Laughing Wolf
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Well, That Bites
I met up with a videographer I know, and we tested the tape from the Face of America Ride. Using his equipment, we discovered that the tape is even more corrupted than originally appeared. Bleep.
On the upside, he shared some information with me that has changed some camera plans. It seems that Sony is coming out with a new high-end video camera, but it’s non-interchangeable-lens cousin is approved by major cable networks for full use: in other words, not just b-roll footage. It is also more expensive than what I had been looking at, but… So, I think I have a new video camera to shoot for…
More soon.
LW
Restful Weekend?
Not so far. Yesterday saw me out breaking new ground to expand the garden, plowing same, and planting. For those curious: heirloom tomato plants; english peas; brussel sprouts; leeks; turnips; green, red, yellow, and chocolate bell peppers; yellow crook neck squash; zuchinni; habanero peppers; jalapeno peppers; purple carrots; healthmaster carrots; and radishes. I also started moving the herbs up to the rock and flower garden by the back deck. The half that wasn’t being used is being converted to an herb bed (removing large rocks and replacing with garden soil), and I plan to move the remaining flowers out this fall and make it just an herb bed then. Herbs to date are chives, cilantro, curly parsley, flat parsley, purple basil, thai basil, dill, and thyme. Need more brussel sprouts and leeks, also plan to add marjoram and some other herbs once I get that area expanded a bit more. Still need to plant thai pepper seeds too… Where I want to plant the next two fruit trees is now prepared and marked as well. I also got the flag pole flower bed planted and flowers in the two big pots out front as well Friday evening—the pots need more plants though.
I had also planned to mow both yards (more like hayfields since I missed a week), but only got the house yard. I hope the garden does as well as the lawn, as I swear you can just about see the grass and weeds growing… I picked up a LOT more sun than planned or realized, and forgot to wear a hat a good chunk of the day, so the scalp may be a bit pink along with arms and neck. Yep, I am a red neck right now, fo sho. I think I hurt worse last night than I did during the bike ride last weekend, it did not make for a good night’s sleep.
Speaking of riding, I also took my riding bike (the other is the errand bike at work) to the other bike store (not the one where I bought it), and tried a new seat, bought same. Smaller is indeed better. The person helping me had me ride it outside and do some riding inside the store, with the net result that some other adjustments were made as well. All-in-all, a much better ride. Now to get some road work in with it to truly test things out (can change the seat out in the next 30 or so days if needed/desired), not going to happen with the rain today it appears.
Jenny is not happy right now. We had a thunderstorm roll through, and she actually got up partly in my lap. Thunder, gun shots, fireworks—those just do not make her happy. She wouldn’t actually sit in my lap, but sort of next to and over me, leaning into me for all she was worth and trembling to beat the band. I managed to get two melatonin tabs in her before it got too bad, and she finally decided to get out of my lap and just be at my feet. Semi-attached to them, mind you, but…
More soon, and I promise to get caught up on e-mail here shortly.
LW
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
The Good, The Bad, The ???
Good: Income theft refund arrives, debts can be paid, and I replaced my much loved CRKT SRT pocket knife that disappeared a few weeks ago.
Bad: My video camera, which is getting old now, malfunctioned again, this time at the Face of America ride. It is off to Canon to see how much repair will cost. I hope not much, as I am going to put off repairing the watch and doing some other stuff until I know and—the real thing—buying a comparable camera today will run about $4k. Truly bad is that right now I seem to have no way to get the computer to download the video for editing, for if I could I would use pan controls to focus away from the interesting left side…
The ???: I bought the part the dealer thinks will repair the hot tub. WIth luck, I will get it in and everything refilled by Wednesday. Maybe. While I don’t hurt too badly at all, it still would be very, very nice to have that up and running…
LW
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thank Goodness I Checked
It has been an interesting couple of weeks. On the good side, I had a nice visit from the English Werewolf and the Borzoi, got to bake for the troops (see Blackfive), and have done some other fun stuff. On the other side of interesting, I’ve also had to replace the dehumidifier in the basement (don’t get a Heijer unit!), notice a problem with a gutter and downspout, had to have some expensive furnace repairs, and now…
I’ve been trying to get in shape for a bicycle ride. Not just any ride, but an event with wounded/ill troops. I wasn’t going to ride, was challenged by Chuck Z, was going to ride, and now—not so sure. I actually made some of my time and distance goals last night, but also had some pretty good knee and hip issues afterwards. Add to that the fact that I also strained/dinged my right arm Monday during my upper body workout at the gym, and I am not a happy camper. In point of fact, a very sore camper. Now, most of it is good pain, but that which isn’t, isn’t.
So, I decided to hobble over and hop in the hot tub last night. A few days ago, it hadn’t wanted to run right, but seemed to have gotten back on an even keel. I flip the top back, hit the button, and nothing. I reset power, and things came up and started running. I thought it seemed a bit hot, then saw a flash reading of 115. I got an instant read thermometer from the kitchen, and sure enough, even thought it now said 104, it really was 115 degrees. As it was also trying to go up, I decided not to do a lobster impression and just cut the power.
Sure do hope the income theft refund gets here soon…
LW
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A Good Day
What can I say: the four-legged alarm clock let me sleep in until almost 0730 after a night that saw me up and down only a few times (odd noises required some check); a non-rushed trip into town to the grocery and a not-too-bad fill-up; some progress on some DIY projects; and, a fair bit of work in the yard. Jenny is not amused, as any time outside not with or for her really doesn’t count in her book, but I did play rocket dog before we can in. Rocket dog is where yours truly does sort of a Frankenstein imitation with lots of “I’m a gonna get you’s” and Jenny rockets around me, the yard, etc. Didn’t do whirl-a-dog really, she wanted the runs.
I had the fun earlier of trying to get her to help me pick up some of the limbs, with—of course—no success. Now, Jenny must have at some point watched Babylon 5 as she can do a fair Zathras imitation. Today, I did it with a pretty good mimic of the voice even, if I say so myself, along the lines of “Daddy slave each week for good kibble, and Jenny not help at all with the yard. Poor Daddy. Is what Daddy expect.” except a lot more of it. It got me a look, and a laugh, but no help.
I made some good progress, the only regret being that it was too cold to do any bike riding. If it is warmer tomorrow, and not raining, I will try to get some in. Otherwise, it is laundry day and at least one room is going to get some significant work done to it.
Not a bad day at all. Especially given that for the last two weeks, if I had not had mono as an undergraduate, I would swear I had it. Hope this means I am getting over whatever it is.
LW
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Good News or…
Found out that I don’t have to attend a zoning meeting/hearing tonight about the waivers and such desired by a neighbor. Nope, not at all. The hearing will be next month, as they want to add more waivers and such for consideration. Sigh.
LW
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy (Hoppy) Easter
To those of my readers who are Christian, a Happy Easter to you!
The import of the day is lost upon Jenny, who is sore disappointed this morning in that the Easter Bunny apparently managed to avoid the two traps and multiples alarms laid in to aid with the hunt. Then again, she also manages to miss the regular bunnies who come up into the yard, so I’m not surprised. I really should have made her a rabbit made of cheese (chocolate being a poison to puppies), but my artistic abilities were not up to that, so I merely gave her some string cheese this morning.
Spring approaches and life returns to the world. Life and growth: things worth celebrating this day (and everyday) indeed.
LW
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Time Of Cost
Recently, a “youth” of my acquaintance informed me that they were quitting work they were doing to sell high-end vacuum cleaners door-to-door. They then asked if they could give me their pitch and get some feedback. Initially, I was willing to do this, until I found out they wanted me for two hours, maybe a bit more.
I wish I had known when they were first thinking about this, as there would have been a few things I would have suggested they do and/or think about. First up, I know that for this type of job the emphasis is always on potential earnings, which can be quite high. Experienced or smart sales people know that you need to look at this number, and then get solid data on base earnings, forecasts, and actual current sales. Potential income doesn’t pay the rent, you are going to be dependent upon that base for several months given the need to build clients, get things through the bookkeeping system, etc. Forecasts can be pie in the sky, so what are the base estimates for it? What are comparable sales people in the area/region doing? Not the top, the new people who compare to you? What are the drop rates for the area?
Second, you need to do some homework. What are the public filings for the company? Trends? Wall Street Ratings? How does the BBB and other organizations rate them? What are the various consumer satisfaction ratings for them? What are their return rates? Note, not what the company says and gives you in their recruitment pitch, but independent data with full context.
Third, two hours? Back in the day, thirty minutes was a LONG pitch and a good working estimate was that you had to make the pitch worth about $40.00—which is what their time was worth. If you are selling a high-end product, you aren’t selling to minimum wage earners. In this area, given the number of science-types around, you better figure on a much higher per-hour investment on their part. For example, my consulting rate is $125.00 an hour plus expenses. You figure your science types are much more likely to be pulling in $250.00 per hour minimum. If you targeting the spouse, you have to give them roughly the same for planning purposes. So, you had better plan on your pitch being worth up to $500.00. Is it?
Fourth, while we are not in a recession (though we have plenty of pundits and MSM-types trying their damndest to talk us into one), the economy is slow. Parts of it are not good (and parts are). Take a look at the state you are in, the region of that state, and the local area economic statistics. How is it? Who is it? As in, what population segments in the area are going to be able to afford your product? The number who will buy product X, no matter what, figure at 1 in 100. Pessimistic in some respects, but it gives a fair off-the-cuff assessment. Do you have enough people in the area to make sales worthwhile?
This all adds up to the time of your cost. It’s not the cost of the target’s time, but rather the time (and target population) you will need to meet your costs, goals, and projections. Can you afford that time? Will you be given that time?
As for me, I wish my young friend well. While their friendship is valuable, that which they are selling is not worth my investment of $250.00.
LW
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Grumpier Than Usual
If I come across today grumpier than usual in print or on the phone, please be patient. Last night, a tooth that was repaired a couple of years ago decided it didn’t like the repair as I was eating some hummous. Nope, no lumps in the bean dip, nothing sticky, etc. So, right now I am waiting on the dentist to get in and call (they open late on Wednesdays) and to figure out how I’m going to cover this. You see, I’ve already had my emergency of the month when the de-humidifier in the basement broke (and so far I’m not thrilled with the replacement unit). The dentist does cash. This could get interesting…
LW
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday Was Good, Today…
Yesterday was a good day. I went to the doctor for yet another immunization and I think by the end of April I will be good for Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus, Typhoid, Meninngoccoal (sp?), Yellow Fever, Polio (had an update), Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, and Rabies. Dengue fever is being discussed as an add on… The gym then beckoned, and I spent about an hour and a half working out. Shower, then hit Lafayette Brewing for a late lunch, a special Irish ale, and some down time.
I then went to St. Patrick’s central for the area, Nine Irish Brothers. There was already a crowd, but a nice one overall. Corned Beef and Cabbage, a couple of pints of Guiness (one of which was raised to brother Grim, he being unable to raise one himself being in the sandbox), and some good conversations made for a delightful afternoon. I left before the rush truly began (and the amateurs arrived), meandered through a coffee shop and a bookstore, then made my way home.
No offense to LBC, but I go there on St. Patrick’s Day simply because of the special glass they do. I’ve gotten one about every year I’ve been here, and like to keep the tradition alive. Other than brewing up their Irish stout, they just don’t do much for St. Patrick’s Day, and don’t even do special food for it, just pretty much their normal stuff. Nine Irish, on the other hand, pulls out all the stops and is THE place in this part of Indiana for Day. They do a variety of food including corned beef and cabbage, good Irish coffee, ales, shots, and more. It is one of my favorite places anyway, but on this day…
Well, today has been interesting, and I just lied to the boss. When asked how I was doing, I did my usual great-bright-eyed-bushy-tailed-ready-for-whatever-you-need-sir. Actually, the vaccination yesterday has given me that wonderful beaten-all-over-with-baseball-bats feeling and flu symptoms. Beats spasms and convulsions that some people get from that one, but really didn’t expect it after last Monday going so well. Bleh. Think the six inoculations cancelled each other out. Would prefer to be hungover than the faux flu… Well, except that in my younger days I never did get hungover no matter what I did. Don’t care to test if that still holds, either, thank-you-very-much.
LW
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Current Work Out
I’m still surprised by the interest people have in my workouts. So, below the fold I am going to go into details for those who are interested, and the rest of you can skip it if you like. I have run into my personal trainer, and I hope to be working out with him again in a month or so at least one day a week. Before I can do that, however, I need to build back my base.
Your base is your base level of muscular and cardiac conditioning. Of the two, the cardiac is the most important, IMO, as it controls what you get out of the workouts, and how soon you get it. Simply put, the first few weeks of working out really amounts to getting your heart in shape to do more. The heart is a muscle, and it responds to exercise. The better shape it is in not only means good cardiac shape, but also sets the stage for serious fat burning. At risk of gross oversimplification, you have two cardiac workout zones. The low end tends to burn fat more than anything else, while the high end makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart most often (but not always) equals lower pulse rate, more efficient operation, and lower blood pressure. It also means your pulse doesn’t shoot up into the higher zone as quickly. Think of it as the heart looking after itself first, and then looking out after others/other things.
Right now, I am re-building my base and have just completed my second full week of same. I am looking to get my heart rate back to where it was when I went to Iraq the first time, so that I can then work on serious fat burning and strength building. As a side issue, I am working to get my basic muscle groups close to the same level I had before the first embed. Doing that means a routine of:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Stretch and limber. Leg lifts. 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer on a cross-country program, max “height” at the max elevation of the machine, the lows at the lowest the program will allow, and a moderate level of resistance. Machine leg press, machine back extension, machine crunch forward and to each side.
Thursday, Friday: Stretch and limber. Crunches. Upper body workout consisting of Free Motion machine Row (overhand, underhand, cross body, alternating), Free Motion lat pull downs, Free Motion pec fly, Free Motion up and down axe chops, barbell work, incline lifts, bench press, misc. physical therapy work.
The Free Motion are a brand of machine, and I rate them highly, in the same way I rate Precor brand ellipticals and treadmills as about the best out there. The FM machines don’t have all the guides and limits (hence, free motion) so you do need to be trained in how to do the exercise as well as how to use the machine.
Since I am trying to keep to exactly one hour, I may have to start breaking up the upper body work, but that is okay (though I admit I don’t like it). The goal is not massive strength training, but more toning and getting the body back to the point where it can get the most out of real strength training.
The good news is that the cardiac portion is coming along well. I am showing a drop in peak pulse rate and a very good improvement in recovery rate. Yes, I am tending to use the upper training zone and not the “normal” training zone most charts show. The advantage of using a personal trainer who does the necessary tests is that you can get customized normal and upper training zones worked out for you.
To see where I am, I use a heart measurement system from Polar. This way, I can monitor things and tune my workout so that I am using pulse rates to determine when I do rather than just time between sets. I’ve just done the yearly battery change as I had starting getting erroneous readings of zero pulse (I’m not dead yet!) and up around 220 beats per minute—it was only off by about 100 beats per minute. Having learned my lesson several years ago, I do periodically run manual checks of the pulse rate to verify the accuracy of my readings.
On the elliptical trainer, I am trying to maintain at least 140 strides per minute no matter the elevation without breaking my upper limit. Not quite there yet, but getting there: at which point I will try for 150 strides per minute. Doing it this way not only helps the cardiac, but also my overall endurance. When I get where I can do the 140-150 comfortably, I will probably up the resistance a bit and am also checking to see if I can move into using a weighted pack and then move into full kit. That’s still a few months away, not to mention getting permission to violate the dress code and such…
Once the base is back, I will probably switch the endurance portion to two days a week, strength training to two days a week, and make the odd day the one with the personal trainer.
LW
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Hey Fiserve Health: A Quick Insurance/Automation Rant
My patience with voicemail systems has been sorely tested this week, as such systems have caused things to take close to an hour versus five minutes dealing with a real person. Anyone who tells you that such systems are for your convenience is either stuck-on-stupid or a liar. They are for the convenience and cost-cutting of the organization using them.
This morning, I had the fun joy of dealing with such an automated system that would not put one through to a person. My insurance carrier somehow got the idea that one of the immunizations I was getting was because of an accident or injury. Even if you indicated that it was not such, it persisted with a line of questioning as if you had said yes. All this after a lecture on how any incomplete, incorrect, or otherwise dishonest answer (including apparently hitting the wrong button on the menu list) would have the fraud unit after you and you will burn, burn, burn. I’ve answered the questions, and would love to talk to a real person about why and such, but that apparently can’t take place, at least not yet. The funny thing is, the inoculation that appears to be causing the frantic notices and threats cost all of eight dollars.
Here’s a hint for the folks at FiServe and other insurance companies: you get inoculations to prevent diseases and getting them saves you the insurer money in the long run. Smart companies know this and encourage them, even if they seem exotic. They don’t threaten the person getting them, they encourage it. They also are not penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to automation. It may save you some money because you can can a few more people, but if you don’t serve the customers with it, it really doesn’t help. Feh.
Sorry, had my fill of “helpful” automation and am tired of insurance companies that presume you are up to something because you try to prevent problems.
LW
Monday, March 10, 2008
Thanks to a Special Reader
Recently, I had an interesting week given a nice bit of brightness when someone sent me three Good Eats DVDs. I’ve sent a thank you note, but in case it doesn’t make it, thanks!
LW
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Spanking Leads To Risky Sex?
Huh. I find that spanking someone usually leads to good and fun sex. Oh, wait, this is another attempt to demonize any form of corporal punishment I think. Feh. Prefer my first take based on the short headline…
LW
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valen-Tines Day
Let the followers of perpetual outrage seethe and riot, for we truly know the meaning of this day. For today is the day that Valen of blessed memory decreed that the One would clean the tines of all forks so as to not do other things to the girl, er, stay pure for that battle to come. Until such time as the One comes, each of us is to take this day and clean the tines in Valen’s name.
To each of you, a Happy Valentine’s Day! May it be filled with love, laughter, friendship, and as much impure and unchaste as you feel comfortable with. *VBEG*
LW
who may have to add the B5 set to his wish list…
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