I won't say "I'm back" because I wasn't really gone. Not really, anyhow. I was just quite busy (and will be in future) with RL concerns that may or may not be anyone else's business. If you need to know, I'll tell you, okay?

I'm learning new things about Trek. One thing is that I seem to get these creative impulses during the winter months, and once the weather warms, I turn my attention to other, more important matters (such as sweating and trying to make sure the swamp cooler is still functioning properly).

I've been working at the bomb range out by Melrose, New Mexico, about 50 miles from where I live. Don't even suggest I move closer to my work. My workplace is on top of a mesa about 20 miles from the nearest convenience store, and at least 40 miles from the nearest department store. Clovis is the only community of size near the place, and it's only got a populatioin of around 30,000. I'll stay here and commute, thankyouverymuch.

There's a lot of wildlife at the range. You'd think that the frequent strafing runs and bomb explosions would scare all the little animals, but no hunting is allowed and the planes aren't aiming for the critters anyway. There are pronghorn antelope (daily sightings -- sometimes the come right up to your vehicle while you're waiting to be cleared onto the range). There are numerous rabbits, coyotes, and multilegged creatures, to include a stunning variety of scorpion variants.

Several times, we've had to capture bats that wander into our building and release them outside. They're tiny -- about the size of a winged mouse. We have horned lizards ranging in size from about the length of your hand (biggest one seen thus far) to as small as one inch (captured by me last week, shown to all who had time to view it, then released where I found it). We've got tarantulas, which I am happy to report, really are as afraid of you as you are of them (more so -- in my case, I'm respectful of those big fangs, but not fearful).

A few weeks ago I captured a rattlesnake that had entered our compound and released him near the fence so he could go prey where we didn't risk stepping on him.

Neat place to work, that.

~~Baloo

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Beer lovers take note:
Stroh's spelled backwards is "shorts."

http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

What happened to everyone's post counts? Don't tell me the number of times someone has said something (or practically nothing) has become such a sore point that it has been deleted in the interest of harmony?

Pity.

~~Baloo

------------------
Beer lovers take note:
Stroh's spelled backwards is "shorts."

http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

Somehow I (mis-?)remembered they used to be in the Author column, next to (or under) your name, tag line, etc.

My bad.

------------------
Beer lovers take note:
Stroh's spelled backwards is "shorts."

http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

Andrew

I've posted a few things about where I work at another forum. If requested to, I will look for and copy them here. The one about the rattlesnake is rather interesting.

~~Baloo

------------------
Beer lovers take note:
Stroh's spelled backwards is "shorts."

http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

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"Weirdness doesn't frighten me. Ten-foot-tall purple wombats with shaving-cream-covered broadswords singing 'Kumbayah'... Now, that scares me..."
-Tim Nix

Soft-pedaling the go-pedal boosted gas mileage to 23-24 mpg (~10-11 km/l). I pulled the middle seat out and moved the back row to the middle (reduced weight) and switched to a mid-grade gas and the mileage climbed to 25 mpg (~11 km/l).

What I'd really like is to get a Toyota Corrolla (or functional equivalent) that gets 30 mpg or better even without trying. Cars are much more fun to drive than vans, even minivans, and they get better mileage. If I need to haul as much stuff as the van could hold, I'll rent a U-Haul.

Unfortunately, the divorce has left me with little (read: no) disposable income for the time being. The loan on the van is "upside down" (the loan payoff is more money than the van is worth) so it's worth nothing as a trade-in, for now at least. I'll have to stick with the van for now.

At least it's roomy.

~~Baloo

------------------
Beer lovers take note:
Stroh's spelled backwards is "shorts."

http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

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Cute, cuddly, widdle teddy bears usually will eat you alive unless you can prove you're a god.