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. . . of things to avoid doing . . . running up Bear Peak with Kevin., hat might take the top spot. Kevin is a great teammate except when he hurts me. Just do a quick search for his results in the cycling world and you'll see he isn't completely normal.

All kidding aside, Saturday was a great workout. The scenery was good, it was a trail I have never been on, and it was much better than another Saturday on the trainer. I had my doubts about being able to maintain even a jog for that long, but Kevin passed along some good tips and led the way at a pace that didn't cripple me. If you look at the hike information it says it is a 4.5 hour hike. I'm assuming that is under normal, dry conditions. We made it to the top, in the snow in an hour and change.

Kevin spent last "off-season" running this trail with Scott Elliott another one of the incredible athletes who lives, works, and trains in Colorado. I have yet to meet Scott, but his athletic resume is impressive. He said after doing that all of our racing seemed easy and I can see why. Running at threshold for an extended period of time is a lot harder than riding at the same level. It was good to mix it up some.

I'll find out today if the efforts of the weekend cratered me or not. I'm testing at the Echelon Sports Performance labs as part of the usual training program. Winter time is about maintenance, we'll see how I'm doing.

Picture This

Thanks to Koach Kendall for a few more pictures from the weekend . . .

How thick is the ice and can we play on it?


Oooooh, bubbles . . .


Ah the joys of nature, the miracles!

Another Year . . .

. . . come and gone. As we write the final chapter on 2007, we also close another year in the life of Seth Rubin. Hard to believe I turn 32 today. Where does the time go? Where is my wisdom? I've never really been one for celebrating birthdays in grand style, after all we roll over another year everyday of our lives it's just that nobody celebrates the annual passing of the 43rd day after your birth.

It snowed a lot more than it was supposed to this weekend. A white Christmas is charming and all but 8" of new snow just as the old stuff was on its last legs makes winter tiresome. There's promise of more snow later this week . . . barring dramatic and drastic measures, I will not be riding outside for quite a while.

I have no pictures from the weekend because I left the camera at work but trust me when I say the new computer looks really good in its spot on the desk. The new operating system is pretty and there is more to explore, but I definitely found the remote and Front Row a pleasant distraction. Nothing like being able to watch web video from 6' back and forget that it is your computer, not a TV.

I was also able to paint the kitchen the revised and updated version of Ralph Lauren Chamois that was applied to the butler pantry. The kitchen looks good with a fresh coat. This week I hope to paint the rest of the walls below the wainscot, the ceiling, and the trim. I pulled one of the samples of concrete from its form. Despite some "bug holes" from the samples not really being vibrated the surface looks really cool. I have high hopes for the real top which I should be able to pull and flip over sometime this week as long as I have some help moving it!

It's all the same . . . sort of

Baking an Apricot Brandy Pound cake . . . email if you want the recipe, it's goooood.


Pouring a counter top . . . get the aforementioned book and DVD, from there you are on your own.


Some observations; the concrete is shrinking slightly as it cures and there are now small gaps between the slab and the form . . . T-minus 3 days and counting until I can pull the samples out of their forms.

It's holiday time . . . being productive is tough with so many exciting things on their way to me from FedEx and UPS. The computer should be here today along with additional RAM. I ordered some new hiking boots since my Vasque Sundowners are now almost 13 years old and getting them resoled is no longer worth it. Can't wait to get these:

So you want to pour concrete . . .

There were a few things I picked up from the concrete counter top book and DVD . . . and a few instructions that were made up on the fly. First thing you need, once you form is ready, the rebar is in place, and you are ready to pour, is a good crew.


We have . . . Pinkerton as crew physician.


Koach Kendall manning the shovel, notice the cyclist muscles.


JD as chief of safety and whatnot (also crew photographer), I believe the PBR "helmet" is OSHA approved.


And your truely doing everything possible to make a 240 lb counter top that will likely end up a stepping stone in the backyard.



All the ingredients got measured once and added twice. The best discovery is that Google is going to make us all more dumberer . . . . I'm sure to my dad chagrin, you can enter something simple in a search like "2 5/6 gallons in quarts" and you don't even have to hit enter when using the Firefox Google bar, the result comes up as a "suggestion". I will soon forget all math involving any sort of conversion and go straight to the internet.

But, first the dry ingredients:


JD proved to be the only one who has hit the gym and actually has upper body strength and endurance. If it came down to a kicking fight, Pinkerton, Kendall and I would be fine . . . JD provided the majority of the muscle on the shovel (the camera was in his pocket during stirring and nobody was going in there). We mixed the 240 lbs of Quikrete 5000 and the Cheng NeoMix Admix containing the fibers and other stuff to keep the counter top from developing micro cracks.

We measured the wet ingredients including the NeoMix Water Reducer. I'm sure all this stuff could be had at any Redimix batch plant for far less than the $30 I paid, but I wanted to keep the "user" as the variable in the equation, not the mix.



Mixing provided good cross training for all of us, three bags of Quikrete was about all the wheelbarrow could take. Once the mix was where we wanted it, just like lumpy oatmeal, we humped it down to the basement in buckets, added it to the form, and started vibrating.


Then we got to screeding to level out what will be the bottom of the counter top. It has to be somewhat level so it can be set on the subtop with minimal adjustment.



And after it was all done, we have a top and some samples for playing with stain if necessary and for practice with the grinder when the time comes.


I think we did alright, but only time will tell. In about 4-6 days we will be able to turn out the top and samples to see what the counter top surface will look like. There are a couple exit strategies:
- if the final surface is pitted we can mix up a slurry of Portland Cement and water to fill holes and make it all smooth prior to grinding.
- if the final surface shows a lot of aggregate we can grind more than planned to make the surface smooth, but with character.
- if the final surface looks like crap, we can use the piece as a stepping stone in the yard when we landscape in the spring . . .

All in all, it was a good time and for about $75 and some heavy lifting I won't feel like it was all for naught if the counter top is unusable in the butler pantry.

Getting Organized

The magical desk swap has occurred all that is left is . . . damn there's a lot left to do in this room now too! I am waiting on one more shelf, just like the one on the left side of the picture. The Winsome Wood product quality isn't the greatest, but they are kind enough to send a parts list that you can fill out for replacement parts. I should be getting close to a whole new shelf and desk by the end of it all.


I'll let Brian work his photoshop magic in his last few hours at his current job . . . add this computer to desk:


After days of pretending I wasn't going to get a new computer because "I don't really need a new computer" I have decided I really do need (read: want) a newer, faster computer that has a monitor so big that I can sit back on the couch in the office and work from a distance.

In other news, the counter top pour has been rescheduled for tomorrow. I need to wire up the reinforcement tonight and make sure all systems are go. Then it is time to play with mud.

Plan B

I had planned on pouring concrete for the counter top this weekend, but neglected to bring home a door from work to use as a work bench. Plan B was to get the old desk out of the office down to the basement (this will still happen) . . . but so much from that plan B.

As previously posted, I did get some lighting in place in the kitchen, but there is a little more work to do. We need to decide what the remaining (just added to the mix) lighting will be, two more recessed cans or a flush mount decorative fixture. Either requires me getting back in to the attic for a little more electrical fun.

The other plan B for the weekend involved getting out of the house and doing something different for a change. Rob and Megan had a sushi party at their place. A sushi sampling was followed by a rousing session of "Battle of the Sexes" . . . quite possibly one of the dumbest games I have ever played. I don't say this only because the males couldn't win to save our lives.

The holidays bring out the strangest behaviors . . . I guess Megan's cat, er dog, sorry, needed additional clothing for warmth.

And Seth said, "let there be light . . ."

Nothing like fluorescent lighting in the kitchen . . . cooked meat is sort of greenish, nothing looks natural under such light.


When in doubt, get the jigsaw out. I laid things out earlier in the week and got to cutting this weekend. Nothing like creating a huge mess in the kitchen with bits of plaster flying everywhere. I ended up with a nice thin layer of old attic munge as it trickled through in the cutting process.


Placement was about as good as I could manage, being simple and all that.


Ah, look at the pretty incandescent glow . . . I went out to the meter to watch the wheel spin faster than it ever has before.


You can see where the old fixture was and the layers of paint applied around it. I have some plaster to patch and the ceiling will have to be repainted, but such is life. I think it will all be worth it.



It was slightly horrifying to see the existing electrical work in the attic . . . there was a bunch of knob and tube still in place. I had to put in a junction box where the old fixture was because the previous installer had just poked the wire through the ceiling to the fixture. I am confident that the new 12 gauge wire is sufficient but the old stuff scares me slightly. If you see flames coming from my house, call 911 please.

Operation McNamee?

I'd like to welcome Major League Baseball to the club . . . now you have your own doping scandal. Too bad the rules are different. For one the media doesn't seem to immediately crucify those named in the Mitchell Report. In fact they are already talking about backlash in terms of libel suits that could be brought up against Mitchell and MLB.

It amused me watching some of the coverage on Sports Center and hearing former NFL players talking about how they have the best testing program in professional athletics. Also amusing . . . consider this one, Jose Canseco is to baseball as __________ is to cycling. Can anybody fill in the blank?

More important on this entire issue is that baseball is still boring even with juiced athletes! I think there were more "heroics" prior to the modern era of baseball. How many complete games get pitched these days? Does anybody really care?

Planning

This week seems to have been a big week for planning and preparation on the home projects front. I think I know what I am doing on the concrete countertop, I read the book, watched the video, piece of cake right? I still have to caulk the form, but I have decided on a slightly chamfered edge (look it up if you don't know) and that shouldn't be too hard when it comes to caulking.

I also laid out the lighting for the kitchen with a total of seven recessed cans, six in the main ceiling and one mini can over the sink in the stupid soffit that somebody decided was a good idea when installing the cabinets (stupid because it doesn't even match up to the upper edge of the cabinets and it is incomplete). By my calculations . . . there should be ample light, minimal shadow over the working areas . . . and if all else fails, I can add another can or even a decorative fixture where the fluorescent light was.

I am getting over my cold, seems like I get sick once a year right around this time. I'm sure there will be one more cold in my future, sometime around March 12th, approximately.

The birthday is coming up in another 13 days . . . Falcon here we come! On another note for you blog lurkers out there, email me, make yourself known, it's my birthday wish! According to the site meter there are some out of staters who have become regular readers through Kendall, Pinkerton, and Hutchison . . . who are you???

Say No to Catnip . . .

Sometimes you have to drink something no matter the source or the aftermath. I hope dog-water doesn't have ill effects. I guess toilet water doesn't seem to hurt cats, what can a little dog slobber possibly do?


I found Saffron this morning trying to knock the bag of catnip off the counter top for more rapid consumption. We did add some to the scratch lounge last night, must not have been enough for kitty's liking.

Mother Nature provided a fresh covering of snow this morning, it's still coming down in fact. I feel bad for Deb on her first day of work having to brave US36 in the elements. It's more the other asstards on the road . . . hopefully it isn't too painful getting there.

Work resumed on the countertop last night. I put the form together with some success and a touch of failure. I had one screw blow out the melamine, but only in the back corner in what will be a caulk joint so no biggie. The admix and water reducer showed up yesterday so with any luck, I'll be pouring concrete over the weekend.

Dead Batteries!

What a worthless time to have the battery in the camera die. Keely, Deb, Kendall, Pinkerton and I hit Super Star Asian for Dim Sum and then cruised down Broadway to Sport Bowl to bowl a few frames. Gotta love the crappy weather Sunday activities!

Dempsey was ready for the wintry mix outside. Nice booties!


Fool dog loves the snow and can't seem to focus on anything when there's a few inches of fresh powder to play in. He's mentally about two blocks down the street in this next shot.


And the aftermath:



Way too much food was eaten at Dim Sum, but we managed to avoid eating any sort of tentacles or chicken feet. The custard filled, steamed rolls were incredible as were the shrimp and leek dumplings. Yesterday marked the return of Asian Baby Elvis to the bowling ranks . . . could this be the start of a new traditions? Gluttony followed by bowling sin?

Our bowling performance and technique was for the most part an affront to bowling convention. We managed to scrape some respectable scores if you count anything over 50 as respectable. Pinkerton showed the most natural talent, I showed the most grace under pressure, pulling out the one pin victory by filling the tenth frame with three strikes in a row in the second game. Keely proved to be the most flap able, as we could all get her into a fit of laughter, making bowling immediately after an impossibility.

Sport Bowl on Broadway used to be somewhat of a dump. In it's new version The Falcon it caters to a much different crowd . . . us. There are now usable bathrooms, the PA system was playing some great music, and best of all it is no longer a 3.2 bar. There is a full bar, restaurant, live music venue, etc, etc. The only thing that didn't change were the lanes. Look for me there on December 26th for my birthday.

Web Pics

Gotta love it when you see these:


That means that it will be a fairly useless next few hours while I watch the Woot-Off for cheap items that I probably don't need. The real reason for the vigilance is the elusive Bag o' Crap (read this for more).

What does this web image mean?


That means the choice between "endurance ride" and "indoor 2A" has been made for me by those with powers greater than my own.

Round and Round

If there's one thing this pictures says it's gotta be . . .


. . . buy more wheels!!

So I did last night. I went over to Carlos' house to "look" at the set of Nimble Crosswinds he was selling, knowing full well that they would be in great condition. His garage is a cyclist's dream or nightmare depending on whether you look at it as a wish list or as expenses.



All that is left now is unloading the Zipp 606 wheelset that came with the new Felt. Then I get to purchase some tires, glue them up and the bikes will be race ready, will I?

Hangin' . . .

The art of hangin' . . . some are graceful at it, somethings look nice hanging. Dempsey and Saffron displayed a little of everything this weekend. Dempsey adjusting:


Saffron just getting the lay of the land in the new house:


We got another piece of the kitchen puzzle out of the way by hanging the pot rack. It enables us to tastefully display and store our rather complete selection of Calphalon cookware. Nice to see in selecting our cabinet color we matched it well to Calphalon grey.


The pets were nice enough to clean up their acts and make themselves a little cuter and a little more PG in their behavior. Dempsey, sacked out as usual:


Saffron took an immediate liking to the Scratch Lounge, but that could just be the catnip talking.


There is much more excitement in store this week. Deb moves to town on Wednesday, so long as she and my dad can make it across the plains without getting stuck in weather or without killing each other. For the house, we'll be putting more things away and in place. The basement is cleaning up nicely so we will be able to store the things that get used less regularly down there and be able to get to them when needed.

I templated the counter top for the butler pantry so hopefully early this week I will be able to make the form at work and if at all possible pour the top this weekend. All that leaves for the butler pantry is a little more paint and installing the new light fixture. After that, the room will be party-ready.

We also picked up supplies for changing the lighting in the kitchen. I am a touch nervous about cutting into the plaster for recessed cans, but the pot rack experience showed me that the plaster is in good shape and with all luck my ceiling won't crumble and fall down in large chunks. It is all coming along nicely though.

Finally

Just about the last of the paint is on the cabinets. There is a little bit of touchup to be done, but I am satisfied for the most part.




I'm pretty sick of painting cabinets at this point. It takes patience and a steady hand even with a face full of fumes. Soon enough I'll get back to painting walls.

We stopped by Builder Appliance Center to pick up the microwave and enjoy their customer party. Their showroom is really impressive, as are the options out there these days. For anybody in the appliance market, I highly recommend working with Rebecca Blue, she knows her stuff.

Everybody around me is getting sick, I hope I don't get it too.

A Study in Colors

I am almost out of the woods on the cabinet painting, the good news is that I am finally getting the hang of it so if anybody wants to paint cabinets I can tell you how. I like the color which is good, there's no going back now!

You can see the counter top "accent" that is still to be painted and the last five doors are primed and ready to be painted. I should be able to paint the hinge side tonight, hang them Thursday and get the face painted and everything complete (except the touch up that is inevitable) by Friday evening.




Keely will get back into the painting mix when we switch to the latex based paint for the kitchen walls and trim. It is less likely to strip her of her education.

Here's a color I don't like:



I didn't expect it to really snow overnight! Sorry Deb, welcome to Colorado in a week . . . Dempsey enjoyed it fully though.

Up next for the kitchen . . . more paint! We will paint the walls to match the butler pantry and paint the trim and new door. Thanks again to Joe at work for help on getting the temp door together with a cutout for the cat door. I fully expect to come home one day to find Dempsey stuck half way in/out, that photo will be posted for sure (Brian, if you want to photoshop that one in advance I will post it).



According to FedEx, we should see the pot rack tomorrow. There will probably be some bribes offered up for labor assistance to get this item installed.

On the riding side of things search for my post on riding in the basement.

Pictures

Everybody made it back safe and sound from Thanksgiving. I'm never eating again, until my next meal at least. The time has come to provide some more proof of time consuming activities.

There is indeed a wine refrigerator in the butler pantry and it has wine in it. I need to get some sort of rubber pad/mat to elevate it a hair and isolate it because it does vibrate some as it keeps our wine at the ideal storage temperature of 55 degrees.



Keely has been involved in the process even though I poo-pooed her painting skills . . . there's nothing that can't be sanded out, even floating dog hair, thanks Dempsey.



We made it off the couch to get to the beach at least once. It was lovely.



Brian's worst nightmare is coming true already. I heard this clown talking about getting a new bike for the holidays from Mum and "the Popster".



Our worst nightmare continues. Every time we make progress on the house we add to the debacle.



But there has been progress in the kitchen. The rest of it has been ripped apart to be primed and painted. The uppers are painted with minimal touch-up required and our new glassware (as well as some of the old) is put away.