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Myrtle Vacation

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Here we are on vacation in Myrtle again and just wanted to test out the updated Android app for my blog. Also will try to take some time to get this thing updated overall. Been really slacking lately!

Vacation and Bike Mods

As I mentioned in my last post I wanted to give an update on our vacation and some items I added to my bike.  This year we went to Myrtle Beach for our vacation again and it was as relaxing as ever.  We always go in between the two bike weeks to avoid all the people and the motorcycle traffic, which can be crazy. We do take our bikes with us to enjoy the seat time with the awesome weather and the Ram has turned out to be the perfect bike hauler (pictures included).  17mpg with the bikes and all of our gear is not bad at all and having the option of going for a ride while we are there is pretty cool, plus it only takes about 45 minutes to get them loaded and secured.

The week in between seems like its a recovery week for the locals and the whole area is really calm and relaxed.  We rent a house on the beach every year and it works out really well for us.  There is a private walkway from the house  to the beach (picture in previous post “Android app test”) and a pool right next to the house we usually try to rent.  The private walkway makes it really nice for the wife to walk right down the beach and get her sun on while I hang out on the deck and read.  This year we invited some friends to come down and hang out with us.  Joe and Mary are great people and just as laid back as we are so it ended up being a really good time with no hassles, just good times with good friends.  Once again the trip to Myrtle was well worth it.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the charging port I added to my bike.  I got it from Powerlet along with a cable to charge my phone.  It was really easy to install and works like a champ.  While on the trip to Myrtle I was able to mount my phone, connect it to the charger, and use the androids apps for navigation.  Using the phone navigation meant I was able to get rid of my garmin nav unit (you’re welcome Tammy!) and therefore have one less thing to carry with me when on the bike in a new place.  Even in the bright South Carolina sun I was able to see my phone screen and use the navigation and at one point I was even able to record a little video of our ride.  If I were dedicated enough to ride in the winter time the Powerlet outlet would even run a set of heated gloves.  Don’t really see that happening though.  Well that’s all for now, until next time…….

GYM UPDATE AND OTHER THINGS

Well I am happy to report I am still making myself go to the gym.  The gym time and a change in diet and eating habbits have resulted in a total of 35 pounds lost so far.  I had to buy a new scale and I have been weighing myself at the end of each month.  Kind of proud to me for sticking with it and the results.  It was something I really needed to do and I feel so much better.  I have also been able get my bench press up to 355 and incline dumbbell presses up to 120.  I even went to the gym when we went to Myrtle Beach for vacation.  The one thing I have not been able to change is my love of fast food cheeseburgers.  Its only once a week, but its not good.  Other than that though the program is moving right along.
I mentioned earlier the vacation, but I will post more on that next time.  I want to include some information about some stuff I did to my bike.  Until then…..

Ipad Test

This is a test of the Ipad bluetooth keyboard to see if i can post using this thing and how comfortable it is. The key board is not too bad, a little small for my tastes, but it will do in a pinch or when I do not want to carry my laptop. Not really digging the keys yet either, but that will may just take some getting used to. The keys are rubbery rather than snappy which is kind of odd. The lack of a shift key on the right side will take some getting used to also, really annoying at first though, but I guess if you want the convenience of having a keyboard with your Ipad then these are a couple of things you will have to deal with. You cannot get away from the cool factor though, first typing on my blog from my phone, and now being able to do it from my Ipad! Technology is a wonderful thing!
Well I saved this post as a draft to give the keyboard thing a while to sink in. I have decided I am nota big fan of the Bluetooth keyboard, but it is useful and convenient. Gonna post this one and next time I will have a gym update.

It’s a new year.

Going to try and keep this thing updated a little better than I have in the past.  One thing that should help with that is being able to post from my phone.  Right now I am waiting on the wife and I thought this would be a good time to write something.
So far this year I think I have started out on the right path to better health.  Been going to the gym on a regular basis and I have been eating a lot better.  Not going to attempt a weigh in yet, but soon I will have to as a sanity check.  I have been doing better in the gym as far as the amount lifted goes so I know I am progressing there.  I can definitely feel the aging process kicking in, recovery is not what it used to be and I have to take longer breaks between sets.  I even had to start taking supplements for my joints.  But I am glad I have kept up with it, and I think I am doing pretty good for someone getting ready to turn 40.  Well until next time…..

Half Bath Redo

I must admit, I have been somewhat delinquent in my postings so this is my attempt to get you guys up to date on one of the projects that we have completed since the last full post.  That project would be our half bath upgrade.  This bathroom has been a pain in the but for quite some time and I was more than happy to get it up to speed with the rest of the house.  We also had a realtor walk through and give us some insight on some things we should do to help the sale of the house once we get ready to sell.  Improving the look of that bathroom was one thing she said would definitely be worth the money. 

Unfortunately I do not have any before pictures, but there was wainscoting on the walls and a pedestal sink that was mounted to a 2X4 that was nailed to the wall.  I am really not a big fan of wainscoting and the pedestal sink install was done so poorly it just made the bathroom look terrible.  I think the pedestal sink was installed as a space saver and it would have been fine if the install had been handled a little better.  The wainscoting was installed to hid some wall defects and whoever installed it did a fine job, but like I said before, I am just not a fan. 

Removal of the wainscoting went ok except for the fact they had siliconed the top of it to the drywall.  I ended up tearing the top layer of the drywall during removal of the wainscoting which I thought would be an easy fix with a little spackle and some sand paper.  Boy was I wrong.  I tried to get it smooth 4 times and my lovely wife painted it 4 times, but once the paint dried the imperfections were still there.  So instead of going at for a 5th time, we decided to go with chair rail.  I did not think the chair rail would look all that great, but after seeing it installed I realized it added a nice touch to the bathroom.  Wainscoting down, fresh coat of paint and chair rail up, looking better already.

Removal of the pedestal sink showed me just how bad the install really was.  The sink bowl was attached to a 2X4 that was only attached to the wainscoting which equals no support.  The only support the bowl was getting was from the pedestal under the sink and the  drain line.  This is not the way the bowl should be supported and I am surprised we did not have problems with the sink prior to us taking it out.  With the removal of the sink we had to find a vanity that would fit in the same spot since I did not want another pedestal sink.  The space for the vanity was very shallow and we had to find one that would be less than 16 inches deep.  We got lucky and found one at Home Depot that was a perfect fit.  It was shallow enough to fit in the space and since it was a full vanity it gave us some under sink storage.  I was also able to find matching faucet, towel holder and toilet paper holder.  One really cool thing that I installed was a push button drain.  It cost a little more than your standard drain, but it is does give the sink a neat clean look.  I am really pleased with how this project turned out and here are the after pictures for your enjoyment….

Last day at the beach

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Here it is the last day of our beach vacation and I really do not want to leave. The rental of this beach house has been a really good idea and practically worry free. I will be sure to provide more details later, just wanted to test this posting from my phone thing again. So far its pretty cool. Not sure the pictures are posting right, but will keep playing with it.

Android app test

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This is a test of a cell phone app that will allow me to post from my cell phone. We are in Myrtle Beach on vacation so I thought I would try it out.

Been A Long Time

Well I have not posted anything up here in a while and I must admit it is not due to lack of current events, but more so due to laziness.  I must do better in the future as I am sure my millions of fans expect better.  That was a joke by the way. 

There are two or maybe even three things that have worked out pretty well so far.  The first one is the new exhaust for my bike.  I got it from Taylormade Racing ( http://www.racetaylormade.com/ ) and it is pretty awsome.  This is the before picture of my bike….

 

You can the see the two stock exhaust cans, which I always thought made the bike look heavy and slow.  I had been looking for something that would do away with the two cans, decrease the weight, and have a clean look to it.  Here is the after picture…

        

I think the Taylormade exhaust did everything I wanted it to, plus it sounds great.  I installed it my self which took about two hours and twenty or so bad words, but I am very happy with it and it actually looks a lot better than the stock ones did.  This thing took 20lbs off the bike and gives me about 10 more horsepower.  The only thing I need to do now is get the power commander for it, which will take care of the backfiring that I get sometimes.  Other than that this exhaust is great and I am so glad I installed it.

The other thing that I am going to talk about in this posting is my new blu-ray dvd player.  My lovely wife caved and let me order it and I am in movie heaven.  I purchased an OPPO digital BDP-83 Blu-ray DVD player and it is the greatest.  It is a universal player meaning it will play regular dvd’s, sacd’s, dvd audio, and blu-ray dvd’s all though a single HDMI cable.  I cannot take full advantage of this yet because my reciever is HDMI version 1.1 and the OPPO is version 1.3, but I will be upgrading soon.  I have been able to take advantage of the great picture this thing produces and I must say it is outstanding.  The picture from a blu-ray dvd is just incredible and I do not know how I survived on regular dvd’s for so long. 

I think I will end this post so I will have something to write about next time….plus my brain is tired!

Gotta Love Granite

The counter tops are in and I must say they look absolutely luscious.  The installers came on Tuesday and were done in about 3 hours.  There were some issues with the removal of the old stuff (new whole created in the wall), but I am so glad to see it go.  There was also an issue with one section that was not cut quite right.  The result was a gap in the tile over the sink that you will be able to see in one of the pictures.  There was a board under the section behind the sink that created a 1/2″ gap that was supposed to be covered by the backing if it had been cut to the correct height.  We decided to have the installers leave that section without caulking it in place so that we could take the board out and remove the gap (Saturday project, looks alot better now).  Other than that it looks great and we got an awesome deal.  The edging and the under mount sink was included which saved us a bunch.

With the installation done, the only thing I had to do to complete it was install the faucet and reconnect the plumbing.  We had just purchased a new faucet for the old sink and it works really well with this setup.  I had never installed a garbage disposal or kitchen sink drain, so this part took a little while.  It was not quite as bad as I thought it would be and after 4 or 5 trips to Home Depot the installation was complete.  Once again it helps to have the right tools for the job so I was allowed another purchase.  Had never heard of a basin wrench before, but it really made the faucet installation easier.  There is still some touch up work to finish (patch and paint holes, base board for sink cabinets), but the counter tops are in and we could not be happier with them.  The appliances will have to go and my lovely wife/project manager has me scheduled to tile the back splash (new tile saw?!) and install more lighting, but for now here are some pictures of what we got……