Homework Motivation

I have a shit-ton of projects I would like to do around the house. This is a (probably partial -- I'm a little crazy...) list, which I am posting now to maybe force myself to get moving on at least one.

  • Sand & stain the deck (This is must this year!).
  • Fiddle with the new front door handle so that it's "right".
    • Re-key the new garage door handle so that it matches the front door.
  • Tile office floor (slate or something similar).
  • Tile the mudroom (slate or something similar) -- perhaps extend this to the kitchen door way and the top of the stairs.
    • Build cabinets, etc. for the mud room.
  • Replace master bath carpet (Carpet in a bathroom is icky!) with cork tiles.
    • Reconfigure the walk-in closet.
  • Build a console/cabinet/printer stand to go between the new desks in the office.
  • Build a dresser/chest of drawers for The Wife.
    • Finish my dresser.
  • Replace the kitchen "desk" with actual cabinets.
    • Replace counter tops.
  • Get wood flooring installed in the living room and dining room.
  • Do a bunch of stuff in the guest bath.
    • Tile floor.
    • Build storage.
    • Replace counter top.

Obviously a few of these involve large amounts of cash and hiring professionals, but 90% of it is stuff I can/want to do myself. I just need to get to work is all...

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Whether you buy into Al Gore's spiel or not (admittedly, I'm one of those who can't see how anyone can deny the global warming issue exists), here's an interesting point to consider, which comes to me by way of a coworker: Here in Colorado it will approach 100 degrees this week. This type of heat was uncommon in this area as recently as a decade ago, as demonstrated by the fact that houses built in this area more than ten years ago tend to not come equipped with central air conditioning. Nowadays it is ridiculous to think of buying a house without central air.

I find nothing online to back up this observation with hard data, but it is interesting anecdotal evidence.

Of course, the fact that using something like central air conditioning contributes to the problem is not lost on me...

Betty's a Popular Girl

[Yes, all I'm talking about these days is my motorcycle. I'm sure it'll pass eventually...] This morning, while I was stopped at the light at Huron and 144th, a stoner/meth head in one of those ridiculous Volkwagen Rabbit pickups filled with all manner of junk pulled up into the left turn lane and we have the following converstaion:

S/MH: Hey DUDE! Right on! It's not a Harley! Me: Ha! That's right. S/MH: Harleys suck!! Me: Hahaha! S/MH: That's cool. I like the Triumph. Me: Well, thanks.

So there you have it, Triumph motorcycles: Harley-hating meth head approved.

Oh, and for the two of you who ride bikes in my area and might read this, the new northern extension of Sheridan is a short, but sweet ride up to Hwy 7.

Long Ride

My buddy Erik and I went for a nice long ride today with me on Betty the Bonnie Black and Erik on his 1980 Honda 250 dual-sport, which probably made us an interesting pair. We rode for a bit more than 60 miles all told, putting my milage up to 276. That means I'm only 24 miles away from the end of the "break-in" period for the engine, which means I can stop worrying about varying the RPMs and just ride the thing. We even ended up on some gravel roads and the Bonnie did just fine, though I certainly didn't test it. I just kept the speed down and did my best to go straight. ;)

We made a gas stop near Longmont and a couple Harley guys (Christian Riders, I think...) gave the Bonneville a long hard - and seemingly approving - look. But then one of them came in the store to remind me I had left the key in the ON position and my light was on, so I lost all my cool there...

Then after stopping by Erik's house, I ended up at the Huron/120th light with a couple of Harley dudes and they loved the bike:

Harley Guy #1 to Harley Guy #2: "Hey, check it out... Triumph!" HG1 to me: "How do you like that?" Me: "I love it!" HG2 to me: "What year is it?" Me: "Brand new - 2006." HG2: "Noooo SHIT?! Cool!"

Though certainly not a long ride by any stretch of the imagination, it's the longest one I've had so far. My back's a bit stiff, I have a blister on my throttle hand under my Order of the Engineer ring, and the arid Colorado air has dried me right up. My new schmancy Triumph gear did alright: my jacket was well vented and comfy and my gloves were nice and cool, though they pressed on my knuckles quite a bit. Just a little breaking in due there, I hope.

Roller Girls!

Image002.jpg Originally uploaded by Jake Sutton.

The Wife and I finally made it out to a Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout as the 5280 Fight Club took on the visiting Tent City Terrors from Arizona.

We actually got there late and left a bit early, so I can't really give you a play-by-play. I will say the Gaypleton crowd made for some interesting people watching (Stapleton is suddenly one of my favorite Denver neighborhoods) and the derby action was something to behold!

Baboon Squatters

Baboons move into S. African beach homes

Unruly gangs are raiding the expensive homes that line the spectacular coast of South Africa's Cape Peninsula, clearing out pantries, emptying fridges, and defecating over the designer furnishings.

It's baboon versus human in a string of wealthy ocean-front communities 30 minutes from the trendy center of Cape Town, a top tourist destination.

...

George is one of the biggest baboons in a troop of about 20, an adult male weighing some 110 pounds. He yawns languidly, displaying wickedly curved canine teeth.

"If you think how easily a baboon could rip a person apart, the fact that they don't is quite remarkable," Trethowan said.

Um... Gee. How lucky we are not to be torn assunder by the beasts we allow to live in our luxury neighborhoods.

Yeah, I get that.

Monkey Talk

Shouting monkeys show surprising eloquence

Putty-nosed monkeys (Cercopithecus nictitans) live in family groups, usually led by a dominant male who keeps a wary eye out for their two main enemies — leopards and eagles. A circling eagle will cause a male to warn his troop by making a series of calls called 'hacks', whereas a lurking leopard will prompt him to shout out a string of 'pyow' sounds.

...

But now zoologists have realized that at least one combination of these sounds has its own distinct meaning: up to three pyows followed by up to four hacks seems to mean 'let's move on'. This call sequence is given both in response to the presence of predators or simply as a sign to head for new terrain.

And I wonder which sequence of hacks and pyows means, "Here come the humans, the time to overtake is NOW!!!"

(Props to new coworker, John.)

Winos R Us

So, cork'd is pretty cool. Nice to see Dan & Dan doing cool stuff together. I'm not a real wine aficionado - my wine tastes aren't very refined. I like it that way, though. I tend to enjoy $10-15 bottles as much as something that costs $70+. I figure that's a good thing.

Anyway, I'm on there as JakoBlah (or you can search for "Sutton"), even though I don't expect to use it very much.

I do wish something like this existed for beer. I'd have some fun with that. Unfortunately, as far as i know, there aren't any good online beer merchants you could partner with for some commerce kickback (cork'd is hooked up with wine.com). Booze would be fun, too, though, and I know there are plenty of decent online liquor retailers...

Black Bonnie

As of this Thursday, I will be the very proud owner of one gorgeous 2006 Triumph Bonneville Black. This is, with the exception of some crazy chopper I'll never have, my dream bike. I mean, if it's good enough for Steve McQueen, right?

I can't wait to ride it (first around the neighborhood, then to the coffee shop, then to work, and so on...). I also look forward to tricking it out with some of these sweetass accessories from Triumph's new sixty8 line.

Mad props to Erik for convincing Matthew at Foothills BMW/Triumph (with whom I could talk for days!) to shave a few dollars off the deal (I suck at negotiating...) and for being general moral support. And for getting me started on riding bikes in the first place!

Call Me Waldo

Work is... um... aggravating/draining these days, and much to my surprise, I've had a bit of a social life in the after work hours lately. So... Yeah... Light on the posting. Nothing much going on worth reporting anyway. I have continued to post junk to del.icio.us in the mean time, though. You can spy those under the "Link Dump" tab.

I get to go to my first NHL playoff game tonight, though. Sadly, it may be to witness my Avs get swept by the Mighty Ducks.

For the record, my Viva El Papi KinTee got good reviews at last night's poker game.