Life

Another ride video from my weekend scenic drive, this one from South Williamsport to route 44.



I enjoy the lighting on this one. While riding I was concerned the sun was too bright for the camera, but it turned out well.

Having not posted any ride videos on my Yamaha Vstar 950 yet, I made some recordings on Saturday. This one shows construction on route 15 near Williamsport and concludes with a ride over the grate metal arch street bridge.



I used to be terrified to ride on these, but now I rather enjoy them. The sensation of the motorcycle wavering underneath is interesting. Unfortunately this bridge is about to be replaced, the almost finished replacement visible on the right.

My 2012 Inferno Orange Chevy Sonic 1.4 Turbo LTZ Manual From Miscellaneous

Back in January I ordered this 2012 Chevy Sonic with the 1.4 Turbo engine and a manual transmission. I liked the motorcycle inspired design, the color, the opportunity to try a manual transmission, and the fuel economy. I usually ride a motorcycle to work, but some days it is more practical to take an automobile due to weather and/or hauling requirements.

One of the interesting aspects of this car is the made in Europe turbocharged engine. They have a different market over there, being primarily manual transmission cars whereas most drivers here want to chat on their cell phone and shave while driving instead of actually enjoying the drive, so manuals here are stereotypically sold on the cheap. As such, Chevy decided to list this car as running 87 octane gasoline, using a control chip to detect the type of fuel added and retard the engine as appropriate. A fascinating side effect of this unusual measure is a car that actually does perform better with premium gasoline.

From Motorcycle Adventures

On Thanksgiving Day this year I rode over 300 miles to Cleveland on my VStar motorcycle to visit my sister. The picture at the left was taken upon my arrival at Crocker Park in the evening.

Heading out at 10:30 in the morning it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, a beautiful day for a ride. I decided not to put the windshield on the bike as it reduces my ability to control airflow with layers of clothing and is too hot with my winter gear on at those temperatures.

Today was my last day of full time employment at the PA Capitol Preservation Committee. Thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome over the years. To commemorate my many commutes, enjoy this motorcycle video including part of a favorite route to work on my 2008 Honda Rebel.

My Rebel Parked at Work on a Considerably Warmer Day, From Motorcycle Adventures

Headed to work today, it was 32.7 degrees F with fog. I was convinced, seeing the sun starting to poke out, all would be fine once I got to the top of the mountain and out of our valley of perpetual fog.

I started up the Rebel and after warming up a while, I lurched out the lane (still wasn't warm yet, had to increase choke and putter along; pretty common below 50F). Even though visibility was less than ideal, the roads were clean and dry. After puttering along across the valley, half opening my visor as needed to clear it and at times so I could see at all, I made it to the top of the mountain, but alas, the fog continued in the next valley.

From Cooking

Items we had on hand at the time and Karen's suggestion of using instant pudding as icing resulted in this delicious combination.

Loyalsock Valley Antique Machinery Association Show

Although rain from the previous day resulted in the cancellation of the tractor parade and poor attendance, there were still many tractors on display at the 2011 Loyalsock Valley Antique Machinery Association Show. One advantage to going on Sunday is hearing and seeing them pull out, which was a reasonable substitute for the parade.

An operating steam-powered sawmill was at the event, along with a selection of other operating pre-gasoline tractor motors.

Other features of the event include food vendors and a flea market with a wide variety of interesting items from wooden tool handles to fine china.

From Motorcycle Adventures

Attended Carlisle Bike Fest 2011 this year. Enjoyed looking at the rides people came in on; much of the show is the bikes people bring which they park in the middle of the show in wide enough aisles to easily wander up and down.

Other enjoyable attractions included the demo rides (which I didn't qualify for this year due to only having a permit, but watching and listening to new bikes was still cool), Biker Billy's cooking show (watch out if you're in the audience at one of these, he actively seeks victims to roast), and the Disc Connected K9's.

I drove in via a cage this year, scared off by the threat of rain which never materialized. By next year I hope to be more adventuresome.

Out on the shooting range with my sister and brother in law, I recorded this fun video of them alternating shots:



As my sister says it best in the video, "that's awesome!"

I've been looking at the various e-reader/tablet options for a while without finding anything compellingly more interesting than my netbook. Android tablets until now have been too slow to be fun to use and are riddled with technical problems, the iPad is too large for easy portability, is nearly as heavy as a netbook, and has a low ppi screen I find insufficient for reading, and the various e-readers didn't have color screens and/or had poor support for DRM-free formats.

Enter the Barnes and Noble nook color; this device has the better portability I am looking for, something I can slip into my coat pocket when I head to the coffee shop, a reasonably high ppi screen I find comfortable to read, and supports DRM-free ePub, PDF, and plain text formats. As shown on the screen, it's great for reading comic books in PDF form like Marvel's Complete Iron Man Collection. Gutenberg project ePub books work great on the device, as do other DRM-free ePub books available online directly from publishers. There are also various magazines online in PDF form including Model Railroad Hobbyist.

It has a shop as well, but until such shops are DRM-free I strongly recommend avoiding buying anything from them. Read EFF's The Right to Read before being tempted to purchase DRM materials of any kind, especially with so many other freedom preserving options available online.

We've been replacing our worn dishes with made in the USA Fiestaware dishes; Joyce brought these colors home today.

I can't imagine what inspired her to select these colors . . .

Some people waste their lives hating others instead of improving their own lives, placing blame for their own failures on others. It is human nature to need someone to blame sometimes to vent frustration, but once this basic need is filled, one needs to let it go. Life is too short to spend it on things like revenge that don't make any difference in the end. Such activities are often likely to end up causing more harm to oneself than the intended target.

Often such feelings are based on a misunderstanding of the whole situation; angry people rarely look at problems rationally, become paranoid, and take things out of context. I have had this happen to me personally a couple times over the years. Advice such as this is often given and rarely heeded; indeed one may need to experience both sides before really understanding it, and some are so focused on hate they can't let it go even with experience.

There are a lot of very good reasons to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. Here's another one to add to the list.

Some crazed automobile driver may pull out a gun and shoot a bicycle rider in the head. He later justified his action; he was frustrated the rider was on a busy street obstructing traffic, so he apparently decided to take matters into his own hands. Thankfully wearing a helmet saved the rider's life from this lunatic.

While camping at French Creek State Park last weekend we encountered an ice cream location called Scoupe DeVille.

A short drive from the park, they dip Nelson's Ice Cream, locally made in Royersford, PA, as well as soft serve and various burger and fry type items. With a 50's theme inside including seating and an old fuel pump from the era, it has a fun atmosphere as well as delicious ice cream.