What's going on?

Several people have asked since I've been kinda quiet 'round here.

The short synopsis:

• We're in the midst of the worst bedtime issues we've ever had. DaGirl won't go to sleep before 9pm and gets up by 7am. DaBoy is crashing by 7:30 but is usually squawking between 1 and 3am for a diaper change. This is making it hard to get anything but most essential of things done.
• The Exploder is done. This past weekend we got some compost for the garden from the dump. Compared to previous loads I've put in the trailer, this was light, but WOW did it not want to pull it or stop it. After we unloaded the trailer it didn't want to start. So I had to do the old floor it, turn the key, dump the clutch and lay strips in the yard (ok maybe laying strips is a bit of an overstatement) and leave it the field to contemplate its future for the night.
  
• The Truck is now registered. The Exploder is not.
  
• Busy as hell at work. I've sent prints out for two systems this week, I expect parts to come back for another next week and have had to consult on the assembly of yet another project. Not to mention the number of times I've been interrupted by bosses to discuss future projects. We are not hurting for work.
• The patio at home is one step (many stones really) closer to being done:-)
• We can't get contractors to take our money. Funny eh? The garage door people were the only ones to set up a time, stick to it and get the job done. The fence people have finally set up a semi-firm date of next Wednesday but that's taken over a month to get worked out. We need a lot more done but apparently we didn't get on the merry-go-round early enough for people to want our business.
• In the past 25 work days I have taken a car 3 times to get there. My pants don't fit right anymore ;-)
  

That's all for now.

g

"I Live for Danger"

This piece of video awesomeness stars three of my coworkers.


Check out The Weather Channel segment "Vortex 2: I Live for Danger"
What makes it awesome?

1. "Top Gun" reference.
2. "Brooklin Hipster" comparison of a South Shore native.
3. Red Sox plug....
4. Underwear reference.
5. The drying of underwear on the radar (actually that might be the only way to sanitize those 2 pair by week 4, way to go Bethany!).
6. Those shorts!!!
7. Seeing a smart-ass friend on national TV.
   

I want write more but I can't stop chuckling...

... so I'll cut and paste the description of the Vortex 2 experiment from their homepage:

VORTEX2 is by far the largest and most ambitious effort ever made to understand tornadoes. We expect over 100 scientists and crew in up to 40 science and support vehicles to participate in this unique, fully nomadic, field program in May/June 2009-2010. The National Science Foundation (NSF) foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) together are contributing over $10 million towards this effort. Participants will be drawn from several universities, and several government and private organizations, and will be international including members from Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

The basic questions are simple to ask, but hard to answer.

- How, when, and why do tornadoes form? Why some are violent and long lasting while others are weak and short lived?

- What is the structure of tornadoes? How strong are the winds near the ground? How exactly do they do damage?

- How can we learn to forecast tornadoes better? Current warnings have an only 13 minute average lead time and a 70% false alarm rate. Can we make warnings more accurate? Can we warn 30, 45, 60 minutes ahead?

VORTEX2 will use an unprecedented fleet of cutting edge instruments to literally surround tornadoes and the supercell thunderstorms that form them. An armada of 10 mobile radars, including the Doppler On Wheels (DOW) from the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR), SMART-Radars from the University of Oklahoma, the NOXP radar from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), radars from the University of Massachusetts, the Office of Naval Research and Texas Tech University (TTU), 10 mobile mesonet instrumented vehicles from NSSL and CSWR, 38 deployable instruments including Sticknets (TTU), Tornado-Pods (CSWR), 4 disdrometers (University of Colorado (CU) and U of Illinois), weather balloon launching vans (NSSL, NCAR and SUNY-Oswego), unmanned aircraft (CU), damage survey teams (CSWR, Lyndon State College, NCAR), and photogrammetry teams (Lyndon State Univesity and NCAR), and other instruments.

VORTEX2 is fully nomadic with no home base. Scientists will roam from state to state following severe weather outbreaks through the Plains.

VORTEX2 will hit the road from 10 May - 13 June 2009 and 1 May - 15 June 2010.

Still laughing
g

SHWOOOSH...

So on my way home I'm riding down the Notch, just coasting along, minding my own business with no need to speed then a GAME ON moment came!

Typically if I let the bike coast with no pedaling at all, the bike can hit 30mph, so what's the need to push it? While I was coasting, I heard the sound of air. A strange "shhhhaaawooooshhh" kind of sound. Not the normal air past the ears "shhh" sound. "What is that noise?" I thought. "Is that a truck?A bus? Do I have a flat starting?" Then the roadie I just saw climbing up the other side goes shooting by my left side. Naturally I followed my first instinct. I dropped the plastic coated, friction thumb shifter into high gear and started hammering on the flat top pedals after him.

Now one might think I was trying to catch and pass Speedy Gonzales but I was on Old Ironsides, a bike not exactly known for it's speed. An upright mountain bike converted to commuter with 1.75" road tires, fenders, and a trunk bag on the rear rack will provide no contest to an aluminum (or carbon fiber) speed machine like his. In reality I just wanted to minimize how much he pulled away from me. While I kept him close on the main hill, he started to leave me as the road flattened out. In the 2.5 miles I chased him he only had me by a 1/4 mile when he turned off.

I say I'm not competitive anymore but DaMom says "If you're not the best you don't even try." This in reference to me leaving everyone of our friends in the dust on every bike ride we have tried to take. What can I say, they were so slow! I haven't done that in a real long time and ride pretty slow now. I'd say this little excursion proves I might have a little spunk left, even when it's just for ha ha's and the guy I'm racing doesn't even know he's racing.

So what's the real moral of this story? 40mph on my commuter brick is frightening as hell!

g

If You Build It...

...They will come.

April Super Bike Week

If May is Bike month, then this is April Super Bike Week!

Monday I rode to work (all of it) on the road bike . On the way home I took a longer route and stopped to pick up a new throttle cable for the lawn mower. Oh yeah and I broke a spoke, hence Broken Spoke was christened.

Tuesday I rode to work (all of it) on Old Ironsides. On the way home I took a different route and stopped to pick up the repaired wheel.

Wednesday I copped out with Broken Spoke and took the bus in the morning but rode home.

Thursday I drove. WHAT!!! What does this have to do with bike week and why did I drive you ask? So I could bring tools from home to install the new bike rack at work! Also I spent my lunch hour helping C.B. get his bike ready to go to out west for Tornado Chasing Season.

Friday I took the bus but rather than getting off in the center of town I mixed it up a bit and got off at Hampshire to get a little more exercise in. I rode the whole way home.

What's all this mean, 97.7 miles in one week! I'm bummed I missed a century by a stinking 2.3 miles. There's always next week.

g

New Bike Rack at Work

I started riding to work occasionally in 2005 and ever since then the bosses have had issues with the bikes being inside or leaning up against the building or some other foolish complaints. When our new office manager started last year and rode most days of the year, the seed was planted for a real bike rack. Presently we have 3-4 people ride regularly and 4 more have done it sporadically. That's not to bad for a company with only 17 people in it.

After much research the bosses wanted a rack that had some style and wasn't just a hoop sticking out of the ground. They decided on a six bike Dero Helix Rack and that those of us using it would install it. Good thing I'm handy, eh?

Today in the rain

Before

Digging Holes

Pouring Concrete

Curing Concrete

It looks pretty neat to me (but I'm style challenged) and since everyone who has seen it likes it, I'll claim it as a success.