… on a historical vote for equality and human rights. Regardless of their gender, consenting adults will be able to get married in the state of New York. New York is draped in rainbows this weekend!

Amazing – the Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champs! Dirk Nowitzki now ranks among the greatest basketball players of all time!

I’m not a Dallas fan; I don’t even follow the NBA much. Heck – I live in March Madness land. But I do like Dirk’s down-to-earth style and he SO deserves this triumph. Take this LeBron! The Mavs are a great team and an improbable Champion – not just a bunch of loud-mouth ball-playing millionaires in baggy shorts, like much of the rest of the NBA.

Congrats, Dallas.

Glückwunsch, SuperDirk!

Thingyverse has a Colberthulhu:

Wow. Weird … cool.

Nothing says “summer is here” more than a couple of muggy mid-90 days over Memorial Day weekend, building a tree house and catching fish in the pond.

Last weekend, I completed our treehouse. Well, it’s not so much a “house” as a platform in the tree – about 15 feet (5m) above the ground. It is completely off the ground, held up by 4 big lagbolts in the tree. I Googled “How to build a tree house” and did some research about best practices building a tree house. I wanted to make sure that the structure is sturdy and safe, but I also wanted to avoid serious damage to the tree. All the experts make it very clear that you want to use large bolts and as few of them as possible.

Initially, I wanted to build the platform on top of two branches, but after spending some time up there on windy afternoons, it was clear that that was a bad idea. I still built the frame of the platform on those branches. But when I installed the supports, I pushed up the platform off the branches, so that the entire weight of the platform now rests on those 4 lagbolts anchored 6 inches (18 cm) deep in the trunk of this beautiful oak. Yesterday, I installed a simple railing and a pulley. If the kids get into it, and use it, I’ll probably expand on this idea, and maybe turn this into a “real” tree house.

Down at the pond, Laura spent a lot of time fishing. We had spotted some Sunfish (Bluegill) in our pond and she wanted to catch one. She managed to catch one with her fishing rod, and another one with a cast net.

We did it!

Yesterday, the 11foot8 team @Overheight When Flashing@ participated in the Doughman – “the world’s premier Team Relay Quadrathlon” – and we finished in a very satifying 8th place (out of 75 teams).

The race has 5 legs. Each leg starts with an eating challenge before the athlete goes on to run or bike. Upon return, the next teammate is tagged and he/she eats and then races on. This is how we divided up the legs:

leg 1 – corn dog + 1.9 mile run + water activity ……. Gordon Keeler
leg 2 – veggie tamale + 8-mile bike race ……………….Craig Young
leg 3 – vegan “meatballs” and squash + 2-mile run .. Jurgen Henn
leg 4 – two (not one!) lambie Joes + 2.3-mile run ….. Bill Copeland
leg 5 dessert + team sprint
…… Jurgen …….. locopop
…… Bill ………….. chocolate dream w/peanut butter
…… Craig ……….. cupcake
…… Gordon …… bread pudding

The start is staggered based on how much money the team managed to raise for the two local non-profits that benefit from this event – SEEDS and SeeSaw studio. Three teams raised $1500 or more and they got a 6-Minute head start. Next were a bunch of teams that raised at least $500 with a 2-Min. head start. Then teams that raised $250 or more with a 1-Min. head start (we raised $340, so we were in that group) and finally teams that did not manage even $250 started last.

Overall we had a great time. We had had some serious thunderstorms on friday, so we were a bit worried what the weather would be like. It turned out to be a nice morning, if a bit muggy. All of us had at least scouted out our courses, so we were not among those participants who were wandering around lost in downtown Durham. In fact, I had run my course twice before the race, and Gordon even three times.

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We are proud to present the 11foot8 Team @Overheight When Flashing@! This intrepid team of athletes will take on the Doughman Race on May 28 – a challenging eating/athletic competition right here in Durham. This race is also a fundraiser for SEEDS – a local nonprofit that builds community gardens and teaches kids to grow food. For every $250 we raise, our team gets a one-Minute head start. So help SEEDS and help the 11foot8 team! Go to 11foot8.com and click on the “Donate” button to contribute. Thank you for your support!

Mercedes for Sale

Yes … I am selling the Mercedes.

It’s a great car. I really enjoy it, but we can’t afford 3 cars any more. The untimely demise of that POS Ford truck tore a big hole in our budget, and so the Mercedes has to go. Here is the listing:

This is an original E-series Mercedes from 1991 – the classic W124 model with the 5cyl 2.5L Turbo Diesel engine. It runs great and economically on biodiesel or on regular diesel … 25MpG in town, 30-35 MpG Highway. 278.800 miles and going strong. Automatic transmission.

Looks sharp: black and gray exterior, black leather interior, electric sunroof, electric windows, electric seats. Huge trunk. Seats 4 adults comfortably. Back seat has headrests.

One of the safest cars ever built. Has ABS, airbags etc

A/C works great, tires are fine,

Turbo, glow plugs and fan clutch were replaced 4 years ago.

Some cosmetic flaws: paint peeled off on exterior plastic panel on driver door. paint on hood faded (see photos)

This is a great ride for long drives or daily commuting. I am only selling this vehicle because I cannot afford 3 vehicles any longer.

May 5th is this year’s National Day of Reason.

I’ll be heading over to Raleigh tomorrow to check it out.

The pair of wild Canada Geese in our back yard had 4 goslings last week. Today, on Easter Sunday, I got close enough for some pictures and some video.

Last week, a producer from MSNBC’s “Caught on Camera” contacted me about using my truck crash footage and about doing an interview.I was not so sure about doing a TV interview, but I couldn’t really think of any good reason not to do it, except that I probably would look like a dork. So I agreed to do the interview.

I took today off, and met with a film crew from MSNBC at Brightleaf Square this morning. They set up in front of the old Pop’s location, with the 11foot8 bridge as the backdrop. Initially, when they set up, it was pretty quiet there, but between 8:30 and 9:30 is coffee “rush-hour” at Parker and Otis and tons of people walked and drove by. Some of them folks who know me (and my website) and some commented “is this about the truck crash website?” It was a bit embarrassing to stand there with a film crew while my office mates walk by to get their coffee, but it was also funny to see the film crew (and the producer’s) reaction when several people commented about the website. Maybe they though that they got themselves a dork with a fanclub.

The guys were really nice, actually. They seemed to enjoy this particular story. They climbed all over the bridge to shoot b-roll. The interview was a bit tiring. I am not much of a public speaker and I have to concentrate on what I say to articulate several points in a linear fashion, so that what I say can be easily followed. But it’s TV – so they’ll cut it all up and mash it up and do with it what they want anyway. And I’ll probably look like a dork.

The segment about the 11-foot-8 bridge will be shown sometime in mid-July on “Caught on Camera” I’ll post a more specific date when I find out. (or maybe not, actually)

Today we bought our new truck – a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 with a 5.9 liter Cummins 12-valve Diesel engine with 138,575 miles.

This is a much better ride than the Ford – not just a “farm truck.” Better handling, more comfy interior … well suited for longer drives. And with the powerful Cummins Diesel and the towing equipment we can easily haul our horses around (once we have a trailer). Sadly, however, the Mercedes has to go …

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Unloading at Umstead Park

[DEUTSCH weiter unten … ] Saturday, we took Wally and Cleo out on a road-trip for the first time. We borrowed the truck and trailer from friends of ours. We wanted to check out the truck’s towing prowess as we were planning to buy it. We had done a test-run the previous weekend and loaded the horses, took them for a short drive and brought them back home. This time we really took Wally and Cleo out – to Umstead park in Raleigh, which is about a 45 Minute drive. It was quite an exciting outing, and everyone had a great time. There were some other folks with their horses, and Wally and Cleo got to meet some of the other horses. The park was crowded, as there was a big 100-mile race going on, and so there were many bikers and runners on the paths. Wally and Cleo were very, very good. They had no problems with all the commotion – in fact they seemed to enjoy it.

The Dodge will be our new truck

One unusual incident provided even more excitement – at least for the humans. At one point we were warned that some “crazy guy” was attacking people on the path. Since he was between us and our parking lot (which is where our kids were playing) we continued on. We figured that with Wally and Cleo we could probably take on some nut with a stick. Sure enough – that’s what he turned out to be … a wild-eyed young man with a bloody nose and a stick sitting on an embankment next to the path, threatening the passers-by. we passed him at a fast walk and before he could really decide what to do with us, we sped up and cantered off. As we rode off, we saw two park ranger trucks with flashing lights headed down there to deal with the situation.

So the outing was fun – and a little exciting. And we really like the truck. It’s a ’98 Dodge RAM 2500 4WD diesel truck. The interior is pretty comfy, so it’ll be great for longer trips as well, and it pulls the horse trailer without any problems. Perfect … now I just have to get rid of the old, busted Ford.

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In Cote D’Ivoire, it looks like the battle is coming to a head between incumbent, but reluctant-to-leave president Laurent Gbagbo, and incoming, UN-supported, supposed election-winner Alassane Ouattara. Ouattara’s supporting rebel forces have captured the capital Yamoussoukro and they reportedly have entered the country’s largest city Abidjan. Apparently the military’s support for Gbabgbo is dwindling. Hopefully there won’t be any intense fighting.

If Ouattara is really poised to take control of the country, I hope he has that wisdom to reach out to the Gbagbo supporters in a meaningful way. If Ouattara allows lawlessness and revenge violence to run wild, he will have a hard time bringing the country back to peace. For the sake of all Ivoirians, I hope he has the wisdom to take this opportunity to start re-uniting Cote D’Ivoire, not further deepening the divide between North and South.

So I knew that the Dodge Cummins Internet fori (better get my latin right) have a different modus operandus than the ole Ford bulletin board, but this is silly: I tried to sign up for a Dodge Cummins forum and had to pass a latin test!? Of course I failed promptly and now I am BANNED from that forum.

What the hell is the plural for PRIUS??

(And why do you have to know the plural of a Toyota car to sign up for a Dodge Cummins forum??)

I am so confused ….

[Update … I Googled (duh!) that question, and of course this is burning issue in a Prius-owners forum. The answer is this: if you’re talking about the Toyota, the plural is Priuses; if you’re talking latin, it’s – I’m told – Priora.]

This weekend was supermoon weekend and the weather was beautifully warm and clear here in NC. We stayed up late with the kids and the horses playing in the moonlight. Click on the photo above – it links to a gallery of some of my recent moon-lit night photos (including the shots from this weekend).

Ah … the Irish. What can I say – they know how to party.

Dain Phelan and Zack Wheeler yesterday at Dain’s Place in Durham:

I don’t much care for catholic saints, but David Plotz’ story about Ireland’s patron saint is pretty interesting:

According to Thomas Cahill, author of How the Irish Saved Civilization, Paddy’s influence extended far beyond his adopted land. Cahill’s book, which could just as well be titled How St. Patrick Saved Civilization, contends that Patrick’s conversion of Ireland allowed Western learning to survive the Dark Ages. Ireland pacified and churchified as the rest of Europe crumbled. Patrick’s monasteries copied and preserved classical texts. Later, Irish monks returned this knowledge to Europe by establishing monasteries in England, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

We’re in! I registered the 11-foot-8 Doughman team today – Team Overheight When Flashing!

We’ll be competing on Saturday May 28th with 75 teams from all over the country in the DOUGHMAN race – the world’s premier Team Relay Quadrathlon, combining competitive eating with a traditional triathlon.

Part of the challenge is also to raise funds for SEEDS – a local non-profit. So please consider contributing to the cause. Your contribution will support a worthy local cause AND it will help our team in the race!

“SEEDS is a non-profit community garden whose goal is to teach people to care for the earth, themselves and each other through a variety of garden-based programs“

Friday morning, around 2:00 AM, I was at work dealing with a major email server problem, when I started noticing the news headlines about the disaster in Japan. It sounded bad, but I was too tired and too preoccupied with my work for the magnitude of that disaster to really sink in.

Later that morning, after a couple hours of sleep, I had to explain to folks at work that half a day’s worth in emails had bounced. At the same time the extent of the situation in Japan came into focus. Some of my co-workers – including my boss – pointed out that the news about Japan really does put our email problems into perspective. Even though I know they were unhappy about the losing a bunch of emails.

As the situation in Japan unfolds and people there scramble to deal with a real disaster, I hope this also serves as a reminder for us to not take our comfort zone for granted. For the most part, we can only watch and recognize the amazing magnitude and intensity of this double-whammy disaster, plus the impending man-made peril to top it off. The threat of a nuclear disaster should also give pause to all of us who are consuming electricity from nuclear power, and especially to all of us who live near a nuclear power plant.

Let’s also not forget the ongoing, man-made disaster in Libya. I really hope that the international community (and the Arab League in particular) soon decides to intervene and try to stop Gaddafi’s troops from killing the Libyan rebels.

We all need to keep our own struggles in perspective. And we all need to give our kids and our loved ones a hug. And we have to try to be there for our fellow man when they need our help.

kalunkalunkalunk ….

That’s what that truck said on Sunday. I knew it was a bad sound. Expensive. The sound of money down the drain. Well … this is the 1″x2″  hole where 5 grand of my hard-earned cash disappeared Sunday morning.

My mechanic says it was a connecting rod that broke and punched that hole in the bottom of the engine block. Turns out, on Powerstroke engines, connecting rod failures are not unheard of. Google it. I am pissed off. For a core component of an engine to fail like this is NOT acceptable. There are only 2 explanations I can think of: bad design or poor quality control. Bad maintenance does not produce catastrophic failures like this. I am DONE with Ford. DONE. I put up with their crappy shit … knobs falling off, door locks not working, the WORST cup holders in an American-made vehicle ever! But our Ford Taurus blew a head gasket at just under 90,000 miles and now a POWERSTROKE engine dies at just over 255,000 miles??!!

Why can I not get a Toyota diesel engine here? Why does VW not make a full-size pickup with a big ole TDI?? I guess I’ll try a Dodge with a Cummins engine next. I hope I have better luck with that.

Yeah – another one of those weeks were “challenging” was just not good enough. At work we have to re-build our main file server and so we’re shuffling Terabytes of data around the networks, checking file permissions, backing up data, bla bla bla … Julia had a viola recital today with all the other students of her strings teacher. Next week she auditions for the Durham School of the Arts AND she performs at Duke in the Durham Honors Concert. So she’s a bit wigged out. On top of all that, the damn truck broke. I drove into town this morning to pick up some veggie oil, and as I hit the Interstate, the truck starts making weird noises. I fiddle with the transmission and the truck says CLUNK … kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk … oh shit, I  think , and pull over. Oil is pouring out of the bottom of the truck and something is clunking and rattling like crazy.

So I called Laura, and she got me the phone numbers for some towing companies. Since I’ve had ample opportunity to watch Big John’s Towing at work, I pick them. They sent one of their “smaller” towing trucks, and the guy hooked up my pickup and towed it to my mechanic. We had a a nice chat, and we discussed the towing and recovery business, the cost of fuel and, of course, the business of yanking boxtrucks out from under low railroad trestles.

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