The Cadillac's Stereo

Wondering why GM is hurting for cash? I took the Cadillac in because the buttons on the stereo were showing wear and I wanted them replaced (since the car is under warranty). Oh, they replaced them, alright. . . Of course, they had to replace the whole stereo. . . Six disc changer, DVD navigation, computer hub of the car. . . I only wanted new buttons, but they replaced the whole thing. My best guess is that the stereo costs at least $900. The buttons probably cost 59 cents. Anyway, while they were honoring the warranty (in the most ignorant fashion possible), I went for a run in Mission Valley. Here's the route:

Note to self (and others): don't run along the San Diego "River" at night. There are a lot of folks just "hanging out."

~Josh

A Long Ride

Today, Matt Mourning, a friend from GERMANTOWN, and I went for a ride through San Diego County. We started at our place and then headed up to Ramona, Julian, and into the mountains. The temperatures dropped into the 40s, but the ride was worth it. I went through a lot of places that I haven't seen in a long time: Dudley's Bakery, Barrett Junction, and others. We made it up to about 6300 feet (snow banks still hiding within the shadows) and all the way down to the aluminum wall that marks the southern border of the US. The ride was about 170-180 miles and lasted a little more than four hours. Matt rides a Suzuki SV 650 and I was on the recently repaired Triumph (which ran like a charm). All in all, it was a pretty good day.

~Josh

Dog Noises. . .

Whenever Otto hears a strange sound, he gets a little leery. When Otto gets leery. . . he makes noises. Here are his noises:

~Josh

Busy Day

Trying to break in the new shoes, I took a little longer run today, but I didn't overdo it. The weather was nearly perfect, so that makes it pretty easy to get off the couch and stay fit.

When I got home, I decided the time had come to fix the motorcycle. Here's the piece that I ordered:

Brian and I were riding a couple weeks ago when I noticed the bike was leaking fuel (pretty bad). Apparently, in the long storage of the bike, this little part had failed. When I tried to unscrew it, the bolt broke off in the filter assembly, the plastic threads still embedded in the filter housing assembly below:

Inside that little hole were the remnants of the valve assembly. So, using some new punch and scraping tools and a torch, I softened and removed the remnants of the part. It took about three hours. Here's the fuel tank with parts removed:

. . .and put back together. Of course, Otto and his Hippo were very instrumental in the successful maintenance. Without his eternal vigilance, so much would be done incorrectly.


The end result is that the motorcycle is back up and running. Proof positive that mixing old cars, little money, and a father who takes the time to teach his son how things are put together can pay off. Thanks, dad.

~Josh

The Northern Look

Tonight, we head out to dinner with Tisha and Brian. We're going to get as much out of restaurant week as we can. Casa Guadalajara (http://bazaardelmundo.com/guad2006.shtml) is the joint tonight. I've attached today's run with a northern view. Not much of a run, but if you look up in the left corner, you'll see a yellow marker. That's where Tisha and Brian live.

City View

Today's run was around the track and little more, times four. I'm showing this angle so you can get an idea of where the track and the base is in relation to Downtown San Diego and Coronado.

After work, Tina and I jumped into San Diego Restaurant Week by heading over to Kensington Grill (http://www.sdurbankitchen.com/kensington-grill.html). Tina had a mushroom gnocchi dish and I had a braised short rib cannelloni for the first course and Tina and I both had flat iron steaks for the main course. Pretty good. We may try another restaurant before the week is out. We'll see.

~Josh

University Heights

Today I went for a quick run around University Heights, the neighborhood north of El Cajon Boulevard that borders the southern edge of Mission Valley. One of these days I will head down Texas Street (the biggest detractor is the trip back UP Texas Street). University Heights has some pretty cool restaurants in one particular area. Tina and I have been to a couple of them; a standout Mexican joint called El Zarape (B/T introduced us to that one) and a Swedish joint which has since closed. There is a Persian place, an Abyssinian place, the Lei Lounge, Park House Eatery, and several more, all within a couple of blocks, nestled in the upper middle class neighborhood.

I guess this post is indicative of the reason that I run: I always have food on my mind. To that end, San Diego types should check out http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com . It's this week. . .

~Josh

The Looong Walk

Tina, Otto, and I set out on a doozy of a walk today. The weather was nearly perfect and we both had the day off, so we made the most of it. Otto had the opportunity to snub some dogs at the dog park (we're pretty sure he doesn't know that he's a dog, too) and we had the chance to stretch our legs. The end result was a 6.5 mile walk a long nap.

~Josh

Today's Run

If you don't play with Google Earth, you're missing out. Here's where I ran today:

It was a 4.6 mile run and I did it in about 40 minutes. Not spectacular, but there are quite a few hills and I'm sick, so. . . I'll take it.

~Josh

New Look

I've updated the look of the blog. It's my first menial attempt at working on the blog more frequently. Tisha puts down what she makes for dinner and Jodi does a good job at keeping up on what that kids are up to. I guess I'll have to find my niche. Until then, I'll try to add more pictures.

Christmas Passed

Hello, all! We've just seen Bill and Patti off at the airport and are slowly winding down from a fun filled, exhausting week of having family out here in SDGO. I have posted some photos of the event. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families to spend the holidays with. My New Year's resolution? Update the blog a little more often.

~Josh