Shifting Balance

Values

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:51:52 -0600

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Full Moon & the Wolf

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:18:44 -0500

It was a full moon today and quite fitting since today saw the arrival of the wolf at my door. It was dropped of at 17:30. I had to race home to meet the delivery guy. I spent the next 4 hours riding her. She is beautiful and fearful all at once.
9 and a 1/2 feet long (2.9 meters). Weighing in at over 600 pounds (272 Kg). Nearly 2000 cc's of carnivorous power. She growls at rest and howls when let loose. My baby is home.

My Chopper

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It's Been A While...So, I'm Rebuilding My Deck

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:17:33 -0500

Time is not a luxury I seem to possess. But this weekend, I found myself waiting...I was expecting a delivery and could not leave the house so I was able to get to all the little things I've been meaning to get to, like rebuilding the deck.

At one point I stepped onto the deck to see if the "beep beep beep" I heard below was that of the delivery truck. (It was the garbage truck.) Not receiving gratification, I paused or a moment in the sun. I was aware there were rotted boards on the deck but suddenly I was compelled to take immediate action. I began tearing up all the old boards and a few hours later I had created a nice mess.

Deck - Old deck planks piled off to the side

Destruction is easy. Construction is always a little more time consuming because there is usually planning involved. Once I tore everything out I measured the space and drew out the space to scale on graph paper so I could calculate how many deck boards, support studs, and masonry bricks I would need. I decided I would get a fresh start the following day. Since it was already dark. Besides, I needs a circular saw to finish cutting out the boards that overlap with my neighbors deck.

Deck - Only A Little Left to Cut Out

Deck - Cleaning up the debris

I couldn't fit all the necessary lumber in my car so I bought half of it and brought it back home to treat it with water seal before installing it.

New Deck Planks Drying

Now I'm waiting out the rain so I can begin installation. I'm going all out, with flower boxes and an herb garden. I may have to take Monday off work to finish.

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Gumby

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:17:09 -0500

I found a Gumby toy while walking home from work. I suspect a kid dropped it from his stroller because it looks new and had saliva on it. (I hope it was saliva.)

Gumby

Gumby In Hydrangea on Erie St

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Chicago - Sunny But Cool

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:19:36 -0500

It was a cold spring day but the sun was shinning for most of it. I was able to spend a couple of hours on my bicycle riding along the lakefront.

Chicago From South Shore

Chicago - Buckingham Fountain

Chicago - Museum of Science & Industry

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LAYER CAKE

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:52:09 -0500

I just watched the 2004 movie LAYER CAKE starring Daniel Craig. It was quite good. I was especially surprised because I hadn't heard anything about it. The plot was interesting with sufficient twists and turns to keep me in suspense. My only gripe is that sometimes the British accents are as thick as mud and it's anyone's guess as to what was said. All in all, it is an entertaining use of 106 minutes.

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Toronto, Canada

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:28:43 -0500

Who new Chicago could be so much worse than Toronto, Canada on any given day. Same day, 435 miles (700 km) northeast, it was sunny and pleasant. So much so I didn't mind the impending flurry of meetings and discussions that were scheduled for Monday.

Toronto has a wonderful mix of people and the neighborhoods tend to be far more integrated than Chicago. Almost 49% of Toronto residents were not born in Canada. I love the diversity, and not because I'm a bleeding heart liberal filled with hatred for his own kind. I just get bored looking at white people and experiencing the same old boring waspy culture. Different kinds of people and different cultures make life a hell of a lot more interesting.

Of course, holding this as an irrefutable truth, what is the first thing I photograph in Toronto? A Presbyterian church. St. Andrews to be specific. Of course, we all know those Scots can get fff-freaky so I was hoping for the best.

St Andrews-Toronto

One thing I don't like about Toronto is all the streetcar cables that get in the way when you are trying to photograph the architecture. Pure jive. It's not quaint. It's a failure to modernize. Just because you have an amazingly convenient but labyrinthine maze beneath your financial district full of all manner of commerce that allows everyone to cover 5 km without ever stepping outdoors during the frigid winter doesn't mean you can continue to limp along above ground with 19th century technology. Get with it Toronto! You're the 5th most populus metropolitan center in North America - you can do better than streetcars for pete's sake.

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Chicago Weather is Schizophrenic

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:49:55 -0500

It's March so it's no surprise that we still have snow in Chicago. I just wish the weather would not be so schizophrenic, swinging from extreme to extreme. It's almost a textbook execution of torture; give'em enough of the good stuff so they have hope, then crush their spirits with oppressive snow and cold.

Here is the view from my balcony this morning prior to my run...

Balcony Tree

Still, I do enjoy running in the snow regardless of the slush and there was plenty of it this morning. Too bad for all the folks who turned out to run the Shamrock Shuffle. Many of them looked miserable. Luckily for me because the herd was running through the streets I had plenty of fresh white cushion to spoil along the lakefront.

Despite the blowing, wet snow, I enjoyed the run immensely because of the stark beauty it created. It was also wonderfully quite. Just the sound of crushing snow and the occasional splash of hidden puddles as I made my way south to the museum campus. I return home soaked from the knees down but is good spirits. Just in time for a nice breakfast and to catch my flight to Toronto.

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Tonight's Dinner Was Fortified With Iron

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:41:55 -0500

...and brought to you by Flintstones Vitamins (but only the Bamm-Bamm ones, I stay away from the Pebbles). I ate up 115lbs dumbells for 3 sets of chest press tonight before moving on to the other courses: cable flys, incline presses and an assortment of shoulder work. All good stuff. It was the most satisfying weight routine I've had in a while. Maybe it's the weather.

To make the night complete, on Wikipedia I came across this absolutely gorgeous photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the Cone Nebula Star forming a pillar of gas and dust.

ConeNebulaStar-FormingPillarofGasandDust

The images from the Hubble are the best arguments to believe there is divinity in creation.

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Compression Socks

nobody@vox.com(ShiftingBalance) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:20:52 -0500

I've been wearing Sugoi compression socks for post run recovery since
last September's IM Wisconsin. They are superbly comformtable but I
can only subjectively say they aid recovery. They do make my calves
and shins feel better when I wear them but what they are actually
doing for the recovery of the muscle is hard to say.

They're not cheap (US$30) and I tend to baby them to ensure a nice
long life. Today, however, I ran in them for the first time. I'd been
wering them around for comfort prior to my run and just decided to
leave them on for extra warmth during my evening run since the
temperature dropped about 10 degrees F as the sun set.

The usual pounding my shins take as I approach 10 or more miles was
pleasantly absent. Running in the Sugoi compression socks was like
running on springs. I just ordered another two pair online so I can
rotate them and put a fresh pair on for recovery after runs.

I'm also going to experiment with the compression sleeves. Basically
the sock without a foot. I'll report back after I road test them.

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