Category Anything and Everything

The entire weekend felt like I was in prep mode.  Instead of riding my road bike Friday night I decided to go in the yard to get the weeding done, clearing time to get more stuff done over the rest of the weekend.  Somehow on Saturday morning I still got back to the house at a similar time after running errands, despite cutting out the 60 minutes normally consumed by weeding.

After eating lunch I started pressure washing, a task I mentally committed to on Friday.  I wanted to pressure wash both sheds and a quick speed wash of the lanai.  The timeline got delayed when I recalled I needed to get up on the roof and see what was going on with the gutters.  During hard rain I had been seeing water spill out the side of the gutter instead of the spout.  When I got up there I was not pleased with what I saw.

The “super gutter” along the pool deck had a log jam at least 20 feet long of oak tree leaves.  I have no clue how that many leaves could wind up there as the oak tree is in the front yard.  In the past I have used the pressure washer exclusively to clear this type of mess but I decided to use a two stage approach this time, first using the leaf blower to get most of the debris out followed up by using the pressure washer.  I walked the entire roof having to clear leaves at several other spots as well.  Once I started using the pressure washer things got seriously dangerous.  A metal roof becomes ice slippery when wet, when combined with wet leaves scattered around it was crazy.  I had to be sure about every footstep using the screw heads for traction.  One moment of carelessness could have lead to a very bad outcome.  In total I bet a spent close to an hour on the gutters before I got to work on the big shed.

To save time I decided to not blast the roof of the shed.  Although it gets dirty the only ones that really see it are the birds.  As I was finishing up a nasty storm was blowing in.  I pulled all of the equipment over to the other shed but retreated inside once the rain started.  Luckily it only rained for maybe a half hour.  I decided to give my body a break by mixing things up and doing the weed whacking next.  My plan was to do the weed whacking now and then mow later in the week so the property isn’t terrible while I am away.  About 3/4 of the way through the task the weed whacker started running like shit.  My quick troubleshooting steps couldn’t fix it so I just grabbed the Dewalt electric trimmer to finish up, I was feeling aggravated.  It was getting too late and I was getting too tired to finish the pressure washing so I decided to finish that on Sunday.

Saturday night I shot and edited a video regarding the cancellation of my KingSong S22 order, going over the history and why I finally said enough is enough.

Sunday morning I made arrangements to meet Ali and Shugs to go check out their house which is now supposed to be complete in less than a month.  I also used it as an opportunity to familiarize Ali with how the Tesla works since she will be using it while house sitting for me next week.  She enjoyed the experience.  There has been a lot of progress on their house since I saw it a couple weeks ago.  The pool is done, the counters are in, the appliances and AC are in place.  Things are really coming together.  That being said there are still a lot of smaller things that need to be nailed down but they can definitely see the finish line.

When I got home I resumed pressure washing, getting the small shed done which was particularly gross.  I then gave the pool deck a quick blasting just so it looked decent for Ali.  I was tired of course but later in the evening got motivated to get the windows ready for replacement which I originally planned to do Monday.

I removed any window treatments, making a mental note that I didn’t like some of them so they would not be put up again.  I also carefully removed the window sensors for the security system that is ancient and pretty worthless.  I regretted taking the time to do so when I realized later it was pointless as the wires would be cut anyway when the window is pulled out. Most rooms it was pretty easy to clear out the areas but the hobby room and the office were particularly labor intensive since there is the most stuff in those two rooms.  I think I have given them enough space to get the job done.  I plan to try to document the window replacement process for my own curiosity.

My Fourth of July has been unlike any of the last two decades since it hasn’t involved any friends or family.  During the morning Elsa and I ran to Tractor Supply, Pinch A Penny and DD.  After lunch I shot a video regarding a new helmet I was sent for review.  It is the best skater style helmet I have ever seen.

I had my version of a 4th of July meal with a Beyond burger and tater tots.  The oddball 4th will conclude with my loading up Elsa in the Tesla, driving somewhere quiet and watching the new season of Umbrella Academy on Netflix in the car.  If I said I didn’t feel some twinges of sadness today I would be lying.  The difference is allowing myself only to take a brief shower in those feelings instead of a long soaking in a tub of futility.

Last night I had a video call from Gladys, Monique and their mom who are down on the island visiting.  It was extremely entertaining for me as everyone had already consumed a few drinks.  Monique who is normally pretty reserved was laughing and silly which was good to see.  I talked with all three of them for awhile. It seems like so far everyone is having a really good time which I was glad to see and hear.  It feels a little surreal knowing I will be at the same place in not so long.

So with the unexpected call about the window install moving up to next Tuesday my weekend gets a little busier.  I need to remove anything around the windows that could impede with the installation.  The spot that could be the most annoying is the office since I have two computer desks flanking either side of the window there.  Of course any window treatments need to be moved and I have to see if I can remove the window sensors from the old security system that only barely functions at this point.  I also have a seed planted in my mind to pressure wash the two sheds over the weekend, we will see if that idea takes root or not.

Also because of the window install I suddenly have a very odd arrangement of 5 days off, one day in the office and then off again for the trip to NY.  I will be working from home Tuesday and Wednesday technically but still, it’s going to be a weird week.  I’m still planning on taking Elsa on a ride to a quiet place the night of July 4th regardless.

Wow, I feel like I have a myriad of events/expenses that are converging in on me in a very expedited timeline, let me explain.

I have been waiting for the shoe to drop on the medical expenses associated with my cardiologist and skin cancer procedures in May.  I had not received a co-pay bill yet, until yesterday.  It looks like my out of pocket for just the skin cancer stuff will be four digits.  I am hoping I won’t be seeing additional bills from the cardiologist as well since they have that unwelcome practice of “estimating” and collecting your portion of the bill up front.  That practice quickly exhausted the funds I had set aside in my medical flex spending account for the entire year.

As told earlier, I went for the consult with the surgeon regarding the small protrusion in my lower abdomen.  In about 10 seconds he told me with 100% certainity I had a hernia.  My two options were to fix it now or fix it later as over time it will worsen, the variable is how fast which depends on the individual and the circumstances they are in.  Because high effort activities are pretty ingrained into my DNA I told him I would rather get it done sooner rather than later.

He recommended a mesh repair.  Hernia mesh has a horrible reputation due to two companies that were selling defective product years back.  There are several class action law suits about it.  I told him that was my biggest concern of course, long term complications.  He assured me the mesh he uses is great.  In 13 years of doing hernia surgeries he said he has never had one of these meshes fail.  The other advantage to going this route is it is an outpatient procedure requiring only three small holes in my stomach.  The recovery timeline is far better as well.  A friend of mine who teaches karate had a mesh repair done several years ago and echoed these results, minimal impact and quick recovery.

So I got the ball rolling on this for two reasons.  I am the type of person that when faced with something shitty to do I always would prefer to get it over with sooner rather than later.  The earlier this is done, the less opportunity it has to get more problematic.  Secondly, since I already have far exceeded my medical deductible this year, I figured I may as well do this now where less money will come out of my pocket.  I made sure to push the procedure into mid-August after I am back from my two trips.

In other expensive news, the installation timeline for my window replacement just got yanked forward.  As recently as last week I got a call stating the install should take place some time in August.  Today I got a call saying “hey, your windows are built, can we come next Tuesday?”  That timeline is somewhat problematic but again my yearning to get things done sooner rather than later kicked in.  I told them it was ok to come, meaning I will be working from home to babysit the process Tuesday and Wednesday.

Of course this also means the remaining payment for the windows will be coming due much sooner than expected, the biggest home expense I have had since putting the metal roof on the house.  I could throw it onto the home equity line of credit but I would like to pay that off sooner rather than later so I am just going to pay for this all at once out of pocket, a massive expense.

I also have been putting the wheel in motion (pun  intended) to get a new electric unicycle, a very expensive one.  I plan to offset that expense substantially by selling at least one if not two of my other PEVs, but still, it will be a chunk of change.  I actually have had another wheel reserved since last August.  I told the dealer to cancel the order today, partially because I am sick of waiting partially because of the call about the windows install moving up. Finally, I have the two trips coming up within the next month.  I don’t expect either one to have massive expenses associated with them but traveling is never exactly cheap. I nearly forgot I have a $3000 Tesla repair within the next month as well.

So anyway the logistical and financial demands on me over the next 45-60 days are going to be steep.  I’m more than capable of navigating my way through to calmer waters, it’s just a matter of keeping my head up and brain engaged.

Last night on the way home from work I called my brother as it was his 52nd birthday. (man that sounds weird)  I hadn’t talked to Todd in awhile so we caught up on the latest and greatest in his world, which always seems very, very busy. Of course when I think about it, whose life does not seem busy when it is spoken out loud?  I told him I was going to NY next week which he did not know about.  Because of his busy schedule, among other things, my dad already knew that Todd’s family would not be down going to the middle of nowhere in upstate NY with very limited connectivity to the outside world. During that conversation Todd also shared some information that sent a wave of anger through me.

As I have talked about here a number of times, I have had a lot of struggles over the last year, both physically and mentally.  For a long time my reaction to these things was to just swim around in them, being angry, sad, seeking to blame, or justify.  The end result of which was walking around most days feeling shitty.  Through efforts by both myself and conversations with others I have been making real efforts to break that chain of useless negative thinking.  Dwelling on things that have happened in the past that are unchangeable serves no tangible purpose in the present.

Although the anger will always be there, allowing it to pass through like water under a bridge instead of taking a bath in it is always the better choice if quality of life and happiness are your ultimate goals.  All I can hope for is a happy outcome for both myself and others, whatever that definition is for the individual.

I have neglected to say anything about the SCOTUS ruling on Roe vs Wade a few days ago, reversing the federal stance on abortion after something like 50 years.  As most that know me would assume, I do not think it is ok to dissolve a woman’s right to chose what decisions she makes with her body.  If somehow men were able to get pregnant there would have never ever been the need for such a ruling as men would never entertain government directing their medical choices.

Let’s be clear, supporting someone’s right to have an abortion is not the same as supporting abortion as a personal choice for oneself.  The vast majority of pro-choice individuals likely would not chose to have an abortion in their own lives yet do not feel justified applying their personal morals onto others.  The hypocrisy I really dislike is religious individuals using the Bible as their core reason for this stance.  The cherry picking of certain aspects of the Bible while completely ignoring other tenants in there that are not convenient to these same individuals is frustrating. For example here are 7 things the Bible clearly directs you to do, that no sane individual would entertain.

The other hypocritical reality is many of the people that are pro-life zealots care very little about what happens to children that are born into situations where they are basically unwanted or uncared for, needing assistance from government agencies. Many of these same individuals will complain about or outright oppose any sort of government funded assistance programs.  Make sure all babies are born, regardless of circumstance, just don’t ask us for any help after it happens.  It’s dumb.

It’s ironic to me that news media was acting like they didn’t know this was coming, it was already leaked close to a month ago. I guess acting like it came out of left field is better for the ratings. To me it’s just another example of the acidic nature of modern society.  Instead of moving society forward as a whole we have a segment that is dead set on throwing down an anchor and then pulling backwards, regardless of the cost.

Today I have my surgical consult regarding my potential hernia.  I am hoping for some direction on whether the bump is minor enough that I can just let it ride for now or if doing so has a significant impact going forward.

I came home last night to a transformed property where large areas of ground were now underwater thanks to torrential amounts of rain.  Of course Elsa was terrified, I found her in the master bathroom tub.  I had to physically remove her from the tub to get her to come outside to go to the bathroom.   The storm subsided shortly before sunset, revealing yet another beautiful contrast of color and shape.

I spent time last time editing a video for Gladys.  She has a lot of cool footage she has collected so I have been helping her get some of it published.  Most of the videos are short so it doesn’t take much time. You can check it out here.

I am now getting close enough to my NY trip that my mental checklist of what needs to happen before departure is being formed and prioritized.  It’s a huge help knowing Ali and Shugs will be watching the house, a luxury I may or may not have when the Roatan trip comes around.

So although we are a little less than a week away from the 4th of July I already have been planning on what I can do to make Elsa’s most hated holiday, better.  Elsa is absolutely terrified of loud noises.  Hell she is scared of noise, period.  She has always been this way but instead of getting better over time it’s gotten worse.  Even the sound of light rain on the roof is enough to send her scurrying to some corner to hide.  I wish there was something I could do to take her fear away.

4th of July and New Year’s are the pinnacle of terror for her.  The sound of nearby fireworks going off have her jumping in the tub, trembling in fear.  I actually have some hemp calming treats that seem to take a little bit of the edge off for her but it’s still really bad.  So what my hope this year is to totally remove her from the situation.

On Monday night right as it is getting dark I plan to load her up in the Tesla.  I then am going to drive out towards Ave Maria.  I am hoping the tightly packed houses would make backyard firework displays a non-issue, but I could be wrong.  If I am, Elsa and I will continue driving.  Hell I will park on Alligator Alley if I have to.  I then can fire up Netflix or YouTube on the Tesla and just chill out with her until the explosions subside.  Yes it’s a lot of effort to try to ease her fear but she’s worth it.

Yesterday I made plans to head down to Roatan where Gladys lives most of the time to visit.  It is a beautiful place.  I have only visited a handful of other countries as most of my travel has been the road trip variety.  I have been in Mexico and the Bahamas courtesy of a cruise, Canada, and Ireland during the big family trip with my dad.  I think that is the extent of my international travel.  Luckily my passport was renewed back in 2019 so I should be good to go.

Gladys and I talk a lot, which is an extremely uncommon thing for me. Just ask most anyone else that knows me.  Generally speaking I hate talking on the phone for long periods of time but with a very small handful of people it no longer feels like the chore it normally is.  Because it is so rare for me to find human beings that I actually don’t mind talking at length with, when I do, I take notice.

Anyway the next 5-6 weeks for me are going to be extremely jam packed with the trip to upstate NY with my family and then reversing direction into the Caribbean a few weeks later.  My path has become much less straight than it used to be.

On Friday night I traded my bike seat for a tractor seat.  I wanted to get the main yard around the house mowed to clear up some time on the weekend as well as avoid complications from precipitation potentially.  I went at a rapid pace, getting off the tractor in less than two hours.  I then went in and had my Friday pizza a little later than normal, it still tasted good.  While I enjoyed it I watched the final of Obi Wan on Disney+.  It was FANTASTIC.  I have loved every Star Wars series they have done on Disney+ so far.

On Saturday morning I had a long errands run with Elsa, I did not return to the house until after 1PM, spending over three hours out and about.  I unpacked and set up some new solar torch style lights around the pool.  They are from the same company that I got the other lights from, meaning I can change their color to any one of 8 or 9 possibilities.  I like the way they look.

I spent my Saturday evening with Gladys’s sister Monique, we made plans to go out to Ave Maria.  On the way there we stopped at the house so Monique could meet Elsa and Kathy.  I walked her around the house and property, both of which she liked.  As normal Elsa was hesitant about Monique at first but let her pet her a bit towards the end of the visit.

We headed out to Ave Maria with very ominous clouds in the sky.  The rain luckily held off while we walked the town square.  The big thing I wanted to show Monique was the church.  She had never gotten to check it out and was very interested in doing so.

We walked in the front door and saw there were people inside for a service.  The service evidently just started and the usher assumed we were there for it so he opened the door for us and we went in.  I could hardly believe it but we just happened to walk into a spanish service, I did not know they had them there.

For Monique this was perfect as spanish is her native language and she got to take in the beauty of the church interior.  My understanding of spanish is very basic, I can make out maybe a few words out of every sentence but I didn’t care, I told Monique I was fine staying as long as she wanted because I knew she was really enjoying it.  After maybe 15 minutes or so she said she was ok to head out. I commented several times how coincidental the timing was of the service with our arrival.

We walked around a little more before eating dinner at a local restaurant, one of only two that I saw open Saturday night.  We both got the stir fry dish, me with shrimp and her with salmon.  We had a good meal.  It became easier to talk once the live steel drum musician closed out his set.  By the time I drove her all the way back into Naples it was after 9:30.  Once again we had a nice time.  Monique is leaving this week to go visit Gladys and have an extended visit in Honduras with her mom.  She will basically be gone all of July.  I guess I will be going back to lone wolf mode for awhile.

My Sunday started sort of slow.  When I did the chicken chores I strapped my GoPro to my head.  The reason was to record what I normally do for Ali and Shugs so they have a visual reference.  It’s almost a real time depiction meaning in total they should only have to spend 20-30 minutes a day doing what I normally do.

During the afternoon I wanted to get out on the Gyroor hoverboard to get some more practice in.  About 10 minutes into riding the board acted weird.  I stepped off, turned it off to reset it and then hit the button to turn it back on.  It was dead somehow.  I captured my disappointment on video.  I tried various tactics to troubleshoot the issue, none of them worked.  I sent an email to the company rep sharing the problems and telling him they can have their board back.  They sent me a return label but want to send me another board that is hopefully 100% functional.

Sunday afternoon I FINALLY got my Prusa MK3S printing again after being out of order for close to a couple months.  I have had to order 3 rounds of parts to get it going again after the blob from hell destroyed the old hot end assembly.  I need to do some additional test prints to make sure everything is good to go but my initial 6 hour print completed successfully.

Sunday night I decided to do a live stream.  Sunday evening is not a good time to do this normally as I have a 5:30 alarm waiting for me on most Monday mornings.  Because of this the stream was shorter than most, clocking in at right around two hours.  By the time I shut it down my eyelids were getting heavy.

Yesterday afternoon my buddy Matt asked me if I wanted to get together to grab a beer, something we talked about doing for awhile since the two projects we completed on his Tesla.  I told him I was good to go but I couldn’t do it until 8:30 or so which he was ok with.  The reason was I had already mentally penciled in I needed to get the back of the property mowed.  In some areas the grass was approaching a foot high so when paired with the fact that everything was dry from a few days of no rain I felt I needed to get it done.  I told Matt I would haul ass to get it done as quickly as possible, which I did.

I hauled ass so much that I actually walked into Brooks a full half hour ahead of my original prediction, about 8PM.  The place was dead.  When I sat down I was literally the only person at the bar, which honestly was ok.  The bartender was nice and the cold beer tasted good after the time on the mower.

Shortly before Matt showed up a blonde woman around my age showed up and sat on the opposite corner near the door.  Her and the bartender immediately started talking in a way that made me know she was a regular.  The bartender said that it was this woman’s birthday so I wished her happy birthday from my distant vantage point and then continued nursing my Miller Lite until Matt arrived.

When he showed up he ordered a beer for himself.  As we were talking I mentioned to him how it was the woman’s birthday so he wished her happy birthday as well.  After he did this the woman said and motioned that we should come over and sit next to her.  After exchanging glances with Matt, we decided to relocate, why not.

So as we are talking to this woman I notice her keys sitting on the bar.  I see a Trident symbol on them.  I couldn’t remember exactly which luxury car had the trident but she soon educated us, it was her Maserati.  This information sparked curiosity in both Matt and myself as to what this woman’s story was.  What ensued was an hour and a half of confusing information which got more confusing as she drank more.  Matt and I originally thought she indicated she was with a very rich man and got divorced when she said something like “I made good choices in men”    However later she said that she had never actually been married but had been engaged four times.  She also told us she is a realtor.

This woman had no filter and the mouth of a sailor.  She said F and MF a couple dozen times at least during our conversation.  Matt and his sarcastic sense of humor tweaked her in a very funny way.  Matt and I had finished up and were figuring to leave when this woman asked if we wanted to go across the street to Oak and Stone.  Again after a funny exchange of glances Matt and I said ok, walking her across the parking lot.  I had not been to Oak and Stone since covid went down.

We again sat at the bar.  During the time there her story took a bit of a sad turn when she teared up telling us some of bad parts of her recent relationships.  I felt bad for her although before long she was throwing F bombs around like candy again.  We stayed there until close to 11.  Matt headed out a few minutes before me so it was my job to walk her back across the parking lot.  I was a little concerned about her ability to drive and voiced the concern.  She said she only lived a couple miles away.  She then asked me to sit in her car which I politely declined which I don’t think she liked very much.  She drove off with a weird look on her face.  I may run into her again at Brooks in the future or I may not but all I can say was she was responsible for one of the weirdest Thursday nights I have had in awhile.

This weekend I hope to be efficient in my use of time.  The amount of small loose ends I have around the house are getting to the point where they need to be tied up en masse.  I can only tolerate that feeling of disarray for so long until a tornado of motivation takes over.

Last night I made arrangements with Monique to go head to the Greenway.  I wasn’t sure if we were going to walk or ride, it wound up being a walk which is something I have basically NEVER done at the Greenway.  Ever since it opened I have always traveled it’s quiet and scenic trails via one of my PEVs which I love to do.

I picked Monique up around 7 and we parked in the same lot as I normally do when riding.  I wasn’t quite sure how long we would walk and what sort of distances we would be traveling by foot.  By the time we got moving the heat of the day was quickly dissipating.  Monique and I walked and talked as we enjoyed the beauty of the area.  Seeing things at a walking pace versus a riding pace brings some additional perspective.

Monique was down with walking all the way to Baker Park.  As we approached we picked up the pace because we both needed a bathroom break from afternoon coffee.  After the well needed relief we climbed to the top of the terrace and hung out there for a little bit, again just enjoying the moment.  While we were sitting there I decided to turn on the workout mode of my Apple Watch so I could measure how far the walk back was which I had no idea of. I just knew it was substantial based on how my legs were feeling.

To me the walk back was even better with even cooler temperatures and the sunset vistas.  The picture you see here was taken on the way back as we crossed the Gordon River.  By the time we got back to the car my watch had clicked off something like 2.6 miles meaning we had walked over 5 miles in total.  I can not tell you the last time I have traveled that far by foot.  My lower body felt the same way with some aches and pains but I didn’t really care, it was a great way to spend a couple hours.  Monique said she really had fun as well which I was glad to hear.  Next week she is leaving to go to Honduras to both visit Gladys and travel the mainland with her mom for almost a month.  I am going to see if she wants to do something this weekend since she won’t be around for awhile.

I saw Tony Siragusa died yesterday, the former NFL defensive lineman with a big personality.  He went from the NFL to being a sideline reporter.  I have not heard of an official cause of death but my guess is it is somehow related to his size which was substantial.  Tony was only 55 years old, less than a year older than me.  In the past I would use this as an opportunity to bemoan the perils of aging and equate it to something negative.  Now, I prefer to view it as a reminder that time is precious and I should do what I can to make whatever time I have remaining, well spent.

Last night I finally got around to unboxing and filming my initial thoughts about the Gyroor F1 hoverboard.  I have had the device for almost a week but had other priorities that prevented me from filming a review.  I got the idea in my head that I wanted to do a funny intro for the video where I double myself, a trick I did once before.  To do this requires filming three separate shots, making sure the camera stays absolutely stationary.  So I filmed those spots and then started filming the guts of the video.  At some point I look down and realize that I forgot to turn on or even put on my wireless mic….. Everything I had just done had no audio….  I was pissed at my sloppiness, really pissed because I thought the first takes went well. So I had no choice but to film all those parts again.

I get around to actually riding the F1 which I knew was going to feel weird, especially since I already ride a bunch of other PEVs that control in a much different manner.  With a hoverboard you apply pressure to the footpad on the opposite side of the direction you want to go.  Want to turn left, push with your right foot.  For the most part I did ok but a few times my brain short circuited where I zigged when I should have zagged, the end result being tossed off the Gyroor.  I never hit the concrete though which was a plus.

My unit also had an issue with a rubbing sound from the one wheel.  Upon inspection I noticed the fender was pushed down to the point where it was making contact with the tire.  I was able to bend it up to give some clearance but I still was getting some noise when going at higher speed so I will have to investigate further.  It was fun zipping around the driveway and I look to do an extended riding session at the school parking lot where I can see if I can get my brain adjusted to this control scheme.  After all they say forcing yourself to keep learning is a solid way to keep your mind from turning to mush.  I have a LOT of funny clips that I did not put in the video which I plan to make it’s own stand alone thing when I get a chance.