Panic and Pride and ignoring the circus

The circus elephants dance backstage. They’re fond of dance-pop.

Other than that, I’ve been trying to ignore the circus at the USAC this week as much as possible. It’s not that hard: if the spots work – I can go hide. So I do.

Let me now debunk the legend I heard today that bra sizes originated in the army. in the 1930’s, Maidenform was the first company to actually make bras in different sizes (small, medium and full) but Warner Brothers Brassiers (no relation to the movie conglomerate) devised the alphabetical size categories that have become industry standards.

See how the internet improves our lives?

Yes. Its true. Had the Suns held on the Shawn Marion, letting him walk at the expiration of his contract, they would have saved more money than the humiliating Shaq “trade” (neither of the players they received from Cleveland are expected to be on the roster next season). These are the wages of Panic and Pride.

We’re not even to the all-star break, and you can write off the D-backs. Hows this for historically perverse: “Can’t wait for Cardinals season, so that we can see our team win once in a while…”

For the writers: Book Marketing 101

And lost in all the Micheal Jackson Is Still Dead nonsense – the state of Arizona is either going to pass the most regressive budget in my lifetime or shut down completely by July 1st. Flat tax. Elimination of the property tax that provides the bulk of the money for the most poorly funded state education system in the nation. I am understating how bad this is. More on this later.

Now you know.

Pix from Tule Mesa

Ben and I went camping/backpacking near Tule Mesa, which is near Dugas Arizona. Much of those adventures can be found in my other blog:

Are We Lost Yet?

But the photos are here:

The Equinox Filter on FR 68G:

Beyond which a 2WD 06 Chevy Equinox will not go!

Typical scenery on Tule Mesa

The big juniper at Cavalier Point:

Ben looking out from Tule Mesa:

Below is the Verde Valley from roughly Camp Verde to the bend past the hot springs.

Our Camp at Salt Flats:

Ben felt that there was too much wind to bring his hammock, which I suspect translates into he couldn’t find his hammock. When backpacking, if one guy brings the two-man tent, you might as well both use it.

Ben at the Salt Flat TH

That’s his brand-new Jansport Scout backpack which he got for his birthday. This is just across the drainage from the campground.

Nelson Place ruins:

You find these less than a mile down the Nelson Trail. The springs they were built around are the only ones reliably flowing in the Pine Mountain Wilderness.

Our little buddy on top of Pine Mountain, the “high point” of the wilderness area. The views along the length of the Verde Rim trail are like this.

Finally, the area is starting to recover from some fire damage:

Though shade is many years away

Bongo at Dugas:

Now You Know

A Splash of Quick Facts

It is safe for normal humans – and even Americans – to drink the water in Bogata, Columbia.

80% of the children in the Bahamas do not know how to swim. I know this because I’m on assignment about a woman who has taught water safety there.

The ABC’s of drowning awareness:

Always have your eyes on the kids

Barriers

Classes on first Aid and CPR

The Central Phoenix Writer’s Workshop drew twenty (20!) people last night. That’s double the size the format is designed for. So I am shifting to moderating a Thursday night meet-up, same time, same place, same format, different night.

My kids, particularly my son, I decided the like water polo – of all things – enough to participate in a team throughout the summer.

Wet Beaver Creek (oh- stop giggling!) Wilderness Area is closed to camping until 2010. Fire reasons, I think. Bummer. I’m still trying to pin down a logistically plausible hike for this weekend.

For the riggers: ZFX’s new No-go guage

Writer Louise Marley on E-books and other promising trends in publishing.

And more fuel for the e-book debate: statistics!

Now You Know.

A hundred miles a day for eight days

Between driving a stakebed out to a distant golf course and back for a show, cross-valley errands, and a camping trip to the Rim, I drove about a hundred miles a day for the past eight days, gaining some wisdom in the process.

First, the Equinox photo I promised:

That photo is near General Springs on the Mogollon Rim. If you can see them, the decorations drawn in the dust on the side of the car are courtesy of the children.

Eight busy days later, and I have learned a lot of things:

Three layers of mark-up will seriously impair the viability of a competitive bid.

Burn Notice is the secret re-boot of the A-Team.

Everyone in Little League is a volunteer, except the guys in the national office – who are paid – and this is reflected in the league dues.

My informal and random poll indicates that  0 out of 19 education professionals believe that No Child Left Behind (as implemented) is actually helping to educate children.

One guy calls the truck pack – and all the other logistical geniuses on the call need to live with that guy’s decisions, or you add an hour to load out.

If you have a crew loading out a show on a golf course, and you lock the only restroom, this will not prevent the crew from relieving themselves. It will only prevent them from relieving themselves in the toilet.

One simply cannot underestimate the importance of worklight when loading out in an open field in the middle of the night. Moonlight is not an acceptable substitute.

When launching model rockets, bring extra batteries and fuses.

The RXC went camping at Bear Canyon Lake, on the Mogollon Rim. Some notes about that site can be found on my other blog:

Are We Lost Yet?

When taking middle-graders camping, they all need chairs, or none of them need chairs. Musical chairs around the campfire is a recipe for discontent.

The kids get their own campfire.

American adults car-camping will never run out of food. They always bring too much. This was, however, the first trip in a long time where we did not run out of booze. Perhaps we’re growing wiser.

Pie irons still rock! Especially now that we know how to use them.

New vocabulary: Bailing wire = “ranch tape”

I have established that the Equinox can bounce through the Buick Filter. Though I damn near found the Equinox filter (its still a 2WD) on our way to General Cabin Springs. We were scouting a multi-day bacpacking trip taking the General Crook Trail east from Clear Creek to its intersection with the AZT (near General Springs), then taking the AZT north to Blue Ridge Reservoir.

Having scouted that, I have concluded it wuld be far easier to start at Blue Ridge and head down to Clear Creek. But it would be even easier just to stay n the AZT and go down the Rim to Pine. I’m still noodling on these things.

But there is a marked section of the GCT that follows AZ 260 from around Camp Verde to the Rim. We found a blaze by following a randomly selected dirt road off the highway. I love the Equinox.

Camp Verde State Park s closed on Tuesdays.

Some links:

World Food Program trying to bring disaster relief over the objections of the Myanmar government. “The people of Myanmar do not eat biscuits…”

The Onion reporting on President Obama’s visit to Denny’s.

Now You Know

Equinox Equilibrium

So the car dealer called on Friday afternoon, said our original finacing deal fell through – but he got us a “better” deal – at a higher interest rate. My wife has to field this nonsense – because I’m at Saguaro Lake “working”.

Saturday afternoon, then, we go in ready to swap keys backfor our Buick (which still sits on the lot in front of God and everybody). This has all the markings of a Spot Delivery Scam – and I’m fairly hostile at the dealership. Not shouting obscenities hostile – but in no mood to just relax while someone finds the manager.

After I chase the first few lackeys away (one was actually shocked that I would be angry) we get the sales manager, and go a few rounds on the new contract. He keeps playing games, but the numbers keep going down until finally the amount at a higher amount is sufficiently less than the original purchase price that we actually save a couple grand from the priginal deal.

(I should point out that what actually separates my experience from the classic scam is that he was pretty motivated to close the sale. In the scam, the dealer threatens the customer with the key swap. It may be when I opened the conversation saying, “Our sale is apparently void – I want my Buick back…” that disarmed whatever scam they may have been hatching. But I’m going to be generous and say they underestimated how paranoid we have become of dealer financing.)

I told the guy that I knew for a fact my credit union nixed the original deal on Tuesday – and had he called us then, we’d have gotten to the same place faster, and with a lot less acrimony. If you wait until Friday – just as the banks close – that’s going to smell like a scam. Any guy who’s been doing this for 28 years should know that. He didn’t argue.

Mostly, I suspect, because we signed the papers, and took the keys to the equnox back off the desk.

There’s a theft deterent called VIN Etching, where the etch your Vehicle ID number into every window. It actually costs less than $100 if you have an outside shop do this for you. The dealership originally priced it at $800 dollars. “No wait…” I said several times, “It’s not $800. It’s $800 dollars at 9% interest over 75 months…” He eventually lowered it to $599, but was more willing to lower the price of the car than lower the Etching charge – so I suspect there’s some real, if evil incentive for the lot people to push this ridiculous charge.

If you get pre-approved financing from a credit union – don’t forget to ask what they expect as a down payment. That’s a crucial little fact to know.

Anyway, we now own the pretty blue 06 Equinox for real and certain (actually some credit union we had never heard of owns it) – for as far as it takes us through this life. I’ll post a picture if a functional camera and daylight coincide.) And I’m actually paying less for it than I agreed to a week ago, which is why I’m not naming the dealership – even though an $800 VIN Etch is a brazen rip-off.

One last thing: The Science News Cycle. Enjoy.

Now You Know.