Today was a big day for the Roman Catholics in the DC Area. Pope Benedict XVI is in town and he presided over a Mass at Nationals Park this morning with 47,000+ of the faithful in attendance…including my daughter, son-in-law and their two sons.
Author: Yunzer
Time flies…
When you’re having fun…and sometimes even when you are not! It’s been quite a while since my last post here. I guess I’m not a very dedicated blogger and/or net socializer. Anyway, let’s see if I can summarize the significant events that have occurred around here since last I took pen in hand.
- I had to find a new barber. The shop I had been going to for years burned down and they are more or less out of business until the shop gets rebuilt.
- The dark brown wood paneling in the basement is now white…after two coats of primer and three (3) coats of latex base semi-gloss enamel. And there’s also a new fluorescent ceiling lamp in the basement that is equipped with a motion detector and timer that turns it off automatically if no people or medium to small furry animals are about….
- The house underwent a “mouse attack!” Unfortunately for the mice, their fondness for peanut butter and whatever is in those mouse bait boxes led to their demise and all is back to normal.
- The grandkid and I celebrated another set of birthdays on March 12.
- The GMU’s men’s basketball team won the Colonial Athletic Conference Tournament and went to the NCAA playoffs, but were blown away in the first round by Notre Dame. The GMU coach was offered the head coaching job at Providence College (his alma mater), but he opted to stay at GMU.
- The Washington Redskins got a new head coach.
- The Washington Nationals new baseball stadium is open…no more baseball at RFK…soccer team now has it all to itself.
- A few more things got tossed into the “Big Box.”
And the War in Iraq celebrated its Fifth Birthday.
Season’s Greetings
It’s been a while since my last post here. I’ve been busy wasting my time on other stuff and my blog has suffered as a result. And there really hasn’t been much new to talk about anyway…the old “Same Stuff, Different Day” story. Time flies when you’re having fun (and even when you’re not!).
All is well here with the family and friends, and the two terrible terriers too. They recently got their “holiday pedicures” and are anxiously waiting for Santa to deliver some new dog toys and treats.
Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy (and prosperous) New Year. And wish for peace on earth and good will towards all in the coming year.
The Treadmill – Part II
Well, I made the big decision. I got another treadmill. After saying goodbye for the last time to my old treadmill at the local dump, I stopped at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store on the way back home. My initial intention was to see what they had to offer in the way of treadmills and ellipticals, and to get some idea of how much a replacement was going to cost me.
I should have known better! By the time I left the store I was the proud owner of a Horizon Model T500 Treadmill. After looking at both the treadmills and ellipticals, I decided a treadmill was a better choice for me since I already have a stair-stepper and an upper body exercise machine.
As with most mechanical things one buys today, the treadmill came in a big box that weighed about 250 pounds with various parts, nuts and bolts, and a manual containing assembly instructions all neatly packaged in clear plastic bags labeled with “Treadmill Assembly for Dummies” instructions. Actually I have to give the manufacturer credit. The assembly instructions were simple and easy to understand, and there were no missing parts, nuts or bolts. And I actually got it assembled in a reasonable amount of time and had no problems along the way.
So, now I guess I am now an expert at both disassembly and assembly of treadmills. 😉
One sign of the times: My old treadmill’s label said “Made in the USA.” The label on the new one says “Designed in the USA, Made in China.” 🙁
The Treadmill – Part I
After many years of faithful service, my treadmill self-destructed a few days ago. This was not entirely unexpected on my part, as it was so old, I can’t even remember when or where I got it. It had been chugging along at 4.5 miles per hour for 35 to 40 minutes a day, five days a week for a long time.
The treadmill was in the basement and weighed about 200 pounds or so. No way I was going to lug it up the stairs and get it into my pickup truck for a trip to the local waste disposal facility (aka “The Dump”). So, I had to disassemble it piece by piece and cart the individual pieces up the staris and into the back of my pickup. I am now an expert at treadmill destruction. 😉
Now I was faced with a decision. Should I buy another classic treadmill or should I listen to the hype and buy an elliptical instead?
It’s All Out There Someplace!
Stuff really does stay out there on the Internet forever. I found an article that had some quotes by me from way back in 1994. The article was about the “new” V.34 high speed modems (28.8Kbps). 😉