tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:45 +0000http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/noreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)Blogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-95639326567027257Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:04:00 +00002009-12-15T19:23:21.271-07:00I get an appointment to see the orthopedic surgeon to interpret the MRI and give me a better answer and course of treatment for the "mild tear in the infra/supraspinatus" that my primary physician told me about.I get the paperwork which asks a thousand questions about medical history, prior surgeries, allergies, etc etc. Easy enough, I am a "no" on all of it. I pay the $25 co-pay and wait for http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/12/ortho-says.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2538231421234208377Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:50:00 +00002009-11-17T09:56:11.737-07:00I had the insurance mandated X-ray taken of my shoulder, which revealed no arthritis nor any fractures. That was a good sign, but now it was time for the MRI.From what I heard, I would get an IV shot of gadolinium and then sit for an hour while it circulates, then I'd have the MRI of my shoulder and the contrast would show exactly what was wrong.I head down to radiology and sign in and then wait http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/11/contrast-sucks.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-6834465908426734332Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +00002009-10-16T10:22:39.254-06:00My shoulders have progressively been getting weaker to the point where I don't trust them to not dislocate when put to work (throwing a ball, sleeping, etc). When it interferes with my sleep, it's time to take action.I quizzed the neighbors mom who has been a floor nurse locally for many years and got a recommendation to a local quack to prod and poke me.Yesterday was that day. Without an MRI http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/10/aint-this-beyoatch-tale-of-bankart.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-1474534844323812755Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +00002009-10-02T14:57:25.126-06:00Sometimes work is really interesting.At work we have a DuPont BAX System Q7, a sweet little PCR machine for testing for bacteria.  Being the curious kind, I had to break it down in 'tard terms so I could understand the process, which the helpful genius behind the machine gladly did for me.This is my (very simplistic) understanding of the process;1, We take a sample of something, let's say my http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/10/polymerase-chain-reaction-or-sometimes.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-6111000665683064144Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:58:00 +00002009-09-19T23:32:11.154-06:00I get the strangest requests sometimes.  The latest one was for the lyrics to Lasgo's song "smile".  So here they are.Good song, by the way, though a bit slow for my taste. I'm currently stuck on Hammerfall's latest album.when I feel I'm all aloneand I can't seem to find a homeI call your namewhen I'm lost and in the darkand all I have is just a sparkyou fuel the flameyou know I can't help http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/09/lasgo-smile-lyrics.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-688271250927544313Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:49:00 +00002009-09-19T23:28:22.788-06:00Free classes offered through work. Nice!  Each class is four hours, which I think is about appropriate, but a few 30-60 minute refreshers through-out the year wouldn't be bad.The CPR went through the basics of cardiopulminary rescuscitation, breathing for someone else and chest compressions.  The simple theory is to prevent cell damage due to hypoxia/ischemia by circulating enough blood/oxygen tohttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/09/cpr-first-aid-certification.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-4655314438225111183Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:18:00 +00002009-09-17T13:39:09.679-06:00On my way home a couple of weeks ago, I had planned to change out the tires on the bike. The rear one was about done with 7000 miles on it and the front was badly cupped with about the same mileage. My commute is 32 miles each way, and on the home-stretch during the last eight miles from home, I feel a strange shudder from the rear. I pull over and yes, the tire was flat.This was a good time to http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/09/motorcycle-adventures.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-7702961687242392445Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:13:00 +00002009-09-07T00:24:37.214-06:00I had planned on heading down to their local office to ask if there was anyone willing to not ignore me.I found two addresses online, so I decided to call them. Again. At 866-472-2573, and see which office was the right one.I get Christina on the phone and briefly outline my issue. She thinks it's best that I talk to Marla at the Colorado office, and transfers me to a generic voicemail line. http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/09/property-mismanagement-part-ii.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-4451213445370534223Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:18:00 +00002009-08-27T14:38:00.608-06:00In my housing area, the home-owners association is outsourced to a management company - let's call them "RM". I haven't had any prior dealings with them, so I can't really speak for their work, other than the lack of snow removal when it snows.  In that particular instance the city claimed that the HOA does that, and the HOA claims the city does that.  End result?  Snow remains on the street.Alashttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/08/property-mismanagement.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-9179681872967796006Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:03:00 +00002009-08-10T13:18:33.643-06:00Royal Gorge - a deep abyss where the Arkansas river flows, with an eerily high bridge above it. That was our destination.The van loaded up, we drove down the three hours to RG, parked and paid the exhorbitant $22 per person to get in. First we went to an overlook and peered down over the fence and got the chills - a fall over that fence would result in a minute or two of very fast tumbling and http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/08/royal-gorge-garden-of-gods.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-5122408338598676120Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:57:00 +00002009-08-09T23:52:07.291-06:00The Monkeys were here and we were going on an excursion.  Because Sebastian was really gung-ho for the mountains, we decided to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park.With a late start, we finally got to Boulder and headed up the canyon, then took the Peak-to-peak highway across to Estes Park. We parked and strolled through town a little bit, and then drove up to the national park. The roads arehttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/08/rocky-mountain-national-park.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-7011117515037261897Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:15:00 +00002009-08-09T17:49:01.936-06:00[video][Click the title to see the pictures from the trip]Rebecca went skydiving for her birthday and I had to do it too. If nothing else to see her splat against the ground.We got there Saturday (yesterday) afternoon and signed up, filled out the forms and sat down to wait for our turn to suit up and jump out of a perfectly good plane.Unfortunately, after several weather-holds, we had been therehttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/07/skydiving-brothers-arrival.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2609908162833157307Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:06:00 +00002009-06-23T15:09:08.863-06:00Saturday was a bit different;Sleep in until 9amWALK to champagne brunch at Paris - put dent in their cheap champagne budgetChat with waitress from LondonChat with beautiful waitress from EritreaWALK from Paris to Luxor, sweating like a Canadian in Seattle the entire wayAmazed by the Body Works exhibit with lots of plasticized bodies and body partsManaged to NOT get thrown out of Body Works for http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/06/vegas-stag-party-day-two.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-4538414873679357654Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:26:00 +00002009-06-23T15:06:18.819-06:00The story as told in bullet points;Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe5 hours of sleepTour Hoover dam (South of Vegas)Eat at worst (taste/service/cleanliness) Jack in the Box everHiking in blistering hot sand in Valley of Fire (North of Vegas)Drink with D., L., S., K., J., B. and his buddy L., until S. showed up and then WALK to Freemont street (2.2 miles from Treasure Island) to eat at Tony Roma'sAsked by http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/06/vegas-stag-party-day-one.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-1566365225715764523Sun, 10 May 2009 17:41:00 +00002009-06-22T15:33:27.195-06:00There are always lots of impressions after traveling, particularly when it's somewhere I haven't been before.Germany - I love it. The people are friendly and always willing to help. Even when it's a foreigner with a dismal grasp of the language. Most of my time has been spent in the vicinities of Berlin, Essen and Frankfurt, so my impressions are limited to these areas and possibly to more urban http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/travel-thoughts.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2052341857210423818Mon, 04 May 2009 17:09:00 +00002009-06-22T11:40:28.724-06:00Travel ParisI've never been in Paris before! It's a cute little town with lots of cool things to see. I'd planned out a route to go catch the most interesting (to me) things to see to spend my day until my cousin came home after a day on a gravel-filled set.Alas, I got up at 04:30 in Haltern am See, Germany and headed down to the train station. I had the tickets in hand so there was no need to purchase http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/paris.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2805702222770294784Sun, 03 May 2009 21:39:00 +00002009-05-03T16:00:36.866-06:00Everything is closed! I realized that when I had an allergic reaction to something and found I'd run out of allergy pills! N. tells me "too bad, but the pharmacy is closed on Sundays"! @#(%#!!!!The day improved not long after a cup of steaming coffee from the fancy DeLonghi Primadonna Avant. I think this thing probably whips poor Peruvian coffee farmers, collects the beans, roasts them, http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/sundays-are-quiet-here.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-6376031679177870996Sat, 02 May 2009 21:16:00 +00002009-05-03T15:39:14.873-06:00Last night wasn't quite over when I thought it would be. It was Saturday night and I was in a strange city. I had to go out. N. and I strapped on the boots and went to Haltern. A 20 minute walk had us in place and we scoped out various places that looked hospitable.We stopped at Flüze Q (or something like that) which is a mining-camp inspired "smoker's club". It's a smoker's club because smokinghttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/hello-kati.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-7161002700330636020Sat, 02 May 2009 20:48:00 +00002009-05-03T15:16:37.034-06:00Credit cards aren't used in many places around here. They use bank cards, basically what we call ATM card. In theory, mine should work, at least if I knew the PIN to it.What it means is that I can't do much without cash here. I went to the book fair in town. Can't do much there other than look. I guess looking was enough, what would I REALLY need a German version of the history of the muppets forhttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/take-my-credit-card.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-9221681515609075511Fri, 01 May 2009 15:21:00 +00002009-05-02T09:51:50.938-06:00We hop the train to Essen and head towards the club. I wish I had pictures of the train, it was full of clusters of people with large beer bottles (40's) and laughter, jokes told, playful shoves and friendly conversation. N. and I ended up next to these two girls from Münster who were on the way to the same club we were aiming for, so we ended up chatting with them a bit. N. did more than I as http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/05/hotel-shanghai.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-452816963761140742Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:41:00 +00002009-05-02T09:20:47.006-06:00The "fahrenkarte" told me to take the train from the airport to Düsseldorf-somethingorother, and then take S6 to Essen on platform 2. So I did. Except 30 minutes later I realized that I was almost in Köln, quite a good distance AWAY from Essen.Some helpful signs about what direction the train was going would've been appreciated. I was stressing a bit because we had to pick up the Plymouth and gohttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/04/wrong-way.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-595605340883316731Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:28:00 +00002009-05-01T10:31:34.081-06:00My updates are rare, but that's because I rarely leave the house! With airfare being less than $400, I had to do like a baby and Head Out. I called The Boss and asked for some time off, I talked to a friend about visiting and then booked the tickets.Go Homehttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/04/in-absentia-back-in-germany.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2153263990447308638Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:05:00 +00002009-05-01T10:16:53.485-06:00The ride was uneventful. I got about 19mpg and did between 70-95mph. It was WAY easier to pass cars than it was when I drove my 965!   Oil pressure, water temp and voltage was good.  The temp hovered about 198ish and a hair over 200 when I was "exhuberant". It's a bit warmer here than in WI or MN, so it seems the fan turns more and the temp is higher. The only thing that made me a bit nervoushttp://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/03/hahaha-cool.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-3036757486984378770Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:28:00 +00002009-02-16T11:32:07.073-07:00According to an article on MSN today, I live in the 18th lowest-unemployment-rate state in the nation.18. Colorado ... 6.1 percentTotal employment: 2,750,100Mean annual salary: $43,100I could make some sort of profound and eloquent statement about proper state government and all that, but I am just glad that I have a job, and one that I like.Apparently the #1 state in the rankings is Wyoming.But http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/02/unemployment-rates.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745988.post-2986284340832237021Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:10:00 +00002009-01-26T13:13:43.134-07:00financeMy loan was for 6.5% somewhere north of $200000. With the dismal state of the economy and all sorts of panic that the fish-wrappers are screaming about, the interest rates have dropped to 5%.So the timing is perfect. I go to the bank and ask them to give me another 'just north of' $200000 loan, of which most will pay off the first one. The rest goes in my pocket to the tune of ~$180/month.I've http://www.robdiesel.com/blogs/2009/01/refinance-house.htmnoreply@blogger.com (The Reverend)0