John and Derek’s Blog

Greetings from a warm and sunny afternoon in West Des Moines, IA.

Some rain and thunderstorms is expected to roll in the next few hours.  Latest forecast shows the most severe storms will be south of us – along the Missouri border.

Last Thursday had a busy day.  I rented a car from the local Enterprise office so I could go to a 2:00pm doctors appointment in Clive, IA.  Would normally take a taxi, but wanted to run some other errands after the appointment.  Cost of renting the car was $35.00 and a taxi would have been about the same for round trip with tips.. So during my lunch break I pedaled my bike to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and picked up a dark blue Ford Focus.  Nice easy to drive car with leather seats.  They were cool enough to store my bike for me. A bit shady when I refused the optional insurance coverage and the optional roadside assistance.  Between AAA car insurance and Coach-Net I have more then enough coverage.

Went to doctor’s appointment at 2:00pm.  He set me up with some gout medication that I will take on a daily basis.  He also set me up with some beta blocking medication to lower my blood pressure a bit – he thinks it will help with nervous tick thing I’ve been having…. so much fun….

After doctors appointment headed over to Fairway grocery store to get supplies to go camping this weekend.  This is our first camping trip of the year – so needed things like laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, booze and food….  Ended up with $135.00 worth of stuff..  Got everything stowed away in RV, logged back into work for a few hours and waited for John to arrive home for supper.

Then Thursday evening I went for weekly skating lesson at the synthetic ice rink in Southridge Mall.  Lesson was really good – practiced doing a little routine around mohawk turns.  Was fun.  At the very end of the lesson we were practising pivoting and pushing when doing cross-overs.  All of a sudden a sharp pain came from my right knee – I had twisted it wrong… somehow… ouch…

Managed to get my skates off and limped to the rental car.  I could put weight on it and it was not swollen up – so didn’t believe it was anything serious.  Stopped at Hy-Vee grocery store on the way home to pick up new medication.  Had to wait 10 minutes for them to finish up getting the meds dispensed.  I purchased a bottle of diet tea and sat down in their waiting area with my sore knee….  Then drove to the bank to get John’s pay checks deposited… finally making it home with my sore knee…

On Friday John got done with work early and made it home by 3:30pm.  We finished loading the RV with clothing, cat and his stuff and were on the road by 4:00pm.  We went to Lake Anita State Park in Anita, IA – an hour west of West Des Moines, IA along I-80.  It was an easy trip.

The campground was nice, but the site we reserved was not the best – is hard to tell by looking at a site map online.  It did have water, sewer and 30-amp electrical service. Worst part was not having much room between the RV and the roadway – the awning barely had enough room when fully extended.  Was able to use our new lawn chairs and patio mat.  Forgot to get the stakes for the patio mat – so did not lay down flat but was “just fine”:

Our site - nice view of Lake Anita..

Worst part about camping was having to deal with my sore knee.  It really hurt when I had to bend it to sit down or stand up.  Spent most of Saturday outside in a reclining lawn chair enjoying the weather and listing to music from my iPhone and a Logitech UE mobile boom box.  There was a nice paved bike path going around the lake – would have been nice to go around it…. makes me want to go back here when my knee is not hurting…

Last night it did rain a bit but is no big deal in the RV.  Today some storms are expected to roll in, so we were on the road by 10:00am and back in West Des Moines, IA a little after 11:00am.  My knee is feeling a better today, but still hurts when I bend it.  Stuck hobbling around.  It took us 30 minutes to get the RV emptied and cleaned.  John carried stuff inside while I cleaned.  We decided to turn off the refrigerator since we will not be camping next weekend.

Memorial Day weekend we will be staying home.  Friend from Wisconsin is coming down for John Wayne’s birthday celebration in Winterset, IA.  They will be running John Wayne films for free at the Winterset movie theater – so would like to catch a few of them.  Will be neat to see them on the big screen.

We selected a vendor for siding and replacement windows for the apartment building.  Going with Window World.  They have an energy elite siding product that comes with the insulation molded to the back of the siding.  Heard arguments both ways about having the insulation on the siding or applied in sheets separately.. Believe there is a cost savings with labor – installing the siding and installation at the same time seems quicker.  It is a Dutch Lap style of siding.  Color is a “Tuscan Clay” color – brown with a bit of a grey hue.  Soffits will be a slightly lighter “vintage wicker” color.  We think it will look ok with the dark brown roof and gutters – time will tell.  The windows will be a simple two light sliders – white vinyl. They seem fine – are not fancy but appear to be durable…..  Web site says:

• Fusion-welded sash & mainframe adds strength and rigidity
• Triple-barrier weatherstripping keeps the elements out
• EasyGrip sash lock for an easy swinging sash
• DuraBrake™ pivot/glide shoe secures the sash for cleaning
• Hard shell dual durometer sash glazing for structural integrity

Hoping it turns out “just fine”… is just windows and siding for an apartment building…  It is going to take around a month for the installation to start.

Not much else going on… still need to get laundry done and then put some ice on my knee.. Will probably relax the remainder of the day and see if we get a nasty storm, or not…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Thought that was a cute card.  My mom has three sons so it seemed somewhat appropriate… Gave Mom a call this evening and she was happy with the flowers I ordered from Country Orchids in Fulton, IL.  Have ordered from them for the past few years and they always do a nice job.  Some years I order “boxed cut” flowers so Mom can use one of her own vases, but this year I changed things up and had them delivered in as vase.  She said it was really nice

Weather has been getting a bit better.  On Saturday is was bright and sunny and in the lower 60′s, but with a steady chilly wind.  Went for a bike ride in the wind, which was fine until having to pedal against it on the way home.  Today there was not much wind, but will in the lower 60′s – was a much nicer day to ride bike around the Raccoon Lake – twice.

We thought about going camping this weekend, but did not.  Main problem is that when John gets done with work on Friday he is tired and mentally wore down from work.  Dealing with the RV is the last thing he feels like doing….. Doubt that will change anytime soon.  He likes his job, but they have him running all around town to different clients most of the day taking care of computer problems/installation…  By the time he makes it home at 6:00pm, he is tired of running around… and wants to stay home a relax..

On Saturday I spent a few more hours at the Animal Rescue. Since it was cold and windy outside, it gave me something to go and do away from the apartment. I worked in both the cat and dog areas.  Started in the cat area, then went to the dog area when I saw they did not have any volunteers there.  I helped to adopt two dogs and then three cats.  Two of the cats were 2 year old “bonded buddies” that were adopted together, then the last one was a 8 week old black kitten that was sooo cute.  It is definitely “kitten season” with more of the little guys then I’ve seen before.  Some of the little ones are not overly friendly – they hiss and swat at you if you try to pet them.  I try to work with them a little to see if they can become a bit more friendly towards people.  Is amazing what a few liver treats can do for their disposition

The Animal Rescue now has a “Kitty Cam” where you can log in over the internet and play with a room full of cats.  Here is the link to it:  KCCI Kitty Cam.  It has three different toys you can turn on and you can move the camera around the room.  They rotate the cats in this room – seems like after awhile they start to ignore the internet driven toys.  When I volunteer I go to this room to play with the cats and to be seen online.  Why not….

Picture I took with the Kitty Cam

Finally went to skate on the synthetic ice at Southridge Mall.  It is like being on a large plastic cutting board lightly coated in a greasy silicone spray.  Had a lesson there on Thursday evening where I ended up falling several times while getting used to it.  The plastic is not very forgiving with the toe pick.  On real ice you can drag the toe pick in the ice a little bit and the ice will shave away – no big deal.  On the plastic there is not much give – so down you go… quickly…

After an hour started to feel more comfortable doing some of the half-way more advanced moves and etc.  You really get a workout because you have to push harder and you do not glide as far as on real ice.  Takes lots more energy to glide for any distance.  Can really feel it in my legs this evening.  Southridge Mall itself is not very nice.  As part of a revitalization plan, they are turning several of the empty stores into sports training centers.  They have one for soccer and one for baseball where a team was practicing their batting skills Thursday evening with pitching machines.   Is an interesting way to get more people to the blighted mall.  I will continue to go for ice skating there during the summer because the guy who runs the place, Burton, is one of the best skating coaches in the state.  He is doing all of the lessons himself at first – so it is a cheap/easy way to get some really good practice sessions with him.

Downside of the synthetic ice is that the rink is not cold – so my usual skating wardrobe of jeans and some type of hoodie is not going to work.  Don’t like the way black figure skates look with shorts, so will have to figure something out that looks decent but is not too warm…. Don’t want to end up a sweaty mess each time I go….

Not much else going on… my eyes are tired and it is past 10:00pm – going to head to bed, read for a few minutes and call it a night…

Greetings from a wet evening in Iowa…

The weather has been quite unsettled here the past two weeks.  Last week we had to deal with snow and near-freezing temperatures for three days.  The temps hovered around 34 – so brought the planters inside.  Did not want to tempt fate.

Snow on top of the green grass... in May...

Brought the flowers in for a few days...

This week the temps have been back up in the 70′s and 80′s.  Was able to go on a nice bike ride on Monday going around the lake twice.  On Tuesday evening had a Development Network meeting downtown – ended up taking a taxi since John was working late.  Development Network is a group within the bank I work for that holds events every few months.  Is a chance to employees at different locations to meet, mingle and listen to speakers.  The speaker this time was Dolph Pulliam from Drake University.  He had a very interesting story to tell about growing up in the South and becoming one of the best basketball players ever at  Drake University.  This article I found online gives an idea of what his speech was like:  Dolph Pulliam.

Last Saturday it was cold and crappy out so decided to get my volunteer time in at the Animal Rescue League for the month.  Need to put in at least two hours a month to remain a volunteer with access to the animals.  This time I worked in the cat area.  It was kinda funny because by the time they opened to the public, there was 6 gay guys and no ladies working in the cat area… made me giggle…  I ended up helping to adopt three cats – Hansel and Gretel (bonded buddies) and Nilla – a 2 year old tortoiseshell kitty.  Also helped to adopt out Fred the Guinea Pig.  They had a kitty named Tony that looked similar to Prince that I was tempted to adopt. He even sheds hair like Prince

Tony the Kitty... a Tux kitty like Prince...

They are starting to get in more kittens – these two liked to hide out in their deep bed and peek out:

On Sunday it was Dave’s birthday – so we went out to their place to visit with him and Mitch.  Brought out a pan of lasagna for lunch…  Was nice to see them again.  The weather was chilly but the sun was out enough that you could sit out on the front patio and it was not too bad..  Had my last ice skating lesson at 5:05PM – so just as the party was getting going, we had to leave.

Ended up being 5 minutes late to the lesson because the GPS took us to the wrong ice arena….  The last class is where we are tested on a set list of skills to see if we can advance to the next level.  Nobody in the class advanced – it usually takes several repeats to get all of the skills down.  I was able to pass 9 of the skills, but still need to work on four of them.  Need to work on backwards outside edges on a circle, clockwise backwards crossovers, and forward progressives.

Did go to the “Power Class” last week, Tuesday.  It was basically a dozen 2nd and 3rd grade girls scampering around the ice to music.  I was the only adult, but the coach was really nice to me and wished more adults would show up…. so, will go again next week… the workout is good to build endurance and to reinforce the basics…. I guess….

Have not been to the synthetic ice rink at SouthRidge Mall yet.  They have adult classes on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:00pm – so going to try and attend tomorrow.. Want to see what it is like….

We have obtained the financing needed to do the replacement windows and siding on the apartment building.  Have had three different companies meet with us and give us estimates.  So now we are trying to decide who to go with… Is not an easy decision – the prices came in pretty close to each other….  Once we decide it will take at least three weeks for the windows and siding to be delivered and a week for the installation.  Still not sure what color to go with – thinking a color that has some brown and grey hues to would work well with the dark brown roof and gutters – like a Sandstone color.  Most of the buildings in our neighborhood are beige – so wondering if we should go with something cooler… perhaps a gray or green color?  Let us know what you think….

Not much else going on – my two favorite TV shows are done for the season – Project Runway and RuPaul’s Drag Race…. so not been watching much TV lately…..  Probably going to play MineCraft for a bit, read and fall asleep around 10:15PM….

Greetings from a bright and sunny West Des Moines IA!

After dealing with two weeks of rain and cold temperatures, we had a really nice weekend.  Temps were in the upper 70′s with a nice cooling breeze.  On Saturday morning we had A & G Carpet Cleaning here.  They cleaned the carpeting in our apartment and in the apartment building’s hallway.  It took us 40 minutes to get things up and off the floor, the kitchen table/chairs moved into the kitchen  and to vacuum the carpet one last time before he arrived.  It took him two hours to get everything cleaned.  The carpeting in our apartment is old and will soon need to be replaced, but he did a really good job of making it look good again.

John getting the apartment ready for the carpet cleaners

Around 12 noon Mitch stopped over and we had a quick lunch at the Waveland Cafe – a little dive bar about 7 miles away from the apartment building out in the country.  Did not know it was there…  Then we went flower shopping around town.  Between Wright Outdoor Solutions, Hy-Vee Garden Center, Lowes we were both able to get some nice plants and flowers.  I picked out some perennial grasses and plants for the front flower bed.  Also picked up 20 bags of stone and landscaping fabric.

Mitch power shopping the Hy-Vee Garden Center

This is how it turned out after 6 hours of labor and going back for a total of 36 bags of stone:

The plants are all by Monrovia and here is a list of what they are:

Back row is Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis – each will be around five feet wide and a few feet high

Middle Row is First Love Cheddar Pink and Heavean’s Gate Tickseed - pink flowers that should get 12 to 18″ hight.

Front row is Goldkugel Basket of Gold and Tomato Soup Coneflower - gold ones get 6 to 10″ tall and the red ones will grow 30″ tall.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out.  They were a bit expensive at $10.95 a plant, but they should come up each year… The stone was a pain to put in place, but should help keep the soil in place and make the flower bed lower maintenance.

Took me until 7:00pm to get everything done, so was tired and in no mood to cook – so we dined out at Maxie’s Restaurant – a local supper club type place.  Started out with a yummy Lemon Drop martini and then had their breaded shrimp entree.  They start you out with a house salad, then a small plate of spaghetti before the shrimp arrived.  Thought serving the pasta was odd – guess it is like how the supper clubs in Wisconsin always serve a glass of tomato juice…  I was tired and hungry and everything tasted “just fine”….

On Sunday morning we hung out around the apartment building and I got laundry done for the week.  We propped open all of the exterior doors so the hallway carpeting could continue to dry.  I then went shopping to K-Mart to get some combination soap and wax to wash the RV with along with some other household supplies.

On the way back stopped back to Lowe’s to pick up four more bags of stone.  Want to “top off the stone in front and fill in a space under the back stairs.  Got all of that in place by 1:00pm.  John was still washing the RV so I went to Chipolte to get some burritos for lunch.  John likes their barbacoa meat – it is “Spicy, shredded beef, slowly braised for hours in a blend of chipotle pepper adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano until tender and moist.” I had the same as John and did not remember it was quite so spicy.  I usually have either the chicken or vegetarian fajita burrito……

Then Sunday evening I had ice skating lessons from 5:05 until 5:35pm.  Only have one more class left in this session.  I don’t expect to test out of level 3, which I’m fine with.  I have a majority of the skills down in some capacity, but not very comfortable with some of the backwards crossover moves and doing then in succession in a circle.  Will give me lots of things to continue to work on over the summer. They will also be having a series of 30 minute “Power Class”.  You show up, pay $12 and then work on many of the basics with the coach in a large group to music – children and adults combined.  You need to be at least at a level 3 to participate – so it a way to build a strong foundation for the more advanced skills – things like forward stroking, forward and backwards swizzles and pumps on the circle and crossovers.  It should like fun, but suspect everyone else will be more advanced then I – but oh well…  Thinking it may be like “Zumba on Ice”

The Southridge Mall in Des Moines, IA is having a “Synthetic Ice Rink” installed.  You basically skate on sheets of a plastic polymer that is 90% as slipper as real ice.  It will be interesting to try and may be a new place to go and practice skating during the week.  From the articles I read online it does work, but it can dull the blades on your skates quickly because of dirt and dust on the plastic.  Does not sound like that big of a deal…

Went for a nice bike ride this evening after supper.  Went around the Raccoon Lake twice – first time this year going around twice.  Previous weeks I was either too sore or it was too windy and cold.  Tonight it was perfect and my butt is not sore or anything.  In a few more weeks will be ready for the evening trips to Gray’s Lake and back.

Things are starting to become green around bike trail

Not much else going on…  going to play Minecraft for a bit, read, watch TV and fall asleep around 10:30pm…. typical night…

Greetings from a humid evening in Iowa.

The temps got into the mid-70′s today, and it is still 70 out at 8:00pm.  We are expecting thunderstorms and rain later this evening.  Hope we don’t get any bad storms, but we could use the rain.  Believe it rained a little last night because the pavement was wet when I woke up.

Have been able to go on bike rides for the last 5 days.  Been going on the gravel path around Raccoon Lake in the evening. Still dealing with a sore butt after riding, but seems to be getting better.  Next week will start going around the lake twice – kinda easing into riding again.  By May hope to be back to my 90 minute rides to Gray’s Lake.  The worst part about biking in the spring is pedaling against the strong winds.  Probably will not be able to bike tomorrow due to rain scheduled for the area.

Last Saturday I decided to get the Jeep cleaned up along with my bike.  Started out with a trip to K-Mart for cleaning supplies, new steering wheel cover, new bucket seat covers and a few accessories for my bike.  It needed a new odometer and bell.  Then took the Jeep to the local car wash for vacuum the interior and wash the exterior.  It was pretty nasty due to the winter grime and John eating lunch in it daily.  Then went home and scrubbed the interior with some lemon scented 409 spray, followed up with some armor all cleaning wipes, followed up with armor all protection wipes.  Then removed the old steering wheel and bucket seat covers and installed new ones.  Topped it off with an air fresher attached to one of the ac vents.  Looks and smells much better.  I want to get the Jeep on a weekly cleaning routine so I don’t have do deal with that degree of nasty again.

Then cleaned up my bike and used the protection wipes on it so it is nice and shiny now.  Then installed the odometer and bell.

New accessories on bike

Several groups of old ladies on the trails yell at me if I don’t use the bell before I go past them, plus  lots of dog walkers take up the who path – so ring the bell to pass…. Many of the “lycra wonder” bike riders have the little round external speakers connected to their iPhones blaring distorted music so people hear them coming without any interaction on their part.  Kinda spoils the quiet nature walks….

On Sunday morning John drove the motor home over to the Des Moines Freightliner dealer for routine maintenance and to fix the sensor that causes alarm to buzz on the dashboard.  I drove the Jeep behind – easier then towing it for such a short trip.  They are located in Altoona, IA close to Advertureland and the Bass Pro Mega  Store.  Was an easy drive.  They should have it done by Wednesday.  Will be interesting to see how expensive this will end up being.  John said it could end up being in the $1200.00 range – depending on exactly what needs to be done.  The fun part of owning a diesel motor home….

On Sunday afternoon we went out to Dave and Mitch’s place. Was our first time seeing them since they arrived back in town.  Was warm enough to sit outside on the front patio and enjoy the weather along with Don and Troy..  Mitch whipped up some chicken fajitas for supper.  Was delish….

Deer passing through the yard (taken through window screen)

The dogs... Nina (black/grey), Campbell (while), Molly(red neckerchief) & Major(tall/tan)

The “major application move” I had at work last week went well.  Only had a minor issue when a server the application references went down due to a run-away java agent.  Problem was quickly resolved and that was that.  Seemed a bit anti-climatic after planning and testing for the prior three months.  Guess that comes with having 17+ years of experience with this…

Not much else going on.  Going to play MineCraft for a bit, watch some TV and head to bed a 10:00pm.  Once in bed I usually surf the web for 20 minutes before calling it a night.  Always check to see if there’s any new Bigfoot Reports on the BFRO website.  It’s fun to read people’s encounters with the big furry beast.

Greetings from a nice spring day in West Des Moines!

We finally have some nice weather with temps in the mid-60′s most of the day and sunny.  Was able to have some windows cracked open in the apartment to let some fresh air in while I worked.  After work I was able to go on my first bike ride of the year.  It needs to be at least 55 out for me to ride bike, or it feels too chilly with just a hoodie on.  The landscape along the trail is still brown and bleak with just a hint of green grass starting to come up.

Bike trail around Raccoon Lake today

So this will be the start of my daily bike rides.  Going to just take the trail that goes around Raccoon Lake for the first week so I get used to biking again.  My legs are telling me that I have not been on a bike for 5 months.  Next fall I’m going to get a gym membership so I can keep exercising after bike season is done.  Ice skating does help, but this year had to deal with new skates and sore feet – something that is now under control

Now that John is working, I’m able to purchase a few “nice to have”, but not essential items.  First item was a Cuisinart 11-Cup Pro Custom 11 Food processor.  Obtained it from a deal listed on Brad’s Deals for $89.00.  Came with three different blades and the dough hook – everything I wanted.  Tonight used it to make Japanese Meat Dish with Ramon noodles, hamburger, onions, carrots and cabbage.  My mom talked about making this last weekend, so gave it a try.  It turned out pretty good and, most importantly, John liked it.

Getting supper ready

This week one of my co-workers gave notice that they have found a new job and left the bank immediately.  Not sure that is the best career move, but oh well..  Now we are having to deal with several half done projects….  Hope we find a decent replacement soon…

This evening I need to log into work at 9:30pm because we have a major Lotus Notes application being moved to a new server.  The new server runs a more modern version of Notes and has faster hardware.  The move should be a “non-event” and I hope to be done with my part by 10:00pm.  Users should see a decent performance improvement.  If this goes bad it could impact several hundred users in the morning…. and I’m “on call” this week…

Not much else going on… Heading off to play MineCraft – my new computer vice… Jet was playing it on his iPod Touch last weekend and I was like – “That’s pretty cool”…. now can’t get enough of playing….

Happy Easter!

Spent the weekend at my parents farm in Illinois.  John was not feeling social – so he stayed home.  Rented a white Toyota Camry at Enterprise – was surprised it only cost me $49.00 + fuel for the weekend.  The drive there and back was uneventful.  I took I-80 across on Friday evening – traffic was not too bad.  Then on the way back today I took US Route 30 across to 64 south.  30 is 4 lane about 3/4th of the way with minimal traffic.

Was nice to see my parents.  They are just starting to get the gardens going for the year.  They have lots of plants started in the green house.  Mostly tomatoes, head lettuce, peppers and cabbage.  They start all of their own plants….  Mom spends lots to time transplanting the seedlings from the starter containers to the larger containers.  It looks like tedious work.

Their gardening is a few weeks behind schedule due to the cold weather.  Dad has started to get several of the “hoop houses” ready for plants.  They are nice and warm inside because you are out of the cool breeze.  Around 75 compared to 50 outside..

Looks about ready to plant

Another hoop house all set...

On Saturday evening Mom had me do Easter eggs.  It seemed like alot of preparation for just a dozen eggs, but was fun.  Do you like my artistry?  I like the solid colored eggs the best, but I usually do a few bi-colored ones for flair.

getting the dye pellets in the vinegar water

Some of the eggs... nice and bright

Today Deven and his family stopped out for Easter dinner.  Mom the the traditional meal of ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, layer salad, exotic jello and buns.  It was delicious!  After eating Scout and Jet hunted for easter eggs outside around the farm.  Took them 15 minutes to find everything – including two baskets.  Jet had a nice Nerf N-Sport Weather Blitz football in his that we threw around.  I throw like a girl but Jet did a good job of catching it… Now I want to get one to take along camping this summer.  I left on my way back by 3:30pm.

Mom and Dad checking out Deven and Melinda's new Dodge... Spiffy!

Made it back to Des Moines by 7:30pm and filled up rental car.  John picked me up at the car rental place then we drove around looking for a place that was open for a quick supper.  He was more hungry then I… John seemed happy to have me back home… think he was lonely…

After the King of Burgers we went grocery shopping at Hy-Vee.  I usually get groceries on Sunday and wanted to keep us on schedule.  John was embarrassed when I handed the check out boys my stash of reusable bags to use.  Seems like it takes them twice as long to bag the groceries in the cloth bags and one was a little “spatially challenged”.  He kept trying to put odd sized things together in the same bag and it just was not working…  The worst part is that they forgot to give me the “bag discount” – Hy-Vee gives you 5 cents for each bag you bring.  I usually have 10….  Have them just about paid for….

Not much else going on – it’s 10:00pm and my eyes are tied – so heading to bed…

I am so sorry!  I simply can not believe we haven’t posted since the 7th, crazyness.  The sad part is I can tell our readership has drastically waned, as we haven’t had the normal “Why haven’t you posted” emails and comments.    I know, boring lives, now that we aren’t traipsing across the country…

Well, bring you all up to speed–  a few news worthy things going on…

First, Work:  Still employed, that’s good.  It has been interesting and very challenging, but at the same time ultra exhausting.  The most difficult part so far has been the scheduling/dispatch process of how we are assigned tickets.  There is a “good” and “bad” side of it.  We are basically left to manage our own schedules, which is a very good thing, because the dispatchers really do not have a good technical understanding of how long things will take.  The bad thing is the dispatchers have little understanding of how long things will take, and if you are not constantly on top of your schedule it is really easy to become overloaded (and very stressed) very quickly.  I still feel like I am way behind from a technical standpoint, but my colleges have been extremely helpful.  I hope this doesn’t end anytime soon, as I will be lost I am afraid.  This week was pretty long, and tiring, but they fly by fast, and for the most part I feel I have accomplished something.

Technical stuff:  As many of you know I have really become what Derek terms as the “Mac Whore” and have really bought into the who Apple Model.  Fine, call me a fan boy if you like, I just like tech that works, and frankly, even though Microsoft’s short comings are what is keeping me employed, Microsoft continues to fall on my list of likeable tech.  Yes, I will concede that the level or market proliferation and familiarity makes them the logical choice in most business, but that doesn’t mean they are superior, regardless of what the majority of my colleges think.  I do find it interesting how passionate people get over the Apple/Microsoft debate, particularly when the majority of the non-mac guys have no idea what OSX is about, or what it can and cannot do.  The cool part is I am “starting” to become the local Mac guy in our shop, mostly because no one else has any desire or will to mess with it.

With that said, I found a new toy last weekend!  A guy on craigslist had a MacPro 1,1 with a 23 inch Cinema HD display (the same as my current external display) listed.  I called him up and we came to a pretty amazing deal.  The bad– the 1,1 does not support Mountain Lion.  From what I can gather it has to do with the video card, and can be worked around, but that isn’t my goal with this.  I want to explore OX Server, and Snow Leopard Server will work fine for my endeavors right now.  So I found a NOS copy of Server 10.6.3, and it arrived yesterday.  The second display has become my second external monitor thanks to a USB adapter, and I will run/administer the Mac Pro “headless”, or remotely though the admin functions of server or “Screen Share” connectivity.

Mac Pro and 23 Cinema HD display

Twins! connected to MacBook Pro, one through Mini Displayport, other through a USB DVI adapter

Other big news is the Radio we got Derek at the Hamfest in Perry a few weeks back is repaired.  The Antenna Tuner arrived a little over a week ago, and attempted to transmit on ti found some major problems with the Radio.  the FT-757 GXII has some known issues with diodes going bad, but this was far more in depth.  I found a Yaesu repair dude in South Dakota.  His name was Tim Moes (WD0FKC) at Midwest Technical Services.  The link is here: http://www.midwest-technical.com/index.html.  Bright guy, super communicative, and did an awesome job.  Less than a week turnaround!  Got it back, and all is great, and transmitting now as it should, and is aligned correctly.  Someone was inside it in the past, most likely attempting to get it aligned, and royally messed things up.  He ended up replacing a few diodes, a torrid, a cap, and a crystal.  We will certainly use him again if the need arises.

One last note, Prop 8 Supreme Court Case starts Tuesday with Oral Arguments.  This case is pretty critical to our full equality as LGBT citizens of this country.  I ran across a blog today of someone who is camping out in hopes to get a seat in the gallery, and blogging about the experience.  Check it out here: http://www.blondemillennial.com.

With that, I wish you all a good weekend, and a good next week!
John

Hi All, John here again.

It’s been a long week so far!  I still have 19 support tickets open.  I felt bad for a while, but one of my colleges has well over 30…  Ugh.  The good news is I learn something new every day.  Today it was mostly about RWW, or Remote Web Workplace one a small business server.  As much as I bitch about Microsoft and how difficult I think they try to make things, I gotta admit that the end user environment is pretty good, and RWW is an awesome solution if you have the right installations and fairly modern equipment.

I may regret saying this tomorrow, but I am pretty excited for what I have on my plate for tomorrow.  I am off site a majority of the day, which I do enjoy getting out of the office.  I also have three Mac Tickets.  One I have to swing a user account, which could prove interesting, a second one where I have to install a printer driver for a large format HP, and a third to fix a wifi connection on a MacBook Air.  Hopefully all goes well…

Derek finished his kitty puzzle, and today setup the old Mac IIsi on the table.  He’s playing solitaire now…

That’s all I have…  Have a good evening!

John

Have been enjoying listening to the ham radio on my desk while working/programming.  Learning lots of new and exciting things. Here’s some of the nifty things I discovered by listening to other hams yesterday:

You don’t need a gun to hold up a bank – just a dead skunk and a gas mask.

Eating at the Golden Corral is like dying and going to heaven, until the old coots show up.

When you kill and clean out a chicken, make sure you pull the entrails out the bottom – not the top.

Looking forward to listening to new and exciting tidbits of information today..