Got any book recommendations?
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Revisiting Yosemite
It’s hard to believe it’s already September. The summer has flown by! In many ways, the pandemic has messed with my head. In particular, the long stretches of stay-at-home due to the virus, the fires, rioting have got me accustomed to staying home. I often laugh that some days accomplishment means, “I got out of… Read more
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Turning Left on Highway 20 East
WordPress, the software that powers this blog, has a small folder called “Drafts.” The drafts folder contains thoughts that got started but were not quite finished. Some of those posts sit days. Some of them sit for months. A few of them sit years. This post sat years. If it had finished on time, I… Read more
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Whole House Fan 2.0
This blog post is a follow-up from QuietCool Whole House Fan Four years later, I still love my whole house fan. It’s one of the best things I put into my house for the money. In particular, I love: fresh air rolling through the house reduced demand for air conditioning in the late afternoon when electricity… Read more
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Old Stories; New Beginnings
My bike has been in the shop for almost a month. Having just rolled over 12,000 miles, the Beemer needed its thousand dollars of love. That includes a major service: oil, valves, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I also wanted BMWs to help troubleshoot why the installation of HeliBars was crimping the front… Read more
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Old motorcycle musings…
I still remember the thrill of buying copies of Cycle World as a kid. I remember pouring over each issue flipping through bikes, the riders, and all the latest gear. Somehow reading motorcycle magazines kept my desire for a motorcycle thriving until I was old enough to be on my own and make my own… Read more
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Sodastream: pursuing fizzy!
This past weekend I ran into a couple of neighbors on the street, and we stumbled into talking about Sodastream. As we were speaking, she remarked, “you should do a blog on this!” So, here you go. This one’s for you! Sodastream is one of those products I didn’t know I needed until I saw… Read more
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Shutterfly: Cloud Christmas Cards
I sent my first holiday cards out in 2002. I selected the least dorky cards I could find so late in the season. Based on what I saw, I was hoping that all of the fun cards had sold out. I hoped prepackaged cards really were better than what remained on the shelf that year… Read more
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GS 911 for Mac OS Tutorial
To date, I’ve owned three motorcycles. Each new motorcycle ushers in a whole new level of technology. My first bike, a 2001 Vulcan 750, was an extremely simple motorcycle. It was carbureted at its core with minimal adjustability. The second bike, a 2003 V-Strom, added fuel injection, which solved many of the problems inherent with… Read more
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Rinnai Tankless Review
Rinnai completely bailed on their Google Home integration. It doesn’t work. The company promised it in their marketing and then did an about face and removed it in a subsequent update. Buyer Beware. This review highlights the Rinnai RUR98eN but talks about many concepts common to all tankless water heaters. When I was looking at… Read more
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North Coast Loop
After a glorious ride down the Sierra Nevadas, I was ready for a bit more. I spent the middle of the week catching up on life here in the Bay Area and wanted to get one more ride in on my staycation. Larry, a buddy of mine, lives up north on the coast in a… Read more
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Almost Heaven; California!
This post is a continuation of the ride: Trekking for Givi Luggage Here I am sitting at the corner of US 395 and US 50 in Carson City, Nevada. I had a decision to make: do I head south and feed my motorcycling soul or do I head north and fill the heart with good people.… Read more
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Trekking for Givi Luggage
Hard luggage was a game-changer in my motorcycling passion. On my first bike, the Vulcan, I would always have to struggle with various backpacks, duffel bags, and other zippered luggage when leaving the motorcycle. Soft luggage isn’t usually waterproof and is more likely to be stolen. Once I had upgraded from the Vulcan to the… Read more
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Part 2: Indoor Air Quality
This blog is a follow up to my last article, Making Sense of Air Quality which focuses on outdoor air quality. While outdoor air quality is important, indoor air quality also plays a crucial role in promoting health. All of us take shelter during this wildfire season for refuge from the unrelenting smoke. However, in the… Read more
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Making Sense of Air Quality
With wildfires moving across California, many of us are concerned about air quality. Before the fires of 2017, few of us knew and understood phrases like SF AQI PM2.5: 154. Now we are all instant experts in air quality. The 2020 fire season started early with a freak dry lightning storm moving across Northern California… Read more
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Rooftop solar, a heatwave, and the grid!
California has major challenges around our power grid. California’s 40 million people use massive amounts of power. The grid’s job is to ensure all of those people have a constant supply of power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our grid extends across varying terrain. Consumers also aren’t always… Read more
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Lessons Learned: Installing new windows?
Note: this article heavily focuses on Northern California. While some concepts may be similar in different locations, do your research on local specifics. Installing new windows in my home was a bit of a balance between wanting to and needing to. My old windows are original to the house. They are black, single-pane aluminum frame… Read more
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Juneteenth: Langston Hughes
Today is Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Today I want to recognize Langston Hughes who has had a profound impact on my life with his insightful poem, “I Too”. I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in… Read more
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Hiking in March
In mid-March, my neighbor and I were sitting in his driveway, shooting the breeze. We covered all sorts of topics: current events, the stock market decline, what’s going on at home, etc. I posted that photograph to Facebook with the tagline: Sometimes it’s about living life with the people around you. I appreciate my afternoons… Read more
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Moving Forward
“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating — in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around like rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.”… Read more
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Sunset at Acalanes
A colleague of mine at work today asked what platform powered my blog. That’s easy: WordPress. He was looking for a solution to share photos outside of the social network. That got me thinking. Sometimes writing a long narrative keeps me from posting photos on my blog. This post is simple by design. A buddy… Read more
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FS-96 MRR: Mosquito Ridge Road
Time is a blur these days. As one who regularly travels, I usually segment time in blocks of “at home” or “on the road.” Since October 25, 2019, I’ve spent just about every night in my bed aside from a short work trip in mid-January. I don’t think I have had a no travel block… Read more
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Max!
They say family comes in all kinds of flavors. I’ve always heard the expression there’s your birth family and your chosen family. As a gay man, I regularly hear in our culture, “You have the family you are born with and the family you choose. They may not be the same family.” that quote implying… Read more
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Back to the Peninsula
Going out during the coronavirus pandemic still feels a bit weird to me. I’d been putting off vacation as I wondered what I would do with a day of vacation sitting at home. In many ways, at least working kept a sense of groundedness throughout the day. Knowing I’d lose the holiday come June 1st,… Read more
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T1D Biker Gang
This Memorial Day weekend in the age of coronavirus was anything but typical. Usually, I’m off on the motorcycle somewhere in the Sierras chasing the ebbing snow. With the continuing sheltering in place order except for essential services and exercise activity life here is anything but typical. On Saturday, my friend Sarah texted me and… Read more
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#eastCounty
We hardly ever get rain in May. This past weekend two crazy rainstorms swept through town Sunday and Monday, leaving the air perfect for motorcycle riding! Now that riding ATVs is legal in the state of California for exercise, I wanted to hop on my bike in a socially distant fashion. I love the Briones… Read more
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The changing of seasons
It’s crazy to me that 45 days have passed since the original Bay Area shelter in place went out on March 17. In the beginning, days seemed like months. I blinked and then realized today is May 1. I’ve been hiking a lot in the local parks around my house. Whereas before a week or… Read more
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It’s ok to say “I’m hurting”
Dear family and friends, It’s 11:21 PM on a Sunday night and I feel compelled to write after an interaction on social media that crystallized a few things in my mind about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In talking with family and friends I’ve realized a few things that are really important to get out on… Read more
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Sweating Lafayette’s Ridge Trail
With coronavirus slowing my life down to a very long, quiet pause, I’ve been taking the time to walk – a lot. I normally hike the ridge near my house. It’s a 3 to 4 mile jaunt with about 800 feet of elevation gain. I’ve become fond of that hike – especially with the great… Read more
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Springtime Moto Poppies!
Typically Mount Diablo is my go-to motorcycle ride what I need to clear my head. With the park closed, I’ve had to look at other places for my motorcycle quick fix! The late Robert Bleeker introduced me to the lap around Briones Park as an alternative to commuting on Highway 24. This little loop has… Read more
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The 2020 CovidCut
It’s no secret that I like my hair short. Even growing up, my mother and I would battle it out about when to get a haircut. Wearing helmets to ride two-wheeled contraptions has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I try to avoid overt “helmet hair”, which is… Read more