Jittery Joe’s and $3 to MS – Great Christmas Present.

Jittery Joe’s Coffee offers a great deal where people can buy a can of gourmet coffee and $3 can go to the National Mulitple Sclerosis Society. How sweet is that? Not only that, this is a year long deal.

The link to send to people to purchase the coffee is listed below.

http://www.tinyurl.com/ipcycling

A Coupon Code for a $5 discount on anyone’s first purchase of Bike MS Blend Coffee. Can be used only once per person, Minimum order must be $26 (2 cans or more). At check out they’ll use the Coupon Code: FirstOrder

Advertisement

Cyclocrunk Race #2

I raced my first cyclocross race of the season after being of the bike for about 2-3 week. Minor case of tendonitis. Cyclocrunk Cyclocross race took place at night which was a first for me. The event is kinda every man, woman, and child have at it. All ages and categories started at the same time. 70+ started. The course was good, but I wish there was a little more pavement. I got lapped by the winner twice, he was rolling. Of course the good part about that is that my last lap was his last lap.

More photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclocrunk/5099377097/in/set-72157625080213841/

Eat Johnny Brusco’s Pizza for MS

Eat Johnny Brusco’s Pizza for MS

Johnny Brusco’s Pizza will be donating 10% of their sales all day Sunday October 24th at both of their locations to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Take the family out, eat some great pizza, and 10% spent on food goes to MS. Perfect for after your ride or after church or just to watch a game and eat some Pizza.

The locations are:

1014 N Germantown Parkway – (901) 755-0706

255 New Byhalia Road – (901) 861-6300

http://www.johnnyspizza.com/home.php

Can’t swing by, make a donation to the IP Cycling Team.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TNSBikeEvents?pg=team&fr_id=13684&team_id=182898

10% of Road ID sales for the National Mulitple Sclerosis Society.

10% of sales from Road ID purchases will go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Get one for the kids, husband, wife, or friend for the holidays. Get a replacement or upgrade your old stinky one for a new fresh one.

For the 10% for MS to work, you must use the referrer link below.

http://www.roadid.com/?referrer=6777

Donate Now!

Busy, Busy, Busy….

So where have I been besides by blog for the last 2 years.  Well, I am back on the bike, still at IP, and have been on facebook.

2009 Bowlin on the River Bowl-A-Thon

This year I volunteered to take part in the 2009 Bowlin’ on the River Bowl-A-Thon to benefit Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Please donate as little or as much as you can. Any little bit helps.

If I can raise over $1000 dollars I will dress up as The Jesus from the “Big Lebowski”.

Click Here to Donate!!

Snowball fight..

Ok, so maybe there wasn’t enough snow to really have a snowball fight or even build a snowman, but it did sknow here in Memphis, TN.  It was the usual Memphis snow.  It snowed and then pretty much melted bt the end of the day.  I really wish we would get about a foot of snow.

More photos of the Memphis snow at Flickr.

Cold Water

For the past year, it seemed that the hot water was not as hot as it was when I purchased the house. I put off calling as plumber as it would cost $50 just for them to walk in the door, plus another $100 for labor and probably over $50 for any parts.  A new water heater would cost over $300 plus about $150 in labor. 

Well, the cold weather and the less than 5 minute shower got old. So I did a little research at Lowe's and the Home Depot on water heaters and how to repair them.  Most problems with electric water heaters is that either the heating element goes out or the thermostat dies.   The Home Depot had a kit with 2 heating elements and 2 thermostats for $31. 

So, I figured I would give it a shot.  I purchased the kit and followed the directions.  Overall I would say it was pretty simple.  Just have to be very careful or you will get spayed like I did.  Followed the direction, but the heater didn't empty completely.

I changed the elements first and then tested it.  That did not do it, so I changed the lower thermostat and it worked. I can now take an hour shower if I really wanted to.  Below is a shot of the old heating element and in case you didn't know new ones are chrome..  More photos can be found at Flickr.

Snow today, gone tomorrow or sooner

This morning I woke up and got ready for work. Shortly after I got my trash ready for garbage pick up. I opened my garage door to find a Blizzard.

With the site of snow my hopes for over a few inches started to circle my mind. It would be nice, but as most know it would never happen. It snowed until 9:30 am and for the most part has melted completely.

Just once, it would be nice to have it snow and stick for a few days. I guess I can keep dreaming.

Office Prank

Sarah, one of my co-workers, was on vacation for 2 weeks so we figured we would give her a surprise.

Felica got here a little early and was able to record her reaction.

Of course, the main reason for the wrapping job was due to my desk being decorated with Hanna Montana stuff. All because I purchased boxes of raisins that had Hanna Montana on the box.  I just wanted raisins.

This was done after hours and during lunch. For those that think we have too much time on our hands.

We also worked on it as a team. Perfect team building exercise in case you want to do the same.

More pics can be found at Flickr.com.

Link to the reaction will be posted later.

$.77 for Gas

Last night a swung by Schnucks  to fill my tank. I pulled up to the pump and saw that gas per gallon was $1.49/Gallon. I had been using a Schnucks card when I buy groceries, but had not used it at the pump yet. I don’t really know all the details on how the gas card works.

Well, as it was pumping, the cost of gas was going up, but is was very slow. At first I thought that the pump was messed up. When it was all said and done, I paid $.049/Gallon and filled that entire tank for a  measly $.77/Tank. I saved almost $23 using my Schnucks card. This is 100 times better than the offer Kroger  is offering right now.

I will, for sure, be learning all the details on how the Schnucks card works to save even more cash on gas.

Air Tulio

This weekend was a very busy weekend.  This is the time of year when it is perfect to re-seed your yard.  I re-seeded my parents yard yesterday and my yard today.

Yesterday, my dad sent me to Lowe’s and Home Depot to pick up some Fescue Grass Seeds, Fertilizer, and an Aerator.  I picked up the Fescue and Fertilizer at Lowe’s then dropped them off at my parents.  I then picked up my brothers F150 and headed to Home Depot to rent the aerotor for 24 hours. 

I started on my parents house around 5pm yesterday.  The aerator worked similar to a tiller, but instead of tearing up al lthe soil it poked 2-3 inch deep holes.  Overall it took me about 2 hours.   I then re-seeded it and them fertilized it.   My arms and legs were sore since the machine weighed about 200+ lbs. So I figured I would load it up, take it home and get some rest and start in the AM at my house.

This morning the soreness was gone.  It took me a little longer to aerate my yard since it is bigger than my parents yard.  When I started on my yard I actually noticed a lever and wanted to see what it would do.  Well, that made it move 10 times faster and I was able to go over the yard twice with almost 1/2 the effort.

My next big rental is going to be a stump remover as long as I can get it into my back yard. I will have to measure the gate before I even think about renting it.

Pumpkin Time

It has been decades since I carved a pumpkin. So while at the grocery store last night I picked up a pumpkin and one of those pumpkin carving kits.  What I really wanted to do was find a stencil of Handy Manny and carve a pumpkin for my nephew.  No luck after searching all over the Internet and even trying to create my own using photoshop.  So I opted not to waste the pumpkin.

I used a regular kit and carved a pumpkin today.  It took a while just ot get the image on the pumpkin.  It was lots harder than I thought it was going to be.  I guess I should have stuck with a traditional pumpkin. 

Below is a shot of the before and after. 

New Rental Friend

I have been using Netflix since they started.  I have now found a new company that is even better and cheaper.  The company that I am referring to is REDBOX. They are located outside almost every Walgreens.  Movies cost a $1 per day. 

Go to REDBOX and sign up.  Just for signing up you get a coupon for a free rental.  The best part is that you can reserve movies in advance and then pick it up.  Of course, it only works for movies the machine has in stock.  It would be nice to be able to reserve movies for when the become available.

Baby Squirrel

About 2 weeks ago, the dogs started going nuts and barking around the tree in the yard.  Stacy stopped them and just in the nick of time.  The dogs were about to catch this baby squirrel that must have fallen out of the tree.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I hate squirrels.  The reason I hate them so much is that they destroy your house.  Of course,  I did not want any harm for this little squirrel so before letting the dogs out I would always check to see if the coast was clear. 

After a few days of keeping watch of the baby squirrel and keeping the dogs away, Stacy and I noticed another animal to keep an eye open for.   While watching TV we noticed this big white thing flash by the window.  We looked out the window and saw this huge hawk that landed on the deck railing not even 3 feet from the window.  My camera was in the car so I missed that great photo opportunity.  It flew away, so we went out and notice the baby squirrel right under where the hawk was perched. Luckily, it survived.  I moved it under the deck so it would be safe. 

It has been days, and we have not seen the baby squirrel.  Either it is still hiding under the deck or something else.

Commissioned Art

For the past 2 years, I have been trying to get my parents to find me a specific type of painting from Peru. I bought my brother a smaller version of what I was looking for the last time I went to Peru and used that as a guide.  On my parents most recent trip I was able to get the painting.  Of course, this was with the help of my aunt that found a painter that would do a custom job.    Check out the photo below.  Now all I have to do is get them all 3 framed.

Zoo

Last Saturday I went to the Zoo with my nephew Nico and and my sister. Nico had a blast.  We got his caricature made while we were there.  I was not as impressed by this guy as I was with the guy that did mine when I was in Poland. The link to mine are below Nico‘s caricature.

Nico

 My Caricatures

AC/DC on Satellite Radio

Finally, some AC/DC on Satellite radio.  I know it is for a limited time, but that will work for me. 

More at Sirius.

My Wishlist!

I ran across this site a while ago, but forgot to post it.  You know how people always ask you what you want for your birthday, but you are never sure.  The following webpage is a great place to keep track of stuff you want.

My Wish List

Drink of the gods… Incan gods.

For those that do not know, my parents are from Peru where I have visited many times.  One thing that always sparks a memory or 2 is a special golden cola, a drink called Inca Kola.  It is very difficult to find here in Memphis, TN.  Occasionally a local import store will have them, but since not many people know about it they never restock it. 

This week I got lucky again.  The Winchester Farmers Market sells it and stocks it in old style glass bottles like the ones I used to drink out of as a kid.  As you can see from the photo below, I stocked up on it.The bottle below were actually imported from Ecuador. Wierd part is that I know it is also bottled in the US. 

Dragon Fruit

About 3 years ago, I posted about Dragon Fruit and how it was way to expensive to order just to try it.  Yesterday when I went to my parents house for dinner my dad surprised me with one.  He purchased it at the Winchester Farmers Market.   So last night I tried it and actually liked it. 

So as you can guess I stopped by there today and purchased 5 for about $4 bucks a piece as opposed to $20 a piece if I ordered them on-line.

If you live in Memphis I would suggest you stop by the Winchester Farmers Market and try one.

What is this?

I was letting the dogs out this evening and I turned around and saw this.  It nearly scared me.  I have no idea what it is.  It looked like a cross between a big cockroach and a beetle. 

Anyone know what kind of insect this is?  Please let me know. Below are a few shots.  More can be found at My Flickr Page.

Mailbox

Since I have been in the house, one of the things I have been wanting to replace is the mailbox.  Not only did I want to replace it, I wanted to place it on the correct side of the driveway.  Huh, you ask.  The old mailbox was actually in between my house and my neighbors house.  I wanted it to actually be in front of my house.  Also, the old mail box was all rusted and the post had a slant to it.

So, I replaced it with an aluminum post and placed it on the correct side of the driveway with a nice mailbox. Once it was successfully installed I used he reciprocating saw to cut the old one down.

Below is a photo of the old and new mailbox.

 

Bubbles

Nico went to my parents house today.  I was there to assist in taking care of Nico for the day.  I had to try and keep him away from the pool.  He kept saying bubbles, so I figured why not go get him some bubbles. I left him with my mom and headed off to my local Walgreens .  Did some searching and I found this Bubble Machine. I then headed back to my parents house to let him have a blast with it.  Below are some photos of him and the bubbles.

   

 

Fence

With summer time coming soon, my parents asked that I put up a fence in the back yard to keep Nico from getting to the pool.  Below are a few shots of the fence.  It did not take me too long to put it together.   I would say it took me about 3-4 hours spread out between a few days to put together, that is if you don’t include the drying time for the concrete.

More Work.

After 4 visits to Lowe’s, I have enough supplies to hold me over for a few weeks.  This does not even include the painting that still needs to be done.

I purchased lots of dryawall and insulation to finally finish the garage.  It is one of the project, though not the most important, that I want to complete.  Garage is actually lined with brown liner board instead of drywall.

New mailbox to replace the old rusted one and the one that is located on the wrong side of the driveway.

Replacement attic pull down steps.  The ones already in the house are not safe.

Combination bathroom light/fan to add a little more light and get rid of the noisy fan already in the bathroom.

All the above should keep me busy for a while and give me something to do over the weekend.

 

I’m Back

Ok, I know I have been away for a while. 

 I have updated the look,of my blog, with some minor downfalls.  I moved my entire page that was hosted at Blogger to WordPress.  Bad part is that any images that were attached to any posting did not transfer over.  I will have to slowly transfer all images little by little.  If you are reading any old post, please go to the My Old Page to see those photos.

 So besides the new look, what have I been up to lately.

Well, here it is.  I have continued to do lots of work on the house and ready for my tax refund to do even more. 

For those that have visited the house, here are something that are a little different.

• Re-painted the front/guest bathroom from a light green to a tan color.
• Removed the popcorn ceilings from the dining room, formal living room, front hall, and front/guest bathroom
• Painted the dining room, formal living room and front hall
• Installed new doorbell ringer
• Installed new light fixtures in the front hall and front/guest bathroom
• Installed chicken wire in the attic vents to block birds from nesting in the attic and keep other critters out.
• Planted 2 Japanese Maples
• Purchased some patio furniture

Removing the popcorn was the hardest of all the work done so far. My plan is to eventually do the entire house without the popcorn ceiling on room at a time.

Where have you been?

Ok, so I have not posted since August 28. I have been busy and have not had a chance to update the page. I plan on making some updates this week. I will eventry to back date everything to align with when it happened.

Keep your eyes open.

Anna Nicole Smith Dies

Anna Nicole Smith died today. Read more at Yahoo News.