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It wasn’t a brick workout because I had to fire off yet another flurry of emails in between, but after my bike ride we went for a quick three-mile run. Still, enjoyed this tree’s color.
This is at the top of the neighborhood, so it was the little run up the hill, right about where you start to question the decision to run today, that I saw that tree.
USA Today’s little decorative badge is trying to capture the national mood. How do you think they’re fairing?
I pedaled my bike to campus this morning. Here’s a part of my route, a nice clean path with neat little trees and curves:
And the second part of the route, a slightly wider path, upon which you can go at least four wide:
I found this print today, the first Indiana football team:
They played one game, this week in 1887, in fact. They lost, to Franklin College. That was their season, a tournament to determine the state champion. IU was coached by Arthur Woodward, an economist. A future state attorney general was on the team. Six teams took part in what was the first version of something closely similar to modern football in the state. The Indianapolis Athletic Club invited Butler, DePauw, Franklin, Hanover, Indiana and Wabash to play the October and November series in Indy. Wabash won it all. You like to think some old men in the middle of the 20th century were still reminding each other how they got the job done back in the eighties.
This weekend we visited with my folks down the road aways. The four of us went out one night for a lovely steak dinner and we all felt like celebrating:
Because if you get a steak that good — oh, so, so good — you should celebrate it.
Rode my bike to the office this morning. On my thus far preferred route I actually go through the woods and over the river creek.
And then I have a half mile of a walking path, with a picturesque barn set off to the side:
After that there’s a roundabout, and one long residential uphill to campus. It is about 4.5 miles. Takes about 15 minutes. Twenty if I’m carrying my bag and am trying not to sweat.
It isn’t a long enough trip, by any means, to make me think of steak again. But I’m thinking of steak again.
Back to it this morning after a weekend spent traveling all over creation. The wedding we attended was fun and fine. Seeing dear friends after a too-long absence was even better. And now, it is back to work and the routine. We rode our bicycles into the office this morning. Part of our new routine:
The house is less than five miles from campus and the improvement over my previous commute was in the forefront of my mind with each pedal stroke.
This evening, playing with the kitteh:
She probably wonders why we will show her the countertop, but take great pains to try to keep her from walking on it.
Today, I rode my bicycle to work. Here was one of my views:
I wonder how long it might be before I won’t marvel at riding my bike to the office.
I spent a part of the day editing audio. Every time I open audio software I wonder: Will this be the time I find this boring? Hasn’t happened yet:
A view from the bike ride back to the house this afternoon:
And now a tale of housework.
We were fortunate when we purchased this place, that it is a turn key place. We’ll paint some rooms eventually, of course, but there wasn’t a lot to do when we moved our things in this summer.
We did, however, quickly discover a problem with two ceiling fans. In researching the problem we learned that the living room and master bedroom have the same type of fan, which involves a radio frequency. As in, the two fans are using the same frequency, which means that to run the light or fan in one room impacts the light or fan in the other. So one frequency had to be changed. Now, ceiling fans don’t really have makes or model numbers on them, so finding the manual, based on visually identifying the control panel in the wall, online has been a challenge. Finding the place where one changes the frequency has been an even greater challenge.
Anyway, after a day or two trying to just figure it out, and a few attempts to find the manual and infer the solution from poorly drawn diagrams, I finally gave up and called the manufacturer. I’ve called once before, but, of course, business hours. Eventually I got the right voice mail. A technician asked me to send him some pictures. He called me back and told me how to do what and where. So, then, today, I finally had the chance to follow the expert’s advice.
First, you have to break the circuit, of course. Then you shimmy up a ladder and remove the fan from the ceiling. Now I know where the adjustment must be made, and by virtue of the previous attempts via trial and error I have decided that the fan in the living room will be easiest to change.
So up the ladder, loosen the screws, take the mounting ball off the ceiling bracket and then … fall down the ladder with 35 pounds of wood and glass in my hand.
You see, the ceiling fan is equipped with a little steel hang line. With this you can suspend the fan from the bracket while you connect the wiring and, perhaps, change the remote control frequency. Only the hang line wasn’t connected to anything, so off it came and down I went. How I managed to avoid hurting myself or breaking the fan can only be attributed to quick reflexes and deft skill at not falling cultivated over a lifetime of falling. Here it is now, sitting on the floor, like all good ceiling fans:
The thing to change was tucked inside the frame there, and involved four little switches on a module the size of a dime. This was not designed to be seen from below when the fan was hanging from the ceiling. Of course, once you’ve set the thing you should never have to deal with it again. Except that the previous owners had since they either moved in or installed the fans. Later, I had to carry the fan back up the ladder and, from the highest rung, press it over my head, string the steel line, re-wire the thing and then hang it in the ceiling bracket.
Now we can turn on one fan or adjust the lights without impacting another room.
My reward was a sketchy M&M:
The next project is the hot water heater. When I finally get that figured out I’ll have a proper treat.
