How to be a Smartass

If you're halfway technologically minded, you probably get asked questions all the time that you end up looking up and subsequently reporting back to the person asking. Most of the time, when I get asked something, I end up googling it to find an answer. If you find that you are fed up with doing the legwork for others, send them the hint by providing a link to "Let Me Google That For You." The process is simple. You visit the page and enter the question to which this person wants an answer. The website provides you with a link to send to the asker. When they click on the link, it takes them to this website, which shows a short video of how easy it would have been for them to enter the question themselves into google, and then provides them with google's answer. You'll have to visit the site to see what I'm talking about. Kinda funny.

Credit Card Follow-Up

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with those $0.25 charges appearing on people's statements, but a major security breach was reported by Heartland Payment Systems. This company processes many purchases made by consumers on their credit cards. It is reported to be one of the largest infiltrations, and it could turn out to be the biggest one to date. Just another reason to keep up with your bank accounts and charges made on your cards. I use Quicken, and although it has its quirks, I still love it. It has an intuitive interface, and you can connect it to just about all your accounts. Some accounts, such as through Chase, require you to login to your account online and download from the website, but most are available as a direct connect through the program. For you accounting types, QuickBooks may suit you better.

Temple of Beer

Here is a temple made out of recycled bottles.

Hipster Bingo

Check Your Credit Card

I heard this report that there are tons of credit cards who have been recently compromised. Thieves are charging a minimal $0.25 charge on millions of cards in an apparent effort to deposit millions of dollars. Check your statement.

I'm So Bad

Well, today was supposed to be a day of catching up...of doing homework. Yeah, I got a little done, that's for sure. I was definitely glad I had the day off. I had to prepare for my labs tomorrow, for one thing. It'll be my first Geography Labs for this semester. I really lucked out this semester, because I've only got one class. By that I mean I only have one class to teach. I have 4 labs this semester, but they'll all be the same class. Last semester I had 3 different labs (5 total). So this semester will be a lot easier.

Anyway, I haven't exactly been just working on getting my syllabi ready. I've been shopping too. I'm so bad!! Ok, I just couldn't help myself. After being out on the trails with my buddies this weekend I was resolved to move on up to a 29" mountain bike. I've been thinking about it for a while now. I honestly felt like I was out of the loop with my measly 26" frame. I've just heard so much of the hype about 29ers, that I had to give in. Plus, I wanted to build my own bike up because I thought it would be fun. I test drove one at my LBS last week, and I was totally sold. I did a lot of online research, and for the price, I found that the Niner RIP 9 was the bike that would be ideal for me. So I bit the bullet and bought a Niner R.I.P. 9 frame tonight. I debated on whether or not I wanted to go with the '08 or '09 frame, as there were some differences. However, for the price I went with the '08 frame, which I feel will still be just as good.

Do You Bike to Work?

Then a new law passed the beginning of this year applies to you. Your employer can apply for a $20 per month per bike commuter tax rebate. This rebate is intended to be used one of two ways. The employer can use the money to supply things for bikers, such as showers and bike racks, or they can pass the rebate directly onto their employees. There's a broadcast from Minnesota Public Radio that explains the incentive. If you'd like to read the actual law passed by congress, you can find it here at the League of American Bicyclists' webpage.

Awesome Friends

So look what I found in my mailbox yesterday! An invitation to a "Faux Inaugural Ball" for President Barack Obama. (I covered up their personal info so I could put it on my blog) I'm glad to be a part of the liberal minority here in my little corner of Alabama. It should be fun to watch the festivities with a bunch of other commies. tee hee!

Good Ride

I made it out to Choccolocco yesterday at noon, where I met up with the gang. Preston showed up with MMR Mascot Punk, but he didn't end up riding after having ran in the 1/2 Marathon that morning.

I saw some folks I hadn't seen in awhile, including Jan who just returned from his visit home to the Czech Republic. Glad to see him back.

Tony was there sporting his Euro-style socks. We try around here.

Do we look a little cold?


Today I went back out to Iron Legs, where Preston, Robert, Jan & Bobby were doing some trail maintenance in preparation for the BUMP group coming tomorrow from B'ham. The trail looked great, and the ride was way smoother with all the leaves cleared. I didn't get to help that much, except for a little raking, but I'm hoping to get more involved with helping to maintain the trails in the upcoming weeks.

Mom's Bike

The other day, I went down to Alabaster to pick up some chairs I found on Craig's List. I figured I could go riding at Oak Mtn aftewards, since it's right next door. When I got down there, I stopped of at Cahaba's Cycles to look around. I found a bike for $50 that was an old Schwinn. I so want to get my mom into cycling, so I ended up buying it for her. It has so much potential!! I'm going to fix it up and then hopefully we can go out for some rides. I'm hoping to paint it after I get some of the rust off. Here it is pre-fixed up:


As far as my OMSP ride went, I got all the way on the other side of the park (other side from my car) when my chain popped off. It's not an old chain, either, so I'm not sure what happened. It was already getting dark, so I found the road & stuck my thumb out. Some guys in a pickup gave me a ride back to my car, thank goodness, b/c it would have been a really long walk in the dark. Now I'm trying to figure out how to fix my chain as I'm learning how to do maintenance on my own.

Weekend of Freedom, or Weekend of Laziness?

Probably a little of both. I don't have any obligations this weekend. I was thinking about hitting either the double cross up in TN, or a half marathon here in Anniston, but honestly i just really hate the cold. I have no desire to be out in it. I had thought about doing the half because it's sponsored by my running club, and I know a lot of my buddies will be there. Some of the guys who don't even run that much that I bike with will be there too. I'm wussing out because I don't think I want to be out in below freezing weather.

I will have a schedule of runs that I will follow, though, coming up because they count for points in my running club. Actually, I never blogged about it, but back in December I won 2nd place in my age group in a competition for a series of runs. The Anniston Runner's Club sponsors so many runs throughout the year and you get so many points for placing in them. It's a really competitive thing where people kinda get obsessed about it, because they want the end-of-year t-shirt. Yeah, I got caught up in it, too. So, my age group got so competitive that it came down to that half marathon back in December. I was able to maintain my position, and secure my t-shirt. It's alotta fun to have that competition.

Here's a pic from the annual banquet. Both of the gals in the pic are phenomenal runners. I've got some serious competition!! But I gotta say that everyone I've had any contact with in the club are really friendly. So it's awesome to be able to run with such cool folks.

This is the sweet shirt:

Anyway, I've got a chance to redeem myself for this weekend, and not be known as the wusser-outer. Everyone's going riding at noon out at Choccolocco. *sigh* My name is mud if I don't go...Just when I got myself comfortable on the couch, too!

Freezing Weather Up on Cheaha Ride

I was planning to do an easy ride with some friends out of Jacksonville today, but they cancelled, saying it was too cold to ride. So I went over to Cheaha to meet up with Preston & some other guys. We started at Abel Mall, turned onto the Scenic Drive and hit Horseblock. It's the dreaded hill on the Cheaha Challenge. We continued up to the top of Cheaha, stoppping at the store. It was really cold; I think from the reports and the way it felt, by the time we got to the top, it had dropped to the low 30's. It had to be below 30 at some point, because ice covered all the trees. I wish I would have had a camera.

We stayed at the store long enough to get cold again, & then started on our descent. I was surprised, but I actually did pretty well. I couldn't keep up with Preston; he's been training so hard & eating right. However, there was another guy there, Keith, who I was able to keep in my sights. It turned into a game, because everytime I'd just about catch up with him, he'd pull a Lance, look back, and take off. I really had a good time. All the guys were fun to ride with, and Preston & I hit up Porter House afterwards for a good buffet.

In other news, I just dropped $90 for racing licenses for this year (Mountain & Road). It actually feels good, because it holds my hopes & expectations of so much for 2009!

Fort Payne Christmas Parade

P1020071, originally uploaded by smithnb.

This is from December 12, 2008. We put together a float for the parade that had a fake waterfall off the back, a climber, a person fishing and hunting in a boat, and trees everywhere. I only contributed a little, as I'm only there working 2 days a week. I had a good time working on it, though. This picture was taken right before the parade, and it was also before it got dark. It was at night, so all the floats were lit up. Lots of people showed up.

As for me, my uniform is on order, so all of this was borrowed. However, I will have the same pants issued to me. Believe me, I could do without the ankle-choking-flashback-to-the-80's look! I did enjoy being in uniform again, though. I didn't think I'd miss it after being out of the Navy, but I do!

The funny part about the parade is there was apparently no pace car. So by the end, we had to jump on the back of the truck because we were running to keep up. I saw a friend near the turn-off point, but by that time she barely had time to make eye contact with me. Still, we had a great time passing out candy and waving to all the folks that came out.

Call me Holmes...Sherlock Holmes

Mystery solved!! Ok, so my body has been going through some weird stuff lately. A few weeks ago, as I said in a previous post, I got so ill I could hardly stand it. After that, things were never quite right; meaning, I didn't feel back to 100%. So Friday I finally went to the doctor, telling her I had some constant pain in my abdomen. She starts pressing around on my stomach and promptly tells me I need to go to the ER because she can feel 'a mass.' Weird thing is, I didn't really freak about it at first. I even dropped by my grandmother's house to grab a book, b/c I figured I'd be stuck there for awhile. So I get to the ER, get checked in, and find myself in probably the only actual room with a door in that ER in a gown that...well, everyone knows the story on those freaking gowns. Inadequate, to say the least. Thank god she gave me a blanket! Just a wee bit breezy in there.

Anyway, they ran a bunch of tests, poked me with needles, IV's, etc, and then wheeled me upstairs for a CAT scan.


Not too dignified in my see-through negligee called a gown. The whole while I know I'm naked (nekkid here in Bama) under there, and everyone I see in the hallway knows it too, so they avoid eye contact. Or there's the people who gave me a sympathetic smile. That must be what it feels like to be in a wheelchair.

Well, after my bedside tour of the hospital, I found myself in the CAT scan room. Anybody had one? Extremely strange process. I'll try to describe it.


You lay down on the table while they hook some automatic dye to an IV. Oh, and this is after drinking a jar full of Barium dye. This is, of course, for them to be able to see the contrasts of your insides. The process is fully automated, including the voice telling you to hold your breath. The table moves back and forth under the cyclical imager, or whatever it's called, and somehow a 3D image is created of your body. Mine was just a lower quadrant scan. When they injected the dye through my IV, I could feel a warm sensation in different parts of my body. That was the strange part.

By the time I got back to my room, I had been there for several hours. Let me tell you that I do not like hospitals! I was so ready to get out of there. Nevermind that I hadn't eaten a thing all day, since all of this started in the morning before I had a chance to grab something. So by then, I had decided I would walk out of there, get something to eat, and worry about the results later. I was so aggravated. I found it a little difficult to get my clothes on with that IV still in my hand, but I managed. ;) Finally, the doctor came in a little bit after that, so I was able to find out what was going on.

The doc told me I have 'several' ovarian cysts, and that one of them had burst. The one that burst is what was causing me to have a distended stomach, because of all the fluid in there. I am almost completely certain that the cyst burst that week I got sick, causing me to be disabled for nearly a week. The repercussions of that is something I have felt since then. I really didn't know a thing about the 'cysts' up until this point. So I asked him, "how many is several?" All he told me it is "more than a few." Great. Real helpful.

There is not much they can do about them, either, unless they are deemed cancerous or become entangled in the overies. They are not life threatening, and actually are quite common in women. They're not really sure what causes them, but there is interesting information on how they form.
Most folks that I've talked with about this have either personally experience this, or know someone who has. One friend I talked with described the pain just like I experienced that week I was so sick. So what do I do about them? Supposedly they go away on their own. I just want to know how is that? Do they go away by bursting, or do they just shrink or something? B/c that whole popping thing sucked.

My biggest concern with all of this is my training. I was looking forward to getting back on track by doing either the Knoxville Cross or the 10 miler in Bham this weekend, but that all fell through. I have been virtually unable to do any strenuous activities since all of this began, and I am fearful of putting too much strain on my body & causing this to happen again. I've been thinking it over, and I believe I will do the gradual thing, and ease back into a schedule. I am eager to hammer myself & really suffer, but that will have to wait; at least for a time.
As for now, with all of this my sleep has been disturbed. So here it is 2 a.m. and I'm posting. *Yawn* need to hang it up for the night...

Thousands of New Species Discovered

Here's a good story, for once. The WWF just released a report saying thousands of new species have been discovered in just a short decade over in the Mekong Delta region. From 1997 to 2007, they took surveys in this unexplored area, where they even found a rat that had previously been thought to be extinct...for 11 million years.


Some of the things they found sound exotic, which I'm sure goes with the territory. Here's a bright pink millipede:















Stare into my eyes...

















Look at the coloration of this one, like he got some paint spilled on him:



















The article is an interesting read, as it points out that some of the discoveries were not made deep in the jungle, but rather in places such as markets and restaurants. So much land, especially rainforests are disappearing at an astonishing rate, so this is hopeful.