Welcome to the month of June! Not as hot as yesterday and with a little bit of breeze.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.I watched lecture 25 on the Berkeley biology course about: how to isolate and use Genes.
I went for my evening walk; took a picture of a Horney Toad on the trail.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I read a chapter of “Grand Design”.
I went for a night run, and played guitar.
Saturday 02- the temps got to 106.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I called up family and friends.
I cleaned here and there getting the dust off the shelves. It gets very dusty being that I live next to a much traveled dirt road.
I continued cleaning up my little home.
Piper Cort called to invite me over to a party she is throwing for her daughter who is leaving for Australia. Joey, her boyfriend, asked her to tell me to bring my guitar. I got there at 7:30PM with two guitars. Piper is a fantastic cook and there were all kinds of this and that to eat. After yapping and eating for an hour, me and Joey went into the back room where he had set up a set of drums. We started playing but needed a drummer. Joey asked Piper to get someone in here to drum. Robert was elected and we played for three hours. Damn crazy we were and my fingers were, and still are, very sore. I left there a little after midnight.
At 1:30 I went outside and got everything setup for the Partial Lunar Eclipse that would be starting in about half an hour. I had every camera I own sitting on the table ready to shoot the Moon! About 2am it started and I was clicking away, trying different settings on different cameras, to get a good shot of the Moon. At 4:03AM it was at as eclipsed as it was going to get. That’s when my neighbor’s rooster started crowing- stupid rooster. I stayed out a little longer and then started putting everything away. I didn’t get to bed until way after 5AM.Monday 04- a little hot but not bad. A nice breeze came with the setting Sun.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I continued the cleaning of the dirty dusty house.
FedEx delivered a leather cover for my Mead Composition book. I’m going to start carrying it in my backpack so I’ll always have something to write on.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I watched lecture 26 on the Berkeley biology course about: Genetic regulation of development.
UPS delivered 2Gigs of memory I ordered for my Toshiba Satellite laptop. I installed that and used the old memory1Gig in another Toshiba laptop I have.
I went for my evening walk.
I read a chapter of “Grand Design”.
I watched lecture 26 on the Berkeley biology course about: Genetic regulation of development.
I went for a night run. I would have played my guitar but “I got blisters on my fingers” (not really, but they do hurt. The phrase comes from the lyrics of an old Beatles song)…
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
USP delivered Linda’s truck registration that I need to take to DMV on Friday.
I called the Honda dealer up to tell them my little scooter won’t start and I want them to fix it. After I explained the problem the service guy said that it sounds like bad gas and Honda wouldn’t cover it under warranty and I’d have to pay. My heart rate and blood pressure went up but I kept control. I told him that the scooter I purchased on April 17 only has 85 miles on it and that I hadn’t put any gas in it and is still running on the gas they at the shop put in when I bought it. Well, he went on to say that I didn’t run it enough and other hogwash to make it seem like it was my fault. Finally he said he’d check in with Honda about it and call me back.
The Transit of Venus started at 3pm and I went to Kelly’s house to watch it. Yes and Venus is 60 some million miles from the Sun and 30 million something miles from us on Earth! We live on a wee teeny tiny little speck of dust; the flotsam and jetsam which obit the huge Sun. We got a few picture of the transit with my camera. We quickly went down to Staters Bros. and got some hamburger meat. We got back and continued to view the transit and take pics until sunset. Then we watched it on NASA TV using my iPad. I had to make a special run back to Staters because the butcher put way too much seasoning in the hamburger meat which made it unfit to eat. Kelly made some mighty fine cheeseburgers!
Wednesday 06- a little warmer but still nice.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, and punched the heavy bag.
Well the Honda service guy called me back and told me the same old story he told me yesterday that Honda would only cover it if it was a bad part. I asked him if he bought a new car and it died and wouldn’t start and was told he had to pay to get it fixed, how he would feel. He said he’d be upset that the gas in California was so dirty. He said to bring it down, but didn’t say if I’d be charged. Later I called and got a hold of the sales guy who sold me my little scooter and he asked me to try draining the carb and putting new gas in the tank and give it another try before I bring it in; he said that they would work with me on getting it fixed. I mean, only 85 miles on the scooter and not even two months old and they’re going to “work with me on it”, give me a break! I’ll try what he said tomorrow and see what happens. I do love my little scooter.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I decided to help Kelly get her operation that will relieve the pain in her spine. The medical office has been giving her the run around denying her access to her doctor and the operation. Beware there’s Greedy Evil people out there! But we knew that already, didn’t we…
Thursday 07- the weather is warming up.
I did my stretches. My hip is acting up so I’m going to lay off it for a spell.
I called Kelly’s doctor’s office and got that all squared away so she can go ahead and get her operation.
I worked on the Honda scooter, draining the float bowl and mixing new gas with what little was left of the bad gas they put in. I finally got it started and drove it around. Then I parked and left it for to idle for a long spell and run the good gas through. Little did I know that when it idles it doesn’t charge the battery, in fact it discharges it! I found that out when I turned it off and tried the electric start. Good thing is it has a kick start!
I drove the scooter over to a neighbor’s house to check to see if he was doing okay. He was in an argumentative mood, said some mean things to me, so I left… abruptly.
I tried to put argumentive in the sentence above, but MS Word, Google Search, and most dictionaries say there’s no such word. Well who are they to tell me there ain’t no such word! I’ll give the Grammar Nazis a crumb or two to feast on in their slimy little damp shadowy dungeon where they wither away at unspeakable doggerel. He was in an argumentive mood. So there! I guess I’m being argumentive about argumentative, but I feel better :)
I rode my little scooter to the mailbox and back home; 12 miles round trip.
Friday 08- I didn’t notice the weather I was so busy.
I did my stretches.
Kelly and I went to the post office to pick up her packages. We went to the military surplus store across the way and found it too expensive. Then onto the DMV where I took care of Linda’s registration for her truck in Texas and Kelly took care of her business and her handicap placard renewed. Then shopping at the Dollar Store, Staters Bros, and ate the chicken we bought at Staters in Burger King with their Kung Pow Sauce, French fries and drank a gallon of Coke between us.
Saturday 09- it was kinda warmer than yesterday somewhere around 103 degrees. The wind came up late evening.
I did my stretches; I’m laying off the running for a short spell until the pain in my right hip goes away. I think it’s from an old skydiving injury from the 70s.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I watered all the plants and then tinkered around the house all day doing this and fixing that.
I rode the little scooter to the mailbox and back around 9:30PM, about the same time the winds started howling. I made this special trip to mail Linda her new tags for her truck that I went to the DMV yesterday for.
Sunday 10- it was very nice outside with temps in the low 90s.
I did my stretches and went for a short walk.
Still cleaning the house. I decided to move all my astronomy books from my desk area in the front room, onto the shelves in my bedroom so they will be in handy reach.
I ran updates and installed MS Works on my friend’s iMac.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I read a chapter of “Grand Design”.
Monday 11- kinda hot but not by much…
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I’m still cleaning!
I went to the Neighborhood Watch and also the Board Meeting. At the Neighborhood Watch meeting they were trying to come up with how many members it takes to make a quorum to conduct business. They started out with 51 percent of those on the member’s list. Everyone was for it and they rushed to vote when I stopped them and basically said once you pass this we might as well go home because we don’t have 51 percent here and thus no quorum; we all settled on 7 members present with two of those being an officer. The Board meeting was just a bunch of yammering except when a few folks came up who wanted to use our facilities for their business: one wanted to lease the old fire station for an art studio, another wanted to use the kitchen to prepare vegan food once a week to ship out to clients, and the last was for a community garden. Ray did a very good job pointing out to them that they need some kind of plan to present to the board before the board can act. Earl Wilbert was at the meeting and I was glad to see him in good spirits, a little hard of hearing, but in good health.
Tuesday 12- it got up to around 110 degrees today.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and lifted weights.
I ordered an Apple iBook G3 Clamshell laptop made in 1999. I always wanted one but couldn’t afford the $1400 it cost back then. I found one on eBay for $99 in good shape so I bought it! I watched it being shipped by USPS and it started its long journey from Stockton:
STOCKTON, CA 95204 June 04, 2012, 7:58 pm
BELL GARDENS, CA 90201 June 05, 2012, 10:30 am
CINCINNATI, OH 45235 June 08, 2012, 6:50 am
DES MOINES, IA 50395 June 08, 2012, 10:32 pm
BELL GARDENS, CA 90201 June 11, 2012, 4:47 am
Notice Left TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA 9227 June 12, 2012, 8:12 am
What a cross country ride this little laptop had via the USPS!
I washed the Cougar getting her ready for tomorrows drive to take Kelly to her Doctor’s appointment.
Been catching up on my reading of http://hikeforheart.blogspot.com This 59 year old woman is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail- Her trail name is Heart- I think this is incredible and have been following her story on her blog since April. I've read it all from the beginning where she started from the Mexican Border to where she is now in Mammoth. She's been chased by bees, encounters with a bear, fell a few times and got a black eye, been scared, tired, and just plum weary, but she continues on. She has made a bunch of trail friends along the way, too! We should all be so brave.
Wednesday 13- kinda warm around 109.
With only 3 hours of sleep, I got up at the ungodly hour of 7:45AM to take Kelly to her 10:30AM appointment in Desert Wells. I picked her up at 9AM, which would give us plenty of time to get there if we didn’t get lost, but we did. We followed Google Maps, but I made a few mistakes too with the streets in Palm Springs and ended up lost and 30 miles from our destination. Kelly called to tell them we’d be late and also got the right directions. We were only 30 minutes late, but the Doc understood. Kelly was in there for an hour and we were on our way back to home when we got lost again; I dislike navigating the labyrinth of roads in Palm Springs with their small teeny tiny lettered street signs. We got to Yucca and WalMart to do some shopping. We went to Jack in the Box to have lunch and fill out Father’s Day cards. I didn’t get home till a little after 5PM.
Terry called and then came by to pick up a mail key I have of Linda’s. He misplaced the one he had. Then we sat outside for a long spell and jawed under the darkening skies about astronomy.
Thursday 14- hot…
I did my stretches.
I took Kelly for her eye exam where I got into an argument with this guy. Someone had brought up a forest fire that happened some years ago. I made an innocent comment about it; he interrupted me and yelled for me to shut the f*** up. Nobody tells me to shut up. I asked him why and he wouldn’t tell me, and then it escalated from there. Seems like the old woman he brought there to get her glasses cries every time the fire is mentioned. Now I can understand that but the rude and mean manner in which this guy went on to tell me was uncalled for and I stood my ground. He finally backed off and they left. I hope he resolves his anger issues before he or someone gets hurt.
We went to the post office where I picked up my Apple iBook Clamshell laptop and a SSD memory upgrade for the Dell Mini 9. Then we went on to Rite Aid, Burger King, and Staters Bros. I got a flat while leaving Kelly’s house and but the spare tire on and drove it home; I fix the flat tomorrow.
I was all excited to have the Clamshell and just couldn’t wait to plug it in and fire her up and spend the rest of the evening messing around on it. I put it on the table, plugged it in and…NOTHING, not working, DOA. I contacted the seller after doing a few different fixes at Apple Support. He will give me a full refund.
Friday 15- hot…
I did my stretches, core trainer, and lifted weights.
I’ve been burned out because of all the driving and shopping and this and that and other stuff I decided to chill out today. I just upgraded My Dell Mini 9 with the new SSD drive and loaded Win XP onto it.
Saturday 16- hot but not to bad.
I did my stretches.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the newsletter.
I put another plug in the tire next to the one I did yesterday in hopes of stemming the escape of air.
I worked on the Honda generator getting it cleaned out and running correctly; still needs a little more done to her.
I moseyed on down to the Community Center where we were having a Community Garden Get-together. A group of us got together to figure out where and how we want to set up our Community Garden and have a written plan to present to the board. I stayed for an hour or so until the discussion lost focus and went from planning to everything else under the Sun. I tried to switch it back earlier a few times but felt I was being pushy and just let them be and left.
I think I’ll watch a movie tonight and forget about things for a while.
Sunday 17- dang hot out there at 111 degrees.
I did my stretches.
I put another plug in the tire and mounted it on the Cougar. I’ll probably take it down to get it patched or buy a new one.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I read three chapters of “Grand Design” and finished the book. Great book- tries to explain the path that science has taken and the methods used in understanding how we got here and why is it that we live in a universe on a planet where life can flourish. The Weak Anthropic Principle and Multi-universes are discussed along with questions he asked at the beginning of the book: Why is there something rather than nothing?
Why do we exist?
Why this particular set of laws and not some other?
Feynman diagrams are explained and I think I understand them now :)
Monday 18- cooler with temps in the low 100s but with a whole lot of wind.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I watered all the thirsty plants outside- they were calling to me “water us, please water us.”
Chris Jonas dropped me off a bag of groceries from the USDA food distribution.
I went to post office to send the DOA Apple iBook G3 Clamshell back to whence it came.
I noticed that the tire wasn’t holding air all that good, so I went to Gary’s Tires and had them patch it. They sell birdseed there and I bought 25lb bag for $9 and paid $15 for the patch.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I watched “Sphere” (1998). I saw it before and had to see it again.
Tuesday 19- very windy but not as it was yesterday- temps into the low 100s.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I got back to cleaning the insides of my little home- it not dirty, just disorganized.
I started pre-reading “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. I can’t find my “Princess of Mars’ book, but it’s here, somewhere.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I worked on the carport, extending the roof out some.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I went for my evening walk with my old back pack I was going to throw away, carrying one brick inside. It’ll carry two tomorrow.
I read chapter 1 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I did my stretches and went for a night run. I then sat outside for the better part of an hour doing a little stargazing. My favorite, Cygnus, is up in the east now!
I practiced my guitar for a spell, and then watched lecture 27 on the Berkeley biology course about: Cell and tissue specialization.
Thursday 22- another hot day.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I mostly worked on the carport. It seems to be coming along nicely except for some of the longer 16’ 2x4s are warped and are a pain trying to straighten them enough to hammer down.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I went for my evening walk carrying the backpack with two bricks.
I waited till almost sundown to go down to Lear Ave to collect my and Kelly’s mail. We sat outside her house for a long spell looking at the stars.
I did my stretches and went for a night run. I got back and relaxed outside with my binoculars.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I continued to work on the carport and was able to complete the frame and hammered down the 8’x4’ plywood sheets for the roof.
I read half a chapter (long chapter) of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I went for my evening walk carrying the backpack with two bricks.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I heard noses at the cabin across the way and went to check- it was Mark out for the weekend.
I watched lecture 28 on the Berkeley biology course about: Homeostasis- Digestion and nutrition.
I did my stretches and went for a night run. Very clear night and there is just a crescent Moon peeking out so I sat outside for a spell.
I practiced on the guitar some.
I’m really tired…
Saturday 23- temps into low 100s with a little breeze.
I did a quick; stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and lifted weights.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I did some building of the roof in the front section. I must have spent four hours or more in the heat, but with a few trips inside to cool off and drink lots of water. I would have continued working but the tools, nails, wood, and other inanimate entities turned on me and I thought it best I stopped before I gotten hurt.
I’m still reading chapter 2 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. Its slow going because it’s a rehash of stuff I already know mixed in with a few I didn’t know.
I went for my evening walk carrying the backpack with two bricks.
I read a few chapters (I kinda gotten carried away and forget how many) of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
Sunday 24- a little hot but nice.
I did my stretches.
I called family and friends; most were either gone or have caller ID.
I picked up Kelly at 5PM and we went to Rite Aid, then on to Stater Bros to do a little shopping and get some chicken to take over to Burger King to eat; we like their Kung Pow sauce on the chicken.
With our bellies full, we went to the Twentynine Palms Drive-in Theater to see “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” (2012) and “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012). We got there late and had to search for a good place. Once we settled on a spot and backed in, we took out our folding chairs, turned up the car radio set to the Drive-in’s frequency, and kicked back to watch the movies. I thought both movies were pretty good. One line out of the Pirate movie caught both me and Kelly’s notice “it's only impossible if you stop and think about it.” Both of us thought that was rather clever. I didn’t get home till a little after 1AM.
Monday 25- temps around 100 degrees with a light wind.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I’ve made a resolution not to turn on my computer until I get some of my studies done, so I continued where I left off three months ago by doing the “1100 words you need to know workbook” and I drew something.
I’m still reading chapter 2 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. Now we’re getting into Bosons and Fermions and their spin, also String Theory which interests me.
Release Year:2000. Processor Speed: 466 MHZ--GRAPHITE SE EDITION-M6411. Memory: 576 MB. Hard Drive Capacity:10GB. Screen Size:12.1"
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.11, Tiger Weight:6.62 lb.
AIRPORT WI-FI BUILT IN: EXCELLENT CONDITION. HAS ALL ORIGINAL BOOKS & DISCS: MICROSOFT OFFICE 2008
I played around with her for a spell and got all her software updated.
I went for my evening walk with the two bricks in my backpack.
I watched lecture 29 on the Berkeley biology course about: Homeostasis- Circulation.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I did my stretches and went for a night run. The Moon is starting to linger a little more. In the next few days it’ll be up longer and be brighter and washing out the stars.
Tuesday 26- nice day- highs around 105 degrees.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, I also drew something.
I watched lecture 30 on the Berkeley biology course about: Homeostasis: Respiration.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
I went for my evening walk with the two bricks in my backpack.
I finally finished chapter 2 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. There was a lot of information for me to digest, so I took my time doing it.
I went for a night run.
Wednesday 27- temps a little above 105 degrees and no wind.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something.
I watched lecture 31 on the Berkeley biology course about: Homeostasis: immune system.
I went outside and worked on the roof putting the last piece of plywood on the northwest section.
I started reading chapter 3 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I went for my evening walk with the backpack and two bricks.
I read a bit in “The Practical Entomologist”.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
I played the guitar for a spell.
Thursday 28- temps about the same as yesterday.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something.
I watched lecture 32 on the Berkeley biology course about: Homeostasis: Osmoregulation.
I went for my evening walk with the backpack and two bricks.
I’m still reading chapter 3 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I rode the little scooter to my mail boxes on Border and on Lear Ave; an 18 mile round trip.
I finished reading Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”, a darn good read I must say!
I pre-read “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”. It seems like it will help me with my studies.
I read a section on Keeping a Field Notebook in “The Practical Entomologist”.
Friday 29- highs to 101, and lows down to 70 degrees.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something; a watch.
I watched lecture 33 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Hormones and Chemical Communication.
I finished reading chapter 3 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I went for my evening walk with the two bricks in my backpack and I am sure glad it is Friday so I can stop doing this and rest my weary body.
I started reading chapter 1 of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.
I read a section on in “The Practical Entomologist”, about: Dragonflies and Damselflies order of Odonata.
I read part of chapter 1 of “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”, about: the Cell.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
I treated myself and spent most of the rest of tonight chatting with old friends on Facebook and posting a few items I thought were neat. I have cut down on my time here by going on late at night when no one’s there and give my newsfeeds a quick once over to see if anyone posted something original or funny- I like cat pictures with funny sayings, and family photos. I also peruse for something inspirational that I can think about, reply to, and possibly use my comments for later. I don’t like the political stuff. I keep my political views mostly to myself; I’ll let my views be known to the ballot when I vote. I can’t be bothered by someone’s ‘carpetbagging’ on Facebook. I have silenced a friend and a family member who have gotten carried away or fanatical about some candidate, issue, or other; at least until the elections are over- I can do that!
I did my stretches and core trainer.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out Newsletter.
I cooked up some rice with taco mix and a can of chili beans to take to potluck.
Roger emailed me yesterday saying the battery died on the Stoneymobile, so I drove there in the Gross Polluter and gave it a jump, then drove it around some to charge the battery; got my and Kelly’s mail while I was about. Since I was there, I did my laundry and checked to make sure things were safe and sound.
I took the Gross Polluter to potluck where pert near 25 famished desert folk waited to Gobble and Go. That’s what I might call it for now on instead of potluck; Gobble and Go, because everyone gobbled down the grub and left! I think it would be fun to try some kinda entertainment, but then again it’s entertaining to watch everyone pig out and make messes of themselves; me included.
I spent the rest of the night digesting the food from potluck and working on my journal.
Goodbye to June, you been a wonderful and exciting month!
