Live from Ubuntu

No, I'm not in some foreign country. Ubuntu (oo-bun-too) is the name of a distrubution of the Linux operating system that I just installed on this laptop.

Back up. I've been using this third generation, hand-me-down laptop that was originally purchased for Kyle for his High School graduation present in preparation for heading to college (four and a half freekin' years ago!). After Kyle got his Macbook, this laptop went to Carly who used it until she got a Macbook for her graduation and then I inherited it. Sigh...

I've been using it downstairs to browse while watching TV or just lounging so that I'm not always sitting in the computer room (or for when Deb hogs the main machine). It's actually not bad for a Windows machine. Over the last couple of days however, I started getting virus warnings that the virus scanner was unable to fix. Who knows what all the kids had put on this thing so it's integrity was suspect anyway. So, I could re-install Windows or I could try Linux.

Linux is an open-source operating system that is built on a version of the Unix operating system which powers the big data center servers. Linux is supported by enthusiasts who contribute things to it to make it better and support all kinds of things. One problem with Unix (and therefore Linux) though is that it was designed for computer nerds and is really not suitable for the general public. For example, here's how you turn off the sound that plays when you login:

nftool-2 --set /desktop/gnome/sound/event_sounds --type bool false

Yeah, that ain't gonna play in Kansas.

So, various organizations have come up with packages to make Linux more friendly to the average user. Ubuntu is one such organization and is relatively popular so that's the one I chose. Ubuntu gives each version a different name. This one is Karmic Koala. Others have been Jaunty Jackalope, Hardy Heron, you get the idea. Way to take yourselves seriously guys...

Anyway, with the laptop still running Windows, I downloaded a CD image of the Ubuntu installation CD and burned it to a blank CD. Then I rebooted the laptop to boot from the CD and it went through the installation process - wiping Windows off the machine. No going back now...

It went through pretty quickly and in about a half an hour, I had a new system. Only problem was that the wireless network wouldn't work. Hmm. One kind of catch-22 with this stuff is that all the fixes and updates are basically only available over the internet so, in cases like this, in order to fix your internet connection, you have to have a working internet connection. Ruh-Roh.

It's not as bad as it seems though. Usually, the wired network connections will work so I took it upstairs, connected the cable from the router to the laptop and established a glorious, soul-saving, all-things-are-now-possible, connection to the web. Yeeh-Haw!

I then set about the process of figuring out how to make the wireless connection work so I could use this thing downstairs. With a bit of Googling and tweaking and fiddling, I was able to make the wireless card work again and got connected. I'm now downstairs, sitting on the couch, typing this post.

I've spent most of the morning (while the blizzard rages outside) trying to get the automatic updates running so that security patches and system upgrades can be downloaded and applied. I *think* I've got that working but it hasn't been fun.

Not really sure about the whole Linux thing overall though. Twenty years ago, all this tweaking and modifying would have been a lot of fun but now I just want things to work. Still, it's free and all I really need is a web browser and that's working so I can't really complain too much.

What I really need to do is turn this thing into a Hackintosh - a regular PC laptop running the Mac operating system. THAT would be cool!

First Snow

Last night was the "Uxbridge First Holiday Night" celebration/parade. The Community Chorus was slated to sing so Deb (and me for some reason) had to go down to the common at around 3:45 for the start at 4:00. The weather was terrible - a drizzly, cold rain so it wasn't very pleasant at first. About an hour into it however, the rain started turning to snow and it was kind of pretty. By the time Deb finished singing and Santa had gotten off the fire truck and lit the trees, we were both pretty cold. Despite the weather, we decided to head to the mall for some shopping.

By the time we got home, we had some pretty good accumulation and by the morning we had this!

Winter Leaves

Winter Leaves
Originally uploaded by tmhudg.

Doing some more playing with Photoshop filters to turn pictures into paintings. This one came out especially good I think.

More "art" on the Flickr page.

TSO - Epic FAIL

A few months ago, I heard a radio ad for an upcoming concert by the TSO - Trans-Siberian Orchetra. You may have heard of them. They got popular from their rock-infused versions of some Christmas songs a few years ago. Each year, I hear people saying they went to the show and how good it was so I decided to get some tickets. I was going to surprise Deb but I had to make sure she didn't schedule something over the date so I ended up telling her what it was. Her reaction was - shall we say - muted.

So last Thursday, we headed out to the DCU center in Worcester for our date with destiny. Strike one was the jacked up parking prices at the surrounding garages. I had just been to a hockey game here a few weeks ago and paid $10 for parking. This time however, it was $20. Isn't that illegal?

We found our seats in the arena and waited for things to start. The stage was packed with all kinds of lighting rigs and framework and it really looked impressive. After we sat down, a group of people filled in the seats behind us and one guy in the group started telling the rest of the group how great this was going to be - and we got to listen. It seems he's seen the show about a hundred times and kept telling his friends how this was going to blow their minds. He liked to announce "We've got a virgin here! A TSO virgin" referring to one of the people in his group. The really disturbing thing was that I think he was referring to a woman who looked like it was his mother (and Grandmother to the kids in the group) - Ugh. He would also follow this announcement - and pretty much any other statement with a creepy "heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh" laugh.

He and another guy in his group talked about all kinds of things relating to the concert. They explored the quality of the position of these seats as opposed to being on the floor or on one of the other sides and how we should be able to see all the lasers and flames better. They told the "virgin" that they were going to be watching her face when things start up because she's just not going to believe it. It was pretty much like when you watch a movie with someone who's seen it before and they constantly say "Ooh, get ready, this part is funny."

The best part however was when they tried to estimate the size of the crowd. It started with "How many people do you think will fit in the arena" and one of them said "Probably about 90 to 100 thousand." I just about fell out of my chair. The DCU center is your typical multipurpose small city basketball/hockey/RV show arena and there is no way it seats more than about 15 thousand people. The other guy answers back "No, probably no more than 30 to 40 thousand since one end of the arena is blocked off for the stage." I figure 10 K max. One guys says "Yeah, they give $1 for each person to charity at each show so that's really great." A few minutes later, the guy snags an usher and asks the seating capacity. She says "12 to 13 thousand." "Oh."

Just before the show starts, local radio personalities (I guess) get on stage with some band members and present the check to the local charity. The amount? A little over 8 thousand dollars. From behind I hear "So if they give a dollar per person, that means... umm... there's... (frantic, complex calculations going on in his head), 8 thousand people here. Hmm, I guess we low balled that one huh? Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh" No, you twit, you over estimated it!

Soon, the lights go down,the crowd whoops it up, and our buddy says "Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh. Get ready to be blown away. Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh." The lighting rigs light up with some blue lights. "Heh-heh-heh." They start raising up (apparently "like magic"). "Heh-heh-heh." The band then launches into a heavy metal version of some Christmas song. They have a drummer, a couple of keyboard players, a bass player, and then two guitarists and a violin player running around on stage playing various solos and guitar/electric violin licks. I felt a sense of "Oh crap" washing over me as they ran around and played. The guitarists had their guitars slung way low and would run to one side of the stage and stand with their legs spread apart while they ripped out a lick or two. They they would run to some other position, take a pose and do some more. The violin player (a female I think) would also take dramatic pose positions and periodically point her bow straight up and wait for hoots and hollers from the crowd. It was like a KISS concert! WTF!?

At one point the two guitarists each ran to opposite sides of the stage and the violin player was in the middle. Suddenly, their little stage areas began to lift up and the crowd went wild. Was it by magic? No, it was due to the scissor jacks that were completely exposed just hoisting the platform up. They could have easily put some black fabric in front of the platform that would unfold as the platform went up but nah, the Kubota jack from Taylor Rental will be fine with no covering. At one point, the light cage that lifted up at the start got into the act. It came down and went up a few times and the lights changed colors. Awesome!

Then, it got better. A narrator came out and began telling a Christmas story/poem - in the style of an evangelical preacher. At one point, I felt like turning to Deb and smacking her in the forehead to drive the demons from her soul. I only found out today, from reading the review in the paper, that the story was about a lost angel who was traveling around the world, observing the hardship and heartache of people until he/she/it found the Prince of Peace. At first I thought that meant she was looking for Michael Jackson but then I figured out who it was. Now, I'm fine with the story and the message but it was just so poorly done - the rhymes seemed like what a 10 year old would come up with to make things fit, and the delivery was so over the top - that I just couldn't stand it. The pattern was that the narrator would tell a little story and then the band would launch into a song - that basically had nothing to do with the story segment we just heard (I guess). At one point, snow (soap?) started falling from the light rigs in the ceiling and lasers began blasting around the arena. "Heh-heh-heh, heh-heh-heh." Yeah, this was pretty cool - back in 1982 buddy.

Deb and I finally reached our saturation point and decided to leave. I have to admit that there was an ulterior motive. My weekly soccer game had been moved to Thursday and I had taken my stuff on the off chance that the concert would be over in time to make the game. I didn't have to twist Deb's arm though - she later said she was hoping I wasn't really enjoying it and was ready to leave almost from the beginning. Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

The irony is that I've since Googled the TSO, found their web site, and listened to some of their songs. I actually kind of like some of them. I think the over the top, amateurish production was what ruined it for me (Deb says "Nah, they just suck").

So, if you are a TSO virgin, I suggest you stay that way. Their ain't no morning-after pill for this mistake.

We Did It - And I Never Want To Do It Again

I had been contemplating the title of the blog post that would report on the status of our century ride all along the road. At first, when we started out in the rain, it was something like "Wet and Wild". Then it was something about the scenic forest and ocean area of Dartmouth. At about mile 95, it changed into the one you see now - and I wasn't too sure about the first part coming true.

Let's start back at the beginning. It had been raining for several days leading up to the ride on Sunday so we didn't get much extra riding in during the week - OK, none. We did a couple of aerobics classes but that's not quite the same. It was supposed be partly cloudy on Sunday but when we woke at about 4:30 to drive down to Dartmouth, it was raining. Well, maybe it will be clear down there...

We got to the start at around 6:30 or so and checked in. They gave us a little wrist band and a cue sheet that gives the directions. We had thoughtfully brought a clear plastic sheet holder that we were going to put the cue sheet in and pin to the back of my jersey so Deb could navigate us around the course.

When they handed us the sheet, Deb and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was an 11x17 sheet with about 4 point type listing all the turns. Deb's sunglasses are not bifocals so there was no way she was going to be able to read that thing.

















Luckily, they also "arrow" the route which means that they spray paint little directional arrows on the road at all the turns. We'd actually ridden with the group that puts on this ride once before and they really do a good job with this and it worked perfectly on this ride.

Anyway, we rolled out of the parking lot at about 6:50. There wasn't a mass start at all. People just dribbled out as they got registered. I had figured we would just follow people around the course but there was nobody visible in front of us when we started. The roads were wet and I got the usual spray in the chin that I've come to love so much. A little way down the road we started to see other people who had started before us and we reeled them in one by one. I now know how this works. The people who are slow start first to give themselves plenty of time to get around the course. The fast guys arrive late and hammer past all the slow pokes.

At probably around 15 miles, a group of two people who had been slowly gaining on us for awhile finally caught us and we stayed with them until the first rest stop at 30 miles. They would pull away from us on the uphills and we would catch back up on the flats and downs. I should take this opportunity to point out that "The Flattest Century in the East" is anything but. It doesn't have "climbs" like we have around here but it was pretty rolly - much more so than I was expecting. It was a little bit frustrating too. We could stay with pretty much every group that we got with until the road turned up a bit. Then, we had to decide if it was worth the energy expenditure to try and hang with them to the top or just let them go and hope to catch. We did a little of both but, in hindsight, we probably should have just let them go.

At the 30 mile checkin, we refilled a bottle, stretched a bit and then headed back out. We actually felt pretty good - those miles had gone by pretty quickly. Less than a mile from the stop, we see something in the road which doesn't look normal. As we get closer, we realize that it's a rider lying in the road - not moving. There are a couple of people standing around looking concerned. We stop and Deb gets off and goes over to see what's up. Apparently a dog had run out and caused the crash and the guy couldn't move his hip/leg. One of the other people called for an ambulance and Deb sat down on the road and let this guy lean on her so that he wasn't trying to hold himself in an awkward, non-painful position. I sure wouldn't want to have a heart attack out there because it took the ambulance about 20 minutes to get there. They relieved Deb of her duties and we set off again.

I don't really remember much about the ride to the next rest stop. It was very scenic and we were still feeling pretty good. It was only at mile 47 so the stops weren't spaced evenly apart. We stopped but didn't have any food. We felt like the Cliff Bars would be better then the PBJs that they had. We got water and stretched and just chilled for 10 minutes or so. The weather was still damp but the roads were starting to dry out little by little. The next stop was another 20 plus miles down the road at 70 miles. Still, we again felt a little rejuvenated when we got back on the bike.

This next stretch took us to the coast and was really quite pretty. At least I think it was. By this point, the sun had come out and the temp was heading up. The pain was also starting to build and I don't think I was able to savor the full ambiance of the area. It was a long way to the third rest stop and I was mercifully glad to see it. Just before we got there, I was thinking that I was probably going to have to stop soon regardless.

At the stop, we sat, laid down, stretched and basically vegged for awhile. We had a PBJ between us, got water, and chilled some more. We also noticed that my odometer said we were at mile 72 while this stop is a mile 70 according to the cue sheet. Hmm, sounds like my odo is reading a little generous. It also indicates that we are going to have to ride until my odo says 102 miles, not just 100 - crap.

Deb and I hatched a plan that we would break up the last 30 into 3 sets of 10 miles. Our easy ride at home - which we call the Llama loop because it goes by a llama farm - is 10 miles so we figured it was just 3 of those. Yeah, easy peasy.

We started off again and this time we didn't feel so rejuvenated. Clearly, I was feeling it more than Deb. I had a tough time getting going again. I felt pretty good on the flats but as soon as we had any kind of uphill, the power went out of my legs. We got to around mile 83 and found a grassy spot to pull over and rest. It was kind of frustrating to have all those people that we passed, now passing us but, as Deb said, it's better than passing out and falling over. True dat.

After a few minutes, we mounted up again and headed out. At the next 10 mile spot, I was feeling not great but OK so we kept on going. Big mistake. After another few miles or so, I was in serious pain and having trouble just making my legs go around. Unfortunately, we were in some woods with no real place to pull over and rest. At about mile 100 (on my computer), I had to stop. We found a grassy lawn with a shade tree. It took me awhile to get my breathing down and my legs were pretty much toast so we sat/laid there for awhile. Finally, I managed to get to my feet and get on the bike. The last three miles back were tough but manageable and seeing the UMASS Dartmouth campus come around the trees was like finding an oasis in the Sahara.

We found the car, picked up our t-shirts, and had a burger (I know). I even had a quick massage to try and put some feeling back into my neck and shoulders.

I should point out that all this pain and suffering is from my perspective only. I don't mean to suggest that Deb was in nearly the kind of pain that I was. She said she felt pretty good - just a little sore. Clearly, she handled this much better than I did - she says it's because she's the professional athlete (aerobics instructor) after all. She came home and did laundry while I laid in the recliner, unable to move. I hate it when people show off.

So we did it. It's a milestone to say we have done. And, while I said at the top that I never want to do it again, as I type this on the day after, and the pain has subsided, I could see that someday, I might consider doing it again.

Nah.

College Ho

As Carly got in the car for the trip to UNH, Deb proclaimed "College Ho!" After a few seconds of awkward silence, she said "No, I mean, we are off to college!"

And so began the day of dropping off Carly for her first year of college. We had packed the Rav to the gills with all of her stuff and, I think, probably put Wal-Mart into the black a few months ahead of the typical retail turnaround that would otherwise occur on the day after Thanksgiving.

We got to school easily enough and joined the hordes of students (with their parents) moving into the dorms. They have vast armies of volunteer students with large laundry bin-type containers that come to your car, help you load, and take up to your room so it's actually not that bad. Carly is on the fifth floor of Bixler Hall so we had a long wait for the elevator to hoist the bin to the top. We actually had to take the stairs so they could fit more bins in the elevator. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees out and about 90 percent humidity?

We got to her room and found that one of her roommates had already gotten her stuff in. Just after we got there, her other roommate and her family arrived. So, we had about 12 people crammed into this room that barely holds three, in the stifling heat, unpacking cart loads of stuff.

Here's Carly and Deb apparently trying to figure out which side of the sheet faces up or something.








And here's another that gives another look at the room.

After we got settled, we went for lunch at the cafeteria and then to the bookstore to get a power strip, and a few other things. I expect a letter from Wal-Mart shortly asking why we didn't go to the local store in New Haven to get them.

After that, we all gathered under a tent in the quad to hear all the official welcomes and messages about the beginning of the journey. I remember it all being very meaningful and motivating back when Kyle went through it. This time however, it was just plain hot and I was ready for it to be over.

At about 3:30, the parents were "dismissed". We said our goodbyes but Deb wouldn't let me take a picture - something about her allergies acting up suddenly...

The drive back was long. Partly because we were contemplating the start of new life chapters for all of us, partly because we were making a list of all the things we had to bring to her that we forgot or didn't take, and partly because I tried an alternate route home and ended up in the countryside of Connecticut behind various forms of John Deere farm machinery.

Deb actually sent a few text messages to Carly on her phone - and Deb doesn't "text".

Yeah, things are changing.

Tandemania

Well, we've been training for this century coming up in September for awhile now. Way back in May when I signed us up, I looked up all kinds of training plans for comfortably completing a century. They were basically 10 or 12 week plans where you gradually increase your mileage such that you could do a 60 or 75 mile training ride. If you can get to that point, the little bit extra on the day of the big ride would be easy.

Of course this was in May so we had plenty of time... You know where this is going don't you.

The weather this summer has been really rainy so it was very tough to get rides in. Not to mention that there just isn't time during the week. This was going to be a struggle. We have been gradually building up the ride length but it's slow going. Last week we put a long one in and by the time we got back to Uxbridge, it was really hot. I "bonked" - ran out of energy on the last bit up the hill to the house and just about died. That was only 40 miles. I think the cause was not enough water and not enough electrolytes.

Early on, I had started looking into energy replacement stuff. The newest thing is a carbo gel that comes in little packs that you rip open and squeeze into your mouth. I had no idea what they were like but I bought a box of those and tried them on one ride. It tasted like cake frosting which is kind of a weird thing to eat when you are tired and thirsty. It was hard to really tell how well they worked precisely but I seemed to feel better during the ride and not so blown afterward. I then decided to try Cliff Bars. They seem to get pretty good reviews for taste, energy, and being relatively good for you. I picked one up at a bike store in the middle of a ride and man, it was great! It tasted good and it was something to chew and "eat" as opposed to simply swallowing the energy goo. What I hadn't gotten though was any kind of electrolyte replacement drink. The gel and the bars have salts in them but I guess not in the quantity that you sweat out so I think that had something to do with the "bonk".

Anyway, after the ride, I happened to notice a spot on the tire where the casing was showing. I went online and bought a new tire and also some Cliff Shot sports drink mix and some more Cliff Bars. I also got a new pair of sunglasses. The ones I had been wearing continually slip down my nose and don't sit on my face evenly. It's risky buying glasses without seeing how they fit but I took a chance.

The stuff arrived on Friday - yesterday - so we took a ride - about 25 miles - after work. The glasses fit great and were a joy! I didn't put the new tire on because it would have taken an extra 15 - 20 minutes and I figured I could get a few more miles out of the current one.

Today, we got up at about 7 to either ride if it was not rainy, or go to an aerobics class if it was. Well, the streets were kind of wet but it was clear and getting hot so we got on the bike. I again opted not to put the new rear tire on the bike...

We planned out a ride of about 45 miles. Here's the ride laid out at MapMyRide.com




We were going along pretty good until right at mile 30. BAAM! The rear tire blew. Yup, right where the worn spot was, the tube blew through the torn casing. Guess I should have replaced that tire. Blown tubes are no big deal - they happen all the time and we have a patch kit and spare tubes to fix them. Blown tires on the other hand are not good. You can't just put a new tube in there because, a tube at around 115 PSI will just squirt through the hole in the tire and blow again. The jury rig fix for a torn tire is to use a dollar bill to "boot" the tire - line the inside to prevent the tube from coming through. The fabric of the bill - folded over - is strong enough to keep the tube from coming through - theoretically.

We are basically out in the middle of nowhere so I guess we'll have to try that. We could call Carly and have her bring the new tire but let's just see if we can fix this. Open up seat bag to get tire levers to remove the tire - no levers. Oh yeah, Kyle takes them and puts them in his bag when he goes for a ride alone - Argh!. OK, I guess we call Carly. Get cell phone from plastic bag in my pocket. Hmm, the screen is blank. Press button - "Battery drained, Shutting down" it says before going dark again. I repeat this to Deb and she smiles her wry smile - "I guess we are walking then."

Just then, an elderly man comes out of a small house and he walks over to us holding a tiny baby turtle that he says he raises in his backyard. Hmm, OK, "Um, we've got a mechanical problem with the bike, do you think I could use your phone to call someone to help us?" He says "Sure, just let me take this little guy down to the pond."

He comes back and leads me into his house as I'm trying not to drip all over the place. I call home and get the machine. "Pick up Carly, pick up!" Nothing. I call the neighbors but get their machine as well. I then try Monique Cote since they have a phone number that is very easy to remember (I have everyone's phone number - on my cell phone that is dead).

She answers thankfully, finds a spare key to son Nate's truck and says she will pick us up. We agree to meet at the vacant lot of a burned down restaurant that we passed about a mile or two back. I thank Ma and Pa Kettle and head back out to Deb who, by this time, has been supplying sustenance for all the mosquitoes in the forest. We start walking back toward the restaurant to wait for Monique. She shows up not too long after we get there, we load up the bike in the back, and head back home.

At home, after I put the new tire on the back, Deb asks if I want to continue the ride. It's kind of hard to get back in the mood but we really didn't get the full ride in so I say OK. Just then, the sky opens up and, in full sunshine, pours for about 5 minutes. We look at each other, shrug, and get on the bike and head out.

It's not really raining but the roads are wet and the spray coming up from the tires is soaking us. The rooster tail from the front wheel is mostly blocked by the downtube of the bike but as I make small steering corrections, the wheel swings out from under the tube and throws the stream up which hits me in the chin. Mmmm, tasty! Deb, of course, has what we know looks like a skid mark all the way up her back from the stream off the back tire.

We stop in Douglas at a little coffee shop for some ice coffee. This is the new "carrot" for Deb. We have to stop for ice coffee about halfway through the ride to give her "a purpose". I now know that's the reason she suggested continuing the ride - she hadn't gotten her ice coffee.

In Douglas, we decide to try a different route to loop back home. Neither of us knows Douglas however so we end up thoroughly lost taking random roads that "seem" like they will take us the right way. Eventually, we find some familiar roads and complete the loop, adding another 15 miles for a total of 45.

I spend the next two hours cleaning and re-lubing the bike.

Despite the setbacks, we feel pretty good about our progress. We are no longer totally spent after a ride of this length (although my neck and shoulders are sore) so we are thinking we might just be able to do this. Oh man, I shouldn't have said that...