Return of 30 Days

I found myself wide awake at 3:00 this morning. I was mindlessly surfing the web trying to put my brain back to sleep when I noticed a banner ad announcing the upcoming season of one of my favorite shows: 30 Days. 

Morgan Spurlock’s successful series returns to FX on June 3. On the schedule this season:

• Installment 1 – Working in a Coal Mine: Morgan goes to West Virginia to try his hand as an apprentice in the industry that powers America.
• Installment 2 – 30 Days in a Wheelchair: Retired NFL Cornerback Ray Crockett experiences life in a wheelchair. (He played for the Lions when teammate Mike Utley was paralyzed.)
• Installment 3 – Animal Rights: An avid hunter moves in with an animal rights activist and her vegan family.
• Installment 4 – Same Sex Parenting: A conservative woman comes to Ypsilanti to live with Dennis and Thomas Patrick and their four adopted sons.
• Installment 5 – Gun Nation: A gun control activist is immersed in gun culture.
• Installment 6 – Life on an Indian Reservation: Morgan explores Native American culture and experiences the hardships common to reservation life.

Tuesdays at 10:00 pm on FX.

Miracle Hiccup Cure

It’s been proposed that the hiccup is a relic of our evolutionary past. Primitive air-breathers find a similar reflex useful in ventilating their gills. The circuitry for this function may have persisted as the foundation for more complex motor patterns. So, next time you hiccup, thank your inner lungfish.

Here’s how I conquer my occasional bout with the hiccups:

1. Pour a glass of water (any beverage will do).
2. Exhale completely. Empty your lungs.
3. Swallow small sips of water for as long as you can until you need to breathe.
4. Breathe.

This has never failed me. What’s your hiccup cure?

Now Fermenting: Nut Brown Ale

I started my first 5-gallon kit last night: Big Bob’s Bust-a-Nut Brown Ale from Things Beer. In the process, I learned some lessons about preparedness and patience, and gained some valuable experience. Over all, I’m feeling pretty good about this batch.

When I checked the fermenter early this morning, there was very little activity. I was a bit concerned because my 1-gallon batches were going crazy in mere hours. A little web browsing helped assuage my anxiety. A few hours later I found a bubbling airlock, a sure sign good things are happening.

I’m definitely using the turkey fryer next time around. Also, a bag of ice would have come in handy. I was stuck with whatever was in the freezer.

(photo: mfajardo)

Preparedness: Backup Power

Power outages are uncomfortable. Fortunately, around here they are infrequent and brief. Still, I hate fumbling around in the dark, sweltering in the stagnant summer air, and trying to entertain myself as in pioneer days. That’s why we have backup power.

I picked up a Xantrex Powerpack 600HD on Amazon last year. It’s a 28Ah battery and a 600W inverter in a rugged portable enclosure. It also has a built-in lamp and AM/FM radio, and it comes with a pair of jumper cables to jump-start a car or draw power from an external battery. This is enough to keep a lamp on, or more importantly, the cable modem.

I had a generator at my last house. The power pack is less expensive and easier to maintain, and for the types of outages we see around here, just as useful.  It’s also portable, which is a big plus. Very practical.

… now if I only had occasion to use it.

Edit: Amazon has the Duracell-branded version of this unit for $109.99, which is a bit less than I paid last year.

Fun With Wide Angles

Cheryl and I walked around downtown Lansing yesterday afternoon. It was my first opportunity to take the Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens out for a test drive. I’m really happy with this purchase. Check out this Flickr Set for some of what I shot yesterday.

(I had no idea there is a Michigan Museum of Surveying.)

Time Capsule: Open After May, 2009

Dear Future Self,

Remember when regular unleaded was $3.99 and a tank of gas was just $80? Those were the days.

The price of oil has doubled over the past year, now at $135. What a bargain. A dollar will buy you 0.63 euros today. Unemployment is at around 5% nationally, closer to 7% in Michigan.

How’d the election turn out?

Cheers,
Your Past Self 

Homebrew: Beer Me

A friend helped me get started with this hobby a few weeks ago. He gave me a 1-gallon glass jug, a simple recipe, and a shopping list. I’ve since prepared two batches, the first of which is now ready to enjoy. Not bad!

Next on my list is an IPA (5-gallon kit), which I’d like to start this weekend.

Keep Fighting, Senator

Jet Carboy and Bottle Washer

This is a fantastic product from a fantastic company. I say that because the one I picked up awhile back was non-functional when I tried to use it. I sent a quick email to the address on the package, and here’s what I got back:

Go ahead an mail it back to us, and I will replace it.  You can also try boiling it in water, then hanging it upside down.  My theory is the steel ball bearing has become lodged in the tube, and boiling it expands the brass, and allows the ball bearing to roll out of the tube.  You cannot void our warranty.

That’s some great customer service right there.

I dropped it in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, hooked it up to the faucet, and voila: problem solved. If you’re in the market for a bottle washer (for reusing beer and wine bottles), get one of these.

Lifetime guarantees are easy enough to find. Companies that will say their warranty cannot be voided are few and far between. I’m impressed.

Me Too, Warren

If you’re still not sure who you’ll vote for in the upcoming presidential election, consider the choice of the man whose talent for decision making made him the richest person in the world.  Warren Buffett is backing Barack Obama. His thoughts …

I think that the US has followed and is following policies which will cause the US dollar to weaken over a long period of time.

I admire [McCain] a lot. I think he’s an absolutely first-class human being, and if the Republicans are going to elect somebody I hope it’s John McCain. But he has too many ideas that are different than I do, particular in terms of what I would call social justice.

The Oracle of Omaha says our current economic policy, that which McCain seeks to continue, will further weaken the dollar against other global currencies. He says he will be “very happy” if Barack Obama is elected president. Me too, Warren.