug tore loose. Re-did the connector and the waterproofing. Third year: battery pack runtime is reduced to less than 30 mins.

I may have to play around with the homebrew battery. I have it rigged with 4 AA cells in series to supply 6 volts. I may put together another one and wire 'em both in paralell. In theory (and it's been years since I studied that!) this should supply the same voltage; but for a longer time.

I hope.

The other issue is the cells themselves. They're rechargeable alkaline - hence the limited burn time - and the charger I have for them only charges two at a time. I have a charger for NiCad cells, but NiCad is more expensive.

Speaking of bikes: I comitted a random act of kindness over the weekend. It's getting much more difficult these days to commit a genuinely random act of kindness; what with peoples' general lack of trust for helpful strangers.

I was riding home on saturday after work, climbing up 84th ave. I met a young man named Bobby, who had run his bike into the back end of a car a few days before. As it happens, (and as I may have previously mentioned here) I know how to field repair that particular mishap. I told Bobby so, and then thought further and invited him and his girlfriend Rebecca to follow me the two blocks to my place; where I had the parts and tools to do a proper fix.

So I fixed it. Replaced the bent front fork with one just like it. Fixed the front brakes too...

A touch I particularily enjoyed was re-seating the bearing cup on the lower end of the head tube with a piece of solder wire. Impromptu, I know, but it worked.

Colin scared us yesterday. Wound up in hospital too.

He was playing at Darnell's house when Darnell's dad called L to report that Colin was coughing up a storm and his nose was running something awful. L suspected something might be wrong, and her instincts were right: by the time she got Colin home, he was wheezing and struggling for breath and his nose was blocked completely. I don't know...but it looked like an asthma attack.

L called 911. As the paramedics are just down the street at the EMS hall, their response was almost immediate. Colin got oxygen and a ride to the SMH ER. After a series of tests and some observation time; the MD's could tell us...nothing.

Anyway, he's not wheezing now but he IS really sick...and still stuffed up. L kept him home from school today. We'll see what happens.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Floyd Landis:

As I write this, I have no idea whether the final verdict is in or not. I do hope he's vindicated; but either way, the credibility...or perhaps "purity"(?) of professional cycling may be damaged forever.

Three reasons why I don't think he cheated:

1. Synthetic testosterone doesn't have that kind of performance enhancing effect...that I am aware of.

2. I don't trust the UCI...or the "independent" agency responsible for regulating banned and controlled substances .

3. He didn't have to cheat. Floyd was one of the first pro riders to use the powertap(tm) device in training and in competition, and the telemetry for that entire stage is available. The physical effort required for that day's performance was well within his known physical limits. The result only looked "superhuman" in comparison to: (1) his awful performance the previous day and (2) the fact that nearly everyone else in the peloton was as tired as he was. Also: no-one else used the same strategy that day as Floyd and team Phonak did.

I could be absolutely wrong about this...but I'll presume innocence until absolute proof shows up that Floyd wasn't bushwhacked by some sort of misguided euro-centric zealot working for the UCI.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

My new nephew Jacob was born 10 days ago (Aug. 30). I have seen him, he's a beautiful baby boy. As only newborns can be, he is just so darned cute. Grant will probably give his son a name and a blessing today. I've been skipping church lately...I'm a bad boy.
L is going out with her folks and Granpa to the Delta Town'n Country Inn. They serve a decent brunch. Mom-in-law Trude is having kittens over the possibility that Granpa will make a scene at the restaurant.

Coral wants to take guitar lessons...and borrow mommy's "axe". No dice. She's already into the Tae Kwon Do dojang for 500$ clams, thankewverymuch.

Colin is now reading at his level. Maybe a little above. L is still working with him daily, and she says that he surprises her sometimes.

I...still have to lay another coat of paint on the deck. I've been using Bob's paint gun to speed the process somewhat. Portions of the deck rail are beyond hope and will have to be dismantled and re-done. Thus far, I only have to re-secure one post and re-build one section of the railing. This round of painting is to try to keep ahead of the rot.

Rode the bike this week. Five of six days means another 100+ km on the clock. I am feeling pretty good. Still haven't finished the cyclocross bike, but I have figured out a way to re-mount the original brakes so they won't break loose.

We really need to make another run to the dump. Renovations will pick up again once we have some spare ca$h again. The Tae Kwon Do lessons were a major hit to our monthly expenses.

Ah well, at least Coral is happy (for now). The Grrrl-age is in training to become a teenager.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

The following was posted 10 days ago at a.r.m.f. No reply has yet been seen to this post. Either no-one has read it...or nobody cares.

I wrote it in response to a couple of "anti-bots" we seem to have...traffic from these individuals seems to have slowed somewhat since I posted it. I wonder what I'll do for an encore?


----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian"
Newsgroups: alt.religion.mormon.fellowship
Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 1:57 AM
Subject: Look at it this way...please!
> Ok...lemme say up front that I am LDS.
>
> I read the Book of Mormon...daily.
>
> I went on a mission...to the Bible Belt, of all places.
>
> I won't say I've "heard it all before"...but I've heard most of it at
> least twice.
>
> In the interest of keeping a peaceful, rational and informative dialog
> going; I'm going to remind some of our non-LDS group members that they
> need to be certain of which side of "blind, irrational, hidebound,
> robot(ic), unhearing, unthinking, controlled, sheeplike...etc, etc, etc."
> they are ON.
>
> Yes -- I know there's very little commonly accepted evidence for the
> Historical Authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
>
> Yes -- I know there are seeming contradictions in the BoM and in LDS
> doctrine and practices. I realize we vary (sometimes widely, sometimes
> not) from "accepted Christian doctrine and practice".
>
> Yes -- I know there's been a lot of "authoritative" writings by learned
> scholars showing "beyond refutation" that Joe Smith was a liar, the BoM
> was a fraud, we're all "spiritually enslaved" dupes...as you can probably
> guess, I've even read quite a bit of it. Granted, I haven't read any
> "anti" for almost 20 years. Quite frankly, it gets boring after a while.
> (you listening, Nancy?)
>
> Mind you, I didn't know until recently that the BoM had such a colorful
> and convoluted publishing history. (thanks Craig!) I mean seriously;
> translated and published in the 1830's...and we had to wait until 1981 to
> finally have the definitive edition? Oy.
>
> Now...my point:
>
> You might stop for a few moments and consider...Atheists.
>
> They too have their websites, their tracts and pamphlets, and their
> crusaders...
>
> --and what, do you suppose, might they be crusading against?
>
> Well, some seem to have a jones for organized Religion in general...but
> here in the western world their efforts seem to be focused mostly on
> Christianity (and yes, they lump US in with the rest of ya).
>
> Well...if you're going to attack Christianity, you have to attack the
> Founder.
>
> ...and everything that's been written about Him.
>
> So consider this:
>
> Every arguement, EVERY arguement you might use against the BoM about
> its origins, accuracy, integrity, language, grammar, doctrine,
> consistency...whatever.
>
> These arguements have been used and ARE being used today against the
> validity of the Bible. After all, if the Bible isn't true, then the
> Christian Religion is a fraud, see? Discredit the Bible (and yesyesyes
> that is precisely what the Atheist movement in the US believes it has done
> and is doing) and the whole Christianity Myth goes away like smoke in the
> wind. Then the people will be FREE!
>
> Yah, whatever...
>
> So:
>
> If you're wondering what's going on in the hidebound, sheeplike,
> irrational, controlled, "spiritually enslaved" mind of the average (but well
> read, I grant you) LDS member of this group...I invite you to spend an
> hour or so reading from this site: www.atheists.org . Start your hour
> with their onsite google search on the word "bible".
>
> I'm serious people! Your faith is not so shaky that you're going to
> re-think "accepting Jesus as your personal saviour", is it?
>
> Probably not.
>
> Now ask yourself:
>
> Did this change your beliefs in any way?
> Would reading MORE of it change your mind?
> You might be surprised to find that you have already heard some
> of the arguements the Atheists have made. You might even find
> arguements for which you have no ready response. You may want
> to seek out a "Christian Apologetics" site for some "anti-anti Christian"
> viewpoints on those...
>
> Ok, I'm kidding about that last one...
>
> But you see my point, right? You've read the Bible, you know it to be the
> Word of the Lord. You know He lives. You know He willingly gave up His
> life at Calvary for the sins of the whole world. Reading some
> "authoritative" atheist writings on why this is all just a silly myth
> (yep, they use the word "myth") isn't going to budge you one inch. Unlike
> the Atheists, your knowledge of the Truth of the Bible has far more to do
> with your relationship with God, and much less to do with what "learned
> men" have to say about the Bible, or God, or our Saviour.
>
> I've read the Book of Mormon. I'm still reading it. I know it to be the
> Word of the Lord. I know it was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith by
> Divine direction. I know we have a living Prophet at the head of the
> Church today. My knowledge is NOT based on what you or anyone else (pro
> OR anti) has to say about the Book of Mormon...my knowledge stems from
> personal witness and a daily acquaintance with the Book. To be blunt:
> God told me it was true. As I study, He is still telling me. His voice
> is heard in the Scriptures; in the Book of Mormon, and in the Bible. It
> is the same voice.
>
> It's not that we aren't listening, or that we don't/can't/won't
> understand...It's just that, like you, we find what the "learned and wise"
> critics have to say about our Scriptures is, well......irrelevant.
>
> Thanks to all for your time and thoughts.
>
> B.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Grant had a car accident on Saturday last.

As near as I can tell from not actually being an eyewitness: He was waiting at the intersection at Scott & 72nd when the car in front of him stopped suddenly (it's a very busy intersection). He and his '92 Pontiac firefly 5 door were not moving very fast, so he stopped with plenty of room to spare...

...the BMW following him did not stop.

Nothing against the driver of the other car; these things happen. Personally, I think talking on a cellphone may have played a part somewhere...but that's just me. Grant may not see enough compensation to replace the firefly. ICBC will only give him "fair value"...which is somewhat reduced at present as there was previous damage to the front end of the firefly. ICBC will probably write off the car, but there is almost no way Grant can afford to replace the car for what their claims adjusters will give him.

He spent most of the night at Delta hospital; in considerable pain but without obvious spinal damage. Evidence of soft tissue damage 'tho; he's going to spend an uncomfortable few weeks or months. He's already been through a few rather painfull days thus far.

The capper was the new job he started this week. AND Kathy being 10 months pregnant.

He's being tested...ain't it obvious??

Kinda puts my own (comparatively minor) problems into perspective, no?

Sunday, July 30, 2006

The Sanderson Family Garage Sale:

Was a fair success...

We made about $100 bucks.

Laurie is REALLY committed to this financial responsibility thing...

She left the house with 100$ in her pocket and DID NOT splurge...

She bought school supplies for the kids instead. She reasoned that 1) we were going to have to purchase school supplies in a couple of weeks and 2) we have the money on hand now, so...

I am proud of my wife. I ought to follow her example more often.

Grant is Elder's Quorum president...again.

They don't usually call people to the same calling twice in successive years. The Delta Ward EQ needs a lot of work. Grant no less than any other Elder in the ward. We got off to a good start by going to visit Greg Kervin this morning before church. Was a good visit.

I still "heathened" and left early...

This evening, I got to impress my daughter's friends with my bicycle wrenching savvy; I took a few minutes to patch a tire on one of their bikes, while delivering an annoted lecture on bike tire repair. They eventually got bored and started a game of "ma-fia" on the lawn...by which time I was finished. My daughter is moderately impressed.

Getting my son to eat a full meal is becoming a chore. He's at the age where the menu of foods he will eat has actually got shorter, and getting enough food into his tummy is becoming a real game 'o strategy. Coral has progressed to the point where she will at least try new things. She will be a teenager soon, and then we can stop worrying; teenagers will eat anything.

Colin heads off to day camp tomorrow...boy! keeping that kid supplied with outlets for his boundless supply of energy is getting to be a chore...

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Man...have I been thru the wringer.

Lessee...we'll start with the highlights:

I hit the conveyor at work...

This was NOT one of those "stuff happens" episodes...this was one of those "HEY! you were NEGLIGENT, you TWERP!!" No excuses here...and although I've now been re-instated, I still feel like I've "lost my mojo".

I said as much to Mike L, and surprisingly enough, he understood what I was talking about. This was a good thing...because I have no idea what I'm talking about!

Needless to say, my stress level is going to be thru the roof tomorrow...Although I can't say that being a pedestrian for the last few days has been any picnic, either. Tuesday went OK, but I spent all of yesterday and most of today as everyone's personal Go-fer. I vividly recall Grant G telling me during yesterday's morning standup meeting that; "all the low picks and priority are done so there's really nothing for you to do"...I tell ya; for not having anything to do, I have NEVER been so freakin' BUSY. There just seems to be a lot of minor scut jobs that accumulate whenever we start ramping up our traffic; which we're in the process of doing now. Add to all the above the fact that my #1 pair of work shoes are coming apart (ouch), and you have "interesting times".

I will continue to cope...somehow.

Freddy Fender continues to flatten tubes on the rear tire. I thought I checked out the new wheel thoroughly...but evidently I missed something. I'll give it one more try tonight and see if we can get it right this time. The front seems to be holding air OK, despite having been patched about 4-5 times now.

Computers...what a pain in the butt.

Ours has a piece of mutant "comet cursor" spyware that is acting as a digital "door jimmy" into our system and allowing all sorts of interesting activity. Mostly to do with being kicked offline and shutting down spontaneously. I'd get rid of it if I had the time...or the expertise.

I'd get legit copies of Windoze and Norton (or AVG) if I could afford them, too...

Computer woes and debt reduction have dovetailed. TELUS finally expanded their DSL coverage area to our neighborhood! Concurrently, they are also offering a shiny new DELL desktop system to anyone who signs up with a TELUS homephone/litespeed DSL package. L actually didn't have a problem with this...until................................

The TELUS package actually saves us money over what we're paying to our current home phone provider (Rogers) and our current ISP (DCCNet). There is, however, a clause in the package that levies a penalty if you cancel your TELUS service without cause any time in the 36 months following the time you sign up. Laurie calls this being "locked in" to a "contract"; and she doesn't like it. Mostly, I think she just resents the fact that I am the one who signed up for it without asking her.

...Mind you, I share her distrust of all things TELUS...these are the people who kept us waiting FOUR YEARS before they got off their collective @sses and built up their network to finally cover all the holes (one of which we lived in). L's main arguments against are: 1. TELUS is going to load us up with a whole bunch of services we don't need (so cancel them). 2. If we wait awhile...another 3rd party ISP is probably going to be offering discounts over TELUS's rates. This is actually a pretty telling arguement, as that is exactly what 3Web Broadband did about 3 months ago. I gotta say, I would LOVE being a 3Web subscriber again. If we wait, we probably miss out on a new computer...but the promo MIGHT be run again; and, as L pointed out, we already HAVE a computer. Speaking of distrust, just TRY to get through to TELUS's customer service line...really, these people all need to get on the same page. I just hope I don't have to call my MLA, or something.

So...on the whole, I am inclined to agree with L. I ought to cancel the new TELUS package (new computer, et al)...mebbe sign up for their DSL only...and wait to see if something better comes along.

Coming up next:

THE LEGENDARY SANDERSON FAMILY GARAGE SALE!!!

STAY TUNED!!!

Monday, July 17, 2006

Wow...two posts in a week...what next?

I am spending a LOT of time lately...

...fixing things.


Such is the life of a poor suburban Squire. The latest project was fixing the 13" TV/VCR combo that had started eating tapes. Found the culprit right away: a broken shuttle that had become disconnected from its armature. It was held on with a plastic peg that was molded into the piece and broke off. I heated a twopenny nail and melted a hole clean thru where the peg was. I then found an appropriate sized screw in the parts jar and used it to re-attach the shuttle. It works...but this fix probably won't last. It will allow the kids to watch their VHS videos, as long as they don't forget to shut it off afterward. The machine will probably break again if it is left unattended and tries to re-wind a VHS tape. If it does break...I may not be able to kludge it back together again.

My bike.

I'm actually riding my ATB to work. It has issues. The Maxxis "semi-slick" tires are not nearly as robust as advertised...I may switch back to generic knobbies. My roadie is out with TWO flats...yes, the front is flat again after I laid THREE new patches on it. The back is flat for no apparent reason I can find. I need two new tubes, two new tires, and sealant...and I'm broke again.

I mentioned issues with the ATB? The super-keen custom frame went to the landfill last year, as I had no way to replace that pressed-in bottom bracket. The Raleigh basher frame I put the parts on isn't quite wide enough to accomodate an 8-speed cassette...so the wheel sits slightly off-center. I had to off-center the brakes, as well. This has the predictable result of the wheel coming out of the dropouts if there is too much pressure on the chain. The tire snubs up against the left hand wheelstay, and the bike stops moving...and I fall off. This happened saturday when I tried to stand up to climb the short slope out of the local mall parking lot...most embarrassing.

What else? The shifters don't work. The brakes rub. I've already had one flat (today, from a broken bottle). It's annoying. I need to lay those parts on a frame that can actually accept them. Mebbe build on that big green ATB frame that Dave F gave me. I can build a "super junker" on that frame (what else would you call a dept. store bike with 24 speed gearing?), then build a decent 18-speed ATB on the Raleigh frame.

I definitely need to make a landfill run. We still have yard waste, and some scrap steel (mostly bike parts) as well as a couple of carpets to go.

We finished moving all the "toyroom" stuff downstairs into what was Granpa's TV room. Colin has his own room now and he was really impressed with it when he came home from camp today. He had a great time at camp and was easily one of the most outgoing kids there. I love my son. I'm glad he's back.

I did get the window on the car fixed. Next will probably be to overhaul the brakes. If it ain't one thing...it's two things. Also, some minor interior stuff needs attention. DS seatbelt needs to be replaced, and the front-seat console needs a new latch on the cover. I don't know why I'm going to the trouble of keeping the car in good condition...L tells me she is determined to drive that sucker into the ground. I think we should trade it in for a '00 or '01 model sometime in the next three years. Some other cavalier or sunfire 4 door with the same type of engine. Problem is: there aren't too many of them left out there that don't have engine issues...you know, just like OURS had!

I fixed up the flower beds...again, I don't know why I bothered: there's no flowers in them and probably won't be any time this year. I still have to paint the deck rail and stairs. Barry K at work recommends renting a paint gun from Home Depot. I like this idea.

I spent part of Saturday and half of Sunday hanging blinds and curtains. We now have blinds on the DS windows to discourage burglary. L believes if they can't SEE our stuff, they won't have any motivation to break in and steal it. I don't have the heart to tell her that isn't quite the way it works. Well, at least the room stays cooler with the blinds in place. The window in Colin's new room got a similar treatment; save that I custom-trimmed the blinds to fit the inside of the window. This was necessary because we used a simple telescoping rod to hang the IKEA curtains L got for the boy's room.

I am now so proficient in installing vinyl blinds I feel I could offer my services professionally.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Wow...is it "that time of the month" already?

What a day I had today...

Ever had one of those days that features a perfect dovetailing of misfortune AND serendipity? You are left hanging in the middle wondering "what next?"

Lessee...

Woke up late. Slept thru the #1 alarm and was awakened by the Not To Be Ignored #2 alarm. Spent 20 mins on the pot enjoying severe cramps and rampant trots. Showered just after 5:30 and still somehow managed to make my departure window at 5:50. Sky was dark and foreboding, so I wore my shell and used the cover for the A.W.S. Was still dry at the time tho'.

My rear tire popped halfway down 84th.

I didn't even try to pump it back up this time. I confirmed that there were no holes in the tire, and walked quickly back to the Shell at 112 & 84th. I used the hi-pressure air hose to confirm what I already suspected: that slit someone put in the tube stem with an X-acto knife had finally worked its way thru and the valve stem had delaminated from the tube nipple. Air was rushing out just as fast as the hose pumped it in...

...things like that just make ya wanna BEAT on someone, ya know??

Nyway, I swapped the (sealant-treated) tube for the spare, and rode back home. Took the car to work (6:31 departure) and arrived in sufficient time to clock in at 7AM precisely.

I ran out of patches yesterday while trying to fix all the holes in the treated front tube...had to call on Greg K at 10:30 PM to borrow some more! Note about slime sealant: you still have to patch the holes...you just don't have to patch them right away. Note II: holes in sealant-treated tubes tend to accumulate over time. Arrgh...to spend all that effort shoring up the front tire and then have the back one let go on me. That valve stem cut nonsense is the WORST sort of tire sabotage you can pull on a bike...worse even than slashing the sidewall (and I've had that happen as well). It renders the tube USELESS...sealant-treated or not. Also, it's SNEAKY. The tire won't lose pressure all at once, and the damage is such that most cyclists (even savvy DIY wrenches like me) won't notice it at first. This is the second tube I've lost to this vandalism...and on a different wheel, as well.

--Some of the wrenches in the audience will claim the slit in the valve stem came from abrasion against the hole the stem passes through in the wheel rim. Wrong: first, the slit was cut at an angle; second, the slit was a few mm above the base of the stem...abrasions occur further down; third, this has happened on two separate wheels. One wheel can have burrs near the hole where the valve passes through; but wheel #2 doesn't...I made certain.

Anyway...I got to work on time. IT RAINED THE REST OF THE DAY. Ever feel like life is trying to tell you something? Tomorrow or Friday I've got to try to fix the window on the car, and I need it to not be raining when I do.

I may ride tomorrow...rain or no. I need to develop some more cohones when it comes to braving the elements.

Work was weird too...lots of hassle, yet things automagically seemed to work out anyway.

Laurie has decided, in usual Laurie style, on a unilateral move into Granpa's (former) suite downstairs. We CANNOT actually move any of his stuff out of the house (yet). So we're moving it into the back corner of the downstairs TV room. About where the "office" I've been dreaming of would have been if we were going with the "landlord" plan. Apparently we aren't going to be renting out the suite any time soon. The kid's toyroom is moving into the downstairs TV room and Colin will be moving into the former toy room (actually our third upstairs BR). My computer is already moved downstairs and I am enjoying an internet connection that DOESN'T pass thru a flaky wireless dongle with poor signal pickup. I need to ask Keith if connecting directly to the modem is a good idea, or if I should hook up the router and connect thru that. We'll see...

This is gonna be soooo embarrassing if Granpa actually makes a miracle recovery and gets sent back home for a while...

Sunday, June 11, 2006

I think this is post number 98 or 99...not sure which.

Ok, mea culpa.

Some of you out there with Google Earth have used the measurement function to point out that my commute by bicycle is NOT, in fact, 10+ miles...but closer to 8.5 miles.

Sad but true.

The route by car is about 17.5 km (10 miles+), depending on which variation you take, but my route by bike (with considerable refining over the past couple of years) is a lot shorter.

Hey, as the crow flies, work is only about 5 and a half miles away from here...but bikes don't fly, unfortunately.

Lotsa stuff coming up, many decisions to be made.

L finally got her mom to admit that it is unlikely that Granpa, even should a miracle occur and he moves back into his head, will EVER use the machine tools in the shop again.

I don't want to keep storing them.

I don't use most of them.

Nick (his son) is only interested in what tools he can hock for cash (or so I am told), as he himself already has a workshop full of tools.

So...what to do with a full workshop? What to do with a basement suite full of furniture and assorted household goods? Granpa is getting 1st class medical care at the Home...he may be around for a number of years yet...but unless and until he regains his mind, he won't be coming back here...and probably not even then.

L likes the idea of renting out the suite and making some extra ca$h off of it. She does not like the idea of having to store all of Granpa's stuff until he's dead. The practical upshot of all this is that 1.) Getting the suite ready for a tenant is going to mean clearing out a lot of Granpa's stuff to make room. 2.) We don't have anywhere to store said stuff except the suite itself...unless we get permission from Trude to actually get rid of it.

I would love to use the shop...but it's wayyyy to crowded in there with another man's bric-brac and unfinished projects...It is all I can do just to get some work area cleared in the garage.

I have managed to figure out how we can arrange a private entryway for the suite...

Ok, this is what the layout downtstairs looks like now:






This is what I propose to do to make a private entryway for the suite:


The "office" idea is not set in stone, but I sure would like a place to keep the computer. The kids would probably inherit Granpa's, since I can't imagine anyone wanting it. It's kinda outmoded...
Anyway, this plan calls for our access to the Laundry to go through the entryway. The Suite has it's own (locking) door, so this is not really an issue. It's basically the same situation as two apartments sharing a common hallway to the laundry room. Each has a locking door, and they share a common access hallway to the outside. The "emergency exit" out of the suite is thru the garage (not shown in the drawing). We would probably keep the door locked off, and put an emergency key box next to the door in case someone had to get out of the suite but could not use the entryway.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Today, I'm going to tell you all about my commute:

First I start from:49 09' 14.67" N x 122 54' 27.95" W...

Then I ride thru the schoolyard and past the church out onto 84th avenue, here:



I head west on 84th, to where it curves 'round and meets Nordel Way. I then ride down the Nordel Way Hill:
Quite the thrill ride, huh? But not nearly so much fun having to ride back UP this sucker during the afternoon heat. It's the bane of my existence...

Oh, and there's this really interesting hairpin turn at the bottom that takes you underneath the Nordel Way hill. The trail runs paralell to some railway tracks (out of frame to the left) before turning west underneath Nordel...


From there, I head across the Planet Ice Sports Centre parking lot and onto...

THE ALEX FRASER BRIDGE.

Sorry...It's not really that big a deal. The slope isn't even that steep, it's just really, really, really, reallyreallyreally long...


Boy, that's a long way up, eh?


Quite the view from up top, eh?


Annnd the view just keeps on going...

...and going...

...and going...

Eventually, I reach the other side of the bridge...so I take a break for a couple of minutes until I reach the bottom...


Then, a quick dash across Annacis Island and over the channel on the other side of the Island...

...nice view, huh?


Here is where I dice with death on those mornings when I'm running late. I hop over the concrete barrier and ride DOWN THE ON RAMP onto Westminster Hwy. Oncoming traffic has very little visibility of the top of the ramp, so I have to time my descent carefully and start down when there's a break in traffic...


If I DON'T feel like living dangerously, I'll ride down the bike ramp, past yet another hairpin turn at the bottom, and head west on the dike road. This leads me out onto Westminster hwy about 1.5 km further west...here:


BTW, this corner smells really good during the summer...


A beautiful clear morning sky, as seen from the side of the Westminster hwy. My destination is that white blur on the horizon:


Here we are. Mine is the red bike. The yellow one was abandoned there about two months ago.


Total elapsed time: @ 45 mins.

Distance: 17.6 km (10 miles +)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

I know, I know...I'm cutting my "one per month" deadline a little close here.

What be up?

Lessee...I'm currently suffering from "a touch of concussion". A 150lb box fell on my head at work. I had no immediate effects then, but MAN is my head feeling funky now! I also discovered the static grounding on the new Hyster clamp truck(s) HBC has acquired is somewhat less than 100% effective. My fingers are STILL tingling...

All in all, minor misfortunes aside, it was a most productive day. Our lead hand Grant G prooved he can be quite a disturber when he came by the container Michael and I were working on to claim than Sunni and Satnam were "kicking you guys @sses!". Uh-huh. Guess who finished their container FIRST? Yep...we did.

Sunni is a good driver. He's not accustomed to driving the clamp the way we use them in Xdock - yet. I figure it will take him a couple of days to get up to speed. As for me...well, I pretty much have the new machine in hand; but I still have to focus rather intently on what I'm doing. The Hyster control system isn't as precise as the Raymond, so it takes a little more "fiddling" to get the truck where you want it. The control also requires a pretty light touch: any inadvertent hand movement on the throttle can result in the machine and/or load doing something unintentional...and possibly unfortunate. (ie: the lift control is activated using the X-axis and the throttle is activated on the Y-axis of the stick. Do Not get the two confused.)

My Father In Law Bob.

He's awesome.

Give ya the shirt off his back.

Remember how I mentioned previously that Bob had noted that our tub needed to be re-caulked? He was right about that; and I got it done in a timely manner, thanks to his warning. He also helped me move about a TON of junk (much of it Granpa's) out of our garage and shop. We have now achieved the Impossible Dream of every Canadian homeowner: we can actually park our car in the garage. No, it's actually true! I may have to post pictures...

One of the last things Bob did as we wrapped up the garage clean-up was to check out the north shop wall. This is the wall directly below the join between the garage roof and the deck. This is where all the water was coming down from the leaky garage roof; before we had Brad and Classic Wood Restorations replace the garage roof as part of the deck repair job. At the time, Brad pointed out that there was probably enough water infiltration to cause the wood to rot, and he warned us that we shouldn't wait too long to check the wall for damage.

Well, we finally did.

We found dry rot...lots of it.

I start hyperventilating when I see stuff like that. I thought for certain that we were going to have to call Brad again and drop a couple of Gs on getting that wall torn out and replaced.

Bob and I got it done for about 50$. Took two days. I now know that I could have undertaken this project myself...but it would have taken ME forever to finish. Bob doesn't like to putz around with a project. He prefers to get things done. He also has a lot of really GREAT toys...

Nailing up all that framing would have taken a lot longer...so we didn't use any nails. Bob owns all of the following:

-A compressor (portable).

-A wire brad nail gun.

-A heavy staple gun.

-A light staple gun.

-A high torque screw gun.

Boy oh BOY! Did all that save a lot of time! We found that about 4ft of the beam supporting the deck and the garage roof had rotted away. The beam was cobbled together by the house's original owner, Mr Fred Biollo. Fred used a 12' 2x8" plank for the facing of the beam on the garage side...and 2x8 scraps nailed to the face plank with 4" framing spikes on the shop side. Those scrap pieces were what rotted (thanks to Fred's masterful job of roofing the garage), and Bob and I found five joists across the deck which were sagging because the joist ends had NO support. We cut out the rotted sections of the beam, and replaced them with fresh 2x8" plank. The wall header was 3 2x4" s, which we replaced with a section of 2x6". A single 2x4" header and two 2x4" bases formed the top and bottom of the new wall. All the framing is held together with 2 1/2" deck screws. The joists were re-hung with new hangers and 2" deck screws. I did the joist hangers myself just to save Bob the trouble. I had only one good #2 roberts bit...so I had to be carefull: I started each screw with the ratcheting driver...sunk it almost all the way with the drill...and tightened each with a 1/4" ratchet wrench. 50 screws...took me only 90 minutes. I WISH Bob had left me that screw gun...and some extra bits.

I snorted a lot of dust during the two days of that reno project.

It bit me on the ass come Monday.

I had some minor sinus and throat irritation on Monday.

It progressed to sinus infection, cough and mild bronchitis on Tuesday.

Today is ear infection and laryngitis on top of the previous.

I'm still going to work tomorrow...why? Because I have the week of May 7th off. Call me crazy, but I would feel...stupid...taking sick days 1 week before a paid vacation. I'm fully medicated at the moment, and coping adequately. However, I'll still bail out of work and come home if I start getting feverish. I should be so lucky...

Sunday, March 26, 2006

I yam zee worlllld travellair!!!

I've been having fun with Google Earth...

Oh, the places I've seen and the things I've BEEN...

...wait, that didn't come out right.

I've discovered a few little "gems" while exploring the possibilities...did you know, for instance, that there is a giant postage stamp painted on the roof of the Canada Post building in DT Vancouver? Did you know that the Google campus near Palo Alto CA has a pool with a google logo painted on the bottom? Did you know that the images collected from CFB Cold Lake, AB were taken during an airshow last summer? Did you know that some of the footage taken of DT Vancouver was taken while the Molson Indy was on (hint, look for the yellow-and-purple striped tents near BC place stadium)? Did you know that footage of DT Montreal was also taken while the Molson Indy was in town (look for the same tents near the Expo 67 site)? Did you know that you can see the "Ararat Anomaly" on Mt. Ararat in Turkey? It's supposedly a possible resting place of Noah's ark!

There are several Crop Circles in England and elsewhere throughout europe and north america that show up beautifully on Google Earth. There is even a utility file you can download and open (with Google Earth) from the Wikipedia article on crop circles that will show you most of them. The mysterious "landing strip" lines near Nazca, Peru are also visible using google earth. The mysterious Great Pyramid at Giza is still just as mysterious when viewed from the geosat images. Teotihuacan, Mexico...Machu Picchu, Peru...Santorini...The Eiffel Tower...The Millenium Dome...The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

And my house...

Footage for my neighborhood has not been updated since at least last year. The empty lots on 84th ave now all have houses on them. The 4-way intersection at 116th and 82nd is now a traffic circle. Other places: the olympic site in Torino is still under construction in the geosat images Google is using...weeks after the olympics have ended.

As I am not using Google Earth Plus...I have a few complaints about the detail level available for some areas. Or perhaps that's just the level of detail available currently. You cannot see the Confederation Bridge in PEI. You wouldn't even be able to tell where it was if you had the roadways layer turned off. Ditto for the Taj Mahal; the search tool points you to an indistinct blob of green in the middle of nowhere in northern india. Half of the Panama Canal locks are so blurred you couldn't tell WHAT they were...if the other half were not clearly visible.

But hey, it's still fun...

I will be biking to work tomorrow, as Laurie has a dental appt. at 10 am. She'll probably just have the standard check-up and cleaning. I myself need to see a Dentist soon...that hurting tooth which I thought was abcessed may actually only be impacted: it's growing...and I can feel it abrading against the upper teeth when I flex my jaw side-to-side. Cavity or no...that tooth is probably going to have to come out. Dr. Carol Shpak of the Ladner dental clinic already mentioned (years ago) that extracting that tooth might mean fracturing the jawbone, as some bone loss has occurred. Dr. Shpak also saddled me with a 400$ piece of plastic that actually made my crooked teeth worse. I have suffered MUCH at the hands of the Dental "Profession".

Gonna be cold and rainy tomorrow. Joy. Need to get all my gear back together and get everything prepped for an early departure...

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Work, work, work...

...and lots of it.

Got a little ambitious these past few days. Father-in-law Bob loaned both himself and his truck to the cause on Thursday. We moved (literally) a TON of stuff out of the garage; with more still to come! The upside is that we can now PARK THE CAR in our garage. We can even get in and out of the car! (on the driver's side). Grandpa would be shocked by just how MUCH stuff we managed to trash. We even tossed that grotty old electric mower! (after I tried -unsucessfully- to re-wire it) So much of Granpa's excess STUFF went and the shop looks a little bare for it. I know that Nick was counting on inheriting most if not all of the shop tools; so we left those. Nick won't be disappointed...all the expensive toys are still there. We've got another TON of metal plate scrap and bar stock to toss as well. Bob has persuaded me that I should try selling the copper and brass pipe and stock to a metal recycler.

The 5HP Mower won't start...so I bought a lightweight (and fuel efficient) 4.5 B&S from Zellers (paid too much...:( ). The new mower is a combo mulcher/rear bagger and does a fine job of both the front and back lawn; save that it uses .75l fuel to the 5HP's 2.5l of fuel for the back yard. It's WAY easier to push around than the "Lead Sled". Mowing the lawn was just the capper to the day. L and I were out back pruning, trimming and cutting back. Good news: one of the transplanted cedar bushes has revived since last year. Bad news: I didn't get the blackberry brambles taken care of in time; and where we had three canes, there are now over a dozen rooted runners back there. Guess I'll just have to keep cutting them down.

Speaking of cutting down: Bob and I found a LOT of wood rot on the north wall of the shop. Bob recommended taking down the panelling and cutting out the rotten wood. The post by the shop door, and the post on the other end, are still supporting the garage roof...for now. Need to get that all fixed and may even be calling someone for an estimate. I wonder if Dad would help?

I know Grandpa isnt' dead yet...but a part of me kind of wishes he would pass on. He's NOT having any fun right now. He's not in his right mind...and is lucid enough at times to know he hasn't got his full faculties. He's upset, occaisionally disoriented and angry (at times) that he isn't being allowed to do what he wants. His former life here with us held a few simple pleasures...and he's being denied ALL of them. He wants to come home...but he can't take care of himself and WE certainly have no way to take care of him. There have been several...incedents...at the care facility and he has spent some time under heavy sedation at SMH. I hate to sound ghoulish; but I hope he doesn't hang around too much longer...he really isn't enjoying life right now. He's fully in the clutches of the Medical Profession; may heaven help him!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

I'm on vacation...

Wanna know why I'm on vacation?

My ex-boss, Len Lemieux (he of the shakes), decided that we just CAN'T have more than two machine operators off work in the same week. Ergo, the other TEN PEOPLE in the dept who are all senior to me have managed to book off some time between June 1st and Sept 1st. Not so yours truly. I figured Spring Break might be the next best thing if I wanted to spend some Quality Time with the wife and kids. We've gone on a couple of day-trips so far, but nothing too extravegant. Saw "Doogal" with the kids and the wife saw "Brokeback Mountain". I still want to see Ultraviolet (it's Ultra-Violent!!!), as I am currently suffering from Eye Candy Withdrawl.

Speaking of suffering...

I have a small abcess in a front tooth. Naturally, with teeth like ten miles of bad road, the inflammation in question is in a location I cannot see, let alone reach. I've tried chewing gum, dental yarn, tylenol, and finally Cepacol lavage. The discomfort is under control, but it was a rough couple of days while I figured out how to deal. My pursuit of Dental Hygiene has never been particularily vigorous, but lately I've become a fanatic...It's either that, or having to go through an extraction that would likely break my lower jaw (snaggle-teeth are no fun, especially impacted ones). Contrary to popular wisdom, cavities don't happen because there is bacteria on your teeth...Cavities happen when the bacteria break down the tooth enamel faster than your body can repair it. Teeth are the only bones in your body that grow constantly. Also, like other bones, material is leached away and replaced more-or-less constantly. This process slows down when you are older; which is why bones become brittle and teeth can get loose and fall out when you get real old. Anyway: keep those pearly whites clean kids, even if they're crooked...or, I should say: especially if they're crooked.

Speaking of keeping things clean:

Laurie has reduced her demands on me to three:

-The Stairs
-The Baseboards
-The Garage

So, I'm cleaning the garage currently...'cause I can't do anything about the other two until I clear some space to work in. Problem: most of the debris in the workshop is Granpa's. I have managed to toss the scrap metal we have added to the pile, but the shop is still a mess...I really need to swap around: store Granpa's scooters and stuff in the shop, with only occaisional forays inside to use the saw and other woodworking tools; and use the Garage for MY needs: automechanics, computers and bikes...

Ya know...that just might work.

The shop could also use a little work. The ceiling is still a mess -- we should perhaps have told the guys at classic wood restorations to go ahead and restore the shop ceiling while they were doing the deck, but I guess we didn't think of it at the time. I have no idea if there is even any material to repair the celing with...must check later. There is something dead hidden in all that mess, if the mild stink, and cloud of blue-bottle flies are any indication. There was a rat in there last year...and we think that perhaps it expired, and the carcass is feeding all those hungry lil' flies in there. I just KNOW I'm gonna find some dessicated nasty when we finally get around to shipping all of Granpa's tools and scraps out of there.

Granpa himself is all set up at the care facility in South Delta. We are fairly resigned to the idea that he won't be returning to live with us...but we won't be moving any of his property out of the house, garage, or shop until he's actually deceased.

KWY showed me a venture that has him frankly quite excited. More on that later, as events warrant.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Blogger pooched.

They lost the draft of a draft post I was working on last night.

Now, I'm a spontaneous sort of writer. I either get it right the first time, or I need endless revisions and re-writes to get down what I want to say. I only write when I'm "inspired".

...or ticked off.

Losing a bit of writing to the electronic ether is annoying. I don't lay the blame entirely on the good folks at Blogger.com; they're doing their best, I suppose.

On the other hand...that post was kind of dumb. It was to have been a blow-by-blow description of how our Beagle, abby, caught a mouse in the living room...

...oh yeah, we have mice...

We've got sonic repellers installed on the west side of the house, next to the garage. No mice seen there since. On the east side of the house, however, is abundant evidence of a rodent problem. We set traps, we laid bait. No luck.

Since Granpa has now vacated the downstairs suite (only temporary, we hope), there has been no forage to speak of downstairs. Thus, the mice are now venturing upstairs.

Abby can hear them.

She flushed one out from beside the fireplace early one morning last week. The mouse beat a hasty retreat down the stairs and bolted into a mouse hole under the front door landing. A few days ago, abby flushed out another one that ran from the fireplace to hide underneath the love seat. Laurie...FREAKED. Had no idea my wife was capable of such hysterics. Abby, for her part, was very excited and hung about the love seat trying to persuade the mouse to come out and play.

I moved the loveseat aside.

The mouse, paralysed with fear, sat quivering in the midst of the dust bunnies and other junk we had under that couch. Abby leapt upon the opportunity and trapped the mouse between her front paws. She then picked the mouse up gently in her mouth, trotted over to the middle of the room, and settled down to give her new "chew toy" a thorough going-over.

She was a little disappointed when I picked up her captive by the tail and carried it away. After all, I couldn't just let her rip the mouse apart...that would have been SO messy! I got a small perverse thrill from showing the specimen to Laurie, who was by this time cowering in her bedroom on the opposite side of the house. The mouse was eventually disposed of in a steel rubbish can next to the elementary school ballfield. Said rodent will probably end up as a midnight snack for one of the barn owls that frequent our neighborhood at night.

Abby was quite pleased with herself for the next few days. We even let her patrol the downstairs suite a few times. Laurie bought some new and tastier poison bait, and so once again the dog is not allowed downstairs. We haven't seen any more mice upstairs...this week.

Speaking of this week...

Paul came by for a visit on his way down to California to vist his folks for Spring Break. I sponged off him mercilessly, and generally abused our friendship as only former university pals can. He's still single, but not terribly upset about it. His life is fairly full anyway. Without spouse and kids he has much more room in his life for...things. He bought a TRUCK!!!
Anyways, it was good to see him again, and we had a pleasant time over the last couple of days.

It's pathetic to admit this; but the only time I ever "go out" without either L or the kids is when Paul drops by.

Speaking of going out...

The rear wheel on my bike has gone out of true. I can't find an obvious problem; such as a broken spoke. I think it may just be because the bike is a clapped-out hunk of junk and I am one heavy hombre'. The wheels had a LOT of rust on them when I first restored the bike. It would not surprise me if there were some structural weakness there. I really ought to finish off that ATB...

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Only 9 more posts (after this one) before we hit the "magic 100".

Lessee: updates.

Our Benevolent Canadian Government will be providing for Granpa. That is to say, he probably won't have to withdraw whatever portion of his estate is currently bound up in our house, as there are provincially-sponsored facilities that will provide care for basically the cost of what he draws as a pensioner. I hope he makes a full recovery...I know it won't be a particularily quick recovery; but let's hope he gains back enough to move back into our place. I may just be playing the cockeyed optimist there...according to L; even if he recovers as much as he is able, it may not be enough for him to ever live on his own again. Getting old sucks.

Colin went on his very first roadtrip. We took our bikes over to Grandma Sanderson's on Sunday last and he showed off his "hot wheels spin racers"; what he bought with his birthday money. He was fine, if a little rusty...he hasn't ridden since last fall. Still needs to work on his braking, as he plowed into the hedge next to our driveway. He was unhurt. It could have been worse; he could have hit the garage door instead.

That boy ain't right. He's a space cadet, just like his pa...

According to the expert L took Colin to see on Monday, Colin is Autistic. This means that he will never, ever succeed in a typical school environment, and may not be able to function in society. Personally, I think it's all a load of bushwah. The Doctor may be suffering from the Hammer syndrome: "When all you have is a hammer, it is amazing to find how much all your problems look like nails". It is possible Herr Doctor can't diagnose anything but trouble. I believe there's nothing wrong with Colin that a little Montessori Method couldn't cure...I will need to read up on it.

Work:

I am the new "dock bitch".

Pardon my lingua franca...I have been re-assigned as a dock driver by our new dept. head, Stan Carter.

Yay Stan. Sometime, I'll get around to telling him about departmental transfers, and how they affect our performance numbers. Xdock stats should be pretty good, but Central Stock numbers are going to go down like the Titanic. After all, Central is donating 7.5 hours labor to the Xdock per day, all courtesy of yours truly; who may have been re-assigned, but I'd bet anything Stan hasn't yet re-domiciled my hours to the Xdock dept.! I SHOULD be taking care to swipe in and out of the Xdock on a daily basis...but I can't be bothered. Stan did say that the re-assignment was "for a little while". I took him at his word, but we're going to have to discuss it when he's got a spare moment tomorrow.

Marv Walling was the orginal DB...but he's been off the last few days sick. I've been having fun, as it's only been two days and the inevitable errors I've made / am going to make, haven't caught up with me yet. I guess I'm getting the job done...at least I haven't heard any complaints. Stan isn't one for subtlety, so if I was coming up short I'm pretty sure he would let me know.

In a few days....we get to find out if the company has been sold. I give it another 4 to 6 weeks after that until I find out whether or not I'm going to be changing jobs. Yet another crisis looms.

Speaking of crises...

My mom seems to have sparked one by going to see Granpa in Delta Hospital. L has taken this as a personal affront, and now wishes to rip out my Mother's windpipe and beat her over the head with the wet end. Nothing for me to do except ride out L's tantrum and remind Mom that no good deed goes un-punished. L was in a heated fury as she gossiped with her mom about the "incedent"; and even threatened to phone my Mom to chew her out...

...yah, like L has the guts to do that...;)

And my Mom would sit and take it? NOT!

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Cue the ominous thunder...

Some changes in our situation may be forthcoming shortly.

It started with HBC getting a hostile takeover bid from an american financier who has done some impressive things in the retail industry in the US. Specifically, Mr. Zucker of Target, inc. - now of the Maple Leaf Heritage Investment Trust.

HBC declared Mr. Zucker's latest bid for the company's outstanding shares "acceptable". This after an earlier offer (unsolicited) was rejected.

Work at 507 proceeds as usual...but we've all got in the back of our minds that the company will be changing hands in a few weeks, and that could possibly mean that some or all of us will be looking for new jobs.

To make matters interesting in the meantime: HBC corporate in Toronto has finally loosed the purse strings and purchased a fleet of new lift trucks for 507. This after we were jonesing for them for about the past three years. I don't know the reason for the sudden spending spree...but I'm grateful.

HBC will also be building a new Distribution Centre in Calgary. 'Bout time, too... It is NOT cost effective to ship priority perishables to Calgary from Toronto via Vancouver. 'Tis like Storkcraft Cribs all over again...Not one to be considered profligate, HBC has also stated that the new centre in Calgary will also house the Fields head office. We've been waiting for Fields to move out for what, 13 years??

So there's the job situation; now, on to the home situation.

Granpa had a stroke.

Actually, the trouble may have started a few weeks ago with a mild cardiac episode. This came, coincidentally, a week or two after a new medication was added into his daily mix. But, of course, NONE of these tragic events can be blamed on incompetent doctoring, no sir...

Anyway, long about Sunday he sprung a minor internal leak in the ol' Cerebellum. This produced additional symptoms of nausea, drowsiness and dizziness. He figured he just had a bout of flu on his hands.

On Tuesday morning, his vision suddenly went...

He panicked, lost his english and tried to explain (in Dutch) what was happening to him. Laurie had the car because I decided to have a "ride to work for the heck of it because the weather's nice" day. She drove Granpa to hospital. Several tests and re-assesments later, he is in a private room in Delta Hospital; waiting for his eyesight and faculties to come back.

What bodes for our future? What if, for instance, his eyesight and faculties don't come back??

He may need to stay in an extended-care facility.

He can't afford it on his savings.

He may have to remove the equity he has invested in our house.

We would have to re-mortgage our house. This would almost certainly result in our paying DOUBLE the monthly payment we have now. We can't afford that.

Nothing causes family stress like money trouble. Trudy has suggested that if Granpa vacated the house to live in a "rest home", this would give us an opportunity to rent out the basement suite and we could then pay off our mortgage that way. L has responded that she doesn't want to play landlord.

There are some practical considerations, as well: we would need to install a walkway, and a door into the garage (or install a keylock switch on the garage door). Also, the suite needs another exit, in order to meet city code and bylaws. A practical solution to the "back door problem" as I call it; would be to put up dividing walls between the "living room" and "laundry room" downstairs. This would enable someone to enter the suite from the back door of the house, without going into the laundry room or living room downstairs - as long as the doors are kept under lock-and-key.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Noticing things...

My eyesight is getting a tad weaker...but I seem to notice more.

It just takes a little longer.

Remember how the mouse on this PC was acting up? It finally froze up permanently and I was getting ready to take it apart.

I take apart things that break...I don't always fix them, or even put them back together again...but taking broken things apart is just my nature. Holdover from childish curiosity, I suppose.

I noticed that there was something sitting over top of the LED that functions as the mouse's motion detector.

A dog hair.

I have no idea HOW a dog hair got inside the mouse case, much less how the very tip of said hair came to rest against the centre of the LED. The upshot was that the mouse sensors told it that it was in motion, even when it wasn't. Took some doing to get the hair out of there too; it was pretty firmly wedged in between the two halves of the case.

Bike update.

Black Beauty is NOT a Klein. It has a pressed in BB like a Klein...but the specs are a little different. Also, Klein frames have a stylized logo stamped into the seatstays.

Still haven't thought of a way to get that BB out of there.

I have started to overhaul one of the bike wrecks Bob got for me. The bearing cone on the BB is so rusted as to be unusable; worse, it's FUSED to the frame, I may have to cut it out with a hacksaw.

Did a little cobbling on my Brogans. Tacks in the heel were coming up thru the insole and hurting my foot. A little work with a centre punch and hammer solved the problem. Now I need to shine them and clean all the DOG HAIR out of the insides.

Gave myself a haircut tonight: #2 comb all around and #3 around the ears, sides and back.

I look good.

WORK...

Still on those ever-dragging BLINDS. I really need a full-size High Reach to put these suckers away...and I really can't get access to one. I am trying to get all the blinds off Xdock by Friday and it doesn't seem like I am going to make that deadline. I am supposed to bring 10$ to work for Leia's baby shower (she's due in two weeks!). I can probably manage it, but mebbe not until Thursday.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Well, I feel like a total Nu-bee...

You find the most innnnteresting trivia on the 'net.

You can also embarrass yourself if you don't do your homework.

Over a year ago, my F.I.L. Bob Dallman found a high-end (but trashed) ATB that had been fished out of a ditch in Port Moody. It had a lightweight alloy frame and a black epoxy-coat finish. The frame geometry was unfamiliar to me. It looked a little like a Norco, but not any model Norco I am familiar with. It also had oil-damped Rockshox; which were broken. I fitted a spring-shock fork to it with an adapter, and put my best parts-box assortment on it.

It...Was...A...SWEET...Ride.

But, alas, a long-term relationship was not to be...

About 2 months after I started riding it (during the winter season), my Black Beauty developed shifting problems.

Yes...this was the ORIGINAL Black Beauty. The now-stripped frame is still hanging under our deck. I could not bring myself to get rid of it.

The shifting problem came about becuase the sealed bottom bracket bearings (say that three times fast) had worn considerably, and the chainrings were quite "wobbly" as a result. I took Black Beauty off the road for awhile, and eventually got around to attempting a fix of the problem. I removed the seals on the BB (BB means "bottom bracket" in this instance), only to find...no way to remove the bearings and crankshaft. As far as I could tell, they were "pressed" into place...See the archived entry here:

http://www.brianarcweblog.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_brianarcweblog_archive.html

You want the second entry...the one that begins; "Happy February".

Anyway...I described the problem to the Gentleman at my LBS. He had no idea what I was talking about; I go to him because he is a patient man who doesn't mind that I act like an expert. I was a little disappointed that he couldn't help me with this problem. I did promise to bring the stripped frame to him, but I never did get around to it.

Anyway... moving right along, I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KLEIN-pressed-sealed-bearing-B-B-TOOL-for-bike-bicycle_W0QQitemZ7211246145QQcategoryZ27953QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

On Ebay.

The tool comes with a "proprietary sealed BB"; which just happens to be the exact bottom bracket that is currently fitted to Black Beauty.


It's a Klein.


I posted a couple of "attention Lower Mainland Riders" messages to a couple of newsgroups, asking if anyone could help me find a LBS in the lower mainland that still carried this tool, and could help me fix this frame.

And then...AFTER I posted...

I did a web search for "Klein Bicycle Dealers".

I got pointed to www.kleinbikes.com. The local dealer is Cap's Bicycle South Shore, which is 6 blocks from my house...

Sheesh!

That Cap's location is my other Local Bicycle Shop. Only took me 11MONTHS to figure this one out. I shall be contacting them next week. Further bulletins as events unfold. I may also snag a couple of fenders for the Beauty, once I get her all together again. As much as I enjoy riding my Hybrid Roadie, the Beauty was Bulletproof; especially in the winter season. I may see if I can get Cap's to retrofit a newer model cartridge type BB on the Klein (I wonder what model Klein the Black Beauty is?), so I can do the next BB overhaul myself.