Category Archives: Awesome

Every boy needs a ballista

Awesome, Family, Technology, , ,

There is a special bond that a father and son sometimes get to share…when building a siege weapon, for instance.  In one of Isaac’s classes, the final project was to build a siege weapon of some sort to throw a water balloon as far as possible.  Wen Isaac mentioned the project, I immediately though of building a catapult or a trebuchet.

Building the ballista

Building the ballista

Isaac and members of the class had done research though so there wee a number of other weapons that he learned about which are more unusual (to my mind) and a lot more fun for their uniqueness.  Isaac decided he wanted to build a ballista.     A ballista is basically a crossbow on steroids.  That’s perfect!!!

Dry-run testing the ballista
Dry-run testing the ballista
For Pride...for honor...for goodness sakes
For Pride…for honor…for goodness sakes

Original Greek ballistas used two arms that were wrapped with twisted sinew, leather, who knows what to produce tension.  Regular bows use flex in the arms to produce tension that ultimately dives the projectile forward.  In the original ballistae, the torsion in the sinew generated tension to launch the projectile.

The ballista
From behind
This doesn't look safe now that I look back on it
This doesn’t look safe now that I look back on it

We decided to modernize/pervert the old design to use flex  in the bow arms to provide tension to launch our projectile.  PVC pipe to the rescue!  Isaac and I cut, hammered and cussed this thing into existence this week and launched a tennis ball several times…our max shot was 20 yards.  We had one somewhat serious design flaw for which we had no time to remedy.  We ran a single rope from bow-end to bow-end passing through the projectile cup in the middle.  The rope went through the back of the cup so when we released the tension, the rope had to push the cup which often caused it to flip as it tried to push so hard and fast.  A better design would have been to attach a rope tot he leading edge of the cup on each side so the rope would pull the cup rather than push…I suspect we could have easily thrown a tennis ball 50+ yards.

Ballista Movie
Click to watch our first launch!

Isaac’s event went well and he got his credit.  I see more design enhancements in the coming weeks…this project isn’t over for me yet!  And that’s the best part in my mind…sure, the grade was the main driver for this project, but the best part was shared time and cussing with my son!

All-county band!

Audio, Awesome, Family, WV,

I love band kids!  They are just some of the coolest, non-jerky kids I have ever met.  I am especially proud of my band kid and the fact that he recently killed it in the all-county band as well as the all-county jazz band performances.  You see, Isaac plays tenor sax and he plays it pretty well.  Well enough to earn first chair in both bands!

My band kid
My band kid!

These kids get together once a week for 2 hours at a time over the course of 6 or 8 weeks to practice.  They work very hard and it comes together in a fantastic performance that we enjoyed a few weeks back!  Isaac had a number of solos and he did a great job!

Tune #1
Tune #2
Tune #3
Tune #4
Tune #5
Tune #6
Tune #7
Tune #8
Tune #9

He didn’t show too many signs of nervousness (at least until we were getting ready to drive to the performance…maybe a little tension then) and he pressed right through and played so well.  I am very proud of course.  Take a listen and see what you think.  As always, this was recorded on my phone which was somewhat swamped at times by their sound and by random knuckleheads talking, the occasional cough or two and my stomach growling.  I still like their sound and hope you enjoy!

A beautiful queen bee!

Awesome, Bees, , ,

I was poking around in the beehives the other day and was able to get a few cool pics.  Mainly, I wanted to check on the new packages of bees I got awhile back.  I just took the opportunity to look in on all of the bees as a beekeeper typically does in Spring.

Some beekeepers rarely see their queens, but I think that is usually due to inexperience and sometimes laziness.  I don’t always find my queen but I always look for evidence she is healthy (that is, I look for freshly laid eggs).  I can find her any time I want though.  All beekeepers should spend the time to figure out how to scan frames of bees to find a queen.  She moves differently than the other bees and the other bees usually give her some room as well.

I sometimes get my queens marked.  The beekeeper who sells queens can mark an ink dot on the thorax of the queen to make her easier to see.  The color of the dot coincides with the year she was born.  In my experience, the mark tends to wear off pretty quickly but it only costs a buck or two.  I think this marking is cool since it is heart shaped!

A queen bee
The queen and her attendants

So, here are some pics I got of one of my beautiful queens, new last Fall.   You can see her abdomen is significantly larger than the female worker bees around her.  Notice how the workers sort of make a circle around her, all facing her ready to serve at her beck and call…or something like that.

A queen bee and her attendants...with varroa mite
Notice the rust colored spot on the worker at 11 o’clock above the queen…that’s a varroa mite that will eventually kill that worker bee…and the hive if allowed to multiply

There is a lot of other stuff to see in the hive too (click the pics to enlarge if you want to see better). The bright yellow stuff is fresh pollen. There is a lot this year and the hive is full of different colors. The brown coverings on some of the honeycomb are covering brood…baby bees pupating into worker bees. Towards the top, you can see white horseshoe shaped larva.  There are several sizes representing various stages of development.  Female worker bees are in the larval stage for around 5 days.  After that, they pupate and turn into normal looking bees over the course of 13 or so days.  All told, a bee starts as an egg and 21 days later hatches into a worker bee, ready to begin duties in the hive.

I took some more pics that turned out pretty great so I’ll share some more in the next few days…it’s bee season after all!

Our road keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin, into the neighbor

Awesome, WV

In high school, I really enjoyed listening to Steve Miller Band.  The music is a little funky but I still really enjoy it.  They had one song called, “Fly Like an Eagle”.   One of the lines is, “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’…into the future…”  It’s catchy and seems to sort of fit with a fun little thing that is happening in my neighborhood right now.

When we bought this place 8 or so years ago, the road was in less than stellar shape.  It was obvious a slip of some sort had occurred at some point.  As time passed, we noticed that the road gapped a little now and then…it was still an active slip!  Every year the city…or maybe the road elves…someone would bring a load of asphalt to patch the gaps that developed and we went on our merry way.  This year, however, the issue became serious.  Over the course of a week or so, half of our road dropped a foot.  The city brought rock to fill the slip to allow everyone to pass.  Of course, that was a hopeless battle because the rock added weight to the mix which worsened the slip.

Road slip

Our road is one lane and a dead end.  The way our driveway is shaped, we typically back up or down it to the road, drive to a turn-around where we change direction and then drive out to the main road.  We need to cross the slip to turn around but we can survive without being able to do that.  Fortunately, for us, this is a mild inconvenience compared to what some of my neighbors are suffering.   More than half of the residents of my street live beyond the slip and were at risk of not being able to access their homes, being left without refuse service or emergency services.

Road slip panorama
Click to see the larger view

I’ll give credit to the city, the water company and the sanitation folks.  Oh yeah…in varying forms, there have been water and sewer disruptions in addition to the road mess.  All three agencies seem to have come together nicely to drive piles, dig holes, cut trees and in general, fix the road.

Just last night, however, the urgency has grown.  The pilings are mostly in place so our road appears to be safe, but the earth below the road and wall-in-progress failed.  A 40ish foot swath of earth slipped significantly down the hill towards another neighborhood below over night.  I’d be terrified to stay in those houses, especially with the forecast of rain and possible snow tomorrow.

The road slip worsens
The road slip worsens

I’m typically one to find the good in situations though, and I have definitely seen good come of this mess.  In addition to improving our home values with a good road, I have been given the opportunity to stand upon the road once the work crew leaves, with my neighbors.  We all knew each other but we rarely just stood around and talked.  We have done more of that lately and it has been a good and fun thing!

In the middle of tweendom

Awesome, Family, Fun, Thoughts,

My little baby girl turns 11 today.  That places her squarely in the demographic known as “tween”.  My mom always used to say that she liked my brother and me best at the age we were, whenever someone asked.  I have to say I see it now.  I loved Abigail as a baby and as a 5 year old and I am really enjoying her as a budding young woman right now.  It’s fun to see her interests begin to shape and her soon-to-be-adult ideas begin to form.  She is strong willed and determined and sometimes emotional and always just a lot of fun to be around.

Abigail! Abigail!

Emily and I had to beg her (as we always do) to give us some gift ideas.  Our kids have the most awesome responses when asked what they want for gifts.  Typically it is just a small thing or two.  I wrote about  a few examples awhile back…sort of a funny read I think.  Anyhow, I do not think they have ever just “gone wild” asking for things.  They see value in certain things and also are beginning to see and understand the value of money.

Birthday knife!
Birthday…knife?

Birthday Presents!

Birthday Presents!

So this year, Abigail asked simply for a pocket knife, an iTunes gift card and some Gobstoppers.  I think that’s a pretty cool list…not a typical list by any means.  Of course, the pocket knife surprised me the most but hey, who am I to question my daughter wanting to buck stereotypes?!  I got her exactly what she wanted and surprised her with it this morning.  As of breakfast time, she had not yet cut herself.  I know it will happen at some point.  Folks have to learn things and sometimes it has to be learned the hard way.  We will teach her safety of course so it will be up to hear to learn, one way or another.  It’s good to have a little danger and responsibility too…she is 11 after all…growing right up into a real person a wonderful young lady!

A little more about my diet

Awesome, Food, Thoughts, , ,

A LOT of people have asked me specifically how I lost 47 pounds (so far…probably won’t lose any more).  I did follow a particular diet called “The Ideal Protein Diet“.  My chiropractor said she was tired of telling people to lose weight to help with their back problems but then not having a real suggestion that was easy and worked.  She researched around and found this diet and tried it.  It worked so she became a provider.

I know people have all sorts of self-image issues and skinny isn’t always good and fat isn’t always bad.  I am not about chasing the “skinny ideal” and everyone has to make their own decisions about their own health so please don’t think I mean to judge anyone on whether they are thin or not thin.  I have blood pressure and cholesterol issues and those are the reasons why I did this diet.  My blood pressure is normal now without my medicine.  I will continue to monitor it daily, but so far, so good.  For me, I was comfortable at my previous weight but not with my other issues.

Anyhow, the gist of the diet is to minimize carbs and maximize protein but it is unlike Adkins or those sorts of diets in that the practitioners of this diet want participants to eat good protein (i.e. not bacon, etc) and to eat lots of vegetables, control portion sizes and hydrate.  It has worked for us because the diet program provides a video series that is excellent and not just smoke-blowing.  We see a weight-loss coach weekly who is helpful to our monitor progress and guide us forward.  The diet is very well regimented so there is no counting points or calories or anything like that…it’s just easy.  The other neat thing is that the process includes monitoring muscle loss and fat loss.  The idea is to minimize muscle loss and focus on fat.  It’s interesting but I lost very little muscle in this process which is not typical of most diets.

It is a little expensive to start as there are “good protein” products we eat to supplement other lean meats, etc but it has worked very well and I have not been uncomfortable or weak/tired, etc.

I am transitioning to the third phase where I begin to reintroduce healthy carbs and prepare for a maintenance phase.  The idea is to retrain my way of thinking about food and what is really going into my body.  The focus now is on eating whole foods, good portion sizes and how to enjoy food without gorging and snacking constantly.  There is no magic to keeping the weight off…no more eating donuts every day.  No more drinking four Mountain Dews a day.  No more snacking on chips right up until bed time.  This diet helped me get the weight off.  Of course, it is now up to me to keep it off and I have been pretty well educated on what causes weight gain, how to manage it and how to move forward while still being able to enjoy food.

I don’t usually advertise stuff on this blog because this space is not really about that but I know weight loss is hard and I am so pleased with how this worked that it seems like others may benefit.  If you are local, the link to my provider is above.

It’s Pi Day!

Awesome, Technology, ,

You may not be aware but today is Pi Day…not American-as-apple-pie pie but 3.1415-remember-geometry-and-circles Pi Day!  It’s March 14…that is, 3.14!  Lots of people might ignore such a day but without circles and their measurement and pi in general, our world would be a much less fun place.  Science and math make the world go ’round…get it?  Round…circles…pi!

pi-pie
It’s meant to be!

 

Chocolate pie!
Chocolate pie!

The number π is a mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.  I am a computer programmer by trade and took a lot of math classes as I went through my schooling so I was exposed to a lot of this but if you have not had tons of math exposure, you should definitely read the info about pi on wikipedia…it is truly fascinating!

So, to honor this special day, we baked a pi…I mean a pie last night.  I took a bunch of pics of the process but that was boring.  Instead, I figure it might be more interesting to see a few pics that clearly illustrate what pi is and how it relates to the humble circle.

Pi unrolled

 

sine curve and pi

 

Weren’t those super cool?!

Reciting Pi
Click to play video

(Or try here if that doesn’t work)

Here’s something else that is pretty cool…when Isaac was in elementary school, he took it upon himself to learn pi to 50 digits.  He still remembers it and recited it for me!  Abigail recently began to memorize it and she knows it to 12 digits.  For most intents and purposes, 4 or 5 digits is plenty but more precision is…well…more precise so why not learn it?!  Incidentally, the memorization of the digits of pi is called piphilology.  The world record for memorizing the digits of pi is 67,890…that’s amazing!

Reciting Pi
Click to play video

(or try here if that doesn’t work)

So friends…enjoy this pretty cool day and get your ovens baking…it’s Pi Day!

We are new chicken farmers!

Awesome, Food, Garden, Tinkering, ,

If you have come around here for very long, you probably know that I get hair-brained ideas and jump before I think.  Well, the other day, I posted this picture and caption to Instagram.

Box of baby chicks
It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission

I didn’t tell Emily I was going to get chicks on that particular day but I thought I was justified.  You see, we were out at the deer stand the other day and I happened upon a rabbit hunter walking in the woods who found a near-starved beagle while out in the field.  We talked a little and he indicated he didn’t want the dog but didn’t want it to starve either.  I didn’t think much of it but later told Emily.  She loves beagles it turns out, so I said I am sure we could get that dog if she wanted it.  We discussed a little and she finally declined saying, “we can’t have a beagle and chickens”.  Since we didn’t get the beagle, I figured that meant I was green-light on chickens.  Seems right, right?

Baby Chicks!
Baby Chicks!

Anyhow, I begged for forgiveness and was eventually granted neutrality.  Emily doesn’t really have a lot to do with the chicks but I am not presently concerned with her smothering me in my sleep.  Of course, that is always subject to change.

Baby Chicks!
More Baby Chicks!

Anyhow, I got a mixed box of 8 chicks…4 from the dark pullets and 4 from the red pullets.  That basically means I probably have female egg layers and they will probably be reddish or blackish in color.  I may be able to better identify breeds once they get older, but being new to chicks, this could just remain a mystery.

Two or three week old chicks
Two or three week old chicks

One of the chicks, I noticed after I got home, had a goobered-up eye.  It was crusty and swollen shut.  I read online a good bit and tried cleaning it many times with a wet cloth.  I could get it to clear but within a day, it got messed up again.  We figured she would be blind in that eye so we named her Hook.  We couldn’t remember if Captain Hook had an eye patch but Hook stuck as her name.  Unfortunately, a few days ago, we discovered she had a broken or maybe dislocated leg.  It was clear she wasn’t right in several ways…so RIP Hook.

Two or three week old chicks
They are growing so fast!

We have named 2 of the remaining 7 birds…one is Hodor and one is Fezzik.  Both birds appear to be big and dumb.  We will name the others as their personalities become apparent.  Ultimately they will be named Soup, but in the meantime, we intend to have a lot of fun with them and enjoy the eggs as well!

Memories…my new coffee cup

Awesome, Thoughts, , ,

I grew up in the 70s and mostly can’t believe it whenever I think back to how I dressed for school or what a mess my hair, when I had hair, was when I combed it straight down with my pocket comb.  Men wore aftershave like Aquavelva or Old Spice and those smells still trigger my mind whenever I smell someone wearing either.  I wore the very coolest pearl-button western shirts and tall tube socks with stripes.  Most of that seems like the stuff of horrors…or at least it did…

My parents and my grandparents, like everyone at the time, had dishes and decor that went along with the times…there were lots of mushrooms and owls and browns and oranges and otherwise funky patterns.  We had spider plants in macrame hanging baskets and I always sported a kool-aid mustache.  It was the 70s man…it’s what we did.

Pfaltzgraff Owl Mug
In its pure form…

A year ago, my grandpa passed and my mom gave us a few treasures from my grandparents’ house.  Like most older people do, they just stopped buying new decor items at some point.  They finally decided, I suppose, that it isn’t worth trying to be trendy…For my grandparents, their stopping point was somewhere in the 1970s.  So, one of the items that my mom gave me was a funky owl mug that my grandparents used with their daily coffee…not just any coffee mind you…Sanka!  If that isn’t 1970s…

Anyhow, I have clear memories of them using that cup, sitting around their table talking to my brother and me about whatever.  We didn’t drink coffee at the time but always enjoyed the warm cans of Red and White brand pop they kept under the kitchen sink.  So, I have that cup and it is safely tucked away so I can see it but I don’t want to use it.  Luckily for me, technology allowed me to browse the world’s markets (i.e. ebay) to find another owl mug.  I found one (and only one) and bought it right away!

Pfaltzgraff Owl Mug
Coffee just tastes better!

I received the mug the other day and have absolutely, positively enjoyed drinking coffee from it, thinking about my grandparents and the 70s and macrame and returnable bottles and western shirts.  It’s funny and awesome how much one little coffee cup can bring up in my memory and it’s worth so much more than the $12 it cost me!

Regional Jazz Band Festival

Audio, Awesome, Family, Fun, WV,

I post a lot about Isaac’s middle school band but they are just so good, I can’t help but post more.  This weekend, they attended the Regional Jazz Band Festival in Huntington, WV and played as awesome as they always do.

Jazz Festival

In the Mood 

Ballad for Zoe

Malaguena

Big Noise from Winnetka

(Try the links below on your phone or if the links above do not work)
(Warning! They are huge and will use your data plan if you download on your phone)

In the Mood 

Ballad for Zoe

Malaguena

Big Noise from Winnetka

The band director is a fantastic guy and loves the kids…they love him too and it shows when they play.  The amazing thing in my opinion, is that there is no official jazz band program in the school.  The kids and the director work before school or after school or on weekends…on their own time.  I think they are amazing regardless of age, but even more impressive is that this band is 6th-8th grade kids.  It is just unbelievable I think!  I wish my phone captured the dynamics and quality of their sound better than it did.  In the end, they got a “superior” rating which is as good as it gets.  We will find out soon how they rank state-wide…here’s hoping for a top finish!