You Know You're a Geek When....

Stella recently took her kids on a field trip to NASA (I was envious). I love NASA and some of my best childhood memories were of field trips with my Civil Air Patrol Troop to Johnson Space Center!

The following is a cell phone text exchange that took place between the two of us Wednesday, 11, November 2009...The names have not been changed to protect the innocent. :-D

I received an image similar to this pic:













Stella: Do you remember this?
Kevin: Ah yes, the Atlas Rocket I knew it well. Used to be outside though.

[Went to a meeting at work, and realized on the way back that I had committed an error in fact]

Kevin: Or is that the Saturn V?
Stella: Yes, I didn't want to correct you. [So Sweet]
Kevin: Atlas was for Mecury, Saturn was for Apollo Lunar Missions:-) I'm geeking hard!
Stella: Yes UR!
Kevin: I was walking back 2 my desk when I realized my error. I didn't even google it:-)
Stella: Geek
[end transcript.]

Yes, yes I am. :-}

The Name Change

You may have noticed the name change...Stella's sister made the statement, after some oddball geekiness between the two of us, that we should just call it "Two Geeks on a Bike".

Well it all boils down to the essence of Kevin and Stella...after all, we are just "Two Geeks on a Bike."

Aye...Aye! Captain

Congratulations! to our friend Chris Larsen for passing his Master's 100 Ton Near Coastal US Coast Guard test! This means that Chris is a bonafide Sea Captain and can assume the helm of a vessel with up to 320 souls!

Again, Congratulations from Kevin and Stella!

A New Submission

We may have to change the title of the blog to "Things on Sticks". Here is the lastest suggestion for a posting sent from an iPhone no less!

These lovely impaled geckos were found in Vancouver, Canada by blog reader Jenny in San Diego! Thanks so much for the add!

Meet My Nemesis…

…the Genie DirectLift Screw Drive Garage Door Opener.

Touted as quiet, it is. An easy project? Absolutely not! Now I’m not saying I’m DIY Channel material, however, I’ve put up several chain drive garage door openers and never had the problems I had with the Genie.

In all fairness some of them were my own problems with the structure of our house. Our Garage has low ceilings and I couldn’t mount it in any of the suggested ways provided by Genie in the instructions. I had to rig up a pseudo-bracket/flush mount that resulted in some rather colorful language and head scratching. (As well as a crime scene style smear of my blood on the ceiling when I busted my knuckles!)

When I opened the box all of the hardware was neatly arranged in different colored bags corresponding with the instructions. Per the warning on the box I also purchased the extension kit for 8ft doors. Cool, good job Genie! So I attacked the project with zeal and enthusiasm knowing that soon a soothing whirring sound would be heard and my garage door would rise like a stage girl in a Houdini show. WRONG!

All went well as I assembled the first two rails to the head unit. Good to go! Time to install the extension kit; wait a minute, there are no bolts in this box. No extra hardware in the first bag. HMMMMMM! Off to Home Depot to buy a handful of matching bolts. Continue assembling, when I get to the point of mounting the bracket to the door. The self drilling wonder bolts provided in the kit fail to penetrate the thinnest of sheet metal even with a pilot hole. Off to Home Depot! Is it getting warmer in here?

Note to self…Gotta…check that blood pressure at some point.

Install continues, more missing bolts (different in size than the bolts previously purchased)… %$@$*&%^)((&__&_)&*)*Genie +back to Home Depot…Forget the Blood Pressure I know what it is now!

“S” “Leave it and you can finish tomorrow after some rest!”

So the next day I get it all installed hit the button and Clunk!!!! DAMN YOU GENIE!!! More cursing and head scratching! I knew it was binding so I loosened all of the rail bolts and leveraged it up with the palm of my left hand while holding a wrench and tightening the other side with a Ratchet. There I was perched on the ladder both hands in the air, straddling the ladder, looking very much like some demented Balinese Temple Dancer in blue jeans (Wishing I had eight arms like a Hindu Deity at this point)! I scrambled back down the ladder hit the button and WHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!! Success!

Next day, I cleaned out the garage so “S” could park on her side of the garage and when I went to put the cover over the lights on the Head Unit.

No screws!

*&%*^#%&*%())^&+(&(*_(*+++_(= YOU GENIE!

Keep Austin Weird

I don't know about you guys, but K and I are fans of horror movies and even better are spoof horror movies. We think Shaun and Ed should have been traveling MLK and Lamar last week.

Keeping it on Topic

This is a submission from Kurt. Found outside of Austin on Hwy 71 I believe. Thanks Kurt! Sorry it took so long to post.