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Thoughts on just about everything from rock-n-roll, sports, kids, to geek speak -- by John Bullock

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Monday, June 28, 2004



	Sunday afternoon, we got quite a bit of rain. I know one of the neighborhoods close to us got 4" in a very short amount of time. I think we must have been close. I was at a birthday party with the kids when the rain started. We got a brief break a couple hours later so we quickly walked home (the party was basically right around the corner). Almost immediately after we got home the skies opened up and water was coming down by the bucket-full. I took several photos to try to convey how much water was coming down but none of them do it justice. I did pick the best one which shows the gutter right in front of the house. There were some grasses and weeds growing in the cracks of the gutter that, with the amount of water flowing through, caused some "significant" gutter rapids. Posted @ 6/28/2004 11:27:00 PM \| 0 comments



	So I FINALLY got my old laptop back from work. In case you missed the post (many weeks ago), the hard drive on it died the day I got a new desktop machine at work. The laptop was actually still under warranty so I got a new hard drive for free. However, because I got a new desktop at work, they were going to take the laptop away. Because the laptop is fairly old, they were going to end of life it which meant selling it off at a discounted price. I got first crack (and best price) so I am now the pround owner of a new/old Dell Latitude C610 (1 GHz, 512MB RAM, 20 Gb hard disk). It has been quite a while since I actually paid any money for a machine of my own because I hate shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars just to have my investment be out of date to new and improved technology in less than six months. This is probably the best I could hope for; spend $75.00 and get a laptop with Windows XP that I can use at home and when traveling. I will mostly "Remote Desktop" into work so don't really need much software on it (except for toys!). I don't need killer performance at home either so the box should be adequate for a while. Who knows, maybe I can still convince work to get me a new laptop, in addition to keeping the desktop. Now that I have the machine, it means I have to configure it and do install the software that I do need. It has been fairly painless (especially now that I am using Password Safe!). It has been interesting though, as this time I have been configuring the machine for a more UI rich experinence. All of my work machines have been geared towards software development and maximum performance. It is nice to be on the other end for once! Posted @ 6/28/2004 11:04:00 PM \| 0 comments



	OK, the taste test is complete. I tried both C2 and Edge, the new low carb products from Coke & Pepsi respectively, and I think C2 is better. However, I like regular Coke better than regular Pepsi so that is no surprise. They both taste very similar to the original versions, just with 1/2 the sugar. I won't drink either much, because even with half of the sugar, they still have way too much. Now if they could just get the diet versions to taste like the regular versions I would be in hog heaven! Posted @ 6/28/2004 10:59:00 PM \| 0 comments



	This is some seriously wild stuff but could be huge if this can work in humans. Need a new kidney? No problem, let's just grow one! Reuters Health Information (2004-06-28): Functioning kidneys grown in rats Posted @ 6/28/2004 05:35:00 PM \| 0 comments

Monday, June 21, 2004



	How do I get paid by the government to have sex? I guess this guy didn't get paid either but you can't fault him for not trying! ;) Reuters Health Information (2004-06-21): Doctor jailed for billing for sex Posted @ 6/21/2004 05:03:00 PM \| 0 comments



	I was going to create my own password repository but found a nice free tool, Password Safe, on Source Forge that does what I want. So far no major complaints. Not only will it store all your passwords securely, but you can also ask for it to generate a new random password. Posted @ 6/21/2004 11:54:00 AM \| 0 comments



	Rain, rain, go away. Come back another day. Little Johnny wants to play. OK, so we really need the moisture and it is making everything very beautiful...BUT, I haven't been on the bike for a week now (last Monday). Not that I can't/won't ride in the rain (as Elk Meadow proved) but I have a responsibility as a trail user not to damage the trails I ride on. So I need a couple of rain free days before I can get back out on the bike. At least I can go to Waterton Canyon as the ride to the dam and back would be fairly mud free. Better than nothing. Posted @ 6/21/2004 08:41:00 AM \| 0 comments

Friday, June 18, 2004



	If anybody still needs a Father's Day gift idea for me, you could always buy me a Clapton guitar! Then I wouldn't have an excuse not to learn how to play any more... Yahoo! News - Clapton Auctions More Guitars to Benefit Rehab Posted @ 6/18/2004 05:39:00 PM \| 0 comments



	I think "they" have gone overboard this time! What's next??? BBC NEWS \| Technology \| Surf the net while surfing waves Posted @ 6/18/2004 08:34:00 AM \| 0 comments

Wednesday, June 16, 2004



	OK Georgie, what do you have to say about this? I think the man just makes up excuses to justify his own personal goals... BBC NEWS \| World \| Americas \| Probe rules out Iraq-9/11 links Posted @ 6/16/2004 12:25:00 PM \| 0 comments

Tuesday, June 15, 2004



	Unit Testing support should be included with all versions of Visual Studio 2005 and not just with Team System. Now with that said, I have to agree that it is an individual activity, not a team activity, and should be included. Why should I have to go buy additional software to practice best practices? Unit Testing in Visual Studio 2005 Posted @ 6/15/2004 12:36:00 PM \| 0 comments

Monday, June 14, 2004



	When will George get a clue? This man cannot get re-elected as president for the sake of the rest of the country. Why can't people see this man is not stable??? BBC NEWS \| World \| Americas \| Blow to Bush from US ex-officials Posted @ 6/14/2004 04:20:00 PM \| 0 comments

Sunday, June 13, 2004



	Well, vacation is over in a few hours so I figured I would update everyone as to what all I've been up to. Wednesday was more riding; this time at Elk Meadow. I had forgotten what sweet singletrack there is. I went a route that I have not gone since the first time (or two?) that I every rode it. I ended up going up Too Long trail (appropriately named when you are riding up it). The day started a bit ominous. It had cooled off considerably and started sprinkling on me as I was going up. It only got worse. It turned into a down pour, then the lightning and thunder started. In my infinite wisdom, I kept going further UP the mountain (always smart in an electrical storm) only to be hailed on. I did make it all the way up, all little wet, very muddy, and very tired, but glad I made it all the way as the ride down is a long flowing singletrack that is well worth all the effort. Towards the very end of the ride, I found out why it is called "Elk Meadow". Thursday was "Mommy Day", my wife's usual day off, and we took the kids to the Denver Zoo. Friday was Daddy Day, as Mommy had to get back to work. My son had been telling me that he wanted to climb a mountain, so I took them on a day hike to Deer Creek Canyon Park. We packed a lunch in our backpacks and headed out. We ended up doing a nice loop that was just under 3 miles. The kids had a blast. Saturday was errands, bike cleaning, and eating out. Sunday was more work around the home and then to a friends BBQ. All in all, a very full week. Posted @ 6/13/2004 09:04:00 PM \| 0 comments

Tuesday, June 08, 2004



	I love vacations like this! It has only been two days but it seems longer. That is because I am busy doing fun stuff. Monday I went riding at Walker Ranch and Sourdough Trail. Walker Ranch was a blast. I read that Boulder Park Rangers have to limit how steep their trails are so this guy really flowed. No killer climbs (or descents) but it flowed really well! Sourdough was another story. It was too rocky to make it fun to ride. I have to admit I only rode about a mile before turning around so it might have changed further down the line. I racked up a lot of miles in the car and I have to say that the scenery was amazing! Today I went riding at White Ranch. I had only been there once before and didn't ride very much of it due to mechanical problems so it was like the first time. This was an amazing place. I did think I would die of exhaustion at one point (due to a wrong turn that add about 3.5 miles onto my ride) but it rocked! After White Ranch, I ate, came home, showered and then played James Bond, Everything or Nothing until the family got home. Then I grilled some steaks for all of us (yum!!!). I'm not sure if and/or where I will go riding tomorrow. It will depend on my energy level. Today I felt sluggish until I got out riding so I bet the same thing would happen again. Maybe Elk Meadow and Bergen Peak. That is a blast, especially if you have time to ride the whole thing. I did take a couple of photos on both days and have picked out the best (although have not edited them yet). First off is a picture of Sourdough Trail that shows how rocky it is Next is a river crossing at the start of Walker Ranch Trail shot at the beginning of Walker Ranch Burnt trees from the 2000 fire Deer shot from inside my car White Ranch scenery White Ranch trail White Ranch over looking Table Mountain & downtown Denver Posted @ 6/08/2004 10:34:00 PM \| 0 comments

Sunday, June 06, 2004



	Ahhh, Sunday night and I'm just trying to come up for my plan of attack for the week. We were supposed to be going to Glenwood Springs this week, but as my daughter broke her arm, swimming is out of the question. This means that I get to do even more riding than I had originally planned. Good for me, bad for the family. As I'm trying to figure out where to go riding, I just turned the radio on, and one of my all time favorite weekly shows, the Red Rooster Lounge (syndicated show), is on 97.3 KBCO. It's a great way to end the week with some excellent mellow tunes. Helps you reflect and the previous weeks happenings and think about the upcoming week. Possibilities for the week include: Walker Ranch Sourdough Trail White Ranch Elk Meadow Waterton Canyon (further than normal) Others??? So, if you are up for an epic, or just don't want to go to work, please feel free to join me! Posted @ 6/06/2004 10:30:00 PM \| 0 comments

Friday, June 04, 2004



	Maybe I am just an old retro grouch, but I would have to agree that people need to turn off their phones and e-mails in meetings and when talking with others... BBC NEWS \| Business \| Modern gadgets raise work stress Posted @ 6/04/2004 08:19:00 AM \| 0 comments

Wednesday, June 02, 2004



	A very interesting article. For all of my friends and family that have asked me what I do, this might give you a better idea... The Role of the Software Architect Posted @ 6/02/2004 11:44:00 AM \| 0 comments



	I got the new Lenny Kravitz album, Baptism. I haven't had much of a chance to listen to it yet, but it appears to be a very rocking album, his best one is a while! I had not heard a single song off the CD but with his track record I knew it would be a safe purchase! Posted @ 6/02/2004 08:51:00 AM \| 0 comments