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July 29, 2005
Cape Cod's Traffic Scofflaws
[mood| 
"chillin'"]
While sitting in the normal evening traffic on the way home last night, some car load of morons (driver wearing oversized baseball cap cocked at an odd angle) decided to swing into the breakdown lane and start flying past everyone on the right. Well, this got me thinking. Most likely everyone else sitting there in traffic was thinking too. It was like a group rant that went on. It probably would have been nice if we could have all pulled over and discussed our feelings about how much this idiot had messed with our commute psyches.
Anyway, I was thinking how perfect it would be if a driver could snap a picture of a jack ass stunt like that and have them ticketed for it. So, I investigated. It just so happens that Shanghai is ahead of us in this department, only they reward the photographer ($2.40 per infraction). Now, here is some incentive for keeping a camera and doing some traffic time. In Shanghai, they have recognized how difficult it is for traffic police to witness the irresponsible and illegal activities of drivers. The public safety is at risk here, and they have very thoughtfully come up with a solution that puts these scofflaws in jeopardy of being ticketed at all times. It is a great benefit to the safety of the driving public and a money making proposition for the entire community. What a concept!
Granted, there would have to be restrictions to camera use in slow or stopped traffic and limits on the rewards to two or three hundred dollars per person, per month. However, I think this might clean up some of these driver's acts - at least the ones who are driving legally to begin with. All in favor...
In a cycling/traffic related story this morning, we have evidence of the value of wearing a helmet and the dangers of our local roadways. Unfortunately, this story illustrates just how little the law can do to protect us from people who have no regard for it.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 28, 2005
Barnstable County Fair Demolition Derby
[mood| 
serious]
Fog added to the visual effects of cars slamming into eachother at the fair last night... there was more than a fair in the air. The Stoney Roberts Demolition Derby has become an annual summer event here on Cape Cod, and the crowds speak to its popularity. Perhaps it is just the release many of us need from our daily grind here. Aside from people standing in the bleachers and impeding the views of those behind them (nothing a few loud shouts didn't remedy in our seats), the evening was the typical, metal-munching event we have come to expect. For a few images of the event, CLICK HERE.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2005
The Bungee Accident
[mood |
some like it hot]
As promised, here is a picture of what can happen with the improper use of a bungee cord. I should mention that this picture was taken twenty-four hours after the incident, so the swelling had subsided. View image <- Click here if you wish to subject yourself to this image. Warning: content may not be suitable for the squeamish. This picture graphically displays one man boob and a work-sweaty chest... a model, I am not.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 26, 2005
Home Improvement Contractor Woes Continue
[mood |
unsure]
Looking back on this whole process of inspecting, purchasing and renovating our new home, it is easy to see why we just want it to end. Very little, if any of it, has gone smoothly. Yesterday, we added another to our list of let downs.
Bathfitter, who did a fabulous job on our upstairs bath, was here to do our downstairs shower (same company, different installer). The story goes completely down hill from here. The post-installation problems began with the contractor leaving all kinds of mess (demolition, cardboard, dirt, dust, etc.) strewn all over our BRAND NEW carpet. Why he covered our hardwood floors upstairs leading to our stairs from the front door, but made no effort to cover the new carpet is beyond me. The install did not go as written up and ordered - he had trouble putting the shower in, and had to cut it into separate pieces to get it in. This was only the beginning of the problems. When leaving, he recommended not vacuuming right away, as the dust kicked up would get into the fresh caulking. It looked like he had plenty of dust flying prior, as much of the shower was covered with it. With the bathroom door closed, Jesse was able to vacuum the downstairs landing, outside the bathroom. Underneath the layer of crud, she discovered discolorations and white caulking in our new ($2200.00 new) carpet. Upon further inspection of the shower itself, the trim work and seam sealing was really hacked. I got on the phone to them right away, and after being hung up on three times (by their phone system?) I was able to speak with a representative and report the issues.
To be honest, we have hired people to do much of the work here because we didn't want it to look like I did it. Mr. Home-Improvement-Specialist, I am not. The trim work around the downstairs shower looks like I did it - that was not the look we were going for. A manager will be calling us early this morning. We shall see what the end result is. Resolve didn't fix the carpet... we tried that before even thinking about picking up the phone to complain. It appears we will have to wait another month for new carpet to be special ordered (again). Ahh, the trials and tribulations of home ownership. We are still comfortable and happy here... just wishing everything could go smoothly for once.
Oh, and have you ever seen a person with a perfect impression of a bungee cord on their chest? We will have to take photos before they fade. We were picking up the guest room bed last night and I had a little bungee cord mishap... must be the waning full moon!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 25, 2005
The Local Hangout
[mood |
shocked]
The Boardwalk in Sandwich was always the place to hang out when I was a kid. We always went there to cool off on hot summer days by jumping off the bridge. Swimming, floating and jumping its many creeks could entertain us for days on end. As we grew older, the boardwalk remained a safe place to hang out, to take your girlfriend, or meet for a cold beer (not legally of course). Fortunately, aside from the occasional mud fight and the illegal drinking, the Boardwalk was a safe and serene place to visit.
I can't say I was surprised when people in the barber shop started talking about young kids flashing guns at the Boardwalk the other day. Kids seem to have taken the mentality of the Grand Theft Auto games and other violent entertainment and adopted it as part of their active lives. It is sad, however, that a place like Sandwich and the Boardwalk has to fall victim to this spreading epidemic of teenage crime and ignorance. The Town Beach at the opposite side of the Boardwalk was where I asked my love to marry me last week. It would be a shame if it gets to the point where we no longer have these safe places to venture.
Just so no one makes the mistake, I am complaining about the kids and their behavior – not about the guns. Guns are not to blame, the people who use them are. Just as earlier generations probably complained about my loud music and partying, I am complaining about the ignorance of much of this younger crowd. I am bemoaning their acceptance of violence as a way of life and their lack of any sort of ethics (in their work or lives). Television and video games are destroying our nation's youth, and we are not doing enough about it. It is all about fundamental family values and this starts at home. Unfortunately, that is not the answer in most of these cases... that is the problem. Most of these kids don't know “home” or values as we were taught growing up. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers. They are slipping away, and we will all be paying the price later.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:50 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Freedom to Blog
[mood |
anxious ]
We have a lot to be grateful for here in the United States. I think we (or at least I) lose sight of that sometimes. I was reading an article this morning telling of how Microsoft was enabling the Chinese government to censor blogs and their content. Words like “freedom,” “democracy” and “demonstration” are being blocked from being published. It is not like you can eliminate these basic ideas by regulating blogs and their content, but the intentions are there to stomp these peoples' freedoms. I wonder if Google will agree to block search results for such words too? Scary. I am proud to be an American, allowed to express myself freely. We take so much for granted here.
It was just a couple of months ago that I asked links to my blog be removed by a certain local site. I was irritated at their censorship of certain blog entries (by omission from front page links) that conflicted with their own personal agenda. We live in America. I am free to express my views and, luckily, I am free to choose where and when those views will be expressed. To have a local site linking to my blog and playing Microsoft to my blog entries offended me. It is sad that some don't see that what we are doing here is expressing ourselves for our own personal benefit... not the benefit of others. Happily, there are local folk around who realize this importance and offer us an unedited forum for our ideas.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 20, 2005
If You Can't Stand the Heat
[mood? | 
sweaty]
It has been a while since I had to work without air conditioning (yes, I work in the only store in the company lacking a.c.). By yesterday afternoon I was propped up on the sales counter by my elbows with cramps that may have signified the beginnings of dehydration. With sales skyrocketing since my arrival, perhaps a little air conditioned comfort is in order? I can assure you that I won't be present next summer if it isn't. Spoiled?.... nah!
I spent the pre-work hours this morning reading the heat wave warnings (trying to justify my pissiness) and came across this entertaining story in the A&E section of Boston dot com. I particularly enjoyed watching the google ads change at the bottom of each new page. Funny stuff.
Well, I must go brew my dehydration juice. Yes, it may be brutally hot at my sweat box, but I'm not giving up the coffee.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The "M" Word
[mood |
elated]
A year ago, I was the type of guy who was so set in his routine that a relationship would have been difficult to fit in. However, I was starting to recognize that I was not growing any younger. I knew that special someone was out there, but I wasn't sure how or where to find her. My bar scene days long behind (I never really did the bar scene), I actually placed an ad on a singles' dating site. I had a few responses and a casual date or two (more like informal get-to-know you type meetings). I even met up with a woman who I hadn't seen in eleven or twelve years – someone who I had dated for a couple of weeks “back in the day.” At about this time, through a friend and fellow blogger who I had happily made the acquaintance of, I met Jesse. Jesse and I were miles and years apart. We read each other's blogs. We shared a few emails. We sent a few instant messages back and forth – nothing serious. I went away on a camping/hiking trip last September and when I returned, something was different. Jesse welcomed me back and we started chatting. One of our first extended conversations (via IM) was a joking one about getting married and furnishing a house together. If we had only known...
Flash forward a year. Since that time, we have been together for nine months. This past weekend was our nine month anniversary as a matter of fact. In celebration of this milestone, we went out to dinner and drove to the beach to do some sand and rock hunting for a decorative-vase-beach-scape deal that Jesse was putting together. It was at the beach this weekend – on one knee in the sand, that the four words that I never thought would pass my lips were sincerely uttered... “Will you marry me?” There were tears, hugs and kisses (adding up to a long, unspoken “yes”).
Since we met via blog, I thought it appropriate to announce our intentions to wed here. Jesse has agreed to marry Drew. There will be more formal announcements made. There are those who may read this to whom we would prefer a face to face announcement be made. If you have read it here first, we hope you understand. It is not that we did not care enough about you to tell in person. It is that I could not hold back what I feel the most important personal news since I started this blog. I am still jello legged when I think of it. We will be married and share the rest of our lives together. Awesome! Unbelievable! Amazing!
This all thanks to friends made here in the Blogosphere. We will be forever grateful... Thank You!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 15, 2005
Spay Day Cancelled
[mood | 
forlorn]
Bad parents! Bad parents!
We should have been brain surgeons and considered that it might be a good idea to keep Bittie away from her grub last night. A condition of spaying is fasting for hours previous to the surgery. Might have been nice if someone had mentioned this! When they saw who had made the appointment, they said it figured and she would be spoken to about making this point known to people. Spaying cancelled and rescheduled to Monday. WTF!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 05:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hurray for Spay Day!!
[mood| ecstatic]
Is it wrong to be celebrating that our recently adopted she-cat is going under the knife today? She has only been with us for a couple of weeks, but she has been in heat for nearly her whole stay. It has not been an easy time. She wanders aimlessly about the house meowing, chirping and sporadically dropping to the floor and rolling about. We have resorted to locking her up in the laundry room (not a small room) at night, so we can enjoy some peace and quiet. She is not a stupid cat. She quickly learned how to open the door, and has given us early morning (3 - 4 a.m.) wake up calls on a couple of occasions. We are ready for this surgery. Here is to a new cat coming out of the hospital...
I hope this doesn't make us out to be intolerant parents. We just need some rest.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 14, 2005
Disjointed Ramblings
[mood| calm, cool & collected]
I have been in retail for quite some time. I am good at what I do, and I usually enjoy it. I have noticed, however, that in every location I have worked there is always that one customer who repeatedly acts like an A@@ H@le (no matter how well you treat them). I am not sure how these micro encephalitic cretins manage to stay in business. In this day and age, most people know enough about political correctness and harassment to realize that there is no reason to take that kind of crap from people. So, last week, I told the most recent thorn in my side to call somewhere else. Of course, he called right back and got the manager on the phone and read him the riot act: “Tell your boy that I don't take that crap from nobody.” Well, the manager backed me up in this and so did the regional manager. They have had more than enough dealings with this moron.
The point of this story? I'm not really sure. Maybe I am just trying to say that when someone treats you like garbage, there is no reason to sit back and take it (unless, of course, you are willing to take it for financial reasons). I personally don't feel that any amount of money is worth dealing with someone who can't respect you or your employees.
On another note: I have not gotten a chance to blog in a few days, because I have been wrestling with some Firefox issues. I believe that the bug was caused by a recent extension install. Maybe the extension file was corrupt. Whatever the case, I could not get my browser to start up (except in safe mode). I finally had to copy my favorites file, delete my profile, uninstall and reinstall from scratch. Today we appear to be up and running fine, and since the power cord to Jesse's laptop has gone the way of my last Firefox install, we will both be happier for it. It takes at least one happy computer to maintain a happy relationship... sad isn't it? Without the computer we would never have met, so you will never hear me complain of online addictions.
Two days ago: I went to bring my vehicle in for an oil change and its Mass. Inspection, and upon digging the registration out of the glove box, found that it had expired the last day of June. After fuming about not having received a renewal reminder, I went online and found the RMV had changed my home address but never my mailing address. A few minutes online and the address was changed, my registration was renewed, and a letter was emailed to me stating that I could legally drive my vehicle as long as I had this emailed receipt of renewal payment in my vehicle. I think I was bitching a few months back about Massachusetts not doing enough of their business electronically. Here is a fine example of the benefits to the taxpayer and the state of online transactions. Very simple and convenient.
I must remove myself and ready for work. Have a great day!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 08, 2005
Thoughts About London
London experienced its own September eleventh yesterday. My two word commentary: horrible and disgusting. This should remind us all of the ever present dangers that remain around us. My thoughts are brought to our present war in Iraq.
Yes, Iraq has turned into a quagmire that it is difficult to escape. However, this isn't a Vietnam... not even close! Islamic extremists (who we are battling daily in Iraq) are at work all over the world using innocent people as targets of their insane, twisted methods. This is a battle that we must face as a neccessity. There is no simple drop the bomb and its over solution.
As Americans, concerned for ourselves and other peace loving people around the world, we must support whatever it takes to weed these animals out and exterminate them. Unfortunately, they will stop for nothing less than this.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of our troops abroad, and the men, women and children victimized by these terrorists daily.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 06, 2005
Putting My Two Cents In
Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 04, 2005
Ho Ho Ho
[mood| 
amused]
Could it have been a summertime visit from jolly old St. Nick? Yesterday, I found a small pile of dirt, soot and a leaf in the large fireplace at the center of our “dining closet.” It had been clean previously. Our first theory was squirrels or raccoons. That theory held until this morning.
This morning we struggled to wake up and recover from our Sunday home improvement marathon. As we lounged about the “dining closet.” Jesse sipped her tea, and I brewed my coffee. Suddenly, Jesse screamed... “BITTIE!” She pointed toward the fireplace and said, “Bittie's in the chimney.” Before going to bed last night, I had stopped to pet our little one in the hallway and noticed a spot of sooty gray at the top of her nose. I gave her the third degree regarding excursions into the chimney, and she denied all charges. We were convinced her nose stain was from wallowing in the stuff that had fallen into the chimney prior to Jesse's vacuuming it. We were wrong.
Bittie has taken to climbing up onto a ledge below the damper. In her efforts to record every inch of her new home she has ventured further than we, as homeowners, have traveled. We have properly chastised her for this newfound hideaway. Hopefully, she will take our reprimands seriously.
Today, the home improvement marathon continues.
Happy Independence Day!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack