Why I am getting a new laptop and its making me happy...

Why I am getting a new laptop and its making me happy...
and sad. Change is both thrilling and abhorrent to me- its a function of my thrill seeking OCD lifestyle.

As you might remember my laptop has been acting up lately and it is really on its last legs. It has been a faithful companion for just about 5 years now and I must say.... I am sad to see it go. The Girl says its good, I am getting a new toy to distract me. We shall see, I suppose.

As they say all good things must come to an end and thanks to ecost I am getting a new one, on the cheap. Really it is way less than what the old one went for and WAY more powerful. I can not believe what you can get for under $500 these days.

The old one was a convertible tablet, and the new one, well its not. I must say that my photoshoping skills were exponentially increased with the introduction of a pen. Not to mention a host of other functions a pen brought to the table.

Hmmm... maybe I will have to get a Wacom tablet or something.

I will let you know next week how it all turns out. For now I am still pounding this post out on the old one. We will see what happens.

When Crazy comes knocking....

When Crazy comes knocking.... and other tales of dealing with the public.

(random client walks in)

Me: Can I help you?

Random client: (no response)

Me: Can I help you?

Random Client: (starting a slow counterclockwise jerky turn like motion as if trying to see who is talking in his ear. still no response)

Me: Sir?

Random Client: "I need my.... I need my..... "(pause) "for the plates...."

Me: "Proof of insurance your last name?"

Cleint: "XXXXXXX"

Me: "Stephen? I remember. Just one second Steve. I will have XXXX print that for you."

Client: "Who is Steve?"

Me: "I am sorry, STEPHEN"

Client: Who is Steve"

Me: " I was addressing you Mr. XXXXXXX"

Client: Who is Steve? ( more insistent)

Me: : "OK here is your proof. Let us know if we can help further"

Client: " I have lots of problems, just not with this office."

Me: " OK have a nice day"

Client: " I like this is says effective 2/30/10"

Me: " We must have wrote the policy 8/30 it goes 6 months."

Client: "What do you mean WROTE?"

Me: "Started. you know, singed up for."

Client: "What do you mean WROTE?"

Me: " Initiated... you know?"

Cleint: "What do you mean WROTE?"

Me: "Mr. XXXXXX, are you trying to give me a hard time?"

Client: "There is written, write what do you mean Wrote?

Me: " OK, I am saying it goes 6 months, obviously 2/30 is a fictitious date."

Client: "It is? I thought is came after February 29th and before February 31st"

Me: "Goodbye Steve...Mr. XXXXXX"

Client: Incoherent muttering as leaves.

Vanishing Point

For some reason this makes me want to take off for a while.
To bad that is not in the cards for a while.
*sigh*

Seen at the park: Anatomy of a bad parking job

1) Drive an exceptionally bland colored car into a public parking area
2) Aim in the general direction of a parking spot, and close your eyes
3) Drive forward, until you get close to you parking area
4) Leave your car quickly without looking

5) Glance back, make sure you left a stupid amount of room in the front of vehicle.
6) Make sure at least one of the tires is on or possibly over the yellow line.

This type of parking deserves a special award and this is a fine example. While textbook even this genius has left room for improvement. You could also: block an isle way, find a more crowded area, or hit something/someone.

Stay tuned next week when we chime in on how to drive like a douche.

Cool gear: Mas Guapo

Lately Uncrate has been on a condiment kick but MAS GUAPO (roughly translated to "More Handsome" looks to be an awesome addition to anyone's spice cabinet.

Described as: "...a spice blend that falls somewhere between a dry rub and seasoning salt..." it has bold rhetoric right on the label including:


Organic
Kosher
Bitchen

and

For a more handsome chef. I give it points for the cool mustache guy alone.

With assertions like that, I might just have to give it a try. Looks like you can get it *here*
for around $10

Ha.....connocting!

Those Asians are so funny....

thanks giz for this one.

Last weekend was pretty much...

Last weekend was pretty much...a giant kick to the face.

My laptop is having some issues today

My laptop is having some issues today... and I am Not taking it so well.

Tree at the country house.

Tree at the country house (rental house) is sceen here down across the
yard. We faired pretty well but have no power here. Whole areas seem
out as limbs and poles were toppeled but what I can only imagine were
stright line winds strong enough to do this kind of damage. I'm only
glad the two giant silver maples in the front yard seem undamaged.

Storms just kicked our ass....

Just after Tanner and I got home strong winds and hard rain whipped
through knocking down trees and taking out our power. From hear to the
county house trees are down all over. The tenants just called and said
there is a large tree down there. It will be a lot of cleanup tomorow.

Close parking...

No this is not a picture of Art Fair parking... this is a picture in our driveway. I am sharing my spot with Zack letting him park here while they are away on a quick vacation.

It makes for tight quarters and a kind of a cool photo op. I have been getting good at this close parking.

Tanner hits the Sand

Tonight's walk at the park allowed Tanner to check out the usually busy sand volleyball pit as the rains that came through completely cleared the courts sending most people to dryer places.

The rain also chased the heat away and the park became a pleasant diversion after a long and hot week. This only proves that not being scared off by the rain almost always pays off.

MI Stadium Renovations

MI Stadium renovations are now completed and last week The Big House was open to the public for a viewing.

I did not attend but new new suites look crazy awesome.

Thanks to annarbor.com for the photos

GOBLUE

The Ann Arbor Art Fair Starts tomorow!

I am not even sure I am going to make it over there this year.

If like me you are not going to make it you can click *here* or *here* to see some live web cam action.

It really does not give you much of the scale of the three fairs that take over down town and attracting over 500,000 fair goers not to mention the vendors and support people and the general mayhem it creates....

Maybe I will go just to see some of the debacle.

Overheard at lunch today:

( @ Alpha Koney)

Guy at register: " You look familiar"

Waitress, dead ringer for a young Molly Ringwald: "Really? Maybe you have seen one of my movies.... 16 candles, breakfast club...."

Me: (Giant laugh)

Guy at register slight miffed: "So I guess you have heard it all?"

Waitress: " I guess so.... Next."

Me: "Can you break this So I can tip you, Molly?"

Waitress: " Sure!"

What is really under those approaching clouds?

What is really under those approaching clouds?



It really makes you wonder....

At lease it makes me wonder.

Downtown Ann Arbor looks amazing...

Downtown Ann Arbor looks amazing...in the dim evening light.

What a nice night to be out and about.

The Girl and I

Are out at Amadus. Yum.

Inversely Proportional

Lately, the desire to spend money on new tech/cool gear has been inversely proportional with my ability to spend money on new tech/cool gear.

Ancient Giants Look to the Sky

Thanks NASA for this great shot:
2010-07-14:Easter Island Eclipse
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100714.html

Makemake, a god in Easter Island mythology, may have smiled for a moment as clouds parted long enough to reveal this glimpse of July 11's total solar eclipse to skygazers. In the foreground of the dramatic scene, the island's famous large, monolithic statues (Moai) share a beachside view of the shimmering solar corona and the darkened daytime sky. Other opportunities to see the total phase of this eclipse of the Sun were also hard to come by. Defined by the dark part of the Moon's shadow, the path of totality tracked eastward across the southern Pacific Ocean, only making significant landfall at Mangaia (Cook Islands) and Easter Island (Isla de Pascua), ending shortly after reaching southern Chile and Argentina. But a partial eclipse phase could be enjoyed over a broader region, including many southern Pacific islands and wide swath of South America.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100714.html

Random Monday thoughts:

Its is me, or is Steve Jobs and sting starting to look more and more alike? Really I cant be the only one the realizes this. Its really starting to ruin The Police for me.

Ok another thing... how is it that BP manged to make me fell better that they may have finally capped that oil leak after only what 2 1/2 months? Really? How low are my expectations today.

Speaking of low expectations... how is : "Gibson scandal could doom his movie career" a newsworthy headline. How much really is their left to save? Did we not already know he was nuts? Aging, racist, rating nutball seeking lucrative movie deal... sounds about right.

Head lines like:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Influential product review magazine Consumer Reports said Monday it will not recommend Apple's new iPhone 4 to consumers because of reception problems.
This makes my head want to explode.
Really its hard to find a bigger tech guy then me but GIVE. THE. IPHONE. CRAP. A. BREAK. At the end of the day, its a stupid phone. Buy one or not. Just stop freeking talking about it.

How is that the beginning of the week. Cant wait to see what Tuesday brings.

Before another day of working on the rental

Before another day of working on the rental condo...

I took Tanner out to do her business. The gentle breeze washed over us carried in over the neighbors botanical garden like lawn smelling of flowers and nature incarnate. The relative cool breeze in the morning brought a genuine euphoria, for a moment....

Then it was back to working on a rental.

*sigh*

I am pretty much sure Sundays were not meant for this.

Ahhhhhh..... Saturday Morning

There is a lot of work to be done this weekend. Before we start, a quick run up to the Farmers Market makes us take time to enjoy the nice weather.

Tanner takes the time to find a bit of shade.

On an semi-unrelated note: Congrats to Paul and Lori on their new baby, Kamyrn Elizabeth finally arrived with everyone doing well.

Random sighting:

(reproduction of ) a random license plate I spied on the back of a Jeep today.

So is he predicting sudden stop ?
-or-
Just a huge Saved by the Bell fan?

Either way... strange

Stuff the average person does not think about....

Thanks graphjam.com.

Its stupid hot today (AKA How Hot is it):

Its so hot :

People are getting in their ovens, just to cool off.

I saw a guy trying to commit sins, hoping to get into Hell early.

The great lakes are the worlds largest steam bath, ( or fish stew)

Ice just went up to $50 / cube and is exchanging like currency… if can keep it long enough.

I witnessed a chicken lay a hard boiled egg.

Trees are starting to whistle for dogs to come over.

You have to eat hot peppers just to cool your mouth off.

Seriously its it impairing my ability to think properly.

Dropping of some keys at my mothers

I ran into this little guy... he was an impudent little fella letting me walk right up close. Not doubt a result of mother feeding him and all the other animals.
I was lamenting going back to work (as other had Monday off) and it occurred to me that this little red squirrel never gets a day off. To him its 100% of the time just survive. Weird that he would not even have a concept of work/play time.
Of course his brain is the size of an acorn... but still I wonder.
I do see squirrels play now and then. Maybe they do know when there work is done for the day and they have gathered enough food. Maybe they are smarter than I gave them credit for.
Probably not.

Shop update: The 4-5 table

Did I mention that the 4-5 table has been done of a while?
(dont forget you can click these to see them larger)

Today was a day of fixing things... and of breaking of others

I woke this day shaking off yesterdays fatigue like a dog shaking of water after a long cold swim.

I spent the rest of the day fixing things... and breaking others.

I fixed these railings at a rental, and broke my drill ( and a driver bit as well).

I replaced a cable on the ATV and damaged a pair of wire cutters.

I replaced yesterdays problems with brand new ones that taste of yesterday's.

Seems like a lot of work for a push.

So tired

Today I was so tired....

I could not even function right.

I am going straight to bed... just a few more hours of surfing left.

A quick stop by the airport

Reveled this awesome turbo prop on floats.

Me Likey.

Sun roars in the girls room...

Sun roars in the girls room... this morning almost burning an intense image of the eastern facing window into the armoire next to the closet while she is away still for the summer. This caught my eye as I walked by getting ready for work, the intensity was almost unbelievable overwhelming the cameras ability to really capture it properly. It was almost like a scene from that Riddick movie where they are trying to escape from the planet crematoria.

We are finally getting the good weather we deserve, only sun and 70's in the forecast for the rest of the week.