Month: October 2006

All-hallow-even

As is my holiday tradition, I am listening to the The Mercury Theatre on the Air’s 1938 Halloween radio presentation of the War of the Worlds. Its available, along with most of the rest of the Mercury Theatre’s works, here: mercurytheatre.info

I didn’t listen to my next favorite version of The War of the Worlds, Jeff Wayne’s 2 CD rock musical version with narration by Richard Burton. Maybe I’ll take the CDs to work tomorrow. There is an upcoming CGI movie version coming out… Just watched the trailer for it and it gave me goose bumps.

I’m typing very quietly with all the lights off (except for the cyclops of the TV) because for the first time in history we are not handing out candy to kiddies. Nearly all the kids in our neighborhood are now too old for trick-or-treating. The only ones of proper age we have seen in recent years are driven into the area by their parents from far flung sections of the city. With the proliferation of church sponsored “fall festivals” and the mall, downtown businesses, city rec center candy giveaways, we didn’t think anyone would miss our one little household. Even the local college campus is holding a family friendly trick-or-treat event. And now we won’t have to deal with the too old trick-or-treater.

While talking of Halloween plans at work today, I mentioned most of what I said in the previous paragraph, my boss related a story of how several years back he had two, probably 16ish, teenagers dressed in their typical baggy pants plus ratty t-shirts holding plastic Wal-Mart bags ring his doorbell. One half heartedly mumbled, “Trick or treat.” The other didn’t speak because he was to busy exhaling cigarette smoke.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 438

Monday Moratorium

 
 

Started up went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 438

Field Number 9

Field Number 9Tuckered out from a long day yesterday, we went to bed early and then got up early, thereby missing out on the whole “get an extra hour of sleep” thing. After a normal breakfast we went for a nice walk in Hitchcock Woods. One of today’s photos made the grade and I used it for October’s entry in my 2006 Hitchcock Woods Gallery

At 11:30AM we had a date with Field Number 9. There was a baseball tournament going on at Citizen’s Park here in Aiken, our friend’s son Jared’s team was in it and we hadn’t seen him play in a while. When the game was over and we were leaving with Jared’s team having lost 10 to 3, his mom apologized about us having to see such a bad game. As Donna put it, I guess it is hard to be objective when you are a parent. It was a good game to watch for us because it was pretty well played baseball for 13-year olds, no real keystone cops type innings and the weather was near perfect. Sure the Bombers didn’t win, but it wasn’t so much that they lost, they got beat. The other team was hot and hit the stuffing out of the ball, didn’t matter who was on the mound.

Later in the afternoon the Emperor got a nice bath and because I was feeling magnanimous I waxed him as well.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 437

48,000 Leaves

OverlookThat is the average leaf count on a mature maple tree* and coincidentally, the mileage the Emperor passed on the way to to meet the participants of the MMC Leaf Peeping Expedition. Over 400 miles and 11 hours later we are home and just a little tuckered out.

We had pretty much the average turn out for our club on an event recently, 3 cars. I threatened to cancel if at least 4 cars didn’t show up, but that was an empty boast as my navigator told me that even if we were the only car we we going on the run. The six of us devoured enough breakfast at the Cracker Barrel to sustain us for a week in the Amazon before setting out in search of chlorophyll challenged leaves. The first 11 miles were Interstate, but after we got to two-lane blacktop 2/3 of the tops folded down. The sun was just beginning to peek over the tree tops and the temps were in the low 60’s so the windows and wind blockers were still up.

After our first pit stop and because one couple had yet to experience them, we made a stop at the Georgia Guidestones, AKA the American Stonehenge. The journey then continued up the eastern edge of Georgia. A quick dip into SC before ending up at Black Mountain State Park back in north Georgia. Two years ago when we did this trip with the Club we were about two weeks late and the vistas were of a uniform brown. This time we hit at just about peak and the mountains were very colorful.

Lunch was at the renown Dillard House just up the road from the state park. The six of us devoured enough food at lunch to sustain us on a circumnavigation of the globe. After eating we took a winding road to Highlands, NC where we lost one car to shopping in the downtown. Donna and I, along with, the appropriately named Autumn and Dave, gassed up and headed down the mountain and back into SC.

Highway 28 from Highlands back to the flatlands is a great Miata road full of twists and turns and all manner of decreasing radius bends. I won’t mention any names, but one of this crew really regretted the amount of food they consumed at lunch. About halfway through the good stuff we came up on a Mazda Tribute (the mini-SUV) who obliviously didn’t get zoom-zoom memo. He was going around the turns so slow we could have passed him on a skateboard. With no place to really pass and with two cars to boot we played whip with him for about 20 miles, alternately slowing way down letting him get a “big” head start and then charging back at a more appropriate Miata speed.

Awesome trip, but a long day, so I’m glad we only do it once a year.

* Oh yeah, I made that leaf count statistic up so it would fit the car’s mileage.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 436

North Forty

Parking LotFaithful readers will know that I park the Emperor out in the north forty of ASCO’s parking lot. You johnny-come-latelys do now too. Well now I have the satellite photo to prove it. Look almost at exactly 12 o’clock in the attached photo, see that little bright speck (I must have been using the cockpit cover the day the Googlesat1 flew by), that’s the Miata.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 435

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tomorrow at work the Activities Committee is having a bake sale and they asked that Donna make some of her famous Chocolate Chip Cookies. So tonight I had the horrible job of stirring raw ingredients into a bowl of dough. And of course I had to dispose of the not so round and pretty ones that are unfit for sale.

It is a variation of the recipe that came out of a Betty Crocker Cookbook. Change one is the recipe calls for 2/3 cup margarine and 2/3 cup shortening, we just use 1-1/3 cups margarine. Through experimentation we have found that the cheaper the better. Our current favorite is the Kroger brand for 39¢ a pound. The second change is the addition of a little bit of coconut. This makes them just a little moister. Do not use a mixer, a wooden spoon and your arm to stir is all you need.

1 1/3 cups margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
3?1/2 ounces sweetened coconut
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375.
Mix thoroughly margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar, soda, eggs & vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients, one at a time in the order listed. I usually add in the flour a cup at a time. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.

Happy eating…

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 434

32 Minutes 34 Seconds In

Red Sky In MorningThis morning, as I passed by the front door of ASCO with my ice and water filled mug, I noticed the sunrise was very vivid. While I stood and watched, the Plant Manager walked up to me on the way to his office and asked what was up. I pointed to the sky and said, “Nice sunrise. You’re the Grand Poobah, announce on the PA system for everyone to stop work and report to the front lawn to watch this.” He paused a second, as if thinking about the possible ramifications, and replied, “I wish I could.”

Our crowd of two attracted the attention of the Resident Engineer who came over to see what we were seeing. He knew I take pictures as an affliction, so he asked where my camera was. It was in the front of my lunch bag, I told him so, followed by, “See ya.” I went back to my desk, grabbed the camera and went out to the side door to snap a couple images. Across the street was the, now quiet, Western Carolina State Fair with an orange sky as a backdrop.

Let me apologize to the legion of Goonie fans out there, the title to this post is where I hit the eject button on the DVD of “The Goonies” tonight.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 432