Category Anything and Everything

Last night I did a video about the Firesak, a fire resistant bag that is designed to house your EUC.  Over the last few years there have been a number of lithium battery fires with electric unicycles.  Some of them have had devastating consequences, including total dwelling destruction.  When lithium batteries catch fire it is incredibly dangerous.  They burn at extremely hot temperatures as well as emitting a ton of toxic fumes.  In a lithium battery pack it becomes a chain reaction where one bad cell can wind up exploding every other cell in the pack.

The Firesak is an attempt to mitigate that potential damage.  It has four layers of fireproofing material in a “bag” construction.  You put your wheel inside on a stand when not using it and then zip it closed.  If something bad happens the hope is the bag takes the brunt of the fire, not it’s surroundings.  With the way I have my wheels stored currently I can’t really use the Firesak conveniently.  However I do have some ideas of storing my wheels in the garage now that only one vehicles is in there.  I just need to get some stuff cleared out first.

Today is Elsa’s 7th birthday, sort of.  Her exact birth date is unknown since she was 8 months old when she was adopted but this is close enough.  She has been my constant point of light in this time that has had a lot of darkness.  Coming home to her excited face while she bounces around is impossible to frown through.  My relationship with her is the closest thing I will likely experience to having a child of my own.  If I didn’t have her in my life right now I can’t imagine how I would be coping otherwise.  I talk/sing to her more than any human being in my day to day existence.   I’ll figure out some way to celebrate her birthday tonight although she will be quite content to just lay on the sofa with her head on my lap.

Yesterday I had a package jammed into my mailbox.  When I pulled it out I was immediately angry, it was an order that I had supposedly shipped to France back on the 4th.  There were no return to sender markings or anything indicating there was some sort of problem, it was just back in my mailbox.

So I go inside and pull up the tracking on the package to see what the F is going on.  As I am reading it’s tracking points I get even more annoyed.  For some unknown reason this went all the way to Los Angeles before coming back across the country only to come back to me.  Here are all the tracked locations:

Randall didn’t arrive at the house until mid-day Saturday.  That worked out pretty perfectly for me as I got my normal to do’s knocked out.  He pulled up as I was just unloading groceries from the truck.  Elsa was timid as usual although she warmed up much quicker than the last time she saw Randall some four years ago.  Sadie was happy to see Randall.  Seeing Sadie and her physical condition was a a bit of a shock for him.  The last time he saw Sadie she was basically normal.  Seeing her struggle mightily to take each and every step was unexpected.

I gave Randall a tour of the property, a LOT has changed since he was last there, more than I even realized.  When you turn back the clock to four years ago there is a ton of things that have transformed.  After giving him the new lay of the land we agreed to go try out the pickleball courts at the new park.  I just got a new racquet set and some balls last week and was eager to try out the sport so many people have told me about.  It was bright, sunny and hot when we got to the park.  It was too hot to be honest, the thermometer in the truck read something like 85 degrees.

When we started smacking the ball around to warm up it felt pretty weird.  The ball is very dead compared to other racquet sports I have played but you can put a lot of spin on shots in a way that is a hybrid between tennis and ping pong.  After hitting around for maybe 10 minutes we started the game.  There were some rules that I had a hard time getting used to like the one bounce rule which means the ball has to bounce once on each side before being able to attack a ball in the air.  You also can’t smash a ball if you are standing in the “kitchen”, the area right by the net.  It makes for longer rallies.

Serving was a bit weird for me too, you have to make sure you serve underhand where the paddle is not higher than your waist.  At first I was serving more sidearm which Randall informed me of.  The first game Randall beat me pretty badly.  I was having a hard time returning his deep and low serves.  I had a lot of unforced errors as I was still getting a feel for the physics of the game, just how hard of a swing and what angles I needed to use. The second game was a side out war that took forever that I eventually squeaked out for a win. I also won the third game.  It was funny how the trash talking for both of us came right back like we never skipped a beat.  It felt good.

The heat was really beating us down so we sat in the shade for a bit before resuming the match. Randall won another close game to tie us up 2-2.  Neither of us wanted to end in a tie so we did a 5th and final game.  I won it pretty easily but Randall was running out of gas, he hadn’t eaten since mid-morning and was feeling pretty tired.  I really enjoyed playing although the sudden stopping, starting and lunging was not something my body reacted well to.  My back and lower body felt pretty tattered for the next 24 hours.

We decided to go to the Bonehook Brewery for dinner.  I guess Randall has been a fan of their beer.  I had never been there despite it being only around a dozen miles away.  With it being Saturday night I was worried it would be stupid busy but it wasn’t bad at all.  We downed a couple IPA’s as we talked about life and the virtues of being single versus being not single.  Randall has had a number of long term relationships since I have known him but he also has spent even more time on his own.  At this point in his life he seems pretty convinced that he is happier with the latter.

I shared some of my feelings, struggles and challenges thus far.  Of course Randall or anyone else for that matter doesn’t have a magic pill to set everything right in my world but I think the more human beings I get to just simply talk to the better off I will be.  I certainly appreciated his willingness to sit and listen.  By the time we left the place a little after 8:30 it was nearly empty.  The mostly older crowd that dominated the seating when we arrived had all cleared out.

Saturday night I unleashed Randall into the world of VR.  He had never experienced it before.  Like pretty much everyone else I have shown it to, he was blown away.  He played a bunch of games including Beat Saber, Vader Immortal, mini-golf and ping pong.  I was being his virtual guide by connecting to the headset with my phone so I could see what he was seeing.  It’s always entertaining for me watching others try out VR.  He had a good time and will likely be getting one himself.

We woke up Sunday to steady rain, something I did not know was coming.  I originally thought we would be doing a road bike ride but the rain sort of washed that idea from my head.  Instead we did a coffee run and then Randall got some more VR time in which was funny.  It’s a good thing I have the external battery back for mine or it would have ran dead for sure.  Around 4PM we piled in the truck to take Sadie home.  I wanted to get back before the Super Bowl started.  After a very slow march into the apartment I made her supper and then we headed out.  She is having major oral surgery today so I knew it was going to be a tough few weeks for the old girl.

When we got back Randall was in VR right up to kick off the Super Bowl.  We had bought a couple frozen pizzas along with a few other items for our tiny SB “party”, it was fine with me.  I was just glad to have someone there to watch the game with besides Elsa.  I thought the game was very entertaining.  I thought some of the commercials were really funny and I didn’t dislike the halftime show as much as I expected to.  I had a slight preference for the Bengals to win since they never had done so before.  The Rams however took care of business with a long dominating drive as the clock wound down followed by the defense making the Bengals turn the ball over on downs.

After the game Randall was again in VR to try to attend a Foo Fighters concert.  Yes Meta had been promoting that the Foo Fighters would be doing a concert in VR at 11PM.  Randall was at the virtual door waiting but never was able to get in.  My assumption is the site was overwhelmed.   He tried for over 45 minutes to get in the door but it just was a no go, bummer.

Even though I took today off I set my alarm at 6:30 to see Randall off.  He had to leave by 7 to make an appointment back on the east coast.  I thanked him again for coming and we agreed that it won’t be four years until he returns this time.

I am in the middle of trying to knock out a ton of little tasks that I have been most procrastinating about.  I should get out and ride a wheel but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Last night after work as I was taking the trash out Elsa and Sadie were in the front yard enjoying the cool temps as daylight was starting to fade.  Sadie has always loved just being outside and watching her surroundings.  While she was doing exactly that last night I snapped a couple pictures of her.  She’s a good girl.

As I mentioned previously, Randall is coming over this weekend to hang out and watch the Super Bowl.  I gave myself a break by taking off the following Monday as well.  I am hoping to have a good few days where there is no focus on chores or tasks and just hanging out.

I have not had a house guest in YEARS, which seems sort of crazy.  Visitors used to be a pretty regular occurrence. In recent years the main guest room was sort of repurposed and the other bedroom became the hobby room, stuffed with 3D printers and PEVs.  The guest room now is incredibly spartan with just a blow up queen bed, a chest of drawers and a tv with little else.  I think it will accommodate Randall’s needs as is but I hope to add a couple more things in the future.

We had some light rain yesterday on my way into work.  The Tesla was already dirty, the light rain kicked up another layer of filth on the car.  When I got home I did a speed wash of the car.  I have a certain dirt tolerance level.  Once it is exceeded action must be taken. I was able to get the grime cleaned up in less than 20 minutes, time well spent in my book.

So I had a HP laptop getting delivered yesterday.  I bought it on Amazon.  I had the Fedex tracking info.  I saw the Ring notification that the truck was there late in the afternoon so I assumed I would be coming home to the laptop sitting at my front door.  Instead I came home to a FedEx sticker on my door stating that someone has to be present for the delivery.  I was fcking annoyed.  Nowhere in the tracking or the order confirmation did it state this requirement.  If I knew this I would have put a sign in the door directing the driver to get the signature at the neighbor next door. I was frustrated.

I was walking back from the chicken coop area when I see a guy by the fence.  It was the Fedex driver, with a box in his hand.  He said he had stopped earlier but no one was there.  He did his other deliveries off our street and when he came back my way he saw the car in the driveway so he stopped again, awesome.  I was very surprised by his out of box effort to get me my package.  I appreciated it big time and thanked him sincerely for coming back.  It’s so rare nowadays for people to go the extra mile, it really stands out when it happens.

After it got dark Shugs showed up with Sadie.  Ali and he are going away for the weekend so I am dog sitting.  I immediately noticed how much Sadie was struggling to simply walk.  I also noticed she looked like she put on a few pounds, something I didn’t notice when I was up at their place to see the house construction.  I had gotten some positive feedback from Ali about Sadie’s response to physical therapy but man, she is struggling.  Perhaps it is because I see Sadie far less often now because of two things, Ali and Shugs moving up to Fort Myers and Cindy and I splitting up which means no one is home with her during the day.

When someone is home during the day Sadie would always be up and down, following you around the house/outside.  With no human around I think a lot of laying around/sleeping goes on with little else.  This fact is also the reason I am making efforts to get out with Elsa and take her on formal walks more often.  I think she too is spending most of the day just doing nothing instead of interacting with someone.

The other major issue Sadie has is her mouth.  She has multiple teeth issues, the end result is an absolutely abhorrent smell coming from her mouth at times.  She is actually going in for oral surgery on Monday to have any teeth that are really bad extracted.  When I was in bed last night the entire room pretty much smelled of her breath.  Despite her issues she seems happy to just be part of the scene.  Of course I feel sad seeing the dog that used to run laps around Nicki become more or less geriatric herself.  Time is a cruel, cruel taskmaster.

I spent some time multitasking between watching tv and setting up the new laptop.  It comes preloaded with Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest OS.  I had not had any prior experience with it although I heard about some of the changes, most of which seemed pretty cosmetic.  The centered start button/menu feels foreign and my immediate reaction is I am not a fan however that could just be because of it’s orientation being different from every Windows OS since the 90’s.  I was able to play some Hearthstone on it while laying in bed with the olympics on, a good time.

For most of my life I have not been the type that likes to engage in long drawn out conversations, especially when emotions are involved.  The amount of people where I feel comfortable doing this with is very, very small.  It’s not a trait I am proud of, it’s just the way I am. I also am not the type of person that likes to ask for help, in any regard whether it be financial, medical, physical, or emotional.  I have always been of the shut up and deal with it mindset, again not the best way to be in the big picture. Yesterday I tried to step outside those natural boundaries I have made for myself.

One of the many benefits of my job is they include free wellness counseling, on top of conventional medical insurance.  It allows you no strings access to a team of counselors to talk to about countless issues/subjects.  Despite it being over 6 months since the end of our relationship I still have not felt “well” overall.  I thought it could possibly be helpful to talk to a professional about the situation and my feelings.  I had some anxiety about the session because of the things I outlined in the first paragraph.

I came out of the other side with some more clarity.  Some of the things talked about or suggested I already knew but it was helpful to hear them come from somewhere else than my inner thoughts.  I told him I am a lifelong “fixer” and people pleaser which I have talked about before.  These traits have up and down sides. Depending on who you are interacting with, fixers can be interpreted as negative or controlling. People pleasers routinely get taken advantage of, and come back asking for more.  A lot of the talk was about being able to let things be, to not assist unless asked, to not keep looking backwards.  He also stressed there is no defined time period until negative feelings subside, it takes however long it takes.  Everyone is ultimately responsible for how they react to situations so I need to make as much of an effort as I can to change my personal narrative, regardless of external influences.

I felt I got some of the clarity I was looking for out of the session and did not schedule a follow up. It’s good to know if I feel the need, I have that support available to me.

Last night I talked to (Sir)Randall on the phone for close to an hour which is probably a recent record in phone call length for me.  I filled him in on the latest and greatest in my life as well as made plans for him to come hang this weekend for the Superbowl.  Randall has not been to my place in a loooong time.  If my research is correct the last visit could span all the way back to December of 2017.  There is some backstory connected that I won’t delve into here but needless to say, that is far too long.

It should be a fun weekend.  I just bought a set of pickle ball racquets that we could put to use at the brand new courts at the park next door.  I assume he will bring his bike for us to get some miles in as well.  I can also see some Nintendo Switch competitions and substantial beer drinking going down in addition.  The Super Bowl will just be the icing on the cake.

One thing I have done a piss poor job of since moving to Florida is building a large network of real friends. The closest friends I have in Florida live on the other side of the state. I have always been the type that focused most of my time and energy into my partner when I am in a relationship which left sparse resources for much else.  It’s one of my many poor decisions I have made in life.  I am working towards rectifying it.

Friday after work I felt good enough to get my 10 mile ride in.  The knee that I hurt running on Wednesday didn’t seem to mind the physics of cycling much.  My pace was on par with recent rides.  The rest of the weekend my knee still felt sketchy and the lower right quadrant back pain was a near constant shadow.

On Saturday mornings one of my tasks is washing the bedding.  Almost without fail Elsa likes to try to sabotage these plans by jumping onto the middle of the bed and staying there, despite my efforts to strip the bed.  It’s almost like a fun game for her at this point.  She looks so cute it’s hard to get angry with her for doing it.

When I went around and did the weeding on Saturday I also had my machete in hand.  It was used to assist in cutting out things that were killed from the extreme cold. The biggest thing that got cut down were the half dozen banana trees.  There are a lot of other things that took damage that I did not pull, giving them a chance to see if they recover. I also got more of the left over stuff that Cindy used cleaned up.  There are still a few things I need to redeploy, curb or throw out.

I did a Costco run on Saturday.  The place was absolutely packed.  Even so checkout was probably less than 10 minutes, they definitely do whatever they can to keep that river of humanity flowing as quickly as possible.

Over the weekend I started reading the first volume of the blog exports my dad has been giving me for years.  I have read them sparingly but never completely.  This book covers 2002 and 2003 which is incredibly 20 years ago at this point.  As I read some of the entries I found myself cringing at certain points.  Things I put out there then I would never do nowadays, my thought patterns have definitely matured since that point of time.  I guess that’s hard to avoid over the span of two decades. I think back then I thought it was somehow cool to be harsh and mean.  I don’t view it as cool anymore.  It is interesting to have that time of my life brought back into focus.  For example back then I was very into invading Iraq and criticized anyone that thought otherwise.  Of course it turned out the big lie fooled a lot of people, myself included.  We will see if I can make it all the way through volume 1 without being overwhelmed by embarrassment or shame.

On Sunday I took Elsa to the park again.  There were a couple soccer games going on so there were a decent amount of people present.  Elsa was driving me nuts, pulling like a bull, for no apparent reason.  We cut the walk shorter than I would have liked.  I just wish I could get her to calm down in these situations but there is nothing I do or say that seems to help.

I took my V12 out for a top speed run, something I have never done on this wheel.  Taking a one wheeled balancing device to speeds over 40MPH is nerve wracking for sure.  I did gear up fully for the ride but if I would go down at these speeds bad things will happen, regardless.  I did four runs, topping out at 41.3 MPH on the last one, the second fastest speed I have done on any wheel.  Despite the V12 being a smaller 16 inch wheel it still felt stable at these very high speeds. The speed limit on these side streets is 30MPH so I technically was speeding.

The rest of my Sunday was pretty chill, I watched some Olympics, some HBO Max, edited video and had Cindy stop by to pick up her mail and a few other items.  It was the first time I saw her in person in a long time.  It felt strange for it to feel strange, if you know what I mean.

Well my knee that felt pretty terrible 24 hours ago has improved quite a bit since then, allowing me to walk limp free.  I will see if it continues to rebound.  I am sure the pain I am getting is meniscus related.  Sometimes something is loose and gets pinched, causing pain and inflammation.  However that same thing can relocate, allowing the knee to again become more functional.  I will be monitoring how the joint feels closely.  It definitely feels good enough for me to get another road bike session in tonight.

The two days of intense cold, by Florida standards, has swept a sheet of death across the property, green has been replaced by brown as the dominant color.  There are a few areas where I need to cut out the now dead plants/trees.  The banana trees got completely smoked but they always do when this happens.  The good news is even if I cut them to the ground new trees will start emerging within a few weeks.  There have been a number of other casualties in the yard. Years ago this would have caused me concern or stress.  Nowadays I have a survival of the fittest mentality about it.  If something is in the yard that gets killed by 35 degrees, it doesn’t need to be in the yard.

Outside of that task, everything else should be pretty standard fare.  I keep waking up each day hoping to magically have a bright, hopeful, and cheery outlook on life.  It hasn’t happened yet.

I headed to the track last night for my 3rd consecutive week. 24 hours earlier I assumed I was going to have to skip this week as I had sharp shooting pain in my lower right back for some unknown reason.  However when I woke up yesterday the pain was gone so I decided to hit the track.  I also had decided that I was going to increase the laps from 4 to 5, my plan for slow progression that would hopefully lead to being able to run a 5K again in March.

The run itself went ok.  I had seemingly normal levels of discomfort the first couple laps which went numb later.  I felt a little knee pain but again wrote it off to par for the course until my body warmed up more.  Running 5 laps didn’t feel more challenging really than four, I am sure if I had to, I could go longer.  After I ran I did my normal stretching, nothing felt particularly bad. However when I got home that changed.

My first sign was when I was trying to kick my sneakers off in the garage.  Trying to get the left shoe off sent discomfort through my left “good” knee.  It was mild but I could feel something was different than how I felt the previous two runs.  As last night progressed I could feel more soreness creeping into the knee, it was the deep seated variety, a sensation I am very familiar with.  It was starting to feel like it did when I injured myself running the parking garage two years ago. God damn it.

When I woke up this morning it was full on hurting, somewhat swollen and I was depressed.  It seems pretty clear that whatever took me out of commission two years ago with this same knee has flared back up after only three short running sessions on flat ground.  I’ll see how things go but I have read this book many times before, I know how it normally ends.  I am not happy.  Rebooting the act of running is good for me mentally.  Having it hit a brick wall so quickly is another reminder of the futility and frustration I have been feeling in many ways.

Yesterday I got a new Fire TV Cube.  I had one of the 1st generation cubes.  It had become really slow when loading streaming apps and would inexplicably burp back to the main menu in the middle of a show pretty regularly.  I bought a current gen cube as supposedly it has better hardware which equals better performance.  Hooking it up was easy as I could use the cable/cords from the old unit.  The difference in performance was indeed massive.   I had become so accustomed to an app taking 30 seconds or more to come up, when they were loading almost instantly it was a shock.  Responsiveness was like night night and day.  I was very happy with the purchase. Amazon has a trade in program for their old devices.  I was able to get $15 for the old unit in the form of a gift card, a win/win for me. It’s nice when something actually lives up to and even exceeds your expectations.  It doesn’t happen often.