September 2009
50 posts
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Total distance: 1970.7 miles Total time: 71.6 hours Average speed: 52.0 mph Mileage: 27.0 mpg Temperature at start: 105 Temperature at destination: 48 Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Less than 50 miles to go. Perfectly timed to hit...
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Stopping in Stumptown
Last stop was at 10 in Medford for gas. Of course, this being Oregon, I didn’t even get out of the car, and let them refill for me. Why is this, anyway? Don’t you Oregonians trust yourselves with flammable liquids? Anyway, I’m in Portland now, and decided to refill myself. Stumptown makes some great coffee. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Alanis Morrissette would call it "ironic"
Does anyone else find it funny that I started this trip with this product on my car to protect it from rock chips? Griot’s Garage: http://bit.ly/1a0bow Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Oregon!
Home by dinner. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Day 4
Click here to download: IMG_0296.MOV (3028 KB) Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Ugh. What a Day.
I’m spent. I made it to Redding, CA today. Not quite the Oregon border I was shooting for, but given the events of the day, and the fact I had to double back and head east to pick up I5, not bad, I guess.The lovely La Quinta Inn is the lodging of choice this evening, complete with a toilet that won’t stop running. I’m too tired to complain. View Larger Map Posted via email ...
The damage
I apologize for the noise. It’s very windy here. Download now or watch on posterous IMG_0294.MOV (4238 KB) Now to plot a new route home. I am in Bodega Bay, CA right now. The plan *was* to get to Mendocino along Hwy 1, and then head back to 101 to get north into Oregon before stopping for the night. Now I just need to get home as quickly as I can. ...
Shit. Shit. Shit. I hit a deer.
I hit a deer 2 minutes ago. I’m fine. Deer is not. Headlight is smashed all to hell, and the hood is banged up. See and download the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
It's tragic, really
To spend two days driving and not have any time to enjoy one of my favorite cities is a tragedy. But that’s not what this trip is about. Mostly, so far it’s about old people in white Dodge Caravans with things hanging from their rearview mirrors and a full set of multicolor “remember” ribbon bumper stickers driving mountain roads like they’re running out of gas or...
Hella-buggy
Protein in the event of an emergency. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Day 3
Download now or watch on posterous IMG_0286.MOV (2329 KB) Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Here's a story, of a lovely lady
There is a spot as you drive down California Hwy 178 where you come up over a hill and the only possible thing to say at that point is, “Holy shit. Trees.” After driving across the desert floor for hours on end, expecting at any moment to see the Coyote and Road Runner go shooting by in the other lane, green is a color I hadn’t ever expected to see again. With the rocks and...
Day 2
The route: View Larger Map And the evidence: See and download the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
When in Rome
And I’m in Bakersfield, Rome. Double-double, animal style, in case you were wondering. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Today's travel tip
When you stop for gas and go to get something out of the trunk, don’t lean in so far that you have to brace your leg against the tailpipe. It’s hot. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Survival kit
If I break down in Death Valley, this us all I have. Well, that and my years of training in the Navy Seals. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Day 2 Begins
Download now or watch on posterous IMG_0268.MOV (3429 KB) Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
A prison showerhead if I ever saw one
Come to think of it, there’s nothing sharp or pointy in this room… Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Pretty much what you'd expect for $45
The room is bare - barren, really - with just a bed, a desk and a TV. The pool is the color of Mountain Dew. And the guests - at least a third of which have cowboy hats - are drunk and yelling at each other as only inebriated people can. But it’s a place to sleep, and after today’s 2 a.m. start, it’s wonderful. The road into Kingman from Phoenix is wide and smooth, with vast...
Sealed for freshness
Any 2,000 mile trip is bound to bring with it bug splatter and rock chips. Thanks to the “Road Wrap” temporary clear bra from Griot’s Garage, I hope to avoid any damage. Makes the car look like it’s into kinky sex acts, though. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
The verdict
And the car is good. Needs a thorough detail, but otherwise in excellent condition. If I get out if here without being rolled, this will be my home for the next few days. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
But it's a dry heat
Touchdown. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
I hate people who tweet from the airport
But I get it. The flight’s delayed. The food is terrible (see below). The gate agent was mean and took away your blankie. It’s no wonder air travel is the Lingua Franca of standup comedy: there’s a unendingly rich vein to mine. But it’s been done to death. And with the novelty of air travel long past, it gets interesting only through competitive hyperbole. So, when I...
There are only two reasons to get up at 2:00 a.m.
One is to go fishing. The other is to catch a flight to Phoenix to pick up your new car and drive it home. The thought has occured to me that this MINI - which I have seen only in photos up to this point - might turn out to be a dud. That through the magic of PhotoShop, the seller is hiding a demolished front fender, stains on the seats and a body in the trunk. I hope not. He seemed like a nice...
So, what's between Phoenix and Seattle, anyway?
I fly out on Saturday to go pick up my new car. It’s about 2,000 miles from Phoenix to Seattle, and I’m planning to make the most of the trip. Some of the most incredible driving roads in the United States lie along my journey home, as well as a few places I’ve always wanted to see. I’ve just started to plan the route, and I’m already excited. Within the first 500...
So, I bought a car
Well, technically, not yet. But the terms are worked out, and I am aiming to pick it up this weekend. See, it’s in Arizona. And as those who know me will attest, I never seem to do anything related to cars the easy way. And rather than $800+ to ship it home, I’m planning a road trip. Probably 2 days back to Seattle. One if I get a radar detector. It’s a “Checkmate”...
Look for a run on up-do's when the market opens...
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Briatore, Symonds out
From this morning’s Autoweek:Renault said Wednesday that team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering chief Pat Symonds have left the team in the wake of the Singapore crash saga. The manufacturer said it will not dispute the FIA’s case against it. They now likely hope that they will avoid the embarrassment of an interrogation by the World Motor Sport Council on Sept. 21. However, they...
Will do, guv'nuh!
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And we are done
Just moments ago, all of my downloads from the iTunes store were done. Over 4,000 in all. Why do I think I am going to get a note on my Verizon FiOS bill this month that I’ve gone over their bandwidth limit? Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Oh, Amazon, you are so funny
Showed up on my Facebook profile page today. I left the company a year ago. He’s wearing a vest, right? Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Cool twitter search syntax
While goofing around tonight trying to create a Twitter widget for my blog, I came across a link to Twitter’s search syntax. I was not aware, for example, that you could use “from:” and “to:” in searches to track the source or target of a tweet. Neat stuff. From twitter.com Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
I'd forgotten just how frustrating it is to search...
Can anyone see a small red cube? Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Slow going
About 30 CDs ripped so far. 1154 downloads from iTunes left to go. But some good news, too: I found a backup of my Amazon MP3 downloads and was able to restore them. 455 items in all. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Slow going
About 30 CDs ripped so far. 1154 downloads from iTunes left to go. But some good news, too: I found a backup of my Amazon MP3 downloads and was able to restore them. 455 items in all. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
I never thought I'd be ripping my CDs again
But here I am, rebuilding a library of music from scratch. After last week’s data loss debacle, I’ve estimated I have about 7000 music tracks to import. My Mac Pro does it far faster than the old G4 I used to rip the files the first time. And iTunes is smart enough to prompt you to replace the original (missing) references in its database. But still. Seven thousand tracks is a lot, no...
Happy anniversary, mom and dad
44 years today. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
This is getting messy
The Renault F1 team today fired back at Nelson Piquet Jr. and accused him and his famous father of trying to blackmail the team:“…The ING Renault F1 Team and its Managing Director Flavio Briatore personally, wish to state that they have commenced criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Junior and Nelson Piquet Senior in France concerning the making of false allegations and a related...
I don't miss the snow
via youtube.com Posted via web from my name is taken | Comment »
Flavio asked me to deliberately crash my car
Nelson Piquet, former Renault F1 driver, stated today that team bosses asked him to deliberately crash to bring out the Safety Car and give his team an advantage. From his statement to the FIA today:During the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore, held on 28 September 2008 and counting towards the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, I was asked by Mr. Flavio Briatore, who is both my manager...
I don't miss the snow
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iTunes rebuild: still plugging away
Been at it for three days on a fast FiOS connection and I’m down from nearly 4000 downloads to just over 2500. Basically, I’m averaging about 500 downloads a day. At this rate, I’ll be done next Monday. Bummer that Apple had to introduce a new version of iTunes today, though. I really want to take a look at the new iPhone app management stuff and the Home Sharing, but...
And this is not
After Sunday’s incredible response from Apple concerning my lost iTunes media, I sent Amazon a message this morning. My purchases from them are much more modest — probably 250 tracks in all and maybe $50-100, tops — but the files were still missing. Worth a shot, I figured. I was curious to compare how they might handle my request for help, so I sent them a message nearly...
Now, this is what customer service looks like
It’s been a rough week in tech. I accidentally deleted almost 2Tb of data from my Drobo external hard drive on Tuesday, just before I installed Snow Leopard. I wasn’t worried, however, since I’d backed up everything to BackBlaze. Or so I thought. I’m still working through the issues with Backblaze, and am hoping for a positive outcome. But I’m not hopeful, and...
Excuse me while I go pee in my garden
via popsci.com From the article: “Apparently, human urine works remarkably well as a fertilizer for tomatoes, according to a new study out of Finland. Plants fertilized with a mixture of stored human urine and wood ash produced 4.2 times more fruit than plants without the pee, the study found. The urine-fertilized tomatoes had more beta-carotene than unfertilized ones, and much more...
My @Drobo is sick
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Living life without a cell phone is news? Really?
It’s interesting being disconnected from “the grid” Wow. Imagine that. Hey, I’ve got an idea for the title: “1988.” http://nerdworld.blogs.time.com/2009/08/25/i-am-on-day-5-without-a-cell-phone-and-i-am-james-bond/ Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
@debrachaput will like this
That’s a lot of man-cleavage, though. Posted via email from my name is taken | Comment »
Twelve more years of this and I finally have a...
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