::latencyproject::

Garden Monster

2010-05-07T20:13:00.001-04:00

IMG_2090, originally uploaded by latency5.

I hate that I had to kill it.

I was returning from picking up minifem from school and Fem and the other kids had spooked this snake in our front beds.

When I went to investigate the "FRIGGIN HUGE THING THAT WAS ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK --- I, I, IIIIIT WAS IN THERE!!!!"
Sure, honey, bet you anything it was a Gardner snake. Nope, not this guy.

When I went to get it with a broom handle to relocate it, it coiled and looked as though it was going strike. The closer I got, the damn thing (I don't want to say wrattled - but that is what it sounded like) started to make some noise, whipping its tail. Ok, this thing had a fight reflex, not a flight. I have a 2 year old that will pick up mulch to eat...can't have a snake like this around.

So, off to the garage, got the sand stamper and the pitch fork. Then the hunt began, and this thing was fast. I was on the rocks above it, and trying to get a good human shot.

Here it is...measured over 50". I am not sure what it is yet...took photos to try and ID it...maybe a black rat snake???

The new grass killer

2010-05-07T17:33:00.001-04:00

Mow, originally uploaded by latency5.

Ok couple of things. I hate blogger now. They quit allowing us to publish via FTP to our own domains and now required that we use their hosting services to redirect...no thanks. Google, bad move.

Anyway, lack of posting comes from lack of blog management system.

I am posting a quick pic from yesterday. The new mower was delivered this week - it is UNBELIEVABLE -- such a nice unit that cuts my cut times by at least half...

Stay tuned for a well taken care of John Deere 318 to be on the market soon. I am no longer using the tractor, went purpose built with the zero turn bad boy...

Check out the mowers here:

http://www.badboymowers.com/view/video-gallery

2010-04-06T20:49:00.001-04:00

Ok, so with a little inspiration, I will (should) be in the garage this weekend working and reorganizing. Time to build some new benches, paint and get things in order...especially the LIGHTING.

Stay tuned for a coming post next week!

For now some inspiration from the west coast:

2010-04-02T22:28:00.002-04:00

The last three months have been a blur. Work has had me traveling quite a bit, and I have not had the time to post up...

Today, I took a personal day to take the little man to the doctor, but then we got out in the sun and had some fun...

Here is a quick vid of the girls on the 50:

2010-02-07T09:21:00.002-05:00

We got a pretty good dumping of snow this weekend. About 14" by my measurements here at the house. Love the snow, looks amazing, just a bit tough to push around (unless you have a mini-bobcat!!!)

2010-01-22T22:12:00.002-05:00

Getting a good amount of windshield time for customer meetings in the valley area, my car is quickly getting littered with little LCD screens. Started with the IPOD, then a small GPS, then that GPS failed on me, so I started to see why rally drivers use multiple units (different manufacturers as well), so long trips find me with 2 GPS units, and my Blackberry chirping on Trapster, the K40 going (although usless against laser)....

That being said, car has a nice 'glow' to it at night, however, nothing like the 144A car of Alex Roy:

2010-01-10T13:44:00.002-05:00

So, it has been a week of travels, lots of windshield time, and the first week of the Mac's life in corporate america. With Fusion and Unity...things work out very well, and just stumbled on this video that I thought captured it perfectly:

2010-01-02T22:12:00.002-05:00

Dad came over today, and we spent ALL day in the back garage on I think the coldest day of the year. GOOD time spent however, as we were fabricating new mount for the Snow Plow that I wanted to mount on the Bobcat.

The goal was to take the plow I had for the ATV, and fashion/fabricate a homemade universal mount that mates up to the Bobcat universal system. After some quick mock ups, some disassembly of un-needed hardware from the plow mount that was used on the ATV, we were ready to start piecing things together.

Now, if you have in the last year or so purchased any steel stock, you know it is NOT cheap. Well, Mom and Dad both live in Dublin, and they always walk the neighborhood. Being a rod guy, and all around good scavenger, dad would see folks throwing away old bed frames. Steel. Free. So he stock piled some, and when were ready to mount the plow, we had all the free steel would could need.

THANKS DAD!

Working with steel takes times. Time to cut, time to torch, weld...in the end, we have a completely removable and fully functional Bobcat universal mount built for the ATV plow.

Tonight on the way home from dinner with the Fem and offspring, as it started snowing...I yelled out the van window in Ace Ventura style "Bring it father winter, I am ready!" :)

Fabing up the mount with clamps:

Pops welding it up:

Just a couple of quick snaps as I was off to the showers before dinner. We spent 7 hours in 15 degree weather (the garage was warmer with the 88,000 BTU burner, but we ran out of propane)...

So now, I say bring on the snow. Bring a ton of it. The articulation of the boom with the blade should allow me to pile some seriously high snow. That with the weight of the cat, and the sheer torque it has...a snow machine made in heaven!!

2010-01-01T23:19:00.003-05:00

Just started the P2V....

Remember folks. Any OS, from ANY device, from ANYWHERE. A mantra I heard from Steve Riley at Tech-Ed 2006...

Quite the irony for my to have laptops side by side, new sucking the OS of the old off it ... just in case I need/want to run it. Doubt I will.

Next work related project... my home vSphere 4 lab needs built.

2010-01-01T23:09:00.002-05:00

I treated myself to a new tool for 'work' today. Fem swears, it is just because I wanted it, but who am I to argue???

I have taken a new role within the company, one that has found me transitioning everything I have done for the last 3 years in the last month or so. Starting Monday, the final accounts I cover will be notified of the changes. I can't wait to start the new gig, so in doing so, I thought I needed a new machine to do so.

Enter the new monster. I wanted small. I wanted a 'deal'. I wanted a mac. I wanted a ton of ram so I could P2V my corporate image to Fusion. Enter a deal I could not pass up:

First things first, it was time to crack the case. 1 -- NEEDED to see what it was like under that shiney new eggshell... 2 -- NEEDED to double the RAM (I will be running Vm's on here after all)

And I thought this was great. My XP (shell.dll hacked to Win7) corporate tug boat...doing it's best to not be P2V'd to its new home on my MacBook:

So far, I have Leopard fully patched, Office 2008 for Mac installed, patched, I have been tinkering with the Cisco VPN (built in not working yet), just installed Vmware Fusion -- going to P2V tomorrow...too tired tonight. Till next post...

2009-12-23T12:14:00.002-05:00

Stormtroopers' Perpetual Winter, originally uploaded by Avanaut.

I just found the worlds best flickr set.

Lego and Star Wars -- awesome!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40195501@N06/

2009-12-23T10:59:00.001-05:00

I HATE WINTER!!!

2009-12-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

M O A R ! ! ! !

2009-12-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

Out with the old:

And in with the new:

Fem has her new ride, now that means the good ol pathy becomes my second vehicle. Nice to have for winter, but will be real nice during the summer as I can now modify it for race transport and some camping duties!

2009-12-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

Get 'ya some:

2009-12-10T20:25:00.003-05:00

O H M Y D O G ... (she made me write it like that)

I sit here listening to a Fem labor over the easiest decisions...one DVD screen, in the new van, two DVD screens in the new van, or four screens in the new van...does this really need to be discussed. F O U R.

Readers, don't take this the wrong way. Women don't get it. Ask a question, get an answer, move on. Next question. The universe was NOT built on ask a question, get an answer, come back, ask the same question, and repeat until someone puts their head through the drywall that said person will have to add to their project list... (in addition to the "add window blinds to a window no one sees in my closet").

So, while all of this is taking place, some guy, somewhere, is driving this rediculous ( R E D O N K U L O U S ) exige...men, sympothize with me, and enjoy the show...

2009-12-03T19:26:00.002-05:00

Too Funny, just had to post...and yes, I am still alive, just busy. ;-)

2009-10-30T20:01:00.001-04:00

Ah yes, the wonders of G R E A T marketing:

2009-10-24T19:12:00.001-04:00

Good lord...very cool video of the M3...rumor on the forums is this was done by amatuers...

Just listen to that engine plant...

http://www.banditobrothers.com/bmw-m3-garage/

2009-09-21T20:02:00.002-04:00

Week in and week out, the kids in our club are some of the most determined and the fastest. They are all riding bikes and having a blast, with extremely supportive parents. In the next 6-7 years I see mini-me in a very similar situation.

For the kids out west, here is a very cool initiative. John Boucher is putting this together, and the premier episode is great. Check your local SPEED channel listings...could be coming your way:

http://www.nextmotochampion.com/

2009-09-09T20:55:00.001-04:00

This is how he does it:

2009-08-23T20:39:00.002-04:00

Ben was filming, and caught 'checkers or wreckers' from another angle:

That is me going first with Sean right behind me...

2009-08-23T16:34:00.001-04:00

Great weekend at the track...day ended early after tossing in the last turn on lap one of the second F3 heat...was in third...then I dump it:

Thanks to Sean for the onboard video:

IMG_0998

2009-08-20T21:29:00.001-04:00

IMG_0998, originally uploaded by latency5.

I could wish this was signs of things to come, but she insists she has NO DESIRE TO EVER RACE... ok kiddo...

So, I wait for my youngest to grow to the age to make a decision if racing is something he would like to do or not....

Until then, I will race his bike.

Just slapped on an RS125 tail section, needs lots of work, but will be good enough for this weekends racing.

2009-08-16T23:28:00.001-04:00