Xmas decorations

This year, our street is having a house decoration contest. What was supposed to be a good-natured way of adding some holiday spirit has turned in to an all out rage-in-the-cage battle.
I think it was rigged.
We tied for 4th with our next door neighbor, who we think should have won. She had a very cool display. One house is rumoured to have had live animals in their manger scene....
Anyhow, here's ours:

Me and Motoboy

This past weekend Joel and I went out to Lucern Valley with our good friends Matt and Pat for 2 days of quad riding. It was great! Not to hot/cold. Made better by being able to sleep in Pat's giant motorhome. Camping is better with all the comforts of home. Yes, I've gone soft but I'm OK with that. The army pretty much killed camping for me.
We went on several long rides and both boys held up well. However, they couldn't wait to get back to camp and play with their PSP's. Joel did say he liked riding in the desert more than the other places we've been to. I love it. I used to go with my dad back in the '70s and that was really important to me. I'd like to get a bike for my dad to ride so he could come with us. We'll see.
The drive was the only downside. Due to road work, the normal 3 hour drive was well over 6!
Anyhow, I think we've found Joel's sport. He is a very natural rider. It's fun to watch him.
He wants to race now. So, we're looking for tune up parts for his quad...

My mistress is jealous of my new girlfriend

My wife says I am like Mister Toad, because I have a new "mania". No, it's not a gypsy cart. I finally got around (got permission) to buy my own quad! I used to test quads for 4 Wheel/ATV Magazine, but retired a few years back when my son was young. It was hard being gone most weekends. Plus I had an "incident" involving a quad, a lawnmower-trailer, a hill and a cliff.
I had gotten my son a bike through the magazine, but he had not shown much interest in riding, but when some of his friends from school had quads he became much more keen on it. It was hard since I did have my own. The editor of the magazine was gracious enough to loan me a test bike or two for a while (Don's a great guy!).

But about 6 weeks ago I snapped: The boy had spent the whole weekend glued to the Game Cube. From Friday after school till bed time Sunday night nothing but video games. I told the wonderwife that I was buying a quad so we could do something together out in the "Big Blue Room". She agreed (although I did suspect she had been replaced by a doppleganger). So by the next weekend I had a Honda ex400 in the garage.
Unfortunately, the ducati gets less exercise now. Although I have made sure that she is washed and polished and started every couple of days...

It could be raining

Here's a before and after shot of my floor.
We had a clogged drain and had to call the drain snake guys. They worked all day and then ran a camera down the pipe. The drain stopped about the middle of the dining room. So, they cut a 4 foot wide by 20 foot long trench in the floor and tore out the badly crack and clogged pipe. They replaced the pipe and put concrete over it.
It was kinda' cool in that they were able to do it in one day.
Now, we need to rip up the wood flooring and re-do it.
That's what I had planned on blogging/ranting about today.
However, I was at a school site dropping some stuff off at the office and I saw a teacher who has come to some of my classes. We said hi and she asked if I got a summer vacation--most teachers know I work thru the summer as we have a few year-round schools--and she said she was concerned that I didn't get enough time off and needed to watch that.
I asked about her vacation. Just chit chat stuff. She said most of her time has been spent at the hospital.
She said that her son who got hurt at Boy Scout camp and was in a coma for two weeks. He has some brain damage but is healing. He even started school this week.
I was stunned. I felt so useless. All I could do was give her a hug. She had all this going on and she was concerned about me getting burned out.
The bell rang and she went to get her kids; I went and checked in with a friend at the school. She was standing in the middle of the field staring. I thought this was odd.
I asked what she was looking at.
"One of my former students died last night" she said. Turns out she was in a drunk-driver accident.
I was feeling so overwhelmed by a hole in the floor that is gonna' get fixed in a few weeks anyhow. I'm sorry it took these things to put it into perspective.
I need to ponder this some more. I definitely need to be more presently aware of the good things in my life and be thankful.

Ed Tech

"Technology does not necessarily improve education. Take a simple innovation like the pencil: One can use it to write a superlative essay, to drum away the time, or to poke out someone's eye." (Veenema & Gardner, 1996)

I love this quote. A new friend has this on her website (http://laurene@msjohnson.net) and it cracks me up to no end. It's true too.

I have new glasses

I got new glasses this weekend.
I had to get bifocals with the transitional lenses. I guess that I am now officially old.
I think they're cool but I'm still getting used to them.
They kind of look like Moon Martin.



Marilyn says more like Brains from Thunderbirds. I think she's being kind.

It's Done!

Finally, after going on 15 years, I have finished the kitchen.
It's been done on and off, but never quite right. Yesterday, I glued up some tile that I knocked out doing the floor and am now finished.
The cupboards and counters have been in awhile, but I finally found doors for the cupboard over the microwave/hood.
We have hard wood floors throughout the house and the floors in the kitchen was looking kinda ratty. So, over spring break I ripped up the floor and put in some 6X6 lime stone tiles. And, since the dishwasher was broken we thought we should get a new one. Well, it did not match the stove, which had a broken handle and 2 burners that were bad, so I got a new one of those, then we had to do the microwave/hood since the old hood just made noise and never moved any smoke off the stove.
We got the giant farm sink so you put whole cookie sheets in all at once. The maple countertops require a sanding every few years and oiling every now and then but that's it.
When we bought the house it had an electric range with only 2 working burners. One night, an hour before about 20 people were to show for dinner, a pot on the stove boiled over, soaked the cloth insulation and caused the stove to arc to the sink. I installed a gas range the next day!
Twelve years on, I finally swapped the old gas range for a 5 burner, double oven (with convection)!
The bank account is empty but my back, knees and knuckles are healed.
This is the heart of our house. We like to cook and eat together and it was very important to have a comfortable, working kitchen.

The best of everything!

I had this girlfriend once that thought I was having an affair with Lindsey Wagner (yes, the Bionic Woman). I don't really know why or how she came to this conclusion--since i've never met Lindsey Wagner. Yes, it was kinda' creepy but really not out of the ordnary. Anyhow, once she tried to insult me by accussing me of having "to have the best of everything". She thought that would really cut me to the quick.
The two stories aren't related, just adding more colours to the portait.
For some reason it popped into my head today, 20 some years later, while I was riding.
I recently got a new helmet. I got an Arai RX7. My last helmet was an RX7. I have an Arai-shaped head.
What I was marveling at was that this one fit. My last helmet was one size too large. It fit great in the store but gradually got loose, then sloppy. I had to put extra padding in and that made the vents not work.
Finally after several years, I got a new one and got it a size smaller. A new helmet is VERY snug at first but loosens up quickly.
This one fits great! I love it. It's comfortable, quiet (for an RX7) and the vents work.

So, yeah. I do have to have the best of everything. But the best for me isn't always the best for you. I've been trying to think about what I buy before I buy it and look at the long run. This is something I hope I teach my son Joel, as it took a long time to learn myself. Having "nice" is good, but having the "right one" is better.
I've worn $100 helmets before and this just fits better. Besides, I don't skimp on saftey gear.
More than that, I do have the best of everything--my family and my friends.
Boy, I need to ride more often. If this much bubbles up after 2 hours, what else is in there?