Friday, October 31, 2008
Our Poltergeist Home
Wow, this is bizarre!
Last night was my last night on 2nd shift and as Murphy's Law would dictate it was busy as hell so I wasn't able to leave until 11:30pm, a half hour late. I drove to the Walgreen's pharmacy on Central Drive and Bedford Road about a mile and a half from home. I needed to pick up a prescription for this nagging cough. While in the pharmacy, Cristina called me and said she was sitting on the couch in the living room when she heard something like footsteps in the attic followed by the wall between the living room and the bedroom move. I need to come home ASAP.
Hum, the wall "moved"? So I headed home. I grabbed a flashlight and begin the process of looking around the house. I saw a black cat run across the backyard (no lie). I went to look in the attic.
Well, I found nothing. But now come this morning I know what it was... a 3.0 earthquake!!
Here's the story from the Dallas Morning News
Video news from the local Channel 11
Preliminary report from the USGS
A map of where it occurred from the USGS.
HOLY CRAP!! I definitely didn't see that as a possibility! Add it to the things to worry about which could happen to the house. Along with tornadoes, grassfires, airplane crashes, foundation cracks, gas leaks/explosions, and robbery.
Last night was my last night on 2nd shift and as Murphy's Law would dictate it was busy as hell so I wasn't able to leave until 11:30pm, a half hour late. I drove to the Walgreen's pharmacy on Central Drive and Bedford Road about a mile and a half from home. I needed to pick up a prescription for this nagging cough. While in the pharmacy, Cristina called me and said she was sitting on the couch in the living room when she heard something like footsteps in the attic followed by the wall between the living room and the bedroom move. I need to come home ASAP.
Hum, the wall "moved"? So I headed home. I grabbed a flashlight and begin the process of looking around the house. I saw a black cat run across the backyard (no lie). I went to look in the attic.
Well, I found nothing. But now come this morning I know what it was... a 3.0 earthquake!!
Here's the story from the Dallas Morning News
Video news from the local Channel 11
Preliminary report from the USGS
A map of where it occurred from the USGS.
HOLY CRAP!! I definitely didn't see that as a possibility! Add it to the things to worry about which could happen to the house. Along with tornadoes, grassfires, airplane crashes, foundation cracks, gas leaks/explosions, and robbery.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Dreaming in HD?
Read this interesting story about how researchers think what type of TV we watch as a kid influences how we dream as adults. If you grew up watching a B&W TV, you dream in B&W. Color TV... you dream in color.
Got me thinking... will Abby later in life dream in 1080i High Definition 16x9 aspect ratio with surround sound?
Things that make you go um?
TV from my childhood...
Got me thinking... will Abby later in life dream in 1080i High Definition 16x9 aspect ratio with surround sound?
Things that make you go um?
TV from my childhood...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Cold Ride
I rode to work today. BIG mistake! The ride to work was 63 degrees at 12:30pm. It was 45 degrees on the way home!
It took me 2 hours in the whirlpool tub with the hottest water I could get out of the tap to warm up after I got home. The new Frank Thomas motorcycle jacket helped ALOT but it still was way too cold.
With my starting 1st shift next week, I'll have a new rule... no motorcycle if the temps aren't 55 or above when I go to leave for work in the morning.
It took me 2 hours in the whirlpool tub with the hottest water I could get out of the tap to warm up after I got home. The new Frank Thomas motorcycle jacket helped ALOT but it still was way too cold.
With my starting 1st shift next week, I'll have a new rule... no motorcycle if the temps aren't 55 or above when I go to leave for work in the morning.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Abby's New Sandbox
After many weeks of working a little on it here and there, I finally completed Abby's new sandbox in the backyard.
I had alot of people ask me why I didn't just go with "The Turtle". The Turtle is a plastic sandbox found at Target or Walmart. It's a... turtle... which you remove it's back to reveal the measly 3 bags of sand it can hold.
BLAH!
I decided Abby needed a REAL sandbox that could hold ALOT of sand. So I built this puppy from scratch. I use (4) 4 foot long 2x12's for the sides and (2) 4 foot long 2x6's for the benches. The lid is (for the time being until I can think of a better method) a 4 foot by 4 foot 15/36 inch piece of plywood. I stained the wood of the sandbox and it's lid with a quart of stain Lowe's had on the mis-tinted discounted rack. I then applied 2 coats of clear gloss polyurethane varnish. The sand? Try (12) 50 pound bags! That's right, 600 pounds of sand!! Doing the math... that's nearly 16 times more than what Abby weighs. And since she's only about 3 foot 6 inches tall she can create "sand angels" in it.
The blue tarp peeking out from the bottom will be covered along the sides with mulch as I build out the rest of her playground area. Cristina asked me "if it doesn't have a solid bottom, how are we ever going to move it?". My answer, "NEVER". In the event of a nuclear war there will be two things left on earth, cockroaches and Abby's sandbox! ;-)
I had alot of people ask me why I didn't just go with "The Turtle". The Turtle is a plastic sandbox found at Target or Walmart. It's a... turtle... which you remove it's back to reveal the measly 3 bags of sand it can hold.
BLAH!
I decided Abby needed a REAL sandbox that could hold ALOT of sand. So I built this puppy from scratch. I use (4) 4 foot long 2x12's for the sides and (2) 4 foot long 2x6's for the benches. The lid is (for the time being until I can think of a better method) a 4 foot by 4 foot 15/36 inch piece of plywood. I stained the wood of the sandbox and it's lid with a quart of stain Lowe's had on the mis-tinted discounted rack. I then applied 2 coats of clear gloss polyurethane varnish. The sand? Try (12) 50 pound bags! That's right, 600 pounds of sand!! Doing the math... that's nearly 16 times more than what Abby weighs. And since she's only about 3 foot 6 inches tall she can create "sand angels" in it.
The blue tarp peeking out from the bottom will be covered along the sides with mulch as I build out the rest of her playground area. Cristina asked me "if it doesn't have a solid bottom, how are we ever going to move it?". My answer, "NEVER". In the event of a nuclear war there will be two things left on earth, cockroaches and Abby's sandbox! ;-)
I Voted Today
Yes, I voted today. Texas is one of many states offering early voting. I wanted to vote this past Monday, the 1st day of early voting, but this week and been a bit crazy.
And who did I vote for, you ask?
President Barack Obama
And who did I vote for, you ask?
President Barack Obama
Caribou Barbie is down!
Wow! Didn't see that coming! And neither did Caribou Barbie...
Crazy Protester Interrupts Palin Interview - Watch more free videos
Crazy Protester Interrupts Palin Interview - Watch more free videos
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Credit Crisis
Cristina and I bought our current house back in June. Actually, we were technically homeless for 4 days. We close on selling our old house on June 20th but Wells Fargo delayed the closing of the new house until 4 days later. We were sure our credit was in order. Our loan officer was confident everything would go thru but over and over again they asked for more and more documentation. At that time everyone involved in our loan process couldn't understand what was going on.
Now almost 4 months later the world has learned what was brewing under the surface in the home market. Loans are ALOT harder to get now as the world-wide credit crisis expands.
Here's a short video from the local Channel 11 news regarding the market conditions.
In short, I guess I feel lucky that we got the house when we did. Any earlier and we wouldn't have paid off a few bills we had so we wouldn't have been able to qualify for the loan. Any later and we would have gotten caught up in this current crisis and not have qualified for the loan. Timing is everything.
Now almost 4 months later the world has learned what was brewing under the surface in the home market. Loans are ALOT harder to get now as the world-wide credit crisis expands.
Here's a short video from the local Channel 11 news regarding the market conditions.
In short, I guess I feel lucky that we got the house when we did. Any earlier and we wouldn't have paid off a few bills we had so we wouldn't have been able to qualify for the loan. Any later and we would have gotten caught up in this current crisis and not have qualified for the loan. Timing is everything.
Godzilla
Thursday night my father-in-law came over in my sister-in-law's SUV to the house to watch Abby while Cristina and I went to a Bedford City Planning and Zoning Commission meeting regarding the hospital to be built across the street. When he got to our house he realized the driver rear tire was leaking air big time.
So I drove him home later that night and early Friday morning Abby and I went to the Discount Tire on Harwood Road in Bedford, TX to get a tire fixed. As soon as I pulled into the parking space I realized what was sitting only 15 feet away...
A Nissan GT-R !! Yes, "Godzilla" itself!! The thing was REALLY NEW in that there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt on it... even the gold Brembo brake calipers were clean enough to eat off of. I snapped the pic from my 4-year old cell phone with the crap-tastic camera. We watched a bit later as a 25 YEAR OLD KID drove off in it with an older fellow (Dad?) riding shotgun. The world seemed a bit less fair at that moment.
So I drove him home later that night and early Friday morning Abby and I went to the Discount Tire on Harwood Road in Bedford, TX to get a tire fixed. As soon as I pulled into the parking space I realized what was sitting only 15 feet away...
A Nissan GT-R !! Yes, "Godzilla" itself!! The thing was REALLY NEW in that there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt on it... even the gold Brembo brake calipers were clean enough to eat off of. I snapped the pic from my 4-year old cell phone with the crap-tastic camera. We watched a bit later as a 25 YEAR OLD KID drove off in it with an older fellow (Dad?) riding shotgun. The world seemed a bit less fair at that moment.
Monday, October 6, 2008
A Day at The New DFW Founder's Plaza
On Saturday, Abby and I visited the newly opened DFW Founder's Plaza observation area at the DFW Airport. It's located on the northwest corner of the airport versus the old area which was at the southeast corner. This location is better since during the warmer months the prevailing southerly winds force the planes to land north to south making this area a prime location to watch landing planes. You had to brave the cold winter winds to watch landing planes at the old place.
This is the old beacon which was moved a few hundred yards from it's old location to be at the plaza.
The Plaza has a map showing the location of the runways.
Abby watches a plane take off.
The closest runway is "18-Right"...
This is the old beacon which was moved a few hundred yards from it's old location to be at the plaza.
The Plaza has a map showing the location of the runways.
Abby watches a plane take off.
The closest runway is "18-Right"...
Manswers
My friend, Jeff, told me about this TV show "Manswers" so I had to check it out. WOW! Imagine combining the now canceled "The Man Show" with "Mythbusters". Add some cheesy effects that reminds me of something people would watch in the movie "Idiocracy" and you have Manswers!
Cristina's official opinion after watching 2 minutes of it... "I felt my brain shrink a bit."
So check out an episode and find out the answer to the age-old question "Which is more nutritious, your cat or dog?"
Cristina's official opinion after watching 2 minutes of it... "I felt my brain shrink a bit."
So check out an episode and find out the answer to the age-old question "Which is more nutritious, your cat or dog?"
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
My Monitor is Here!!
I got home from work tonight to find my new monitor sitting by the front door. YEAH!! Luckily, the highest resolution that my ol' video card can muster is exactly when I needed for this monitor. SWEET!!!
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