Nothing much to write for here

Been mostly staying alive and tweeting, depositing checks and stuff. As you do.

Most exciting thing this week was getting a massage, second was making beans and rice with a ham bone in the crock pot. Making beans is like get up, plug in the crock pot, put the ham bone in the pot, put the beans in the pot, pre-heat the water and put it in the pot, cover and stir every 3 hours until done, then fish out the bones and serve the beans. I added a whole lot of hatch peppers to the beans after the third stirring to give them time to work their way through all the beans, but as big a pot of beans as I make even adding a cup of roasted peppers doesn’t change the taste much.

Just checked and my video game controller is still somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, expected arrival date sometime between my Deathday and my birthday. The steering box likewise is not off the boat either. And since we are talking about stuff that has been delayed by the pandemic, the people who I get my writing gigs through haven’t sent me an email in a while either.

In other news I need to take stuff to my local Social Security office, but they aren’t open yet… It’s a good thing I know how to make tasty beans and rice.

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Shopping take two

I didn’t get out to buy butane and bolts today because Mrs. the Poet got a call to go to lunch with a friend and I had already started a pot of beans and couldn’t leave them unattended for the hours and hours they need to assume their beany goodness. So she went out and I stayed with the beans, and I will go shopping on Friday. NBD.

I’m sitting at my desk eating my last meal of the day, which is usually the sandwich and veggies Mrs. the Poet makes for lunch, but because she went out for lunch I had to scrounge up my own food today, after spending hours slaving over a CrockPot full of beans and ham bone. In such a situation my goto meal is usually something in the ramen family or cup noodles, this time microwave ramen bowl with veggies. It is just a constant source of amazement that that tiny packet of dehydrated veggies fills so much of the plastic bowl the noodles ship in. I mean the package is barely as big as two matchbooks, but after cooking there is about a third of the bowl full of veggies. The noodles hardly change at all, but when the veggies are rehydrated suddenly there is a bowl full of food in front of me. I don’t care what others say to me this is one of the miracles of the modern age.

So anyway while I was making sure nothing bad happened to the beans I had some time to think about the reason for the shopping trip. One thing I came up with was spending the extra money for a second ⁵/₁₆” bolt to make the jig for the roll hoops, since they are going to be identical now. And with the jig I could theoretically make a kit for converting the AMT T roadster kits into a Mini Sprint-T if that seemed like it was a good idea. Right now it isn’t, but that might change in the future, who can say? Certainly not me. My prognostication abilities aren’t that precise. When I was asked to look at the possible outcomes of Bush v Gore I saw battles and chaos and interpreted that as possible civil war or riots in the streets, not the Iran /Afghan wars.

Anyway, back to the car model, if I can find some good wood in the garage I can drill a couple of holes in it to put the bolts into that would be the right distance apart. Then after making the first bend I could use the second bolt as a jig and make the second bend to make the hoop the exact right size for the frame, using guide marks on the jig to get the angles right, which is almost a pun, because both hoops need to have their legs bent to a right angle to the top bar of the hoop. The design has gone through some iterations where this was not a true statement, but for the time being it is true. Both hoops are the same, same width and same angles, and when the frame is finished and painted the internal bracing for the rear hoop gets bolted into the 1:1 Sprint-T after the painted and wired body gets slipped inside the frame and roll cage. Technically that should be a slash (/) instead of the word “and” because the frame rails go around the roll cage which forms structural bulkheads in the frame and the roll hoop bracing becomes part of the triangulation of the frame. As I pointed out years ago now, frame stiffness is a function of d⁴ where in this case d is the average distance from the bottom of the bottom rail to the top of the top rail, and running the top rail over the roll cage increases d to the max it can be without making either the top or bottom disconnected from the rest of the frame. And it’s much easier to build the frame with removable sections than it is to either spray the body inside the frame a different color, or build the frame around the body without causing damage to the body or getting overspray on the frame or body or both. The tricky part for the model is getting that same effect without messing up the paint when gluing the braces in the frame. I think I might need to use cyanoacrylate for these joints instead of my usual Testors solvent cement because “assembled after paint” so these joints will require a bit more patience fitting together than the ones for the solvent cement. And it’s starting to get to be time to hit the sheets, so I’m cutting this one short here.

Spent time walking in the freezing rain yesterday

I went out and deposited some checks, and tried to check out a plasma center. But I got off at the wrong stop and spent about an hour wandering around and never did find it. As I was looking on the wrong street a cold front moved in and I spent the last part of my day walking in a freezing mist. Also I had beans in the slow cooker at home waiting for me to season and add the hunk of leftover ham and start the rice cooker. Even though I was wearing a hoody under my Air Force Surplus winter flying jacket I forgot to wear gloves and the wind was really bad. I didn’t think to check the “feels like” temperature, but between the 31°F dry bulb, the misting rain, and the 20 MPH steady wind it had to have been pretty brutal. And somewhere along the way I managed to lose $15 out of my wallet.

The good thing about yesterday was I made beans and rice, and had enough to make me feel full. I used a pack of Taco Seasoning Mix instead of my usual garlic powder and cayenne pepper to “do something different”, and it came out pretty good. Far from Cajun, fahrvergnügen, far from the madding crowd, but still good. Sorta Mexican-ish I guess, about as spicy as Mrs. the Poet can stand. But anyway, 2 cups of mixed beans, 6 cups of hot water going in the pot, and about 7 hours of slow simmering with about 45 minutes to cook a dry cup of brown rice in the rice cooker and one of Mrs. the Poet’s salads, we have dinner.

My brain shutting down for sleep still plays design variations on the Sprint-T. The theme it as been playing with lately has been wrapping the roll cage portion as close as possible to the body while still allowing space to slide the painted body inside the completed chassis without scratching the paint on either one, while keeping the torsional rigidity up and the total weight down. You know, as you do. Anyway, the plan is to put a kink in the brace from the top of the rear hoop to the bottom of the front hoop to tuck the front hoop closer to the firewall where it tucks in. That would require another brace from the frame rail to the kink point and from the bottom of the rear hoop to the kink point, and from the pickup point for the rear swing arm/radius rod to the point where the vertical brace from the kink point meets the frame, so everything is totally triangulated. Also playing are variations on the powertrain with the Pentastar V6. The 330 pound engine combined with a 100 pound Powerglide combine for lower weight than a SBC long block assembly, by just a few pounds. The 8 speed transmission usually supplied with the Pentastar weighs 198 pounds, which means the total is still lower than a complete ready-to-run SBC with iron heads, and no transmission. Deep down I still want to build the car, and probably always will. But the gulf between want and have is just too broad and too deep for me to cross.

Random thoughts and observations

Mrs. the Poet wants a song about Clint sitting on top of the refrigerator. I’m setting it to the tune of “Stairway to Heaven”. It is going to be anti refrigerator-sitting per Mrs. The Poet’s request.

Someone in front of us in line left $0.72 in the change dish at the grocery store. Since the two people in front of us paid with plastic that means it had been there for at least 4 customers counting us and the person who left it. When I pointed the change out I was asked to please remove it.

Getting the TGS2 balanced in a corner is going to involve tuning the roll stiffness so that the inside front tire lifts clear of the ground just as the limits of grip are reached, and sizing the tires so that they have the same percentage of total grip as that end of the car’s percentage of static weight.

A good chili is a fine balance between heat and flavor. Finding a perfect chili is akin to searching for a virgin among the workers in a brothel, mostly a matter of timing.

Keeping up with Trump administration scandals is causing a rise in adult-onset ADHD making those of us who always had it feel superior.

After doing the research I would not object if someone gave me a’90s era Chrysler LH series car that had a running engine and working 42le transmission for making an SCCA A-Mod Solo Racer.

There should be a reader-only app for Twitter called “Short Attention Span Theater”.

Someone wants to open a “covfefe house” in my town. I don’t know what they’re selling but you know the sign is going to have a short lifespan.

About the time my feet were recovering from whatever I did to them on that walk I dropped a heavy metal object on the toes of my left foot. Nothing is actually broken, but nothing is working right either. It’s almost as if the world will cease to exist if I’m not injured or crippled in some way.

Speaking of free car stuff if anyone over at FCA has a pentastar V6 and a 62te transmission they need to get rid of … I know this guy who’s building this car …

Again, for the people looking for bike wrecks and advice I left the archive alone, but I can’t say for sure the links are still good. If you find my sanity back there could you put it in a box and mail it to me? I would greatly appreciate it.

One of the things Mrs. the Poet likes about taking me shopping is I will find the best buy for any particular product, one of the things she doesn’t like is finding the best buys for things she doesn’t want to buy, but I do.

Do you know what rich really is? Rich is going to the grocery store and having to leave something behind because you won’t have room in the car to take it home instead of not having enough money to pay for it.

I’m looking at the rear suspension for the TGS2 and looking at the composite bellypan/splitter combination and thinking “well since I’m already making the mess…”

We’re having chicken broccoli from a frozen box over brown rice from the rice cooker/vegetable steamer and I put the chicken and broccoli in the steamer basket and the sauce on the top of the cooker to thaw and get warm and pour over the chicken and broccoli after everything’s cooked. That way the only cooking pot/device that needs cleaning is the rice cooker, that was already going to get cleaned b/c we are having brown rice. And I did all the “cooking” so Mrs. the Poet is happy which is always a good thing.

Mrs. the Poet wants some beans and rice before she leaves, so slow cooker and rice cooker next time. I’m really loving that non-stick coating on the rice cooker, it makes cleanup so much easier.

No beer this trip as the specials just didn’t tickle my fancy enough. Also not a big fan of most summertime beers. I prefer a beer I can sink my teeth into. Also what’s the deal of making “beer” with rice? That’s not beer, that’s a bad starter for sake ruined with hops.

And it has been almost a week since my last walk and now I’m really wanting to go for that walk, like really really wanting. But if I go I will aggravate my injured toes. It is a conundrum. And lazy and overfed won out over getting some exercise.

One last day of batching it, and the Feed

Yes, Mrs. the Poet returns from her leaf-peeping expedition mid-day tomorrow, so I can quit with the frozen pizza and Ramen (not on the same days) for dinner. I’m making a pot of beans and rice for tonight so that there will be food available for dinner tomorrow that Mrs. the Poet doesn’t have to cook, and she likes my beans.

Up first more on the cyclist hit from behind riding on the shoulder, apparently by a drunk driver. Bicyclist from Orange struck and killed on Highway 12, alcohol suspected as a factor and ORANGE MAN KILLED IN BICYCLE/AUTO CRASH I don’t think I need to expound on how much I hate drunk drivers, I think drunks that kill need to be chained to the steering wheel of their car as the car gets run through a car shredder.

A cyclist is hit in MD. 82-year-old cyclist critically injured after hit by vehicle Part of the problem is mis-assigned priority between the bike facility and the road. The bike path feels like a limited-access highway for bikes, and riders expect the same kind of accommodations as limited-access highways get, not stopping at every side-street and back alley. That said until such changes are made, stop at the stop signs.

Justice delayed for a cyclist killed by a drunk driver in GA. Two years later, family still seeking justice for cyclist’s death Give him a fair trial and a decent hanging, or in his case put him back behind the wheel of that Mustang for one last ride through the car shredder.

Our Daily Ted part 1. Morning Links: gofundme for HB bike victim, bike lane and salmon cyclist signs in Santa Ana, and more CicLAvia

And Daily Ted part 2. Breaking News: Bike rider dies following wrong way collision in Boyle Heights last week

Another cyclist killed in America’s Paradise. Lahaina Man Succumbs to Injuries in Deadly “eBike” Crash Wrecks like this are one of the reasons why cyclists need to get out of the gutter and take the lane, where they belong as vehicles, and where drivers can see them and not run into them. This kind of wreck is unusual, but not unforeseen.

The DIY DOT is out in force in NYC. Will These Flowers & Cones Keep Brooklyn Cyclists Safe? You know what will absolutely keep cyclists and pedestrians safe in NYC? Mandatory confiscation of any vehicle that hits a cyclist or pedestrian until it can be checked for mechanical defects. Put one mechanic on the job, without any help, and forbid him to work more than a 40 hour week, which will result in a backlog of vehicles needing to be checked meaning people will have to wait for weeks or even months to get their vehicles back, and drivers will stop hitting cyclists and pedestrians, I guarantee it.

And I seriously can’t believe this guy. Man with sleep disorder who killed cyclist ‘shouldn’t have been on road’ and North Shields cyclist ‘hit and killed by sleep apnoea sufferer who had been warned not to drive’ This is kinda like the taxi driver who had an epileptic seizure and killed 4 people in NYC. If you know you have a medical condition that could cause you to no longer be in control of your vehicle without warning, don’t fucking drive! As far as I am concerned this was murder, pure and simple.

Not bicycles in this wreck, but cyclists played a part in the aftermath as one started first aid and another directed traffic around the wreck victim and the motorcycles. Moment passers-by rush to help injured motorcyclist after two ‘speeding’ motorbikes crash in south London Notice how the woman wearing the orange jersey secures her bike and then goes to work controlling the victim’s bleeding?

Some infrastructure news from Jolly Olde. Andrew Gilligan: detractors of cycling programme will be embarrassed once they see benefits Motor vehicles are already slightly in the minority because of economic pressures, so why continue to give them priority when it comes time to hand out the infrastructure funding?

Someone needs to tell The Age that stringing a rope across a trail isn’t a “prank”, it is an act of terrorism against trail users. Boy has neck slashed by rope while riding his bicycle

Notice that the onus is on cyclists being “visible” not on drivers looking out the windshield and not hitting cyclists? How cyclists and drivers can share the road safely Blinking lights and reflectors are of no use if the operator of the murder machine is not looking out to see where said murder machine is going.

You can improve your transportation and urban design vocabulary the way I did by reading thousands of articles on the subject (boooo-rrrring!) or you could play this game a few times. How a Not-Entirely-Polite Card Game Is Changing Urban Planning

Are you buying what you think you’re buying? BUY ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY! CAMPAGNOLO AGAINST FORGERY IN DEFENSE OF SAFETY How to spot forged Campy products.

And last links, there is a pretty good (power and reliability and cheap) fuel-cell powered e-bike available. We Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Hydrogen Fuel — The H2 Electric Bike Is Proof and Linde AG: Linde’s hydrogen-powered bike shows new way towards electro-mobility (news with additional features) The biggest advantage of this system is the 5-6 minute refuel from empty, the biggest drawback to date is the total lack of hydrogen refueling stations in the US.

And I’m done for today.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Grocery day again, and the Feed

This is another week of short rations until we get more money coming in later in the month. The taxes just about wiped us out this year. Fortunately we will have more money coming in later to cover such things as taxes and cable bills, etc. but for the moment we are diving into the strategic ramen reserves and the $1 frozen pizzas until that happens. That also means I get to make more than one pot of beans and rice per week, so yay? for that.

Up first is another link to the impact statement from the surviving cyclist of a pair hit by an insanely drunk driver. Cyclist who survived deadly crash gives victim impact statement The cyclist was still nearly wiped out and barely able to ride more than 3 years later, and the driver was still more than 3½ times the legal limit for being drunk and at the point that non-alcoholics would be unconscious. That is the part that gets me the most mad, because you KNOW this turd had to have made a habit of driving drunk to be capable of starting the vehicle and putting it in gear with that much alcohol in his system. How many times was he caught and let go before he killed one cyclist and destroyed the life of the other? More Cyclist says his life was ruined by crash

This strongly reminds me of the guy that tried to kill me, fortunately he is safely dead and buried. Salinas cyclist intentionally doored In case you didn’t see it the driver in this case drove over a curbed median in the process of crossing 4 lanes of traffic to get to the bike lane on the other side of the street just to assault the cyclist with the driver’s side door.

Another assault with a motor vehicle and then a second assault after knocking the cyclist down, this time in FL. Woman alleged to have hit then spit at cyclist arrested The bail on this was only $5K for what amounts to an assault with a deadly weapon. And somehow it took from November to February to act on the arrest warrant. Is it any wonder that FL is the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike.

Misdemeanor charges have been filed in the death of a cyclist outside DC. WSSC driver charged in crash that killed bike rider Oops, I’m sorry, those are traffic tickets, so he may get fined a couple to a few hundred dollars for killing another human being with a light armored vehicle.

And a legislator in CA wants to have the first statewide helmet law. Senator calls for mandatory helmets for California cyclists Now get a helmet law for drivers and we’ll be all set.

And last link is a change to some CA infrastructure so that people not in motor vehicles can use it, too. Bike path gets green light on Richmond Bridge The really annoying thing is they are piggybacking another car lane in on this which costs twice as much as the bike/ped part of the deal, and barely mentioning that part of it.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet

Bean day, and the Feed

Yep, it is another Bean and Rice day here at Casa de El Poeta, with ²/₃ cup each of lentils, black beans, and small red beans slow cooked for about 4 hours, then seasoned and spiced and the evaporated water replaced and a cup of brown rice added and the combination allowed to cook for another 2 hours or so until the rice is cooked through. Yum!

Up first is another “cyclist gets shot” from south TX. Man shot, killed while watching son ride bike and SAN ANTONIO MAN KILLED WHILE TEACHING SON HOW TO RIDE BIKE also San Antonio Man Killed While Teaching Son How to Ride Bike At this time LEO either don’t know or are not saying why the man was shot…

Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: Bike parking loses to BBQ in Sunnyvale, bike rider shot in Carson, and more bike giveaways And there is yet another “cyclist shot” story.

Our Daily Ted Pt. 2. 81-year old cyclist killed in San Bernardino rear-end collision Well, it was a good run while it lasted…

Update on another cyclist shooting. Canadian cyclist shot in random attack qualifies for Paris-Brest-Paris Now that he has healed I wish him the best of luck in the P-B-P ride.

A bit of Infrastructure! news from SC. 5 ideas from transportation planner Gabe Klein’s Peninsula Mobilty Report I don’t think bike sharing is going to work until they get some decent (Dutch quality) bicycle infrastructure.

Some Infrastructure news from the UK. Police fail to fine a single illegal cyclist in Grimsby town centre pedestrian zone in a year And despite there being no tickets issued for a year, there were no reported deaths or even injuries, just a few near misses. Because bicycles are not as deadly or even injurious as cars.

Another link to that Volvo system to help prevent wrecks between Volvos and cyclists using the correct brand(s) of cell phone(s). Volvo promotes bicycle safety with vehicle-to-cyclist technology I wonder how many more links I’ll get to the same story?

And on a similar tack, a “smart” dash run by a smart phone. A new bicycle dashboard, inspired by Audi and COBI. World’s Smartest Connected Biking System. I wonder if a smart phone is smart enough to run the Volvo and COBI apps at the same time, or do you need to have two phones?

And someone wrote a book about the Wounded Warrior Ride. New Commemorative Book Celebrates CanAm Veterans’ Challenge Bike Ride

And now I’m fresh outta links.

Billed @€0.02, Opus the Poet