Computer Ho...

As we left for the California trip, our main office computer gagged. It had been having 'issues' for some time, but they finally all came to a head. I guess it knew we were going to Frys and knew its days were short...

Lanny installed a new case and power supply, new motherboard, and various other bits that have resurrected it into a great machine. And cute too. Its now has 6 fans and has plenty of room for lots of future stuff.

We also bought some toys for the HP Laptop. We got it a new fan and touchpad, and increased it's disk from 6GB to 60GB. It just doesn't know what to do now with all that space. It just sits and spaces out all day now...

We got these little laptop to desktop disk adapters and Norton Ghost to do the laptop disk upgrade and they all worked great. Good Stuff.

Trip to SoCal and Back...

Sorry for the long time since our last post. We took a trip down to Southern California to see our new Grand Daughter Alana and all the Keithley Klan. This was our first trip out of DaHo since the honeymoon and its still very weird out there...

We started out driving though snow and staying in Las Vegas. Big fun as usual. We met one of Pam's coworkers there. We then went to Newport Beach and checked in to the Hyatt Newporter. This was all setup by my son, Ryan from Maui, and it was awesome and cheap - nice to have kids that work in the hospitality industry... His son, the Head Grandson, Oliver also stayed there during the trip and we all had big fun.

We got to meet and play with Alana throughout the trip. She is such a cutie and a great baby. Kosmo, Tara & Aaron's dog doesn't seem as happy about the new baby as everybody else though...

While there at T & A's, we went to Fry's and got a bunch of computer toys. DaHo is VERY technology store challenged and we both loved being able to be in Frys again. We installed a new hard disk, merged all the family digital music on it, and installed network wiring and a Mike Keithley provided Audiotron music server at T & A's so they can finally listen to all their music again. The music also went to Ryan's new Dell 9200 17" laptop. Very nice computer...

We had a big party on Saturday with all the Klan there and great fun was had by all. Then, on Easter Sunday, we said our goodbyes and drove back to Las Vegas and stayed in the Luxor pyramid - very weird place... On the drive back Monday, we had lots of snow again in the middle of Nevada. Nasty stuff but the Jeep ran great and the new radar detector that Pam got worked great...

All in all, it was a very good trip. Lots of driving in a short time, but that's how life goes here in DaHo...

Ground Ho...

Well, we now have our very own Ground Ho(g)... We saw it standing up on our hill, just in front of the house about 30 yards away, looking towards the lights of the big city.

And, in the anything worth doing is worth doing multiple times category (see vent hood dialog below), Lanny went in for some blood tests today. After he got home, the hospital called wanted him to come back because the first samples didn't go right. So, he went back and did it again - and while leaving the hospital to get into the van, it hailed on him... This also fits into the 'No good deed goes unpunished' category...

The good news is that we cooked a whole grill full of terikyi ribs, producing lots of smoke, and the new vent hood took it all in stride without missing a puff. FINALLY!!!! All is good in Da Ho...

Shock and Awe...

After having all the shocking fun at the doctors, Lanny had to rewire the electricity to the new vent hood. The contractors had done it wrong... The lights would only work when the blower was on and then would dim with the blower speed control. Not right...

It was not much fun, with the memory of 1 1/2 hours of shock testing so vivid. But, it all worked and no additional shocks occured. Over the past couple of years, with remodeling and building houses, Lanny has had to do a lot of electrical work and has it pretty well figured out at this point.

Now, if we can ever get the Wolf stove electronic starters to stop 'clicking' and work right, all will be awesome in the kitchen.

Ho Shocker...

Yesterday was exciting - even shocking. At 9am, there were 6 construction type dudes here working on installing the new vent hood setup. They had to replace the existing 6" vent pipe with a 10" one and install a very large external blower on the roof. Then, the new vent hood, which is very cool looking - like a commerical one. Anyway, all the installation took until Lanny had to run off the the doctors at 4pm.

Lanny went to the doctors yesterday for some very shocking tests with a neurologist. I spend an hour and a half getting shocked and poked with devices that looked like they came from a spy movie... The doctor started off said that these tests had the highest cure rate of almost any medical tests. He said that almost all patients that took the tests must be cured becasue they never come back after them... Ha, Ha... It was awful. I was so weirded out by the time it was over that I just wanted a good drink and a dark place to go hide in...

Well, now the good news! We cooked a large ribeye steak on the grill, using the new hood for the first time, and it worked wonderfully - FINALLY!!!! The *%%*(&*) Wolf Stove was acting up and nearly drove us both crazy in the 15 minutes it took to cook the steak, but the hood worked great!!!!! Life will be good in DaHo as soon as I recover and quit twitching from the tests...

Pamela Keithley, M.C.P.

Pam has been studying for this MCP test for months. She has been taking assessment tests online to check her progress and has been on her mind the whole time. All weekend, she was sick as a dog and spent all awake time studying. I was amazed that she got up very early Monday morning and took her final online assessment trial test before going to take the real one.

Right after she finished the real test and was told that she passed it with a score of 800 (700 is passing...) she had me take her to the doctors to find out we had strep throat. She was in pain all day yesterday and last night was bummed out that she couldn't celebrate her success. Both her mother and I, both of whom are also sick, congratulated her, but that seemed pale after so much long term intense study.

She did go to work today, but if anybody felt like calling or emailing tonight and congratulating her, I am sure she would be happy to tell you all about it... Well, I'm hoping she will still feel better, but I am sure she would love to know that you where there...

Also, the new stove vent hood is suppose to be installed today... Please think good thoughts and hopefully this one will work...

Two Tests Today

After spending the entire weekend in bed with a nasty bug -- Pam picked her ass up and took her (real) Microsoft Certfied Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) test. SHE PASSED!!! She is finally an official Microsoft Certified Professional -- something she has been dreaming of becoming for many years.

Well that was test number 1 -- now for test number 2. Immediately following her exam -- Pam and I went to the doctors to get Pam's throat swabbed for Strep. Unfortunately, she received another positive test result and now we both are taking antibotics.

That's the way the cookie crumbles (don't get excited Lanny -- I'm not talking about your beloved Cowboy cookies). =p

Blow Ho...

Wow, yesterday it was realllly windy around here. Being on a hill and having so much open spaces and construction projects around, the 50-60mph winds were bringing some pretty amazing stuff by...

I had to go out and retrieve one of our outside metal tables and watched one of our outside planters get blown out of sight in a couple of minutes. There were a bunch of 3 foot square by a foot or so thick pieces of insulation, being blown from some construction site up wind that never fell down and just 'rolled' over all obstacles until they went out of sight.

The good news is that everything that is left looks real shiny and clean... Today, there is no wind just like Friday. Very weird - even for a Lancaster boy...

Pam is starting to feel a little better, or at least is moaning less. She had a fever yesterday and was still trying to study for her MCP exam. I have felt real sore all over but don't know if I have the same thing or not. I really haven't been 'sick', as I use to think of it, since I have been a 'neck breather'- no sinuses or throat to get involved - which, I think, eliminates a lot of the pain, congestion and head aches normally associated with being sick. But, the day is still young...

Hot Ho...

Boy, the weather is really getting hot here. It's been in the low 70 range and really sunny. Lanny went fishing yesterday and only wore a short sleeve shirt and was hot. He gave the resulting trout to a couple of our contractors that were in the area working on another house. It was a great day to be outdoors...

They put a watering barrel and salt lick for the cows almost directly in front of our house on the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. The range cows, of all sizes and colors, walk up and down the fence all day and Calicat is continually amazed.

Last night we had Pam's mother over for dinner. Lanny fixed hot oil fondue with fillet migon, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic cloves, pearl onions, jalapanos, bell peppers with sides of wild rice-a-roni and an almost reasonable Walmart French bread baggette (we are very spoiled from San Francisco...) She was impressed and fun was had by all, well maybe except for Pam who is not feeling very well and seems to be coming down with something.

We are getting the third and last new kitchen vent hood installed next Tuesday and sincerely hope this will finally resolve the smoke problem once and for all...

We are getting a couple of the old Mission Bell chairs recovered in a 'distressed suede' sorta stuff. It should look great.

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

Life is good in DaHo.

Midweek Ramble...

Lanny's foot has finally healed. He can now do his usual 2 mile 'trip' on the treadmill without pain. The Yoga has been helping it along.

He also got his new glasses which Pam doesn't like very much - there too big - but will be great for playing pool and the outdoors. He can see much better now.

We are working with an uphostery place get a couple of the Mission Bell chairs recovered. Lanny still has a bunch of Mission Bell furniture back in Illinois that needs to get picked up. He's not sure what to do with it at this point.

The latest, and hopefully last, stove vent hood is in transit and will hopefully be installed early next week. Trying to schedule the needed labor has been 'challenging'. They are always busy...

The Southern California trip has been expanded a bit. We are now going to drive to Las Vegas on 3/23 and on to T&A&A's on 3/24. We will have to leave mid-day on Easter Sunday, 3/27, to return to DaHo.

Its been hot in DaHo. Days are in the high 60 to mid 70 range. Nights have been in the mid 30 to 40 range. Lots of birds and small animals returning from wherever they go for the winter...

Study Weekend...

Pam spend all weekend in deep study for her Microsoft Certified Professional exam. She shared some of the questions with me. I am impressed with the detail being tested. Its an amazing amount of information to digest. I guess that is why she had heartburn this morning...

I had to lay off exercising for the weekend to mend. I pulled something in my foot the other day and wasn't sure if it was from the treadmill or somehow from Yoga. I didn't feel it when it happened.

Not being one to just sit around, I spend the weekend working on my stroke...

Surfing Stitchless...

Today, I got all my stitches out and all is well. Big Fun.

Last night I saw on the news that the Mavrick's Surf Contest happened. They had 50+ foot waves. Mavricks is about 2 miles from where we use to live in Moss Beach. Normally, there are no waves there at all. But, under certain conditions, they have the world's largest waves. The record was almost 100 feet...

A few years ago, my son Aaron - a life long surfer, visited and we ate dinner at a local resturant next to the contest awards banquet table. All of the worlds' big time surfers were there and he was so jazzed...

About 10 years ago, I was there watching the contest when Mark Foo, one of the worlds best was killed riding the big one... Nasty place...

Cheap Ho...

Lanny originally got a 'less expensive' 600 CFM (cubic feet/minute of air flow) stove vent hood off of Ebay for about $200. Which really sucked, or actually didn't suck well at all. Grill smoke filled the house...

So, a couple of months ago, he finally got fed up and selected a 800 CFM name brand $ 800 replacement unit - but one that could still use the installed 6" vent pipe going to the roof, which saved about $300 but limited the selection to one unit. Well, that hood doesn't suck enough either and the house still fills with smoke when we use the indoor grill in the stove.

Soo, now, finally, Lanny is going to do what he should have done before and replaced the vent pipe with a much larger 10" one and get a much more powerful hood - 1200CFM with a roof mounted blower. This is the type of system that they use in resturants and will work.

If any of you hear a distant sucking roar coming from north, you will know what it is... $$

For all you students of life, your assignment is to say the following 1000 times:

The Joy of good quality last far longer than the thrill of cheap prices!