Summer 2010

Thursday, 8-26-10 at 23:52 MDT

I am slowly updating my log books. I will post them sometime soon, as well as start a new journal for Fall 2010. Ugh, I can’t believe it’s already Fall of 2010.
WX Report: 69.6°F, 43% humidity, clear.
NWS Forecast: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower to mid 50s.

Wednesday, 8-25-10 at 23:30 MDT

By the time you have read this, I will have (hopefully) posted photos from Epic Road Trip 2010.
Please be thinking about my old college friend, Ryan and his family. His 2 year old daughter was just diagnosed with leukemia. Rough times for those folks.
WX Report: 72.1°F, 51% humidity, clear.
NWS Forecast: Mostly clear. Lows in the 50s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening.

Monday, 8-23-10 at 23:49 MDT

Lester is rawring today, mostly cause I decided the chair belonged to me, and not him.
Today, I set up an amateur radio station to hopefully recruit a few new students. We managed to get two signatures and one QSO, which is a little disappointing.
WX Report: 75.9°F, 62% humidity, mostly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Numerous showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s to lower 70s. North winds 10 to 15 mph after midnight.

Sunday, 8-22-10 at 22:00 MDT

I had a nice visit with the family yesterday!!!
Today, I helped shuttle folks over to the VLA for a tour. It was raining hard, and none of us could see the array. All three vans missed the turn and had to turn around.
WX Report: 77.9°F, 62% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

Thursday, 8-19-10 at 10:42 MDT

Happy birthday, Courtney!
I hope to have a massive update tomorrow. I have only one more set of photos to process and the page for Epic Road Trip 2010 will be complete!
WX Report: 78.1°F, 65% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower to mid 90s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday, 8-18-10 at 23:48 MDT

I should really focus on getting sleep. Without the family here, I end up staying up too late and getting up too early. I crashed pretty hard at 3:30am yesterday and when my alarm went off at 5:45am, I felt like garbage and slept in until 9:30.
I brought the dog in tonight as I saw TWO skunks on my street. Now, a cat would stay away from a skunk. Dog-Dog would likely bark at them until they sprayed him. Anyway, he’s real happy to run around the kitchen. Wilhelmina, on the other hand, could not be angrier.
WX Report: 76.3°F, 55% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy. Scattered showers and thunderstorms in the evening…then isolated showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 60s to lower 70s.

Tuesday, 8-17-10 at 23:52 MDT

The middle finger on my right hand is injured somehow. It aches a little bit, but when I touch the inside of my hand at where the finger connects to my hand, it hurts bad. There’s also a strange lump, the size of a BB- too hard to be a fluid build up. I can bend my finger, though it is a little stiff. It’s really strange.
I went out to the range today with my .22 pistol, .22 rifle and 12 gauge, lots of fun! .22s and 12 gauge are about all I can afford to shoot right now…
WX Report: 71.8°F, 60% humidity, some haze.
NWS Forecast: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Monday, 8-16-10 at 23:02 MDT

Today, my family has moved away 😦
I have made a separate blog (man, I hate that word!) for my gardening stuff. Check out Gardening in Socorro, NM for more information.
WX Report: 71.4°F, 66% humidity, clear.
NWS Forecast: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind around 5 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday, 8-12-10 at 23:58 MDT

I’m still waiting on my computer, or at least the data from the hard drive. I should get it tomorrow and can update all of the things that desperately need updating…
WX Report: 75.4°F, 57% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Wednesday, 8-11-10 at 23:13 MDT

The laptop is at the shop. I’m 90% sure the video card integral to the motherboard is fried.
WX Report: 80.4°F, 50% humidity, mostly clear.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday, 8-10-10 at 22:16 MDT

There are other posts between this one and 7-29-10, but they are trapped on a dying laptop. I’ll have to retrieve as much data as I can from that computer when I can.
Today, I picked three more zucchinis. I am going to start a garden photo gallery one of these days.
WX Report: 76.8°F, 52% humidity, mostly clear.
NWS Forecast: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Sunday, 8-8-10 at 16:11 MDT

I skipped the meeting I meant to go to this afternoon. It was in Albuquerque, and I was running late, so I didn’t go.
I picked another handful of green beans, 2 zucchinis, and two handfuls of broccoli, including a few very large heads, larger than we’ve had so far. Most of the broccoli we’ve grown was not big enough to need cutting up, but could be used in stir fries as found.
Time for a monthly update:
Books read: 1; Ben and Me by someone. I read it to Joey over the last few months.
Books of the Bible Read: 1; John
Periodicals Read: 5
HF Contacts made: 29
Monthly average: 56.9%
Miles Biked: 6.123
Farthest Distance Traveled: Las Vegas, NV
Biggest Accomplishment: None of importance this month

Wednesday, 8-4-10 at 0:11 CDT

I am having fun at NI Week in Austin, TX. So far, I’ve attended all but one session I wanted to attend. The room was overcrowded in one session, so I skipped that talk.
On the drive out to Austin, I picked up a few new counties. I hope to work a few more over the next few days.

Thursday, 7-29-10 at 10:07 MDT

Congratulations to my cousin, David, and his wife, Emily, on the birth of their first child, a healthy baby girl!
I picked a handful of green beans and a handful of broccoli. So far this year, I’ve picked 9 zucchini, 1 squash, 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, 5 handfuls of broccoli, 5 handfuls of beans, 1 beet, and tons of spinach and broccoli leaves. I need a better measuring system than a ‘handful.’
WX Report: 75.2°F, 64.2% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. South wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday, 7-28-10 at 23:33 MDT

I have been having strange dreams lately. I dreamed I was on a street, perhaps waiting for a bus, wearing shorts. I had a cut on each knee, and in each cut were three cockroaches. I was grossed out all morning, and couldn’t eat breakfast.
Unrelated- my knee is feeling better, despite my strange dreams. My leg muscles are sore from walking with a limp to keep my knee from bending, but other than that, I am doing better, at least yesterday and today.
WX Report: 73.6°F, 55% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Sunday, 7-25-10 at 23:55 MDT

Another late night post by me! I will make some major updates this week, including photos from our epic east coast road trip and our storm chase.
My left knee started hurting Friday night and has gotten worse throughout the weekend. Today, I’m almost totally immobilized. I’m not sure what is going on yet.
WX Report: 69.1°F, 61% humidity, 0.9 in of rain yesterday, and it’s been cloudy and drizzling all day today.
NWS Forecast: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday, 7-23-10 at 23:55 MDT

I have updated my Socorro logs and will be uploading photos from our epic road trip soon. I’m slowly catching up on my webpage stuff.
WX Report: 66.4°F, 100% humidity, raining hard. I emptied 0.1 in from the gauge earlier, and there will be much more throughout the night.
NWS Forecast: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday, 7-22-10 at 22:04 MDT

I was quite disappointed to learn that the BNSF caboose in Socorro was burned by vandals. I was bummed out for quite some time. I hope they catch those little twerps and beat them most of the way to death.
WX Report: Not sure, but we did get 0.2 in rain.
NWS Forecast: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday, 7-20-10 at 16:11 MDT

I have finally finished updating my QSO logs.
WX Report: 91.2°F, 56% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. South wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday, 7-19-10 at ?:?? MDT

I updated MD, WV and PA QSOs today. I’ll update IL, IN, and OK soon.
Yesterday, we took a trip up to Albuquerque to visit some family and acquire a fancy new washer! Thank you!
WX Report: 90.7°F, 54% humidity, mostly sunny, some cumulus all around.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

Sunday, 7-18-10 at 14:27 MDT

I added TN and VA QSOs. More to come.
WX Report: 90.1°F, 59% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 96 to 101.

Sabbath, 7-17-10 at 16:09 MDT

I have added a few photos from a quick detour at Las Vegas, NM to the Industrial Archeology Page. In Las Vegas, NM, we were able to photograph the old roundhouse, train station and Harvey House.
WX Report: 87.1°F, 55% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s to lower 70s. South winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening.

Friday, 7-16-10 at 14:35 MDT

Since returning from our travels, we have pulled six large zucchinis, a bowl of broccoli and a bowl of green beans. There are more beans, zucchini and squash on the way.
WX Report: 77.0°F, 61% humidity, overcast. We got 0.25in of rain last night, and enough wind to blow over some trees on campus.
NWS Forecast: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy and hot, with a high near 97. South wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday, 7-14-10 at 21:33 MDT

I’m slowly catching up on everything that needed to be done since I left for travel. I have a meeting at EMRTC tomorrow, started working on lesson plans for the fall semester, and am starting to catch up on all of my radio logs.
WX Report: 79.6°F, 53% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the 60s to lower 70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening.

Tuesday, 7-13-10 at 9:39 MDT

NWS Forecast: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Time for a monthly update:
Books read: 0 finished
Books of the Bible Read: 1; Luke
Periodicals Read: 3
HF Contacts made: 372
Monthly average: 49.7%
Miles Biked: 6.293
Farthest Distance Traveled: Rehoboth Beach, DE
Biggest Accomplishment: Starting a soy-free and milk-free diet

Monday, 7-12-10 at 23:54 MDT

We have arrived safe and sound in Socorro. Now it’s time to get back to the daily grind…once we figure out what that is.
WX Report: 75.4°F, 42% humidity, partly cloudy.
NWS Forecast: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Sunday, 7-11-10 at 10:46 PDT

Yesterday, we walked across the Hoover Dam. I also forgot to mention we got to see the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The exhibit featured a number of items recovered from the debris field around the titanic, including a 15 ton section of the hull. It was really neat. They give you a boarding pass for one passenger, and at the end, you look to see if they survived. Everyone else’s did, but mine didn’t.

Thursday, 7-8-10 at ?:?? PDT

Today has been a long day so far, and I still have more work to do. Last night was lots of fun though, as we walked around 5 miles in Las Vegas.

Wednesday, 7-7-10 at 9:19 PDT

The Hoover Dam talk was really neat, as the speaker spent a bunch of time talking about the men behind the dam- the designers, the workers, etc. It was a neat perspective.
I added photos of a brief stop in Fort Morgan, CO that we made on May 30. Of interest was an old power plant that was not being used as a utility building of some sort.

Tuesday, 7-6-10 at 9:13 PDT

I will attend a talk today at the Objectivist Conference where the speaker will discuss the Hoover Dam. I’m looking forward to it.
It’s been really hot the last few days. July is not the time to visit Vegas, that’s for sure.
I will add photos of some more SIA related stuff sometime this week. I’ll also (hopefully) add a page for Storm Chase 2010 this week.

Sunday, 7-4-10 at 15:23 PDT

We have returned from the pool and are getting ready for dinner.
I added photos for the Society for Industrial Archeology Spring Conference 2010.

Sunday, 7-4-10 at 13:19 PDT

Happy Independence Day!!
Another hot day in Vegas. It’s approximately 1,000 degrees, no wind, and sunny. I’m headed towards the pool.
I am working on what to do next- we have several days here in Vegas, but if you don’t gamble, and you don’t drink, and you’ve ran all the counties in NV…. we might venture over to CA or UT for an afternoon. It is really neat to see Vegas lit up at night, and I’ve enjoyed walking around and taking in the sites.

Friday, 7-2-10 at 19:05 MDT

We are en route to Las Vegas, NV. We packed the cooler full of meat and ice, which is awesome.
XM radio is neat. I’ve been listening to the station called Lithium, which was all songs from the 90s, and it plays a lot of bands I had forgotten. Right now, Tonic is playing, and earlier, Live and Collective Soul.
We went through some light rain along I-40. I noticed on my electronic rain gauge that we’d had 0.27 in while I was on the east coast. I forgot to reset it, so I’ll have to remember that when I get home again.

Thursday, 7-1-10 at 6:00 MDT

We are southbound on I-25, headed for Socorro from our epic road trip. The van broke the 178,000 mile mark right near the NM/TX border!
Today is chilly so far, but clear. There are some left over cumulus deteriorating in the east and south, but nothing north or west but clear sky.
I have a meeting in two hours at EMRTC, and I think I’m ready for it. I’ll take care of a few more things around EMRTC and the Chemical Engineering Department before heading out to Las Vegas, NV tomorrow. From Las Vegas, I’ll start posting photos and updating travel logs.
I’m really enjoying the early morning hours, right before sunrise. I think I need to make them part of my everyday routine and go biking or swimming or something. The other day, we arrived in Tennessee really early in the morning, and rather than sleep, I went swimming and had a grand ol’ time with it.
Another random thought- I’ve had a lot more energy since going soy and milk free. I’m not as tired, and I can think more clearly more often. It’s hard finding food sometimes, especially on the road, but if this effect lasts, I think it’s worth it.

Tuesday, 6-29-10 at 9:32 CDT

We are currently in Lebanon, TN en route to the house. It’s been an eventful trip, one which I might retell on this website at some point. Let’s just say we are plus one passenger (and vehicle), visited a few relatives, attended one Orioles game (and they even won!), played in the Atlantic Ocean, toured Westminster, went soy free and milk free and pulled an all-nighter on a road trip. It’s still a long ways home.
I don’t have access to a thermometer, or I’d tell you the temperature. I know it’s hot and humid, and mostly sunny, with the fog burning off.

Sunday, 6-13-10 at 15:47 MDT

We are getting ready to leave for epic road trip 2010!
I have updated all logbooks to reflect the past month’s worth of contacts. I’ll try to add to this as I travel. I’ll also add some SIA photos and storm chase photos- I hope!
WX Report: 80.8°F, 25% humidity, mostly sunny.
NWS Forecast: Clear. Lows in the 50s. South winds 10 to 20 mph shifting to the southwest 10 to 15 mph after midnight.

Wednesday, 6-9-10 at 13:27 MDT

This week is super busy, so I’m not sure how many website updates I’ll get to post. I have a bunch of stuff to update, including my logbook, SIA photos and storm chasing photos, so we’ll just have to see what I actually accomplish.
WX Report: 102.7°F, 39% humidity, sunny.
NWS Forecast: Isolated thunderstorms. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
Time for a monthly update:
Books read: 2, Horomones, Health and Happiness by Steven F. Hotze, and Canning and Preserving for Dummies.
Books of the Bible Read: 0
Periodicals Read: 2
HF Contacts made: 234
Monthly average: 65.1%
Miles Biked: 8.142
Farthest Distance Traveled: Lexington, NE
Biggest Accomplishment: Catching two tornadoes in KS!!

Sunday, 6-6-10 at 19:24 MDT

We are currently on our way home from the SIA confernece. I’ll add photos of it when I get the chance. Other than that, I have added photos of the PNM Reeves generating station we toured on May 5.

Thursday, 6-3-10 at 23:54 MDT

We just finished our first day at the SIA Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. Today, we toured the Money Museum and the Mining Museum. The money museum had quite a few really rare coins (1 of 3 known coins in some cases) and had an exhibit on money during the Civil War. After that, we had dinner at the Mining Museum. The highlight of this place was the stamp mill, which was used to crush ore until dust that could be later separated from gold. There was also a steam shovel, a few headframes, a reconstructed blacksmith shop, and the main office which featured smaller tools and equipment. There was even a place to try your hand at panning for gold. I found a ton of pyrite, which I think had been seeded in the sand.

Monday, 5-31-10 at 10:51 MDT

We are headed home from our storm chase in the Great Plains. I’ll total up the miles, add photos of the storms and so on at a later date. Right now, we are in Fort Lupton, CO and will stop in Denver for some light shopping, and then home to Socorro.