Scheduled Maintenance

I just hit 150,000 miles on my odometer on the way to Carmen's place this past trip. I wanted to look in my owner's manual and see what kind of maintenance I'm supposed to perform at this point. Unfortunately, my owner's manual only goes up to 120,000 miles. All I've been able to find is that I should change the transmission filter. D says that I should just take it in to a shop and pay for them to do it. He takes his truck in for transmission filters. That'd probably be better than me messing it up anyway.

I wonder why the manual's maintenance recommendations stop at 120,000 miles...do they not expect the car to last longer than that? I hope not...that's a bad signal. If I made a car, I'd schedule maintenance all the way through 300,000 miles...that way you'd know when you got the car that the manufacturer thought (or wanted you to think that he thought) the car would last that long.

Rape Tunnel

Some artist has built a "rape tunnel" installation where he promises to attempt to rape anyone who dares crawl through it. See a more complete article here. I don't think I "get" art.

Pick #158

Tonic - "Mean to Me" from Sugar

DeSoto Penis Pad

I just got a pair of DeSoto "400 Mile" bike shorts. I don't know when I'll have a chance to take them on a really long ride, but for now I'll be amused with the shape of the chamois. Looks like a cock-n-balls. Wouldn't you agree? Sack, shaft, and head. Giggle.

Pick #157

Global Warming Extravaganza - "A Capella Metal" (available at http://www.myspace.com/theglobalwarmingextravaganza)

First Bite of Ostrich

For Carmen's birthday, we went to her parents' house in her home town of Rensselear, IN. We got in late on the night of the 3rd and we went to the Trail Tree Diner which is the only place open 24 hours around here. I had a specialty sandwich with mashed taters & gravy with probably an extra 1200 calories. In the morning, we had breakfast then Carmen, her dad, and I bagged about 50 pounds of acorns for her to use in her research (trying to get voles to eat them). After that, I rode her dad's comfort hybrid bike for a little 10 mile jaunt. It had a speedometer and I was able to push it up to 32.21 mph. Maybe a slight downhill, definitely some wind at my back, but it was a comfort hybrid...I'm impressed.

Next, we went to Valparaiso for lunch. Ate at Maria Elenas. I had lasagna and everyone else had ostrich. Naturally, I had to try the flightless bird. Tasted kind of like beef. It was served like a steak would be. You don't want to cook it much more than medium rare or it will get really tough. It was still a little tough prepared as suggested.

We were going to go to the great lakes shore or something to see sandhill cranes or sand dunes or something. We didn't. We came back home then C, Mr. B., & I went through the woods looking for animal tracks so that we could make plaster casts. We stayed out until dark and got two deer prints and a cool double-raccoon-paw mold. She's got to do those for class.

I'm going to wake up in the morning and get breakfast out, have a tour of the town, then head back to Bloomington to watch a lecture on invasive grass.

Buffalo Burger & Local Beer

Last time I came to visit Carmen in Bloomington, we went to the Upland Brewery almost every day (just a couple blocks from her house). They have a restaurant attached to their brewery and AMAZING beer. I've never been a beer snob, but I've got to say that beer's been ruined for me for the past month without Upland.

I've been wanting to try a buffalo burger for quite some time now. When we first went to the Upland, I was debating over a few menu items until I saw the bison burger and I ordered it. Tasty. I need to eat more of these guys. I mean, eating cows is alright because I don't like them. Cows are jerks. I've never met a buffalo, but they definitely look cooler. They're supposed to be better for you. And they go well with local beer.

I'm in Bloomington now and I'll surely have a bison/beer meal at the Upland before leaving.