Whatever

Leaf Blower

The 10 year old leaf blower is getting awfully hard to start, half dozen pulls minimum and my gas line repair is now spouting fuel around the tank hole when I press the little bulb thing. Its noise level is an assault on the ears, so much so that I wear ear plugs and Donna has to be in the opposite yard from me when I use it. Time to replace it.

Earlier this year we bought a battery operated Black & Decker string trimmer & hedge trimmer. They work pretty well, so I thought maybe we could get the B&D leaf blower that uses the same 18v batteries. It would be quiet and light with no dripping flammable fluids. I read the reviews online and the biggest negatives about the unit were it was kind of weak and used up batteries.

Weak might be OK because all I would be using it for would be blowing off leaves and grass clippings from the back deck, the front sidewalk and the driveway. Batteries shouldn’t be an issue as I already have 3, one came with the string trimmer and one plus a bonus came with the hedge trimmer. Home Depot had some in stock and at $75 worth a trip right after work.

Boy was the box small. It fit in the Miata trunk along with both our lunch boxes and Donna’s purse. When I got home I snapped on the the two tubes and plugged up one of my already charged batteries. I started with the back deck and it seemed like I was cruising along blowing leaves everywhere, but it was having trouble moving the acorns around. The battery was drained by the time I was done with the deck. Hooked up battery number two and headed to the driveway. The small scattering of leaves danced out of the way, the acorns not so much. On the smoother deck it did get them rolling, but on the rougher concrete surface it was like they were super glued down.

Came inside, disassembled the thing and packed it back in its box. After dinner we went back to Home Depot and spent $150 bucks on a new gas powered leaf blower.

5 Months Later

Back in May we stumbled onto the Google Street View Car on our bike ride home from work. The updated views are now online. If you click on the photo above, you will be taken to the street view in question. Feel free to move the little man along the block of Park Ave between Marlboro and Williamsburg.

To witness an anomaly in the fabric of space and time, start at Williamsburg and work your way east (to the right) and at one point Donna and I, along with the person walking along the street, flash out of the picture for an instant and then pop right back. Where did we go?

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1174

They Say It’s Your Birthday

Gwyneth Paltrow, William Conrad, Arthur Penn and Samuel Adams.

Well, it’s my birthday too.

Those wild and crazy folks in our Shipping Department decided after their surprise birthday “party” for Donna, that they would have to do likewise for me. And I was totally got. I had no clue.

The idea for the shape of the cupcake cake and color scheme were the suggestion of my wife’s and I have to admit that that shade of purple is not the most visually appealing, but they sure tasted great. There was even ice cream and they sung the Happy Birthday song to me too. Thanks for the party folks, I had a whale of a time.

My Favourite Game

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52jHrdxwfsg

A couple of decades ago at a Miatas At The Gap event someone handed out a Mix CD that included a bunch of driving songs. It included The Cardigans tune My Favourite Game and while it is a cool song I could never really figure out the driving connection, until this morning. Thanks Jalopnik.

Ahhh…So

Stopped for some oriental food on the way home from work today. We can personally vouch for the deliciousness of the Tangerine Beef at the Red Bowl in Aiken. And if it is possible, the seared pot stickers appetizer outshone the entree.

The fortune in my cookie read: You will make many changes before settling satisfactorily.

Hoping to score some brownie points I said, “Well, this must be a past cookie as I have made all the changes I’m going to make.” Donna, without missing a beat says, “Its talking about your Fantasy Football team, dummy, you need to make some changes.”

Kilt Friday


left to right: Cousin Susie, Cousin Duncan, Donna, Me, Cousin Jimmy, Cousin Laurie, Howard.

For several years now I have been wearing a Hawaiian shirt to work on Fridays. I have tried to convert members of my department and even folks throughout the rest of the plant with limited success. The number has varied from 2, Mark & I, to 4 to three and now it is back to just the two of us. Hawaiian Shirt Friday runs from sometime in May until Labor Day. After the first week in September folks break out their favorite college or pro football team gear.

Way back in June when I first saw this Bloomberg Businessweek article, Why Pixar Employees Wear Kilts on Fridays, I have teased both my boss and my wife that I would wear a kilt on Fridays.

When we visited the Scottish games in Virginia on vacation I went shopping. Yikes. Quality kilts start at a C-Note and go up. Then you need the belt, the Sorran, the high socks, the shoes, etc. Turns out it is a major investment and one I’m not willing to make just to raise a few eyebrows on Fridays.

The photo above was taken by a friend of Duncan’s with her smarty pants phone. There were 3 taken all told, but I like this one because if you look quickly I look like I’m wearing a kilt…