She did it again

After getting up at "stupid o'clock" for a Sunday (7:20 am) we headed down to the pier for the Beach Blast 5k run. With a very strong Nor'easter wind blowing into the runners faces on the outward leg, quick times would be hard to come by (so I'm told). Still Mrs P was once again the first woman home in her age group, with her friend coming in second. Well done to the pair of them.

The strong winds and the grey skies meant that the volleyball didn't quite live up to its billing and so we didn't stay there very long. Trying to eat pizza slices when the wind is whipping up isn't great, pepperoni and sand anyone?

Ahh how cute....til they open the trashcans

Tonight we had dinner on the back porch and while we were eating this little critter wandered up! Guess the smell of my cooking attracts all sorts.

Work, Rest and Play

Been for a couple of interviews this week but not as yet had any offers. I've got another application in the post too so fingers crossed. Seems that that standard benefits over here are a massive 2 weeks annual leave..whooppee! But you can accrue sick leave too. The big one is obviously health insurance as without it you're stuffed. If you haven't seen Sicko then watch it and all will be explained.

There's another free movie showing outdoors at the Ampitheatre...an 80's classic starring Tom Hanks in Big. I think Superman is appearing in a couple of weeks too. Other plans for the weekend are the Beach Blast on Sunday, Mrs P is running the 5km race while I keep an eye on the kids and the beach volley ball...it is and Olympic sport don't you know???

The Easter Bunny has left the building

Easter is over as there's no Easter Monday holiday here and its back to normal now. The shops will be selling off the massive amounts of candy that they have left over at discount prices. They don't have Easter eggs here but Reese's peanut butter cups are just the best.

We all spent the day at Grammy's house with some relatives down from Chi-carrrr-go and a lot of eating and drinking was done. The kids mainly ate sugar all day in one form or another and when the "crash" happened it wasn't that pleasant but Mrs P said "it is a holiday and only happens once a year". That probably explains her hangover this morning too....

Mrs P enjoying the first of (too) many

The hunt for eggs begins

A man troubled

Question for you. At what age does a man decide that he ought to wear Speedo's? And a supplementary question, when he does, why doesn't his wife/girlfriend stop him? I can only assume that this happens about the same time that wearing "socks with sandals" starts to appeal. Hopefully I'm a long way off that and should I even consider it then I know Mrs P will definitely speak up. I've just been to the beach and seen the most ridiculous man, accompanied by his wife.

To answer my own question I propose that unless you're an Olympic swimmer (and you're actually competing at the time) Speedo's should be banned.

Beach Life...

Tap o d mornin to yeh.

Just got back from dinner at the Beachcomber and as the name suggest it's a restaurant right on the beach. It was lovely sitting outside watching the sun set and I recommend the fried flounder platter when you next visit.

I applied for another job today and have another application in the pipeline. Grammy knows someone who works in the same department and is going to call them tomorrow to get the inside track.

Raina doesn't want to..

The kids didn't want to see Star Wars (the Force is not yet strong in them) so Grammy had them for the evening while Mrs P and I went out on a date night. We went to a local Italian restaurant with decor that looked like it should be on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares but the food was good. Then it was on to Star Wars and an intermission treat of Bruster's ice cream.


The Lighthouse Festival was fun yesterday and Mrs P came first in her age group in the 5k run in a little over 24 mins. She collected her medal and then went on to run in the family 1k run with the kids. They all finished and got ribbons of excellence too.

The Flying Mrs P

Raina finishing
Sofie charges home

and if you're wondering about me, someone had to take the pictures!

Irrigation System

Further investigation has revealed that it's a shallow well pump but hasn't been used for at least 10 years. I've found a make and model number and have located a source for a rebuild kit but not ordered it yet. Worryingly the fuse has been pulled from the supply box and although the fuse holder is there no fuse is present. Mrs P suggests just buying one and turning it on, afterall what's the worst that can happen? Thing is she won't have to fix it. We opened up the timer/control box today and half a dozen cockroaches came scurrying out. Those things creep the hell out of me.

Condition unknown

The house painting has been coming along so well that I'm already looking for my next project. I think I'm ready to tackle the irrigation system but I'm going to need the internet to help me on this one.

As you can see the first thing I need to do is gain some proper access to the pump house and repair the nasty roof. Inside most of the structure has rotted away so i'll do some reconstruction in there too.

I know there are 2 zones one for the front yard and one for the back but most of the sprinkler heads are buried. This is one of the few that are visible.

The pump itself together with a load of trash that's accumulated.

This label on the motor is all I've got to go on for now, Mrs P doesn't know when it was last used or even if it ever worked. I guess I could just turn it on (if I can work out how) and see what happens. I just don't like the thought of electricity and water under pressure coming together. I guess I need to isolate the water and electricity supplies and work on them independently. It doesn't look like there's stop cock for the water supply so I wonder where that is then?

Oh Carol!

Looks like its going to be a busy weekend as there's lots on around town. Friday night is a gimme as there's a free showing of Star Wars at the ampitheatre. It's an outdoor venue so as long as the forecast thuderstorms stay away then we'll be there.

Also this weekend there's the Lighthouse Festival and the Rhythm 'n' Ribs festival. Mrs P is keen on the Lighthouse one as there's lots to do for the kids and its only a couple of miles away. She'll also be competing in the Michelob Ultra 5K Run. As for Rhythm 'n' Ribs I'd expect to hear plenty of this...enjoy!

And if you're wondering about the title of this entry its Neil Sedaka's birthday today.

Covering my ass

Got the Beast insured today and it was an experience! You have to choose what limits of coverage you want. Obviously the higher the limit, the more the premium. Florida law allows a driver to sue another driver if their property damages expenses go above a person's property damage liability limits or if a person’s injuries were severe and their own limits are exceeded and your bodily injury limits are also exceeded.

For example, if you cause a serious accident where damages exceed your limits, you will be held responsible for the amount above your limits. To make that payment, you could be forced to liquidate property, savings and other assets, or your future earnings could be attached.

Anyway bizarrely enough the premium came out at slightly less my Mrs P's and she got a Subaru Forester.

On top of that it was my turn to cook dinner tonight and I produced a magnificent dish of tilapia with sour cream and dill, sauteed asparagus and jasmine rice.

Freaky Vegetables

Mrs P cooked a delicious dinner tonight, a lemon and herb chicken, with pinenut cous-cous and acorn squash. It was my turn to cook last night and we had Quiznos (think Subway). Acorn squash is just the best and has a sweet and nutty flavour. I'd never heard of it before but if you can get them, try them roasted. They are about the same size as a coconut.

Summer is here

The clocks went forward this weekend so summer is just around the corner and its now light in the evenings til 730. I've just spent this morning shovelling 2 cubic yards of soil round to the back of the house to fill up the vegetable bed. Its finally done and the first of the seedlings have been planted.

Bikes

I went to Daytona on Saturday with Kate and I guess Friday's torrential rain and Saturday's chilly weather kept the best customs away. Don't get me wrong it was massively busy but they mostly seemed to be standard Harley's and Jap sports bikes rather than the outrageous choppers and custom jobs that I prefer. Having said that I there are a couple of pics of some of the better ones

We tried to get into Boot Hill Saloon Bar (yes there is such a place and its even opposite the cemetary) to see and AC/DC covers band but if was jam packed. So we had to content ourselves with a couple of bands that were playing in the various outdoor stages. Despite the cold weather (and it was below 50F) the beer girls were in good form too. You gotta love cold beer served to you by a semi naked woman.

The Running Woman

Mrs P is off competing in the Gate River Run in Jacksonville this morning. It's the largest 15k race in the US with just under 15,000 competitors. It's so windy today and she's not been very well so I hope she's happy with her time. Whatever it is, it's miles better than I could do and I'm very proud of her.

I've been doing my bit and have been up since 7:15 and have already top-coated some more of the house. Whoppee Doo!

UPDATE: Mrs P crossed the line in 1:18:52 with an average pace of 8:29 minutes per mile. That's very impressive! Well done

Head out on the Highway

Spent much of today preparing and priming the windows and doors on the house. I've finished one side of the house completely and I'm now working on the front and the back in tandem.

This week it's Bike Week in Daytona and Kate and I are hoping to get down there over the weekend and check it out. If it's as good as last year it will be a lot of fun. The place here is swarming with Harleys of all shapes, colours, sizes and noise levels. I'd love to get one but Mrs P has her own ideas on that matter and she's made that pretty clear to me.

Other events that are coming up include the 5th Annual Flagler College Beach Blast Off just a few blocks from the house. This event promises "a 5K Beach Run, a 2 on 2 team surf contest and a 4-on-4 co-ed volleyball tournament". Mrs P will probably do the run so I'll just do some spectating.

Inteview overload

Phew what a day. I had my interview today and it lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours. I met with 4 people in 2 different divisions and I think it went reasonably well although nothing has been offered to me yet. I'm still not sure about working downtown as its a 97 mile round trip and the beast averaged 17 mpg. Its not the cost that puts me off but the travel time as the closer you get to the city the more dense and slower the traffic gets.

Well I swapped out the high level brake light with 2 new lamps and ALL the lights are now working. However when I turn on the headlights the console reports that there is still a rear light failure. Google (the best friend you can have in these situations) reports that "the ground most commonly loses its contact due to fatigue cracking" in the tail lights so i guess i need to take these apart tomorrow and check it out.

1 year on

Well yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the first time Janna and I went out on a date. Must say a lot has happened since then and my life is better than I could have imagined. To celebrate this Grammy had the kids stay over last night and Janna and I went out for a meal. The Purple Olive does excellent food and a the crab cakes, seafood bisque and a delicious veal entree was washed down with a bottle of Pinot Noir.

This morning was spent painting the window frames, I prepped and primed them yesterday and today I gave them a second undercoat. No nasty oil based paints for me its all latex based here. Seems really odd painting with something that smells like Copydex though.

This afternoon we're off for a family meal at Grammy's house and I've just learnt that its meatloaf and/or chicken with dumplings. You got to love that Southern food.

Mystery solved

The mystery of the rear lamp failure has been solved (although not tested). It appears that the Lamp Outage Module (LOM) monitors all the rear lights in one go, including tail lights, brake lights, reversing lights and number plate lights. Turns out that the high level brake light has 3 bulbs in it and although 2 were working the third had blown. This is why the LOM was saying that a lamp was out. I'll get a new lamp today and all should be happy with the beast.