Kev

My new home has a fairly small kitchen. It’s got an ok amount of counter space, but if I add a microwave, I lose about a third of the usable space. I’ve looked for a cart to place said microwave on, but none of them appeal to me functionally or aesthtically. I also have a much larger nuker than I actually need, and one option is to get a smaller appliance.

None of the options make a lot of sense in the long run, so I think I’m just going to ditch the darn thing. I have a steamer, a toaster oven, and pots. These should be sufficient.

Not having a microwave might actually force me to use fresher produce a little more often, and maybe even prepare meals properly. (I’m not convinced of that, however, because I’m lazy and may be willing to trade 30 minutes of cooking with no prep in the toaster oven)

I don’t think I use it enough to justify it, and it is a bit of a power pig. We’ll see how things go without one. I’m betting that the recovery of counter space alone will be worth it, and Ev’s right, nuked potatoes suck.

so… did you know that haveing central air in 30-degree heat is only good if you remember to flip the breakers for the compressor? I thought I did, but the altitude seems to have addled my brain. Ah well, the breakers are flipped *now*, so hopefully coolness will follow shortly.

For those of you who remember Sheldon and his fine selection of cheap and/or strong beers, his comforter, and the ignitor, he gone done it again. Mélania Grace DeCoste was born yesterday morning in the wee hours, and will undoubtably give daddy a reason to buy a shotgun in 12-13 years from now.

Congrats Shelly, although I’m still having troubles getting over the whole “you reproducing” thing 🙂

Someday I’ll learn, but most of the people I know are betting against it. After talking to a couple of folks last night, I couldn’t keep my eyes open past 21:30. I had a 6am flight this morning, and hadn’t packed. I went to bed anyways, and woke up sometime around 02:45 and was unable to sleep that extra thirty minutes. SHoulda packed last night, then I could have slept in ’til 4am.

The flights out were decent, and both Mapleflot and Untied are running RJs for flights of 2.5 hours, which kinda surprised me until I remembered who they were. The only bump in the travel was a surly Border Protection officer in Winnepeg who was convinced I had multiple employers in the US. Oh, and the $1.50 for a lukewarm, watered down, instant decaf in the international terminal.

I also got to see a side of Denver I wasn’t expecting to (the West side). I missed a turnoff because the directions I had listed a junction that didn’t exist. Oops. After having been burned by Google Maps a couple times, I think I’ll go back to Mapquest.

In any event, I didn’t get enough sleep, have been up too long and the day’s only 2/3 done, and wish I hadn’t given up caffeine.

On the plus side: it’s sunny out, the clients are cool folks, and I understand what the project is and what needs to be done. I’m also hoping to meet up with one of my old directors, and maybe one of the old GlobixMail team.

Oh, and project work. Can’t forget about that, as it is why I’m here.

Here’s some weekend reading fodder – a site that’s all about how to really and truly destroy the Earth. It’s not about just destroying a chunk of life on Earth, but Earth itself. Well written, with sections on “know your enemy” and some pretty complex ideas simplified in one paragraph or less.

Today is my little sister’s birthday, and it’s the first of hers as a mom. While she was in town we got a little time to speak, and she lamented about how we were getting older. I can’t quote her, but it involved fatigue, wrinkles, inability to drink, and a bunch of other things. As a summary, she said “Kev, I’m old” to which I replied “And I’ve got five years on ya. Here’s a violin.”

I am the loving, caring brother defined.

Happy 29th Ange (remember they stop at 29)!!!

…where the watermelons gr… hrmm… there were no watermelons. Sorry, Raffi, end of the line.

Today was all about making good on a promise I made to myself when I took the job I’m currently in. I’m travelling again, and am currently in San Francisco. One of the things I regret about past jobs involving travel was never taking full advantage of wherever I happened to be by holing up in the hotel room instead of getting out and seeing things. No more, I promised myself I’d make the best of being far away from home, and taking in as much as possible.

Northern California is an old stomping ground from SGI (Mountainview), Globix (Santa Clara), and Cargill (San Mateo), and there’s really nothing I want to see between San Francisco and San Jose. San Francisco itself, and points south of San Jose are entirely different matters, so I planned a daytrip to Monterey. I wasn’t sure how the day would start, as the Bay to Breakers race was today, and the street in front of my hotel was closed. Thankfully, being closed didn’t mean “impassable”, so I got out of the hotel, got onto the 280, and moved to the 101 down to Salinas, and then west to the Monterey Peninsula. This wasn’t quite the planned route, but I made it there, so all was good.

My first stop was the Monterey Aquarium on Cannery Row in Monterey. This section of Monterey used to be where seafood was processed, but is now the site of the aquarium, a couple beaches, a boardwalk, and a large number of cool shops and restaurants. The aquarium itself is built on the grounds of an old cannery, and is breathtaking.

They have otters and kelp beds and sharks and jellies and penguins and coral dwellers and, and, and, and! There was an incredible amount to do, and I’m sorry I didn’t have a 2-4 year old with me so I could get into all the kids sections. Lots of water play areas, hands on demonstrations, and exhibits that are designed to educate as well as entertain. It was really interesting, because education was the overwhelming theme, and the aquarium presents the beauty of wildlife and then asks you (in no uncertain terms) whether you want everything to be around in a few years. The name of their game is protection, preservation, and renewal. A gorgeous building, with some incredible displays. I think I heard the words “Agua” and “Nemo” from kids and their moms 16,494 times. It was great, Zoe would love it.

Following a half day there, I drove a little South to the 17 Mile Drive, a roadway maintained by Pebble Beach which snakes down the coast and through some of the richest residential areas I have ever seen. The road runs through five golf courses, including Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and the Links at Spanish Bay. All the courses are beutiful, and the coastline was amazing. During the couple hours I was on this road, the weather changed from fog rolling in, to overcast, to bright and sunny, and back again to overcast and, eventually, rain. I wanted to see the view from Cypress Point, but it was closed (for good reason, it’s breeding time for the seals, and they close the breeding areas completely). The rest of the drive was beautiful, and I’m pretty pleased with the pics I got, especially the Lone Cypress.

I took the back roads home, and cameup the coast on Highway 1. A great drive, nice, hilly, and beautiful. It reminded me of a couple of the drives McK and I had last month in Scotland. Different scenery, but very similar style.

A great day, and I’ve got a bumnch of memories that’ll last me a lifetime. If you get within a couple hour drive of Moneterey, go.

Pics of my trip are here, and there are more to come as I wander the city all this week.

Jell-o posted a great bit about some really bad legislation that passed this eve. Have a read, it’s a little sad what’s going on in the land of the free these days, especially since a “universal” ID card will do next to nothing to fight terrorists, and do everything to make tracking joe citizen that much easier. But he’s right, it’s the littler rider within the little rider that’s truly frightening.