Welcome to the Month of September! I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
I finished two HP classes: “Building your first web page” that I take once every two years to keep my skills up, and “Unlocking the potential of Windows® 7 Media Center” because I didn’t know it was included in Win7. I started a while back and just wanted to get them out of the way.
I watered the plants, did the laundry, and cleaned the kitchen.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I went over to Kelly’s to repair her flat tire.
I went outside to do a little stargazing with the binoculars.
I watched lecture 6 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Genetics 1.
I talked to Stevie Villarreal yesterday and she told me she treats September 1st as the first day of fall. I think I’ll do the same for now on. I told her that when my cement pond freezes that’s the first day of winter for me.
Friday 02- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
I went to the bank, WalMart, Staters….
I watched lecture 7 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Genetics 2.
Saturday 03- I did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and ran a mile.
I went over to John Massey’s for a short visit. He came by two hours later and got some canned foods I had to spare. I took a break from fixing my truck’s door and went back over to John’s and jawed with him for short spell.
As I was watering my aloe vera plants that I have in the shade of the porch I noticed a rattlesnake was curled up next to one of the planters. I said hi to her and kept talking to calm her down as I got a broomstick and a bucket with a lid. I know that the snakes can’t understand what I say but I do feel that they do understand my intent not to harm. I’ve done this before many times with the same outcome. Hopefully the day never comes when we surprise each other and I get bit! I very carefully coached her with the broomstick into the bucket that was lying on its side; she did not rattle and was very at ease through the whole process. I tipped the bucket upright put the lid on and thought about getting the camera to video me letting her go but decided I didn’t want to stress her out and get her out of the bucket as soon as possible. I walked her down the street a good ways and set her free by some nice creosotes bushes with lots of critter holes around. She took her time coming out and I talked to her as she slowly made her way into the chaparral. It was a wonderful experience!
I watched lecture 8 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Genetics 3.
Sunday 04- I did my stretches- my day off from exercising.
John Massey came by excitedly telling me of being plagued by killer bees that he found when he was clearing away some debris in his front yard. I said he might be able to use water to flood them being that the bee hive is on the ground; I’ve seen that on TV where the fire department was call to remove bees by spraying water on the hive. Sometime later I went over to John’s to see for myself what was going on. He was fitting his truck with a hose nozzle stuck out the driver’s side window wrapped with towels so the bees couldn’t get into the cab when he shut the door. But he forgot one minor detail which I pointed out to him; when he shut the door it would crush the hose coming inside the truck. John asked me if I could turn on the water when he finally got it all figured out and hooked up right, but by then the bees were starting to get mighty frustrated at us humans being there and started bumping into me, I mean really bumping into me! I quickly said my goodbyes to John, got back into my truck and drove off. The last I seen of John was from the rear window of my truck as I sped away; he was flapping his arms like a turkey taking flight as he hightailed it into the safety of his truck’s cab.
I’ve been reading my wonderful sister's, Paula Frighetti, book “2012 Transition and Transformation.” I'm trying to keep an open mind as I read :)
I watched lecture 9 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Human Genetics.
Monday 05- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile. Just before I was to run it rained a little but I went anyways. The sky was overcast with heavy dark stratus clouds and it rained or sprinkled most of the day.
I made my way over to John Massey’s to see if he survived them killer bees; I was kinda worried. He was still alive and said he got bitten five more times before he finally flooded the hive and then ran his truck over and over it a dozen times or so. I guess John got pretty mad because there weren’t that many bees flying around compared to yesterday.
I watched lectures 10, 11, 12 and 13 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Molecular Biology 1, 2, 3 and Gene Regulation.
Tuesday 06- I did my stretches, lifted weights and dumbbells, core trainer, and ran two miles.
I watched lectures 14, 15, and 16 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Protein Localization, DNA 1&2.
Wednesday 07- John Massey drove me to the dentist office for some major dental work that will put me out of commission for a few days. Lots of pain! Lots and lots of pain.
Thursday 08- I’m really hurting and taking codeine for the pain. Kelly is really sick and needs her meds, so I decided to drive Stoney’s van to Rite Aid to pick them up for her. I started the van and was driving down the street and noticed that the dang gas tank was running on empty. I took the chance and just made it to the Arco gas station in 29 and put $20 in it. I’m not too happy about that!
I dropped Kelly off her meds and spent the rest of the day inside in bed. I’ve also been adding to the short story I wrote two months ago now I have some down time.
Friday 09- I had an appointment with the dentist today @2pm. John Massey drove me there again. I guess the dentist wanted to torture me some more with his hideous assortment of saws, hammers, drills, and other scary instruments of his trade… I was in very much pain when I left there.
Saturday 10- I was still in pain from yesterday’s dentist appointment so I didn’t do much of anything. The pill I take for the pain make me sick to my stomach. I did update the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I watched lecture 17 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Recombinant DNA 3.
A bad storm came our way and knocked the electric out in our area from 8:34pm to 6:30am the next morning. I was on Skype yapping with Kelly when the storm hit and she asking me to come over just as we lost the internet. I spent a few hours over at her place until the worse had passed.
Sunday 11- I didn’t watch or read any programs about 911 and spent most of the day in reflection and seclusion.
I LOVE MY COUNTRY! I LOVE ALL AMERICANS WHATEVER RELIGION, RACE, OR POLITICAL PARTY THEY MAY BE. WE ARE ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS FIRST AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPT WE MUST LEARN. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY! WE WILL BE PATIENT WITH NEW CITIZENS WE WELCOME TO OUR COUNTRY AS THEY LEARN OUR WAYS. WE WILL RESPECT THEM. PROTECT THEM. DIE FOR THEM. ALL WE ASK IS THAT THEY BELIEVE IN AMERICA AND THEY ARE CITIZENS OF THIS GREAT NATION FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY!
Most people have forgotten 911 except when it's the anniversary- while our troops over there remember it every day! We should send everybody who acts like its business as usual over to Afghanistan for a spell, especially our elected officials in Washington, give them an M16, some MREs, and place them on some border pass checking for terrorists that ought to do it!!!
Monday 12- I’m still recuperating from the dental work from last week and I believe that I will start easing my way into doing exercising tomorrow
I went over to Kelly’s house for a coffee party of sorts. I got back home around 9:30pm.
Tuesday 13- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I finished the rest of my pain pills, codeine, and am starting to feel better anyways. I’ll use up my supply of antibiotics tomorrow and will be happy to be off both.
A little back and forth from FaceBook:
Diana L. Roby: Believe you can and you're halfway there...........
Tom B: Hell! I'm half full!
Robert DeLoyd: Where?
Diana L. Roby: There, lol
Diana L. Roby: Where ever you’re going..... :)
Robert DeLoyd: But wherever there is I'll only be half way, dang, I guess you can say we are always halfway to somewhere but all the way to where we are, Right?
Tom B: Right!
Diana L. Roby: Yes Bob that is true and everywhere you go, there you are!!!
Robert DeLoyd: Where?
Diana L. Roby: :-))
Robert DeLoyd: :D
Wednesday 14- I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and ran a mile.
Kelly picked me up and we spent the day shopping in Yucca at Vons and WalMart.
We had gotten back to her house and I was helping carry the groceries from her car when I saw this Fireball shoot across the sky to the south of me heading west to east. It traveled for less than a minute before it finally appeared to break apart leaving a brilliant streak across the sky! Kelly and I saw it at 7:45 and reminded me of videos of the Shuttle breaking up leaving a trail of debris. Fantastic!
Thursday 15- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran two miles.
I watered the thirsty plants.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Soldered two 120 Watt solar panels together I’ve been meaning to do for a while now.
I went for my evening walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about structures of the universe right after the big bang.
I watched lecture 18 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Recombinant DNA 4.
Friday 16- I did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and rode my bike.
I helped John Massey with installing a sink in his kitchen.
When I got back home Linda Sibio was there picking up the Neighborhood Watch material she had me print up and leave in my mailbox. She had knocked the mailbox over and was trying to lean it against the fence. The box was going to fall over soon anyways but I kiddingly pretended to make a big thing about it like: Linda how could you knock down my precious mailbox! We both laughed.
I went for my evening walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about comets, meteors, asteroids, minor planets of the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt.
I watched lectures 19 and 20 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Cell Cycle/Signaling, and Cancer- and other disgusting stuff about the intestines and how much of its lining’s dead cells are in poop.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
I practiced my guitar.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about the Formations of the Elements. Also read books on my reading list.
Saturday 17- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
I called Family and Friends throughout the day.
I rode the Harley down to get my mail and also to send out a couple of birthday cards.
I then went to visit Mac and checkout the work he and his son Dennis had done to Mac’s shop. I dropped by Kelly’s for a spell to see what she was up to. While I was out and about on the bike I stopped to visit Mat but he wasn’t home. I called him later to let him know I dropped by.
I went for my evening walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about detecting planets around distant stars by their gravitational effect on the star causing it to ‘wobble’.
I watched lecture 21 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Virology/Tumor Viruses; very interesting story about a chicken tumor and how it was discovered that it was caused by a virus.
I went outside to do a little stargazing. I checked out Delta Cephei, a variable star, in the constellation Cepheus which has a period of 5.3 days where its brightness goes from 3.6 (brighter) to 4.3 in magnitude.
I practiced my guitar.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about the Formations of the Elements: stellar nucleosynthesis. Also read books on my reading list.
Sunday 18- I did my stretches. It’s my day off from exercising.
I called a few folks up to remind them to come to the Neighborhood Watch meeting tomorrow.
I worked around the outside watering plants, cleaning out the porch and moving my exercising equipment around where it works better: I have a ceiling fan that was over the core trainer and I didn’t want it to lop off my head when I did my pull-ups. The bench press is now beneath the fan.
I tried to get in touch with John Massey and had to drive over to his house three times before I finally got him at home; his cell phone doesn’t get a signal around here. I wanted to remind him of the USDA food distribution and Neighborhood watch meeting tomorrow.
I watched lecture 22 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Immunology.
Read books on my reading list.
Monday 19- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
I did more work on the patio filling in some places with gravel that weren’t covered with cement pavers.
I couldn’t get a hold of Kelly; we were supposed to go to town. So I just moseyed on over to see if she was okay. She was okay but didn’t feel like going anywhere today so we’ll shoot for tomorrow. I hung out at her house for a long spell.
John Massey picked me up for the Neighborhood Watch meeting. We got there a little early. There were about 30 or more folks showing up plus a couple of police officers and their trainee. The officers gave a hurried presentation because they got called out on some emergency or some such. The rest of the meeting went as expected with everyone putting their thoughts and ideas in the air. Well they finally listened to my suggestion that I had brought up at the last meeting and did so again tonight about having the NHW meetings on the same night and just before the board (bore to tears) meetings so many of the NHW folks might stay around for it; the board meetings only have maybe two spectators and most times board members don’t even show. I stopped going myself because all they wanted to do was argue on the trivial with me and complain about why nobody came to their meetings.
I listened to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about parallax, parsecs, distances to stars, and apparent magnitude.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about the Formations of the Elements: Iron formation in the cores of stars which starts at 3 billion Kelvin about the time that silicon 28 forms- wow photodisintegration! So excited these gamma rays they knock out the nucleus of the silicon 28 into 7 helium 4s. These helium 4s are the building blocks to the creation of heavier elements until iron 56 which is the most stable of all the elements; to go heavier requires a supernova!
I went for a night run.
Read books on my reading list.
I watched lecture 23 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Immunology 2. The MIT Introduction to Biology has helped me to better understand a textbook I was reading aloud last year (I thought reading aloud would improve my comprehension) but gave up halfway through the book because I had difficulty pronouncing those dang words. This course follows the book pretty well. I bought it used on Amazon for $14 called “The Cell a Molecular Approach 3rd edition”. I wish I had watched these lectures when I was reading the book! Now I know (sort of) how to pronounce the words :)
I’ve never took a biology course before and just found it fascinating how all this works at the molecular level and wanted to learn more.
Tuesday 20- I did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and rode my bike.
I worked around the house and yard doing this and that; plants were happy to get some water.
I went for my evening walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about the formation of stars.
I watched lecture 24 of MIT Introduction to Biology: AIDS.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
I went outside to do a little stargazing and again checked out Delta Cephei to see if it had changed in brightness- I really didn’t notice any change so I must had caught it just before its nadir two days ago when I first checked.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about “Making Elements Beyond Iron” using the neutron capture or s-process- where neutrons bombard nuclei of elements like 56Fe +N--> 57Fe and continues all the way to 59Fe that decays into Cobalt-59 which captures a neutron to form Coalt-60 and so on… Interesting… says that this slow neutron capture s-process is responsible for silver, gold, and lead. I had learned/always thought that these heavier elements beyond Iron-56 were created in supernovas. In the next section will be the discussion on supernovas. I’m really going to have to check up on this. What I was taught/ always thought was that stars much like our Sun in size can maybe create elements up to oxygen, more massive stars create heavier elements, but really massive stars could only burn up to Iron-56 which is stable and would not fuse thus the star’s core could not be held up by fusion, gravity would finally prevail and the core would rapidly collapse creating a supernova and that’s where silver, gold, lead and all the heavier elements were made. Maybe I was taught the easy version back then. Now I’m lost :(
Also read books on my reading list.
Wednesday 21- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
John Massey took me to the dentist.
I kinda got wiped out, painfully and mentally, from the dentist visit and the pain pill I took afterwards and didn’t do much of anything for the next 24 hours.
Thursday 22- I did my stretches.
I worked on the patio.
I watched three new episodes of “Warehouse 13”.
Friday 23- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Kelly picked me up and we went to post office in Twentynine Palms where she spent the next hour filling out address forms on some packages she’s sending. We went to Rite Aid to pick up her meds and then onto Staters for supplies.
We spent the rest of the night until 1am outside hoping to see that satellite that’s suppose to fall out of the sky; unfortunately that didn’t happen nowhere near up but out in the Pacific ocean somewhere.
Saturday 24- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
I called family and friends throughout the day and wished my really good friend Kula a happy birthday. Dang phone is still acting up dropping my calls.
I cooked all the stuff up I’m taking to potluck tonight: rice and stuffing.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa website and sent out the Newsletter.
About 15 folks showed up for potluck.
John Massey came by around 7:30pm to do a little stargazing with me.
Sunday 25- I did my stretches.
I did some work on the patio again today; also watered the plants.
I watched lecture 25 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Genomics.
I went outside again tonight to check on Delta Cephei and see if it had changed in brightness and this time I noticed that it was brighter than Epsilon Cephei whereas on my previous observations a few nights ago it was fainter.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about “Making the Heaviest Elements” where the s-process (S stands for slow) stops at bismuth-209, the r-process (R stands for rapid) create elements like uranium and plutonium in the first 15 minutes of a supernova where more neutrons are freed because of the violence of the implosion jamming already heavy nucleuses with more neutron forming even heavier elements. So I guess when a teacher or someone says that that gold ring you have wrapped around your finger came from a supernova you can correct them and say that it came from the neutron capture s-process of a massive star.
I read from my reading list.
Monday 26- I did my stretches, yoga, and went for a mile run.
I went for my doctor’s appointment in 29 Palms.
I visited my friend Piper in Joshua Tree. Piper is the one who threw the 60th birthday party for me.
I went for a walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about: hydrostatic equilibrium.
I watched lecture 26 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Nervous System 1. I found it very interesting.
Tuesday 27- I did my stretches, dumbbells, core trainer, lifted weights, and rode my bike.
I drove to the Harley shop in Yucca to pick up the sissy bar and other parts to mount it correctly. I ordered everything on August 02 and it just came in last Thursday.
I went for a walk listening to an astronomy lecture by Alex Filippenko about: electron degeneracy and white dwarfs; cool!
I went for a night run and then checked on Delta Cephei to find it had changed in brightness and is now about the same in brightness as Epsilon Cephei.
I watched two new episodes of “Castle” on Hulu.
I watched lecture 27 of MIT Introduction to Biology: Nervous System 2.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about: Observational Evidence for Stellar Nucleosynthesis.
I read from my reading list.
Wednesday 28- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I got all my chores done and went to put the new parts and sissy bar on the Harley and quickly found out that I was missing some parts and the ones I had didn’t quite fit. I hate when you get set to do something and find you can’t because of something beyond your control. So I made the trip down to the Harley shop in Yucca and Larry the parts guy said they’re the parts that the catalog said would fit. But he found out as I that they don’t. Larry said to leave the parts with him and he’d call when he got it all figured out. Oh joy!
Thursday 29- did my stretches and lifted weights.
I have to wait around my house for FedEx to deliver a new HP DM1Z 11.6” netbook. I water the plants and do little things around the yard until FedEx arrives around 3pm. I spend the rest of the day doing updates and removing bloat from my new netbook. It is really a cross between a netbook and a laptop but more netbook. It has an AMD Dual-Core Processor E-350 (1.6GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)+AMD Radeon HD 6310M Discrete-Class Graphics, 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm), 250GB 7200RPM Hard Drive.
I was introduced to a wonderful writer by email from a friend. Her name is Sami and has read the first two chapters of my book. She’s giving me pointers here and there; just what I needed :)
Kelly came by to drop off her cat Solomon for me to watch for a couple of nights.
I watched two new episodes of “Warehouse 13” on the new HP and it performed nicely.
Friday 30- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I got to messing around with the new netbook so much I got lost in time. The reason for this new purchase is I like the compactness and energy efficiency of the netbooks but they’re a little strained when running multiple tasks and it’s been quite noticeable on my Lenovo S10-2 netbook lately. This new one should hopefully fill the gap with a more powerful processor, more RAM, more everything. So far I’m quite impressed with it.
Larry the parts guy still hasn’t called back :(
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Goodbye to September- you kinda went by too quickly….
