July 2012

Welcome to the Month of July- highs to 101, and lows down to 70 degrees.
I did my stretches.
I took a broom and then mopped all the floors in my little home with Pine-Sol.
I checked and filled my batteries that run all the electric in the house.
My friend Kula called asking for help with her laptop that’s been acting up. We tried the easy stuff first: checked for lent in fan, reseating the RAM, clean disk, disk defrag, and lastly a check disk which ran for hours. I told her to let it run and call me in the morning if the laptop still wasn’t working properly. It sounds to me like either- corrupt files on the disk- a failing hard drive- or a bad power supply. Hopefully it runs okay tomorrow; if not I’ll walk her through a fresh install to see if it’s just corrupt files, or the hard drive.


July 02- highs around 100, with lows down to 72 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.
What we tried yesterday to fix Kula’s laptop didn’t work, so I spent over an hour on the phone walking Kula through the steps to restore her laptop back to factory settings.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a mountain with a waterfall.
I went to the post office in Twentynine Palms to pick up two packages.
I went for my evening walk with two bricks in my backpack.
I watched lecture 34 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Sex and reproduction.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.
I began reading chapter 4 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I read a section on in “The Practical Entomologist” About: Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets- Order of Orthoptera. You can time the chirping of crickets to get the temperature by counting the number of chirps in 14seconds and add 40 to count.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.


July 03- temps into the 90s.
I did my stretches- my hip is hurting again and will lay off riding the bike up the hill because I believe that is what’s weakening the muscle there. I seem to have no problem running and walking, but I’ll lay off those too for a spell, too.
I took Kelly to post office to get her packages, Rite Aid to get prescriptions filled, and then to Staters Bros shopping for our 4th of July barbecue. We had dinner at Burger King,
I watched a movie on Netflix called “K-19: The Widowmaker” (2002). About the Soviet Union’s first nuclear sub launched in 1961and all the trouble it got into with bad construction, a rush to get it into action off the coast of the USA, the mentality of the political officers and bureaucracy of the times.
I stayed up late (until 3:30AM) to watch announcements from Cern about the finding of the Higgs Boson.
It started raining around 2AM. I could smell the creosote bushes; they have such a wonderful fragrance when they get wet. It did cross my mind that it might rain earlier in the day: the front door was hard to open and shut, there was a haze in the western sky all day, but I paid it little thought.


Independents Day! - it was overcast and breezy most of the day with temps never reaching 90 degrees.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag. I’m still staying off my legs as much as I can.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: Palm trees.
At around 5PM I dropped by Stoney’s to visit with his Daughter Judy and her daughter Jody, but they were not there. So I went on over to my friend Kelly’s to have a barbecue with her. I played around with getting my old barbecue going, which hasn’t been used since 98, while Kelly cooked up the corn and potatoes and anything else we needed for our meal. I put the two ribeye steaks on and the wonderful smell of them sizzling on the charcoal grill filled the air. Kelly brought out the plates along with chives and sour cream for the potatoes. I fished the steaks out from the grill and we proceeded to scarf away at the fest in front of us. The steaks were a little bit overdone, but seeing it was ribeye and tender and I haven’t barbecued in boocoo years, Kelly gracefully let it slide. After dinner we took two of her dogs, Stitch and Lilly, for a walk.
Last year we were told by the local radio station Z1077 there wouldn’t be any fireworks at the base, but Kelly could see them from her front yard and called me but it was too late to go. I don’t listen to Z1077 anymore; they spoiled my 4th last year and play weird songs anyways.
This year we just drove down to the Marine base to watch the fireworks. We passed folks along the way who had already had their cars parked off to the side of the road at the end of Pole Line in front of the parade grounds at the base where they been firing them off for years. We found a nice spot down a side road where Stoney and I used to watch them- little did Kelly and I know that they had moved the fireworks a few miles away from where it was originally at the parade ground. We could still see them from where we setup camp and just turned our chairs around to watch. It wasn’t as spectacular, but we saw them. After sitting and relaxing for a long spell, we drove back to Kelly’s where we sat out front and had pineapple upside down cake and tea. She was looking at the bugs on her wall that were attracted by the outside light and said she found a Dragonfly. I looked at it and its wings were held against its body and told her it was a Damselfly, as Dragonflies rest with their wings spread to their sides. So I guess reading that Entomologist book is paying off. What a wonderful evening!


July 05- clouds here and there but mostly sunny with temps in the mid 90s and tonight around 72 degrees.
I stayed up last night until almost 4AM, and slept in until 12:20PM.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a short walk.
I just kinda kicked back today surfing the web.
I watched “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011) So much action you can’t get bored.


July 06- temps got into the low 100s with 72 degrees tonight.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and went for a short walk.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: A house and a face.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I watched lecture 35 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Nerve cells and excitability.
I got a call from Stoney’s daughter Judy to come over to help them setup the digital converter for the TV. I guess our area is finally changing over to all digital this week and getting rid of UHF. I got it all set up for them and stayed for a spell and jawed about old times and watched some show called “Undercover Boss” where the CEO of a company secretly becomes a worker. It was actually pretty good.
I’m still reading chapter 4 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. It’s mostly about black holes and the curvature of spacetime.
I read a section on in “The Practical Entomologist” about: The true bugs order Hemiptera.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.
I finished chapter 1 of “Molecular & Cell Biology for Dummies” about: Exploring the world of the cell, very basic to me now :)

Saturday 07- temps climbed to 110 with clear skies and a low tonight of 75 degrees.
I did my stretches and took a walk over to my neighbor Mark, who was on the roof with a friend hammering on the shingles. They took a break and we jawed for a short spell. Before I left Mark gave me this large donut from the Donut Man store, which I devoured once I gotten home.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something; a funny alien.
I watched lecture 36 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Muscle cells and motility.
I finished reading chapter 4 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. This chapter was able to clarify an idea I had about Hawking Radiation and virtual particles. I thought that as the virtual particles split up and one went into the event horizon and the other went into normal space we would still be able to know the spin of the one in the black hole by knowing the spin of the one in normal space through Entanglement. Thus we could get information from inside a black hole. I came up with this a few years ago after reading a book on the entanglement. Well I was on the right track, but Hawking says we need to “predict the spin and wave function of the one outgoing particle, which we could do if we could observe the particle that has fallen in”, but we can’t do that because it is inside the black hole. It was pretty cool coming up with this idea and getting this far on my own, even if it didn’t work out at the end.
I watched lecture 37 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Nervous system.
I just got an AstroAlert from Sky & Telescope that there is a Nova in Sagittarius! They said it was “roughly between the "lid" and "spout" of the Teapot stars, at right ascension 18h 20.5m, declination -27° 44'… Of course I went outside to check it out with my new binoculars and I believe I saw it in the dust lanes, but I won’t know for sure until I see some photographs.
I watched lecture 38 on the Berkeley biology course about: Integration: Special senses. This was the last lecture on new material and there are two review lectures left to watch.

Sunday 08- temps over 110, no breeze…
I did my stretches and went for a short walk around my property.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a damselfly.
I watched lectures 39 and 40 on the Berkeley biology course about: Review 1 and 2. I am all do with this biology class and hope that my pea brain absorbed a bit of it.
I started reading chapter 5 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.

Monday 09- 110 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 watered all the plants outside.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something:
I continued reading chapter 5 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.
I rode the scooter down to collect my mail.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.

Tuesday 10- very hot! It was 95 degrees at 7AM in the dang morning!
I did my stretches and that is all.
I picked Kelly up at her house at 1PM and we went to town to do some shopping in the cool innards of Home Depot and WalMart. We also got gas, visited the post office, and made a short stop at Stater Bros that turned into a longer than expected. I got home at 10:30PM after dinning on chicken hindquarters and potato wedges at Kelly’s.

Wednesday 11- hot and muggy with temps of 112…
I did my stretches and nothing else. On theses kinda days you don’t do anything too strenuous; actually I didn’t do anything except mess with FaceBook and a few other websites.
Frank called to have me check his water meter to see if he has a leak. Around sundown I rode the scooter to collect my mail on Lear Ave and also checked Frank’s meter- it was leaking.

Thursday 12- cloudy all day with temps into the high 90s. It rained last night for two short periods at 11PM and 3AM.
I did my stretches, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran a mile.
I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: motorcycle with two people on it.
It had cooled down enough to do a little bit of work around the yard.
I read five chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Gods of Mars”.
Kelly called to tell me it started raining with lightning and thunder.

Friday 13- I woke up 5am sooo sick to my stomach that I was afraid I might just pass on over to the Promised Land before I could cleanup any unflattering computer files (just kidding). I lay in pain for many hours with the cold sweats and this muggy weather making my condition worse. Finally it settled down some around 1PM. Still I was dizzy and weak when I stand up... bad food? You think I ate too many cupcakes? I went online and checked some websites out giving my symptoms, and they all came back with Gallbladder attack. I ate too dang much greasy foods and my body came a knocking letting me know I was doing it wrong. I need to get some beet juice! They said it helps...
I stayed in bed most of the day finishing “The Gods of War” and started reading “The Warlord of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I enjoy reading them and believe that if the books were just released today they’d be a big hit.
It rained during the day here and there. I went outside around 10PM with my flashlight to check things out. The air was very clean and fresh, and the big creosote in my front yard looked mighty tall as my light beam fell upon the upper branches; this made me feel quite happy to be alive after today’s malady.

Saturday 14- a very nice day with the temps in the low 90s.
I’m feeling much better today and did my stretches, core trainer, 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: an old Spanish Galleon.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I went for my evening walk with one brick in my backpack.
I got a new book in the mail on Thursday called “Organic Chemistry 1” by David R. Klein. I bought this book because all of the molecular biology books and lectures show these Bond-Line drawings that I know nothing about… now I know a little after going through the first chapter; you don’t have to draw the carbon or the hydrogen atom. A carbon atom can have only four bonds; these are connected to either other carbon atom, hydrogen or another type of atom. You see these zigzagging lines and can figure out how many carbon and hydrogen are there. I’m having a little trouble understanding double and triple bonds; the book, I found out, is a supplement to classroom textbooks on the subject- so I’m at a disadvantage here trying to fill in the gaps.
I read several chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.
I went for a night run.

Sunday 15- nice day with temps in the high 80s.

I’ve decided that I'm turning off the computer and the phone. I just need to get caught up with stuff and not communicating with certain people right now...social networking like FaceBook and others, also emails and people calling have taken too much of my time. I will check from time to time if there are any important messages that I need to reply to or call.

I have a myriad of projects I need to complete and out of the way. I have two books I wrote and which need to be edited- I have two other books started that need to be finished.

I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells, and went for a mile run.

I did four lessons in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a house.

I called and talked to family and friends. Dang Mac kept me on the phone jawing for 90minutes.

I went for my evening walk carrying a five pound weight which will be easier on the backpack then bricks. I might look into setting up my hiking and camping backpack which is much larger, and get used to carrying that.

Throughout the day I read a bunch of chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.

I went for a night run.

Monday 16- another nice and cool day!

I did my stretches, core trainer, 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 read part of chapter 6 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking. About: Time travel- how it is/isn’t possible.

I read 2 chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.

I went for my evening walk with the backpack with a five pound weight. I noticed throughout this year there hasn’t been many flowers- even the Sahara Mustard plant didn’t sprout- and there hasn’t been any of the big black ants either. Well yesterday and today I’ve noticed them starting to dig holes here and there; where at this time of year there would be large mounds. Also on my walks I photographed Gulls that are fungi on the creosote bush deposited by insects that lay their eggs there. If you look closely at the photo you can see the ribbed larvae poking their heads out. 

I got caught up with my astronomy reading.

I studied chapter 2 “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”.

I read a section on in “The Practical Entomologist”. About: Aphids, Cicadas, and Hoppers- order of homoptera.

Tuesday 17- another fine and glorious day.

I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells and went for a mile and a half run.

I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something:

I studied “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”

I finished chapter 6 of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.

At 1PM I picked Kelly up and we drove to the post office, got gas, Rite Aid, Stater Bros. and lunch at Burger King; their fish sandwich was mighty good! Kelly got her new glasses today in the mail, so we sat outside her house looking at things far away and jawing about this and that. I got home around 6PM.

I went for my evening walk carrying a five pound weight in my backpack.

I read a few chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.

I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a night run.

I did a little stargazing- M13 in Hercules, and a few other globular clusters around the teapot.

I practiced my guitar.

Wednesday 18- a lovely day.

I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.

I did three lessons in Beginning Latin book and another three in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: monsters.

I’m still studying chapter 1 of “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”

I started reading the last chapter of “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.

I heard that beets are good for your gallbladder, so yesterday I bought some. I got out my juicer that has been in storage for nine years which the packrats got to and I had to use bleach to clean and wash it all up. Then I cut up all the beets and other vegetables and was happily feeding them down the hole that shreds them when I noticed red juice flowing around the juicer. It turns out that the plastic container in the front, that I thought collected the juice, only collected the pulverize remains of what I fed in. After some investigating, I found a sprout in the back where the juice comes out and goes into a cup that I was supposed to put there, oh well. So I sopped up the red liquid on the kitchen counter and continued. Little did I know that the spilled fluid was sucked up into the motor by a cooling fan on the bottom; another mess. I finally got everything cleaned up, even the walls, and sat down and drank the whole glass of beet juice down in two gulps. Was it worth it? I don’t know, but it tasted really good!

I got my old hiking backpack together and went for my evening walk. This backpack I bought at REI in 1996 just before coming up here. It has straps and compartments all over- it was made for long hikes.

I finished reading Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”. What a wonderful book, what a wonderful love story!

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I took out the big binoculars for a spell and drank in the night’s sky.

Thursday 19- it’s getting a little hotter but still nice.

I did my stretches, ran one and a half miles, and lifted dumbbells.

I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: 2 faces…

My friend Janet at The-Gadgeteer.com is sending me a JamUp Plug to hook my guitar up to my iPad so I can record my songs. I thought that was mighty nice of her and her husband Butch who plays a mean lead on his guitar.

I went for an evening walk with my backpack.

I finished reading “The Universe in a Nutshell” by Stephen Hawking.

Kelly finally received word that her operation is set for the end of the month.

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

It is 90 degrees and muggy outside, so I thought I’d better take the scooter down to my mailbox on Border Ave and collect my mail. It was a nice refreshing ride!

Friday 20- getting hot and muggy.

I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.

While I was doing my exercises I saw an owl taking a dip in the cement pond. I came upon the owl unexpectedly and we were both surprised but he stayed there as I backed away. I ran into the house to grab my camera and was back in a flash, but he had already flown over behind the palm tree. I didn’t want to disturb it anymore than I had to, so I took some pictures from a distance; the pics didn’t come out so good…

I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: more faces…

I studied “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”, about: mitochondria.

I went for an evening walk with my backpack.

My friend Judy found out that I am studying Latin and is sending me a book called "Latin Quips at your Fingertips", I think that is really sweet of her! 

I started reading a new book by Edgar Rice Burroughs called “Thuvia, Maid of Mars”.

I went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I sat outside for an hour or so looking at M31, and then the garnet star and the Cepheid variable star in the constellation Cepheus. 

Saturday 21- temps over 110…

I did my stretches, ran one and a half miles, and lifted dumbbells.

I did a lesson in Beginning Latin book and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: more faces…

I studied “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”

I went for my evening walk with my backpack.

I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I spent the rest of the night looking at navigation apps for my Android tablets.

Sunday 22- temps around 110 or so…

I did my stretches and went for a short walk.

I did a bunch of lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”; I’m 9 weeks behind from where I should be. It’s almost too hot to concentrate on anything…

Dana, my neighbor across the way and over about a half a mile, dropped by to say hi and also to ask what all the flashing lights were last night around 9PM somewhere in the proximity by my house.. I told him I didn’t know and they weren’t flashing at 10:30 when I went for my night run; another dang mystery. He saw the construction I did on the carport so I gave him a tour. I was showing him my Cougar when he noticed that the back tire was flat. Well the darn path didn’t hold and I spent the next hour putting the spare tire on and checking for the leak. He asked to see the Harley too, so I fired it up for him; he hasn’t been over in quite a while.

I called folks on the phone to yap at them and they yammered back.

I spent as little time today and yesterday as I could on FaceBook and my email inbox. I need to focus on getting my stuff done, but I still need to communicate with the outside world. Monday I’ll stay off FaceBook till the weekend. I’m still leaving my ringer off, so if folks call they can leave a message if they want me to call back.

I went for a short walk this evening, and also went for a short walk around 10PM… It’s my easy day!

Monday 23- hot but with a little breeze.

I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.

I went to WalMart to get a new tire for the Cougar.

I did flashcards in Beginning Latin and another two lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”.

I went for my evening walk with my backpack.

I started studying chapter 3; “Viruses”, in “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”.

I got caught up with my astronomy book.

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “The Warlord of Mars”.

I stayed up chatting with Kelly until after 4AM…

Tuesday 24- not too hot.

I did my stretches, yoga, ran one and a half miles, and lifted dumbbells.

I put the new tire on the Cougar.

I two lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a dog and some faces.

I went for my evening walk with my backpack.

I played around on FaceBook for a long spell which is a no no.

I watched Season 4: Ep. 1 “Warehouse 13 - A New Hope”

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I actually did a little editing on my first book.

Wednesday 25- A cool 104 degrees.

I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.

UPS delivered “Latin Quips” that Judy sent me so I started reading that and four lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a girl with a hand puppet who is a hand puppet herself.

I went for my evening walk with my backpack.

I studied more of chapter 3 “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

Thursday 26- around 105 with a breeze.

I did my stretches, yoga, ran one and a half miles, and lifted dumbbells.

I did three lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a dog.

I went for my evening walk with the backpack.

I’ve made the decision to spend most of my time editing my two books and get them on Amazon as soon as I can. I also have two other books I need to complete. I have a couple of kind friends who want to help proofread, and anyone who contributes proofing will have their name on the acknowledgement page. Not that it will be an overnight success; I’m not that starry-eyed. I just want to get them done, out of the way, and move on to other things of interest.

I worked around in the yard and watered the plants real good.

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

Friday 27- got up to 110 today.

I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.

I did two lessons in “1100 words you need to know workbook”.

I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.

I went for my evening walk and put 20 pounds of weights in the bag which felt like a small but heavy child clinging to my back. I even had trouble getting it on. I figured that I was carrying about 25 pounds or so altogether. Half way through my walk my head felt like it was going to pop and the weight of the straps was cutting into my shoulders. Something was wrong. I got back I looked at the temp and it was 110 degrees, but I’m used to that. What it turned out to be was the pack weighed 40 pounds! That’s way too much for me to carry right now starting off, if ever. When I do go hiking I only want to carry less than 25 pounds. This aluminum frame pack from the 1990s weighs too dang much by itself, so I’m going to purchase a new lighter 2 pound bag ultra light backpack.

I did a little editing on my book and I completed chapter 4.

I did my stretches, went for a night run, sit-ups, and lifted dumbbells.

I took some aspirin and called it a night.

Saturday 28- temps a bit over 110 degrees.

I did my stretches, yoga, ran one and a half miles, and lifted dumbbells.

I think I might have pulled a muscle or something on yesterdays walk. So just to be on the safe side I will stop exercising for a few days. Besides there are a few other things needing to be done around here that doesn’t require lifting.

I mostly worked editing my book. I got chapter five about done.

Kelly and I were going to go shopping and get her pills for her operation early next week, but she had some problems and we ended up not going. Yesterday I had emailed my friends telling them I wouldn’t be coming to potluck because I’d be helping a friend, but now it’s too late to go anyways.

I’ll probably spend the rest of the day/night editing or reading Edgar Rice Burroughs…

Sunday 29- temps around 105 or so…

I went for a short walk.

I took Kelly to pick up her prescription at Rite Aid and we ate lunch at Burger King. I noticed that my brakes were going low towards the floorboard, so I picked up a bottle of brake fluid; which I found was the wrong kind once I got home. So I had to make another trip into Twentynine and went to AutoZone this time, got the DOT4 brake fluid, filled up the brake reservoir, and drove home with fine working brakes.

I’ve been getting some edited chapters of my book from Carolyn, who has been kind enough to go through and read them. I take what she sends back and make the changes. So far she has done four chapters. I am up past chapter 11 and want to keep ahead of Carolyn so she gets only what I have already edited. While I was editing I’d take a break on FaceBook to see what everyone was up to.

Monday 30- temps into the upper 90s, with light cloud cover building to thick later in the evening.

I did stretches and went for a short walk.

Simi came by, he was searching for some electrical connections I happened to have. Then we sat for a spell yammering about hiking the mountains in the Sierras. 

I went for my evening walk, but a short one.

Tuesday 31- cloudy with rain storms.

I picked Kelly up at noon and drove her down to Palm Springs to get her operation done on her back. We got there at 1:30 for a 2pm appointment and waited till around 4:30 when they finally took her in. While we were waiting, she left the waiting room to watch the rain. When she didn’t come back for a short spell I went outside to investigate. I found her down stairs standing in the heavy rain that was pouring down outside. We ate dinner at this fantastic Deli. The waitress was great and so was the corned beef sandwich with all the fixin’ we ordered. Then for dessert we had this very rich piece of chocolate cake that was layered with cheese cake and chocolate mousse. I got home at around 10:30pm.

Goodbye to July, you been a wonderful month :)

June 2012

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.

Sunday 03- temps around 103.
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)…

Tuesday 05- very cool day outside and a bit windy after sundown.
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.

Wednesday 20- Today is the Longest Day; it’s Summer! The temps got to 111 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 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.

Friday 22- a little cooler in the low 100s and a bit of a 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 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.

UPS delivered my Apple iBook G3 Clamshell laptop! I am a happy man! I’ve wanted one for a very longtime. The first one I had to send back because it was DOA, so I held my breath when I plugged this one in and hit the start button. It fired right up, yay! Here are the specs:
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!

Saturday 30- the weather is the same as yesterday and the day before and the day…
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.

Mary and Chris Koval cooked up some skillet lasagna with party cakes and dinner rolls. Marie Morrison showed us all how it is done with her baked beans and ancient brownies surprise. Ruth Malton made her favorite jello bowl. Chris Jonas delivered us to the Promised Land with his fabulous macaroni salad. Cal Myers brought his magnificent fruit tray with whipped cream dip. Dorothy Jacobsen dazzled us all with her broccoli corn bread and fresh corn salad. Not to be out done, Dyan Carroll mystified us all with her seafood lasagna in one hand, a cauliflower with cheese sauce in the other, and when we thought she was all done, she pulled out a third hand holding large bowl of butterscotch pudding! Me and everyone there was quite impressed! Dang, three hands, who'da thunk!
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!

May 2012

Welcome to the month of May! - It was a fairly nice day, a little hazy, with a stiff breeze piping up in the early evening. I did my stretches and ran three miles. I went to Kelly’s and we buried her kitty that had died recently.

  Wednesday 02 – The weather was hotter than the last few days with not much of a breeze to cool things off. I got up early to pick Kelly up and take her down to the Department of Social Services so she could talk to the VA Rep and get her paper work straightened out. This time the Rep showed up and, there being a backlog of cases from the Rep not coming in last Wednesday, it took over three hours of waiting for Kelly to see her. While we waited, we went over across the street to get coffee at Santana’s Mexican restaurant, something we’ll never do again. First there was no sugar. We asked the cashier for sugar and he said there was none. I held out my receipt and asked for my money back. He miraculously found some under the counter. Then there wasn’t any cream. I asked him and he said he was out. I then again held out my receipt and he asked if milk would do. I said yes it would do. The coffee was lukewarm and tasted like it was watered down. We decided to settle for that and took the cups back with us instead of sitting in the restaurant. We went to Burger King and had a Whopper with fries, shopped at Stater Bros. and went home.

  Thursday 03- it’s another pleasant day. I did my stretches and ran three miles. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. I went over and checked on a friend’s property while they’re away for a spell.

 




Friday 04- it was windy last night but stopped by morning then the temps rose into the 90s. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I heard a horrible squealing coming from outside underneath the desert willow tree. I ran out to see what it was about. There stood a prairie dog watching its mate being eaten by a snake. The little prairie dog was intent on trying to help its mate and looked me square in the eyes pleading for help. I was too late on the scene, its mate little body already crushed by those mighty muscles of the snake's. The prairie dog stayed with its mate until the end, knowing there was nothing to be done. It's the way of the desert, but it still made me sad. Mac came by with his laptop that we messed around with and kept us occupied for several hours. 


Saturday 05- the day started off windy but settled down to a nice cool day into the mid 80s. I went for a morning walk. I checked on Kelly’s mail I visited Mac and we jawed for a spell. I went outside and walked up the hill with my camera about sunset. I took a bunch of pictures of the SuperMoon; the closest approach of the Moon to the Earth this year until June of next. 


Sunday 06- ditto. I went for a morning walk- called friends and family. 

Monday 07- it’s been kinda windy all day I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. Linda Sibo called to ask if I wouldn’t mind coming over to help Blake move her giant brain onto a platform. Stacy from the Hi-Desert Star was coming over to take pictures of the Brain and interview Linda. The Brain is an approximately four foot round by three feet high paper mache applied to chicken wire brain shaped object that must have weighed over fifty pounds. We had to lift it and seat it upon four foot high stilts; we figured it out after a few attempts. Stacy came and took a bunch of pics and I went home to rest my poor body after all that work… 


Tuesday 08- it’s still a bit windy which is keeping the heat down. I did my stretches and ran one and a half miles. I videoed me playing a song that I wrote called “I See Your Smile” and posted it on Youtube. I went to pick up Kelly’s mail on my scooter. 


Wednesday 09- very nice day! I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I picked Kelly up at 5:30pm and went to WalMart for what I thought was a fast go in and grab what we need and make a quick getaway- we didn’t get home until 11:30pm. We went to Staters Bros to get fried chicken and ate it at Del Taco where we discovered they had WIFI and played with our cell phone browsers. We finally got to her house and sat outside under the stars and yapped until we realized it was 2am!


Thursday 10- it’s getting hotter! I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. Friday 12- it’s nice and hot, but with a little breeze. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. 


Saturday 11- the temps are climbing to the high 90s. I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. Cleaning up the yard and cutting up old cardboard boxes were on my list to do today. 

Sunday 12- the temps have now surpassed the century mark at 105 degrees! I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. I visited my neighbor Mark for a short spell so he could get some work down before he has to leave. I jumped on the Harley and took it for a spin down to Joshua Tree and back, collecting my and Kelly’s mail along the way.



Monday 14- hot!
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I went to the Neighborhood Watch and Community board meetings.

 Tuesday 15- hot!
 I took Kelly to Palm Springs to see her doctor- went to Sizzler for lunch/dinner.
I stayed up until 5am for no other reason than I couldn’t sleep.

 Wednesday 16- hot!
I woke up really late in the day and didn’t do anything much.

 Thursday 17- hot and windy!
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
John Massey took me to Home Depot in his truck so I could pick up some lumber to build a few projects I’ve been planning.
I went for a night run.

 Friday 18- not too hot but really windy!
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I went for an evening walk. About time I got to doing this again.
 I went outside to do a little stargazing- Saturn is still in Virgo, Mars is still in Leo, and Venus is hanging lower in the western horizon. I saw three satellites cross the starry darkness. I also saw a globular cluster that might have been M3.
I'm watching the first commercial launch of SpaceX Falcon9/Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station... history being made :) ‎ Well dang, it didn't launch tonight: "Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days." - But it did something I've never seen, it had already fired main engines and then they shut them down at plus 10 seconds. They'll try again on the May 22nd.

Saturday 19- hot!
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I went for an evening walk.
I went for a night run.

 Sunday 20- the temps got into the double digits.
I went for a morning walk.
I called a few friends and family early in the day because I’ll be gone at 2pm to watch the eclipse.
 I arrived at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor’s Center in Twentynine Palms a little after 3PM. There were around twenty folks and a few Park Rangers setting up and preparing for the eclipse that wouldn’t begin until 5:24PM.

One Ranger was using a paper hole-punch to make viewing devices out of thin cardboard stock. The lady Ranger told me she had 200 special eyeglasses for viewing the eclipse and she was hoping it would be enough for those who came to the event.
Two Astronomy volunteers were in the last stages of setting up their telescopes and people began to lineup to observe the Sun and its sunspots; the eclipse was still hours away.
There were folks from all over the world here to see the annular eclipse. I got into a conversation with a visitor from New York State. He came all the way out here to take pictures of the eclipse with his Cannon 7D and this humongous zoom lens stuck to the front.
 Around 4:15PM folks started showing up. The Rangers were showing the kids how to work the pinhole cardboard device, which we discovered later, had too big of hole from the punch and had to be redone by poking a new hole with a nail the Rangers supplied.
 By 4:45PM there were, by my best guess, upwards towards 400 parents with their kids standing in line to get those 200 special viewing glasses. Clearly there wouldn’t be enough. The Ranger asked that only one pair be handed out per family. I decided to wait so those who never seen an eclipse before would get a pair.
One Astronomer volunteers had connected his scope to a projector for viewing the eclipse on a large movie screen. And at 5:24PM the eclipse was beginning and by 5:30 could clearly be seen on that screen. There upon the table by the projector were a few pairs of glasses left and I made off with one. I held it up to the lens of my camera and started taking pictures of the eclipse. I don’t know if I was the first to try this, I didn’t see anyone doing this before I tried it, but now everyone was taking pictures through them using their cell phones and whatever that could go click.
I went here and there taking pictures and videos, listening to folks laughing, oohing and aahing, wearing those funny looking glasses that made it look like they were watching a 3D movie.
 It was mighty fine to see all these folks interested in astronomy. I listened in on one father explaining to his young son about the eclipse; this touched my heart.

At 6:38PM came totality or as close to it as we were going to get from where we were and it being an annular eclipse. You could really notice the dimming of the Sun. I lent my glasses to a young couple from Belgian. They were traveling America and were really excited to be here in our beautiful desert viewing this marvelous feat of nature. I took some fair pictures, but none as good as the ones I took as the Sun and Moon started to set together into the western horizon. I didn’t even need those glasses covering my lens. I just clicked away until the last little speck of light vanished; ending what was a wonderful day.

 The Park had a night program that started at 8PM. The Rangers setup two telescopes to view the night sky. Now I was in my element!







 Monday 21- hot 109!

I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
A new dove nest has appeared on the side of my house. One egg in it so far.
I stayed up late to watch the SpaceX launch. The first attempt on the 19th was aborted just as the main engines fired up, so last night as the countdown reached t minus 0 seconds, me and thousands of like minded folks around the world were willing this rocket off the launch pad and into space! This is history in the making. This is the first commercial spacecraft to visit the ISS. This company is going to open up space big time and make it affordable, too! It cost $63 Million a seat aboard the Russian spacecraft. Wikipedia "At a 18 May 2012 NASA news conference, Space X confirmed that their target launch price for the crewed flights is $140,000,000 or $20,000,000 per seat if the maximum crew of 7 is aboard. This compares with the current Soyuz cost of $63,000,000 per seat."

 Tuesday 22- temp high of 102
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. I am making a garage out of the workshop so my car can share it with my tools. I did a rookie move trying to drive into the garage; I hit the side post and broke off my right hand mirror. I fixed it with Liquid Nails and it has held so far.
I went for an evening walk. About time I got to doing this again.

 Wednesday 23- it is very windy, too dang windy to do my run or walk.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, and punched the heavy bag.

 Thursday 24- a little windy, but cooler outside.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I worked on the garage that I’m going to call a Carport for now on. I began reading Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.

 Friday 25- it got very windy around noon just as I completed my exercises.
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 updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.

 Saturday 26- it’s still a little windy, but nice and cool outside. I ran a mile and a half. I rode the Harley to mailbox and visited with my neighbors who are up for the weekend.

 Potluck was a pleasant surprise with over twenty-five folks showing up on a Memorial Day weekend. Marcie Hines came with her son Paul and cooked up some Spanish rice for us to enjoy. Cal Myers brought a large fruit dish. Chris Jonas made his fabulous macaroni salad. Rose Matich simmered some corn to perfection. Ruth Malton concocted a very delicate mush mellow color bowl jella that was mighty tasty. Marie Morrison got creative with her gooey chocolate brownies. Not to be outdone, Dorothy Jacobsen spent hours making up a sweet potato casserole, a Mexican casserole, and fig bars. Dyan Carrol’s seafood pasta salad and sugar lemon cookies were to die for, but being the polite folk that we are, we just shared them. Board member Tim Atzei brought beverages. Mary Koval cooked up a storm bringing Chicken Tetrazzini Florentine and wacky cake, while her daughter Chris amazed us all with a mixed bean and ham soup and cupcakes. Of course I brought my usual fare. We had a mighty fine time! Took some potluck over to Kelly's for her to fest on.

 Sunday 27- it was a very nice day! Worked on the carport.

Monday 28- a very pleasant day.
I did my stretches, core trainer, lifted weights, and punched the heavy bag.
I worked very hard on the Carport; worked my butt off getting it done. Now I am able to park the Cougar underneath in the shade.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.

Tuesday 29- a little hotter today.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I topped off my batteries with distilled water and checked all the solar panel connections.
I did my laundry over at Stoney’s and looked at the work Roger is doing on the stopped up tub drain. Many years ago the drain had stopped up and me and Stoney discovered that it was the roots of the creosote bush that had clogged it up. After cutting down the bush, I had to get down there with a shovel and dig out all the roots. Then Stoney put poison on the plant. I hope it hasn’t grown back.
Kelly and I went to the post office, Rite Aid, Berger King where we had a great time, and Stater Bros. where we picked up supplies.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.

Wednesday 30- temps into the high 90s.
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 the plants; they were mighty thirsty.
I cleaned out the Cougar and put Armor All on all the interior plastic and leather. I cleaned and wiped down the Honda with Armor All, too.
I went for an evening walk. While I was walking I stopped off at John Massey’s to see how he be. I decided to see if I could get the lager SSD to work in the HP Mini Note. I took out the 8Gig and put the 32Gig in and did a fresh install of Win XP- still doing all the update.
I read two chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”. I almost got caught up with my astronomy reading. I went for a night run and played the guitar when I got back.

Thursday 31- temps are 114 degrees or more!
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I read a chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars”.
The Windows updates for the HP Mini Note are now done. All I need to do is install a word processor.
The red racer snake ate the dove eggs. I went to check on the nest today and the two eggs were gone. I saw the snake yesterday and shooed it off. That sucker is 8 feet or longer!
UPS came with some books I ordered from Amazon: “The Universe in a Nutshell” and “Grand Design” both by Steven Hawking and the last co-authored by Leonard Mlodinow. “Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas” by Roger W. Sinnott.
I finally got caught up with my astronomy reading. I was three months behind on “365 Starry Nights” that I’ve been reading for a bunch of years now and the pages are worn and a few are falling out. There is a paragraph or more everyday about some particular part of the night sky. Chet Raymo is the author.
I did a night run, and played the guitar a bit.
I started reading “Grand Design”.
Goodbye to May! You've been a fun month with all the astronomy I got to do and the people I got to meet :)