Typically, yes, I do avoid the "who are you?" online quiz pages. This one was different, as I was assured an answer that I wouldn't argue with. Ladies and Gentlemen, which John Cusack are you?


Which John Cusack Are You?

As you may or may not have noticed, I'm working on a new look for the "site", which up until now has been primarily just this blog. The site actually starts at www.doctorhectic.com and will be several blogs, each with a different category or topic. I'm going to offer more opinions on things (books, movies, music) and talk more about what I'm creating and doing, not quite so much of "I watched t.v. today...the cats are really cute...wish I had a sandwich..." kind of stuff.

I realized I had too many web site ideas, and I just need to start with the one and let the others come out of that effort, if they're gonna come at all.

Stay tuned!

SNOWDAY! I mean, uh, SLEETDAY!...or maybe, FREEZING RAIN DAY! Whatever it all is, I don't have to work today. Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle is pretty much shut down. Most of the state, actually. There's a pot of coffee a brewin', and a fire in the firepalce, and I'm gettin' a LOT of laundry done. As long as the power doesn't go out (see here...), we'll be ok.

My christmas presents that I couldn't pack and bring home are on their way to me, thanks to mom shipping them to me. Soon I'll have all of my strange and wonderful stainless steel dishes and my grandfather's butcher knife, and the vodka shotglasses and all the other fabulous things.

It's supposed to be around 40° tomorrow, and mid 50s later in the week, so we won't have this ice to deal with for long. Hope all is well with all y'all.

I have a problem. My problem is called "motorcycle" and I can't stop thinking about it. As some of you know, Ben rode his '77 Honda CB550 motorcycle across the midwest and down the east coast last summer. By the time he reached Raleigh, he was ready to trade in the bike for a car. The bike ended up in my basement under a tarp for the last 6+ months, and with Ben leaving the country (again) for an extended period of time, I asked him what he wanted to do about it.

"Sign over the title." was his reply. So now I have no motorcycle license, no helmet, no riding gear, and a motorcycle. It looks like this...



I've ridden mopeds, and the strange, fat-tired (and tired) Suzuki trail bike at the cabin, but I think what I want now is a "cafe racer" style bike. Cafe racers were customized British bikes back in the '50s (maybe '40s?) that were designed to go very fast and zip between the various cafes along the roads and highways. The Honda, through the magic of Photoshop, as a cafe racer...



So, I've been online, looking up info on converting, NC motorcycle laws, and helmet prices. The nice thing about the cafe racer look is that it is basically a streamlining of the bike and mainly requires removal of accessories, and the few pieces that need replacement are relatively cheap. New handlebars, new mirrors, maybe a new taillight. A pro paint job would cost more than the conversion. I think I'll paint it myself.

Very exciting, and fun to research. I'm mostly going for a "look" and don't plan on riding 100mph+ between coffee shops. At least not here in the States...

For more history: Ace Cafe London

For a crazy bloke who builds cafe racers: CARPY!

The first in a series of holiday pictures is available here:



More to follow...

SNOW! Like, 3 inches of the stuff! Here, in NC! The roads here are all still pretty warm, so I don't think I'll get a snow day as far as work goes, but there probably won't be much to do there. And it's that nice light fluffy snow , but it's warm enough to stick to everything, so it's beautiful outside. Guess I better get the scraper/brush out of the basement.

For all you photo freaks, I happened upon this yesterday:

foto8

"International Photojournalism" is their thing. It seems to be an edgier version of National Geographic. I was going to subscribe, but with the current GBP exchange rate, it's 4 issues for $65US, which is a little steep for me. Most of the current and previous issue content is available on the site, so that'll do for now.

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

Mouse the cat fell in the toilet yesterday. She likes to jump up on the tank, but she slipped, fell in the bowl for a second, and the lid dropped on her just as she was leaping out. She made it out ok, but there was a lot of cleaning going on for a while.

The weather here has taken a brisk turn, but it's still sunny. It isn't supposed to get out of the 30s today, and it was in the 70s this weekend. I think both of these are unusual temperatures for this time of year, but anything goes in NC. If we could just get a little snow and have a few snow days...

I have recovered from my holiday illness, but now it seems Val might be coming down with something. Per Malena, here is the cure for what ails you:

A Clint Bajakian

Bring the following ingredients to a low simmer in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Once simmering take off heat right away.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup orange juice

one herbal tea bag
pinch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey

While the drink is heating on the stove, preheat a large mug (using hot water from tap for example) and pour the following contents into it.

3 jiggers hearty booze (bourbon, dark rum, Canadian or Irish whiskey, etc)
one envelope Thera Flu regular flu medicine powdered drink mix

When simmering, remove pan from heat and pour contents over booze and Thera Flu powder, stirring well.

Assume comfortable propped position on couch in front of TV with blanket on legs and sip. You will be asleep in roughly 20 minutes.

NOTE: Alcohol amount should vary from none to plenty depending on exactly how the user feels. For some symptoms, a non-alcoholic drink is better as it will not worsen certain feverish tingling sensations that may be present. Also, instead of an entire Thera Flu envelope, a half envelope may be used for some drinks depending on the effect desired.

I suggested just substituting booze for all of the other ingredients, but I guess there might be some benefit to the actual medicine and vitamin C in the real recipe.

Off to work I go...

Despite all the illness floating around this holiday season, I hope y'all had a pleasant time. I had a very ill but very relaxing time in the Midwest, with LOTS of Swedish pancake mornings (not the cause of my illness) and a relatively quiet New Year's Eve (also no illness, thankfully).

Happy New Year. What's in store? A new dwelling, new jobs, maybe a new ride. Not right away, mind you, these are just the things that I'm pretty sure will occur this year.

Val is finishing up her Public History program this semester at NCSU and is starting one Library Science class at UNC. We plan on moving closer to UNC sometime this summer. There is a town RIGHT next to Chapel Hill called Carrboro where we'd like to live. Everything there is within walking distance of everything else, and there's an honest to goodness co-op grocery store there right next to one of the best breakfast places in the Triangle. About a block away from there is the Orange County Social Club, already one of our favorite area bars. If we can live anywhere in that area, we'd be all set. The rental properties around there seem to be the same price or less than what we're paying now, so we might have the added bonus of more space or less rent. Even if we end up living in Chapel Hill, it's only a 20 minute walk from "downtown" to "downtown", or maybe I should say main street to main street. It's not rural, but it has a small town feel. Nice.