Vitamins and Minerals as Sleeping Pills?

I've always had problems getting to sleep and/or staying asleep and I've tried: routines, reading before bed, cutting out caffiene, not exercising before bed, etc. Those all helped me fall asleep faster, but they didn't help me stay asleep -I'd still wake up in the middle of the night, and not be able to go back to sleep.

Well, I read an article a few months ago about the effect of minerals on sleep. Calcium, it said, helps you get to sleep. This is why the old folk wisdom says to drink warm milk. But, too much Calcium can make you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom because the calcium settles in your bladder and makes you feel like you have to go. To fix this you need more Magnesium so that your body can absorb the Calcium.

Magnesium provides the brain with energy. Too much magnesium, and you wake up in the middle of the night and you can't get back to sleep. (My problem.) The answer, again, is to balance the Calcium/Magnesium ratio. Either cut down on the Magnesium, or increase the Calcium.

In researching "B vitamins" I found that Niacin is also a sleep inducer. It's supposed to be calming.

So, I put all this together, and I've been taking the following before bed for over a month now:

• 250mg Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide)
• 315mg Calcium Citrate (+200IU Vitamin D to help absorbtion)
• 500mg Flush Free Niacin (as inositol hexanicotinate + 42mg Calcium Carbonate)

It's been working out very well. The number of nights that I've woken up and not been able to go back to sleep have decreased dramatically. I'm not as tired during the day anymore (I was living on coffee before, but have only had the occassional cup since taking the supplements). I'm impressed and intend to keep it up!

Looking for a book to read?

A friend of ours reminded me of a really cool book that I read a long time ago. It's called "The Long Walk" by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman. If you're a fan of odd fiction and haven't read it, you should pick it up.

The Terrorists Have Won: 1 more personal freedom eroded in the name of "security":

Article about a new x-ray machine that's being tested in airports that allows a security guard to see through your clothing to determine whether or not you have weapons on you: http://news.com.com/Airport+screeners+could+see+X-rated+X-rays/2100-7348_3-5718163.html?tag=nefd.top

More info about the scanner: http://www.freedomisslavery.info/index.php?p=1138

First of all, how many problems have we had with attempted airplane hijackings since 9/11? -I can't find ANY attempts on flights originating from the US on this site here, so we must debate the issue of these scanners with the understanding that the attacks we are trying to prevent are extremely rare. Is the use of these scanners justified? I think not.

The scanner is designed to give it's operator a clear picture of what's under a person's clothes including nipples and genitals, but it is not designed to penetrate the skin. So hiding weapons in body orifaces are still an option. Similarly, if a man of girth were to hide weapons in his, uh... skin folds, they would not be seen. And, why not just put the weapons in your carry-on? I've seen the images they get from those scanners, and they instill about as much confidence as the half-asleep security guard who is looking at the screen.

Rather than invading people's privacy by implementing controvercial and expensive equipment like this, why not think about how 9/11 occurred for a moment. Simply locking the cabin where the pilots are (from the inside) would have been sufficiant! -Let's not use a bazooka to kill a fly.

One more reason the invasion of privacy is unjustified: Let's assume our airport security is totally unpenatrable. -Those who are motivated to attack us with airplanes could simply hijack a plane originating from Mexico or Canada -or even further if they didn't mind less fuel to feed the fire after the crash.

I'm sure there's more, but I'll leave you with this comment from Slashdot:

"The city of boston started with 1000 camera's for the convention, promising it was only for the convention, then deciding to keep them.

The city of chicago followed next, installing 3000 camera's. They can look inside cars. They can tell if you're smoking a joint. They can tell if you're talking to a prostitute.

The city of naperville is installing fingerprint machines in order for people to use the library.

The United States Congress is pushing for a national ID card, with biometrics.

Lets face it, people will soon be tracked, it will be impossible to just slip into a city. The police will know who you are and where you are at all times.

They will soon take your DNA, without your agreement. Anyone hear about DNA dragnets being used in towns? And it is easy for them to get it. They pull you over in your car, they take you down to the station with a bogus charge. They take your picture and fingerprints. They then tell you, we'll we made a mistake, sorry, you're free to go. And as you leave, they vacum up the hair that fell out off your head. Now they have all the information, and there is nothing you can do about it.

So what if they can see you naked? Big deal. That should be the least of your worries, that Officer Friendly can see your wee-wee. What would worry me more is he can keep a tab on what your reading at the library.

Databases are here to stay, and in the future your whole life will exist in a database, somewhere.

It sucks, but that is the preperation for the revolution. If you're not willing to work 50 hours a week just to cover your rent, you will be labled a terrorist. Cuba is waiting for all who complain."

(http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/27/0521232&from=rss)

Bush's next judicial nominee?

Unprompted, this judge decided that these parents' religion wasn't "mainstream" enough, and forbid them to involve their child in their religious practices!

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS01/505260481

Breaking News: Sit-ups won't flatten your tummy!

Well, Spring's here and everyone's a-buzz about diet and exercise. Now's the time that we pay the price for all those cookies and treats we shoved into our mouths while our sweaters hid the growing bulge. The bulge has been revealed, and now's the time to start talking about doing something about it...

I've been in an enormous number of discussions with co-workers and other acquaintences about starting a diet and exercise routine. It seems a twice yearly event: first comes New Year's and our resolutions after making pigs of ourselves over the holidays. Then, the stores start putting out the swimsuits and we remember why we were going to start the diet in January. There's no time now! Ahhh!!! The only way to save face is to recognize the problem and start talking to people about the fact that you're going to take action... Tomorrow.

I know it's easier to talk then to do it... My real aggravation is the fact that I've heard, at least three times now, people say "I've got to start doing sit-ups. I have to loose this tummy/gut".

If you want to bulk up your biceps, what do you do? You do arm curls! -What's different about your stomach? Nothing. If you do 100 sit-ups a day, you'll only succeed in "bulking up" your stomach, it definitely won't help you get rid of the fat there. It just doesn't work that way!

Fat lives all over your body, and it's actually nomadic. The fat cells release themselves from your thighs, travel through your bloodstream (in case you need them for energy), and then re-deposit themselves in, say, your stomach ('cause you're just sitting there). So, exercising one part of the body will not reduce the fat in that one area alone. In fact, strength-training exercises like sit-ups and arm curls don't do much to reduce your body fat (at least not in the short-term). Your best bet for loosing fat is aerobic exercise (running, jogging, speed-walking, riding a bike, rollerblading, etc -and you don't get the full benefit of the exercise until you at LEAST 15 to 20 minutes into it). See, aerobic exercise allows you to use up those fat cells that are floating around in your bloodstream and they won't continuously get re-deposited. After 15 or 20 minutes, your body starts relealizing that you might actually keep going, so it starts releasing more fat cells into the bloodstream so you have the energy to continue. You burn more fat as a result.

Now, if you can't do aerobic exercise -there's still hope. Strength-training exercises (again, sit-ups and the like) do help you burn some fat while you do them (but not nearly as much), and they help you burn more fat when you're at rest (just to keep that extra muscle alive). But, if you stop exercising, that muscle will be re-absorbed by your body, and guess what'll replace it?

Anyway, that's your primer on exercise...
Go forth and talk about running instead of about doing sit-ups.

DSMs tend to decide their own upgrade paths...

Another post that starts with Grr...

Grr.

I'm happily researching spring rates so that I can buy the shocks and coilover kit that I've been looking at for the last few weeks when I get an instant message from Ed...

(10:01:37) logic_: Got a minute to talk about your head?

And thus all my plans have changed.

See, my car's currently down for a long overdue timing belt change (91,100 miles). -I figured it was about that time since we have a driving vacation coming up in less than 2 months and I doubt Ed's car will be ready in time (we don't have his engine yet). So, we got it up in the air a few days ago, and started on it. We're currently waiting for a timing belt tensioner tool before we can proceed with the actual timing belt change, but in the mean time there are other things that can be started like my balance shaft elimination (to raise the oil pressure). The only problem we've run into so far is a massive oil leak on the driver's side, possibly from something in the vicinity of the front case (we're still tracking it down).

Now all the parts for the timing belt change were bought awhile ago, so barring any suprises we should be good there. I decided I have $1000 to fix my suspension (it's not only sloppy, but getting dangerous at this point). I also just sold an intercooler that I paid about $400 for, for $600. So I have $600 that I planned to use to replace my seat with a "race seat". (It's not as ricey as it sounds, see, I had to put spacers under my seat so I could see over the dash and because of the weird OEM seat bracket, it's a really hacky job. I'm not so sure it'd hold in an accident, so I'm wanting to replace it ASAP).

But, with Ed's IM the plans have changed. Seems he thinks the head gasket might be going (he never mentioned anything about this before today). He talked to Mitch (the guy who's building his engine) and he agrees, given Ed's description of the problem: white smoke coming from exhaust (I never noticed), coolant got low with no visible leaks (we just swapped the radiator, maybe there was air in it?), and it's been sputtering (every once in awhile -we attributed it to a vacuum leak a few days ago...). To even check it, we'd have to take the head off and apparently, when you do that you need to resurface it. Mitch says the exhaust dowels (?) are also probably in need of replacing. "And while he's got it" we may as well think about getting some other things done.

In the end, here's what I'm looking at:
Stage 1 Head Work:
* Bowl Work
* Check valves
* Bronze guides honed to size
* Multi Angle valve job
* Viton Stem Seals
* Resurface on Mill to MLS Gasket standard

Plus:
* Engine Springs (both with Ti retainers) -for the bigger cams in my future
* Titanium Retainers
* Revised Lifters -because the ones I have now tick. Alot.

The list price for the above work is somewhere between $1057-$1118.

Now, we'll be getting together with Mitch and he may be able to come down on price somewhat. He also may tell me that some of the above is unnecessary, but he also might come up with more stuff to do (porting, polishing, etc).

So... My plans for suspension are on hold. I may have to just do the shocks, and do the springs later. I'm also thinking about skipping the seat for now.

Vacation's just around the corner and I'm not taking the Jeep to Canada....

Bleh, stay tuned for the next episode of "If my DSM worked I'd drive it off of a cliff." :-P

TSSCC autocross Event 2 "Just Drive"

My first REAL autocross event!

I was really excited to autocross again, and we had to skip a DSM meet on Saturday night to get up at 5:30am so we could get to Route 66 Raceway by 7-7:30am. We ended up getting there at 7am, and we were about the tenth car there. The course was set up, but registration, tech, etc weren't ready yet. So we stayed in the car with the heater on for awhile (it was about 30 degrees out and windy) then started unloading the car as more people arrived.

As soon as a line began to form for registration, we were in it. Then we got the car tech'd and received our work assignments. After that, we got the car to grid and began walking the course. The first time around I just make sure that I can read the course properly -sometimes all those cones just blend together and it's difficult to figure out which way you're supposed to go. This particular couse seemed pretty easy as far as direction went. There really wasn't anywhere I felt I might get lost. That's always a relief!

The second time around Ed and I talked about strategy. We basically agreed on everything, but I still wasn't sure about which way to take the slolum. When we got back we had breakfast (some beef jerky and a granola bar), then we heard that last year's club winner was going to give an instructional walk of the course. Ed and I ran out and met them on the course. Turns out our assessment of the course was pretty good, and when we got around to the slolum I felt better about it as well.

After that was the driver's meeting, then we were off to work on "Corner 2" which we found out was the furthest corner away. It was okay, though, walking kept us warmer. When we arrived I explained to Ed how corner working with TSSCC and SCCA differs from the club he ran with last year (JSCC). -Basically, there's an additional job of writing down each car that goes by for auditing purposes. The only other difference is that instead of calling in penalties in one shot, you say "Corner 2 to control" and wait for them to say "Go ahead Corner 2" before calling in the car # and the penalty. When our other corner workers showed up we divided the jobs (I did the writing, Ed was on the CB, and the others ran out and reset cones).

Writing is a good job 'cause you don't have to run. Running in driving shoes on hard pavement -especially in the cold sucks big time. The other problem with it is, there are 2 cars on course at all times and everyone was running the course between 42 and 64 seconds. That means, about 25 seconds between cars, and no time to see how others are driving the course. No learning from others' mistakes. Also, different from Joliet, the course at Route 66 is a lot longer (and bigger), so you can't use your work time to watch and learn the course better. You simply can't see it all!

We worked 2 heats, 3 runs each -it took maybe 2 hours? Out there in the cold it felt like forever, but when it was done we knew it was our turn to drive! Ed drove first, and like a lot of people he skidded around a lot out there. It was cold, so our tires lost a lot of grip. He ended up missing a turn as a result on his first run. For the second run, I chalked the tires, and Ed compensated with his driving for the reduced traction. It worked. He did better the second time, but the car was still all over the place. When he was done I checked the chalk marks and found that the tires -especially in the rear were over-inflated. I grabbed the tire gauge and let out about 15 pounds of air! I left the front alone.

Ed's third run was better, but after that it was my turn! My first run was over-agressive and I skidded a lot. I was understeering all over the place, and that's something I'm not used to in this car. Usually I get oversteer. I don't know if it was the cold, the turns, or just me braking in the turns rather than before them, but my second and third runs I held back some and went a little faster. "Go slower to go faster" really works!

When my runs were over, we walked back to Corner 2 to work again. (Usually you only work 1 heat, and rest the other, but there were only about 100 cars (only!?!), and they didn't have enough people to split up the work groups, so we all worked 2 heats. It was still cold, but when the wind died down alittle and the sun was out it wasn't too bad (we enjoyed all 2 seconds of that :-P).

When those runs were done we headed back to the car. I drove first this time since my numbers were already on the car and the seat and everything was set up for me. By the end of my last 3 runs, I shaved 3 seconds off of my first time and lowered the tire pressure on the front tires by 10 pounds to help with the understeer.

Next, Ed took the wheel and I again rode along. I must say that by the end of his runs I was angry at myself. My original goal was to be within 5 seconds of Ed's time. I ended up being about 3.5 seconds slower, so I reached my goal, but after seeing how much more agressive Ed was on the course, I saw a few places that I could have gained time. I think I could have gone at least 1.5 seconds faster if I was given one more run. It was (and still is) frustrating. But, Ed's got 2 seasons on me. I'll get better with practice.

I can't wait to go out again, but I don't think we'll make another autocross until June or so. Perhaps, in the meantime I can get my (very overdue) timing belt change done. No doubt I'll also be thinking about replacing my brakes (they're squeeking), and my shocks (12 years old, I'm hitting the bump-stops from time-to-time!). Blah. My car is my motivation for going to work everyday...

Dan Darrah's now with Hotel 45!

One of my favorite local musicians, Dan Darrah has paired up with a band! They are now collectively known as Hotel 45. There's snippets of their music from practice sessions on the site, and it's a little different than his old stuff, but it's not too much of a stretch. He sounds comforable with the slightly different style. I look forward to the album they're working on and I hope to get to see them live soon.

For those who don't know, Dan Darrah's music is kinda folk-y rock. Kinda like John Mayer. Check it out!

Special Intrests Groups Weigh In On The Next Pope

Ed and I were getting ready for bed, and I'm deathly afraid of silence, so I had the radio tuned into News Radio 780. They were talking about a woman's group who were down at the Vatican making pink smoke to signify the fact that they think that the Catholic church should let women into positions of power. They also interviewed some people about the possibility of the next Pope being black.

This got Ed and my heads churning. The conversation went something like this:

Ed: I think the next Pope should be a black woman.
Erica: Yeah. With a disability. And maybe AIDS?
Ed: And she should be gay.
Erica: Maybe trans-gender?
Ed: Or a child-molester? Think about it.
Erica: Yeah, at least they wouldn't have to cover it up anymore.
Ed: Ooh! I have it! The next Pope will be Michael Jackson! -Where else but in America can a promising young black boy grow up to be a beautiful white woman?

(He loves that quote.)

Anyway, I about fell off the bed when he said that, so I thought I'd share.

A review of the SCCA Learning Curve

I attended the Chicago SCCA Learning Curve on April 9 and 10 and after listening to a few friends who've said they were interested in going, I thought I'd share a review on the class as it was a little different than I expected...

First of all, for those who don't know: my previous autocross experience has been watching Ed, now my fiance (it's still weird to say that), autocrossing for the past 2 seasons. I also participated in the Mazda Rev It Up event last year.

The SCCA's Learning Curve, first of all, was worth the money to me. I started out very unsure of myself since I've only been driving stick for the past 6 months or so. This course was a nice way to get the feel of autocrossing with a knowledgable person at your side, then participate in an event that closely resembles an actual SCCA autocross. You also get to run the course that will also be used at the next (real) event, which is a plus! Saturday I was very nervous driving to the first class. Sunday I was just excited to get on the course. That was worth the money right there!

As I said, I think this course was worthwhile for me, but anyone who's been to an autocross event before and feels confident enough to try it themselves may not need this course. If you have a friend to show you how the event runs, and you don't mind asking people for pointers, you'd probably be fine just showing up. -Don't worry about your skills or your car. From the looks of things they see all kinds of people out there. Just go and have fun!

Anyway, on to the class. Saturday started in the classroom where we were given a booklet which followed a Power-point slide presentation page-for-page. Basically the instruction consisted of what autocross is, the basic rules, what to bring to an event, etc. There was NO TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. After class (about an hour long or so) we were paired up with our instructors; there were about 2 students to each instructor, but some teachers may have had 3 students. The instructors varied from "seasoned" men who had been in national competitions, to one lady who won at nationals, and others were club members who consistantly pulled off good times. Basically, with the instructors, it was luck of the draw. Some may only be getting good times because they have a really well set up (and fast) car, or perhaps they know everything about driving their rear-wheel drive car, but nothing about driving your front-wheel drive car. I paid a lot of attention to the instructors talking to their students out on the course; some gave good advice and seemed very knowledgable. Others couldn't even answer their students (general) questions!

After introductions, the instructors tech'd our cars and we all headed to the two "mini" courses that were set up for us. We walked the courses as our teachers explained the best line to take, where you'd be accellerating, where you'd be braking, etc. After that was lunch, supplied by K&M Magnetics, and then we headed out to the courses. There were 85 students and we were all divided into 3 groups (orange, blue, and green) and given assignments (work, run course 1, or run course 2).

When it was our turn to drive the course(s), our instructor rode along with us. At first she'd call out the directions we'd be turning (ie "enter the slalom on the left"), then she'd let us find our own way around. Either way, at the end of the run she'd let you know where you could improve next time. We got 5 runs on each of the 2 courses, and only had to work once. After that, we made plans for meeting up the next day and went home to (hopefully) relax.

On Sunday, we were to show up at 7:30am which was difficult, but apparently normal for race day. Our teachers tech'd our cars again, then we headed out to walk the full course (they just combined the 2 mini courses from Saturday into one big course on Sunday). After walking it a couple times, we attended the driver's meeting and headed out to work heat 1.

There were 150 or so cars running that day (because instructors also ran their cars with students riding along), so it was decided that we'd all get 5 runs. Considering the number of cars, the heats went pretty quick, but it seemed like forever out there shagging cones on the course. After heat 1 was lunch, supplied by K&M Magnetics again. Then it was our turn to drive!

The instructors rode along again and gave us pointers on where we could improve. On Saturday they didn't time our runs at all, but I thought I was really fast because at the end of the day my instructor had no more advice for me. My first timed run on Sunday shot that ego down a bit. In the end, I knocked a little more than 5 seconds off my first run. Truthfully, I think I would have done just as well without the instructor, but I've had the experience of Rev It Up and watching 2 seasons of autocross before participating.

For heat 3, our instructors ran, so we took turns riding along with them in their own car. My instructor had a very nicely set up Dodge Neon (believe it or not), and being able to ride along with her gave me an even better idea of where I could improve (and how I could improve the car as well).

So, there you go. That's what the class was all about: experience more than anything. I got a confidence boost out of it. I CAN autocross, I just have to practice to get faster. If you're looking for an introduction to the sport, this is a great place to get it. If you've participated before and want someone to ride along with you to give you general pointers, it's not a bad deal (but it all depends on who you get as an instructor). If you've autocrossed before and are looking for more in-depth tips, this isn't the place for you.

Terri Schiavo, the new reality show!

I'm sitting in a restaurant last night watching the Fox News and they're talking about Terri Schiavo. They give a brief history of her case (as if anyone doesn't know by now) and then start talking about her current condition. The screen shows Terri on video looking weak and sickly while in bold letters under her image the words "Day 11" make it even more obvious that this person has turned into a television event before our eyes. Next, a "specialist" explained what, exactly, is going on in Terri Schiavo's body right now: "She's not feeling any hunger, her own body's pain killers have kicked in. Her kidneys are shutting down because of dehydration. Toxins are building up in her system and will soon lead to a heart attack, which will kill her." It is then that I realize that Terri Schiavo is the new hit reality TV show. What will happen next? Who knows? Tune in at 7pm tonight to find out! -Tactless.

Somewhere, lost in the media exploitation, are a few issues that need to be taken care of. One is, when a person is incapacitated, who has the right to decide what happens to him or her? Ideally there's a living will, but how many people have actually bothered to write one up? It's not difficult. Any scrap of paper, a diary or blog entry may have been enough for Terri Schiavo's case to be decided once and for all in court. So, write down what you want to have happen to you if you are incapacitated! Or, if you are unsure (like me), leave it to your loved ones and hope there's not some 15 year fight that ends up with you getting starved to death. (Ew.)

Another thing that this case has pointed out is a need for our legal system to decide once and for all who can make the decision to "pull the plug" on someone? Does the spouse trump the parents? We need to make sure that this doesn't happen again. I don't often call for laws, but in this case it needs to be made clear.

Lastly, and I'm not sure if I'm alone in this, but I'd rather not be starved to death... If it's Terri Schiavo's lot to die, why does her death have to occur in such a long, drawn-out way? I can't imagine how her loved ones must feel watching her slowly dehydrate and starve. Even if they felt that she wouldn't want to live, how could anyone sit by and watch that? No, I'm strongly in favor of leathal injection in a case like this. Spare us the "Day 12" coverage and spare her parents another day of watching her waste away before their eyes. Doctor-prescribed lethal injection (involve a judge, I don't care!) should be made legal. Murderers and rapists sentenced to death are ensured that it will be relativly painfree and humane. So, why is lethal injection not good enough for Terri? Watching her death it's plain to see that it archaic and cruel. -And it certainly shouldn't be broadcast for the world to see.

"Put a flag on your car...it's literally the least you can do."

(The title of today's blog entry is from Bill Maher's 2002 book When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden.)

All the magnetic ribbons and bumper stickers that have been stuck on cars since 9/11 is astounding! At first they were an okay idea, but it's gotten out of hand. I mean, now they have ribbons for sports teams! -I've seen "Bears" ribbons, "Cubs" ribbons, "White Sox"...
Basically they've become so commercialized that they have lost their meaning.

For educational purposes, here's a list of ribbons (there are others besides yellow, red, and pink!): http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/ribbons.html

And a link to a great ribbon parody site: http://www.supportourribbons.com/index.php

Which leads me to something I've thought about doing several times now. -Switching magnetic ribbons on people. How funny would it be to take the cammo "Support Our Troops" ribbon off of that big truck and switch it from the "Support a Cure for Breast Cancer" pink ribbon from the VW Beetle next to it? Or, switch the cammo ribbon with the rainbow one? How about the "Cubs" and the "Sox"?
-No, you could get killed over that one...

So go forth and swap ribbons!

Ending hunger. 2 ideas in 1.

Last night we had dinner at Lone Star (a steakhouse/bar). We were seated in a nearly empty dining room (it was very early). The one other table that had been sat was occupied by a mother and 2 children. One of the children was wining and crying non-stop. The mother did little to quiet him/her. Soon another party came in and they were sat behind us. Before they were even seated fights broke out among 3 of the children. "I don't wanna sit by him!" "Mom! Tommy has my toy and won't give it back!" I was ready to kill. If they kept it up, I was prepared to ask to be moved. I was in no mood to deal with this noise. I decided against having kids. Why do I have to deal with everyone else's? We were in a steakhouse/bar for Ghod sakes! As Ed and I were commenting on all the kids, the table infront of us was sat. Another mother and 2 small kids. Luckily, those children were very well behaved and we didn't hear a peep out of them all through our meal. I decided against killing anyone at that table if I went berserk. -It was a possibility at that point... Anyway, we got through the meal, and as we left we figured out why there were so many kids. We parked right infront of a banner that said "Kids eat FREE on Tuesdays!" Great. Cross off Lone Star as a dining choice on Tuesday nights... Still, parents should either teach their kids how to behave in a restaurant or not bring them until they can be quiet enough to not disturb the other patrons. Alternatively, restaurants could creat "family sections" to condense the noise into one central area so the rest of us have a hope of eating in peace.

But that's not what I was really going to write about today. See, a couple of years ago I came up with the answer to hunger in our area, if not in the whole country and I figured I better share! The idea came to me while driving in late spring. It was a familiar scene -a beautiful pond (okay, a retention pond) crammed with Canadian geese. They were wing-to-wing, filling an area roughly the size of a football field. And it isn't a temporary thing! If you live around here you know there's a definite "goose problem". You go out for a walk around our old apartment's grounds and there's goose poop everywhere! They make a mess of everything. Something needs to be done! A-ha! Geese are eatable. Why not allow hunting and/or trapping of geese until the population's under control? The meat could be used to feed the hungry... I think it's a good idea!

My other idea, if the goose thing doesn't work out. Is allowing the eating of noisy kids in restaurants. The world would be a much better (quieter) place. The meat could be used to feed the hungry as well ala "Soylent Green". Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "baby food"...

I hate people...

How to destroy the earth.
...I'm thinking about it.

Stuff that did NOT get stolen from my car.

Okay, so now that some time has passed since my car got broken into, I've been able to find some humor in it...

What got stolen:

• My $100 radio
• My boost gauge
• My Air/Fuel gauge
• My gauge pod
• My fire extinguisher

Yep. My fire extinguisher was taken. I had a rice-y white fire extinguisher strapped down to the back seat and it was stolen along with the electronics. I find that to be hilarious since...

What was NOT stolen:

• My AFC
  
• My palm pilot

The AFC is easily worth $150 to $200. It was the single most valuable piece of equipment in the car at the time. Fortunately, it was under the passenger seat along with my Palm Pilot. A cable ran right under the stereo (which was stolen), over the center console, and went under the seat. If the person would have just been curious enough to pull on it they would have found them. More proof that keeping stuff "out of sight" is, in itself, a good security measure.

Stupid Motivational Posters

I saw this in OfficeMax and almost died laughing...

Some people at "Successories" need a history lesson!


My car was broken into last night!

More bad luck...

Ed got the shifter in the Laser working properly (thanks to the magic of WD-40) so we took that to dinner last night. I was so happy that I'd be able to drive it to work the next day! Turns out that wasn't gunna happen...

I got up this morning and went out to start the Laser. I unlocked the door, opened it, and noticed a black plastic piece on the seat. Grr. The gauge pod must have finally fell off. I pick the piece up, no that's the piece that goes over the door... I look at the A-pillar where the gauge pod should be. No. Can't be. Where is it? Maybe Ed took it off... I went inside and asked Ed. Nope. He didn't touch it. We both go back out to the car. The stereo's gone too!

Whoever did it was neat as hell, and I have to admit I'm thankful they didn't rip everything apart. They made off with 2 fairly cheap gauges, a gauge pod that I was hoping to replace anyway, and a stereo worth $99 new. Still, I feel violated, and I'm not sure how we can better protect the cars from future break-ins.

Obviously the person who did this knew what they were doing. They probably saw the gauges from the street and marked it as a target. Our hours are regular as hell, so timing wouldn't be a problem. Due to the fact that all the screws were left neatly on the seat, the frame or whatever you call it for the stereo was neatly left on the floor, and the other plastic piece that goes over the door was neatly left on the driver's seat, I'd say the guy (or girl) responsible was just as organized and careful in selecting the target and following through. It also shows that they have a conscience.

In the end, I'm out a couple hundred dollars -but as Ed said this morning it's a cheap wake-up call before we have both our cars in the driveway full of expensive toys. What makes me the maddest is thinking about how to protect the cars in the future. Car alarms are cheesy and easily gotten around. Ed mentioned motion sensors and possibly a video camera, which would be easy to do and cheap with the cost of webcams these days. I don't know, but we won't sit around and do nothing! We have 2 "race cars" and only 1 will fit in the garage at a time...

The funny thing is I went through some police training and I know at least a little bit about how targets are picked. One of the things I liked about our house is that it's a really bad target for thieves. Our block curves around, and we're actually on the corner of a cul-de-sac, which places our house as the farthest forward on the block. That means that you can see our whole driveway clearly from a great distance away. Not the best place to be breaking into cars! The thing that helped this person not be seen, however, was my Jeep. It was parked next to the Laser providing a perfect sheild from view. Gosh darn it...

Oh yeah, the Laser was locked, the Jeep's always unlocked (no sense locking a Jeep w/ a soft top!), the Jeep had the same stereo in it, but the face plate was locked in the center console. The Jeep's stereo was untouched. I didn't have time to look around and see if anyone went through the Jeep looking for the face plate...

The moral of the story: Car locks mean nothing. Hide your stereo's face plate, and conseal anything (like gauges) that make your car stand out. I'll be mounting my gauges elsewhere next time....

Random Venting

First of all, I'm typing this with a dvorak keyboard layout just, I don't know, to make things more difficult.

Last week I made a commitment to myself that I'd drive the Laser to work every day until April 9, when I go to the "Learning Curve" autocross workshop. That way, I figured, I'd have as much practice at driving stick as possible before learning how to improve my autocross abilities. Well, last Thursday (I think), my radiator hose blew off again -or at least that's all we thought was wrong. Turns out that the pipe from the radiator that the hose attaches to broke off (it's 12 years old, and plastic). We found someone with their original radiator lying around, and it turns out to be free -he was just happy to see it gone! So, cool. I was back on the road on Monday.

Monday, just as I near the train station to pick Ed up, I start finding it really hard to get the car in 3rd gear. After Ed gets in and we start out to go eat, the problem gets worse and I accidentally shift to 1st when I mean to go to 3rd a couple times. Then I figure it out -the shifter is just not returning to center between shifts. After that I'm able to compensate for it, but it takes all the fun out of driving (having to be so careful shifting). 3rd was my favorite gear! We suspect it's just a spring, but I don't want to drive it like this, so I'm back to driving the Jeep to work and worrying that I won't be comfortable enough with the Laser to drive it well at autocross.

Speaking of comfortable driving in the Laser, I'm still sitting on a freaking chair cushion so that I can see over the dash! I'm guessing that that won't fly at autocross, so I'm hoping to put a 1" spacer under the chair rail. Another project to get done before April 9, and guess who's car's in the garage? Not mine...

As far as work goes, we're having a continuous problem with server lockups and it means having to reset the server, sometimes 5 times a day! That's annoying. Plus, my users can't seem to get it through their heads that they really do need to EMAIL me with their problems rather than coming to my door and telling me about them. I'm way too busy to remember that they can't figure out how to open the manual paper tray on the printer or that they wish they had the little cat in their email rather than the light bulb. Bleh.

Back to the Jeep. It has a tranny problem too, I think. The rpm's surge a little before it shifts into... probably 3rd gear? (It's automatic.) So, that has me worried. It has Ed worried too; he wants to get rid of it. Not suprising, he hates my Jeep. It IS slow, but it's awesome off-road. Just wish it saw dirt more often. We could use a towing vehicle, but does that have to mean no more off-roading? And I'm so mad at the Laser's unreliability that I don't want to pick up a car payment on a truck. I'd rather get an S2000, an Evo, or a WRX sti.

Money... Ed and I make a pretty decent buck, but everytime he talks about his car it's a list of parts he needs before his engine arrives, and all the parts come in $1000 increments. It's driving me crazy, his credit card is about maxed. I need exhaust, and intercooler, and shocks. Maybe brakes as well. But instead I'll be buying him a clutch/flywheel, and maybe even wheels and tires! Yay.

And what am I doing hanging out with these car guys anyway? Half the time they treat me like I don't know anything about cars and I want them to stop treating me like a girl. The other half of the time I wonder if they have any interests outside of cars. I mean, there's only so much I can take. Maybe I am really a girl after all. I still know more than the average DSM'er out there, though...

I have a brand new pocket bike that's been sitting in the middle of our front room since Xmas. Sunday was warm enough for me to ride it, but instead I spent the day picking up all the dog droppings from the yard. 3 bags. Yummy. :-P Monday morning I stepped outside to go to work, and guess what was waiting there as a present for me? Poop from the dog down the block (he runs loose all the time). Lovely.

We had dinner with our friend, Kris, last night. He mentioned that he found something embarrassing of mine in one of the MCSE books I lent him, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. Great. Last time I let anyone borrow my books... What the he11 would I have left in there? It's driving me crazy trying to think about which freakish thing about me has been revealed.

So, I'm in a bad mood. I'm this close (imagine my fingers indicating a very small amount of space) to just quitting work, and driving. I'd keep going until there weren't any more people and I'd just stay there for awhile. I hate people. People suck. So does my car when it doesn't work. When it does work, though, it rocks!

Make sure your child doesn't end up gay

A coworker of mine expressed his relief that, although his teenage son was caught looking at inappropriate things on the internet, at least he wasn't looking at naked men...

And I had a thought...

For all of you who feel this way, here's how to make sure you never hear your child say that he or she is gay. -Remind them often that homosexuality is bad. It's a crime against nature. If you're religious at all remind them that God hates gays. Homosexuality is a crime against God! Repeat this often enough that they know how important their "straightness" is to you. Punish them for watching TV shows portraying gays as "normal". Refuse to allow them to hang out with kids who may be gay. Make them know that your pride rests on their sexual prefrence.

That way, if they are gay, maybe they'll kill themselves before your friends find out.

The US is boycotting the Kyoto treaty

I'm not an environmental wacko, but am worried about how this will reflect upon the US's reputation internationally, especially after our snubbing of the UN about the war in Iraq.

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"The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark UN treaty on global warming, took effect Wednesday after an agonising gestation, supported by 141 nations but boycotted by the world's biggest polluter, the United States." -Tribune de Geneve, Switzerland

"After years of delays, a world plan to fight global warming came into force on Wednesday, feted by its backers as a lifeline for the planet but rejected as an economic straitjacket by the US and Australia." -India Times

(“Until such time as the major polluters of the world including the United States and China are made part of the Kyoto regime, it is next to useless and indeed harmful for a country such as Australia to sign up,” Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.)

"It has the support of 141 countries but its future is clouded by a boycott by the biggest single emitter, the United States, which by itself accounts for more than a fifth of world pollution." -Turkish Press

"The United States, the world’s largest emitter of such gases, has refused to ratify the agreement, saying it would harm the economy and is flawed by the lack of restrictions on emissions by emerging economies like China and India." ABS-CBN news, Philippines

""Some commentators blame George Bush's administration for damaging efforts to prepare for a successor to the treaty, which expires in 2012. (¶) The US, the world's largest emitter of such gases - accounting for almost one-quarter of global emissions - has refused to ratify the agreement. It had agreed to a 7% reduction before Mr Bush denounced the pact in 2001." -The Guardian, UK

""It is unacceptable that the US and Australia should renege on their commitments as negotiated in 1997, and refuse to implement the modest limitations they originally agreed to when the consequences are global in magnitude," Worthington says." -ioL, South Africa

"Under Kyoto, the targets vary by region: The European Union is committed to cutting emissions to 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012; the United States agreed to a 7 percent reduction before US President Bush denounced the pact in 2001." -China Daily