Category: Unrelated News

Back in the routine

Today I went back to my exercise class. I have been out of it for a couple of months while training for my half marathon. Looking back on it now, I think I should have continued to go one day a week. It would have meant doing some kind of hard exercise 5-6 days a week, but I think it would have helped me keep my core strength up. By the end of all the running I felt a bit under toned/developed. I tried to keep up a weight lifting routine to supplement the running, but I just was not disciplined enough.

I remember saying this same thing last year. That is why I worked harder at the weights this time around. But, alas, I still did not keep it up like I should have. I just hope I don’t end up as sore as I did last year.

Can you explain this?

I was playing with my wife’s Mac tonight and was prompted to update to the newest version of Adium (instant message client). Here is a screen shot. Which option do I choose?

Which do I choose?

Text reads: Adium has been updated. Do you want to allow the new version to access the same keychain items (such as passwords) as the previous version? This change is permanant and affects all keychain items used by Adium.

My choices are: “Don’t Change” and “Change All”

So which one is “Yes, Allow” and which is “No, Don’t Allow”?

It was a check valve

What is it?Thank you to those of you who played along with my post last week asking what you thought the pictured object was.

I had a couple of friends in IRC guess (or at least get close to guessing) that it was a check valve. I pulled it off the end of the pipe that goes into my cistern.

My water pump had been making an awful racket and needed to be re-built. It really is a simple thing and I got a recommendation for a man to rebuild it. Though, like always, it took longer than he had said it would take. After getting the pump back from the repair shop, I discovered that probably the reason the pump had gotten worn out and needed new bearings and seals was that it was not holding its prime. The pump itself is not responsible for keeping primed, rather there is a check valve that keeps the water in the pump. That valve, the one pictured, was worn out.

Coming out of the cisternTo disconnect the pipe that held the check valve, I had to get into the cistern. Not fun! I was thinking that was what it would take, but did not want to take the plunge without a second opinion. I called a friend to come and help me. He agreed that getting into the cistern was the only way to get enough leverage on the pipe with the pipe wrench. Down I went. I checked for spiders and scorpions as soon as I got in. There was only one spider and it was a good distance from me. So I let it live.

After getting the pipe out and replacing the check valve, it was a simple mission to put it all back together. It took several hours, but was only a $12 repair.

The new check valve is brass and plastic–not near as decorative as the copper one that I took off. I will keep the copper one just because it is neat looking. I might be able to incorporate it into some fancy montage in my retirement home.

Spot: Feb 2007-Sept 2007

This week saw the passing away of our pet hamster Spot. He seems to have died of an illness or natural causes. He had been well and chipper early in the afternoon. Later that day (Wednesday) he was breathing hard and his heart rate was elevated. He did not physically respond when petted.

It was pretty obvious that he was not going to make it and within 15 minutes of noticing his distress he had died.

My wife and I are not really pet people and this is our children’s first pets (the 2 hamsters). We did have some fish a few years ago, but you don’t get real personally attached to a fish.

It is our children’s first dealings with death on this level. Our daughter does not understand much at all of what went on, but our son was quite close to the little fellow. We still have Fluffy to give us solace.