2 days out!

The last scheduled activity in The Desert, is the final walk through on Thursday at 1pm.

So far - the carpet cleaner I made a reservation with two months ago, told me yesterday that he couldn't do it, as he had a really big project out of town that trumped out little apartment - and U-Haul wanted to send us to Sedona to get our trailer.

After explaining to the woman on the phone that, while it may only be 45 miles, there's a mountain range between here and there - she looked again, and found a proper trailer about 5 minutes from our house... which I'll pick up on my way home from lunch tomorrow with a choice few of my favorite colleagues from The Wine Bar...

and while we're now paying $70 more to do the carpets, I eventually found a place that could accommodate our time table.


We bought D another six-pack - so he's calm again and enjoying the sun setting on our deck - which might be what I'll miss most about our current location... it's a really nice deck.

I've joined Facebook - yeah... I know I deride it, but I'm now in contact with one of my best friends from Junior High School, so that's nice.


I killed a couple of the Butternut Squash sprouts when I launched them off the deck while trying to transplant them to a new container to give to some friends we'll be staying with in Southern Utah on Thursday night... I currently have 17 viable tomatolings - so a few will be left along with some butternut squash in SoUt as I'll now call it - and I'll probably toss the four or five that aren't performing as well, and 8 or 9 will find a new home in Montana...

we're hoping for an apartment with southern exposure...

hope with us.

Would you like to take a survey???

Marni has graciously done what my husband didn't... except I've been too heartbroken at the departure of My Babydoll Selma, to do much writing... but I'm back now...

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
Blue. It would be a blue bike.

The only bike parts I've ever had that were bought specifically for me and only me, were a pair of disc brakes, and I think the handle bars, for my TIv4 bike. Everything else (frames included) I've ever used have just been lying around. Next, I think I'll buy a bike jersey, I think that will be number three.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?

My current bikes are Matte Spray Paint Primer Grey with Sparkly Red showing through a few rubbed off places, and Pewter Purple - so no, no blue. Though the tires on M'Lady have a streak of light blue, that's close.

I'm not working toward getting a blue bike, because I don't have the energy to buy the can of spray paint and go to town... I'm not sure what that says about myself.


If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

To the grocery store and back. It's approximately three miles right now, don't think it would ever be too much farther than that, where ever we might ever live. Plus, there's an extra special prize at the end of the route, which I may or may not be divulging later.

Although - if I had to pick one other, it would be the Pa'rus Trail and Canyon View Road in Zion National Park.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride for the rest of her / his life?

The Gods... via Mercury and Hades... they did their work with Sisyphus and now they've come after the Mountain Bikers... think hard - what did you do to The Gods to deserve this???

Something, I tell you, something.


Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow minded?

I ride M'Lady and PomPom - M'Lady has skinny tires and goes ZoomZoom (like a Mazda), PomPom has fat tires and goes Swish. I ride M'Lady on clean roads and PomPom on dirty roads. I'm not familiar with this mountain you speak of.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.

No. If there was nothing else that rolled in sight.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?

No. When I swim it involves a nose plug, and when I run I always worry about breaking my heels.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?

About half an hour ago - I rode my bike to the grocery store solely to buy ice cream. I spent about six minutes in the ice cream isle deciding exactly which one I might like most tonight.

Screw pie, and cake, and cookies, and petits fours. Screw chocolate, and hard candies, and taffy, and everything made by Little Debbie! I want ice cream... I'd take up with a tricycle or a unicycle, or maybe even running (I've heard there are shoes out there that are flat, like, flat, with no stiletto... so I could try that) if I had to - before I gave up ice cream. If I craved two wheels I'd buy a Vespa and cruise around town getting seventy miles a gallon, with a pint of Ben and Jerry's in one hand and a spoon in the other (talk about driving under the influence).

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.

Doesn't it not matter so much what bike you ride, as much as where you ride it, and doesn't it not matter so much where you ride, as much as who you ride with, and doesn't it not matter so much who you ride with, as much as that you ride? If no, have you you tried strangling yourself with your chain?

Yes, Yes, Yes - No. (Though technically I didn't need to answer the fourth question, I did so, to set an example).

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?

Pull out your flare gun. Then evaluate the situation.

If the bear sees you - one of three things is going on.

1) You Surprised the Bear
2) You got too close to it's Food or Cubs
3) It's a predatory bear and thinks you look like a tasty bear snack (aka: you look like Chris)

If the third instance is the case, it will look really creepy and sneaky and start, really slowly and smarmily, getting closer to you. SHOOT IT WITH THE FLARE GUN. (While this is what happened to Timothy Treadwell, he was in a tent, the likelihood that this will happen when you're on your bike, is less likely, as hopefully you are going faster on your bike, than a bear can stalk you. If your speed on a bike is slow enough for a bear to stalk you as prey, you might want to consider a different hobby).

Second situation looks bad. The bear will want to chase you away, or neutralize you as a threat to it's valuables. It might false charge (aka: RUN RIGHT AT YOU) - but you should wait to see if it actually stops before it gets to you. In this case, talk in a strong but soothing voice, to the bear, and slowly do anything necessary to move yourself AWAY FROM THE BEAR. Do not turn your back to the Killer Beasty!!! DO NOT RUN!!! Walk away with your face to the bear at all times. If it charges and doesn't stop approx. 5 feet away - SHOOT IT WITH THE FLARE GUN! Hopefully you just back away and it growls and then feels safe again once you're farther off.

First case. Wait a moment. See if the bear is scared of you and runs away (in which instance, pull out your camera and take a photo of his fluffy little butt). This would be a good thing. If it doesn't - talk soothingly, but strongly and try to move yourself away, facing the bear. Try not to trip on anything behind you while you walk backwards. Try not to make the bear feel threatened or generally inadequate. Again - if he charges and doesn't stop - SHOOT IT WITH THE FLARE GUN!

(A note on shooting a bear with a flare gun: Don't actually shoot the bear. That will probably piss it off. Shoot in front of the bear. We're pulling a page from the Shock and Awe school of warfare - and the point is to surprise the bear with noise and light right in front of it's face, so it realizes it's more afraid of you than you are of it. If everything goes right, it will freak out and run away. If it does not appear to be freaking out and running away - RELOAD. And pull out your Bear Mace. Fire the flare gun one more time, and then all bets are off when you're in close enough range for the Bear Mace. Aim for the eyes. Protect your head.)

I would like to note that this answer is serious, though the tone employs jest. I'm really freakin' afraid of bears, and while the likelihood that I'll ever be in a position that one attacks me is slight, and people should be cool and calm and collected around bears, and not freak out - they're freakin' super dangerous (primarily because they are smart and will all react slightly differently to the same situation, so you just never know what they'll do) - and I don't want anyone to think that while the tone is in jest, I don't take seriously the risk, as we've all become really aware of with the incredibly horrific attack on a young mountain biker in Alaska during a recent race. I feel like mountain bikers think they're safe because of how fast they move - but we all realize now, they're not. My thoughts are entirely with that young lady.

Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below.

Eddy.

Evan.

Lynda.

I'm sorry.

Bye bye...

Would the republicans fund it???

We need a Mental EMS.

Who do you call when someone says they want to kill themselves???

The police are trained to talk someone off a bridge, but what about when they're on a barstool???

EMTs??? Where's the injury for them to treat???


Tonight at work, we had a gentleman create quite a disturbance (this has nothing to do with my post from the other day). He came in and started talking to the hostesses, grabbed one of their arms, was visibly drunk, freaked them out and when they ran away he started getting really nasty with our owner who'd gone up to see what was going on, he was finally pushed out by our very tough looking pizza cooks, after they saw a commotion and ran out from behind the bar (where the pizza oven is) to the front door.

About four minutes later he was back... the hostesses ran, he walked in and started yelling at the bartender, again, he was removed by the other owner (the male owner) with backup from several staff and patrons.

He left and then came around again, flicking off the restaurant through the windows.

The owners called the police, they showed up in a bit and started looking around for the man, whom we eventually found out, they'd apprehended earlier that afternoon for creating a disturbance somewhere else.

The issue was - he was riding around in a hover-round type scooter, he was a double amputee (with prosthetics) and was wearing a military jacket with Iraq insignia... there were signs he might have had a drug habit...

are the police really the right people to be handling this guy??? Do they have options I'm not aware of for trying to assist this man with what he really needs assistance with, which isn't just sleeping off his drunkenness...

there was an ongoing discussion about this man. The female owner, who'd been verbally and almost physically assaulted by him, declared that if he was a vet, she felt sorry for him and someone should help him - but if he just got in a motorcycle accident or something and that's why his legs had to be removed, then he's a horrible and maybe pathetic person and it's his own fault and he should get no help what-so-ever.


But what if we had a Mental EMS - people trained in how to deal with those who need Help - not punishment, not emergency medical care, but psychological treatment, access to government services... help.

There's no reason to believe that after this man spends a night in jail he'll be any better off, or any less likely to repeat what happened this evening.

Granted - this guy was a danger to others and himself, as he was riding his shooter through the street, while highly intoxicated (by the way, we did not serve this man anything, he showed up that way) - so the police were warranted in this case... but what about my guy the other night, if I had really thought he might harm himself, who should I have called??? Who do you contact when the person with the problem needs long term, sustained care and help... it's not an emergency now, but it might be later...

it seems like we're told to wait till it is an emergency. Wait till it's too late to be of real assistance.


It just bothers me.

Selma Lee ALMOST SOLD eBay update!

$250.00

4 bids

19 watchers

6 hours, 7 minutes left

2 questions telling me to use regular gasoline fumes through the air intake if I want to start it up in no time...

first time for Everything...

Last night, I started chatting with one of the regulars who always sits up at the bar...

we had a new hostess, who hadn't recognized him when he came in, so I presumed they hadn't been introduced, and used a slow moment to do so...

which led to him ranting about how he used to be worth 4 million, but this heartless demon of a lawyer was ruining his life, his girlfriend had left him the day before, because of all the stress, and he had a gun at home which he thought he's use that night (yesterday night) to shoot himself.


That was a first.

Selma Lee eBay update!

$203.50

2 bids

8 watchers

2 days & 8 hours left

...

Gratuitous Shots and Birthday Notes -

I can't help posting some more photos of the broken table - the break is so smooth in places, you can run your finger down the edge and not get cut, not even close, no way.

D suggested taking the rest of it out into the National Forest to shoot - except even with a big chunk broken off, it's still incredibly heavy and cumbersome to move - so I think we're just going to try to break it up some more and toss it... seems a waste, but no where around here recycles glass (whole other story) and I just don't know what else there is to do with it...

so pretty...

Anyway - my mother sent me flowers and told the florist to make something native or natural looking - so he sent a dozen red roses with pink carnations, baby's breath and whatever those cute little white flowers are called... real native!!!

So - roses don't look good with carnations!!! Carnations and baby's breath are both detailed, intricate, busy flowers, roses are not... what is wrong with all the florists in this country!!!

So I split it into two bouquets which I think both look better separate than they did together.

This amuses me primarily because at The Wine Bar, we give free meals to a couple that owns a florists shop in town, in exchange for fresh flowers once a week. Two very large displays, and about three smaller ones, that get put around the restaurant. Sometimes they're all real, somethings they're all fake, sometimes it's a mix and sometimes there are fake birds and plastic breadsticks in the displays... each Wednesday when they're changed, we servers do a review of the arrangements... all night long, in between tables, there's a running commentary about whether the fake bird appears to be pooping on the stargazer lily, if the big arrangement up front would be better placed at a funeral, or if the plastic breadsticks look mildly phallic... I realize this doesn't sound all that funny - but somehow, I swear, it is.

There are so many beautiful things you can do with flowers, and then there are really, really horrible things, boring things, tedious things.

Someone, making the bouquet my mother ordered, thought they had to add more flowers, so they filled it all up with out of place carnations and sad baby's breath... if they'd put in about 50% more of the cute little white flowers and left the carnations out all together they would have created a more dramatic, and "wow" arrangement, and I can only imagine it would have cost them less to make... more is not more when it comes to flowers... but florist seem to be stuck in a super conservative and traditional idea of what all arrangements have to look like.

Boo.


Edit: By the Way - besides celebrating my birthday, I also listed Selma Lee on eBay yesterday...

Self Promotion.

This was D's pathetic attempt at getting a 24th B-day Portrait :)

Also - the framed postcards and plasma-cut road runner are the only things left on the walls of our apartment after I went on a packing spree earlier.

Besides my tomato sprouts, I happened to dump a bunch of seeds from a Butternut Squash in an empty planter I had, and just yesterday, discovered these odd little green things... took me about five minutes to remember what on earth I'd put in it... like a week ago... Butternut Squash!!!

Also - if you look really closely - inside that sun toasted avocado seed, you can see the tiny bits of green :) Yay!!!

Finally - our attempts to find Cute, Heeled, Green Sandals proved futile today, despite D's accommodations. We did find some interesting and amusing things at a craft fair they were holding on the Court House Square - didn't buy anything, just wandered around amused :)

I still can't get over how hard it is to find green shoes... I don't get it - green goes with black, brown, blue (even Navy) and camel/tan... it's perfection for coordinating... why don't more companies make green shoes!!!

What was that noise?

Yeah - so D put the hibatchi on the glass table out on the deck and cooked BBQ pork chops for lunch.
A little while after he was done we heard a crash and ran out to find the 5/8th" thick pane of glass that we used as a table top had cracked and broken!!!

Who knew that was even possible!!! It dumped the hibatchi upside down and D ran around dumping water on the still smouldering coals... it was set up on two little metal legs to - so it's not like the belly of the hibatchi was right on the glass...

I guess that won't be making it to Missoula...

Q & A

Jill asks what will become of the blog if I no longer have a Selma Lee to tell the story of -

but in a lot of ways this blog is a parallel of what happened with Selma Lee herself. How much have I actually written about her here??? Not very... I've written about her only slightly less than I've actually messed with her - and that's really where the problem lies. Like so many other situations, I let Selma get delayed and delayed till there wasn't really enough time left to do what needed to be done, and do it well (and, because of a slight perfectionist's disorder - if I know I can't do it well I'm not liable to do it at all - which some would argue is something I should or should not get Over).

Anyway. It hasn't rained yet today, and there isn't a good wind, so it's still a little too hot to go down and work on her. I've got one more shot today and possibly tomorrow - and if she isn't running by Monday I'm going to part out a few pieces with particular value then sell her to a salvage yard that will tow her away.

I'm not really sure what I'll do with the blog - as, really, all this time I thought I'd just chat about this or that until I did more work and had more photos to post.

I got off to an auspicious start... my first project of ridding her of Algae worked perfectly and her fuel filters look shinny and clean these days...

whatever - I'm not going to review blow by blow her last 10 months with me - just to say that at least one thing I did with her was a success... at least one.


Well I'm going to go pack something now. Not sure what, but something... and later there'll be some photo from the work this afternoon and evening -

and we'll see.

The last throes.

We've reached a point where sometime in the next week Selma's going to get towed.

The real question is where - to a salvage yard, or a specialist Mercedes shop on the other side of town...

I've reached the end of the repairs it's reasonable for me to make. I replaced the primer pump last week (tools and the new part below) - and that didn't help one bit...


from my reading and research - I believe it's the Injection Pump - which is not something I should be doing... not least of which is because nobody gives good instructions on how (it seems the forums presume, if you're doing this repair you already know how), and because there's plenty of horror stories of people who mess with the IP, get their car started and then can't turn it off, you get a "run away" engine - and things catch fire, or seize, or both...

so this leaves me with two options. Sell it for (a very meager) salvage and essentially lose the $2,000 that I've already put into the car.

Or spent $100 to have her towed and $200 just for the diagnostic - so they can tell me they need to do $1,200+ worth of work, at which point my fixed car will barely be worth $2,000... after putting about $3,500 into her.



Either way she'll be gone from our garage in two weeks - and I'm out at least $1,500... and a lot of emotional energy... and the windows still won't roll down.



This post has been brought to you by the letters O-P-T-I-M-I-S and M

What?

Who knew I could cook?

D's side had spinach - mine was pure.
2 lbs Mozzerella Cheese, 3+ lbs Pasta Sauce, 1 lb Pasta, 1/2 lb Ricotta - five layers - my first Lasagna.

Perfection. Though - possibly a little heavy for a summer night...

Growth.

(post note - there were photos with this - but Picasa seems to not be behaving - this may or may not get fixed...)


I've been stealing all the pits out of D's avocados recently. I accumulated some 11, before D said I couldn't have any more...
I now have three planted in soil on the deck - and four still in water (note red cup on left in photo below)...
this is one guy I moved from water to soil today.

The recent Ben & Jerry's gluttony has paid off, in my moving almost the last of the tomatolings from their seeding trays (egg cartons) to larger containers. After a mass move usually one or two just won't make it - so presuming that happens, and then D finishes his last pint when he gets back tomorrow - I'll have the last ones switched on Monday. (And no - I don't want to hear any commentary about how you're suppose to start tomato plants in March - not June. I actually managed to make something grow - and even if they have to die this fall before they really do much I don't care - I've learned something for next spring).

Almost impressive - if in a pathetic way... six of the fifteen are Half Baked... we have strong preferences in this house.

My lovely little tomatolings!!!

Another one.

We now have a second cheap camera. I've mentioned to D before, that at some point we should do some research and get a nice digital camera, but he says he'd just be afraid to break it... really... one of these days we might just get a good camera... but this afternoon, when I went to take a photo of a project I just finished, only to find the camera gone, and D's phone turned off... I knew, he'd taken our current cheap digital camera with him for his weekend in Flagstaff... and I was Pissed!

I take a photo of every bag before it gets sent out, as well as I have car stuff to do this weekend that I want to photograph - but really - I have stuff to ship out tomorrow and I don't want to send it if I haven't taken a picture -

so I rode my bike to one of two stores within eight miles of our house that sells digital cameras (Kohl's and KMart). I actually looked them both up online, cause I don't normally shop at either store, but they seemed the only possibilities, so I looked them up to make sure they sold cameras and rode over to KMart - which is right next to the grocery store we go to, and bought another $80 camera.

(Oh - and I left a message on D's phone, letting him know how I felt about him leaving town to have fun, and leaving me at home so I could do some work, and then taking a crucial piece of equipment I needed to get said work done... oh - and I had to wear my rain pants and jacket, as it was drizzling with afternoon monsoon rains when I left... not like he'll even get my message, as he never checks his phone, he'll probably get home Sunday night and I'll have to tell him to listen to it... whatever.)

I used my new camera to take the above photo of the box it came it :) Really exciting post - I know... but I was Pissed I tell you, Pissed.

(Oh - did I mention, he also took the only jar of pasta sauce in the house??? When he's not home to cook for me the only thing I have left to do is make pasta and he took my freakin' pasta sauce!!! Which I didn't notice till I got back from the store - I might have cussed at that point...)

Hey Kiddies!!!

It's Monsoon Time!!!
(Okady, so actually it's been monsoon time for like, a week, but today it's like, really, seriously, supercalafragelisticexpealidocious Monsoon Time.

And even with all that rain - we still have blue skies???

The driveway has turned to the dark side. And that was only after 10 minutes of rain.

So wrong.

D's got the text - I have the graphic.

What are you supposed to do when Fry's has Ben & Jerry's at $1.99/pint. Seeing as we have three weeks left in Arizona, it made perfect sense that we should each get three pints - and then swear off buying any more ice cream till we're in the "Great North" as D's started referring to it.

The real question is - what on earth is that orange lump in the tupperwear??? D???

The Dark Side.

D's on The Face.

Book.


These are the sorts of bad things that happen when he has three day weekends and stays, primarily, at home.

Good and Worse.

I absolutely love this little machine that looks sort of like an ATM machine at the Post Office that will print all sorts of various postage for you... and when the post office is closed, the machine is still open - and there's this really big slot for you to put packages in once you put the postage on... it even prints the postage off on a sticker - so it's easy to affix...

and really - I print off almost everything on the USPS website and then schedule for my postwoman to come pick up my packages... but every once in awhile I want to send a large envelope via First Class Mail - something along the tune of $2.70 and all I have at home is regular stamps, and you can't print anything less that Priority Mail off from the Website - and this little machine is just brilliant.

The other day I dropped D off to mail a package, and waited, and waited, and eventually just parked the car and walked in - where D was two people away from the front of the line.

I took his package, went over to the machine (which no one was at) when through the whole process and dropped off the stamped package for shipment before he was called up - at which point he left the line and we drove home, and everyone else in line behind him looked at us incredulously.

Lesson taught.


Second.


Elevators appear to have improved their music selections - I propose a new cliche name for cheesy/bad music - I shall now refer to it as "Auto Parts Store Music".

I've been in three Auto Parts Stores in the past half hour (searching the 3mm O-rings) and I haven't heard music that bad in a long time.


End.


No wait - point three.

Britain is Horrible Floral Print Land. Hopefully Kate Middleton will teach them about subtle color tonality... we can only hope.

4th of July.

Yummy.

This is what we did on the 4th.

D's first steak since he went off red meat at the end of January. We decided it was alright... just for the 4th. Now back to Tofu for him.

Wanted (the movie) Review.

We went to Wanted (the movie) this afternoon. You can find my sister's commentary of it Here.

And while 10,000 people do die, and it's terribly violent - that's not even the start of what was wrong with it.

So - you take 1/6th part The Matrix physics, add 1/6th part Fight Club punches, sift in 1/3rds Original Star Wars familial relations, add 1/6th Rocky blended with Karate Kid till smooth, and then sprinkle with 1/6th Office Space without the humor - then, put it in a broken food processor for editing, leave it out in the sun for a day till all character interest and empathy evaporate (or wait - maybe something that was never there in the first place, can't evaporate) - knead it till the scientific explanations are tough and stringy. Finally - add a marinade of off-key soundtrack - and cook in 500 degrees with a guy behind you who keeps saying "Oh - Shit!" and serve on a warm plate of The Da Vinci Code semi-historical conspiracy theories.

Then shoot yourself in the head - and you'll have the idea of watching Wanted.


The real issue for me is - you have a great cast... how did it go so terribly wrong??? Even though the theories and background for the script are ridiculous - it still could have been a good film... if they'd gotten as star-studded a technical crew as they had actors. Instead - it seems like they spent their money on the faces and not the minds behind it - and the film is just Poorly Made. I guess this is what happens when you get a Russian Vampire expert to direct an America Sci-fi action movie...

boo.


P.S. The only technical place where they pulled in the talent was Danny Elfman on music... except the music was so Off... just off - the whole time. You could tell what they were trying to do with the music for each scene - you could see them making an effort, but it never worked, not once. Particularly with the more modern rock/alternative songs they tried to throw in, they just missed the mark.

Extended quote of the day.

D - God forbid anything having to do with that piece of crap would be simple.
M - Oh come on, it's all been pretty simple so far.
D - Yeah, it doesn't work, that's pretty simple.



I think I found something wrong with my car and I'm going to fix it - and it should be pretty simple...

really.