Author: mikemjensen

With an Hour on Top.

mikemjensen Life's Truths Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

It’s the day after daylight savings and we sprung ahead an hour yesterday.

Now today, everyone still dragged around like we had an overnighter.Victory-Congress-passes-daylight-saving-bill- war time

It was only an hour folks.

The TV news explained that today is National Nap day to help everyone’s recovery. I think it was a joke, but it illustrates how far and deep this perception of being so tired runs.

I did notice that fewer people complained about this direction of adjustment than when we fell back an hour in the fall. I think people like the extra hour of daylight after work is done.

An extra hour of walking. An extra hour of riding a bike. An extra hour to enjoy the back porch, a drive after dinner, or to prepare to watch a relaxing sunset.

The only way the extra hour makes no difference is if you don’t spend it in the natural light of the outdoors. In which case, don’t hate, just take a nap.

 

Post 3-073

Cooler Runnings

mikemjensen cool stuff Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

May is coming quick; before we know it, it’ll be here. We received our key to the houseboat and although I think we need to make another trip down to inspect the interior of the boat for sleeping arrangements and such, I’m not sure if we’re going to make it before our May trip.

It’s been suggested from the responsible side of our marital partnership that instead we should start to work on getting ready to go now and not the week before we leave. I reluctantly agreed that maybe we should. And one of the things we decided that we needed was another cooler.

On a Saturday afternoon lark, we cruised through a thrift store. Left stranded on one of the shelves in the back a cooler waited to be found. It was one of the good ones. No not a yeti, but a Coleman Extreme 5-day cooler, 50 quart, rollaway type. It looked great but we noticed one of the wheels was fatally broken.

I had seen this type of situation before. Two years ago. We had found another Extreme cooler. Typical arrangement, 52 quart; however, the plastic hinges broken leaving the lid free to be removed. A quick web visit to EBay and for $5, I had new ones on the way. Combined with the sticker price of $10, we had realized a savings of about $45.

I whipped out my phone and immediately started hunting for a replacement wheel. I couldn’t find it. I saw others eyeing our find and we had to make a quick decision. The tag also said $10. Would it be worth it if I couldn’t find a wheel? How much would a wheel be if I did find one?

The other bargain hunters could smell the blood of a good deal in the water. They circled. We protected our prey within our cart. I frantically thumbed through more web pages of DIY repairs but could not find the part listed. We ran for the cash register anyway.

“$10 seems a little high for a broken-wheeled cooler,” my wife said to the manager.

“How about $3?”IMG_20170312_215458905

“Done.”

The kill was ours. $3 for a $50-60 cooler, but missing one wheel. We took it home for the night.

I spent the better part of this morning searching online and kept striking out. And then it struck me, the wheel doesn’t have to know for what it was made. Maybe one for a grill would work. To Home Depot we flew.

For $8, a lawnmower wheel would fit. I had to spend an additional 31¢ on a bushing to match the bore size to the axle, but it worked. My wife laughed as I carved figure eights in the parking lot with the cooler in tow. I had to assure it would roll without a limp. It did.

Success. Savings: $48! Mark additional cooler off of the list.

I’m feeling quite proud of myself tonight.

 

Post 3-072

Straight Down

mikemjensen Good People, History, Life's Truths, Quote Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

In a meeting with a staff member today, this quote on diplomacy came up in conversation. Although I misquoted it and wrongly attributed it to Henry Kissinger, it’s still a good quote.

Winston Churchill

I should’ve known it was the great Winston Churchill and better than I remember. 

“Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.” -Winston Churchill

 

Post 3-070

And No Dishes

mikemjensen Cooking, Useless Observations Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I was shocked when my wife specified that she wanted her birthday cake store-bought and not homemade.dishes This was odd because I feel the exact opposite. I compromised and bought one from a fine bakery. It
appeased us both.

I know the inclination is that homemade should be better, and at times it is. Tacos, Lasagna, and roasts come to mind. (And of course cake.) But as I think of it, there are somethings that just cannot be replicated at home, although they may be still be good.

Pizza. Sorry, no homemade pizza can match a pizzeria. Even those done on the grill. The crust is better, the meats are better, and the cheese- oh the cheese. It just doesn’t cook the same way at home. Sause can be better at home, but that’s only 1 of 4 items of this discussion. And day old pizza- the gap between the two methodologies widens even more.

Donuts. Homemade donuts are great but they’re usually odd shaped and bizarrely finished. And again, like pizza, during the creating process at a dedicated donut making place, the taste and blending of flavors cannot be matched at home. And no one, I mean no one, has ever made an apple fritter that can beat a professional’s apple fritter. I am a fritter eating specialist. Remember my post a few days ago about needing to lose 100 pounds. I wasn’t born this way.

Hamburgers. Yup, I said it. Hamburgers at a hamburger joint are better than anything off your daddy’s grill, especially my daddy’s grill. I don’t know if people try too hard or not enough but the efforts never quite surpass the chef in the pointy hat. I’ve made some good ones at home, but they can only equal but never better the slap-it-on-the fryer burger and yes I want fries with that.

So homemade or eat out? It depends.

 

Post 3-069

If Ever the Twain Should Meet

mikemjensen History, Interesting Stuff (to me anyway), Twain Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Wasting a few hours… err, minutes on Facebook today and I came across one of those irresistible click-bait postings. Most I can easily avoid because I don’t care what Disney character or X-men personalities I am most like. But today I had to do it: “Rare images nearly forgotten in the past”.

I have a thing for old stuff and the photos are the best. They make us realize the differences between then and now. The clothes, the cars, and the places around them. The old photos also have an aura of creepy about them. I don’t know if it’s the black and white finish or the non-practiced-selfie unnatural pose and expressions but the people seem even more separated from their photos as the aged photos are from us.

testla-twain

Twain in the lab of Tesla

In the middle of this 89 photo collection, however, I found a gem- my favorite author Mark Twain hanging out with my favorite genius/inventor Nikola Tesla.

Who know they know each other? Funny though. Twain was a crowd favorite on the stage and engaging the interest of all around him, yet he was a failed inventor. Tesla was arguably the most ingenious inventor yet lacked the public skills to properly demonstrate the scope of his vision.

What could’ve happened if the two had actually been one?

Too bad they didn’t have Facebook to follow each other better back then.

 

Post 3-068

I’m an Observer

mikemjensen Cooking, Useless Observations Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Today is National Pancake Day!

This morning was a typical morning: sleep as late as you can, rush through the shower, dressing, and bowl of cereal as fast you can so not to be late.National-Pancake-Day

Due to the snow yesterday and call for occasional flurries today, I was bus bound- no motorcycle. The schedule knows no mercy and I had to be at the stop on time. There would be no time for pancakes this morning.

IHOP was even giving away free pancakes for those who stopped in.

Dang it.

But I’m an adult. And being an adult, I can eat breakfast anytime I want.

It’ll be Pancakes for dinner tonight!

 

Post 3-067

Weather or Not

mikemjensen Motorcycles, Utah Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Yesterday was 62 degrees in the early afternoon. There was snow on the ground before we went to bed. Give it two days and we’ll be back up near 60. Thus is springtime in Utah.

As a motorcyclist, this is the time of year I have to watch the weather like it’s interesting. Conditions can change hourly and the conditions during the morning commute are irrelevant in regards to what they might be for the evening commute.

There has been a few times I failed to watch the weather and have been caught in an afternoon snow storm. The windshield on the bike has caked over with snow and my glasses have fogged up so thick I could barely see.Motorcycle-Snow-Sculpture

I’ve learned it’s imperative to keep the tires in the tracks in the snow made by the cars ahead or feel the bike try to slide out from under you. And to ignore the people who honk at you for going so slow around the turns. So far, however, I’ve always made it home.

It’s a challenge, but I’d have it no other way.

 

Post 3-066

Tipping the Scales of Time

mikemjensen goals, Shame on Me, Vanity, Work in Progress Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

I’m overweight.

No, actually, I’m double-weight. Close enough anyway.

When I was a young man, I wasn’t. Instead, a skinny 140 pound kid was I.

In an attempt to gain extra playing-weight for high school football, I ate everything I could get my hands on. After the last game of my junior year and the bright lights of my first senior year game, along with constant weight-training, my new body tipped the scales at 145 pounds, a grand total gain of 5 pounds.faat

My problem has changed. I can gain 5 pounds before breakfast now. Over the course of the 30 years since high school, I have vastly surpassed my playing weight goals. I’ve tried to be more conscience of what I eat, but that just makes me hungry. A visit to the gym this morning hasn’t helped yet either (maybe I need to do it for three days in a row or something).

Seriously I need to shed pounds, if for no other reason than to help the kayak stay afloat. Rid of 90-100 extra pounds, it’ll be easy to hike the mountains I want to summit, clothes will be cheaper, shoes will last longer, and I’ll save gas on the motorcycle with every ride.

A thinner me is a good idea.

A thinner me is necessary.

A thinner me is coming.

 

Post 3-065

Waste Not, Want Not.

mikemjensen Fishing, Useless Observations Tags: , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Wasting time is not as easy as it may appear.

It takes hours, days, weeks, a lifetime to learn how to do it properly.

It takes study and a keen awareness of present circumstances to know when to do it.wastedtime

The weather plays a big part as well. How to dress to stay as comfortable as possible cannot be overlooked.

The company you keep is as important as all the rest. Choose wisely.

Equipment: get the best your money can buy.

Location: not all places are created equal.

Now pick your water, grab your rod and reel, sport your sunglasses, rain jacket or hat, invite an equally skilled partner, read the latest reports, and get fishing.

Time is not refundable, don’t waste it not fishing.

 

Post 3-064