Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on June 7th, 2023 in Main 
One of the first stops of our vacation was the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas. Evel was not from Topeka, but the big red Mack truck he toured in was restored in Topeka, which is how the museum ended up there, attached to a Harley-Davidson dealership. I was too young to remember most of Evel Knievel’s career and only remember seeing one of his jumps live on television, but everyone knows Evel Knievel’s name, which when I was a kid was synonymous with any daredevil act. He certainly inspired a generation of kids to build shoddy bicycle ramps with… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on June 6th, 2023 in Main 
Susan and I have stayed in AirBnB rentals all over the country. We’ve stayed in some pretty normal ones and some pretty weird ones, but never one like the home at 5519 in Minneapolis. Something’s afoot inside (or underneath) this home. Something mysterious. Something nefarious. Something… stinky. The offending smell doesn’t hit you right away, the same way ghosts don’t jump out and shout “Boo!” the moment one enters a haunted house. We first noticed the odor after retiring in the living room out first evening. The smell there was so strong that we immediately and bravely began sniffing all… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on June 1st, 2023 in Main 
On April 19, a freak hail storm pounded our property. We were not home at the time, but according to news broadcasts from that evening, the hail ranged from golf ball-sized to baseball-sized. We have been dealing with insurance claims and repairs ever since. The damage to our cars was obvious. The windshield on my car and Morgan’s old car, the one we’re trying to sell, were broken. Morgan’s old car, Morgan’s new car, and my car also received extensive hail damage to their bodies. Morgan’s new car and my car have full coverage, and the combined estimate to repair… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 26th, 2023 in Main 
Over the years we have owned several types of tables. We’ve had coffee tables, dining room tables, end tables, and entryway tables. Over the past couple of years we’ve added a new table to our home: the Amazon Table. The Amazon Table sits about a foot away from the front door and has become the first stop for all Amazon packages. Even though we feel relatively safe living near the end of a cul-de-sac in a gated community, it’s still not a great idea to leave Amazon packages sitting outside on the front porch for days at a time. There… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 22nd, 2023 in Main 
On Mother’s Day weekend, we threw Morgan a graduation party at our house. Last Monday she took the last of her semester tests. Friday evening, Morgan attended her high school graduation before leaving for Project Graduation. On Saturday, Morgan zipped around town attending her friends’ graduation parties. And, just like that, she is done with high school. For several years now, Yukon High School has held their graduation ceremony outdoors in the high school’s football stadium. Back when Susan and I graduated, the ceremony has held indoors in the Fine Arts auditorium, and the 360(ish) graduating seniors were limited to… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 18th, 2023 in Main 
Today, the website known as IFTTT (aka “If This Then That”) announced they will be greatly reducing functionality for free users (including the removal of access to all Twitter applets) at the end of the month. IFTTT currently has approximately 20 million users. I am one of them. As a kid, home automation seemed very futuristic. I always thought it would be cool if lights automatically turned on when I entered a room, or the stereo in my car automatically changed to my favorite radio station when I started the car. Those are examples of “if this, then that.” If… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 15th, 2023 in Main 
Morgan’s high school career is coming to an end. On Friday, she — along with Susan, myself, and several of our family members — attended her Senior Farewell Band Banquet. Sunday, we had Morgan’s (pre)graduation gathering here at the house. The band banquet would not have been possible without Susan, who stepped in when asked to assist with planning the event and logistics, two of her strong points. Susan helped get items donated, plan parts of the event, and most importantly, wrangled up a bunch of volunteers to help with setting things up and breaking things down in a room… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 12th, 2023 in Main 
After four months of waiting, I finally have a new CPAP machine. Sometime last year, my previous machine (a ResMed S9) began displaying an error stating the machine was past its life expectancy and that it was time for a new one. I called my old sleep doctor and discovered he had died, so I had to reenter the system anew by calling my primary care provider and requesting a new machine. I made that call the first week of January. By the time my doctor referred me to a new sleep doctor, that doctor scheduled me for a sleep… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 10th, 2023 in Main, Toys 
Last week while driving down NW Expressway, Susan discovered Party City was going out of business and had put all of their merchandise on sale. I like sales and I like parties, so missing out Party City’s closeout sale was out of the question! While the signs posted near the street claimed everything was 40% off, large posters in the store’s window claimed everything had been marked down 60%-80%. Inside the store we found a few things were 50% off, most things were 60% off, and seasonal items (Easter and Halloween) were 80% off. Everything in the store was on… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on May 8th, 2023 in Main 
Over the weekend I learned a dear old friend of mine, Josh Erichsen, passed away earlier this year. Josh and I met back in high school. We both had Commodore computers, we both liked rock and heavy metal music, we both liked Star Wars and Monty Python, and we both were into electronics and car stereos. It’s getting harder to remember exactly how all my friends met, or who met whom first. All I can really remember is that one day all of my friends were friends with Josh, because everybody who ever met Josh immediately became Josh’s friend. Back… (read more)
|
|
|