Urglu

This morning while riding the bus to school, I watched as a woman got on the bus with a scarf wrapped around her face like it was 20-below outside. (It was actually 40, with a stiff wind and some snow.) Apparently, she had a cell phone buried under the scarf and was having a single-word conversation with someone on the other end.

I had to chuckle as I recalled the old “urglu” game. For those of you who never had to do one of those ridiculous getting-to-know-you games, the object is to appear to have a complete conversation using only the word “urglu”. In this case, however, I think the word was a breathy “murfff”.

“Murfff…. murfff… murfff. Murfff-murfff. Murfff? Murfff. Murfff-murfff.”

Resignation Week

I suppose there is some philosophical significance to the process of cutting ties here in Ann Arbor to start a new life in Cleveland, and I think that Kushida Sensei would have a decent amount to say about starting any new endeavor with a beginner’s mind… but it’s more than a little overwhelming to close the book on most of the things that I’ve been involved with over the last decade.

On Friday, I worked 16 hours for my last shift in dispatch. That it was a really busy and stressful shift helped to keep me from feeling too badly about walking out of the comm center for the last time. Although I’ll miss most of the people who work in there, I feel pretty relieved that I won’t have to worry about the bureaucracy and policies involved in actually working as a dispatcher.

Yesterday was both my last day in the office with UM (again, I’ll miss the people, not the work environment) and very sadly, my last day as lieutenant of the fire department. While I’ll be staying on with HVA in my capacity as a road medic, the opportunities for continuing in the fire service while in Cleveland are pretty limited. Very few departments are staffed by anything other than career firefighters and I just won’t have the time or flexibility to work a full-time shift schedule.

In any case, it is a huge change in our lives as we start an entirely new chapter and leave the familiar behind.

First ride to campus

On monday, I took the bike out for a trial run from the new house to campus. One of our neighbors (Fran) mentioned that it’s a 10-minute ride there and a 15-minute ride back. I managed to get there in about 20, with a 25-minute return trip. Here are some tips for next time to help shave that time down a little:

• inflate the tires to something more than 20psi
• Switch the knobby offroad tires to street slicks
• Write down the directions or take a map
• Check the brakes… back AND front
• The bike goes faster when the chain stays on the chainring

For you former Bursley-ites reading this, it turns out that my ride to/from campus involves almost the same elevation changes as the ride from north campus to central campus… approximately 200 feet. However, my ride now has definite bonus of taking me right through Little Italy.

Fortunately, most of the streets I got lost on were pretty nice areas of town, but I did see some areas a few blocks away from our neighborhood that I’m really glad we didn’t buy into (Derbyshire between Lamberton and Cottage Grove). The last time I rode a bike to work or school was about 10 years ago, so it also took me about five minutes to remember how to use a U-lock to property secure a bike to a rack.

Having finally made it to campus, I had a great discussion with Dr. Hauck, my advisor. It looks like I’m going to start my research by learning the finite element analysis software MARC and using it to study the lifecycles of lunar craters. While not quite as exciting as the other option (analysis of IR, visible, and topographic data from the next Mercury Messenger pass) it gets me going on a project quickly.

Garmin GPS makes some “interesting” routing choices

I’ve seen this too many times for it to be a fluke with one device or even model. The Garmin mobile gps devices make some insane decisions for routing from one place to another and I can’t decide whether it’s due to poor maps or a poor routing algorithm. Our family uses the StreetPilot c550 and HVA uses the nuvi series, and I’ve seen the same issue with both.

A good example is our most recent trip to Cleveland from Milan. A reasonable person (and Google) would take US23 south to either I80/90 or I475 to get to the turnpike. Our garmin directed us to get off US23 at Summerfield, take that to Sterns, to Lewis, to I-75, to I-280, and thence to the turnpike. For those not in the know, these are all two lane back roads and while possibly more direct, it would be MUCH slower than staying on the highway.
On our first trip to Cleveland, we had to pull into a residential street to get out the laptop and look up directions online, since our Garmin kept taking us around in circles AROUND our destination, without actually taking us TO our destination.

I’ve seen the same thing happen with the nuvi series, where crews have followed the gps onto rural, 2-lane roads that end up being more direct but much slower, or have gotten stuck in the loop-around route.

I’ve triple-checked the settings in several of the units and they are all clearly set to choose the fastest route with all obstacle avoidance turned off. The weird thing is that our StreetPilot has actually tried to route us a couple ways around Toledo on several different trips to Cleveland, with the same start and end points, and all settings the same.

I am curious if I would experience the same bugs with another manufacturer (TomTom, maybe), or if it is a deficiency in a shared routing algorithm.

Bloopers

Today I was blessed with a number of EMS bloopers that ended up being inconsequential and sort of amusing. Only one was not my doing. While in dispatch this morning, a crew called in to request that the homeowner secure their “very aggressive, angry dog”. In the background we could plainly the high-pitched bark of a dog that couldn’t have been more than 8lbs. When my coworker called them back to confirm that the dog in the background was the dog that they were referring to, they answered with an affirmative, that they could not enter the residence until the dog was secured… and the yip of something the size of a miniature poodle could still be heard over their voices.
My oopses were as follows:

Knee surgery 3, Hot Sauce, Kitchen, Radios, and Cameras

Sliding in just under a month from the last post, I’ll try to catch things up:

1. Had my third knee surgery just under two weeks ago. This was to remove the screws from the surgery a year and a half ago. They also scoped out the underside of the patella, cleaned up some cartilege, and verified that I don’t actually have any bone exposed in the joint. That’s good, but I’m still a bit worried that the knee may not heal as completely as I’d like. I guess we’ll see if the crunching-popping badness returns. In any case, I’m almost as mobile now as I was before the surgery and should be able to return to training, working, and home (de)construction in the next few days.

2. Kitchen – It’s been about a month-and-a-half since we put the base cabinets in. This required a bit of patience and ingenuity, since we needed the extra counter and cabinet space afforded by a “peninsula”, but didn’t have room enough for full 24″-width base cabinets. John suggested using 12″ wall cabinets instead. This would have worked perfectly if it weren’t for the fact that the regular base cabinets are 35″ high and the tallest wall cabinets are 30″ high. Fortunately, 2×4s aren’t really 2″x4″… they’re more like 1.5″x3.5″, meaning that building a supporting frame, consisting of an upright 2×4 on top of a flat 2×4, under the wall cabinets, brought them up to exactly the right height. Groovy. Other obstacles were overcome… such as Lowe’s changing the stock of cabinets between our purchase of wall cabinets and our purchase of base cabinets, and the lack of a suitable blind-base cabinet. So I built a corner cabinet out of scrap (it’s mostly unexposed anyhow) and discovered that I apparently don’t really know how to build a square box. Hmm.
Finally, the cabinets were all secured in place, and today the countertops were delivered and installed. Marie called to say that they look awesome, and I can’t wait to get home to see it. I think we may have to spend the evening just hanging out in the new kitchen.

3. Radios – With the knee not quite healed, I’ve been picking up more hours in dispatch and have finally moved to the central operations radio. This was mostly the goal of working in there in the first place… to see if I could get my brain around the chaos and do as good of a job or better than some of the veteran dispatchers. (ie. Put my money where my mouth is.) So far, it’s frustrating, challenging, and actually… fun. With upwards of twenty ambulances distributed around three-ish counties, responding to emergent and non-emergent calls, moves and assignments have to be planned out like a chess game. The fact that these chess pieces are all too eager to let you know whether or not they approve of your decisions adds an interesting dimension to the process.

4. I got my birthday present. The Digital Rebel XT arrived about two weeks ago and I’ve been using it a ton lately. With autumn in full swing, I expect it’ll see quite a bit more use over the next few weeks.
Hmm… I should update the current Flickr photo… There. Also, see my Flickr page for a number of the pics from the new camera.

Happy 30th to me!

Today was celebrated by the following broke/fixed list:

Fixed: Put a supporting 2×4 under the old crawlspace access opening, so that the stove doesn’t sag down into the floor when we put it there.

Fixed: Put about half of the new subfloor in. Marie got it primed, so we should be able to slap tile onto it tomorrow.

Fixed: Marie staked the tomatoes and peppers upright incase that storm really does blow in. It would suck really make me unhappy to lose all the tomatoes just before the big harvest.

Broke: The box frame (and thusly much of the surrounding floor support) for the other crawlspace access. Needed to get a new joist in there, and there was just no other way to do it. Most-used prior birthday present: Dewalt recipro-saw.

Broke: The tub and sink drains (again). In the process of jimmying the new joist into place, I nudged the drainpipe, which promply fell apart somewhere in the PVC-Copper-Iron-PVC junk(tion). Back to the recipro-saw.

Fixed: The shower drain. Barely. It’s holding very precariously. Which is fine, since we’re tearing it back out tomorrow and replacing the 1 1/2″ PVC with 2″. Notice the sink is not included in this list.

I think it was two years ago that I spent my birthday putting down Pergo flooring. This house is… generating a lot of memories. I’ll be so sad when we sell it… NOT.
Whew. Finally off to dinner. It’s now occurring to me that we missed lunch somewhere along the way.

one step forward…

Not sure how to feel about today. Let me summarize:

Fixed: Powerbook laptop. Turned out it was the display cable. After too many opens and closes, one of the wires broke. Getting the screen pryed apart was a bugger, and I’m a bit surprised that I managed it without actually scratching or breaking the lcd display. Last night I was about ready to do the Apple Discus out the front door. Glad I didn’t because when I woke up this morning, disassembled and the reassembled it and realigned the cables, it actually worked.

Broke: The drain and vent for the washer. Probably should have done those two waiting loads of laundry first.

Broke: The drain trap for the shower. When I tried to join the drain line of the washer to the drain line for the shower, the shower trap simply fell out. It looks as though it was never actually screwed onto the tub floor drain, but was only held on by a thin dabbing of epoxy. Now I know why that wook block was wedged under it.

Broke: The toilet. Bugger started leaking like a seive due to the fact that the filler column inside the tank was making like a water fountain. If I were a curious person, I’d wonder how old that toilet is. If I were a more motivated person, I’d look on the bowl at the date stamp and find out. If I were a less apathetic person (what’s the negative of apathy?), I’d care.

Fixed: The washer drain and vent. Replaced with new PVC, and connected the new vent line to the old vent stack.

Fixed: The shower drain. After a couple of mismeasurements, do-overs, and episodes of repeated cuttings not making the pipes any longer, I succeeded is replacing the old copper shower drain S-trap with new PVC, joining it to the upgraded washer drain, and removing the old junk that was getting in my way in the crawlspace. Fernco fittings make me happy… well… at least they make me curse less.

Fixed: Toilet. That POS shutoff valve on the supply line broke off in my hand, and those POS gate valves that serve as my main water shutoffs… don’t. So time was of the essence. (Ever wonder… the essence of what?) Halfway through changing the fill valve, I started hearing some monsterous sounds from my water heater… similar to the sounds that one might hear when metal and glass are being contorted in strange ways. This was apparently due to having a negative pressure in the water heater, coupled with a very low amount of water in the tank that was being heated somewhat higher than it should have been. Haven’t got this one figured out yet, but it was resolved by turning the main water back on, shutting off the heater, turning on the hot water taps and running the hot water out of the system, *then* shutting off the main supply. After that, the toilet bowl germs and I did the Slip-N-Slide dance around the very cramped bathroom floor as I wrangled the new fill valve into place.

Now, I’ve done a load of laundry, used the toilet, showered, eaten (not related, but necessary), and typed out this short story. Now, I’m going to crack open a well-deserved beer and do some well-deserved vegging. This is also not related, but very necessary.

Boogeyboarding in LA

Last weekend in Nashville, then a week in Ann Arbor working the Art Fair, now in LA for Sarah and Josh’s wedding. Whew… whirlwind.
We spent the day yesterday on Hermosa Beach enjoying the filtered sun and playing with the boogeyboards on the waves. We did finally manage to get the hang of it and had a few exciting rides (and spills). The wedding is this evening on the beach, followed by a small dinner and reception.
Now off to nap to catch up on some lost sleep. Maybe tomorrow we’ll meet up with Jenny and Esteban before we catch the redeye flight back to Detroit.

Questionable Quality Inn. We’re out.

In a continuing quest to outsmart myself, I made reservations at a hotel other than the one that Mandy suggested for the wedding this weekend. I’ve had great luck with Choice Hotels in the past, this one would save us something like $17/night, and the webpage for the hotel looked nice enough. I didn’t get a good vibe from the place to begin with, but we decided to give it a shot… besides, it ended up being even cheaper with the AAA discount.
Results:
It turns out that the whirlpool was one of those portable 3-person deals, and it didn’t even have water in it. The pool was closed, “waiting for inspection”. The wireless internet was only available in the center corridor of the hotel. The patio door didn’t open (not that we really wanted to go out there anyhow.) There was some sort of orange gunk on the walls. The undersheet on the bed was too small and couldn’t even be tucked in. The room was more humid than outside and smelled like a moldy chemistry experiment. And at least one towel, sheet, and pillow case were less than clean. Oh… and the lamp light was shorted out.

So… we got ourselves moved to a different room without too much complaint from management, which was considerably better but still less than great. So in the morning, we checked out of the Quality Inn, drove a hundred feet down the street, and checked in to the Comfort Inn. $3 more per night, but *they* had a working pool, a clean room, and the clientele was a bit less seedy. It was only later in that day that we discovered that the hotel that Mandy suggested was about a block away from Vanderbilt University, in the nice “college-town” area of the city. The hotel that *we* stayed in was sandwiched between the ghetto and projects on the north edge of the city, and the run-down rural apartments and the waiting-to-be-condemned shacks just in the hills just further north.

Hey… it’s an adventure. We survived. And saved a few bucks.