Another week done

This was a long week. Twice it took me more than an hour to drive home on snow and icy roads. Like lots of other people I'm sure.  Tonight I got home to 10inches in the driveway. waiting for me to move.
It took an hour. Like usual. though my back has been very sore for the last couple of days. And that didn't make it any easier.
But its done and look what I founf in the fridge.

Makin' Music

On Friday morning I disappeared deep into the winter Maine woods.  The black cast iron woodstove was cranking out warm dry heat when I arrived at 10.  The band members had been there a day earlier, setting up the makeshift studio. A studio we would not leave from for three days.  

 The computer program and motu were running properly.  The song list was laid out, all the practicing, practiced.  The goal was simple.  Lay down clean tracks for eight songs.

Once I was settled in and gone through an orientation period with the recording program we were ready to go. But first, WHISKEY SHOTS!  rock-n-roll, right?

 So began my three days in a dark room, listening to music with headphones as sound engineer of North Bridge. 

Mt kineo

I had an oil spill response job to do in rockwood last week. This pic is of m

Mt. Kineo. The frozen lake I am standing on is Moosehead.

  The geology of Kineo is pretty interesting.  The rocks are officially named the Devonian Tomhegan Formation Kineo Rhyolite member garnet rhyolite.

Native Americans in the area would use these rocks for spear point, cutting tools etc.  The Kineo rhyolite, a flint like blue-gray rock with small quartz crystals that could be shaped into spear points, knives, axes, and other tools.  Artifacts made of Kineo rhyolite have been founding hundreds of locations in Maine and at sites as far a field as Martha’s Vineyard and Nova Scotia. -referemce: some website

According to the usgs .

Consists of blue-gray, bone-white-weathering, massive, conchoidally fracturing felsite with quartz and feldspar phenocrysts; blue-gray, greenish-white-weathering, irregularly fracturing felsite with garnet and white feldspar phenocrysts; dark-blue-gray, greenish-white to light-gray-weathering tuff; blue-gray, chalky-white-weathering tuff containing felsite and pumice fragments and fine-grained volcanic debris (devitrified shards); rhyolitic felsite pebble conglomerate; and flow breccia resembling the felsite but containing numerous irregular felsite fragments in a matrix of same material. Thickness ranges from 0 to 4,000 ft. Underlies main part of Tomhegan formation; overlies Tarratine formation. Report includes geologic map and correlation chart. (ME003) Revised to include rocks previously mapped as both Heald Mountain Rhyolite and Kineo Volcanic Member of Boucot and Heath (1969). Exposed in Long Pond and Pierce Pond 15-min quads. Consists of weakly metamorphosed rhyolite ash-flow tuff, flows, domes, volcanic breccia, grit, and conglomerate as well as associated hypabyssal, garnet-bearing felsic intrusive rocks. Separately mapped intrusive garnet rhyolite in Tomhegan Formation, previously mapped as both unnamed garnet rhyolite and garnet rhyolite of the Kineo Volcanic Member by Boucot and Heath (1969), is now considered to be equivalent to Kineo. 

Maybe next time im up there Ill actually stop to look at the rocks. I totally didnt this time. Oh well, whatever. Next time.

Watson: My Dog

Mid-week I happened to on my way home from a petroleum cleanup site in Houlton when she called me.  Wife found a small private farm advertising the 5 week old Aussie Pups the Uncle Henrys.  I was right near by and planned to meet her at the farm.  While standing among two litters of baby Aussies one of them walk up behind us, tap me on the foot, and sat down at heel position.  As if to say, 'Hey, Pick Me."  

 After waiting a few weeks for him to grow to 8 weeks by the 10th week we had started a puppy obedience training class.  This went very well, thou the memorable moment was when we learned that he could be submissive and peed on the floor from fear of the training woman once.  But from that we learned how to use the clicker training technique and his behavioral keys to understand how to maximize his potential.

Shortly afterward Wife took Watson for agility training classes.  This mostly served to reinforce voice commands.  When he was 3 and 4 years old Wife also found a woman in Stonington who had sheep and did herding instruction.  That was expensive but worth it for the few extra voice commands he learned, such as 'out' 'in' and the hand commands to wave him left or right.  

An incredibly loving dog Watson would lick the wax out of your ear then move over to your mouth if you'd let him.  More than once he basically 'french kissed' me. So gross.  Snuggling in bed was an exceptional skill.

Every day, rain or shine, 365 days a year he demanded high energy play.   And we gave it to him just about as much as he needed and we could handle.   During winter Wife and I would often switch half way through a session so that the other could warm up by the fire inside.  Frisbee was his athletically preferred sport, following a close second with chasing an 10" rubber ball (Jolly Ball).

In short he was the best dog ever.

But it only  took three weeks.  He had developed a cough.   We took him to the vet and found that his lympnodes were swollen but it might me a result of kennel cough. He was given some meds, that by Wednesday we knew were not working.  Watson stopped eating. And running much.  And was now sleeping out side for the whole night, alone.  

I went back to the vet with W ('W' pronounced Dubya, short for Watson) and I was told that he had lymphoma. Cancer of the lymph system.  This was not good.  We got a referral to a vet in Portland and got the next available visit.  

 Tuesday 9:30.  When I got in with the vet tech and started to give her some background on W, I totally started crying. BooHoo-n' even.  I knew by now. I had a whole day to google the shit out of the topic.  And by this morning his eye had tinted yellow. A sign of jaundice and an indication of  cancer migration  into his liver.  The Portland vet said he was to Stage IV probably even V by this point. That indicated to me how aggressive the disease was.  We, of course, talked about the chemo treatments but it just does not make sense to spend that kind of money (5-grand) only to extend our own emotional and physical agony.  And he may only live for 6 months.  No.  That is not good for us or him.

I texted Wife, she was at work: 

'Can you come home?'

'Why?'

 'To say goodbye'.

I had scheduled for the vet to lay Watson down that afternoon.  I had too, it was the only way.  We went in at 1:50pm.  

Holding Watson as he died,  hearing and watching as he exhaled his last two spastic breaths was without a doubt the saddest day of my life and I feel a profound deep sadness for him.

We decided to have him cremated.  The place that conducted it did an excellent job, and even included some clipping of his fur and a little certificate with his paw stamp. 

I will miss Watson forever.

We got Watson, a Red Merle colored, Australian Shepard, in Old Town, Maine in May 2003.  

He died of lymphoma on  November 9, 2010.

Crazy, crazy world

The other night I was 'surfing' the web via Stumble Upon.  I came across a screen cap of some girl/womans facebook postings.  I read the first section and immediately recognized this as internet gold. So I turned the camera on myself and read aloud, word for word, as best as possible, each and every segment.   People of the internet....I bring you, New Englander reading a Eubonic Rant.

Note: lots of foul language.

Paris

This past summer on our return trip from Hungary we stopped in Paris, France for a couple of nights.  In less than 72 hours we visited a good chunk of the major attractions.  Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe  and the Louvre.  LilGuns did really well in that very large city.  We managed to keep him under control and occupied even with the high temperatures of 30 Celsius.  One night Wife and her mom we out and took some pictures of the tower all light up. It is quite a sight. 

That's about all I have time for.

Graffiti: Its Art.

This morning I walked past the Asylum in Portland and saw that the graffiti art was changed recently on the rear wall. This is a great example of graffiti art. It is uniform in its theme, mood and color. Stephen King should be proud of this one. A nice portriat of him, the clown of It, the cat of Pet Cemetary and a bloody Carrie are all represented. I couldn't get Carrie in the shot, no light.

Have a nice day.

Usless Commuting Statistics and a Friendly Challenge

Commuted into work by bike today. The typical route from Yarmouth to Portland via Middle Road. The weather was perfect and I felt good.  

My statistics in this morning were: 

• 14.14 miles
• 0:46:12 (hr:min:sec)
• 18.3 mph average speed.

The whole trip right through the stats are the usual. Today however there was a plot twist during this otherwise normal bike commute.  

I was just starting off from a traffic light (yes Ma, I stop at traffic lights) in the last 0.3 mile or so on Preble Street, when a guy on a white single speed in road racing style clothes buzzed past me.  I immediately stood, pumped to get up to speed and shouted 'CHALLENGE'.  He was staying just ahead of me as we were traveling at 27 mph on flat road.  Too high of a speed for me to sprint and overtake him. 

Then for the first time I really understood and felt how & why being behind a leader gives you the tactical advantage.  I could see he was on a single speed bike. I could see his pedal strokes and that he was working hard to stay ahead. I could see him looking back to check form.  I also knew that the road was about to pitch up and he would surely loose some momentum and slow.  

He did, and by the time we hit the next traffic light, I had him.  

Before the light turned and we went our separate ways I said something like 'Have a nice day or that was fun.'   Whatever I said it started off the day with a great little friendly sprint challenge.

Thanks to the dude on the white single speed with the flavor-saver goatee.

F. Moser buildup continued.

The previous posts to this story are HERE and HERE. 
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Today I had my 3oclock appointment at Port City Bikes  (FB) with Peter and Percy to start the build up of my Moser Leader AX.  I had learned that the frame has taken a special spot on the wall for protection and perhaps admiration.  Regardless today it came down and Percy and I added parts while Peter order some additional items for it.  

Added today were: 

•  2007 Campagnolo Record bottom bracket. 
• 07' Campy Record crank. 53-39 with 11-23 in the rear.
• 07' Campy Record rear deraileur
• 07' Campy Chorus breaks
• 07' Campy Record hubs were placed into the dropouts. The rims are due to arrive.
• 10' Ritchey WCS seat post

It was a great experience again building up a bike from the frame. I had done it as a kid to get my 1986 RL Osborn General Pro, which I still have in my shed, 24 year later. I'm thinking the Moser will be around that long too and spending the money to build is will be worth it.

And hanging out in the shop cleaning parts and shootin' the shit about bikes, movies and with customers was pretty relaxing and a great way to skip work for two hours.  I am really looking forward now to seeing the remainder of the parts to come in.