Suburban Life

This summer we did a big grand family trip to Nevada, Utah, and Idaho. The best rate we could find for a rental car for this period was $2000 for a minivan. Most of the cars I have owned have cost less than this. So I asked my friend Jonah to check out a Suburban I found on Craigslist that cost less than this. He was nice enough to check it out, negotiate on the price, and then leave it for us when we got there. It ran beautifully and had better AC than we could have hoped for. We left it with my brother to sell at the end of the trip. All in all, two thumbs up. (This photo was taken just before dawn at the Grand Staircase Inn in Cannonville Utah. We had a great stay there--highly recommended)

160 Horsepower is the new 300 Horsepower

You've heard people (usually 50-year-olds) say that 50 is the new 35? Well, I am discovering that 160 horsepower can provide just as much automotive engagement as 300 horsepower. It is making me like my Honda Civic Si more and more. What's funny is that what makes the Honda fun has a lot to do with its lack of power, if you can believe that. Don't get me wrong--this car has plenty of pep, and it can go fast enough to scare normal people. But the power it has is useable, fun, and refreshing, and this is the key to my growing affection for the car.

The Honda has now become the car I have owned for the longest. We are going on 1.5 years together, and I feel a strange lack of desire to get rid of it. This car gets a lot of things right. So I felt some validation when I read this article (note that this car is the newer version of my car, and my car is not an R-Type. But the principle they observe is what I am talking about):

Best Commuter Bike Ever Project, Part 4

In the previous installment on this topic, I mentioned a Merlin titanium frame. The transfer of components happened, and I am extremely pleased with the outcome. I defy anyone to present me with a cooler all-around bike than this. For a while the bike was mounted with Ritchey Tom Slicks as skinny as road bike tires. The bike feels incredibly light and fast with them. Then I mounted big MTB knobbies for the snow, and it felt great. I am fairly certain that I could do some serious mountain biking on this with those tires. Then this weekend I mounted some wide slicks in preparation for going to Bar Harbor, Maine in a few weeks. This bike is a great trailer puller, too.

A Novel Stance

My good friend Florian owns the world's coolest scooter, a Piaggio MP3. When I was on a trip to California lsat week, he let me take it for a spin. It has an amazing suspension system on the front with two front wheels that lean with the motorcycle but that articulate independently so that boths stay planted on the ground at all times. It feels almost exactly like driving a normal motorcycle except that it feels more sure-footed in corners and over bumps.

A Bug's Life (REALLY, REALLY, REALLY gross)

(I am only writing this because I have snapped photos with my iPhone and because I am intellectually curious about what happened to my leg. If pictures of infections gross you out, don't read on.)

For some reason, in the last two years I have gotten three minor skin infections that turned very aggressive and dangerous very quickly. One was on a knuckle on my hand. I nicked my finger while cleaning leaves out of the gutters on my house. It looked like a little nick. After a few hours it started to look like a spider bite. It swelled and became warm to the touch. The next day I showed it to a friend at work who is an MD. He was surprised by it, and told me to draw a circle around the extent of the redness and to watch it very carefully to see it if it grew. (BTW, he also told me that this is what people died of 100 years ago.) If it did grow, my instructions were to go straight to an emergency room. It did progress, so I called my primary care physician and described the situation, telling him that I didn't want to go pick up a worse bug while I waited my turn behind the gunshot wound victims in the ER. He prescribed me some strong antibiotics over the phone, and the infection cleared in a few days. The second infection was similar, but entered via a plantar's wart on the bottom of my foot. I thought I had broken a toe somehow, but the podiatrist I went to see told me that I needed antibiotics. That fixed it. I think these are staph or streptococcus infections. Googling around, I think I have recurring cellulitis.

Anyway, to the current case. I was on a cross country plane flight two weeks ago on which I idly picked at a little scab on my shin. It may have been where I scraped my shin on something, or it may have been a mosquito bite. A few hours after I scraped the scab, I noticed that it had become tender. You know the rest. When I returned from the trip two days later, I showed the bite/scab/infection to my good friend Bob the world renowned brain surgeon. He told me he would call in a prescription for antibiotics right away because it looked scary. In the two hours that passed between my conversation with Bob and when I took the first Cephalexin, my lymph nodes around my hip on the leg with the infection became tender and swollen. Anyway over the next few days the antibiotics beat back the infection. I documented the whole thing. I also self prescribed a hot pad on the theory that my body was heating up the area to fight the bug and that increased heat my bring increased blood flow and therefore increased infection fighting to the area. I do wonder how I happen to keep encountering (or failing to beat down without the help of antibiotics) infections like these. I am becoming obsessive about washing hands, and I am carrying Neosporin next time I go on a trip. Rebecca noticed that one can see three different pairs of Adidas in the following photos. These represent about 1/4 of my Adidas harem. I don't have any excuse for this behavior.

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 9:

Wrapped up in you (WARNING, GROSS!!)

My favorite vacuum cleaner in the world is the one I own. It is a Windsor Sensor that I bought used on eBay. I first noticed Windsor vacuums while helping clean up at my church. The church owned a Windsor vacuum that worked extremely well. I was curious about it and I looked on the bottom to see if I could learn anything about it. Lo and behold it was made in Germany! That was enough to get me looking for one on the Internet. New ones are around $500, but a place in Florida sells used ones that have been retired from hotel use. Anyway, that's a long intro to a short punchline. I noticed that the roller warning light was coming on more frequently, so I turned it over to check the roller. This is what I found:


It looked as though all of the women in my home had somehow gotten caught in the roller. It took a disgusting but very satisfying five minutes to cut the wig off of the roller with scissors. The mat of hair was at least 1/4 inch thick.

Serenity Now!

If you have a kid's toy that makes music and you want to make the music stop, here's how I did it. If you choose to do this (which you shouldn't), use caution because it could be dangerous. I accept no liability for you burning your house down.

About eight years ago, someone gave me a toy for my then-infant daughter. The toy was a rubber ball with a little device inside that produced music when the ball was bounced. There was a small hole that allowed the music to get from the electronics to the outside world. It was a nasty, repetitive, tinny song, and it grated on the nerves. But our daughter was in love with the ball, and as indulgent first-time parents we couldn't bring ourselves to take it away. One night in the middle of the night the ball started to make the song spontaneously. I tried to make it stop, but I couldn't figure out how. I stuck an ice pick down the hole to try to scramble the ball's brains. But the angle was wrong and it didn't do the right damage. Then I tried to submerge it, waiting for bubbles to come up out of the brain. But the water had no effect on the song other that to give it a slightly flat tone. Finally, in a true Eureka moment, I tossed the ball in the microwave, still playing its cursed song. I turned the microwave on high and pushed the start button. After one or two seconds, there were a few sparks and the music stopped. I pulled the ball out of the microwave. It smelled a little smoky, but that went away quickly. The song was gone for good.

Since this experience I have used this trick a number of times. It works especially well for Burger King and McDonald's Happy Meal toys. It preserves the toy but disables the music. A word of caution: DON'T LEAVE THE MICROWAVE ON FOR TOO LONG. As soon as the toy starts to spark, the microwave should be turned off. There is a chance of catching the toy on fire, so be ready with a fire extinguisher.

This, by the way, would be truly evil dirty trick to play on someone's laptop or iPhone. I am fairly certain that it would permanently destroy anything with sensitive electronics in it.

A Committed Car Owner (or, a car owner who should be committed)

In my relatively short life, I have owned more than my fair share of cars. Like, a lot more. When my wife explains to friends why we have a different car in the driveway this month, she tells them that I treat cars the way I treated girls when I was single. I don't know what that means. Anyway, a recent blog entry by my friend Richard inspired me to list my conquests, err, cars, here with his recent blog entry doing the same thing. Here goes (with original photos where available, otherwise photos pilfered from around the web) (oh, and just so you don't have to scroll and count, the total is 33. That's about 1.6 cars per year for me.):

1970 Volkswagen Beetle
(given to me by my grandfather)

1971 Datsun 240Z
(triple Weber carbs and an automatic)

1975 Datsun 280Z

1985 Volkswagen GTI
(actually my dad's car, but he stole my 280Z almost every day)

1982 Mazda 626
(smoked, but it had a cool stereo)

1976 FIAT 124 Spider
(also smoked, but good for taking out the ladies)

1985 Audi 5000S Wagon
(Met my current wife while driving this. She thought I was a rich kid because of this car.)

1974 Porsche 914 1.8
(Best solo road trip ever. Had red tartan seats)

1985 Audi 5000CS Turbo
(Leaked oil like a sieve, but it was fast)

1992 Chevrolet Cavalier
(Gift/loan from the in-laws. Pictured here with my bro.)

1986.5 Toyota Supra
(Gift from the in-laws. Door kicked in on first day of work at Ford.)

1989 Geo Metro
(Bought from my friend Dave for $357)

1992 Mazda 626
(Borrowed from parents for extended period)

1988 Ford Mustang LX 5.0
(Former Utah Highway Patrol. Had bullet holes in roof from officer shooting himself in the hand to get sympathy from ex-fiance. FAST.)

1988 Toyota MR2
(Rust Bucket bought in East Lansing. Very cool car except for the hole under the floormats)

1994 Mazda Protege
(Bought from a shady place in Ypsilanti)

1988 Mazda 323 GTX
(Ssshweet rally car wanna-be)

1992 Mercury Grand Marquis
(Bought when it was discovered we were pregnant. Wanted a car that would win in an accident)

1992 Honda Accord Wagon
(Bought when Grand Marquis developed chronic electronic tic.)

1994 Mazda Protege
(Given to us by extremely generous sister and brother-in-law when Accord Wagon wrecked)

1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Diesel
(Bought with blown engine, engine rebuilt)

1990 Volvo 740 Wagon
(Third seat in trunk)

1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Diesel Westfalia
(Bought from Guatemalan guy who was living in it)

1994 Toyota Camry Wagon
(Another wagon with a third seat. Amazing car)

1965 Porsche 912
(Makes me cry. Sold to a guy in the Netherlands)

1982 Porsche 911SC
(Bought in Santa Cruz. Sold because I was embarrassed to drive it--it looked too nice)

1986 Audi 4000S Quattro
(Obtained in complicated Porsche trade)

1996 Audi A6 Quattro Wagon
(Yet ANOTHER wagon with a third row seat. Awesome in the snow. Loved everything about it until it started puking hydraulic oil and cost us $2000 per month in maintenance)

1990 Volkswagen Vanagon Carat
(Repaired the infamous Vanagon head gasket pits with JBWeld. Coolest van in the world)

1980 Porsche 911SC Targa
(Bought in Rhode Island. Sold because I was embarrassed to drive it and I wanted a practical car)

2005 Honda Pilot EX
(Drove Audi Wagon to dealer in a fit of rage and leased this truck. Absolutely great automobile.)

2003 Honda Civic Si
(I love this car. At least as much fun to drive as any of my Porsches.)



2005 Honda Odyssey
(Bought to replace the Pilot. EX with Leather and Rear Entertainment System. The most well-thought-out automobile I have ever seen.)

Summary Table by Country of Origin*

Japanese	German	American	Italian	Swedish
1971 Datsun 240Z	1970 Volkswagen Beetle	1992 Chevrolet Cavalier	1976 FIAT 124 Spider	1990 Volvo 740 Wagon
1975 Datsun 280Z	1985 Volkswagen GTI	1988 Ford Mustang LX 5.0
1982 Mazda 626	1985 Audi 5000S Wagon	1992 Mercury Grand Marquis
1986.5 Toyota Supra	1974 Porsche 914 1.8
1989 Geo Metro	1985 Audi 5000CS Turbo
1992 Mazda 626	1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Diesel
1988 Toyota MR2	1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Diesel Westfalia
1994 Mazda Protege	1965 Porsche 912
1988 Mazda 323 GTX	1982 Porsche 911SC
1992 Honda Accord Wagon	1986 Audi 4000S Quattro
1994 Mazda Protege	1996 Audi A6 Quattro Wagon
1994 Toyota Camry Wagon	1990 Volkswagen Vanagon Carat
2005 Honda Pilot	1980 Porsche 911SC Targa
2003 Honda Civic Si
2005 Honda Odyssey
total: 15	total: 13	total: 3	total: 1	total: 1

*(The economy being global and all, the idea of national origin is hard to pin down in some cases. For this table, I define national origin as the nationality of the company that produced the car. The 1992 Mazda 626, the Accord, Camry, Pilot, and Odyssey were built in the US, but were produced by Japanese companies. The Honda Civic Si was built in Great Britain. The Geo is a Suzuki that GM sticks a "Geo" badge on.)

Best Commuter Bike Ever Project, Part 3

With the paint is done, I turned to building the wheels. The front has a Shimano DH-3D71 generator hub with 32 holes. I laced it to a Velocity Aeroheat rim with black painted stainless steel spokes and red anodized aluminum nipples for a little bling. The tires are Ritchey Tom Slicks.


The rear hub is a Shimano Nexus 8 Premium. I laced it to another Velocity Aeroheat rim, but with 36 spokes.



The handlebars are Soma Sparrows. I really like these. Here is the bike with no fenders tires, or cables.



Here is the bike basically done except for cable routing. I have taped cables to the frame so that I can commute on it temporarily. It is a REALLY great ride. Whereas I have been able to sense mechanical loss in other internal hubs, I really don't feel any in this hub. It is great. And the generator hub is very low drag, too. I haven't weighed the bike, but even with both hubs it feels like it doesn't weigh much more than my Lemond Poprad road/cross bike. Here is a photo of the bike. Please excuse the massive stash of house paint, pesticides, and other junk. There's a foot of snow on the ground outside.



****NEWS FLASH****
I came across a titanium Merlin mountain bike frame and HAD to buy it. I am strongly considering transferring all of the components to the Merlin for no reason than I really like titanium. We'll see.

Best Commuter Bike Ever Project, Part 2

To get the bike ready for painting, I cleaned everything off with aerosol automotive brake cleaner. I figured this would be good for cleaning off grease and dirt. After it dried, I used a file to clean off the nicks that had been raised by chain suck by the previous owner. He had been a distributor of these frames, and this was his last frame, a demonstrator model. I then removed the derailleur hanger. I used blue painter's tape to mask the brake posts, bottom bracket threads, head tube openings, and seat tube opening.

I screwed in one of the bottle cage screws and balanced the bike on my bike stand with all of frame supported by this screw. Having painted my fixed gear commuter in the basement, I knew how to get the painting done without killing everyone in my house with the fumes. I open a window in the basement and aim a fan out the window and turn it on full blast. The bike stand is set up only a foot or two from the fan. All of the fumes are carried directly out the window. Two or three coats of primer, and it is good to go. So I painted it this way.

The resulting finish was a bit rough because the primer it came it was rough. I coated it with two coats of gloss clear, and this seems to have created a really nice finish. Kind of a hammered texture.