1.ii.2012
0149- on the internet
0952- getting ready to go into work
1446- tea time
1742- packing up the truck
Random Fact- the size of hybrid zones in birds varies widely- in the tropics some zones are only a mile or so wide while in the central US zone can be hundreds of miles wide.
Lunch- Cheesy Cheddar steak burger
Dinner- lots of salami
The best part of today was (as it always is) getting sequences back. Even awesomer was the fact only 5 of the 86 reactions I did failed (less awesome was getting a parking ticket while waiting for sequencer to open the files). I also had my Skype discussion today, which went well except for that when I asked a question my computer crashed and by the time I got it up and running again they had moved on to a different topic. Luckily I had tea with Kevin right after so I got to ask him about avian hybrid zones. Loading up the truck took forever- it seemed like my stuff was scattered more than usual but I eventually got on the road about 1930. Since I don't have a real phone charger the drive was kinda lame- I couldn't talk on the phone or listen to an audio book, but I made it work.
2.ii.2012
0451- sleeping
0937- getting ready to head off again
1323- driving
1940- hanging out with Brad
Random Fact- Traveling to Hong Kong does not have the same visa requirements as China itself- as long as you stay on the island you can just pick up a tourist visa when you arrive.
Lunch- the rest of the salami
Dinner- Plate at Layne's
After sleeping at a truckstop in Little Rock I drove the rest of the way to CS arriving about 1630 after 100+ miles of rain. It was amazing seeing some green grass and the lake levels starting to come up after the awful drought we've had the past year. Brad and I got dinner at Layne's, and went to Best Buy so I could get a phone charger. I almost lost the charger though because I dropped part of it in the store, luckily I checked before we drove off and I was able to relocate it. Today's excitement though was finally getting my Philippines tickets purchased. Now we just have to come up with the itinerary so I know what gear to bring.
3.ii.2010
0601- sleeping
0721- getting ready to head in to the lab
1131- at work
1944- at Sodalaks with Eric
Random Fact- The Schmidt Sting Pain Index rates the relative pain/sensations caused by hymenopteran stings. The descriptions are rather amusing...
Lunch- Lamb Kebabs
Dinner- steak and potato salad at Sodalaks
We had an amazing thunderstorm this evening, it featured tornado warnings, hail, strong winds, and a couple inches of rain. Eric and I met up for dinner at the new Sodalaks (the one in the hole, as everyone apparently identifies it) and when the hail started a waitress opened a door to see if it was hail or not (it was). Only problem was the door got stuck open, she got soaked and ran away, and by the time they got the door closed again there was a pretty nice flood going on. At this point they closed the restaurant (but we had already placed our orders) and the entertainment portion of the night started- 6 waitresses trying to push all the water back out the door. Ironically the 12 year old helper had the right idea of using 1 squeegee perpendicular to the door while the others parallel, but the older waitresses didn't like the idea and went back to pushing 3/4 of the water into the walls with every swipe.
4.ii.2012
0423- sleeping
0939- still sleeping
1052- starting to wake up
1706- playing WoW
Random fact- Midland, TX has gotten more snow than Chicago, IL this year.
Lunch/Dinner- chili and bread
Took the birds out about noon, but both of them were being kinda pissy, they're still a bit heavy from the trip, so nothing too exciting today in that regard. After dropping them off back home I went over to Jim Cathey's so we could try and figure out why Betsy's hazard lights don't work. We ruled out all the easy things, so now it's going to be a major challenge, unless I get really, really lucky and it turns out to be a missing relay (which doesn't appear to be located where the diagrams say it is). I spent the rest of the day playing WoW and working on my sequences. I got everything aligned, even the 12s wasn't too difficult to fit into place.
Showing posts with label trucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trucks. Show all posts
05 February 2012
21 January 2012
the Texas truck rebellion
0221- just about to fall asleep
0813- sleeping
1021- still sleeping- I woke up at 1032, exactly 8 hrs after I went to sleep. At this time I was dreaming about a BBQ beef sandwich…
1834- about to go pick up Massimo so we can head to the rec
Random fact- Indoor plumbing (with hot and cold water even) was available for the very wealthy even in the 1850s. Hot water was heated in the basement, and both hot and cold water was stored in the attic for use.
Lunch- steak and shake
Dinner- tacos
Well my poor Red Devil's battery gave up the ghost this morning, so I caught a ride in with Brendan (who's car stalled 3 times on his first trip into work... guess our vehicles are as Texan as we are). Work was pretty uneventful- sorted some samples for Argentina, extracted some images, had hot chocolate, and went to the 3rd session of the language study I'm doing. Brendan, Massimo, and I went to the rec- ran a mile (9.30), rowed for 1015m (5.35), and lifted. It started snowing sometime while we were in the rec, so we walked outside to a pretty decent layer of snow, sadness. Then we grabbed dinner and went back to my place to work on the puzzle, drink wine, and eat cobbler.
0813- sleeping
1021- still sleeping- I woke up at 1032, exactly 8 hrs after I went to sleep. At this time I was dreaming about a BBQ beef sandwich…
1834- about to go pick up Massimo so we can head to the rec
Random fact- Indoor plumbing (with hot and cold water even) was available for the very wealthy even in the 1850s. Hot water was heated in the basement, and both hot and cold water was stored in the attic for use.
Lunch- steak and shake
Dinner- tacos
Well my poor Red Devil's battery gave up the ghost this morning, so I caught a ride in with Brendan (who's car stalled 3 times on his first trip into work... guess our vehicles are as Texan as we are). Work was pretty uneventful- sorted some samples for Argentina, extracted some images, had hot chocolate, and went to the 3rd session of the language study I'm doing. Brendan, Massimo, and I went to the rec- ran a mile (9.30), rowed for 1015m (5.35), and lifted. It started snowing sometime while we were in the rec, so we walked outside to a pretty decent layer of snow, sadness. Then we grabbed dinner and went back to my place to work on the puzzle, drink wine, and eat cobbler.
10 January 2012
Lots of days
5 i 2012
0526 sleeping
0732 sleeping
1814 on the way back to College Station from Sawdust Ranch
2208 drinking on northgate
Random fact- 40% of all lab acquired infections are bacteria caused.
Lunch- lamb kebabs
Dinner- Freddy burger at the Chicken
Met up with Shawn and we went out to his father-in-laws ranch near Carlos. First I resighted in my rifle, (shooting off sticks is harder then the truck), and then headed to the blind. Saw one doe for a few seconds (but no way to get a shot off), and had a really good view of a young buck, but its an antlerless permit so no go. Seeing that buck though really helped my confidence level because that was defiantly a shot I could have made. Met up with Maria and Courtney at Northgate, and found out Courtney's been getting emails for a friend of mine who has an almost identical e-mail address it's a small world.
6 i 2012
0130 building my lego house
0814 sleeping
1937 eating dinner with Maria
2150 getting internet at Nagle
Random Fact- Hendra virus is transmitted by flying fox that is currently circulating in Australia. It's killed about 20 horses this past year.
Lunch- leftover Hakiu
Dinner- sweet and sour shrimp
Poor Maria was sick today, so we ended up not heading to Alabama so instead I went into Nagle and told Jim Cathey about the email confusion with Courtney. Then I went and sat on the steps of Nagle to eat my lunch. Talked to a bunch of physical plant guys as they walked by (offered them some California rolls when they asked if I had enough for them, they declined). Its one of the big differences I notice between A&M and UIUC- there isn't nearly the "class" divide here at A&M between staff and students. Overall it was a perfect day in Aggieland, with great weather and I even got some work done...
7 i 2012
1005- trying to get the energy to get out of bed
1148- at Target
1721- driving
1959- still driving
Random fact- There are 8 extant species of pangolin
Lunch- leftover sweet and sour shrimp
Spent the day driving from College Station to my parents place in Trinity, AL. We also picked up my truck in Demopolis, AL which is truly a classy town. While sitting at the gas station a woman flipped out screaming her boyfriend was going to kill her over the mess her dog made in his car while she was inside buying a coke. What was the mess you may ask? A sudden litter of puppies... Looks like I bought some bad diesel as there was a ton of water in my tanks, now that that's been filtered and the injectors cleaned Betsy runs better than ever.
8 i 2012
1208- eating breakfast
1421- at Costco
2005- waiting for my little brother to appear while finishing up dinner
2339- watching TV
Random fact- Piperton, TN is a huge speed trap, ask my poor brother...
Dinner- burgers
My sister and I arrived around 0300 and after getting the dogs settled in and a quick snack we went to bed. The last 100 miles were really foggy and while there wasn't much traffic there was a bus on the road which was driving pretty erratically. We spent the day mostly lounging around, although we did go to Costco and Mass in the afternoon. Dumas and Schubert get along great, as do Dumas and Daphers, but Daphers and Schubert aren't exactly buddies, it made TV watching a bit of a challenge this evening, but it worked out. Its always nice having all of us back together [HRE]
9 i 2012
0926- sleeping
1126- eating breakfast- apple crepes
1725- watching TV and waiting for my dad to get home
2206- watching the national championship game (Roll Tide)
Random fact- The game today was the first shut out in a BCS national championship game. The Alabama coach, Nick Saban, was also the first coach to win the BCS championship 3 times (2x with Bama and once with LSU).
Dinner- Steak and potato salad with a Shiner
Spent the day tweaking various analyses- my Deltocephalini clade isn't coming out monophyletic. We also let the dogs run around most of the day, which mostly consisted of Daphers barking constantly, Shubert hiding on the couch, and Dumas running around the house. The highlight of the day though was watching bama win the national championship over LSU. We decided to recreate steak sales- my dad and brother (being both Knights, by brother even wearing his steak sale shirt) cooked up the steaks, which we finished eating just as the game started. To celebrate the victory my sister and I went into Decatur to buy t-shirts at Martins (which seemed to be where half the town was), but they were already sold out of mediums.
0526 sleeping
0732 sleeping
1814 on the way back to College Station from Sawdust Ranch
2208 drinking on northgate
Random fact- 40% of all lab acquired infections are bacteria caused.
Lunch- lamb kebabs
Dinner- Freddy burger at the Chicken
Met up with Shawn and we went out to his father-in-laws ranch near Carlos. First I resighted in my rifle, (shooting off sticks is harder then the truck), and then headed to the blind. Saw one doe for a few seconds (but no way to get a shot off), and had a really good view of a young buck, but its an antlerless permit so no go. Seeing that buck though really helped my confidence level because that was defiantly a shot I could have made. Met up with Maria and Courtney at Northgate, and found out Courtney's been getting emails for a friend of mine who has an almost identical e-mail address it's a small world.
6 i 2012
0130 building my lego house
0814 sleeping
1937 eating dinner with Maria
2150 getting internet at Nagle
Random Fact- Hendra virus is transmitted by flying fox that is currently circulating in Australia. It's killed about 20 horses this past year.
Lunch- leftover Hakiu
Dinner- sweet and sour shrimp
Poor Maria was sick today, so we ended up not heading to Alabama so instead I went into Nagle and told Jim Cathey about the email confusion with Courtney. Then I went and sat on the steps of Nagle to eat my lunch. Talked to a bunch of physical plant guys as they walked by (offered them some California rolls when they asked if I had enough for them, they declined). Its one of the big differences I notice between A&M and UIUC- there isn't nearly the "class" divide here at A&M between staff and students. Overall it was a perfect day in Aggieland, with great weather and I even got some work done...
7 i 2012
1005- trying to get the energy to get out of bed
1148- at Target
1721- driving
1959- still driving
Random fact- There are 8 extant species of pangolin
Lunch- leftover sweet and sour shrimp
Spent the day driving from College Station to my parents place in Trinity, AL. We also picked up my truck in Demopolis, AL which is truly a classy town. While sitting at the gas station a woman flipped out screaming her boyfriend was going to kill her over the mess her dog made in his car while she was inside buying a coke. What was the mess you may ask? A sudden litter of puppies... Looks like I bought some bad diesel as there was a ton of water in my tanks, now that that's been filtered and the injectors cleaned Betsy runs better than ever.
8 i 2012
1208- eating breakfast
1421- at Costco
2005- waiting for my little brother to appear while finishing up dinner
2339- watching TV
Random fact- Piperton, TN is a huge speed trap, ask my poor brother...
Dinner- burgers
My sister and I arrived around 0300 and after getting the dogs settled in and a quick snack we went to bed. The last 100 miles were really foggy and while there wasn't much traffic there was a bus on the road which was driving pretty erratically. We spent the day mostly lounging around, although we did go to Costco and Mass in the afternoon. Dumas and Schubert get along great, as do Dumas and Daphers, but Daphers and Schubert aren't exactly buddies, it made TV watching a bit of a challenge this evening, but it worked out. Its always nice having all of us back together [HRE]
9 i 2012
0926- sleeping
1126- eating breakfast- apple crepes
1725- watching TV and waiting for my dad to get home
2206- watching the national championship game (Roll Tide)
Random fact- The game today was the first shut out in a BCS national championship game. The Alabama coach, Nick Saban, was also the first coach to win the BCS championship 3 times (2x with Bama and once with LSU).
Dinner- Steak and potato salad with a Shiner
Spent the day tweaking various analyses- my Deltocephalini clade isn't coming out monophyletic. We also let the dogs run around most of the day, which mostly consisted of Daphers barking constantly, Shubert hiding on the couch, and Dumas running around the house. The highlight of the day though was watching bama win the national championship over LSU. We decided to recreate steak sales- my dad and brother (being both Knights, by brother even wearing his steak sale shirt) cooked up the steaks, which we finished eating just as the game started. To celebrate the victory my sister and I went into Decatur to buy t-shirts at Martins (which seemed to be where half the town was), but they were already sold out of mediums.
22 December 2011
All kinds of fun
20 xii 2011
0247- sleeping
0333- sleeping
2153- Finishing up our Double Dave's
2357- Trying to pack up so I can leave early tomorrow
Lunch-some ham and cheese
Dinner- pizza rolls
Random Fact- Texas A&M is one of 6 Senior Military Colleges in the US, and supplied more officers in WWII then the combined totals of the US Naval Academy, and US Military Academy (and more than 3times the total of any other Senior Military College)
Worked on campus most of the day and got another 100 specimens databased. Eric dropped me off at the mechanic and I picked up my truck. I went out to Dale's to show them the pictures, and noticed my truck was leaking some antifreeze and also diesel was seeping out from under the fuel cap. It got worse as I drove around more this evening, but when I went to syphon some fuel out of the tank it was all back to normal. Spent the rest of the night gathering my stuff to head east tomorrow, I'd like to leave shortly after Dumas's vet appointment so I don't get into MO too late.
21 xii 2011
0656- sleeping
0856- running out the door to go pick up Dumas out at Dale's
1331- waiting for my truck to get refixed
1418- still waiting for my truck, I've managed to replace the air filter at my sisters apartment and make her a sign welcoming her home from the engineering building
Lunch-left over Double Dave's pizza rolls
Random Fact- Leptospirosis is a disease in mammals caused by a spirochaete bacterium. Dumas got his booster shot for this today.
Day started as planned- got up too early and took Dumas to the vet where the vet was happy to see a dog that wasn't over weight. Got home and noticed there was a bunch of antifreeze in the parking lot where my truck was parked, let the truck cool down and discovered no coolant in the radiator. Poured 2g of water in and then took it to the shop where it was discovered the gasket on the thermostat wasn't properly sealed. Finally was on my way 6 hrs later than planned, and had an uneventful drive until just after I crossed into Alabama about 0300 when my truck stalled. Got out and diesel was coming out the rear tank and I had no fuel in the filter, so I primed the engine and 3 miles later it stalled again so I called AAA.
22 xii 2011
0232- driving through Mississippi
0319- getting my engine primed
1854- at my parents getting ready for dinner
2352- bout to go to bed, not sleeping last night is catching up, but the CNBC special on the Mexican Drug War is really interesting
Lunch-left over pizza
Dinner- chili cheese dog
Random Fact- Mexican drug cartels are involved with importing 70% of the drugs which enter the US. Joaquin Guzman, the head of one of the cartels is one of the richest and most powerful men in the world according to Forbes
The tow truck arrived at about 530, we loaded up Betsy, and headed towards Birmingham. At 615 I called Mike and asked if he knew of any diesel mechanics in that area (the only one he could find was the Ford dealership). The tow truck didn't want to start when we stopped for some snacks, but after fiddling with the fuel pump we were back on the road. Ended up getting picked up by my mom in Tuscaloosa and Betsy went to a shop the tow guy (who also owns land for rock disposal in 4 states, 15 tow trucks, and 2 mechanic shops including a semi truck/diesel shop) owned there. We dropped off Dumas at the kennel and then had a lazy day at home since we were all pretty tired (and to top it off my mom has bronchitis).
0247- sleeping
0333- sleeping
2153- Finishing up our Double Dave's
2357- Trying to pack up so I can leave early tomorrow
Lunch-some ham and cheese
Dinner- pizza rolls
Random Fact- Texas A&M is one of 6 Senior Military Colleges in the US, and supplied more officers in WWII then the combined totals of the US Naval Academy, and US Military Academy (and more than 3times the total of any other Senior Military College)
Worked on campus most of the day and got another 100 specimens databased. Eric dropped me off at the mechanic and I picked up my truck. I went out to Dale's to show them the pictures, and noticed my truck was leaking some antifreeze and also diesel was seeping out from under the fuel cap. It got worse as I drove around more this evening, but when I went to syphon some fuel out of the tank it was all back to normal. Spent the rest of the night gathering my stuff to head east tomorrow, I'd like to leave shortly after Dumas's vet appointment so I don't get into MO too late.
21 xii 2011
0656- sleeping
0856- running out the door to go pick up Dumas out at Dale's
1331- waiting for my truck to get refixed
1418- still waiting for my truck, I've managed to replace the air filter at my sisters apartment and make her a sign welcoming her home from the engineering building
Lunch-left over Double Dave's pizza rolls
Random Fact- Leptospirosis is a disease in mammals caused by a spirochaete bacterium. Dumas got his booster shot for this today.
Day started as planned- got up too early and took Dumas to the vet where the vet was happy to see a dog that wasn't over weight. Got home and noticed there was a bunch of antifreeze in the parking lot where my truck was parked, let the truck cool down and discovered no coolant in the radiator. Poured 2g of water in and then took it to the shop where it was discovered the gasket on the thermostat wasn't properly sealed. Finally was on my way 6 hrs later than planned, and had an uneventful drive until just after I crossed into Alabama about 0300 when my truck stalled. Got out and diesel was coming out the rear tank and I had no fuel in the filter, so I primed the engine and 3 miles later it stalled again so I called AAA.
22 xii 2011
0232- driving through Mississippi
0319- getting my engine primed
1854- at my parents getting ready for dinner
2352- bout to go to bed, not sleeping last night is catching up, but the CNBC special on the Mexican Drug War is really interesting
Lunch-left over pizza
Dinner- chili cheese dog
Random Fact- Mexican drug cartels are involved with importing 70% of the drugs which enter the US. Joaquin Guzman, the head of one of the cartels is one of the richest and most powerful men in the world according to Forbes
The tow truck arrived at about 530, we loaded up Betsy, and headed towards Birmingham. At 615 I called Mike and asked if he knew of any diesel mechanics in that area (the only one he could find was the Ford dealership). The tow truck didn't want to start when we stopped for some snacks, but after fiddling with the fuel pump we were back on the road. Ended up getting picked up by my mom in Tuscaloosa and Betsy went to a shop the tow guy (who also owns land for rock disposal in 4 states, 15 tow trucks, and 2 mechanic shops including a semi truck/diesel shop) owned there. We dropped off Dumas at the kennel and then had a lazy day at home since we were all pretty tired (and to top it off my mom has bronchitis).
20 December 2011
Almost done databasing (for now)
0712- sleeping
0852- sleeping
1408- databasing leafhoppers from the Snow Collection in Kansas
1710- out at Dales picking up my truck so I can take it to the shop and get the thermostat replaced
Dinner- Chicken and Rice Casserol my mom made and vaccum packed
Random Fact- From The Weather Channel- A white Christmas is defined as having one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. No snow actually has to fall on Christmas Day
Worked on my database for a while- I'm over 7,000 specimens and have another 600 to go or so. Maria and I went to Gander Mountain and I picked out the rifle I want- a Remington 700 .270, I need to make sure they have it at the store in Amarillo. In other news, I apparenlty picked up the cold my mom brought home from New Zealand so guess I can't go see Brad/Kira/Simon as I'd hoped. Betsy is in the shop, her thermostat is stuck open so the engine is running about 140F instead of 180F, figured I should get that fixed before I go to the land of snow and ice (New Mexico). My sister's TA gave her a game- Machinarium, where you are guiding a robot through a series of puzzels, its really pretty fun.
0852- sleeping
1408- databasing leafhoppers from the Snow Collection in Kansas
1710- out at Dales picking up my truck so I can take it to the shop and get the thermostat replaced
Dinner- Chicken and Rice Casserol my mom made and vaccum packed
Random Fact- From The Weather Channel- A white Christmas is defined as having one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. No snow actually has to fall on Christmas Day
Worked on my database for a while- I'm over 7,000 specimens and have another 600 to go or so. Maria and I went to Gander Mountain and I picked out the rifle I want- a Remington 700 .270, I need to make sure they have it at the store in Amarillo. In other news, I apparenlty picked up the cold my mom brought home from New Zealand so guess I can't go see Brad/Kira/Simon as I'd hoped. Betsy is in the shop, her thermostat is stuck open so the engine is running about 140F instead of 180F, figured I should get that fixed before I go to the land of snow and ice (New Mexico). My sister's TA gave her a game- Machinarium, where you are guiding a robot through a series of puzzels, its really pretty fun.
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