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June 30, 2004

Damn dogs.

I don't think Mom needs to read or know about this :-)

You know it's one thing to hit a dog with a 4 wheeled vehicle. It's another to have a large, black, fury dumb a** dog to come out of the shadows on a dark road at your two wheeled sweet ride of a motorcycle. Did I explain that clearly enough? :-) All I know is this thing came out of the right, I'm in the left of two lanes on a 5 lane road. One car to my right, clear center lane and on coming traffic off in the near distance. “What the heck is that?!” Then training kicked in, I started braking front and rear.

The rear starts to slip right on me. No sudden movements is key, that will help with control. The one thing you don't want to do is go into a skid then release right away, you'll have the tail snap back. I dropped the speed down and let up on the brakes and checked around me. Hell of a lot of blue smoke behind me. :-) Dog out of the way. Cars clear. Smell of rubber in the air. One pump of the arm, “F*ck yeah! I did it.” Not quite the response you'd expect. I wasn't going to be number three Boyd employee to have a encounter with the road in the wrong way this week. Retired Maintenance Manager Dave Muck on Sunday, and coworker Sheri on Tuesday.

I got back to the garage and checked the wheel for bald spots, found it and the place I started to drift on. I'll rack up my ability to make it through this incident to the MSF course and all the trail/dirt biking I did growing up (Hell even BMX bicycling :-).

Anyways I made it! Sheri's injuries weren't as bad as I thought. Mostly friction burns, no contact with the asphalt, the denim and leather did their job. She thinks she bruised a rib good but nothing else. She did easily over $300 in damage. Both right blinkers, right mirror, right brake lever, lower pipe chrome, right edge of the windshield, broken shoelace on boots, broken visor on helmet, shredded gloves… I think that is it… anyways time to go to bed… See ya later.

Posted by pykeman at 10:10 PM | Comments (1)

June 29, 2004

Headed home for lunch...

Traffic was really heavy on the side streets near home. Saw some of the Police tape covering an entire intersection on 257 one of the side streets. Flares everywhere. Nothing on the noon news, only one on, tennis on the other. So I head over to kgw.com:

.bq Pedestrian struck in Gresham: A man was hit by a car on Kane Drive, south of Stark St., and not far from Mt. Hood Community College. The extent of the man's injuries is not known. Kane Dr. will be closed in both directions for at least a couple of hours while the crash team investigates. More to come…

Ok, maybe I'll just stay home this afternoon :-) A co-worker that I ride with, Sheri, laid her bike down on the way to work. She slid 30 feet, road rash on arm/let, burise on chest. but she and the bike are in one piece. She's at home taking it easy. I'm going to stop by and see her tonight.

BTW EVERYONE loved my cake/bread. Even the gormet chefs said it is one of the best. Well time for lunch.

Posted by pykeman at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)

Pesky calendars, they trick you every chance they get.

Well the good news is everyone likes my cake/bread. The bad news is I'm a couple days early. The potluck isn't until Thursday. I double checked the email and it is July 1. I looked at the calendar and thought that 1st fell on Tuesday. It actually does, for JUNE! :-) Oh well, I guess I'll have to come up with something else by Thursday :-)

Posted by pykeman at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2004

I made banana nut bread!

Ok not such a big deal for most people, but I don't have a good track record with baking :-). I felt I needed to use up my bananas and there is a potluck tomorow. The bread is pretty much a scratch recipe I found in Mr. Food Cool Cravings. Mr. Food can be found at www.mrfood.com.

I had to pick up some merchandise to sell for a client on eBay then drop off some patio chairs with Tom so that burned most of my evening. I headed back home from the west side about 7:30. Stopped at Wal-Mart for a baking pan, toothpicks (you have to check if its done :-), a masher for the ripe bananas, and a handheld mixer. Back here to start the dishwasher and to check the “pantry,” not much for baking, so off to Albertsons. Everything plopped down and I commenced the mixing of the batter. I had to upgrade the size of the mixing bowl due to my mixer being on steroids. Actually think the bowls I was using were designed for an electric mixer. Mixing bowls will be my next purchase as I hate having to wipe up shortening and sugar mixture everywhere.

Mr. Food's recipe had a sugar/butter sauce for the top, but it didn't turn out. I should have waited for the bread to cool before making the sauce… it hardened way before the bread was ready. It is also interesting baking with electricity vs. gas. This thing is touchy, and I need to pad the baking time by about 10 minutes.

Anyways it is 11:00 PM and the place smells great, I don't though…. I worked my tail off. Woo Hoo, I think I'm channeling Pops :-). Now I know what he must have felt baking and cooking on his own. By the way a quick breakfast meal: eggs with Johnny's Seasoning and a whole wheat tortilla cooked on the griddle :-). Tom swears by the griddle, now I know why. Maybe I'll make pancakes this weekend… Hey Becki, how about breakfast before the ride Saturday? ;-)

Anyways don't forget to read below about the rides we did this weekend…. I'll update that and hit the hay.

Posted by pykeman at 10:52 PM | Comments (2)

Weekend report soon.. sleep now I must.

Weekend report soon.. sleep now I must. OR thought I had to, giant bang just went off 10 min after midnight.. and another… damn kids and fireworks. I think they were M-80 or the like… Probably over at the Cinema. Glad I'll be in Washington for the 4th. ;-) Maybe I'll see if I can survive Granger Pond.

Posted by pykeman at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2004

So let's check the calendar...

Wow, I haven't posted anything since the 19th! I've been spending too much time away from the computer. Darn it. Just this evening I looked at the odometer and Tess has 11,000 miles on her (7,300 when I bought her). Does that tell you what I've been up to? Tess rolled 10,000 Miles near Elmo Studd's Building Supplies in Durham/Tigard. I thought that was appropriate with the history Dad had with them (they knew him by name.)

I keep asking myself why I moved to Gresham if I'm spending so much time on the west side. My answer is so that I can be close to work and early each day. I spend much of my “off duty” time hanging out with either Tom or Becki. Lucky for me they are both at the same complex :-).

Tom finally has everything squared away on his motorcycle. Plates, registration, insurance, even a motorcycle learner's permit! This allows us to ride together on our own bikes. He has put over $500 in repairs to the bike and it runs like a champ now. All except the generator, we think it is bad after the ride tonight, the battery is dead and it's brand new. Here's a recap of the weekend:

Saturday I cleaned and detailed the bike. I didn't know I had so much chrome on her! That took most of the morning. I stopped by Janet's in Vancouver to borrow her leathers for Becki. I was even able to hook up with Tom and Lindsey to see DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story. It was great, Tom and I were laughing so much it hurt!

Tom, Becki and I were planning a ride after Tom was off at 5 PM, the movie pushed that back. This was the first time with a passenger and one of the first times for Becki on a bike. Becki and I did great, the first couple turns were different but I started to become comfortable with them. One of the best feeling about riding a motorcycle is riding with someone else, preferably a woman. :-) There is just something about feeling someone's hand around your waist. You and your passenger are one with the bike. I never expected that feeling to be so wonderful, it's hard to explain… I just feels right. Yet again a bit of Pop is coming through, but at least this time my motorcycle had a very well padded passenger seat. Just ask Mom what it is like riding on a motorcycle with a pillow on the package rack. :-D Poor Dad.

Tom did a great job also, I offered some of my sage advice on some of his technics. We did about 15-20 miles, short but enough to have some fun. We ended up at McMenamin's Rock Creek Tavern for fries and chicken strips.

Our adventure wasn't over as Tom ran out of gas on the way back to his house. He thought he had some reserve left but it was bone dry. I headed back to the apartments and dropped Becki off and hopped in the truck with Lindsey and Mustang so we could get gas to him. Once he was filled up he was able to get it going. We have agreed that the short runs we are doing are allowing him to get to know his bike a lot better. I for one should know about getting to know the milage on a motorcycle. The Honda 400 gets about 100 miles on it's tank. Trust me, I found out the hard way, just ask Mom, Bunny, Paula or Grandma A. :-)

After all the excitement with Tom I received a call from my other riding buddy, Sheri. She had made it to the Seaside Poker Run we had planned to do. I made plans earlier in the week to work on some eBay stuff as The weather was forecasted to rain. She put on over 300 miles. From Gresham to Seaside (95 mi.), the poker run (150 mi.), then Seaside to Gresham (95 mi.) I'm jealous. Later that evenng John “Droid” Whang met me out there and rode back to my place. Finally hit the sack after 1 AM.

Today I rode out to Tom's had lunch with him, chicken on the grill. He is a grill master! Just some breasts that needed to be cooked and some seasoning and it came off great!. After lunch I crashed into a Food Coma and napped for an hour then hung out with Becki. Tom and I were planning a ride when he got done with work so Becki and I burnt some time. We went for a drive checking out some bike paths for Becki to ride and decided to take Germantown Rd into Portland to a Rivercity Bicycles to pick up a bike route map. The ride down was fun, Becki said that road should be fun on the motorcycle, boy is it! We also talked about hiking around Forest Park, something neither of us have ever done in the 10 +/- years we've lived in Portland. I think we are driving each other to do more exercising. It won't hurt, at least not until a day or so later ;-)

Anyways, we finished our running around and then Tom and I headed off into the sunset for the ride. We went from Hillsboro to Scholls, to Newberg (dinner at Burgerville”), then to Sherwood to shoot the wind with the Korbs, then to King City to shoot the wind with Ryan Hoftiezer. All that shooting the wind (talking and riding) took longer than we thought. We returned to Hillsboro well after 10 PM and I headed back home. Tried to type all this up but kept falling asleep :-) Finished the next evening. Now on to the next adventure: BAKING :-)

Posted by pykeman at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2004

Beaverton Hooters First Annual Poker Run.

For the time being, let me say this:

I love my bike!

We did another 115 mile poker run today: First Annual Hooters Poker Run. I was the leader of our group of five: Two coworkers, Quin and Sheri, one high school friend, Ryan Hofteizer, and a retired Portland Police officer, Ron. I led due as I had a map holder on my tank and I knew most of the route we took:

Lots of fun and lots of great people and awesome bikes! I'm glad I have tomorrow to recuperate. I need it.

Posted by pykeman at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

Tornado In Sherwood Last Night...

From KGW.com:

An evening cool down brought with it some unexpected thunderstorms and a brief tornado following a second straight day of unrelenting heat in the Portland area. Thunderstorms passed through metro Portland along with portions of the Columbia River Gorge and southwest Washington. Some of the storms brought high wind and hazardous lightning with them.

A small tornado briefly touched down and then dissipated over southeastern Washington County about 8:45 p.m., the National Weather Service said. The twister was spotted near the Sherwood YMCA and damaged 7 trees, the weather service said. The funnel cloud quickly dissipated and meteorologists said no further severe weather was expected Friday night.

Elsewhere, high winds were blamed for bringing down a 70-foot Douglas Fir tree onto a house on Portland's southeast side. No injuries were reported from either the Sherwood or Portland locations.

While thunderstorms passed through much of the area, the only official warning of the evening came in Cowlitz County, Wash. — where a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was prompted by lightning activity.

.p Well I headed over to Sherwood to Mackenzie's Pub to meet Wayne and Tom. I noticed earlier in the day that the weather was changing over SW Washington. Boy did it change, I was seeing lightning on the way to Sherwood. I think one of the stations said it was the most strikes in NW Oregon in a long time. It was a bit breezy at times but didn't rain. I sprinkled while we were inside the restaurant. After burger, beer and bros I headed back home around 8 or 8:30. Ryan Hoftiezer, Matt Potter, and one of the Martin twins joined us as well. Ryan and I rode our bikes to Beaverton where he was meeting a friend, I peeled off on 26 to home. I'm glad and bummed at the same time that I missed the tornado. no biggie though, I didn't have the camera with me anyways.

Well time to get ready for the Hooter's Poker run. Tomorrow is laundry, pick up the pickup in Beaverton (Wayne borrowed it), and do eBay research for clients. The pickup pick up will be fun, almost two hours to ride MAX over to Hillsboro. Too bad Trimet doesn't have wireless internet on their trains. :-)

Posted by pykeman at 06:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2004

Wayne's Quick Visit to Portland

Well it didn't get off to a good start. He was supposed to come in at 9:40 PM. Flight from LAX was delayed due to a broken handle on the valve for the toilet holding tank. FAA wouldn't let them fly, so they were told. Had to wait for new plane. Finally left at 10:00 PM, put then at PDX at 12:30, picked him up and got back to my place and in bed by 1:30-2:00 AM. Did I mention he has appointments starting this morning at 7:00 AM? I'm a zombie today… That's ok, I should be awake by this evening, beer with the bro's and showing off my Tess. Have a great weekend, we're having our 2nd day of 90 degree weather, final days of Spring ☺

Oh by the way I'm going on another poker run tomorrow morning. It's sponsored by Hooters. I'll be meeting coworkers starting at 7:30 AM. FYI I'm up to 10,360 miles on the bike ☺.

Posted by pykeman at 06:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2004

Washington County ABATE Poker Run

Sheri, a gal form work, and I finished an 102 mile poker run that covered four counties, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, and Yamhill. We received a smattering of rain but otherwise the weather held off for the majority of the ride. More on that and my dryer fun later tomorrow. I'm falling asleep at the computer, a sign it is time for bed.

Posted by pykeman at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)

When does maintenance become PAINtenance?

Ok Tom and I swapped the washer/dryer the other night, so I thought that my clothes would dry quicker. I was wrong. Even though the clothes come out dryer, due to centrifugal force that the front load washer uses, I was still having to run the dryer twice. Wednesday night I figured I'd check the the dryer vent pipe for clogs, at least as much as I could reach. After removing the pipe that the complex replaced just after I moved in, the dryer vent hose had fallen off, I was amazed at what I found (click for pictures).

I've never seen such half assed work. They used the “collar” to make the connection of the dryer hose easier, I guess. Due to the shape of it most of the force of air when to the outside and that would cause the hose to pressurize. This caused the air flow path to become complex! The air was having to change directions. This on top of the lint build up in the exhaust pipe. Remember I found this on Wednesday evening. I called the Apt office Thursday and left a message. The office called to followup and get permission to enter. Well I finally arrived home at 10 PM on Saturday and found a work order to say they cleaned the vent.

Posted by pykeman at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2004

A weekend of rememberence.

I watched the final memorial service for Ronald Regan. That brought back many a memory of Dad's and Nigel's services. These events humble a person, you realize what is and what isn't important in life.

This Sunday will be one year since Nigel left us. My dear friends, Kiefer and Sandy, have gone through so much in the past year. I am sorry that I haven't been able to spend more time with them, but they have the support of the entire community. Sandy has had the hardest time with this process of mourning. She has her up times and her down times. I am happy that she is starting to be more up, I have missed her wit. I know that it is a front she puts on when company is over, I know from experience. This takes so much out of her, I am hoping the weight is lightened soon for both her and Kiefer and their entire family.

Mourning is a life long event, you never are over it. Emotion is always at the edge with just a thought or sight to bring it back to the surface. It's been four years since my own father's passing and I still think of him at very often. This is especially true these past few months as I go through my first divorce. My mother has told me that he would have some sage advice having been there before. As I go through this process, or if I'm working on a project, I try my best to imagine what he would be saying. It's amazing how many things I do today have been shaped by him. Even though we shared 26 years together, it wasn't enough, nor would any length of time be enough, for him to share his knowledge and experience with me. When you lose a person, you just lose the physical being, they are always with you. I think that is both the greatest gift and burden at the same time.

My friends, take a moment to say, “I love you,” to your friends and families, because in the end they are what and who you are. It is not the material things, like a big screen TV, or a brand new car (or motorcycle), that make you any better than the next, though many people try. It is family and friends that can make you better or worse than anyone else. They are the foundation of your live, like it or not.

I thank each and every one of my family and friends, if not in person but in thought, each day for the love and support they have given me. I've been to Hell and back so many times I feel I have frequent flyer miles. :-) But always waiting for me at the “airline” gate are my family and friends. Some are new arrivals, some have recently returned from their own trips, but they are always there.

Anyways, enough of this, go forth and enjoy the day, week, month, year. Remember those who have left before you. Celebrate their memories often and know that you'll see them again sometime in the future. Thank you again for being a friend.

Posted by pykeman at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

Be wary of neighbors bearing gifts...

Well was talking to a neighbor last night about the brace on her hand. She has Tendonitis and needs surgery. She mentioned her doctor gave her super strength Vicodin and she had chased is with a shot of tequila and something else. I'm thinking that wasn't such a good idea. A little bit later I can hear her talking to one of the neighbors, and she says, “Be right back.” Next thing I know she is on my porch with DVDs: Training Day and Orange County. I'm thinking she's loaning them to me, but that thought would soon change. I could smell the alcohol she had, or was, consuming. A little bit later she came back looking for trash bags. She mumbled something about her husband just leaving her, she didn't know why, and need to toss out his stuff. Whoa! Just when I thought I had normal neighbors and would have to deal with this crazy type of drama. This is the point where the DVD's entered my mind… I think I'll place those out of site for right now…

While this was all going on I was on the phone with Becki… I'm was a little spooked that she was coming to me with the DVDs and need of trash bags. Becki was saying I would be come the helpful single male neighbor. I really hope not. :-) Don't worry everyone, she's out of my age range. I don't need any extra drama in my life. I closed the curtains and blinds… time for stealth mode.

What a night.

Posted by pykeman at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2004

All Clear on the Health Front

I decided to take yesterday off and make it my Doctor Day. I figured if I had to head to OHSU for follow up appointments I might as well make another appoint in the morning. Why work from 8 AM to say 10 or 11 just so you can leave and head downtown? And if you are planning on a visit to OHSU you should plan on setting a good chunk of the day aside.

My first appointment was with my surgeon, Dr. Eugene Sullivan, who did the original “body work.” This was just a checkup on some minor adjustments, all good. No need for any other appointments unless something comes up. “Be sure to let the complaint department know if any thing comes up,” he said.

Next was the Cat Scan (CT) and follow up with Dr. John Vetto. This is the other “body work” expert. He did both the thigh and abdomen tumors. Everything look good, but he'll contact me if anything shows up on the CT. No issues with either of the surgeries. He wants to see me again in 6 months, after that I think I'll be on the annual plan.

Sounds like Dr Sullivan will officially be phasing into retirement. He has to be 70 or 80 something. He's tried retirement before, but then his wife passed away and he went back to work. I think he did that to give him something to do. Then he married again. His new wife actually has connections to Sunnyside, WA, my home town. Her sister is a nurse for one of the local doctors. This world is getting smaller all the time, or I'm getting older and meeting too many people. The reason for the push to retirement is the group is bringing on a new partner, a “younger woman” as Dr Sullivan put it. She's sharp and knows her stuff. She trained at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the best schools in the US.

Dr. Sullivan was one of the surgeons on the west coast to do the J-Pouch procedure on the west coast back in the day. He is an amazing man to keep going the way he does is amazing. I thanked him for the great job he did with my surgery. He thanked me for being a wonderful patient and told me I was one of his best success stories.

Afterwards I had some time to kill and stopped in to see my former landlords. We shot the breeze for a bit bringing them up to speed on what was happening in my life. They also decided not charge us anything for cleaning or utilities as we left the place better than anyone has ever. They gave us the entire security and cleaning deposits back. Next on to OHSU…

So I arrive at OHSU, no parking as there is construction everywhere, but there is free valet parking. Leave my car and head to the hospital for the CT. I stopped in Hillsdale and picked up an Oregonian knowing the waiting room is rather sparse when it comes to reading materials. Glad I did, it was either read the paper or watch Family Feud. Oh the joys of the waiting room. Being the friendly sort I offered the paper to someone nearby. Anything to ease the pain and suffering…. in the waiting room.

Soon I was called by the Radiology Tech to get my IV for the contrast injection started. Being the experience person at this, I asked which curtain, and then which arm. Next informed her that my veins roll out of the way of needles. I've been working with my veins on their fear of needles, but alas they can't see to complete the seven step program… oh well, I'll endure the multiple attempts to start IVs. The tech got it on the first try, often it is three tries and two nurses. I mentioned that I forgot my “Have Four Scans Get the Fifth Free” card at home, I'm really close to that fifth one! She smiled and asked if OHSU knew about it. I told her I'm working on it and a frequent patient discount card. :-) I headed back to waiting with my 32 ounces of “Fruit Punch Gastro Contrast,” otherwise known as “the stuff that doesn't taste like fruit punch and makes your insides glow.” I sat there drinking a quarter of the mix every 15 minutes for the next hour, imagining the entire time that it was a Hawaiian punch.

Finally was called for the CT. Sucked down the last two inches of “fruit punch” and headed for the CT machine. Having been told where to place my head I proceeded to lay down and start unbuckling my pants, much to the surprise of the tech/student. I told her I was an old pro at this, something the CT tech doing the film backed me up on. “Oh yeah you are, I remember your last name.” Oh the joys of having a name like Pykonen. I guess since most people can't pronounce it, let alone spell it, it gets stuck in their minds for say six months, being the last scan I had. I wish I had that kind of mental recall. The tech/student asked me to put my hands above my head, but I beat her to that too… “Oh yeah, you know. I was on autopilot.” I chuckled (happy Becki? not giggled but chuckled :-) CT done, time to head to the cafeteria, I've been fasting since 8 AM and it's Noon thirty!

Food done, time to hike to the clinic. Lets take the stairs, I can handle it…. all 8 floors of them. Much easier when came down than going up. Yet another reason to start exercising. Out of breath I finally get to the clinic and check in two hours before the appointment, nothing better to do now. I'd left the news paper in the CT waiting area for the others. Really hard waiting for two hours. I napped, text messaged friends and family, checked work voice mail, listened to other patients complain about driving from Redmond and having to wait so long… newbies. So I finally got in an hour and a half after my scheduled time. And saw the medical student right away. I surprised her too with my knowledge of how the exam table works… :-) I gave her my medical history and as I always say, “Other than that I'm as healthy as a horse.” I went on to explain that I have FAP and that I'm a text book case of Classic FAP. She asked if I my picture is in the textbook, told her I was working on it.

After spending almost half the day at OHSU I headed out to Palladia as Becki was making dinner for me since I was starving all day. Dinner was great, I fixed her computer, and we hung out with Tom for a bit. Called it a night and headed back to Gresham to hit the sack.

Posted by pykeman at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2004

Battle of my bulge

Ok so I don't have a bulge, but I could use some exercise. I'm in pretty good shape to begin with. I'm eating out less and eating quite well at home. If I'm not the exercise will help burn off the extra calories. I just figure toning things up and working on my stamina would be good. Since I'm living on the east side of Portland I have chosen the Columbia River Gorge as my ultimate goal. Heck I can ride the motorcycle up and go for a hike. I have to start somewhere.

Today was the first day of adding more exercise to my life. Last week I did go for a walk to get my hair cut and decided that I needed to walk more. Hey I live next to Mt Hood Community College (MHCC). MHCC covers a lot of ground. There is even a creek and pond on the property. People fish for trout in the pond. Today I set out to check out the campus after work, my goal 30 minutes of walking. Well… I ended up doing an hour. I know where the Visual Arts Center, Aquatic, Physical Ed, and playing fields are. I have a good idea of the route I'm going to take, it drops me down (I really mean down) to the creek and back up. I even found a tennis ball by the tennis courts. I carried it around with me and worked it with my hands. I'm guessing this will help me with some carpel tunnel issues and make the motorcycle trips easier. I'll do this route, I'm thinking three times a week.

After exploring the campus I decided to check out the route around the neighborhood. I might do the neighborhood loop in the mornings. Heck I'm even planning a couple of exercises at work. I figure during one of my 15 minutes break I can go for a walk along Sandy Blvd and Boeing.

I guess my basic goal is to have a better heart rate and stronger heart. Hey if thing go well I'll see about adding some weight training at the complex gym.

Now is the time to attack the display on this laptop… let the swapping begin.

Posted by pykeman at 06:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2004

Washer and Dryer Replacement

Ok, so I get a washer/dryer with the apartment. But do they have to be almost as old as I am? It was a stacked washer/dryer. Any loads had to be run at least twice to be completely dry. Well out of the divorce I get to keep the front load washer/dryer combo we bought two years ago. I'm a strong believer in the energy that these devices save. The clothes come out almost dry out of the washer and it uses less water than the tub washer. Dryer clothes mean less time in the dryer.

Thomas came by this evening with, our friend Becki who was a bit stir crazy getting over a bug. Tom was here to help me swap out the washer/dryers. It took him forever to get here due to the amount of work today. We finally had everything done by 9:00 PM. We all went to McMenamins Edgfield for dinner and lots of laughter.

Thomas and Becki gave me a hard time about being a “bachelor” due to the fact my apartment was much to clean and had way too much food in the refrigerator. :-) Funny guys. I just cleaned up the place before they showed up. I just can't stand having a mess if I can help it. I can't blame a roommate for anything… I just blame myself, and that isn't fun. If it's a mess it, because of me.

The sad part is much of the stuff is stacking up in the garage. That will change in the near future… I have to organize the bedroom/office then unpack tools and stuff in the garage. I'm hoping to get some of the stuff up to the Farm and others to Goodwill, etc.

Well it's been a long weekend, time for bed to recharge the batteries for a full 5 day week. Have a great week y'all.

Posted by pykeman at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

Want a DVD with a Big Mac?

McDonald's to offer DVD rentals in Denver

Which is better for the waistline of America? Buttered popcorn or a Big Mac, fries, and a large orange drink? DVD rental kiosks in McDonalds will be interesting to see. I'm not too sure how well this will do, but you have a pretty specific market, those that are to busy to make their own food. These are the same people that are too busy to stop by the video store or sign up for Netflix. I find the part that it is $1.00 a day and if the total charge reaches $25.00 the DVD is the property of the renter. That isn't as steep as some of the video stores. That's just my $1.00 worth ;-)

Posted by pykeman at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)

My first "free" Saturday

So what did I do with my first weekend of doing nothing since I didn't have to move a damn thing? (Imagine me doing a happy dance.)

The Sony HT-DDW660 was a choice due to size. I had a amp and two large speakers, too much for a one bedroom. I had $150 in gift cards for Sears picked it up before the movie. 98% was setup after the movie and food, need to get 72 feet of speaker wire :-).

Shrek 2 was great and I want to see it again. Many of the reviews say the same thing, “Plenty for the kids and the adults.” There are so many references to other movies and Hollywood in general. One of my coworkers said he picked up so much more the second time around. We all had a great time and were hungry afterwards. It was decided to head to Main Street Ale House which opened in April.

Main Street used to be a Franz bakery according to my coworkers. Over the years it has been a few different pubs/breweries. The Gresham Outlook news paper did a story about the new business. It's an interesting place, I'm told they gutted the entire interior making it wide open. Their website stated that they have darts and pool tables, possibly in a back room. All we saw was a single pool table near the bar with a sign “Minors Not Allowed to Use Table”. I'm guessing that they wanted a “family” table but OLCC has a regulation about proximity of minors to the bar.

The beer was great, the food was good, service needed some work. Our waitperson was ditzy at best. She said she had been there since 10:30 AM and it was 5:00 PM. I know waitstaff work their butts off, but come on… Every order she brought back she tried to give to the wrong person. Drinks were replenished slowly or mistakenly taken when the person wasn't finished. I'll give Main Street the benefit of the doubt and go back again to see if service improves. I'd like to try the Brat Dinner! Oh and one other thing, they make their own potato chips on site. I'm not sure what the seasoning is but we tasted garlic, onion, and possibly cheese.

Posted by pykeman at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2004

New Toy - Tess

So, two months ago I found me a new toy: Tess - Short for Testosterone p.

1996 Yamaha Virago 1100 (slightly larger than the Honda 400 of last year) See the specs at: bikez.com

It had 7,300 miles when I bought it (now 9,950). The previous owner bought it brand new in 1996 from Bob Lanphere's Beaverton Honda Yamaha and traded it in for a 1800. It came with the windshield (off for around town riding) and saddle bags. All for a cool $4,000. Read below for more details of how this came to be mine…

More to come soon. I have to replace the display on the laptop first… :-) News on that later.

Posted by pykeman at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)