Say What?

The sun finally made an appearance a few days ago for what seemed like the first time in weeks. It was so welcome even if it did usher in some much cooler temps. It was worth the tradeoff for me. I took advantage of the brightness to capture a few photos of the laundry room work we just completed. We're happy with it. The ceiling didn't quite go as planned because of the color. The harvest yellow we'd chosen seemed too close to natural once it was all in place. Tammy had been hinting all along that she'd like to see more of a whitewashed color and that's what we opted for in the end. It was the right choice all along. See the photo to the left. Karen found a distressed wood bench seat with a mirror at Hom Furniture that we liked and had to have to complete our laundry room's look. Photos of the completed project  here and here . The Glowing Tree in Bloomington has gone dark. I began this Facebook page for it 4 years ago when I noticed that it had none ...

There's a new app to tell you which of your friends are racist: it's called Facebook—or so the joke goes. I've been avoiding Facebook lately, partly because I've been too busy with home improvement projects but also because of how vitriolic and heavy it's become of late with all of the discussion centering around what many feel (including me) is the heavy-handed approach by some in law enforcement toward minorities and the pass they're being given by grand juries for those actions. I sometimes feel a strong need to push back on some of what I'm reading but more often than not I don't. I quietly sigh and move on. Our home improvement projects are nearly done. All that's left for me to do is to hang a couple of doors in the laundry room. I've got them drying in the garage and intend to install them tomorrow. We're very happy with how both the laundry room and Tammy's sewing room (Rachel's former bedroom) turned out. We hadn't...

I walked in to work this morning with no jacket on. All of our snow is gone and the temp is in the mid-40s. This reprieve from what began as a cold harsh winter is welcome but it's not a friend to the trails and my fat-bike. I've been too busy working on an indoor project to have any time at all for riding so it really doesn't matter to me. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many hours I've been spending on our laundry room renovation . What started out as a simple paint the walls and redo the curtains project has morphed into quite a bit more. Karen suggested we consider painting the oak cabinets and trim throughout the room and adding a slatted wood ceiling. Both very nice ideas. Plus, anything to slowly chip away at the honey-oak look of our home's interior is a good thing. I spent all of Friday night in our garage staining the boards for the slatted wood ceiling that Joe is going to do for us. Tammy isn't totally sold on the color we're going wi...

35 years ago today I was discharged from the Navy after my four-year enlistment. Usually, this day comes and goes each year with little notice from me but today I remembered. Four years can seem like a long time to someone who's in their early 20s so it was a big deal to me then. From my journal, 12-10-1979: The sensation of being out caught up with me this afternoon as I was driving the freeway to Chula Vista. I took full advantage and let out a scream of joy, happiness, and freedom. How fitting, Supertramp's Take the Long Way Home was playing.  I had seriously thought about staying in San Diego when I got out but opted to head for home to maybe show my family that I'd grown up and wasn't the troubled kid I was when I'd left. It was a good decision. I'm about to reminisce in a rambling sort of way... I'd spent years leading up to my enlistment just barely getting by in high school. I learned years later when I requested my records that I'd finis...

I was telling Tammy that I can't recall a better Thanksgiving weekend that we've enjoyed together than this past one. It was so nice. Rachel came into town on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave for her dad's until late in the day on Friday which gave us more time than we usually get with her. She got busy right away in the kitchen baking an apple pie for the next day's feast. She's become quite the chef over the last couple of years. Rachel was up early Thursday to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while working on a jigsaw puzzle that she and Tammy had started the night before. It wasn't quite the same as last Thanksgiving when she was in NYC and at the parade. In the last several years we've celebrated Thanksgiving with either Jackie or Keith's family. It's rare that Tammy actually prepares a full dinner like that and I know she's a little intimidated by it but she shouldn't be. She did great! Everything was perfect! We...

I woke up to an outside temperature of 50º F (10º C) this morning. How nice! It wiped out what remained of our snow which is both good and bad. I like the snow for riding the trails but that's about all. Not to worry, there's more snow in the forecast along with some cold temps so my fat-bike will be happy. The Glowing Tree in Bloomington Facebook page I started a couple years ago (only because nobody else had and it needed its own page) is once again seeing its share of activity as we come into the holiday season. I saw a news article from yesterday about the tree and the potential for this to be its final year bathed in lights. Here's the link. It won't seem the same at all anymore driving along that stretch of Cedar Ave at night just south of the Mall of America if the tree does go dark. I / We will never again attempt to choose wall colors for our home without first consulting Karen who has been there for us throughout so many projects in the last couple of y...

I came into work last Tuesday night and Leslee asked me why I hadn't posted a photo of myself from my Navy days to my Facebook page for Veteran's Day the way I usually do. I told her that "I just wasn't feeling it this year". My military service doesn't make me as proud as it once did. It was only a few years ago that you'd usually find a US flag flying out in front of our home for such holidays but I no longer do that either. I've changed. I remember how the pastor where I used to attend church would honor all of the veterans in attendance one Sunday morning each year by having us stand and be acknowledged. It was always a proud moment for me. So what happened? What changed? I've never seen my time in the Navy as something I did out of patriotism for our country. Patriotism had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to join and while I can't speak for those I served with, you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that many (if any) of th...

I'm back at the salt mine after having had two weeks off. Wow...that was so nice! It's been years since I've been away from work for two consecutive weeks. Thoughts of retirement kept taunting me... you don't have to go back, you know . But each time I managed to shoo them away. I'm still intent on sticking around at least until next spring, then after that, I'll be month to month. Tammy made a quick trip up to Babbitt yesterday to see her mom and Cindy but she came back today, one day early. There's so much I'd like to say here about why she came home early but I'll let it go for now. Tammy is such a good person who goes out of her way for others. She's the most giving and compassionate person I know, yet, there are those in her family who have nothing but disdain for her. I don't get it and I have little time for them, especially when they know better. Speaking of Tammy—she's been busy making Sami bracelets . She's done quite a ...

I'm in the middle of a two-week vacation from work but I'm doing very little relaxing. I decided to tackle one of the jobs on my growing inventory of things-around-home-that-are-in-need-of-attention-but-can-wait-until-I'm-retired list: I painted the basement. It was ten years ago that our Extreme Basement Makeover was in full swing and we've done very little to it since with the exception of some stained-glass work for the cabinetry. We both liked the sage green color we used on the walls down there at the time but I grew tired of it a while ago when I began to notice how there was little warmth to it. So, I put in a text to Karen to see if she could find some time in her schedule to sit down with us to help select some colors that would work well together. And then we (mostly I) got busy! After the better part of 4 days, we had this to show for our efforts. It's so nice to have it done. I'm writing this from one of my favorite spots in the house, down ...

I was up late the other night trying in vain to fall asleep for an early morning wake-up. Unable to sleep, I sat up and took out my Droid Maxx and began scrolling through the years of accumulated history on my Facebook wall; something I'd never done. I got to one of my earlier posts from October 2008 where I spoke of seriously considering voting for Obama. I remember that moment well because it was a turning point in how I'd begin to view the players in the political arena. It was also a point in my life where I felt a sense of weight being lifted from me as I finally broke free from a dysfunctional ideology that had its grips on me for much too long. It's been 6 years and I haven't for one second considered going back. Reevaluating all that you believe to be true can be a very soul-searching endeavor but one that's a must from time to time. Turning on its head all that you've supported and embraced can get messy but in my case once I began to reassemble the...

I had a good week of riding this week. My speed and power are still missing-in-action for the most part but I'm riding pain-free with the exception of my right knee. I've got a couple weeks off from work coming up beginning at the end of this work-week and I hope to get my fill of riding and being outdoors. I had a fun loop into St Paul on Tuesday. The fall colors were brilliant in spots and it was a gorgeous day! I was feeling like a weight has been lifted off me now that I'm able to get out again; like a junkie must feel when they finally get their fix, they can breathe again. We had some tree trimming done on Thursday by Caleb and his crew from Vineland Tree Care. This was such a different experience from the one we had last year around this time with the sketchy guys who came through our neighborhood hustling up work for which I paid way too much. Caleb is an arborist and actually knows what he's doing. They'll be back sometime in late November to trim th...

My recovery from my crash has advanced a long way in the last week, so much so that I was able to get out and ride on Friday afternoon and again Saturday morning. I'm just soft-pedaling for the most part but it's good just to be riding. I can't very easily get out of the saddle and pedal yet because of some lingering pain when I push it but I'm okay if I stay seated. It took me at least a couple of years to be totally comfortable on my bike after my last crash (insert shameless Judge Judy appearance video here) but I don't sense that that's going to be a problem this time. I'm feeling quite fine already. My main injury was to my sacroiliac joint on my left side. My chiropractor explained how it's a joint with a lot of nerves from the spinal cord in close relation to it. Most of his adjustments have focused on my lower back in addition to a couple of sessions (so far) of acupuncture targeting the area. I wasn't sure what to think after my first exp...

I remember in the '70s when Biorhythms were popular for a time. I never took them seriously but perhaps I should as mine most definitely reflect a downturn for me since the 22nd of September when I crashed my bike and was injured. Couple that with a cluster headache phase and I have reason enough for feeling down but I'm seeing an upturn in my graph so I'll press on. Charlie turned 6 on Tuesday! It's hard to believe, not just because time has passed so quickly but because he doesn't act his age. He's so much more a pup than a 6-year-old and that's what's so entertaining about him. I have to do my part to keep him young-like so when he brings me a toy to play with I do my best to engage him and not ignore him. He needs and really enjoys that. I can't believe that it actually took me a little while (many months) to fully warm up to this little guy. My main concern was Toby and how Charlie's presence was upsetting to him. Toby would eventually...

I'm off from work this next week and what a beautiful week of weather it looks to be. I'm also still very much sidelined as I recover from my bike crash last Monday night. I get a little frustrated thinking about the riding or outside yard work I'm missing out on but rather than focus on those two wants, I'm choosing to count my blessings instead. I'm sitting out on the deck with the pups at my feet and feeling no pressure from my to-do list. It's kinda nice. I tried to come off my pain meds after two days but soon realized they prescribe them for a reason and went back on them. I'm getting around much better now and being mobile is as important as any other part of my healing process because I really don't need another DVT (blood clot) developing in one of my legs from all of this sitting around. My exercise consists of a daily 1.5-mile loop with the pups. This is as sedentary as I get! I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor on Friday. He ...

I can't honestly say if I'm a type A or type B personality. The question was asked of me the other night in the ER at Ridges Hospital and Tammy answered that I'm a nice type A (I suppose rather than an obnoxious one). I can't disagree with her assessment but there are things about a type B personality that I very much identify with (see the image to the left) such as being reflective and creative. That's a huge part of who I am but I also see some type-A traits in me as well, like being goal-oriented and driven to achieve. It's good to have goals in life but I suppose it's in how one goes about achieving them that matters. I'm kind of type A when I'm on my bike. I want to be as strong a rider as I can be and not just someone who leisurely devotes a few hours here or there to the activity. I was the same way when I was a runner and it's pretty much why I had to stop running in 1992 after years of pounding the pavement to be as fast as I could b...

I came across some sad news earlier in the week. Last Monday morning just after midnight CST, the ship I was stationed on in the Navy, the USS Fresno, LST 1182 was used in a training exercise and sunk in 18,000 feet of water about 250 miles northeast of Guam, in waters I'd sailed across many times with her. I never envisioned this being the demise of the old girl. The last I'd heard the ship had been sold to the Peruvian Navy but apparently that deal was never finalized. She was home to me for more than 3 years in the mid to late '70s and whether I realized it or not then, that gray lady had a place in my heart. How could she not? Together with the other crew members, we'd spend countless hours tending to the ship's needs; painting, mopping, waxing, and preventive maintenance. It was never-ending. She returned the favor by keeping us safe in some difficult seas and carrying us around the globe. So yeah, it's a little sad for me to think that she's now l...

The Marshmallow Experiment was a series of studies conducted in the late '60s and early '70s that delved into delayed gratification. Children age 4 to 6 were placed in a room with no distractions except for an inviting treat placed on a table in front of them. They were told that they could have the treat now or they could wait (about 15 minutes) and receive two treats. On average only a third of the children were able to hold out for the extra treat. What was interesting about the experiment was a follow-up study done years later which suggested that those who were able to wait the 15 minutes were significantly less likely to have behavioral problems or issues with obesity and drug addiction later in life when compared to those children who showed less willpower during the test. Those who successfully passed the marshmallow test also scored an average of 210 points higher on the SAT. I'm not sure how I would've done had I been given the test. I'd like to think ...