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Okay, here's the scoop. Geocities (Yahoo) has canceled FTP service for all users. That means I can't blog to this page anymore without experimenting a bit. I think I can get blogging again, but I'll have to devote some time to it, and I haven't been very motivated. I see that I get just as many hits when I don't blog as when I do. Kind of hard to stay motivated when you see that. So what are we up to? Well, I'm doing a lot of woodworking lately, trying to build that bookcase. It takes forever to build a large built-in item when you have to measure indoors, then take the piece out to the shop to cut it, then bring it in to see if it fits, then go back out to cut again. But it's coming out pretty well, and I'm taking my time with it. I used this project as an excuse to buy a bandsaw, so that's a good incentive. Check in from time to time to see if I'm blogging again. ............................................... Saturday, March 30, 2002 You have probably grown tired of hearing me describe my "great" weekends which, I'm sure, only seem great to me. Well this weekend wasn't so great. Janice and I are both sick, but apparently with two different ailments. She had a high temp and symptoms I'm sure she'd rather I didn't post online. I was feeling better than she was, so I went to Wal Mart to pick up some medicine for her. As I entered, I saw a guy stealing a pair of shoes. He had put on a new pair of shoes and was leaving the store. He wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree. He didn't take the tags off. There was no one to report it to except the greeter, who seemed to old to do much about it, plus Janice was waiting for medicine, so I watched the guy leave with his new shoes.I'm not feeling all that bad, so as long as I keep my Kleenex box handy, I can get stuff done around the house. I spent the last two days working on the bookcase. I get about an hour's worth of work done every four or five hours, but it beats surfing the 'net all day. Movies: We recently bought "Wizards", which is an old animated flick I hadn't seen since college, over 20 years ago. It had a cult following and was probably released directly to college theaters. Really dated, but still interesting. We also bought Pearl Harbor. We've never seen it, and we'll probably watch it tonight for the first time. We bought it because it was so cheap in the used tape bin at Lackluster Video. We also rented O Brother Where Art Thou. Really top knotch movie. I've had the songs in my head ever since I watched it. Oh well. Have a good Easter. * Wednesday, March 27, 2002
I have to apologize. Before I made yesterday's promise I should have checked the Geocities terms of service. They don't allow dirty pictures, not even for the sake of incerased traffic (a worthy cause). You'll have to use your imagination. * Tuesday, March 26, 2002
Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. My stats have been suffering as a result. They haven't gotten out of the single digits in over a week. To make up for this, and get the hit meter back up, I'm posting a picture of myself naked tomorrow. There will be full frontal nudity and everything (well, as full as I'm capable of). This will be a one-day deal only. Don't miss it. *
Good news! according to The Death Clock I will live until the year 2055. If Janice straightens up her attitude, she'll outlive me by a few years. Actually, the death clock is pretty fickle. Giving the same information, I get a different date of death every time. The best I've done so far is 2057. I'll be 99 years old then. Is that really good news? * Friday, March 22, 2002
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You know how hard I work to find you stuff that's interesting and novel. Well, today I bring you a toy airplane powered by a living housefly. The website even gives you tips for catching flies. *
We're getting closer and closer to the future. Siemens intoduces the virtual keyboard, which is just a projected image of a keyboard, but it works... so they say. * Well, the boat hunt is on again. The TSBBers finally succeeded in talking me out of buying a Catalina 22. Not that it's a terrible boat, but as one of them said it's a great first boat. It's not a great second boat. I want to take the approach that this will be the last boat I ever buy. That means finding one of sufficient quality that I'll stay happy with it. I've made so many comments about my love for Com Pac 23s that someone said that I should get one, because nothing else will measure up for me. I still need to research it a bit, and it means I'll have to buy an even bigger tow vehicle (it weighs 1000 pounds more than the C22, and a full ton more than my current boat), but it would definitely be a keeper. The picture above is a Com Pac 23. It's the newest model, I believe. I'll be looking for an older one. Still, there are several around that I can stretch the budget around. Who knows what will happen. * Tuesday, March 19, 2002
* Friday, March 15, 2002
Okay, I know you've heard enough boat stuff, but this is funny. For over a year, the only boat I really wanted to buy has been a Catalina 22. When I finally started really looking at them, my buddies on the Trailer Sailor board told me not to be too stuck on that one boat. They even emailed me lists of other models they recommended. They finally convinced me to at least consider other boats. Now that I've looked into other models, and I have been impressed, they're telling me I shouldn't be boat shopping if I don't know that I'm looking for. People are funny. I should have trusted my instincts. I'm getting a Catalina 22. But I've decided not to be in such a hurry. I'll wait for a bargain to come my way. * Does this look like me? I made this picture using Flash Face, one of those fun internet things. It has dozens of noses,eyes, etc, to choose from, but it is agist. It might look like me, but not the 2002 me. More like the 1985 me. My face has much more character now. Yeah, that's it, character. *
It's time to start blogging again. I've decided that it would be premature to buy a boat right now, since I don't have a big enough tow vehicle yet. Catalina 22s are more common than I thought, and when I'm ready to buy one, there will be plenty available. I have been advised to consider other models, so I'll be doing research for a while. So today I finally started work on the bookshelves. I didn't get a lot done, but we're finally off to a start, and I hope to get plenty of work done on them in the next few weekends. I'm patterning them after a 100 year old china cabinet that we have in the dining room. I's a massive thing, ten feet tall, and would have made a very nice bookcase, so why not tie the two rooms together with a single design, though I intend to paint the bookcase. The china cabinet has a natural finish. I'll let you know how it turns out. * Tuesday, March 12, 2002
It's just not that easy to get white people mad. There was a skit on Saturday Night Live that demonstrated it once (it was about as funny as they ever are, which isn't much). You call us honkeys and we grin and say "yep, that's us alright". So when the University of Northern Colorado re-named their team “The Fighting Whities", they were probably a little disappointed in the reaction... or lack thereof. Sorry. * Monday, March 11, 2002
Boat update: I gave the boat an inspection Friday, without the seller present, which meant that I could only inspect the exterior. The seller was to meet me Saturday for the full inspection. I took pictures with my digital camera and posted them on the Trailer Sailor website to get opinions from the TSBBers before meeting the seller. The opinions were overwhelmingly against buying the boat. The reason? The boat has been too neglected and needs work. That in itself is not a reason to avoid buyng a boat, but since it's a Catalina 22, the prevailing opinion was that there's no reason to buy a fixer upper when there are so many good C22s on the market. The money I save buying this boat will be quickly spent in fixing it up, plus I'll lose a season of sailing. They advised me to spend a little more for a turnkey boat. I have another C22 in mind, but it would take some wheeling and dealing to get that deal to work. The seller has made a slightly complicated offer that includes me buying his boat, but someone else's trailer. A lot of dominoes have to fall to make that one work. That deal would cost me $2000 more, but would be a better package over all. Stay tuned. *
I don't know how I managed to not hear about this, but I just learned this weekend that the light towers (not sure what they're really called) will be turned on today. These are a set of floodlights laid out in the footprint of the twin towers. They will point straight up and create a replica of the towers made of pure light. The artists rendition was a thing of beauty. I wish I could be there to see it. I'm sure there will be plenty of coverage on the news. Look for it. * Thursday, March 07, 2002
I've been reluctant to post here lately because all I've been thinking about is buying a boat, which is a topic that causes most people to glaze over as soon as I bring it up. So I go by the assumption that my readers will feel the same way. But according to my stats, most of my readers are from the Trailer Sailor board, so I suppose you won't glaze over, but if you came here from TSBB, you already know all there is to know about my boat buying experience. But in case you're interested: I have narrowed my search to a field of one. There's a C22 I'm looking at for a fair price and I'll be giving it a thorough inspection during the next two days before I make my decision. Since I don't need a boat, there's no pressure. Another boat will come along if I pass on this one. But I do have to say, if all checks out, I'm inclined to go ahead and take the plunge. With or without the new boat, it will be a different sailing season this year. Shane has lined up sailing dates all over the place, including New Orleans, Mandeville, Morgan City, Florida, and Texas. That's a lot of traveling. If I participate in half of those, I'll have a great year. I'm hoping to go on ALL of them. I'll report back as things progress. * Monday, March 04, 2002
See if you can figure out what's wrong with this picture. Hint: Stare at it for a while, and be sure to turn up the volume. There's a clue in the sound. Thanks to JB. *
I seem to have an embarrassment of riches. I was recently prepared to drive two states away to buy a Catalina 22, now they're popping up all over, and for fair prices. None of the boats I've seen have all the stuff I'd want, but that's a good thing in a way. If, for instance, the seller had put in a really nice GPS a couple of years ago, and spent $300 for it, he'd still consider that to be a $300 enhancement to the boat, even though the newer, less expensive models might be much better. I'd rather pay a lower price for a bare boat, and add nice new up-to-date stuff. One thing I may not have mentioned: I CAN'T TOW THE BOAT I'M BUYING! That's right. My truck is too small to tow a C22, so I'll have to use the boat as a camp, and as a project, until I get a bigger vehicle. That means I won't be adding any fancy electronics for a while. I'm not going to have them sit there with their warranties expiring, while I'm saving up for a new vehicle. I'm hoping that when I'm ready to add a stereo, that marine MP3 players will be commonplace. That'd be nice. * Friday, March 01, 2002
After posting about the Catalina 22 that I'm considering buying, Tom from Florida emailed me with words of approval. He used to own one and he echoed my thoughts on its qualities. He sent this picture of his C22. He had the optional enclosure for the pop top, which adds extra living spave while anchored. * Thursday, February 28, 2002
Problems. Problems. I post these blogs through Blogger.com, who use FTP to upload updates to my Geocities account. Today I got an email from Geocities warning that they will be canceling FTP service at the beginning of April. I know how much you rely on my daily updates (don't deny it!), so I'll need to find an alternative. *
Decisions. Decisions. I was contacted yesterday by someone who knows of a Catalina 22 for sale. If you’re If you’ve seen my sailing pages, you know how much work I put into the Beast of I’ll keep you posted. * Tuesday, February 26, 2002
* Monday, February 25, 2002
Do I find the coolest stuff or what? Here's the tiniest version of Space Invaders you'll ever find. You don't even have to hide it from your boss. *
I love reading the personals ads. It's human comedy at its best. I often feel for those poor souls who put themselves out there for guys like this to dissect *
BETCHA DIDN'T KNOW Before Prohibition, Shlitz Brewery owned more property in Chicago than anyone else, except the Catholic church. If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom. Kermit the Frog is left-handed. Nondairy creamer is flammable. The car in the foreground on the back of a $10 bill is a 1925 Hupmobile. If you can see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun. If you don't, you The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when The dial tone of a normal telephone is in the key of "F." The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of In the four major US professional sports (baseball, basketball, football, and Beelzebub, another name for the devil, is Hebrew for Lord of the Flies, and It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Columbia University is the second largest landowner in New York City, after When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home to a sellout In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, "They'll put a man on the Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., but technically it is Number 47. The dome on Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, conceals a billiards room. In Every second, your senses send about 100 million different messages to your Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name * Sunday, February 24, 2002
Another child christened today. From left: Janice (Godmother), James (the Father), Meagan, (the Baby), Gordon (Godfather), and Peggy, (Mother). * Public Art wraps up This is a mural by Melissa Bonin. It's attached to the back of a building, facing Bayou Teche. This is an odd place for a large public work of art. We do have a river walk of sorts along the bayou, but it doesn't draw crowds because there's nothing there. There's a fence separating pedestrians from the bayou, and there's nothing else to see but the backs of buildings. So the only people who see this painting would be anyone who happens to pass in a boat, and the occasional driver on the back street that runs along the waterfront. I don't know how the decision was made to place it here. Melissa Bonin is an art teacher in the local public school system. She also lives here in the historic district. This just about wraps up the New Iberia Public Art series. I may follow up later with a series on local historic sites. As the mood strikes. * Saturday, February 23, 2002
When you have a daily blog page like this one, you worry that there won't be enough things going on in your life to post on a regular basis. Well, the unexpected comes along just often enough. This afternoon, Janice and I were weeding the flower bed when the phone rang. She ran to the house and returned a couple minutes later and told me that Jim Moore's daughter had called to get our address. Jim Moore is an author who has written books about his sailing adventures around the world. I've only read one of them: "Swan: The Second Voyage", but I enjoyed it so much that I read it a second time, then posted a readers' review on Amazon.com. I had always suspected that authors read those reviews, and apparently they do, quite eagerly, according to Mr. Moore. My review made enough of an impression that he had his daughter track me down. She said that her father wanted to send me a note expressing appreciation. But minutes later, the phone rang again, and it was Mr. Moore himself. He thanked me for my review and we talked for a while about celestial navigation (the subject of his upcoming book), and about his experiences in the Great Barrier Reef. He said that when he and his wife decided to build a boat and sail around the world, neither had even been on a sailboat before. I told him that I had similar dreams, but they'll probably remain just that – dreams. But you never know. I went back and re-read my review, and it wasn't very inspired, but it was positive, so that was good enough. Shane had a similar experience recently. His zeal for Poli-Glow, a marine fiberglass finish, was brought to the attention of the manufacturer, and they now use his picture and comments on their trade show displays. Just two examples of the power if the Internet. * Friday, February 22, 2002
* * Thursday, February 21, 2002
Fitness update: Last month I announced that I needed to get back into shape after a winter of over indulging. This brought immediate criticism and name calling from friends of mine who seem to believe that real men wait until after their first heart attack to get into shape (When you visit Shane's house, he likes to show off his exercise room, but he was the first to criticize). I admit, I wasn't fat. As long as I kept my clothes on (which I always do) no one knew that my center of gravity had moved downward. But Janice knew, and I knew, and the J.C.Penney Men's Department was about to know, so I nipped the situation in the bud. I haven't been completely abstemious, but I've nearly eliminated alcohol from my lifestyle. I also stopped pigging out on Hershey's Kisses with almonds. That, plus the exercise has brought me back to the point where I'm comfortable in my clothes again. I hadn't gotten so bad that my belly hung over my belt while standing up, but it definitely did when I was sitting. Not any more (well, not as much). The bulk of my bulk has been eliminated, and I've moved over one notch on my belt. But more than just eliminating the flab, I'm determined to add muscle. When I was younger I had a decent physique, which was the product of years of relying on my arms to do what my legs could not. I didn't have to exercise, though people often assumed that I did. Not any more. I'm 42 years old now, and if I want muscles I'm going to have to earn them. I'm still on the kiddie level on the Total Gym, but it's becoming too easy, and I'll be taking it up a notch soon. As promised, I won't impose before and after pictures on you, my poor readers, but I've taken a few before pictures for my own use, and I haven't looked at them since last month. Next week, I'm taking a second round of pictures, which had better show a visible improvement. I told Janice that I want to get so buff that people will think I've been to prison, but I doubt it'll be that dramatic. :) I know. I know. None of you could care less about it, but hey, get your own website and you can post anything you want. * Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Public Art Series The public art series is already starting to wind down. I had originally thought that this would be the last one, but Janice ran into Paul Schexnayder the other day and he told her about a mural that I'd forgotten about. I'll get a picture of it this week. If I locate more in the future, I'll post it. * Monday, February 18, 2002
Janice's favorite line from Sunday's show: "Men are like parking spaces. The good ones are taken and all that's left are the handicapped." She laughed hysterically. She liked another one that mentioned artificial hips. If you can't laugh at your infirmities, don't marry Janice. *
What a great weekend! We spent three days in New Orleans. As I told you recently, we bought tickets to see A Prairie Home Companion live in a non-broadcast show. That was Sunday, but we got there a bit early... Friday afternoon. New Orleans is a great city. We really need to go there more often. It's only a two hour drive. On the first night, we ate sushi at a little place Wilda had recommended. It was only my second experience with sushi, and Janice's first, and I still haven't gotten past the notion that it's just a novelty food. I had to have it at least twice before passing judgement. Guess I'm just not the trendy type. Janice felt about the same, though we really did enjoy the experience. Saturday my father and his wife joined us for the day. We milled around the French Quarter, which was surprisingly crowded for the weekend after Mardi Gras. They probably had more street performers than I've ever seen there at one time. The wives shopped while my father and I watched the parade of humanity. New Orleans is a great place for people watching and girl watching. It's also a great place for food, but only if you get off the beaten path. The French Quarter restaurants are better known for second-rate cuisine doled out to tourists who lack the taste buds to know what they're missing. We dined at a very nice new restaurant called The Sun Ray Grill, in the warehouse district. It's a Zagat rated restaurant which came highly recommended by Wilda and Al. If Wilda, Al, and Zagat recommend it, you can't go wrong. I had bouillabaisse, which was incredible. My father ordered tuna. He didn't know that tuna is served nearly raw, and was apprehensive about it at first, but was won over by the time he was halfway through. Tuna actually loses all of it's appeal if it's fully cooked (my opinion). There was some tuna in the bouillabaisse which was fully cooked, and it was not as good as a nice rare tuna steak. NOTE: People who criticize bloggers most often complain about people who blog about food. But when it's worth mentioning, I mention it. Sunday was the highlight of the trip. The whole reason we went to New Orleans was to see A Prairie Home Companion live at the Saenger Theatre. Firstly, I had never been to the Saenger, but had heard Janice's description of it. No description can suffice, though. It was the most beautiful indoor space I think I've ever seen. In any other city, it would be considered gaudily extravagant. But in New Orleans, it is the crown jewel of an already gaudily extravagant city. But that was just the building. The purpose for the trip was to see Garrison Keillor and his troupe. We were not disappointed. The musicians were incredibly talented and the humor is so much funnier when you're actually there. What a great pool of talent. Garrison Keillor seemed to sing more than he usually does. He's not a singer at all, but there's something so wonderful about his voice that you could listen to him sing all day. I can't remember hearing a trained singer who has been so easy on the bones. Janice and I were both completely delighted. I had been enjoying the show so much that I completely forgot about the News from Lake Wobegon. When he started the monologue, a smile passed over our faces and we sat rapt in his story, and delighted that we were actually there live after 18 years of listening to the radio program. They even did a Powdermilk Biscuits commercial. Those are our favorites. 15 years ago we named a kitten Powdermilk because she was so shy. Today, she's the old queen of the house and as shy as ever. How do you go back to work after such a great weekend? I'll be humming those tunes all week. * Friday, February 15, 2002
You're probably wondering how JeffAndJanice spent their Valentine's Day. You're in for a mild disappointment. We've never been big celebrators of events. We let birthdays, anniversaries, and even Christmases pass almost un-noticed. We've been that way for years. Not that we don't acknowledge the events. We just don't make a fuss. Well, this Valentine's Day there wasn't even an option of making a fuss. I had to work late teaching my class, and Janice had to attend a class. She's getting a new godchild and the church now requires educated godparents. This is the fifth godchild between us, and the first time either of us has had to attend a class. I got home at about 10:30 last night. For once, I did get Janice a couple of little gifts, I guess because we couldn't be together. Janice didn't have time to do what she wanted. She had intended to prepare the JeffAndJanice signature dish: Champagne and Tater Tots, but we only had freezer burned Tater Tots and Chardonnay. But we're planning a fun weekend. Details later. * Archives |
