Project 365 Day 151: Biking on Memorial Day

Today we had some gorgeous weather and took advantage of it with a 22 mile ride around town. Near the end of our ride we came through campus and I took this photograph of Beardshear Hall reflected on the rear-view mirror of my bike.

Project 365 Day 150: Rolling Thunder

We had our own personal version of Rolling Thunder this weekend when my cousin Dave visited us from the Twin Cities during his Memorial Day Weekend motorcycle ride to visit family and friends around Iowa. Looks like a sweet ride. Perhaps there will be a motorcycle in our future someday...

Project 365 Day 149: Farmer's Market

We visited the Des Moines Farmer's Market on Court Ave. today for the first time. Interesting to see how much bigger it is compared to some of the Farmer's Markets we used to go to in DC. We enjoyed some crepes for a pre-lunch snack on the street, and then found our way into the Hessen Haus, a German "bier" hall, for an authentic German lunch of stuffed beef rolls and goulash. I could have used my Grandma Lehs' help in translating some of the menu items though, especially from the beer menu! Perhaps someday we'll go back and share a boot of beer, though are a number of rules that have to be followed.

We brought our bikes down with us as well, and after lunch we rode from where we had parked downtown over to the Botanical Center, and then from there up to the Saylorville Lake visitor's center on the Neal Smith trail and back. We totaled nearly 27 miles with just a few breaks and one gigantic hill near the end, and our RAGBRAI training continues.

Project 365 Day 148: A Better Plan

Today I improved upon the previous plan for fixing a flat bicycle tire, as described in yesterday's post, by purchasing a tool specially designed to help apply leverage in getting the tire back on the rim without at the same time puncturing the freshly installed tube inside said tire.

See the black tool in the foreground with the smooth rounded edges? That is a much better tool for this purpose than the Leatherman flathead screwdriver blade in the background.

See those sharp corners on the screwdriver blade? Those are very good for puncturing a bicycle tube. Extremely efficient at doing so, in fact,should that be your desired outcome. A flathead screwdriver is highly recommended if you want to replace one flat tube with another tube that starts out puncture-free only to end up flat as well.

Project 365 Day 147: Always Be Prepared

And as a co-requisite to "Always Be Prepared" one should also remember "Always know what the heck you're doing." Let me explain.

Tonight we were riding our bicycles back from an evening at Cafe Diem downtown. It was a beautiful night for a bike ride, and was actually a tad chilly for shorts and t-shirts on the way back. As we're cruising down the path along 24th street back towards our house, I notice my ride starts to feel a little odd and soon I realize that I have a flat tire.

No worries though, because I am prepared! About a month ago, after Amy experienced a flat on her bike very close to home, we got a couple of spare tubes and a portable air pump to take with us on rides, so that in an event such as this one, we'd be able to change the tube on the spot and not have to walk bikes home on flat tires, or get a car and then come back to get the bike.

Now we were less than a mile from home and could have easily just walked the bikes to the house with the flat tire, but I'm thinking it'd be good practice for RAGBRAI to stop and change the tube on the spot. This way I would know if we really had everything we'd need to change a tube with us. So we pull off into a parking lot close by, and I start changing the tube out. As I get the tire off the bike, I find the culprit of the flat in the picture above, a nail that I was unlucky to ride over. You can also see the old tube with the puncture wound close by.

So I struggle with getting the tire and flat tube off the steel rim, and then I struggle with getting the tire and new tube back on to the steel rim. For this last act, I decide to whip out my trusty Leatherman multi-tool (knife, screwdriver, martini swirler, etc) to get a little leverage. I extend the flathead screwdriver tool, wedge it between the rubber tire and the steel rim, wiggle it a little, and then I hear this:

"Fwoosh"

Uh oh. I've just punctured the new tube, which I had inflated slightly inside the tire to give it some shape. So now I've got two useless tubes on my hand, one flat by an Act of God, and one flat by Act of Foolishness On Adam's Part.

We ended up walking the bikes home, mine on a flat tire, anyway. But we also learned some valuable lessons:

1. Being prepared for anything includes practicing and learning from your mistakes.
   
2. There is no problem a Leatherman multi-tool cannot solve. Unless that problem is getting a bicycle tire and tube back on a rim.
3. For crying out loud, get a real tire-changing tool and don't use a sharp Leatherman screwdriver head for leverage near a bicycle tube! Who would ever do that? Geez!
   

Project 365 Day 146: Plants We Haven't Killed

So far we're batting about .500 as far as plants that have survived versus those that have perished under our care. Thus I was pleasantly surprised to find that this large plant in our basement had decided to sprout some new growths on top in the last few weeks. The trend I'm noticing so far: plants that have been established under someone else's care do better for us than those we try to get going ourselves.

Project 365 Day 145: The Way I Read Now (is Slowly...)

It only took me what seemed to be 6 months or so, but I finally finished all 800+ pages of the Trollope book The Way We Live Now! Amy recommended this one to me, and though it was written in 1875 there are some plot lines that seem eerily familiar to recent events. The financial swindler character of Melmotte was not far removed from Bernie Madoff in last year's real-life financial scandal. There are plenty of interesting and unlikable characters, and a few good folks too, thank goodness!

Now that I have finished an 800-page classic, perhaps it's time to put a few 20-page children's stories on the nightstand...

Project 365 Day 144: Freon Aint Free

This past week we experienced another first in our home: the air conditioner stopped working! We were about to call the landlord and demand they get it fixed ASAP when we realized that we are the landlord. Darn.

The fine folks at C&K Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing in Ames sent a technician out this afternoon and he discovered that we had a freon leak due to a bad seal of some kind. We were glad that he was able to fix it and refill the freon today, as we were not looking forward to trying to sleep through another nearly 80 degree night. But that freon, man, it's expensive!

While the temperature on the thermostat in the picture above looks a bit on the warm side, it was already down from the inside-the-house high of 80 degrees earlier today. By bed time the house should be a cozy 67 degrees.

Project 365 Day 143: Bachelor Party Survivor

I survived the bachelor party festivities that were held for my cousin yesterday in Des Moines, and here are the few belongings I packed for the day and evening. In truth the day was pretty much nothing like the plot to the movie The Hangover, and that's a good thing! We all had a good time, played some poker, ate some food, drank some drinks, and celebrated my cousin's upcoming marriage this summer and his last days of bachelorhood.

Project 365 Day 142: Quilting Bee

Mom and I spent more than three hours today working on a very important project: my first quilt! We put the main part of the top together today and will work on the border and binding tomorrow, after which I will return home to Ames to help Adam recover from the bachelor party he's been at all day for his cousin Danny. It's 11:15 PM and while I'm getting ready for bed, I'm sure that for the revelers, the night is just beginning.

Project 365 Day 141: Wascally Wabbit

Is there anything more adorable than a baby bunny munching on a blade of grass? I don't think so, as long as he stays out of my garden!

Project 365 Day 140: Geek Fuel

Diet Mountain Dew and a slice of frosted pumpkin bread from Fareway make for some pretty good fuel for a late night coding session!

Project 365 Day 139: Overdue Movies

Tonight we had dinner with friends Ben and Rashelle to celebrate Ben's new job in New Mexico. This also caused us to realize that we still have a couple of their movies we need to get watched soon before they leave Ames!

Project 365 Day 138: Like a Golf Course

This evening I sprayed the yard with three gallons of herbicide using a brand which was recommend by my dad, who is no slouch when it comes to yard maintenance. With a little time and luck we'll be rid of thistles and other weeds and ready to tee off in our backyard!

Project 365 Day 137: Steel Guitar

While strolling around downtown Ames we came across this neat artwork installation. It is quite large and I had to sit on the ground to get an angle at which the entire guitar would show up in the photo.

Project 365 Day 136: Amish Maid-Rite

On our way down to Kansas City to see Conan O'Brien's music and comedy tour, we stopped in Lamoni, IA for lunch at a Maid-Rite restaurant. The sandwiches were as good as ever, and as a bonus, the building also connected to a gift shop which sold a lot of Amish goods. In the background of this photo you can see an array of many Amish baskets for sale.

The other memorable scene we saw a little earlier in the day was on I-35, where we ran into some traffic congestion as the traffic merged from two southbound lanes to one. A truck pulling a horse trailer must have had some technical difficulties because some highway patrol persons were directing traffic to merge while the truck passengers tried to get the horses, which were in the ditch at this point, back in the trailer. I'm not sure what happened, but whatever caused those horses to get out of the trailer was probably making them think, "I'm not getting back in that thing!"

Project 365 Day 135: Second Time's a Charm

We have prepared our second attempt at growing tomatoes. As alluded to in an earlier post, we are trying this time using tomato plants that have already been grown past the delicate-and-easy-to-kill stage by the professionals at Earl May. The southern exposure next to our house should provide plenty of sunlight, and as long as we can keep them watered, we like our odds for getting at least one good tomato from the four plants!

Project 365 Day 134: Blooms

We moved in too late last summer to see these vibrant red blooms in front of our house, but we're happy we get to enjoy them this spring! Hopefully we can get some nice additions planted around the house this summer.

Project 365 Day 133: Fun on the Farm

We received our invitation to the annual Oline Family Reunion picnic today, a summer tradition like no other! Being able to attend is just one more benefit of living in Iowa again. Take the family picnic, add in the Iowa State Fair, and I ask, what more fun could one have in an Iowa summer?

Project 365 Day 132: Lock Up and Block Out

Today I reached a new milestone since we returned to Ames. I was invited to play in a pickup game of basketball at the Lied Rec Center on campus while we were there getting in some exercise. I've been working on my jump shot during most of our visits to the rec, and I was quickly reminded that shooting while running around and having someone defend you is quite a bit more challenging than shooting the ball while standing still all by yourself (which can be challenging enough). I played with four Chinese guys and a Latino, had a good time, got terribly winded, and left feeling motivated to build up my endurance. That would probably be a good thing for RAGBRAI preparations as well...

Oh, and the lock in the picture is what we use to secure our belongings while working out at the rec. There, I worked the picture in!

Project 365 Day 131: It Is Comforting

Some nights we're laying in bed, realizing that we haven't taken a picture for the blog yet, and we start looking around for something new and exciting and photographable without having to get up. And what could fit those criteria better than our new comforter! It is somewhat flowery, but I am confident enough in my masculinity to have no qualms about crawling under it. Especially when our house temperature is hovering around 60 degrees, thanks to the unseasonably cold weather we have had for a while now.

Project 365 Day 130: Could It Be!?

While trekking out to the mailbox in gale force wind and rain, I noticed a white utility truck and a crew of men in bright yellow jackets digging holes in the ground. I have also noticed recently the sudden appearance of little flags all over the yards on our block -- either the Lilliputians swept through in the night and planted them to lay claim to four square feet segments of sod, or else the buried cables and wires have been marked so someone would know what to avoid while digging.

The latter is probably more plausible, so let's suspend debate and just go with that. Could these men in yellow jackets possibly be working for Mediacom, finally laying the cable necessary for us to get true high-speed Internet!? We can only hope. It jives with the May-to-June schedule that Mediacom gave the city representatives. If they finish in May, I won't complain.

Now how do I go about bribing them to finish our side of the street first? Cookies from my mother-in-law? Nah, those are too tasty to give away. I can handle waiting an extra week or two if it means I get to keep my cookies.

Project 365 Day 129: Hawkeye Birthday Card

We made the Mother's Day rounds today, stopping in Independence first to take my parents out for lunch, and then Anamosa to do the same with Amy's parents for supper. As we were leaving Independence, my parents took the opportunity to send some more of my old belongings with me, though not nearly as much as we took when we visited for Easter! The spare bedroom must be getting close to empty...

This time, it was just a binder of some old high school papers and other items, and amongst them was one of my most prized possessions, pictured above. A birthday card from February 8th, 1989 that my dad took to Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, where he got all of the men's basketball players to sign it after a practice, including future Michael Jordan teammate and NBA champion B.J. Armstrong. Legendary coach Dr. Tom Davis also left his mark in the upper right. A priceless gift, and as I told Dad today, it's something that I have understood the value of more as I have aged from that nine-year-old version of me.

Project 365 Day 128: Office Decor

We stopped by Durham today on campus so Amy could bring in some of her reference books and a cross-stitch wall hanging. I see that there is still some empty space on the shelf, though. Maybe I'll see if she wants to borrow my miniature Star Wars Tie Fighter to fill the space!

Project 365 Day 127: Fairly Accurate

On my way to DC Wednesday, I saw this in one of the gift shops at the Des Moines airport and thought it would make a good gift for Amy upon my return. I would say it's fairly accurate, though Amy tells me the first phrase should be "Would you like to speak to the man who thinks he's in charge." I say they probably meant to, but it wouldn't fit as nicely on that half of the plaque. After all, they needed to get that big bottle of beer on there!

Project 365 Day 126: Series Preview

Tonight Mom and I went to the Performing Arts Series 2010/2011 preview at Iowa State Center. We like going to a show every season with my parents, and next year it will be Legally Blonde: The Musical. I also ordered tickets for seven other shows for Adam and me. This series has quite a bit of variety, so we'll be going to a couple musicals, a one-man show, several concerts, and ... DAVID SEDARIS! I'm pretty excited about that. I love reading personal essays, especially funny ones, and he's one of the best contemporary essayists out there. Any episode of This American Life that features David Sedaris is highly entertaining, so I'm really looking forward to listening to him reading at Stephens.

Project 365 Day 125: Pink!

Adam's in DC for a few days again, but this time Mom's visiting me! Here's a scarf she finished tonight for my niece Ashley. She will really be a rockin' California girl in this!

Project 365 Day 124: Travelling Light

A small carry-on, some shoes, and a backpack (not pictured) is about all I need for a few days in DC. Good thing too, given how much of a hassle it seems to be to fly with much luggage. The next challenge is to pull myself out of bed by 2:45am so I can catch the door-to-door shuttle at 3:30am. Amy and I are both glad this trip is a shorter one; I'll be back Friday night, just in time to see Iron Man 2!!!

Project 365 Day 123: Des Moines: French for "The Bridges?"

Man, Des Moines is going NUTS building all those arch bridges... oh wait, I guess that one is actually a rainbow over the city that we saw while on our way to pick up Amy's parents at the airport, who returned from their California trip. I still think Des Moines is going a little overboard with the bridges though.

Project 365 Day 122: First Lawnmow of the Year

Another exciting day in homeowner-ship, the first lawn mowing of the year. The sound of neighbors mowing their lawns was an alarm clock of sorts for me today. While our backyard grass doesn't quite look as uniform as some of the neighbors, at least it is now of an even height! I'm sure it will only take a few more fertilizer sessions with my dad's help and we'll have a yard worthy of a golf course fairway.

Project 365 Day 121: Tomatoes Part Two

I may or may not have set our first batch of tomato and pepper seedlings outside on the deck for too long last week, which may or may not have caused all but one of the seedlings to wilt and die, which may or may not be the reason we stopped at Earl May and got some new pots, cages, and most importantly, more mature tomato plants that are past the wilt-in-too-much-sun-and-wind stage. My lips are sealed.