Moving Pains

Yes, it hurts to move. It hurts to move all your stuff from one apartment to another, and it hurts even more to move yourself (with or without your stuff) after you've dinged you knee on a corner while you're moving from one apartment to another.

This move's highlights were:

1. Lots of labor. My home teacher, the Young Men, and Young Women all helped, in addition to their leaders and the usual supects (Jeremy, Craig, Dave, Dan, their spouses, and everyone I missed.)
2. Lots of boxes and bags. I was able to use some once-used moving boxes originally from our big faculty shuffle over the summer at work, along with paper boxes (the kind reams come in) and 20 bankers boxes. I have about 10 bankers boxes of just books. I also have about 10 bags of different sizes with all my camping and sports gear in it.
3. The shortest (distance) U-Haul rental ever. when we checked the truck (19.99) back in, we had driven 4 miles ($1/mile), used 1.5 gallons of gas ($2.51/gal), and paid taxes, for about 28 dollars. Best idea ever, except for:
4. The Best Idea Ever: My workbench was built on our deck, so I didn't even think about whether it would fit through the doors. It didn't. If I had cut the plywood in a perfectly straight line exactly as the plan called for, it probably would have, but I cut it a little wobbly and gave it an extra 1/4 inch (give or take) all around it. We couldn't just pick it up and lift it out because we were on the third floor. What to do? I did what any crazy climber-type would do. I got some retired climbing rope, paid out enough to reach the ground on one end, tied a knot around one end of the table, tied another around the other end, and we lowered it, with one guy on the ground pulling it away from the building and everyone else on top, making sure it didn't fall. It was great, and took all of 30 second to do. When we got to the new apartment, we just reversed the process.
5. Cleaning: Our vacuum wins the award for most durable and effective vacuum cleaner I've ever seen. If I was asked to give a testimonial for it, I'd say something like this: It cost us an arm and a leg, but man, it works. It picked up dog hair, more dog hair, nails, bits of wood, screws, dirt, lint, yet more dog hair, dirt, and assorted plastic and metal bits. I like it.
6. Time: It took me, personally, probably 15 hours to do this move, but Tracy did almost all of the packing, so she suffered more.

Cocoa is still getting used to the new place; she doesn't like it yet. We hope after we get all our stuff unpacked she'll feel more at home, but we may set up her kennel and keep her in it until she's comfortable.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Today is the 29th Anniversary of my parent's wedding. I'm not sure if Mom will post anything on her blog or not, but either way, pay it a visit at wisconsinscoresbys.blogspot.com. You can also find it, along with all the other family blogs at scoresbyscribble.blogspot.com. If Mom doesn't say anything, feel free to post your congratulations here. She'll see them. I'll make sure.

Anyway, Mom, Dad, Congratulations.

I can draw a map

I think it looks good, too:

















I made this for my Geography 110 class using Adobe Illustrator. There's a few problems, like the fact that my meridians don't all line up at the North Pole, and they aren't perfectly accurate, but the size of the lines covers most of it.

I hate being sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone once said that using multiple exclamation marks in a row is a sign of insanity. Good.

Monday night, Tracy came down with the flu, or maybe it was a cold. Meh. Either way, she had it for three days, then I got it just in time to miss work Friday and the camping trip I had planned with several other couples we know. I was feeling good enough on Satuday to go to the COPE course, participate some in the COPE Discovery Day activities, and get a sunburn.

On the plus side, someone must have told the BYU football team that winning would have made me feel better, because they put on a terrific show against Arizona, and beat them handily. I felt better (until this morning)

Also, I passed another Microsoft Training test, so now I'm just one test away from my MSCA on Windows Server 2003. Unfortunately, the only test left is the hardest one.

At school, my rock climbing class got canceled. Apparently, GMU thinks that 4 students aren't enough to hold a class. I think it's the perfect number for a rock climbing class. My geogrpahy class is going well, but I bought the wrong textbook from Amazon. The class is using the 4th edition of the textbook. I got the 1st. Oops.

Joe's Birthday

So,

For Joe's birthday I got Joe a D&D miniature game set. (For all those un-nerd people out there, D&D stands for Dungeons and Dragons. It's usually a role playing type game.) This miniature game set is more like a board game thing. Anyways, he made me play with him. Since it was his birthday, I gave in. It really is a dumb game, but someone doesn't turn over the hill everyday.

I completely slaughtered him. It was awesome. He demanded a rematch, and of course I wouldn't give him one. You gotta know when to stay ahead. :0) So this proves I am by far the best nerd!! Below is a picture of Joe after I slaughtered him in his nerd game!! :)
I, of course, rub it in as often as possible. Joe likes it, what can I say. Man, I love this guy!!!!

I did manage to surprise him on his B-day though. I told him that one of our good friend's son had to be rushed off to the hospital because he split his head open, and we were needed to watch their daughter. This of course was a lie, and they yelled surprise when he opened the door!! It was awesome.

Weedeaters on the Appalachian Trail.

Ah, the irony of it. Back in July, after my many, many activities, I got a reminder from my trail supervisor that the section of the AT that I maintain was, to put it bluntly, not being maintained. Yep, the last time I had been there, the trail was buried under snow. So, after I hurriedly shot an apologetic reply back, I planned to head to Shenandoah N.P. and weed my section of trail.

Now for the irony: The Appalachian Trail is generally considered a "Wilderness Experience". Much of the trail is designated wilderness, and as such, motorized vehicles and power tools are strictly forbidden (except in cases such as wildfires). Not so my section. My 1.1 miles are mostly flat, straight, and Not at all Wilderness. . . (well, not designated as such, that is)

So, four days later, Saturday morning (July 14th) at about 8:30, I'm at the Big Meadows tool shed, checking out the biggest, heaviest-duty weed eater the Club has stocked. (I believe it's a Stihl 110 or 130 [a 36cc engine])Yep. I'm going to weed-whack the Appalachian Trail.

I packed an entire extra container of gas and extra string, grabbed the trimmer, and the harness, and threw it all in the back of the Matrix and headed to the trailhead. I waited until a Ranger-led hike got underway and out of sight, then I really fired it up and went to town-- running a weed eater on the AT.


7 hours later, the section, just over a mile long, was cleared to a point where I was satisfied with it. My safety glasses, face, arms, clothes, shirt, pants and boots were covered in bits of grass, ferns, and various bits of ground cover, my ears were ringing from the motor revving, my hands were tingling, my arms were tired, and my allergies were on full alert. I cleaned the gear, returned it to the shed, and went home, a tired, but satisfied man.

I'm sure that by now, a month later, it's grown back to cover a lot of what I've trimmed. I need to get back out soon. Maybe this time, I can actually hike instead of just weed.

Classes

I'm a student again! I registered for two classes for fall semester. First: Geography 110: Introduction to Maps and Mapping. I should enjoy that class thoroughly. Second, Intermediate Rock Climbing. Enjoying this one isn't even a question, it's a matter of how disturbingly happy it'll be for me, especially since I don't have to pay any tuition for them.

On the downside: My time is no longer my own. Now I have to balance work, church, wife, and classes. Meh. Not fun.