Back in the saddle
So...where were we?
We had a nice extended weekend. MLB took a day of vacation on Monday, giving us four days of relatively unscheduled activities. We did four bike rides, caught one movie, watched bits and pieces of the Tour de France each morning and the Twilight Zone marathon on the Sci Fi Channel each afternoon, and accomplished a lot of yard work and general chores around the house. It was a pleasingly non-hectic way to celebrate the Independence Day weekend. I hope yours was equally satisfying.
The movie we saw was the latest installment of Superman. I've never been a big fan of the series and this one may or may not be the best of the lot; I'm not engaged enough to have an opinion. It dragged in places and the Superman-as-Christ metaphor was laughably heavy-handed. (My mom had told me about a review that made a big deal out of that issue and I discounted it as so much arm-waving; as it turns out, it wasn't.) Also, Lois Lane turns out to be a slut (oh...can I say that here?), but I won't go into details lest I spoil things for those who haven't seen the movie. The f/x were pretty outstanding, but in the end I was wishing for another X Men, Serenity, or -- we can't wait -- Pirates of the Caribbean.
The Tour de France is unfolding as expected, with early round sparring going on between the big sprinters. These early stages are their time to shine, as they'll fade into relative obscurity once the race moves into the serious mountains. And yesterday we got a vivid reminder of the sheer luck needed to survive this race as one of the favorites, Alejandro Valverde, clipped the wheel of another cyclist and went down hard, breaking his collarbone and exiting the race. Now, the luck isn't in avoiding the crashes -- that's not always controllable, even though in Valverde's case, he appeared to be his own worst enemy. Even Lance crashed periodically (and sometimes spectacularly). The luck comes in how you survive such crashes. Ninety percent of the time in a crash like Valverde's, the riders hop back on their bikes, wounded only in pride and perhaps a little road rash. In his case, however, the Spanish rider landed in just the wrong way and ended his TDF hopes.
The weekend was made pleasingly complete by a spur-of-the-moment repair project that allowed me to use (1) my MIG welder, (2) my grinder and (3) my anvil and 5# short-handled sledge. I didn't set myself or my neighbors on fire and I made the repair successfully. It's hard to improve on a holiday where you can make those statements.
So...MIG welder is not, I assume, something used to make Russian aircraft?
If it is, then that's just cool. (It might still be cool, I just don't know.)
Glad you had a good extended weekend!
Sorry to disappoint, Lyle. How about if I schedule an amputation for Labor Day to make it up to you?
You notice that I was rather coy about the reason for the repair...
Just protecting the guilty. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 10:47 AMSo...MIG welder is not, I assume, something used to make Russian aircraft?
*sigh* Girls.
Actually, a MIG welder could, theoretically, be used to build Russian aircraft. I wouldn't fly in the result, but, still...
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 10:50 AM"Just protecting the guilty."
I wasn't going to ask, but now I have to. What happened and what did you break?
I don't share everything that goes on around here, you know. There are some confidences that are just not meant to be broken.
Although a really large Blogathon pledge could make me change my mind. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 11:22 AMI believe that last paragraph is missing some critical elements...such as the who, the why, and a bit more of the what. ;-)
So if the MIG welder is not for Russian aircraft, what then is a MIG welder (for those of use too lazy to look it up)?
Glad you had a nice relaxing weekend.
Posted by: Gwynne at July 5, 2006 11:54 AMGwynne, to avoid getting bogged down in technical details I'll define MIG welding as a home-handyman version of arc welding that's very cost effective and easy to master. And when done properly it can produce welds stronger than the metal being welded. You won't encounter a lot of household repairs that call for welding, but when they occur, there's really nothing that will substitute.
I have an inexpensive wire feed welder similar to this one and have used it for projects as varied as building a sailboard storage rack, modifying a cartop bike rack to accommodate our tandem recumbent, adding "dog escape proof" bars to our side yard gate...and doing mysterious repairs on unidentified parts which were damaged via undescribed acts.
And, yes, I have set my clothes on fire.
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 12:29 PMMy husband used to own a backhoe, and I was always amazed at how often he found the need to dig a hole.
I suspect owning a MIG welder affords many opportunities to fire that baby up!
Posted by: Deborah at July 5, 2006 01:22 PMDeborah, guilty as charged. I will admit that my reaction to broken steel components has often been "oh, man..." on the outside, but "oh boy!" on the inside, if you know what I mean.
A backhoe. Wow. I can only dream. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 02:33 PMI fully support using new 'toys' many times. After all practise makes perfect hehe.
Posted by: Rachel at July 5, 2006 04:04 PMRachel, I'd better keep practicing, then, because I'm FAR from perfect!
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 04:25 PM"Super" man?
Crazy Eric, we made a big OOPS by taking our children to this heavily-marketed-for-children latest installment..."Look! Up in the sky....it's DADDY!" Our youngest, MKM, wants to know how someone can have a baby without being married. Didn't really plan to have that discussion over popcorn at the local cinaplex. Should we just tell her that the rules are different for anyone who calls themself Superman? Isn't that sort of like saying that it's OK to sleep with the captain of the football team (as long as he looks great in the uniform)? As for Superman as Christ, if he's that omnipotent, why couldn't he find his former lover and their kid BEFORE she sent the fax? Just reeling from my bad judgment in family movie choices.
Posted by: Becky at July 5, 2006 07:52 PMOuch. The Law of Unintended Consequences rears its ugly head once more. Only, since it's Hollywood, it's hard to argue that this kind of fallout is unintended.
If there's any silver lining, it's that you guys are blessedly equipped to deal with these questions and provide the right answers (vs. the "answers" shown on the screen). It is indeed unfortunate that you didn't get to choose the time and place.
Posted by: Eric at July 5, 2006 08:08 PMI said it one way, but you said it even more clearer: Lois was a slut. And this 'Superman' isn't so 'super' either. My wife and I both left the theater with a bad taste in our mouths.
Posted by: Stephen Shores at July 6, 2006 07:23 AMAbout the publisher
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Random Thursday
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More Invaders
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Book Review: "The Year of Living Biblically"
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June Sunset
It's Official...
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The Incredible Shrinking Math Skills
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OH MAN...MIG welder, grinder and a sledge. I was conjuring up pictures of injured fingers and other stuff that was going to be attached to this story!!! I guess my misfortune (in not seeing some EtM pics) is good news for you!
Posted by: lyle at July 5, 2006 10:16 AM