A Boy and His Dog

Quick update

2009-06-14T17:48:00.004-04:00

Not a shred left...

2009-06-07T12:02:00.002-04:00

As you know, I am a huge fan of motor sports be it NASCAR, Formula 1, IRL, Grand-Am or even lawnmower racing (yes, there is such a thing). If it has an internal combustion engine and at least two people are competing, I am a fan. I am amazed at the skills the teams and drivers have to push those vehicles to their limits and their own skills to the ragged edge.
Except for one driver. Kyle Busch.
I feel like he is a snotty nose brat who pouts when he doesn't win. And when he does win, he rubs it in your face. You know... a JERK!!
I didn't think I had any respect left for the guy, but given what he did last night after winning the race in Nashville I have not a shred of respect left for him.
When he got out of his car in victory circle they handed him the trophy, a Gibson guitar hand painted by Sam Bass. What a fantastic trophy and I bet there are hundreds of drivers all over the country who would LOVE to win that prize.
Kyle Busch smashed it on the ground.
Not once. Three times. Then threw it aside like it was nothing.
His reasoning??? Because rock stars do it after their performance.
I'm sorry, Kyle Busch, you are not a rock star. You are a race car driver. Maybe it's time you take a lesson from some true racing legends like Mark Martin, John Force and Benny Parsons. These men accepted both winning and losing with respect for the sport, fans and fellow drivers. And you should too.
When was the last time you saw a hockey play throw the Stanley Cup on the ice?
Idiot...

Strange day...

2009-06-06T13:42:00.003-04:00

What a whacky weekend. Started off Friday with my kidney stones kicking my ass and putting on the sofa all afternoon and evening. Emily came over and made me some mac and cheese which is my favorite "I'm sick" food. Other than that I don't remember much because of the AWESOME pain killers my doctor has me on. Woohoo!!
Then today I wake up feeling fine!! I'm not complaining but what's up with that? I guess those stones have a mind of their own. So I thought I would cut the lawn this morning but it started raining about 8am and it hasn't let up.
I was forced to work on the kayak instead. Oh well!!!
I got the entire hull planed out and assembled. There are about 300 copper wire stiches holding it together. Which means I drilled about 600 1/16" holes to put them in.

This is the bow. It was rather difficult to fit together and get the wire installed. Lots of cutting and adjusting on the small tip ends of the plywood.

And this is a shot from the stern. It was kind of a bitch too but I got it worked out.
Next step, fiberglassing...

Finally started putting it together...

2009-06-02T19:57:00.002-04:00

Hull lay up.

Kinda looks like a mini canoe...

Peace and quiet...

2009-05-29T11:59:00.006-04:00

I got up early and took the kayak out for a short trip on the Rainbow River this morning.

I love living in Florida...

Baseball feaver...

2009-05-05T13:18:00.001-04:00

Catch it...

Class is in session...

2009-05-03T16:38:00.006-04:00

I finally have all those "busy work" projects and I can get back to my kayak building. Today I was able to begin turning 8 foot long pieces of mahogany into 16 foot long pieces. I got the scarf cuts ready to join together and I have glued the first three "planks". I have 6 more to make but I only feel comfortable laying up three at a time. The one picture is an example of completed scarf cuts from my first kayak project. The process is the same no mater what so I'm borrowing an old picture. The other is the the long pieces glued and clamped.
Move over...

WTF?!?...

2009-04-29T22:09:00.003-04:00

Only the Washington Nationals have worse game winning average than my Rays. I don't know what to think about this mess. Evan Longoria is leading the league in slugging and Carlos Pena is tops in OB percentage.
Where oh where is the defense?...

What's the deal...

2009-04-29T18:19:00.001-04:00

I've lost another friend. Second one this year.
The funeral is tomorrow and it's not going to be an easy one to sit through.
Godspeed, Bob Young.
You will be missed...

I'm outta here...

2009-04-19T14:52:00.002-04:00

I leave Ocala at the crack of dawn headed for Indianapolis where I will be for a full week. It's always a good experience at Indy, especially when I can break away for a few minutes and get over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, It's too early in the year for any on-track activities, but they have the best museum with fantastic racing cars.
Charlie will be staying home this year for the first time. Usually he has to stay at the kennel but this time Emily and Kristin will be dog sitting for the week. How can that be bad? Hanging with 2 hot babes for a week of dog biscuits and laying by the pool!!
Charlie is psyched...

2-3 Rays lose...

2009-04-16T22:36:00.002-04:00

Ok... I realize it's early in the season. And I also realize that the Rays can't win every game. But how can it be that the runner-up to the 2008 World Championship can be next to last in their division? Behind the Blue Jays???
Tonight they left the winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth.
WTF...

Happy Easter...

2009-04-12T19:25:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful Easter I've had.
It started off with a beautiful church service at 7:30am. Ash Wednesday through Easter is a wonderful religious season that I have fully enjoyed this year. For Lent I gave up beer. Yup, you heard right. Beer as well as all adult beverages. Didn't really miss it.
Then I was blessed to spend almost the entire day with the lovely Emily... we went to Sonic for a decadent treat of Chili dogs and Corn dogs. You'd have to know us to fully understand why that was so special. After that we took Charlies Jeep for a nice drive with the top down (the jeeps top, not Emilys) through the local area where you will find the most amazing horse farms. We came back to my house to watch the final few innings the Tampa Bay Rays game where they thoroughly trounced the Baltimore Orioles. (WOOHOO!!!). What a great way to start off the next week.
And to all a good night...

It must just be me...

2009-04-03T10:21:00.002-04:00

I don't know about everyone else, but I am sick and tired of listening to the news people spread their doom and gloom, all the while giggling like a child. No one is happier than the media when business, people and life in general go in the tank.
It reminds me of that old Don Henley song called Dirty Laundry.
I guess art imitates life.
How about open season on the media...

Return of the Jedi...

2009-03-28T09:45:00.007-04:00

The Force is strong. The Force, that is, that moves me to work on my kayak. Last night I started laying out and cutting the hull forms and managed to get them 80% completed. It's the first time that I've built anything using full sized drawings. On the last Kayak I had to "loft" the plans onto the wood, which is a boat building term for transferring the pattern from a scale paper drawing to full size drawings on the final medium. It was less time consuming and I'm sure the accuracy will be somewhat better. Anyway, I'm off to a Home Depot where I have finally found a suitable mahogany.

But it looks like rain today...

Addendum - 3/28/09: Working today has revealed that the full size plans SUCK!! They are hard to work with and are susceptible to tearing. CLC needs to fix this...

At last...

2009-03-25T21:19:00.002-04:00

Tonight I started my latest kayak project... at last!!
All I really got done was to construct my build table, that is, a work bench 16' long by 2' wide on which I assemble the kayak. I learned a lot the from the last (and first) kayak project and one of those things is that the build table must be lightweight and easy to move plus it has to be quickly knocked down flat if needed.
Anyway, this weekend I should get started on building the hull frames, which is an entirely different method than I used before. The construction is still "stitch and glue" but the unique design of the hull makes it impossible to assemble on a flat surface like the Mill Creek I built last time. The hull frames help suspend the hull over the build table while it's assembled. Next time I work on this I'll post up a photo of the table. It's extremely simple and easy to move around the shop.
Glad to finally be started...

Bi-polar thoughts...

2009-03-22T18:32:00.002-04:00

I love spring. I hate spring.
Love:

warm weather
baseball
driving Charlies jeep with the top down
sundown after 8pm

Hate:

yard work

That's all I have to say about that...

Where the heck have I been...

2009-03-19T18:41:00.002-04:00

Seems like weeks fly by and I'm rarely around this blog. I guess there are so many other things getting in the way that it's all a matter of priority.
My parents are finally feeling better after weeks of one bug after the other, I've started to get caught up on some work projects that have been nagging at me, and I'm home from yet another business trip.
The worst part about it is that my kayak is still not started. Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either.
There is some good news on the horizon...

Baseball season starts in just a few days. "GO TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!! I guess I better get my cowbells ready.
Tomorrow is the first day of spring.
Emily still likes me (unbelievable as that may sound!)
My swimming pool temperature has finally broken 80°

Of course the order of importance of this list is at my discretion as I change my mind on a whim.
Anyway, things are good. I have a job, I have a girl, and the Good Lord sees fit to keep it that way.
Charlie's happy too...

The fever builds...

2009-02-22T15:01:00.001-05:00

It's amazing what happens to me when I get excited about a new project. The new kayak is going to keep me pumped for weeks.
I think I hear some tools calling my name...

I have a fever, and the only cure is cowbells...

2009-02-18T17:55:00.004-05:00

Call me crazy. This weekend I am starting another kayak. This time a new style, affectionately called a "sit-on-top" but still made of wood. Going to try to make this one out of Oak and Mahogany, hopfully with some inlay or some type of decorative woodwork. Here are some pics of what it's supposed to look like.

Wish me luck...

Finally...

2009-02-07T23:47:00.002-05:00

Thank the good lord that NASCAR is back. Tonight I watched the Budweiser Shootout, affectionately called the "Bud Shoot-off" by my good friend Stephanie, and it was one hell of a race. This week is all about racing at Daytona Beach and I certainly hope I can find my way over there at least one day, hopefully Thursday, to enjoy one of the most exciting spectator sports of the day.
Charlie is a big Earnhardt Jr. fan. Apparently there is no accounting for his taste. But then again, he eats his dinner out of a big green bag.
Go Scott Speed...

A day to forget...

2009-01-23T18:36:00.003-05:00

This morning when I woke up and checked my email I found that I lost two friends this week.
First, my dog Sunny finally went to be with Kasey. She was living with my ex-wife since our divorce and was very happy there. Unfortunately, Sunny just couldn't do it any more and after 13 years she is gone. I guess she is somewhere with Kasey chasing birds and rabbits without the aches and pains they both endured before they left us. I hope there is a heaven for good dogs where the puppy chow is fresh and the drinking water is always pure.
Secondly, my old friend Les Strauch was killed in an auto accident yesterday. Apparently he couldn't stop on an icy road and slid into a moving train. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He leaves a lovely wife and two teenage children. I'll miss him.
RIP Sunny and Les...

a

2009-01-23T18:36:00.000-05:00

It's always someone else's fault...

2009-01-14T22:43:00.001-05:00

There is a show on TV called Parking Wars. Seen it?
People who have like a go-zillion parking tickets get their car towed and complain that they are the victim. What???
Pay your frakkin' tickets and shut the hell up!!
Ok, I'm better now...

OK, so I did have some fun...

2009-01-06T18:57:00.004-05:00

I blew off a little frustration in my last entry about being bored but there were a couple of highlights beyond the normal holiday and family stuff.
We spent New Years at Busch Gardens celebrating Kristins birthday and I actually remembered to bring my camera this time!! We had a blast cruising the park and hitting the coasters but I must say that I enjoy SeaWorld much more because of the sea critters. Anyway, I've put a couple of pictures on this post. There's one of Emily, Chris, Amber and Kristin and another of me and Kristin.

Secondly, my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers beat those pussies from Clemson in the Gator Bowl. I would have love to be at that game since it was only 90 miles from home but I made a commitment to Kristin to spent the day at Busch Gardens for her birthday. Keeping my commitments is very important for me.
I guess it wasn't such a boring week after all...

OK... I'm already bored...

2008-12-27T10:45:00.003-05:00

The Christmas holiday and following New Years holiday are parked closely to a couple of weekends this year which tempted me to take some vacation to stretch out some "off work" days. I fell into this trap and now I am beginning to feel the boredom set in. I'm off for 12 consecutive days.
I have enjoyed Christmas with my family so far, but the niece and nephew want to spend time with their grandparents and the new Nintendo DS games and my brother is pounding away at his laptop working on a big contract he has to complete. Charlie and I are just hanging out with nothing much to do.
I suppose when you are single and don't have those family obligations there's a lot more free time. While some would envy me, let me tell you... I wish I had something to do. All my favorite Charity groups are all shut down for the holiday and many of my friends are traveling or spending time with their family from far away, so I guess there's not much choice.
Maybe it's a good time to straighten up the shop and get started on a project...