My New Ride!

Check out my new ride! It's a 2008 silver Jeep Patriot. It looks just like the one pictured above. I liked Amber's Jeep so much that I had to get my own. It has half the motor Amber's has and none of the extras, but gets 28 mpg. I figured I'd get something that has 4x4, but drives nice on the road.

I need to install my Ham radio and get me a personalized plate with my call sign, but I know that if I do the latter Amber won't drive it OR in it. I guess that makes it "too nerdy".

It's only 1 more antenna. It's not like I'm going to put on 3 or 4 (yet).

FREE Satellite Radio and $.01 Shipping! Best Deal EVER!!

Ever since we signed up with Sirius satellite a few weeks ago for Amber's Jeep. I have not listened to terrestrial radio ever since. I know I am missing Bob & Tom and Chunga, but I have a bunch of Comedy stations (they almost make you wreck from laughing so hard, ask Amber), and a station dedicated to "Hair" bands. They are virtually commercial free (you get a few commercials promoting other stations). Once you go to satellite you won't go back.

Now you can get a Sirius satellite radio, a $30 subscription card, and 1 cent shipping. Just to try out Sirius. Since that they are merging with XM things can only get better!

There is a $15 activation fee (your $30 card will cover it) and we pay $12.99/month. Additional radios are 1/2 that a month! I am getting one of these for my new ride!

Sirius Stratus 4 + vehicle kit + $30 gift card
Free shipping code: Freegroundship01

Mullet Power - The best card game ever!!!

After spending a weekend with my son who likes to collect "Pokemon" cards, I was hoping I could find me a card game that was geared for nerds like me, and I think I have found it. Mullet Power is a battle type card game where each card features a person with a sweet mullet and their hair oriented stats. The winner of the game gets to claim the title of "Ultimate Redneck".

YES this is a REAL GAME! I definitely know what I want for Father's Day!

Mullet Power ($8)

A weeked with Oscar

Nothing completes a trip to Park City than a package of Oscar Mayer Cheesedogs! I don't have stayed a night in that city without taking a package of these tasty morsels with me. Their cheese filled goodness is only enhanced by pouring salsa on them. MMMMMMMM!

Our weekend getaway with the kids was fun. We left on Friday evening and stayed at the Hampton Inn down by the outlet mall. A co-worker of ours had points and so we got the room for free (nothing beats free!). I couldn't sleep Friday night because I was too excited about scuba diving the next morning. I think I slept a total of 3 hours that night. I woke up at 5:30 and got ready for my trip to Bonneville Seabase located in Grantsville. I was going to meet Mike there at 7:30 so we could get some diving in before the classes arrived. I ended up driving slow and eating breakfast in Tooele because the trip only took an hour instead of 1 1/2 hour like I thought.

Once Mike and I met up at the Seabase we went in an rented the weights we would need to dive in the Salt Water pools they have. The guy helping us gave me 20-lbs of weight and said I'd probably be too heavy. He also gave Mike 20-lbs and told him he probably be light. Well he was right. When we entered the water Mike couldn't submerge. We got back out and I gave him 5-lbs of my belt then got back in the water to find out that I was now too light. I ended up going in and getting two 2-lb weights. we wasted about an hour trying to get the whole weight thing right. The water was very murky and we could only see about 4 feet in front of us. Our nice white fins were no help and we lost each other a few times and had to surface to find each other. We couldn't find some of the things they said were in the water like a sunken ship. They also told us that it was deeper than it actually was and we would smack into the bottom because we couldn't see it until we were kicking up silt. My weight belt almost fell off while we were diving, but I was able to grab it and get it secured quickly. We had fun though. The Seabase has a lot of beautiful fish and it was fun to see them.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to recover from the dive. The kids were good and we were able to swim in the indoor pool that the hotel had. Avery liked doing "cannonbombs" and Mitch enjoyed swimming the length of the pool to impress the girls there.

Amber enjoyed sleeping, since that is her favorite hobby. Anyway, the kids are already talking about "Deer Valley" and how much fun they are going to have with Grandma and Grandpa.

Useless Fact - 4-14-08

FACT: The gelatin you eat in Jell-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. To make gelatin, manufacturers grind up these various parts and pre-treat them with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. After pre-treatment, the resulting mixture is boiled. During this process, the large collagen protein ends up being partially broken down, and the resulting product is called gelatin. The gelatin is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture.

YUMMY!

Salem Pond - International Tourist Attraction?

Yesterday during the afternoon I let Avery lake the 4 wheeler out for a little ride. After a few minutes of her cruising down the road, two Chevy Malibus turned down the road towards the house. The lead car pulled up next to me and an Indian (a guy from India, not a Native American) asked me which way to Salem Pond. I told him to turn around and head straight and he'll run right next to it. As he thanked me I noticed that both of the Malibus were packed full with Asians and Indians.

HUH? When did Salem Pond become an attraction for foreigners? I don't remember seeing a Zagat Guide on Salem. Maybe they were going Carp fishing?

Useless Fact - 4-12-08

FACT: 1/3 of all Americans flush the toilet while they are still sitting on it.

Ready to Dive

I finally purchased the last pieces that I needed to complete my diving gear. Now Mike and I can go diving. This coming Saturday we are planning on diving at the only place in Utah that lets you dive with sharks (seabase.net). OK so they are only nurse sharks, but we are excited. Mike and I decided to purchase gear based on what "Tech" divers use. Tech divers use gear rated for extreme cold water and depth and use the older buoyancy devices like the tried and true wing that sits on a steel plate on your back, and not the jacket style used by most recreational divers today. I have also opted for the hose configuration that cave divers use, even though I have no desire to cave dive. It's funny talking to divers here that don't spend time on the diving message boards on the web because they automatically think I am going to go kill myself in a cave, or that I am a "Tech" diver when I talk to them about my set up. Little do they know that more and more divers are converting over to what I am using because it has less failure points and is simpler than traditional diving gear.

Anyway, my diving hood is very tight and i can barely turn my head sideways while wearing it. The suit I am wearing is one my father-in-law gave me. It has groovy yellow and red stripes by my feet (that's why my legs aren't in the photo).

BTW, my wing is more puncture resistant than Kevlar, so it will be harder for me to kill myself in a cave (It was on sale). lol

Useless Fact - 4-08-08

FACT: The word "fart" comes from the Old English "feortan" (meaning "to break wind").

Ouch my Forehead!

Yesterday was Sage Riders and I had a blast. I arrived in Cherry Creek, Utah at 8:45am. I was told it would take 2 hours to get there, but it only took about an hour and 15 minutes from Salem. I even drove the speed limit (which is hard to do in my new Grand Cherokee with a HEMI). We didn't need to be there until 9:30 so I just relaxed in my Jeep where it was warm while it was overcast, cold and the wind was blowing outside. Other members of my UCARES group start showing up after me and we were given our assignments. I was assigned to be stationed at Checkpoint 5 on loop 2. It happened to be the last checkpoint before the finish the line. The race didn't even start until 11:00pm so I had time to hang out and help point riders where they needed to go whether it was for an exhaust check or registration. The wind was blowing dirt all around and all of the bikes were kicking up tons of dust too. I had to keep cleaning off my sunglasses so I could see. I also had to keep my mouth shut because I could feel the dirt grinding in my teeth. My lips were chapping so I used some chapstick, but instead of helping cure my chapped lips all it did was give a place for all of the flying dust to stick to.

Once the race started and we headed to our checkpoint I set up a larger antenna to communicate with Net Control and sat down for some lunch. Not too long, riders started coming through out checkpoint and it was a pretty uneventful day where I was at. It never really warmed up and the sun never came out, but close to the end of the race I noticed that my forehead felt a little sore. I wasn't sure if it was because my face was so dry from the wind or if I ended up getting a sunburn through the clouds and through the 5 inches of dust on my face. The other guys at the checkpoint didn't notice any redness so I didn't really think about it til I got home and Amber told me my face was really red. I guess I got fried.

Today my face doesn't look really red, but it hurts when I raise my eyebrows. Luckily I had a hoodie on so my balding head didn't get burned.

Here's a pic of my large red forehead:

Useless Fact

FACT: From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size.

OH Great! I'm going to have to move in with Lilly Tomlin!

Sage Riders

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days I have been getting my radio equipment ready for Saturday where I will be using my nerdy HAM Radio in assisting with communications for "Sage Riders". It is a national AMA race that spans 80 miles through the desert. All of the competitors have to do a dead start which means they have to have their motors shut off and with the drop of the banners they start their motors and take off like a bat out of hell.

Here is a video of the start of last years race:

Radio operators are stationed at each checkpoint where the bikers have to stop for a split second while their bikes get marked with the checkpoints color so they can track if you cheated or not at the end of the race. There is also gas and water at the checkpoints if the bikes and riders need it.

We also have radio operators with the medical unit and the helicopter that flies the route.

It's one of the events I look forward to each year.

Useless Fact - 4-02-08

FACT: The "dot" over the letter "i" and "j " is called a tittle.

Nice tittles!