I recently partook in the government's Cash for Clunkers program. I was able to turn my nearly useless and extremely clunky 1991 BMW 750iL into $4500 of my kids future tax dollars. The car was falling apart and got terrible gas mileage. My new Kia Spectra is exactly the opposite.
Now that I have a taste of getting government handouts for no work, I can't wait for health care or the next deficit busting program.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Very nice party at a friends.
* Finished the toe kicks and baseboards in the kitchen.
* Cruised through a 20 mile bike ride.
* Walked dog at Pipe Hike and lagoon nature center.
* Finished the toe kicks and baseboards in the kitchen.
* Cruised through a 20 mile bike ride.
* Walked dog at Pipe Hike and lagoon nature center.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Kitchen
We are currently working on a kitchen remodel. We chose an IKEA model and to save money, we did most of the work ourselves. Our neighbor, a contractor, did the demolition on the old cabinetry and some of the minor plumbing. It took some long weekends, but we have most of it done.
The old kitchen had an Ell cabinet and countertop that we didn't like since it obstructed the entire space. We designed a galley-style kitchen with cabinets on either side of the walls. Notice the sink, which is a single-compartment farmhouse style. It is one of the things we really love about the new design. Some parts had to be custom made to fit the space. There is a small bookcase over the stove that Jyoti made since IKEA didn't sell a 6" cabinet. The other major custom piece is a desk for Jyoti's work area. It is made out of the same butcherblock countertop but lowered between two base cabinets.
Here are some pictures:
The old kitchen had an Ell cabinet and countertop that we didn't like since it obstructed the entire space. We designed a galley-style kitchen with cabinets on either side of the walls. Notice the sink, which is a single-compartment farmhouse style. It is one of the things we really love about the new design. Some parts had to be custom made to fit the space. There is a small bookcase over the stove that Jyoti made since IKEA didn't sell a 6" cabinet. The other major custom piece is a desk for Jyoti's work area. It is made out of the same butcherblock countertop but lowered between two base cabinets.
Here are some pictures:
Weekend Activities
* Lots of walks with Sophie: San Elijo Lagoon, Swamis, Cottonwood Creek Park, Pipe Hike.
* Worked on the kitchen, again.
* Vacuumed the backyard. We have a gravel backyard and I have to use a landscape vacuum to pick all the leaves and pine needles.
* Did some biking, but the heat was brutal.
* Worked on the kitchen, again.
* Vacuumed the backyard. We have a gravel backyard and I have to use a landscape vacuum to pick all the leaves and pine needles.
* Did some biking, but the heat was brutal.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Reading List
A slew of books read:
* "Havana Nocturne" - featured on episode of Fresh Air, this book sounded interesting. I found myself much more enthralled with the story of the revolution than with the mob scene. The mob side of the story was quite predictable, pretty much like the "Godfather" whereas I did not know much about Fidel Castro and his revolution. Good research and writing on both fronts.
* "Mortal Syntax" - a nice book on grammar. I could do with less of the pithy stories.
* "Provence A-Z" - a guidebook to Provence by the King of Provence, Peter Mayle.
* "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" - less a guide than simply motivation to start vagabonding.
* "A Good Year" - watched the movie (starring Russell Crowe) first, then read the book. I liked them both, although they are quite different.
* "Havana Nocturne" - featured on episode of Fresh Air, this book sounded interesting. I found myself much more enthralled with the story of the revolution than with the mob scene. The mob side of the story was quite predictable, pretty much like the "Godfather" whereas I did not know much about Fidel Castro and his revolution. Good research and writing on both fronts.
* "Mortal Syntax" - a nice book on grammar. I could do with less of the pithy stories.
* "Provence A-Z" - a guidebook to Provence by the King of Provence, Peter Mayle.
* "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" - less a guide than simply motivation to start vagabonding.
* "A Good Year" - watched the movie (starring Russell Crowe) first, then read the book. I liked them both, although they are quite different.
Weekend Activities
* Rode a couple of nice bike rides.
* Hiked the nature trail at Elfin Forest.
* Celebrated the soft opening of the new location of Gaffney's Wine Bar with some wonderful tastings. My favorite was a delicious cab franc.
* Hiked the nature trail at Elfin Forest.
* Celebrated the soft opening of the new location of Gaffney's Wine Bar with some wonderful tastings. My favorite was a delicious cab franc.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend Activities
* After several years and hundreds (if not thousands) of attempts, Sophie finally succeeded in catching her elusive prey, a lizard. This trophy was caught in the San Elijo Lagoon, on the nature center hike.
* Checked out the Del Dios Gorge hike, northward from the trailhead. This is trail #12.
* Checked out the Del Dios Gorge hike, northward from the trailhead. This is trail #12.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Attended the last Adventure Princess event with Jaya. In a twist of fate, it was at the same venue where we had our first event, Fiesta Island. I will miss the good times, but I made many friends that I will have for life.
SOHO Lecture
I attended tonight's SOHO's Third Thursday Author Series lecture on Consolidated Aircraft/Convair. Both authors were at the Adobe Chapel to present their work, "Consolidated Aircraft Corporation". I am interested in Convair both from an aviation enthusiast standpoint and the from the fact I work on one of their former factories. The authors, from the Air and Space Museum library, were true experts in their field and very passionate about the subject. The audience was as well, most of them being former employees or children of employees.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Worked non-stop on the kitchen and some real progress on the finishing touches.
* Went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - it was cute, much like the first. Air and Space Magazine had an article on how "real" the movie was. However they were speaking only of the set that was built to mimic the real museum. Because if you see the performance the Wright Flyer puts on, you would think the plane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135, not a 12 horsepower 4 banger.
* Went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - it was cute, much like the first. Air and Space Magazine had an article on how "real" the movie was. However they were speaking only of the set that was built to mimic the real museum. Because if you see the performance the Wright Flyer puts on, you would think the plane was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F135, not a 12 horsepower 4 banger.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Weekend Activities
* My parents came down to celebrate Bengt's and Jyoti's birthdays. They brought cake and pie. We watched Jaya's soccer game in what is considered inclement weather.
* Checked out the new farmer's market at Flora Vista Elementary. It was a bit light on the fresh produce and had a lot of prepared and packaged foods. We bought some delicious hummus and baked pita chips.
* Checked out the new farmer's market at Flora Vista Elementary. It was a bit light on the fresh produce and had a lot of prepared and packaged foods. We bought some delicious hummus and baked pita chips.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Book Return
A while back, we visited the UCSD Library. They seems to have some staffing cutbacks and aren't able to put the books back.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Visited the somewhat new Del Dios Highlands Preserve. It was a bit sunny and the kids were grumpy so we only did a mile or so. We will go back in the fall and make it to the reservoir.
* Saw the new Lake Hodges Pedestrian/Bicycle bridge. It was surprisingly high off the water and Sophie was a bit scared.
* Caught a great CYT production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
* Great Memorial Day BBQ at a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday.
* Finally got the veggie garden going with a trip to Sunshine Gardens; and what visit to Sunshine Gardens would be complete without a cupcake from Elizabethan Deserts
* Saw the new Lake Hodges Pedestrian/Bicycle bridge. It was surprisingly high off the water and Sophie was a bit scared.
* Caught a great CYT production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
* Great Memorial Day BBQ at a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday.
* Finally got the veggie garden going with a trip to Sunshine Gardens; and what visit to Sunshine Gardens would be complete without a cupcake from Elizabethan Deserts
Monday, May 18, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Jyoti's cousin Abhi was in town so we did a very typical San Diego experience and went to the zoo.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Disney Cruise
My parents took me and my brother's families on a 7-day Disney Cruise recently to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. This was my first cruise and didn't know what to expect other than the stereotypical cruise experiences.
Disney ships leave from Port Canaveral so we flew into Orlando the night before departure. We stayed the night in the airport Hyatt. It was a decent hotel with a nice pool the kids enjoyed when reuniting with their cousins.
The next morning we boarded Disney buses for the 45 minute trip to the port. The buses had a video to inform us on what to expect. They were very nice and the trip was pleasant. At the terminal, there was the usual security theater. Everyone gets a "Key to World Card" which acts as a room key and credit card. The kids cards were supposedly set to "no charge" mode but some shops did not seem to recognize this feature. We had to get our pictures taken so they could visually verify us when getting on and off the ship. There was a cool model of our ship, the Magic, in the lobby. We also registered the kids for their respective activity centers.
We finally boarded and we were immediately slammed with the sales pitches. The first was two guys selling bottled water and beer by the case (at much less than bar prices they claimed). We ate the buffet and hit the pools while waiting for our staterooms to be ready.
The rooms were small but nice. Better than a mid-range hotel room. The kids had bunk bends to sleep in (the bottom bunk was formed from the sofa). Our room was on deck 2 (second lowest) and toward the stern. I like having the lower deck since the motion was less. However, our aft location gave us some noisy nights. We eventually complained about it and an crew member came by to check it out. He made some adjustments to the bunk bed but after that the weather improved so the creaking mostly stopped. The loudest noise came from the thrusters which are using when pulling into port which usually happens early in the morning. I didn't mind since I like getting up early but if you are sleeper, make sure to get a room amidships.
Our first two days were at sea, heading south. The winds where quite strong and made being on the top deck interesting. The crew said this was one of the windiest cruises they have ever had. Thank goodness for stabilizers or it would have been ugly. In spite of the wind, we hit the pools, the arcade and the of course the food.
Our first port of call was Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Most of our group went on a swim-with-the-dolphins excursion. The rest of us when on a guided mini-bus tour of the island. Our driver, Mr. Quick, drove up and down and all around the island. He was very proud of his home and pointed out all the interesting facets of it. One thing that I found particularly fascinating was the way the BVI'ers handled construction. They usually only build one floor at a time, but they left all the plumbing, electrical and re-bar fittings sticking up into what will someday become the next story. Its looks like the house was devastated by a hurricane, when in fact the opposite was the case. This was the Magic's first call to Tortola and Mr. Quick might get a comment to two regarding his saucy description of a local bar and its full moon festivals; let's just say the stories of panties did not mesh with the Disney crowd. Overall, I thought Tortola was bit shabby, but the people were nice and welcoming.
The second port of call was a mere 30 miles away at St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We didn't have any shore excursions planned, so we wanted to get some snorkeling in. A guidebook suggested a couple of beaches so we went to get a taxi. A tip for you: get the price before piling in the cab. We weren't thinking and probably got ripped off. Obama's stimulus money hard at work. Anyway I made it back in booze savings. The snorkeling was average. The beach was crawling with "waitresses." They weren't mean or pushy, but they kept coming by asking if we wanted something to drink or eat. After a couple hours, we had enough. We did find time to get to a couple geocaches which was fun. As for the booze, here is a tip: don't go to the place closest to the dock, walk another 50 yards and save loads of money. I simply crossed the street to "Al's Booze Barn" and saved tons on some Johnny Walker Swing a friend asked me to get for him. I also picked up some Cointreau for myself and Kevin.
After another day at sea, we pulled into Disney's own island, Castaway Cay. Right from the dock, you knew this was an extension of the ship and of Disney, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. First, the snorkeling was great. They filled the lagoon with a bunch of old buoys, boats, etc. to attract tons of fish. The only drawback is it takes a bit of swimming to get out to the good stuff which limits the range of the kids. Second, the food was great. My brother and I did an morning 5K. The heat was brutal, but I did pretty good.
The highlight of any cruise is the on-board entertainment. I was expecting some B-level Disney shows rehashed from the parks, but I was woefully mistaken. The shows were first rate amazing productions. My favorite show was the "Golden Mickeys", a take on the Oscars which features the big Disney animated films. The girls' favorite entertainment was karaoke; they participated every night it was offered. I even joined in for a song or two. The crew members who ran the entertainment were very professional and really kept things going.
The other focus of a cruise is the food. The quantity is a given, but the quality is what matters to me. Breakfasts were average. We usually ate at the buffet in order to save time. It is hard to mess up oatmeal, donuts and bacon and Disney didn't. Lunch was usually taken on deck at the fast food stand. Decent burgers and fries. I don't expect much for lunch and I wasn't disappointed. Dinners were excellent. I like how the menus changed each night. I tried to stay on the lighter side but everything was great. The service was also top notch, better than almost any restaurant you find on the mainland. I especially enjoyed the black tie nights where I could break out my James Bond Mk I tuxedo.
After boarding, we set off for the final leg home. We pulled in quite early and I was able to watch the resupply operations for a while. It was amazing to watch the amount of stuff they are able to move off trucks and onto the ship with their little fork lifts. They only have a few hours to get everything squared away before they ship leaves again.
We had an evening flight but we got to the airport quite early. I checked for any earlier flight and we just made one which turned out to be very lucky for us. Our bags were already checked through on our later flight thanks to the Disney baggage handlers but we figured we would just pick them up later. At Dallas, we quickly checked the board for our connecting flight and noticed a gate change. We hustled on the train to the gate and just made the flight, very lucky for us. After landing, I checked on the status of our later flight which had our luggage; the leg from Dallas had been canceled. Had we stuck to our original itinerary, we would have another involuntary day of vacation. Now, we just had to wait until morning for our bags. Tip: get on the first flight you can AND you get to the Orlando airport in plenty of time for an early afternoon flight.
Disney ships leave from Port Canaveral so we flew into Orlando the night before departure. We stayed the night in the airport Hyatt. It was a decent hotel with a nice pool the kids enjoyed when reuniting with their cousins.
The next morning we boarded Disney buses for the 45 minute trip to the port. The buses had a video to inform us on what to expect. They were very nice and the trip was pleasant. At the terminal, there was the usual security theater. Everyone gets a "Key to World Card" which acts as a room key and credit card. The kids cards were supposedly set to "no charge" mode but some shops did not seem to recognize this feature. We had to get our pictures taken so they could visually verify us when getting on and off the ship. There was a cool model of our ship, the Magic, in the lobby. We also registered the kids for their respective activity centers.
We finally boarded and we were immediately slammed with the sales pitches. The first was two guys selling bottled water and beer by the case (at much less than bar prices they claimed). We ate the buffet and hit the pools while waiting for our staterooms to be ready.
The rooms were small but nice. Better than a mid-range hotel room. The kids had bunk bends to sleep in (the bottom bunk was formed from the sofa). Our room was on deck 2 (second lowest) and toward the stern. I like having the lower deck since the motion was less. However, our aft location gave us some noisy nights. We eventually complained about it and an crew member came by to check it out. He made some adjustments to the bunk bed but after that the weather improved so the creaking mostly stopped. The loudest noise came from the thrusters which are using when pulling into port which usually happens early in the morning. I didn't mind since I like getting up early but if you are sleeper, make sure to get a room amidships.
Our first two days were at sea, heading south. The winds where quite strong and made being on the top deck interesting. The crew said this was one of the windiest cruises they have ever had. Thank goodness for stabilizers or it would have been ugly. In spite of the wind, we hit the pools, the arcade and the of course the food.
Our first port of call was Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Most of our group went on a swim-with-the-dolphins excursion. The rest of us when on a guided mini-bus tour of the island. Our driver, Mr. Quick, drove up and down and all around the island. He was very proud of his home and pointed out all the interesting facets of it. One thing that I found particularly fascinating was the way the BVI'ers handled construction. They usually only build one floor at a time, but they left all the plumbing, electrical and re-bar fittings sticking up into what will someday become the next story. Its looks like the house was devastated by a hurricane, when in fact the opposite was the case. This was the Magic's first call to Tortola and Mr. Quick might get a comment to two regarding his saucy description of a local bar and its full moon festivals; let's just say the stories of panties did not mesh with the Disney crowd. Overall, I thought Tortola was bit shabby, but the people were nice and welcoming.
The second port of call was a mere 30 miles away at St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We didn't have any shore excursions planned, so we wanted to get some snorkeling in. A guidebook suggested a couple of beaches so we went to get a taxi. A tip for you: get the price before piling in the cab. We weren't thinking and probably got ripped off. Obama's stimulus money hard at work. Anyway I made it back in booze savings. The snorkeling was average. The beach was crawling with "waitresses." They weren't mean or pushy, but they kept coming by asking if we wanted something to drink or eat. After a couple hours, we had enough. We did find time to get to a couple geocaches which was fun. As for the booze, here is a tip: don't go to the place closest to the dock, walk another 50 yards and save loads of money. I simply crossed the street to "Al's Booze Barn" and saved tons on some Johnny Walker Swing a friend asked me to get for him. I also picked up some Cointreau for myself and Kevin.
After another day at sea, we pulled into Disney's own island, Castaway Cay. Right from the dock, you knew this was an extension of the ship and of Disney, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. First, the snorkeling was great. They filled the lagoon with a bunch of old buoys, boats, etc. to attract tons of fish. The only drawback is it takes a bit of swimming to get out to the good stuff which limits the range of the kids. Second, the food was great. My brother and I did an morning 5K. The heat was brutal, but I did pretty good.
The highlight of any cruise is the on-board entertainment. I was expecting some B-level Disney shows rehashed from the parks, but I was woefully mistaken. The shows were first rate amazing productions. My favorite show was the "Golden Mickeys", a take on the Oscars which features the big Disney animated films. The girls' favorite entertainment was karaoke; they participated every night it was offered. I even joined in for a song or two. The crew members who ran the entertainment were very professional and really kept things going.
The other focus of a cruise is the food. The quantity is a given, but the quality is what matters to me. Breakfasts were average. We usually ate at the buffet in order to save time. It is hard to mess up oatmeal, donuts and bacon and Disney didn't. Lunch was usually taken on deck at the fast food stand. Decent burgers and fries. I don't expect much for lunch and I wasn't disappointed. Dinners were excellent. I like how the menus changed each night. I tried to stay on the lighter side but everything was great. The service was also top notch, better than almost any restaurant you find on the mainland. I especially enjoyed the black tie nights where I could break out my James Bond Mk I tuxedo.
After boarding, we set off for the final leg home. We pulled in quite early and I was able to watch the resupply operations for a while. It was amazing to watch the amount of stuff they are able to move off trucks and onto the ship with their little fork lifts. They only have a few hours to get everything squared away before they ship leaves again.
We had an evening flight but we got to the airport quite early. I checked for any earlier flight and we just made one which turned out to be very lucky for us. Our bags were already checked through on our later flight thanks to the Disney baggage handlers but we figured we would just pick them up later. At Dallas, we quickly checked the board for our connecting flight and noticed a gate change. We hustled on the train to the gate and just made the flight, very lucky for us. After landing, I checked on the status of our later flight which had our luggage; the leg from Dallas had been canceled. Had we stuck to our original itinerary, we would have another involuntary day of vacation. Now, we just had to wait until morning for our bags. Tip: get on the first flight you can AND you get to the Orlando airport in plenty of time for an early afternoon flight.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Books
Been slow with the blogging, but quick on the reading. Here is a rundown of the recent books:
"Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost - And How It Can Find Its Way Back" by Mickey Edwards - Much has been written of the demise of the conservatism and the Republican party. This excellent book covers it much detail.
"Unleashing the Warrior Within" by Richard Mackowicz - A typical self-help book that attempts, unsuccessfully, to apply military, SEAL-type tactis to everyday motivational techniques.
"Anza-Borrego: A Photographic Journey" by Ernie Cowan - An excellent photog book by former NC Times outdoor writer.
"I So Don't Do Mysteries" by Barrie Summy - I pre-read this book in anticipation of handing it off to my daughter but I decided against it after reading it. First, the teenage characters are focused mainly on boys which detracts for the story. Second, the story isn't very good. I was interested in the book becuase it was set in San Diego but the only places mentioned are the Hotel Del Coronado and the Wild Animal Park (wich a cameo from the Whaley House). Very disappointing.
"Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost - And How It Can Find Its Way Back" by Mickey Edwards - Much has been written of the demise of the conservatism and the Republican party. This excellent book covers it much detail.
"Unleashing the Warrior Within" by Richard Mackowicz - A typical self-help book that attempts, unsuccessfully, to apply military, SEAL-type tactis to everyday motivational techniques.
"Anza-Borrego: A Photographic Journey" by Ernie Cowan - An excellent photog book by former NC Times outdoor writer.
"I So Don't Do Mysteries" by Barrie Summy - I pre-read this book in anticipation of handing it off to my daughter but I decided against it after reading it. First, the teenage characters are focused mainly on boys which detracts for the story. Second, the story isn't very good. I was interested in the book becuase it was set in San Diego but the only places mentioned are the Hotel Del Coronado and the Wild Animal Park (wich a cameo from the Whaley House). Very disappointing.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weekend Activities
* Attended two science lectures at Cabrillo National Monument
* Jaya had her sleep-over birthday party
* Jaya had her sleep-over birthday party
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