Cafe Aubrew

Note to self

2011-05-21T14:09:00.002-05:00

Note to self: Passing through the intersection of hwy 601 traveling west on hwy 218 at 65mph will cause you to fly through the air like a Duke boy.
and even more so on a motorcycle. Yee-ha!
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Friday July 2, 2010

2010-07-04T04:48:00.002-05:00

I took the day off on friday. The weather was going to be lower temps and lower humidity.
Started out the day with low tire pressure. Went to one gas station for air and made the tire pressure dangerously low before i realized that the air compressor was not working.
Wandered around until i hit Mooresville where i figured out what i wanted:

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Headed up Hwy 115. Had to make a decision to go east on 268 or north on 18 in Wilkesboro. Went North, good choice.

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On 115, i had stopped briefly to gas up. I think it's called "Linnie's Gas and Grill". Had a pleasant exchange with a guy who looked like the owner. Also found a bee crawling around inside my shirt and had to awkwardly unbutton several buttons in front of the poor guy. Hopefully he saw the bee and not just me doing a little "don't sting me, bee" dance. They had rocking chairs and swings set out front, so i sat and drank a juice.

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Highway 18 is very nice. Lots of curves.

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North on the Parkway

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and the trek home.

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ride is too long for Google Maps

2010-05-15T16:03:00.001-05:00

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Mother's Day

2010-05-10T05:53:00.001-05:00

I didn't intend to take this route yesterday, but it's what ended up happening.

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New Favorite Road

2010-04-05T06:30:00.001-05:00

Mission Church Road east out of Locust, NC!

All problems are information problems

2010-02-06T05:17:00.000-05:00

"There is a growing sense that the properties of the universe are best described not by the laws that govern matter but by the laws that govern information."

NC 1404

2009-10-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

What exactly did they have in mind when they named this road?

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Saturday October 3, 2009

2009-10-03T16:41:00.002-05:00

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Saturday September 12, 2009

2009-09-13T10:51:00.001-05:00

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Saturday June 20, 2009

2009-06-20T18:54:00.001-05:00

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Sunday May 31, 2009

2009-05-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Today's ride:

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AMERIKANSUPAKARESA

2009-01-08T07:04:00.003-05:00

What did he mean?
English to Japanese:
"bad clown making like super american car racers i would make them sweat war war"

Japanese to English:
"That I sweat like a war war AMERIKANSUPAKARESA bad man"

brought to you via MadSound

Best Essay This Week

2009-01-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

"And we're awesome because we are batshit, out of our minds crazy."

Motorradfahrvergnügen

2008-11-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

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Happy Birthday Simon!

2008-10-25T05:54:00.003-05:00

In celebration of your birthday, here is a picture from exactly one-half of your current life ago.

Jeg håber, du bor tusind år.

New Painting

2008-10-05T15:19:00.004-05:00

Finished a new painting today. This one took a couple of months, not because i'm meticulous just because i'm lazy.

Here is a "tour" around the painting:

"That's terrific, Sal!"

2008-09-06T05:39:00.001-05:00

one of the few religiously themed songs i have liked.

BBC NEWS | Health | Britain's happiest places mapped

2008-08-28T05:27:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Britain's happiest places mapped: "Factors such as social cohesion seem to be more important than location."

Saturday Morning Ride

2008-08-17T08:52:00.002-05:00

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Long ride on Saturday, really enjoyable for the most part. Could have passed on getting stuck in the suburban sprawl of Concord, Mooresville and Gastonia. Will look for ways to circumnavigate those next time.
Among the scenic parts:

Hwy 52 through Misenheimer, NC.

Hwy 150 and 152 are always nice.

Hwy 274 is one of my new favorites

Hwy 216 and 161 are nice if you can avoid the sprawl.

stopped by Crowder's mountain. Those people who go there to hike do not mess around. Apparently lots of strenuous trails there.

back to the house via hwy 55, 49 and 160 are pretty tame filled with sprawl. Can't avoid the sprawl in the stretch away from and back to the house.

Brand New Motorcycle

2008-04-19T10:28:00.004-05:00

Bought a brand new motorcycle on Friday.

It was hard saying goodbye to my 2005 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 and the 2007 Yamaha V-Max, but i think i'll manage.

Myers-Brigg Derivation

2008-01-19T07:10:00.001-05:00

A co-worker asked me what my myers-briggs type was. I've done these retarded tests so many times, but now here's some embed crap so i never have to go through the 100+ questions again. You publicly hate, but privately are fascinated by personality. Very much agree.

INTJ - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population.

Take Free Jung Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Main type	Variant

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Enneagram Test Results

Type 1	Perfectionism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Type 2	Helpfulness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Type 3	Image Awareness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	46%
Type 4	Sensitivity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	40%
Type 5	Detachment	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	66%
Type 6	Anxiety	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	53%
Type 7	Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Type 8	Aggressiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Type 9	Calmness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	73%

Your main type is 9
Your variant is omni

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Laziest Phishing Email Ever

2007-12-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

Delivered-To: [redacted] Received: by 10.143.43.8 with SMTP id v8cs296275wfj; Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:15:38 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.70.53.1 with SMTP id b1mr11615452wxa.1197404137333; Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:15:37 -0800 (PST) Return-Path: Received: from server1.crosswebtech.com (server1.crosswebtech.com [66.45.250.162]) by mx.google.com with ESMTP id h18si880535wxd.2007.12.11.12.15.34; Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:15:37 -0800 (PST) Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of nobody@server1.crosswebtech.com designates 66.45.250.162 as permitted sender) client-ip=66.45.250.162; Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of nobody@server1.crosswebtech.com designates 66.45.250.162 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=nobody@server1.crosswebtech.com Received: from nobody by server1.crosswebtech.com with local (Exim 4.68) (envelope-from ) id 1J2BVx-0001BU-GQ for [redacted]; Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:15:37 -0500 To: [redacted] Subject: Scanned Documents Required X-PHP-Script: www.musiciansmatchup.com/images/kscr.php for 82.12.88.117 From: Reply-To: service@paypal.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-Id:<1140150615.28818@paypal.com> Content-Type: text/html Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:15:37 -0500 X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - server1.crosswebtech.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - gmail.com X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [99 99] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - server1.crosswebtech.com Your account has been temporarily inactivated due to our general security policy. In order for us to activate your account, please send the following documents: 1) Send us a copy of all Credit Cards, both front and back 2) Send us a copy of a valid identification document (passport, driver's license) 3) Send us a copy of any utility bill (bank statement, electricity, insurance) with your name and address on it. Please fax your documents to (888) 619-4574. We assure you that your personal data and documents will not be transferred to third parties. Please note that all information which is sent by fax has to be clearly readable, otherwise we will need to re-request the verification documents. If you should require further assistance, please contact us again as we are at your service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thank you for using PayPal The PayPal Team

Google Spreadsheet Charts

2007-12-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

Been playing with Google Spreadsheets this morning, trying to see if i can do most of the things with these spreadsheets that i can do in Excel. Looks like the only thing i miss is showing the labels for the categories. When you're in the spreadsheet web app, you can click and see the category label, just doesn't display. And doesn't display in these publish links either. Still pretty interesting. Kind of forces you to look at the shape of the data without getting distracted by too much info. Then in the analysis, you have to move the info from the document to your head.

Ashe County

2007-11-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

Think i'm going to take a trip to Jefferson in the Spring. Maybe in the fall if we get a warm weekend.

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LOLCat Bible

2007-10-16T08:15:00.000-05:00

1. In teh beginnin Invisible Man was invisible, and he maded the skiez and da earths, but he did not eated it.

This via Boing Boing again.

Charlotte Loop

2007-10-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Planning a ride for this sunday around charlotte. Playing with some Google maps to see how well they aid in ride planning:
This is what we got so far:

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2007.09.29 - Morrow Mountain Morning

2007-10-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

Anxiety about DecisionOne shutting down jumped the shark on Friday night. Saturday morning, i got up early and rode to Morrow mountain on my V-Max. It was cold, but watching the sunrise from the interstate was worth frozen appendages.

Cellphone cameras can't capture many things, like this view of the moon through a gap in the trees from the parking lot:

Or the three deer in the background here on the short loop around the mountain peak:

But they are pretty good at getting the little man-made snippets like this graffiti on the lower bridge on the short loop:

Catching up on XKCD

2007-09-24T07:14:00.000-05:00

Somewhere at the edge of the bell curve ... :)

Today's planned ride

2007-09-01T09:33:00.001-05:00

These boots were made for riding.

Yamaha V-Max

2007-08-28T21:01:00.000-05:00

I bought myself a Yamaha V-Max on Friday. Acceleration is fun :)

Ride through the mountains

2007-05-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Few things make me as grateful as a ride through the mountains.

This is where i went yesterday:

http://maps.ask.com/maps?ml=lt%3D35.67069%7Clg%3D-81.51031%7Cal%3D8%7Ccx%3D-29677%7Ccy%3D-13918%7Czm%3D10%7Cvt%3D0~lt%3D35.04002%7Clg%3D-80.80787%7Cad%3D9409%20Arcola%20Ln%2C%20Charlotte%2C%20NC%2028277%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D35.28355%7Clg%3D-81.18771%7Cad%3DI-85%20(N)%2FSenator%20Marshall%20Arthur%20Rauch%20Hwy%2C%20Gastonia%2C%20NC%2028054%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D35.6921%7Clg%3D-82.06193%7Cad%3DUs-70%2FUs-70%20W%20%26%20Nc-80%2FLake%20Tahoma%20Rd%2C%20Marion%2C%20NC%2028752%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D35.76993%7Clg%3D-82.16501%7Cad%3DHighway%20Ramp%20(35%20mph)%2C%20Marion%2C%20NC%2028752%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D35.76478%7Clg%3D-82.26482%7Cad%3DNc-128%2C%20Burnsville%2C%20NC%2028714%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D35.96539%7Clg%3D-81.94932%7Cad%3DBlue%20Ridge%20Pky%20%26%20Us-221%2FLinville%20Falls%20Hwy%2C%20Newland%2C%20NC%2028657%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D36.05204%7Clg%3D-81.85301%7Cad%3DBlue%20Ridge%20Pky%20%26%20Roseboro%20Rd%2C%20Newland%2C%20NC%2028657%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D36.1396%7Clg%3D-81.73347%7Cad%3DBlue%20Ridge%20Pky%2C%20Blowing%20Rock%2C%20NC%2028605%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~lt%3D36.14657%7Clg%3D-81.66348%7Cad%3DOld%20Camp%20Catawba%20Rd%20%26%20Us-221%20(S)%2FUs-321%20(S)%2C%20Blowing%20Rock%2C%20NC%2028605%7Csd%3D1%7Cdm%3D0~#1

It's more than 100 miles before you get to anything interesting. It starts to get interesting on Hwy 226. Hwy 80 from Hwy 70 to the BRP is very interesting. The locals probably know which curves are serious and which one can be taken faster. I should probably annotate ride notes with my XP level in miles (Lvl 12,000 or some function thereof).

I drove south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see Mt Mitchell. Almost beyond ... probably beyond my comprehension, the view from Mt Mitchell makes me quiet.

I had a standard american meal of cheeseburger, fries and sweet tea at the restaurant on top of the mountain. Chatting with the cashier i found out that about 10 of the folks who work up there all bunk dorm-style up there in the "bunker" as she called it.

I bought a coffee mug for Cristy, hope she likes it. It probably won't make up for a thoughtless comment i made later that night on the phone with her. I claim it was from exhaustion. ;)

Gas is available in Buswick on Hwy 80 north from the BRP. Country Store, cool.

After Buswick, i started getting my mountain road wheels, i guess you could say. I had to take most of Hwy 80 and the first 20 miles of the BRP between 20-35mph. There are two rules that emanated from this ride:

1. Obey (the curve, the road, the traffic engineers who placed the curvy arrow signs)
2. Breathe (DO NOT hold your breath in a curve.)

Really, you may as well breathe through the curves, especially when you take it too fast. If you forgot to obey, it might be your last breath anyway. Enjoy it.

Blasted up the stretch from Buswick to Blowing Rock. Stopped several times at various overlooks. Chatted with some nice folks from Iowa and tried not to stare at the hottie sunbathing at Sims Pond Overlook. No doubt "good from afar, but far from good." ... as am i.

Asked the gas station attendant in Blowing Rock if Hwy 321 south was open. He was a slow, methodical speaker. The other guy getting gas knew that it was open. He said the bad stretch was only 10 miles or so. He was right, this was a bad stretch but could have been worse. The highway construction was interesting to see. At one point all of the BRP had to have looked like a open scar on the landscape. It all heals with a little help.

This time i had finally gotten a chance to see the Linn Cove viaduct. It was pretty cool. Elevated roadway that really does wrap around the mountain without impacting the ecosystem. very cool. Last time i passed through (last year this time) it was totally fogged out.

Overall, a great day trip from Charlotte. I really need to get that Corbin seat i keep meaning to buy.

2007-05-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

The World's Most Dangerous Hummus

Base Ingredients
Garbanzo Beans (14-15 oz)
Tahini (4 tablespoons) (This is sesame seeds ground into a soupy paste. Available where the peanut butter is sold)
Olive Oil (as necessary)
Lemon Juice (as necessary)

I use the smallest, cheapest food grinder/chopper available. It's got one Low and one High setting.

1. Using a small food chopper/grinder
2. Grind half the can of Garbanzo beans into a fine paste (half because the grinder is small and too much mixture does not grind well)
3. Mix in a teaspoon of olive oil and lemon juice as necessary to keep the grinder grinding smoothly. (This can be up to about 3 teaspoons of each. As the mixture dries, it will not grind as smoothly.)
4. Drop Garbanzo bean paste into a largish bowl
5. Grind the other half the same way
6. Add 4 tablespoons of tahini to the bowl
7. Rinse the grinder

Bonus Ingredients
Sun Dried Tomatoes (4-5 slivers of tomato) (the kinds that are jarred in olive oil)
Roasted Red Peppers (4-5 slivers of pepper) (jarred)
Dried Chipotle Peppers (2-3 peppers) (Very important! These must come from a Mexican grocery store, Tienda Latina. The peppers are labeled 'Chipotle Pepper'. They're brown and completely dessicated.)
Wasabi Powder (2 teaspoons)
Garlic (2 cloves)

1. Chop the dried chipotle peppers into smallish pieces by hand. Throw away the stem. Small enough to allow the grinder to do the rest of the work.
2. Place the chipotle peppers in grinder and reduce to a coarse powder (smallish chunks are okay), add to base.
3. Chop the sun dried tomatoes with the grinder (smallish chunks are okay), add to base.
4. Chop the cleaned garlic cloves with the grinder (smallish chunks are okay), add to base.
5. Chop the Roasted Red peppers with the grinder (smallish chunks are okay), add to base.
6. Mix the base and bonus ingredients by hand in the bowl.
7. Add two teaspoons of Wasabi powder, if this suits your taste preferences.
8. Add sea salt if necessary

Serving Suggestions
1. Scoop hummus with fresh pita bread.
2. Wash down with a Rolling Rock

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Hurra Torpedo

2007-02-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

"It's paid for."

Ernest Cline: Dance, Monkeys, Dance

2007-01-02T21:01:00.000-05:00


I see monkeys all around me. They don't know that they are monkeys.

HURRA TORPEDO total eclipse of the heart (J.Steinman)

2006-08-06T08:00:00.000-05:00


Best Musical Performance ever.