Author: cdwan

I’m totally hooked on Google’s new map tool. They added a “satellite” button to the interface, so that you can either view your location on a stylized map, or on correctly scaled and rotated satellite imagery.

For a good time:
* Check out Ann Arbor. The satellites apparently haven’t gotten around to surveying most of MI.
* Pull all the way back on the USA map. I want a poster size of that.
* Get driving directions on the satellite version. Flip back and forth. This rocks!
* Then check out Boston. That’s why I get so lost there.

This post is moderately long and pretty geeky.

First off: Thompson’s ashes to be shot from cannon. The cannon will be mounted in a 53 foot tall, stone, gonzo fist.

Now on to my life:

non geeky

The EXTREME FITNESS CHALLENGE is on. June 19th. Rachel Carson Trail In a Day is the selected trial. robotify and I are going, for sure.

If you want to walk 34 miles in a single day, over rugged and mountainous terrain, you are invited. However, those who fall behind will be left as offerings to the bear god. You have been warned.

Good weekend. Friday, we drove south to Mystic to hang with Peter and Rosa, and their daughter Alayna. Yesterday, we had a Tomboy Tools party at our house. Today, capital_l and technolope came down and we toured around Providence and Newport. Plus, we managed to get four roses planted and the lawn completely “enhanced” with compost.

Fun fun fun.

Sinosplice: A guy translates the chinese captioning of american movies back into english. Apparently the people who do this captioning just make it up outright.

The self flushing cat toilet. Apparently there was a little bug where it would flush regardless of whether or not the cat was in it.

Just before I woke up this morning, I was dreaming.

In my dream, George Bush (the current president) was at some sort of gathering of my family. There were lots of people there, in a big room. GWB and Colin Powell were hanging out at a table in the back. Bush looked tired, and nobody was talking to them. I went back and sat down next to Bush, put a hand on his shoulder, and said the only nice thing I could think of: “Being president’s a hell of a job, eh?” He looked surprised and nervous when I spoke to him, but then his shoulders slumped and he looked me in the eye. “Yes. Yes it really is. You have no idea.”

We sat in silence for a bit, and then I said “do you want a milkshake?” In the dream, we had some really good milkshakes going around. He nodded, and I got three. One for Colin Powell, one for the president, and one for me.

We sat and ate our milkshakes. I don’t think we talked about anything else.

The hammock stand was easy to assemble.

The hammock stretched a bit, but then held okay.

The wireless network reaches the back yard.

Life is awesome. It is so cool to be me sometimes.

I’ve been buying soil from Home Depot. This is convenient and quick. It is also hella expensive.

One bag of topsoil at HD is minimum $1.50. It goes up to $7 if you buy the “Miracle Grow Garden Soil”. One bag is about one cubic foot.

I just spoke with the local landscape supply company, and they will sell me a cubic YARD (27 cubic feet) for $18. Even with the truck charge of $38 for a delivery, that’s a huge win when I need to put in a bunch of garden soil and fix up some puddle spots on my yard.

So I’m getting three cubic yards delivered for $98, as opposed to $121.50 for me hauling all of it in my jeep.

The math doesn’t quite work out on the cedar mulch, since I only need about one cubic yard of that. Maybe I can do carry-out or something.

Spring is in the air, and limitless possibility lies before me.

The sun is brilliant, the grass is starting to perk up, my plants are standing up straight and putting out real leaves. I walk out to get the paper in the morning, and I don’t fell any need to hurry back inside (except for feeling a little silly standing there in my robe).

How will we spend this year? How best to take advantage of the infinite roads of opportunity?

Well, first I clearly need breakfast…and then to check the web comics…and then maybe…