How Far Would You Go? And Meet the Folks

I'm not vain and neither am I considering flying my Learjet to Nova Scotia to see a total eclipse of the sun but I'm pondering the question: how far would I drive to see a total solar eclipse? I may be about to find out. This very rare event in a city near me is going to happen on August 21st, 2017 and it will put Lakeville in an area about 80% eclipsed. To get to where there will be a total eclipse I'd need to drive to Lincoln, NE., a little more than a 6 hour drive. I think I'm off that day, and I think I'm in!

I checked this site for future total solar eclipses for the rest of my life and it appears the one in August will in all likelihood be my last (and first) chance to experience one. Missing out on it would be even more upsetting than not realizing The Paper Kites were in town last Saturday night at First Avenue!

Our Google Pixel phones are on their way after a wait of a few weeks while they were sold out. Rachel dropped her LG G4 in the tub last month and has since been relying on some outdated LG phone she picked up on Craig's List for $40 that struggles to do the most basic functions. Tammy's iPhone 6's ringer no longer works and it's become very slow so she's looking forward to something new as well. As for me, my LG G4 is okay but is still continually disconnecting itself from our wifi. I could continue to use it but with Tammy and Rachel's need for new phones, I'm willing to sacrifice it for the sake of a clean break from Verizon. I'm a giver. After doing some research and with an excellent review from a friend in hand we've decided to go all-in with Google's Project Fi and leave Verizon behind.

Verizon tried to make a last-ditch effort to get us a lower plan cost but I told the rep we had already committed to Google and their very reasonable rates and decent coverage. We'll pay $20 a month for each line and then just $10 per GB of data. If I use 2.45 gigs of data in a month the cost will be charged at just the portion of data used; in this case $20.00 (line cost) + $24.50 (data usage) = $44.50 + whatever additional fees are normally applied. No costly overage fees because there are no limits -- you just pay for what you use. That seems reasonable to me.

We drove down to Rochester to see Rachel on Saturday afternoon to deliver her bike and see Beauty and the Beast. I took some time to walk her through the steps of repairing a flat using CO2 while assuring her that a few choice swear words may be helpful during the process of trying to get the tire back on the rim. I was right.

We went for dinner to Grand Rounds Brew Pub where we were happy to be joined by a new male friend in Rachel's life—Drew. I'm being careful not to say "boyfriend" although that may well be appropriate. We had a nice time at our formal "meet the folks" get together.

A friend sent a link yesterday to a list of mountain bike races this summer and one in particular caught my eye. This one. I'm giving some serious consideration to at least the 77-mile ride. The 122-mile ride would be a lot to chew off on my fat-bike but it's not out of the question. Tammy has given me her blessing to pack up the car and go for it. Hmmm..

I allowed my mild OCD to take the lead on Sunday's ride. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for a while. A nice leisurely pace while checking out some local streets I've never gone down and a way to get some exercise on a day when I wasn't up for working out. Win-win.

Seriously, my OCD is under control.

Comments

Steve Saeedi said…
That's a seriously nice bike for Rachel. Make sure she has the appropriate chain and lock!
March 23, 2017 at 1:09 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
Definitely. She went out and got a heavy duty lock and chain for it. I think she intends to keep it locked up inside her home as well.
March 23, 2017 at 2:30 PM
John A Hill said…
When the kids we're still young (2nd grade, preschool) there was an annular eclipse where the belt of total annularity was a few hours away. We took them out of school for the day and drove from Waterloo IA to Hannibal MO. We spent the day visiting the Mark Twain sites and checking on the sun. I still have my #14 welder's glass and will be bringing it along for our trip to Columbia MO for this summer's eclipse.
March 23, 2017 at 5:21 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
Very cool. What a nice memory. I'm going to need to find some sort method to view it.
March 23, 2017 at 5:33 PM
Melissa Hunter said…
I love your Strava data!! I should aspire to do something that OCD in my area of Lakeville once I'm back to doing rides and walks. Maybe conquer a new cul de sac each day? :))
May 27, 2017 at 9:51 PM
Kevin Gilmore said…
Thanks, Melissa -- I'm a virgo and they say we're very organized, and I suppose that also means being prone to a little OCD on occasion. Guilty as charged! I hope you're back to normal soon and laying down some Strava segment times that leave me gasping for air as I try and keep up. :P
May 27, 2017 at 10:10 PM
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