That Would Be Capitol

Recooperation II

outpostbabu — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:54:29 +0000

Earned my merit badge today in bamboo lashing to fix the roof of the coop’s rec room/basketball court which has now been destroyed twice by falling limbs. I find that given nine places to lash, I can come up with 9 different lashings. Those Scouting years really paid off. That said, I don’t recommend you try standing on this nor count on it to float downriver without breaking apart.

Also, this is genuine Grant Park bamboo grown right here in my backyard. Here you see the medium-sized variety. Green Living merit badge, check!

The Foreman oversaw progress… until he saw something more interesting and ran off.

For Sale: Clyde Jr.

outpostbabu — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:31:16 +0000

Clyde Jr. is for sale to the highest bidder. Get in line!

Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

outpostbabu — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:32:08 +0000

Moab

outpostbabu — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:44:06 +0000

The Derelicts

outpostbabu — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:48:37 +0000

Great concept. Beautiful cars.

CrossFit Just Got A “Bit” More Interesting

outpostbabu — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:26:54 +0000

Finally got around to setting up my Fitbit device and account. Crappy picture but that’s the device. Its about the size of a small pack of gum and shaped like a clip so you can attach it to a belt or band. As you go about your day or perform exercise activities it monitors the number of steps you’ve taken, how many stairs you’ve climbed, and how far you’ve walked or run. It can also monitor how well you sleep… somehow. Maybe its just sleep time. I don’t know all the details yet but all this information is wirelessly transmitted from the Fitbit to the its base station when the device is within 15ft of the station and then uploaded to my Fitbit profile on Fitbit.com. There you can also record the things you’ve eaten during the day and it will do a calorie conversion and you can record various other health info like weight, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. You can also set up goals and the Fitbit will track your progress towards them, for example, taking 70,000 steps in a week, climb 10 floors a day, travel 5 miles a day, etc. I need to find out if it can work with cycling… Anyway, should be fun!

Testing it out by running back and forth down the hall. Interested to see what numbers come out of a Crossfit WOD like 5 x 120 rep jump rope, 5 x 200m dash…

As an aside. Jeep’s first commute to work… awwww….

Still More Chickens

outpostbabu — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:18:02 +0000

Back In Black

outpostbabu — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:06:28 +0000

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you with a refined interior, a heaping portion of additional horsepower, better torque, 17 inch alloy wheels, a limited slip differential, traction control, and a 6-speed manual gearbox, then it was meant to be.

It was meant to be.

However I am saddened at the departure of my beloved Jetta who never let me down in all of our 119,000 miles together. I’m embarrassed to say that I could feel the tears welling up when her plates came off and I gave up the key but it is for the best. Hopefully she will be purchased by someone who appreciates her complete maintenance history, kept dutifully up to date in the owner’s manual. Hopefully they can overlook her insignificant cosmetic imperfections and drive her on for another 100,000 miles.

Meanwhile I will reacquaint myself with my once and future self. Preferably with the top down.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
Went straight up the middle in 4-lo because I could
And that has made all the difference

They Crow Up So Fast

outpostbabu — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:51:20 +0000

Mao looking disheveled. The chicks are entering their awkward stage between down and real feathers.

Peregrina is huge now and looks like a dinosaur.

Brigette in thoughtful repose.

Sporting more feathers.

Spider’s Web On The Porch

outpostbabu — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:11:11 +0000