I learn to load/unload my kayak successfully

At last, a breakthrough in the issue I've had with loading and unloading my kayak on my car!

Last year, after purchasing a new car with a nice, fancy spoiler on the back, I realized that my old method of loading my kayak from the back of the car wasn't going to work anymore. I purchased a new rack system (Yakima BoatLoader http://www.yakima.com/racks/kayak-rack/product/8004018/boatloader.aspx) that allows me to load the boat from the side.

It sounded so simple...extend the rod from the front crossbar, put the bow of the boat on the extended rod, lift the back of the boat onto the saddles and then move the front of the boat onto the saddles.

While the boat is very light (42 lbs), I'm short, the boat is close to 3x my size and I just didn't get how to maneuver the boat correctly. One day, after an annoyingly nasty paddle --it was hot, the river was full of nasty vegetation, and there were too many bugs, I dropped the boat onto the new car while trying to load it. I was lucky that it was a glancing blow and I was able to polish out the scuff marks and the surface scratches. And the boat suffered no damage. But I was traumatized by the experience!

I avoided kayaking for the rest of the season :-(

This year, I gathered up my courage and decided to get over this phobia I had for loading the boat. And, I'm glad to say, I have achieved success. I realized that instead of trying to handle the boat from the handles on the top of the bow or aft ends of the boat, I needed to move the boat from underneath and from the MIDDLE of the boat, not the ends.

Here's how think I'm doing in (I'll need to observe more carefully next time to see if this is how it's working):

1. Grab the boat by the bow handle and balance it on the extended rod at the front of the rack system.
2. Hold onto the boat by the coming of the cockpit with one hand and and underneath the hull with the other hand (this is a little tricky as the boat tends to want to slide downwards at this point -- I have to move quickly). Then I lift the boat up so I can get the back of the boat on the rear saddles. At this point, the back of the boat is on the saddles and the front is balanced on the extended rod.
3. At the bow side of the boat, I push up from under the hull and position the bow on the front saddles.

Getting it off is similar.

1. I hold the boat from under the hull to get the bow end on the extended rod.
2. Then, again, working from the cockpit area, I grab the coming of the cockpit, keeping one hand underneath the hull, and lift the back of the boat off the rear saddles.
3. Finally, I put the back of the boat down on the ground, and holding onto the coming of the cockpit to keep the boat from sliding, move forward so I can move the bow of the boat off the extended rod.

I've done this a couple of times and it's getting easier. I'm feeling a lot more motivated now to get out on the water. One small, but important personal accomplishment. :-)

Somethingawful.com

Never heard of this site until a co-worker sent the following link:

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/photoshop-phriday/unnecessary-advertisements.php

I think this site might rate right up there with despair.com ...another of my favorite website.

And I quote (directly from the website)

"Something Awful has been mocking itself and the internet since 1999, bringing you reviews of the worst movies, video games, and websites to ever exist. If it's something and it's awful, it's probably on Something Awful, where the internet makes you stupid."

tee hee ;-)

Sheep and phones...

A friend of mine forward the following link to me:

http://www.sonnyradio.com/oldphones.htm

If you like sheep and great ways of recycling old phones, take a look. :-)

iPhone mania

Despite all the reports of servers being down and so forth, I was able to update my iPhone to the new software without any problems. Of course, I did the update at 2:00 in the morning :-). I did hear that the lines were crazy, though. My friend said that up in New Hampshire, the line at mid-day had over 500 people in it (and the store opened at 8 am). At 3:00, there were about 200 people on line. You'd think that the iPhone was only going to be available on the one day.

To be honest, I don't see a whole lot of difference between the old and the new OS. The push mail thing might be interesting. There are some extra settings and so forth. And the App Store is fun. I downloaded a number of applications (mostly the free ones) that looked interesting. So far, I have: Pandora radio, TruPhone (for international calls via Wi-Fi, Yellow Pages (YPMobile), yelp, and Starmap. Of course, I haven't actually *used* any of them. I'll have to report back in a couple of weeks on whether I find a use for any of these apps.

I have noticed a bit of flaky behavior. Entering passwords is flaky...the software first displays each letter I type before changing it to the dot symbol. And sometimes, I get weird screen repainting as I type each letter. And then, there is a bit of slowness in some of my standard apps. But, nothing that isn't tolerable, at this point.

I'm a bit surprised at the interest in getting the 1st generation iPhone instead of the 3G phone. Maybe it's because the 3G plan is pricey. My friend sold his 1st gen phone while on line to get his 3G phone for $400! (and it's a used phone --- it's in good condition, but still...). I know someone else who is planning to get a 1st gen phone instead of the 3G, again because of the phone/data plan costs. He's planning to get his from craigslist (and there are quite a few phones available).

We do love our iPhones...not because they're better than a BlackBerry...but because of the coolness factor. That's the main reason that I love my iPhone!

Food pairings

Interesting article from Real Simple (http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/27/rs.food.pairings/index.html) about food pairings.

For example:

Pair grilled steak with brussel sprouts. The mini-cabbage like creatures counteract the potential carcinogens found in grilled foods.

Pair tomatoes and avocados. The avocados help you to absorb more of the lycopene in tomatoes.

Pair oranges and spinach. The vitamin C in the oranges helps you to absorb the iron in the spinach.

Do not pair alcohol with energy drinks or diet drinks. Pairing alcohol with energy drinks can cause nervous system stress (breathing problems, heart palpitations). And you're likely to get drunk faster if using diet drinks mixed with alcohol.

Do not pair coffee (or tea, or hot cocoa) and breakfast cereal. The antioxidants in coffee prevent the absorption of the iron that are in most fortified cereals. Instead, drink your hot beverage an hour before or after the breakfast cereal.

iPhone and iRetroPhone

Next month, the iPhone software update is coming. Along with that, is the new App Store with new iPhone applications. What fun. I'm looking forward to the new "toys" that I can put on my phone.

One such application turns the iPhone display into a rotary phone display, complete with realisting rotary dial sounds. How delightfully ironic. Here's the link:
http://dvice.com/archives/2008/06/iretrophone_tur.php

I thought about upgrading my iPhone to the new 3G version, but it would cost another $15 per month and another $199 for the phone. I think my current iPhone serves me well enough. For now, I think I can live without 3G speed (although, I do want it...the EDGE network can be sooooo slow); just can't justify the cost.

Wired...for FIOS

Somehow, our condo association made some deal with Verizon to have our buildings wired for FIOS. Today, the electricians came in for Phase 1 -- adding the conduit to hold the fiber optic cables. Our utilitie cables/wires are underground, so the Ditch Witches are out, digging the trenches for the cables.

I'm looking forward to the fast speeds of fiber optics to the home. I plan to sign up for the full FIOS package, once it's available. And that's the tough part. It's unclear when we'll actually be able to get FIOS installed. There are agreements with the town, I think, that have to happen. And I'm sure our current cable company will fight to prevent the change in the monopolistic hold on the town.

But...I'm guessing that it's all too late for the resident cable company. FIOS is coming!