Madgravity

Monday 28

Monday 28- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 33 and 52 degrees, slight breeze, humidity around 38 percent, overcast skies again.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. West southwest wind between 3 and 8 mph.”
I’m going to keep this post short because I woke up with a sore throat and don’t feel so good.
I wrote my column for the newspaper and sent it in late last night after I completed my journal.
I sorted through old pictures most of the day trying to find all pictures related to Jimmy’s visits out here. It took me a few hours but I found 351 images and put them on a thumb drive for him to pick up when he leaves tomorrow morning. He had lost all his pictures when his hard drive took a dump last spring. Then I took a long nap with the woodstove fired up; it felt nice. Then I awoke and did some webwork for a while.
I did my stretches; practiced my guitar; wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Thursday 03

Thursday 03- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 33 and 56 degrees, slight breeze, humidity around 25 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: Sunny, with a high near 54. North northwest wind around 6 mph. Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Light and variable wind.”
I spent the day mostly cleaning up the joint putting stuff away, mopping the floor, sorting through stuff that I want to keep or throw away. I’m doing this now because everything is outside and the house is mostly empty now that the new tile floor is in and I don’t want the clutter that I had in there before.
Stoney called to ask me if I’d come on over and wait for delivery of his oxygen, which he needs for breathing, while he goes to his doctor in Yucca Valley. The oxygen guy arrived just as Stoney was leaving so I stayed until he had all the tanks filled.
I got back home and went for my evening walk. It looks to be getting cold tonight, there’s a freeze warning in our area, so I had a chance to test out the woodstove to see if my install of it wouldn’t burn down the house; it worked just fine! Read my astronomy textbook about Kepler’s three laws of planetary orbits. I then watched “My Name is Earl”, “Fastforward”, and then “Fringe”. I watched a little news and boy it looks that Tiger Woods is in some big trouble with his wife. Well at least it’s not another member of congress cheating on their spouse!
I did my stretches; practiced my guitar; wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Monday 30

Monday 30 - I did my stretches and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 and 62 degrees, N- NW winds at 4 to 10 MPH, humidity around 25 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. West northwest wind around 8 mph.”
Ron Dehart dropped by with some bean stew he had made and collect his mail I picked up while he was away. I got to show him my new tile floor and he was quite impressed! He was still getting over the flu and didn’t stay too long; I thoroughly washed my hands when he left. The bean stew was great, I ate it for dinner.
I started to work on Patty’s “New” computer that she got from her sister, who got it from a friend, who got it from who knows where. Unfortunately it started to smoke as soon as I plugged it in, yikes! I called to inform her that the computer is toast and it was beyond anything I wanted to get involved in. There is a reason why folks “Give” computers away and this is one of them.
I went over to Stoney’s to help him with his online prescriptions and updated the anti-virus protection on his computer. I also took a nice hot shower while I was there.
I got home just in time for my evening walk before sunset. I watched “My Name is Earl”; I guess I like the Karma thing that the show is based on.
I read a few chapters of “Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Path” (such a long and complicated title, I’ll just use “Letters from Richard Feynman” for now on). Then read some of “Astronomy Today” textbook that I’ve been neglecting lately. A rerun of “Castle” came on CBS but I watched it anyways.
I did my stretches; practiced my guitar; wrote my column for the newspaper and sent it in; wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Goodbye to the month of November!

Friday 23

Friday 23- did my stretches, lifted weights, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 55 and 85 degrees, light breeze, humidity around 25 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. North northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph. Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. West wind between 7 and 9 mph.”
I stopped by Ginger’s on my way to Ron’s to see what she was up to. Yesterday she had gotten stuck in the dirt with her truck, got mad and burned her tires trying to get out, I could see the smoke from my house, and she buried the back tire deep. I could have gone over to help but she had other people about and I felt that it was none of my business if she didn’t ask for my assistance. Today she told me that her and she girlfriend tried to get it out last night but couldn’t and she had to wait until this morning for her son to pull her out with his truck. I then showed her the correct way to get unstuck if it ever happens again.
I went over to Ron Dehart’s home to check out his new neighbor’s house that is being built next door. Ron wasn’t too happy about all the noise made by the workers laying cement and having neighbors so close by but he has come to accept it. Linda (the one I bought the compost toilet from) is now living in her new motor home and is temporarily parking it on Ron’s property until she gets her bearings; I thought that was nice of Ron.
Mac came by my house for a short chat. His car doesn’t have reverse and parks it so that the car rolls backwards down the hill in front of my driveway. I took him inside to show him all the work I’ve done and the tile I’ll be laying down throughout the house. I think he was impressed but it’s hard to tell with him.
Stoney invited me over for dinner. He cooked up some country strips that are some kind of pork. We also had pea salad and mashed potatoes with gravy.
I got home in time to go for my evening walk just before the sunset. I watched the nightly news which has been giving me nightmares, and “My Name is Earl” which makes me laugh! I think I’ll skip the news for now on and just watch Earl!
I spent a couple of hours reading from “Astronomy Today”. This chapter is about the history of astronomy; much I already knew but it’s nice to have a refresher.
Then I did my stretches and went for a night run just before “Numb3rs” came on CBS about a missing little girl that was a clone of a former employee of a giant pharmaceutical who wanted her back for experimental reasons.
I practiced my guitar and broke another string; updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter; wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Welcome to Autumn!

Welcome to Autumn!- did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 70 and 94 degrees, light breeze, humidity around 18 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming east between 7 and 10 Mph. Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 63. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.”
I jumped into the Gross Polluter and headed down to the Sizzler Restaurant in Yucca Valley to meet my friends Terry Watson and Joyce Ware. Before I got there I made a stop at Home Depot to get some parts for the compost toilet that I later found to be a size too big, dang!
I got to the Sizzler a little early but Joyce was already there and we walked to the front door to wait for Terry. Terry was already there and snuck up on us as I opened the door. We haven’t seen our neighbor Terry since she sold her home and left for Virginia in the autumn of 2005. We all had a round of hugs we were so happy to see each other again! We sat in the Sizzler for six hours swapping stories and catching up on our lives. Joyce gave us some tips on eating at the Sizzler; one was that if you got the salad bar you can also get a baked potato, which we did! I can’t tell you what we all talked about because we covered about everything under the Sun. Terry will be here until next Tuesday and I hope to get together with her before she leaves us again.
On my way back home I stopped off at Bingo and took some pictures for a column I’m going to write for the community center.
I got home after sunset so I didn’t go for my evening walk. I watched the season premiere of “NCIS” and “NCIS Los Angeles”. Afterwards I went outside to check on Delta Cephei and found that it had gotten less bright since last night!
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote my column for the newspaper and sent it in, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 11

Friday 11- did my stretches and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 78 and 104 degrees, slight breeze, humidity around 39 percent, some clouds.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. West southwest wind 18 to 21 mph decreasing to between 7 and 10 mph. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.”
I helped Mat out again today. On our way to the worksite we stopped to get some sandwiches over at the Indian Cove Market. The market has been there for about a year and I didn’t even know that it existed. The sandwich girl, I think Amy was her name, was very nice and made a fine sub. I talked to her and found that she is taking classes over at the college to become a nursing assistant.
We got to the worksite and strung some electric cables to the shed, filled in some concrete where it was missing from the entrance way, and cleaned up the surrounding area of the mess we made over the last two days. It got hot and muggy and I was ready to go home to rest when we finally got it all done around 5pm.
When I got home I just went and laid down in my bed for a little nap. Rested, I got up and went for my evening walk. I was still tired and mindlessly surf the web for a while. Then I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the news letter, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 21- did my stretches and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 83 and 101 degrees, winds from the NW-SW at 4 to 14 MPH, humidity around 34 percent, cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm.”
I took the Gross Polluter down to Bar Lumber in Twentynine Palms to get my two five gallon tanks of propane filled. While I was there I picked up some faceplates for the light switches. The humidity was high and the worker who filled the tanks had sweat beaded up on his face and his t-shirt was soaked. On my way back I check a friend’s house while he’s away on vacation, and everything was alright.
I got home and did some touchup to the plastering mess I made yesterday. I started reading “Mindscan” by Robert J. Sawyer; looks to be a good read. Then I went for my evening walk listening to another astronomy lecture by Professor Bloom; about Hubble Volumes.
I went over to Ron Dehart’s house for a late night dinner. He cooked up some mighty fine pasta. I got back home and read some more of “Mindscan”.
I did my stretches, lifted weights, and went for a night run. I practiced my guitar, updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Sunday 09 – Monday 10

Sunday 09- I did my stretches.
I went over to Mat Villarreal’s to yap at him for a spell. He was preparing a birthday party for his daughter Lauren, so I didn’t stay too long.
I went for my evening walk finishing the lecture of Black Holes by Professor Blooms.
I hung up some shelves in the front room. It looks pretty nice but I still have to sand and varnish the wood. I need to get this and other things done in the house before I lay the new tile I paid good money for.
I did my stretches.
I didn’t feel like going on the internet, just tired I guess, so I called it a night.

Monday 10- did my stretches. I had awoken mighty late so I must have been tired!
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 76 and 104 degrees, nice breeze, humidity around 19 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Calm wind becoming southeast between 5 and 8 mph. Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. South wind 5 to 11 mph becoming west.”
I went to Home Depot to get some lumber and screws to put up more shelves; I was in and out of the store in about twenty minutes. This time I laid the wood on the floor to make sure they weren’t warped.
I went over to Stoney’s for lunch and had spaghetti. Then I went on my evening walk listening to a lecture on Galaxies, their discovery, and how they formed by Professor Bloom.
I spent the rest of my time trying to setup the wifi system in the house and finally got the darn thing working, yea! That cheered me up some!
Talked to Andrew over Skype all the way to England for free!
I watched “Castle” on ABC about a kidnapping for ransom. I like the show, I didn’t start watching it until it went to reruns, and I’m glad it got renewed for this fall.
I did my stretches, lifted weights, and went for a night run, practiced my guitar, wrote my column for the newspaper, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Tuesday 04

Tuesday 04- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 84 and 108 degrees, a slight breeze, humidity around 32 percent, low stratus clouds bringing a few sprinkles.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph increasing to between 18 and 21 mph. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Southwest wind between 13 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.”
A few days ago I got together with the Activities Committee to put together the Spring/Summer newsletters and send it out. Unfortunately all were sent back for a variety of reasons and I went to Steve Tuttle’s home to pick them up. I spent an hour or so there jawing with Steve while he gave me the grand tour of his property. I have to say that I was pretty impressed with what he had done. As I was leaving we started talking astronomy. We decided sometime in the future to have a sky party at the community center, cool! As we talked it started to sprinkle!
I took the newsletters to Annelies’ house where we divvied them up amongst the committee members and I took my share of them home and did the repairs that were needed to get them mailed correctly.
I went over to Stoney’s where Denny made Sloppy Joes that were mighty good. I think I ate more than I should of, so I went for an evening walk when I got back home.
I was going to watch “Nova” and “Nova Science Now” on PBS but they had a pledge hour with “Backstage with Mary Poppins” and then “Motown Memories”. I was a little annoyed and turned the dang TV off and did a little upkeep on my laptop. FedEx delivered an HP 4Gig mini mobile drive this evening and I transferred my docs onto that.
I played a Mahjong puzzle, one of the difficult ones, which took me twenty minutes to solve. I haven’t done one in over fifteen years! I felt pretty good about that!!!
Kevin called and we chatted for a spell.
I did my stretches and lifted weights, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.