Flotsam and Jetsam

Sun - August 31, 2003

MY GOD! What will they think of next?

A little piece of electronic paradise.

Okay, when MP3s came out I was impressed but never really saw any use (for me anyway). Then came the late Napster and they had my attention. However, I was on a crappy PC and didn't have any decent software. Then I got WinAmp and could at least play my music at my desk. Fine, but you can't really lounge around on Sunday morning in your $99 Staples office chair. Then came my Mac, and iTunes, and the much heralded and adored iPod. Now I could rip the tons of CDs I've been accumulating since my first purchase of the Batman Soundtrack by Prince and Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl in the late 80s - sad but true. With this music comfortably converted and categorized on my iPod, I could now leave the confines of my desk and venture out into the world. I could play my music in my car or through my home stereo or while snowboarding down Mammoth Mountain. Life was bliss again.

But then I outgrew my iPod. This 20GB piece of beautifully styled technology could only hold half of my library. In order play new music, something had to deleted. Annoyance set in and I turned to the internet for salvation. It was there in the expanse of cyberspace that I found, at least partial, deliverance. Enter the Slimp3 . This little unassuming box of LEDs allows me to play ALL of my music through my stereo upstairs while the actual MP3s reside safely downstairs on my Mac in the office. I hooked it up using a wireless bridge and it connects to my iTunes library through the magic of wireless. Brilliant! It even has a remote control. I can lay in bed a play the 45GB of music I have archived down there. I would starve to death long before I played every one of the 9743 songs.

To fellow music and techno-philes (especially Ian Williams and Greg Lawler ) consider the gauntlet thrown down. Step up to the plate, boys.

Posted: 10:59 AM Read More

Sat - August 23, 2003

Gluttony is not a sin...or at least it shouldn't be

Safety Advisory: Keep your hands and feet out of the feeding area.

It was a red letter day for Inge. Luther went to the fisherman's market at the crack of dawn and bought 5 dozen farm raised oysters. This news had little effect on me. Inge, however, was nearly beside herself with joy. Although I did eat 2 of the baked ones, the idea of eating the raw ones made me a wee bit queasy. Miss Inge demonstrated her technique for enjoying the nasty, slimy mollusks. You can hear me and Newell gagging in the background. She had once bragged that she could eat 3 dozen with no trouble. She didn't anticipate these monsters and only managed to wolf down 11.

I had tuna.

Remember the chocolate I mentioned earlier?

Like the proverbial kid in a candy store.

Posted: 10:46 AM Read More

Thu - July 31, 2003

'Mayters, 'Mayters, 'Mayters

The Harvest

Some are born gardeners, some achieve gardening, and some have gardening thrust upon them. I am the latter.

In the dirt patch beside our house some tomatoes sprouted. I learned that they were remainders of a neighbors old garden. Apparently when the landscapers cleared the area some seeds lying dormant in the soil finally received some light and began to grow... with a vengeance. Being that Inge is an avid tomato fan, I decided to help the vines along with some water and a few stakes. Our simple garden soon got out of control to the point that picking the tomatoes required that I crawl into the mass of vines in order to get the ones hiding inside. Inge recorded this event so that the rest of the world could see the lengths I will go in order to keep her fed.

Posted: 03:02 PM Read More

Sat - June 21, 2003

Summer Solstice

Brazilian Dancers at the Summer Solstice Parade

Inge and I have been married 5 years today. It is hard to believe it has been that long. I'm one of the luckiest guys on the planet.

Coincidentally, Santa Barbara holds a community parade every Summer Solstice. Anyone can participate and the rest of the community turns out en masse to watch it. Each year the parade has a different theme. This year's was "Silly". The only restriction is that everything in the parade must be propelled by human power. We went out the night before to reserve out spot on the street by roping some chairs to a lamp post. We went back out around noon to wait for the parade to get to us .

Posted: 12:25 PM Read More

Sat - May 24, 2003

Retribution

This was a rare weekend when I didn't have class and Inge didn't have soccer. We decided to go on a long bike ride in the afternoon. This time Inge made it clear that we would stick to paved trails and led us out to Goleta. The ride started off a little rough for me. I broke my sunglasses and had forgotten the visor for my helmet. After watching me squint for a mile or two, Inge took mercy on me and gave me hers. I had no idea that there were so many miles of bike trails in Santa Barbara. We rode about 8 miles to the beach near UCSB. After resting awhile and watching the waves, we headed back home. Inge suggested we take a different route home for some different scenery and to visit Newell and Jennifer.

This is were the revenge comes in. To get to their house, we had to go up Foothill Road. Now the word "foothill" sounds fairly innocuous. According to the dictionary it means "a low hill at the base of a mountain or mountain range". It very well may be, however, on this particular sunny May Saturday it felt like a bit more than that. As we turned onto "Foothill" road, Inge looked back smiling and said, "Ready for some hills?!" and sped off laughing. At several points during that agonizing stretch of road I was in the lowest possible gear and it was still all I could do pedal. Meanwhile my loving wife was safely a hundred yards ahead giggling.

Mercifully this last half mile to Newell and Jennifer's house is down hill and I was able to coast there and collapse in the yard. I lay on the blissfully cool stone porch trying to will my heart rate back down into double digits while Inge and Newell stood over me grinning. I had forgotten how truly wonderful it feels to drink from a garden hose and to hold your head under the stream of water. Eventually I was able to stand on my quivering legs and pedal home...humbler.

Posted: 06:22 PM Read More

Fri - May 23, 2003

Our First Trail Ride

Living off the land.

For the first time in while Inge came home from work at a decent hour. I decide to show her the trails that Glen had shown me. With little or no preface, I took her out there and led her into the woods. As we rode through the the weeds and brush she began to call me names. I was forgiven (if only for a little while) when I showed her the blackberry bush along the trail. We stopped for a while and she ate every ripe berry she could get her hands on.

Keep her fed and all is well

Posted: 06:10 PM Read More

Wed - May 21, 2003

Trail Rides and Toe Clips

My buddy and Dive Boat Captain, Glen Fritzler , took me riding on my new bike. We went out to some trails near UCSB on Elwood Bluffs. It was great to use the bike for what it was designed for. This was my first experience on anything other than pavement and I was not unlike a newborn foal trying to walk - much shaking and wobbling. He lead me and his son Austin out through the Eucalyptus Groves and out to the cliffs. It was beautiful but a bit stressful. I was more concerned with dodging trees, rocks, and gullies than I was with the scenery. Although the toe-clips on the pedals are great for keeping your feet from slipping off the pedals, you must remember to pull your feet out when you stop or you fall over. By the second time of untangling myself from the bike I had it figured out.

Posted: 01:48 AM Read More

Tax Return for Health and Fitness