Beer-phase 2

I just bottled 30 175 liter bottles of my first home brew which is equivalent to 60 bottles US sized. I'm excited! 2 weeks of aging and then I can test it out.
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Cafe in the basement where I work

This is an advertisement for a cafe in the basement where I work. English isn't there first language.
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My first home brew

I'm pretty excited to try out home brewing. This is the Cooper home brew kit that I started @ 10 a.m. Today 12/26/09. In about a week I'll get to bottle these and then 2 weeks later I'll be enjoying my own home brew.
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'Tis the Season

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Folding and filing

When the drawing work slows down we get to fold drawings. I say to myself with every fold, "$5" and it makes it worth it.
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Oh I wish!

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Holiday baking with mom

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My coworker cracks me up!

My coworker put this note on a drawing done by a mutual coworker where she was patting herself on the back. I found it very funny! I ended up with the post-it note some how.
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Fake eyes or fake cat?

This is just a wee bit creepy!
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Frosty the shredded paper man

My coworkers are so silly! Must be why we get along so well. We were shredding fools that day, there were predictions for snow that week, so they were inspired to make a snowman in the office.
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Snow in my front yard

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Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook, First Edition

I put together a 2 shelf system in the kitchen for all the cookbooks. I was going through all the cookbooks and came across one from my grandmother. The "Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook" and surprisingly it's the first edition from 1960. I don't have the jacket for the book like the pictures shows. In fact, until researching it, I had no idea there was supposed to be a jacket.

Amway? Really

OMG!
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Unagi is awesome!

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That's funny! I don't care who you are.

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Dynamo

How fun!
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Crunchy Maki is awesome!

I love this stuff. Snow crab and avocado with masago.
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MAN!!! Esta muy delocioso!

Ich liebe es!
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Nov 6th and 27degC

This is crazy! Where are my shorts?
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Mr. Becker, my 4th grade teacher

I can remember being in 4th grade thinking that Mr. Becker was pretty awesome because he was in a quartet. He used to love teaching us to sing the different quartet songs that he and his group were practicing. I think he was about 4'9" or 4'10" but we were all just shy of that back then so we had no clue that he was so tiny. Well, I have a number of times in a tourrette-like fashion started singing one of the songs that Mr. Becker taught me. The following in particular is sticking with me since I'm currently learning Spanish.

Lyrics to Cielito Lindo :
Ay, ay, ay, ay
Canta y no llores
Porque cantando se alegran
Cielito lindo, los corazones

De la Sierra Morena
Cielito lindo, vienen bajando
Un par de ojitos negros
Cielito lindo, de contrabando

Ese lunar que tienes
Cielito lindo, junto a la boca
No se lo des a nadie
Cielito lindo que a mi me toca

Ay, ay, ay, ay
Canta y no llores
Porque cantando se alegran
Cielito lindo, los corazones

Parking Garage 06:08 this morning

I pulled in to the parking garage this morning @ 06:08 and the ground floor was full. When do these people sleep? Seriously? I wanna know. I got to my desk at 06:15 and was "late". Really, am I on glue?
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Rehab, elliptical style

I've got 4 more minutes on the elliptical. Next to a lady that has griped for the first 6 about her ailments. Heaven help me!
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I don't care who you are, this is funny!

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Wallpaper always hides a multitude of sins

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Although it's beautiful outside I'll be inside

Yup you guessed it, a major leak in the master bathroom. Now we begin ripping out the sheetrock, vanity counter and possibly the carpet.

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Really, sushi pizza

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5th week post-op

Knee's looking pretty good, is feeling pretty good, and rehab is still going well.
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Oktoberfest Rudi Lechner style

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Is it just me...

Is it just me or is the illustration on this sign as clear as mud?
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Sunday groceries

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I missed posting week 2 and the staple removal

This pic was taken last saturday at the 2 week mark. I thought I'd uploaded the pic but looking back through my blog I missed doing it.
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3 weeks after surgery...

The swelling is almost gone. The incisions have closed. The stitches are all gone. I'm walking around much better these days, I only occasionally limp from discomfort. Today I think I was able to bend to 145 degrees. OUCH! But awesome. I picked up some leg weights that are graduated. I have good intentions to get the hips built up. I've been very disciplined to do my exercises each day as well as R.I.C.E. Ice makes the knee feel best but is second to the stationary bicycle. The bike builds up the flexibility and muscles. Let's hope I get to start building the hamstring soon cause my popeye versus olive oil legs are not too appealing.
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I'm telling ya, I should have taken that scooter I found

This is my newest rear view freshener! It hangs there when I can't find downstairs parking at work. OR if I'm trying to tick off JarJar, I slap that placard up and take her spot!
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Jack makes any office happy!

I was grabbing a bite to eat in the next bay over from my desk in between the mass amounts of work. How can you not leak a smile around Jack?
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I keep saying I should get one of these

And there it sits lonely on the side of the road just waiting for me!
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It's pronounced chee-POHT-lay

You gotta love this stuff! Forgive the sideways picture I've not mastered the art of blackberry :-)
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I think my cat is jealous of Hello Kitty

This morning, like all mornings, I awoke to my sweetheart cat on my head and began our morning ritual pet session. She purrs like mad.

This morning was really amusing. See I've been keeping Hello Kitty band-aids over the small incisions and ugly plain large band-aids over the zipper like staples. As my cat Joon was doing her standard stroll up and down the side of me rooting, purring, and flipping over she unexpectedly bit one of the Hello Kitty band-aids. It's hard to laugh, wince, and pull a cat off your knee all at the same time. The irony was priceless. I'm switching to camo band-aids today! HA!

Here's an updated shot of both my knees. I realize I don't have sexy knees and there's not much I can do about it. The swelling has really gone down in the left knee. The bruising around the incisions is very minimal. My PT routine is definitely helping retrain my quad muscle. I'm hoping they'll give me some more exercises to do when at home during PT at the clinic today.
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USAV Friendship Tourney

These guys are incredible!
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What the good knee looks like

Decided I'd take a pic of what the good knee looks like next to the reconstructed knee to set a marker for improvement over the next few weeks.
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Frankenstein Knee, not for the squeamish

I'm uploading a picture of the frankenstein staples in my knee accompanied by the hello kitty band aids :-) sorry the pic is graphic but it's pretty amazing what your body can go through. I was able to take a full shower today and get off a lot of the ick on my knee. The warm shower felt nice on my knee. I've been icing it and elevating it a lot to keep down the swelling so it's been pretty cold since the surgery. Warm for a bit felt good. I think I'm progressing along really well. I sat on the edge of the bed and relaxed and was able to bend my knee pretty well. Straightening it was a bit uncomfortable but I did it. Enough blogging for now. Gotta finish my lunch, take some vicodin, and head to therapy.
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Drive Home 1 Hour Post Knee Surgery

This is my lovely leg on the way home from the hospital. It's got gauze then ace bandaged followed by the immobility brace. The red tube is actually a clear tube draining my knee. I know, gross, right? I agree. That tube will come out late Saturday. I can pull it out myself...but I'm too sissy to do it so nurse Jessica is going to do it. I might toss the few cookies in my tummy.



I had a nerve block just before this surgery and I have to say that has made the surgery bearable so far. The bits of pain I've had are nothing in comparison to what is really there. I'm sure once it fully wears off, the bone pain is gonna be hard to deal with.

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The Cube

Crazy weird car. Nissan cube.

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Lunch at the Green Symposium

Yummy lunch

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Embossed Business Card

Top of a business card I just received from today's guest speaker. Pretty fancy card. Yes that is embossed.

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Only in H-town

I was driving down hillcroft on Friday and this truck passed me. It crackberried me up! I just had to share. Anyone for a mobile wash?
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Is this Legal Fun with a Laptop?

I was bored one evening and decided to start playing with the funky laptop camera + software.

One of Life's Great Formulas

One of my favorite coworkers shared a new formula with me today. I modified it just slightly to remove direct ties to guilty parties. This is such a true formula.

CIF / CTL = POF

Which means --

Coworker irritation factor

divided by

Crap Tolerance Level =

P.O'd factor

Looking Up Under the Bonnet

Carmyne is a 2002 Camry, and to my knowledge the engine compartment has never been detailed until now. When I first started this effort there was 7 years of road gunk built up. I used purple power to degrease the entire engine compartment. I scrubbed off any excess build up with a soft bristle brush. I rinsed off the entire engine compartment. I repeated this process 4 times to get off all the grime and gunk. When I was satisfied that I could not get off any more contaminants I followed up with Black Magic 2-in-1 Engine Shine. This stuff is awesome! All the parts that had lost their black color were instantly brought back to a deep black and a nice clean shine.




Here is a shot of the headlight restoration results.


I only have 1 other step I would like to do on Carmyne before I feel she is complete. I want to do a final wax coat on the body with Maguiar's #7 as suggested by my neighbor. I think this will give me the "WOW Factor" I've been looking for.