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Just got back from my 30th.  What a night.

It was a catered affar at a Marriot in Huntington LI, NY.  My only suit does not fit since I lost a few pounds.  I found a tie and jacket, packed my bags, took off for New York.

Everyone looked good.  So much so, I got the feeling only those that thought they did showed up.  After all, everybody can’t be beautiful, but there they were.  It’s amazing how people change over time.  What’s probably more amazing is how our perception of others changes.  Remember how we looked at others in high school?  W ether it be the nerd, jock, or misfit oddball, everyone had an imaginary slot to put you in, sometimes two or more.  And, you probably had pretty specific feelings about each.  I did.  And every click had their own air, there own smell, there own space.  You were either in, passing through, or on your way out.  Anyway, fast forward 30 years and you may find yourself swirled up in a completely different dynamic.  Many things you once thought indisputably true, are false.  That classmate you hated links up with you and you end up having a great time.  The once unapproachable are reaching out to you.  Folks are genuine, and excited just to be there, happy to still be alive.

It was a good time then, and a good time now.  Worth the trip for that alone.

We managed to piggyback a few visits with family and friends.  We spent a night and a day in Boston with mom.  Then a fair afternoon with my buddy Scott, who was happy to drive me to my departing flight from Islip NY (if your flying Southwest, always ask for a medical pre-board pass.  No questions asked).  I got to surprise Scotti’s boys with a visit to their jobs.  You should have seen their faces when I walked up on them.  Priceless.

We took a few pictures.  Scott has done a great job getting his kitchen completed, and the reunion pics are posted at WestburyHigh.us.

What a difference a day makes.  Had to retire my old Panasonic (28″ DX2000) bicycle after cracking a weld near the bottom bracket.  So, I bought a used Leader (65cm 735R, w/mostly DuraAce components).  I miss the head height (handlebars), and the granny gear ratios.  Otherwise, it’s slammin.  I underestimated the steep climbs on the back half of this run through Fairbanks Ranch, and wish my granny gear was with me, but I managed.

Scott, from General Atomics, turned me on to this great site called Bones In Motion.  In short, they provide you with a solution to turn your cell phone into a personal fitness monitor.  That includes GPS tracking, speed, heart rate,  elevation, and few other goodies packaged in neat maps, tables, and graphs (see below).  The whole idea of being able to take a nice wandering bike ride through the hills, come home and log in to find all of the details of the ride complete with maps really appeals to my geek side.  My paraniod, big brother side, not so much, but hey, I’m the only one that cares.  I’ll be posting my rides on the Cycling page till it’s not fun anymore.

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
8 oz Starbucks Frappachino
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp baking flour (Softasilk, Pillsbury)
food coloring, yellow
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Filling:
Mix 1 stick butter/margarine
Add Starbucks slowly
Add 1/2 cup sugar
Mix into paste (on high)

Cake:
Mix egg whites till stiff
Add yokes one at a time
Add vanilla extract
Slowly add1/2 cup sugar
Slowly add flour
Add 4 drops food coloring

Preheat oven 400.
Pour batter onto large greased cookie sheet or wide shallow pan
Bake for 15 minutes
Cake should rise to approx 1-2 inches high

Preparation:
Generously spread filling on cake while still in pan
Roll up cake onto itself to create a roll
Finish roll with extra filling to help keep roll in place

It’s that time of the year . . . Ellen, Vera, Mike, Kristin, Brian, Dion, Marc?, and Phil

Got rid of the apartment. Good riddance. Found a nice house to rent, and saved a few bucks on the monthly. A garage and a yard.

I was starting to get comfortable with the notion the house would not sell. It did. My neighbor, good o’l George, put his house on the market just when ours was coming off. This resulted in a lot of spill-over traffic. Turns out, what we lacked in upgrades we were able to make up for in “location”. We received and accepted a very reasonable offer. Good thing too. My neighbors would have killed me for accepting anything less. That’s not to say I am happy to have sold the house. Heck. Now I’m house-less. I miss it. Where once my “private” patio overlooked a serene canyon with birds and whispering palms, I now enjoy a great close up view of the apartment complex parking lot joined by the I15 Freeway only yards from the lots edge. This sucks. But hey, I picked the place out, smart guy that I am. Second to a yard, I miss my neighbors. Joe, John, Gras, and Sheri. And George, and Frank, and Tim . . . those two guys with the dogs, life was good.

I also miss the quiet, and the garage. There is something to be said about groceries and an attached garage with a full size fridge. Right now I have to walk a block to my assigned space. Sure, exercise is good. Right.

The adventure has begun.

Ok, this one’s not mine. I ran across this a while back and promptly lost it. Somehow, it ended up in my inbox, sent from a good friend with shared interests. While it begs to be verified, it is an interesting statement. I do not know the origin.

How Standards Are Created

The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US Railroads.

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.

Why did “they” use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing. Continue Reading »

A few months back I put the house on the market, and, I am not terribly excited. In fact, I don’t like the idea. I am not even sure how I got into this. Ok, maybe I do. It all started one day while sitting with my wife in the backyard. I said, hey wanna sell the house? Get something smaller, reduce our debt and monthly expenses? Yea, that must have been it, how could I have missed it? Man, did that ever set her off. She was very excited. I tried to slow her down, cause I have some conditions that have to be met. She said “sure sure sure, thank you, thank you, thank you”. Gosh, from her reaction you would think she hated our house.

So, we came to an understanding. Continue Reading »

Now really, what has the world of automation come to. Supposedly, if all goes as advertised, this email message will appear as a post in a WordPress powered website. Indeed we shall see. Next thing you know, you’ll be able to post pictures via email. And, I am not talking about a snapshot, but a whole album zipped as an attachment!

Yea, sorry, I’m a newbie.

Over the years I have gotten used to periodically posting to my personal cyberspace tidbits of where I have been, and pictures I’ve taken along the way. It was more of an ego thing than practical. Times have changed. My ego is still very much intact. But, it’s time for something else . . .