Nem W. Schlecht

So many cool things have happened lately, I should take note of them:

• Negotiated a great deal on the house – the owners came down more than I thought they would
• Won a $500 gift certificate to Hom Furniture (talk about luck & perfect timing!)
• Got a call from my mortgage banker letting me know he got me a great, low rate (BTW – the feds lowered the interest rate a half point after I talked to him – it might be even lower now, I’m meeting with him tomorrow to find out)
• My proposal for a North Dakota Governor’s School of Information Technology was accepted by NDGS Executive Board
• I was named the new coordinator for the NDGS-IT program (woot!)
• I was able to help a friend save hours of labor with a couple quick UNIX commands, thus furthering my alpha-geek status :)
• Got a call from my friend Chris Grant and had a good “catchup” chat
• Went to the Osgood Hornbacher’s and got some of the Sage Derby cheese I like
• When I came out of Hornbacher’s there was one of the largest, most perfect rainbows I’ve ever seen
• The weight loss trend has continued – I’m down almost 30 pounds since May. Bad thing about this is that I’m going to have to go buy new jeans
• Tons of friends have come out with offers of boxes, vehicles, and labor to help with the move
• Hopefully (not 100% yet) found a good home for my kitty
• Obama is way up in the polls

Much to be happy about!

Today I attempted to recover a dead hard drive using the new temperature chamber at work. I eventually lowered the temperature to -40C (which is also -40F). After letting the drive sit in the chamber during the cooling process, I also waited about 15 minutes at the peak low temperature. The chamber allows for cables to run into it through a port in the side (which is a big hole with basically a big plastic cork).

Unfortunately, I experienced no joy, as I was still unable to get my MacBook to transfer (or even mount) the drive. If you look closely at this image, you can see the drive through the window.

Here’s a photo of the setup, including my MacBook to the left, USB SATA interface (on the floor), and temperature chamber with the laptop HD sitting on a chunk of styrofoam.

This Friday for Mud, instead of the usual Labby’s/Turf mix, we went to the Dakota Horse park for several of the races. It was also “Dollar Day” with dollar beers (little 8oz Coors Light cans) and dollar dogs (which were actually pretty darn good). I only wagered on 2 races and lost both times. It was a lot of fun – we’ll have to do it again.

Robby graciously bought me a chain tool last Thursday and I finally ran over to his house tonight to pick it up (we unsuccessfully tried earlier in the week to find one at Scheel’s). Robby, Lily, and Fiona greeted me when I arrived. Lily at first didn’t recognize me, but that didn’t stop her from sitting on my feet while I bounced her in the air. Soon (actually, luckily – my legs were getting tired), it was time for bed for Lily. Unfortunately, she was out of toothpaste, which caused a few tears, but a few minutes later she happily appeared in a princess dress (she was supposed to have her PJ’s on, though).

After coming home, I was successful (after a couple attempts) in getting my chain properly assembled. Luckily, my chain came with the proper ‘pilot rivet’ (it holds the chain together as well as holding and guiding the rivet while its being inserted). Although I did partially break the pilot rivet (it still works), I did get the chain properly assembled.

Went to “Transformers” (again!) with Mark, Mazz, Dayna, Quinn & Cameron. The second time was just as good as the first and I was able to pick up a few more tidbits here and there. I can’t wait for it to come out on DVD!

This evening, Doug and Amanda had Mark and Keri (pictured), me, Mazz, Dayna, Quinn and his friend Cameron over for supper. Mark brought ribs and marinated steak, Doug made up chopped potatoes, and Amanda made up cheesy bread and tomatoes for fruchetta. The kids played lawn darts while the “adults” all chatted.

Supper tonight at Mazz & Dayna’s, along with friends Michael and Gary (both involved in theater and Trollwood). We had two different types of pork, sweet and mini potatoes, bread, salad, and grilled veggies. Desert was a shortcake with homemade whipped cream and fruit. We lounged around on the deck and chatted until it was time to go off to MSU for the fireworks show. Mazz, Dayna, Quinn and I were just a hair late, but we still had good seats for the show (which was awesome as usual).

My day started out at the Slator Clubhouse. We dug a big hole in the hopes of raising the front concrete steps. Unfortunately, our efforts were in vain, since they appear to be attached to the front of the house (which we managed to lift about a 1/4 inch!). We cleared out some of the refuse from the back, then proceeded to make our own little fireworks show with one of Dan’s super-magnifying lenses. We were unable to get a penny to melt, but we did burn up several items, including an old sock.

I had a few drinks with Mark last night at Woody’s, then we ate supper at the south Aladdin’s.

Lunch today with Nachos (Bennigan’s) featuring some awesome Guiness shrimp. We both ordered salads. We stopped by Scheel’s so I could pick up a chain tool for my bike, but they didn’t have any (and possible don’t sell any).

A frustrating day today with a minor bug in my MARC conversion code for Michele and then several hours trying to help a patron (whose problem mysteriously just disappeared).

A couple drinks at the Turf, then off to see “Transformers,” which receives a big thumbs-up from me. Saw Victoria & Mike (and Matt) at the theater as well.

Friday evening Mark dropped off Doug over at my place. We then picked up Keri, stopped in Dilworth for a quick supper (at Arby’s) and then drove to Mark’s house in Maple Grove. In preparation for the next day’s events; Mark, Doug, and I had a few beers and a couple sips of whiskey in his garage.

The next morning started off with me power washing the backyard shed while Doug fixed up the drywall in the garage. Mark went off to go buy supplies. When he returned, I started painting the shed while Mark’s brother (Matt) started staining the new baseboard trim for the master bedroom.

Around this time Mark’s mom (Melissa) showed up with lunch. An awesome chip dip, beer, brats, and potato salad. Very tasty.

Two coats later (including another trip to buy more paint), and the shed is looking pretty spiffy.

Doug & I installed an external floodlight (in between coats of paint on the shed) and then installed the trim in the bedroom. I had the fun task of using the air nailer, while Doug had the mundane task of measuring and cutting the trim. Mark, Keri, and Matt were painting the garage during this time. Unfortunately, the mudding Doug had done earlier wasn’t quite dry and there were some problems with tape coming off the wall.

The evening concluded with a couple more of Mark’s friends showing up (Joe & Thad) and grilled teriyaki skewers and veggies. We sat around chatting until Joe broke out some fireworks. Now, these weren’t you average, everyday fireworks. These were big suckers. Much fun was had by all (and by all I mean half of Maple Grove).

The next morning we cleaned up the garage, hauled up an old entertainment center from the basement (a long, hard, heavy task) and then took some pictures of the house.

Mark bought us all lunch (actually, he paid for everything I ate the entire weekend) at Chipotle’s. It’s kinda like Subway for burritos. They were very tasty – I’ll be happy when Fargo gets one.

Then it was a long drive home and a long afternoon of me forcing myself to not take a nap (otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight). I’m very tired and very sore, but I had a great time.

Lunch with Tim today at Perkin’s. As usual, I ordered (and ate) too much. We talked geek stuff and a good time was had by all.

Went to Mazz & Dayna’s house tonight (Dayna is off to Medora for an annual trip with Quinn and her friend Natalie). Mazz cooked up some steaks and potatoes and then we went to “Live Free or Die Hard”. Lots of action, computer jargon and even a little parkour. I had a great time.

Lunch at my Aunt & Uncle’s house – excellent food as usual. Got to see my cousin Cameo (whom I haven’t seen for years) along with her husband James and their six(?) kids. Kenyon and his wife Vonnie were there as well with their three kids. A great meal and great conversation.

On the drive back to Fargo, Dayna called and invited me over for supper along with Mazz, Quinn, and Stephen & Sarah. After the meal we played Croquet (which I won by sheer chance) and then a game of Apples to Apples, (which I lost horribly).

Tired from my long day, I’m curling up by the air conditioner, reading my book, and going to bed early.

After lunch with Nachos, I finally took my road bike into Island Park Cycles. My rear wheel needs trueing and I need my handlebar tape fixed up (I’m going to have it double-taped like my old bike). I also asked for a generic tune-up.

This evening I had dinner with Mazz & Mark (grilled steak, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob). Afterwards (Dayna finally arrived) we chatted and I did a little quick work on their sump pump outlet tube.

I was supposed to go to bed early tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s Sun Solaris training, but that hasn’t happened.

Lunch with Nachos at Juanos. We both enjoyed the taco buffet – good stuff.

Dayna had some flooding in the house-o-problems. Much of the carpet in the basement had to be torn out. Mazz is trying to cool off while Dayna cooks up dinner.

We had a grilled pork roast, beans, and couscous with cranberries. Afterwards we walked over to an ice cream shop where Dayna and I split a scoop of coconut ice cream. All of it was yummy.