Hepcat Model

Hubby says that I have been saying this phrase for 2 years, but the Hepcat model is almost done! The electronics are complete, the push rods are installed, the gas tank is in, the engine is mounted. This week I will finish covering the nose (which will be red), install the windshield and work on the the finishing exterior embellishments. The landing gear is complete, just needs to be installed. It looks like she will definitely be ready for her maiden flight in the spring!

Playing PI with the Internet

When purchasing a home for the first time, I always imagined we would buy it from a family who had lived there awhile and they would take us under their wing and tell us all the ins and outs of the house. Perhaps they would even show us all the work they had done and regale us with stories of their lives in the house.

Alas, that wasn't the case with the home we ended up buying. You see, our house was part of an estate so all we knew was the name of the owner, that she was deceased and that a relative in another state was handling the transaction. Maybe it is the anthropologist in me or maybe I am just super nosey but after all was said and done I started to do some research on the internet regarding the previous owner.

The first thing I discovered was Cathy's (not her real name) obituary. She died in our house at the age of 65. Yes, you read that correctly she died in our house! While I was slightly creeped out by that fact at first, I am coming to terms with it. She had a husband, a daughter, and a son; she loved her dog and she was an amazing potter.

I also discovered that she had originally purchased our home back in 2001 and that her son lived with her. So why wasn't he living in the house, or handling the sale of it for that matter? Well, that's because he died back in 2006 at the age of 38 from complications of diabetes. Okay, what about the daughter? That I don't know, I haven't found anything about her other than she picked up the car that was in the garage the night before we got our keys. I think the lack of information on her is because her first and last name are very common, unlike her relatives.

So, what about Cathy's husband? I discovered that back in 2001 (the same year Cathy bought the house) he was indicted on charges for attempted murder. You see, he had a girlfriend while he was still married to Cathy and he allegedly attempted to kill this girlfriend. His defense and subsequent appeals stated that he had PTSD which he sustained during his tours of duty in Vietnam as a Marine. The court did not agree and he subsequently died in prison just three months after Cathy passed.

What a tragic family story! It is my hope that we can replace some of the sadness this family experienced in our home with happy and joyful memories!

Do you agree that it is a little terrifying how easy it was to piece together the history of this house  and its family in just one afternoon?

Happy Birthday USMC!

Evergreen celebrated the 238th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps on Friday. Fun was had by all as we witnessed the passing of the cake (and tradition) from the oldest Marine born in 1930 to the youngest Marine who will enter boot camp in February. Poor kid was overwhelmed by all the attention and advice! 

Happy birthday and thank you to all past, present and future Marines! Oohrah!

Living History Week

This past week was Living History Week at Evergreen. This is the second annual event which brings high school students from around the Willamette Valley into the museum to listen to first-hand experiences of our veterans. The overarching theme this year was thanking our POWs, in particular we honored the survivors of the Bataan Death March, of which 16 were able to make the journey. It was a beautiful and memorable experience!

Hepcat Model

My Hepcat has made significant progress the past few weeks. The servos have been installed and this weekend we are picking up the push rods which need to be installed inside the fuselage before I can cover it. The pushrods will control the fuel and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. I completed the tail section today by creating some racing strips. Looks pretty snazzy!

Job Hunting: Update

Good news since the last time I posted, I finally nailed down a seasonal job. Due to the "social networking clause" they made me sign I am not going to say where because I don't want to always have to put a disclaimer on my posts, but it is a basic retail job. I am already beginning to question the wisdom of a retail job during Christmas...

The better news, however, is that I am currently lining up to do some archaeology work in the Oregon and Washington areas. It will likely take place after the holidays and is not guaranteed to be very regular but just getting my foot in the door is a major accomplishment!

Job Hunting

Can we all agree that job hunting is simply the worst?!

At first I was focused on anthropological jobs, stuff in museums, careers in my field of study but I quickly realized those jobs still haven't rebounded from the economic funk of the past 5+ years. So, I focused my attention on part time, temporary, seasonal jobs. Heck, the holidays are right around the corner, a seasonal job should be a slam dunk! I got my first rejection letter today which was preceded by my first phone interview which I didn't get a call back. Needless to say I am feeling a tad down in the dumps. 

"Your qualifications don't match our needs at this time."

Humbling words coming from a company who only needs an employee for two months. I can do arithmetic, run a cash register, smile and answer questions, but somehow I am not qualified to do those things for two months?

I feel like I am floundering in this new, not-so-improved, job market. Up is down and left is right, nothing makes sense anymore. How does one stay motivated when even unskilled jobs are turning you down?

Good news: I have been saying this for years -- simple evolution!

Spruce Goose: Second Taxi Test

Today we conducted our second Spruce Goose taxi test. After removing a tremendous amount of weight from the nose, we had high hopes that she would leave the water this time. Not so much. In hindsight, we think we removed too much weight. According to the plans (and an article written by a guy who also built the same model), balance is everything! If she is even remotely nose or tail heavy she won't leave the water. A few small modifications should help so next week we can try again. Unfortunately, we are getting into the rainy season here in Oregon and we might not have many clear skies left this season.

We also took advantage of, what turned out to be, a beautiful day and flew Mitch's Senior Cadet plane for the first time. She performed well but also has a few modifications before her next flight.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Most people reserve that statement for Christmas, but whether I lived in Arizona or Oregon, fall is always my favorite time of the year. The temperatures are amazing this week, in the 60s and 70s, clear skies and a slight breeze that smells fresh with a hint of campfire. Absolutely stunning! 

Hepcat Model

Now that the cast and brace are off my broken hand I can get back to airplane modeling. The wing is complete except for embellishments (like my AZ "A") but the fuselage still has a ways to go. Since we are modifying the Hepcat as we go, many times we make alterations that we than undo and try something else later. The servo mounts are the name of our pain right now, this coming Friday we will move the servo mounts for the third time.

Bottom of the wing

Top of the wing

Bear Down Arizona!

Spruce Goose: Taxi Test

The Spruce Goose went out for her first taxi test this morning! She ran beautifully but we quickly realized that she is more nose heavy than we would like...so much so that she can't get off the water. We spent the rest of the day removing lead and clay from the nose to alleviate some of the problems. Next Friday we will try again! :-)

Sorry the video quality is crap, next one will be in HD!

My iPod is possessed

I listen to my iPod every single day. Whether its using Tunein to listen to different radio stations all over the country, downloading podcasts or jamming to some songs, I almost always have an earbud in my noggin. While I was driving home yesterday my iPod suddenly dropped the podcast I was listening to and switched over to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, specifically the song, "Yoda and the Force". Today, while listening to a different podcast it randomly switched over to Ann Miller's "Shaking the Blues Away".

Is my iPod trying to tell me something?

Rose City Comic Con

The Second Annual Rose City Comic Con took place this weekend. We attended yesterday for the celebrity panels more so than the comic book portion of the event.

First we took a look around the exhibit floor. We have been to numerous conventions in Las Vegas but none of them had as many exhibitors and artists as here. The Bat Mobile also made a special appearance.

Here is Christopher Judge, the first celebrity panel we saw. He played Teal'c on Stargate SG1 and he is an Oregon Duck football alum. He was funny, candid and more than willing to spend as much time with the fans as he could. Hubby and I got his autograph and were able to shake his hand! He was incredibly kind and gracious!

Next on stage was Avery Brooks (Benjamin Sisko) from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. This is the second time we have seen him in person so we knew what to expect but it was apparent that the crowd and moderator were ill-prepared. Avery is a very kind and spiritual man who looks at everything in life in a very philosophical way. He doesn't answer questions in the traditional way and tends to "shut people down" as the moderator commented. Avery's panel is very organic and he doesn't like being corralled by questions.

Last was Jewel Staite who played Kaylee on Firefly and Dr. Keller on Stargate Atlantis. What can I say about her except, EXCEPTIONAL! She is just as wonderful in person as she appears on TV. She loves to laugh, loves to eat, loves her friends and fans and loves her work. Despite having a cold, she really brought the house down.

And, of course, Yoda made the trip too!

Spruce Goose: Motor Test

Today was a momentous day, after many longs years* of cutting, assembling, glueing, sanding and painting, the Spruce Goose model is almost ready for her maiden flight. Today we conducted the second motor test (the first one was in Cecil's garage). She worked beautifully without any hiccups!

All that is holding the ol' girl up is two pencils. This is the best way to confirm and correct her balance. It is better to be nose heavy than tail heavy. Her balance is spot on!

* Please note that I have had very little to do with this project and this was a labor of love from Cecil, Dwaine, Bob, Mitch, Glider Bill, Harold and Bill Wheeler (deceased).

Cast Off -- Brace On

After 4 amazingly long weeks, I got my cast off today! The doc is very happy with my progress and says the fracture is healing nicely. I still have 4 more weeks in the brace before I am healed enough to resume normal life (like lift or carry heavier items). Than it will be an additional 4 weeks after that before I can rollerskate, lift weights or do push-ups. I won't regain pre-injury mobility for about 6 months.

Before

After

I was really surprised at how much my skin shed. Yuck!

They asked if I wanted it, I told them to burn it!

 The removable brace...how I love thee!

Silly Schnauzers

I have 6 days until this cast comes off, I am so relieved! I haven't been able to accomplish as much around the house lately with this hand situation but I did take some pics of the dogs. :-)

Seriously, not that cold.

Belated birthday ice cream

Trudy Girl

My Lily Pup

What an adorable face!

1992 is back!

One week before NFL football starts our DVR took an irreparable dump. This morning my cell phone, which previously got adequate reception at the house, now has NO SIGNAL except for when I drive a mile away. After completely wiping my phone of all data, tech support has no idea what to do because I should have coverage.

It is the year 2013 yet I have no idea what is on TV and if I do, I have to watch it live and I have zero access to text messaging or any other mobile service from my own home. Seriously, how did we ever survive 1992 before these technologies existed because I feel like I am living in the Stone Age??!!

Bright side: still got internet on my iMac

Brunette to Red Head in Just One Day!

Let the Ginger jokes begin...

Pretty in Pink: Part II

I had a follow-up with the ortho doctor and the prognosis is good! He confirmed (with additional x-rays) that I don't need to have surgery. He was certain, based on how I broke it, that it would be necessary, but alas I surprised him. 3 more weeks in the cast and than I graduate into a removable brace, I can't wait!

My doc commented that I had a lot of signatures on my cast. I hadn't really thought about it but I am truly blessed to have so many amazing friends. Sometimes it takes a broken bone to remind you to be grateful for all the amazing people in your life!

Matching pink fingernails

Pretty in Pink

I saw the orthopedic specialist yesterday and after running several more x-rays this is what he had to say --

Me: So, can you throw a removable splint on it?

Doc: No, due to the nature if the spiral fracture and the fact that it is extremely unstable, you will need a cast.

Me: So, how quickly can you throw a removable splint on it?

Doc: Ummm, no. You need a cast.

Me: So, you're saying the removable splint is on its way?

Doc: You're very lucky you aren't getting surgery. Choose a color because you are getting a cast. 

Me:  Oh, I understand, the lady next door will get me that removable splint.

Doc: See you in a week for a follow-up and again in 3 more weeks for another follow-up.

Hubby and the group from the dig signed it today

Check out my kick-ass Danner boots. They are zombie apocalypse approved!

The Hand is Broken

Went and saw the doctor today and he confirmed my fear -- I broke a bone in my hand, specifically the 5th metacarpal. He is forwarding my information to an orthopedic specialist who will decide if it needs to be casted or not. In the meantime I am cooling my heels at home and not attending the dig because...well, I am not much use to them right now.