Bicycle... Bicycle...

 

If you said, "From the Queen song 'Bicycle Race,' 1978," you get 20 bonus points.  No, I did not get out on my bicycle today (high temp predicted: 105º).

I went out to the garage before 9:00am and the heat of the day... decisions.  A motorcycle, 2 scooters, and 2 e-bikes.  To be fair, it is the Burgman's turn.  I geared up and before heading out, grabbed my 360 camera.  79º when I rolled out of the driveway.

I didn't have a plan for the video, just wanted to try some editing on the iPad Mini.  The riding was good - comfortable temperature to start.  Very little traffic.  A great day for some time on the scoot.

"What about that whole Bicycle thing in the title, Jim?"  Thanks for asking.  I passed a couple bicycles along the way; coming down the mountain, I had to "work" a bit to get around one guy on his road bicycle.  A while later, I looked in my review mirror and he was close behind, gaining on me.  I may or may not have been exceeding the 25 mph speed limit... he was absolutely exceeding the speed limit!  On a bicycle.  With only a bike helmet for safety gear; typically dressed in Spandex bicycle shorts and a jersey.  I wasn't wearing a motorcycle jacket (bit too warm for that), but I did have a full-face helmet, motorcycle gloves and armored mesh riding pants.  He had those skinny tires you see on road bicycles.  Nothing about that sounded like fun to me.

When I got home, I got in the shower, then did a few chores before taking Joan out for pizza for lunch (her request).  Back home, I started downloading the 360 videos on the iPad Mini.  Yes, that works.  I shot about a dozen short clips.  While editing them from 360 to "flat" video, I decided to let the Insta360 artificial intelligence video editor work up one of the clips.  It has been months since I've done that, and I wanted to see what has changed...

 Not much.  The edits weren't as smooth as I would do them, the "music" it used for the background was the same as last year.  The saving grace: I clicked one button, and a minute later, I had this video.  I added some captions.  Fast and easy.  And predictable.

That said, it would take me a couple hours to get a "video memory" of that ride.  It would look better; I would have put a voice over on it; added some decent music.  But... fast and easy. 

Using a "pencil" with the iPad Mini, the editing was not bad.  The Mini handled all the video downloading without breaking a sweat.  Better than I expected.

 

Don't Mess With the Beaver...

 

Talking about this beaver...

 

Some media outlets have been using the sensational headline "Buc-ee's gets an 'F' from the Better Business Bureau!"

My response: don't mess with Buc-ee's.

Checking into it, there have been 88 complaints to the BBB in the last three years regarding Buc-ee's, almost all that say that Buc-ee's hasn't responded to customer complaints.  Some were in regards to "being overcharged for fuel."  You pull up to a pump, you scan your credit card, you pump the fuel, you get a receipt... how can you get "overcharged"??  Someone else had a complaint that they "got sick" after eating food from the Beav.  I have seen no report of an outbreak of food poisoning from any Buc-ee's.

The Better Business Bureau issued that "F" rating because Buc-ee's did not respond to their inquiry.  The BBB is a "for profit" organization.  I say: "F 'em."  From my perspective, the BBB is irrelevant these days.  They exist because some businesses pay to belong to the BBB.  Before Google, Yelp, and other review sites, they may have held some sway in some peoples' eyes.  But, no business is required to respond to a BBB inquiry.  As a former business owner, we never received a single complaint from the BBB... if a customer had a problem, we took care of it.

The potential issue with Buc-ee's is they don't publish a phone number for any of their locations.  You contact them at the email address: consumerrequest@buc-ees.com or use the contact form on their website.  From what I read, they rarely respond.  You buy gas, you go inside and spend $50 or more on food and snacks, maybe pee in their immaculate restrooms, look at some t-shirts or other touristy stuff, then leave... what is there to complain about?

The only complaint I have is stupid people who leave their vehicle at a pump while they go inside to shop or pee - get your gas, move your car to a parking spot, then go inside and do your business. 

Some of the complaints were from RVers.  More stupid stuff like: Buc-ee's doesn't allow you to stay overnight in their parking lot... or: there is no RV dump site... or: they don't have a spigot where you can get free water.  Stoopid.  It isn't an RV park.  Go to a truck stop like Loves, where they will charge you $10 to dump your RV holding tanks, and hold your drivers license while you do that, meaning two trips to the fuel desk where you have to wait in line.  Twice.  Or go to a Walmart where they don't allow overnight parking and complain that you will "take your business elsewhere."  Your business?  As in: staying in their parking lot overnight for free?  We have been RVers for decades, but some of these people who try to do everything on the cheap are just whiners and tend to take advantage of a business until that business decides to not allow RV parking.  Sorry - I got off on a tangent.

One particular YouTube video interviewed RVers and asked if they prefer Buc-ee's or a truck stop.  They didn't interview me - I would take Buc-ee's over a grubby truck stop every time.  Buc-ee's business model is: sell 'em gas, sell 'em brisket and jerky, and move 'em on.   They don't allow 18 wheelers at Buc-ee's.  Whereas a truck stop caters to 18 wheelers - hey it's right there in the name: truck stop.  Some "travel centers" (the new description to make it sound less truck-oriented) have RV lanes, dump stations, and a spigot to get fresh water (think: Loves, Flying J, Pilot).  But, you aren't going to get "Fresh brisket on the board!" or Beaver Nuggets there, either.  You may get to stay overnight in their lot for free, as long as you aren't in the way of the big trucks.  Although Loves is expanding their RV Stop, where they have sites and hookup for RVs for overnight accommodations.  We have stayed in a couple of these - they can be convenient, but are not inexpensive.

The truck stops will generally have a restaurant or a fast food outlet connected.  Buc-ee's does not; they sell food (brisket sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, fresh-made potato chips, Beaver Nuggets) and have a bakery where you can get a good variety of pastries and cookies.  Just take all those and eat 'em in the car, because they don't have any seating or picnic tables.  Loves often has a dog park; Buc-ee's does not.  There are differences.  For the record, we have had no problem getting any of our RVs at a gas pump at Buc-ee's.

Have I ever had a complaint with Buc-ee's?  Well, I've had some mediocre breakfast sandwiches or a fatty pulled-pork sandwich, but never felt the need to complain to the BBB or even leave a Yelp review, good or bad.  Yep, there are more and more whiners these days.

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With A Little Help From My Friends...

If you said, "The Beatles, 1967, from the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album," you get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "Yeah, but, the Joe Cocker version is mucho better," you get an additional 25 bonus points.

I have been playing that song solo for decades.  Today, the Hip Replacements started working up the Joe Cocker version.  It was a good time making music with the guys today.  Mark got us Firehouse Subs for lunch, and Cindy surprised us with cookies from Crumbl... because you can't (well, shouldn't) make music on an empty stomach.

 

Happy St Patrick's Day...

 

It's that time of year when everyone is Irish; even if just for the day.  And, as we all know, this is that day when, if you've been a good boy or girl, you will be visited by a Leprechaun who will leave you Irish whiskey and green beer.  Or, if you haven't been good, the Leprechaun will leave you whiskey, green beer, and a heaping helping of corned beef and cabbage.

Or, something like that.

For the record, I am of Irish descent.  Well, Irish and English - my Mother used to tell me, "This is why you have inner turmoil."  To be fair, I don't really have inner turmoil - I let the voices in my head have their say, we take a vote, and majority rules.  The vote will never be for corned beef and cabbage.

No, I didn't wear green today.  If you say you will pinch me, I will tell you to "bite me." 

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Joan left me along with the kitties while she went to the store this morning.  Most of the time, they are sweet.  This was not most of the time.  Tuesday Morning Smackdown the whole time she was gone.  I think they wore themselves out with all the wrestling, slapping, and biting.

And then, a big change: we took the catio out of the living room.  That has been Stella's safe haven since we brought her home.  She and Murphy have been sleeping on the bed with us, so we figured it was time.  The big issue: where to put the food bowls...

 Little Stella: "This ain't right!"  It must have been OK - they both ate.

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And to celebrate St Paddy's Day, I got out on my Japanese motorcycle for a ride.  In the heat.  It was 93º when I got back.  Even though I had water along, I was feeling a bit drained when I got home.  Yeah, I'm going to have to get out earlier for at least the next week or so: starting tomorrow, it is supposed to be over 100º for a high for the next 5 days.  Ah, life in the desert.  Normal highs this time of year should be in the upper 70s.  Too hot, too soon.

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Back to the cat stuff...

Time for the 5:00 meal and putting the bowls close together...

 Once again, Stella needed some encouragement to eat with her bowls in a different location.  I would have thought that after 3 months (3/8 of her entire life) of being a part of our family that we could be trusted to not try to kill her.  "Come on, sweet girl - it's the same food, just a slightly different place."

 

It's That Time...

 

With the heat rolling in early this season, it's time to put up some umbrellas to keep things cooler on the patio.  Murph and I were out there to enjoy the sun coming up over South Mountain...

 The big furry boy enjoys our outdoor time... and his fur glows in the sunlight.

I put up two of the umbrellas...

 Spent some time checking the water in the hot tub, then followed Murph for a potty stop.  Joan came out and asked if I wanted the covers off the patio furniture - "We can sit out here for a while."  I got the stroller out of the shed, and Joan brought Stella out.  We took that cover off the furniture and put out the chair pads on the tall chairs, rocker, and bench.  It's quiet and private in the courtyard.

Joan made our morning smoothies and brought them out.  It was in the 60s and very comfortable in just shirt sleeves.  The high today is supposed to be 92º, but the 100s are coming by Wednesday.  At that point, early morning is the only time you want to be outside.  The pergola and umbrellas (up to 4 now) really make it more comfortable.

A bit of web-surfing this morning - love this quote...

 

 

Beware...

 

... The Ides of March.

If you said, "A warning given to Julius Caesar as a portent of calamity - in this case, the day he was assassinated in 44 BC.  The 'ides' refers to the middle, thus the middle of March.  The ancient Romans considered this a date to settle debts," you get 20 bonus points.

If you said, "The name of the band that did the song Vehicle, released in 1970," you get 30 bonus points, and you are my people. 

I have nothing else to do with that - just the observation that this is "the ides of March," as I changed the daily calendar today.  For much of the country, this is the hope that spring is coming.  Looking at our former home in South Dakota, there is a Winter Storm Warning for most of the state, with blizzard conditions.  At our other former home in the Tropical Tip of Texas, there are Gale Warnings, with winds SSE @ 25 to 35 mph, and a high of 80º.  Just another windy day in south Texas.  And here in the desert - we are coming into a week of potentially record-breaking high temperature...

 107º?  That is way too early for this kind of heat.  It causes me concern for what this upcoming summer may be.  Maybe the warning should be: Beware the Whole Freakin' Summer!

On the bright side...

 These two made it through the night with no fuss.

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2 x 2...

Two rides on two different two wheel conveyances today.

This morning, I took Joan's Xmax out for a ride.  I generally avoid the fun twisty roads on a Sunday, but with the upcoming heat (see above), I figured I should get out while the gettin' is good.  And, it was good.  72º when I pulled out of the driveway.

Nobody tried to run me off the road on the way to the mountain.  Plenty of traffic on the first 1/3 of the ride up the mountain; way more bicycles than usual... it didn't look like an organized ride, but a lot of other people wanting to get out while it was cool.  When I got to the first turn off from the main road, there was no other traffic in front of me.  Good riding.

And, of course, I have to comment on that Xmax: a fun ride, between the CTX and the Burgman in terms of weight, power, and handling.

Later this afternoon (90º by that time), I took my Lectric XP4 out for a ride.  I like to ride to and around the city park (Caesar Chavez Park) that is reasonably close to us.  Families were winding down, having spent some time enjoying the park this afternoon.  Sadly, people don't pick up their trash - I don't get that.

Another good ride, very different from this morning.  Although, I did have some tunes playing on both rides.  No photos, no video.  Just enjoying the rides.

 

Survived Friday the 13th...

 

I am not particularly superstitious by nature.  I dumb-ass driver almost made me think otherwise yesterday.  I took the Burgman out for a ride - another warm one, with an afternoon high of 93º.  I was not in my typical "all the gear, all the time" due to the heat.  I had on riding pants and boots, armored mesh pants, and my Schuberth modular (full face) helmet... just couldn't bring myself to put on an armored jacket.  I did put some "sleeves" (pull-on) with my t-shirt, to keep my arms from getting fried.

On the way to the good riding, a dumb-ass driving an old minivan pulled out from the left side of the road, causing a car in that lane to have to slam on the brakes, and making me swerve almost to the curb on the right side of the road.  Shortly after 2:00, so I don't know if he was drunk, high, texting, or just plain stoopid.  "Stoopid" with two oo's is even worse than regular stupid.

With that out of the way, the riding on the twisty roads was good.  Only two vehicles over the center line - you want to stay away from that line in the blind curves.  Even though the temp was in the low 90s, it was reasonably comfortable on the scoot.

I did shoot some video with the Insta360 Go3s, and edited it down to less than 3 minutes.  Enough to make me smile when I watch it - hope you enjoy the ride, too...

 

This image made me chuckle...

 

Stella and Murphy are on the top of the cat tower...

 Murph is laying down with his back to the camera, Stella is sitting up with her little head framed between his ears.  Together on that same platform.

It didn't end there.  After Murphy got his morning walk, and they both got treats - sharing the chair with the patio view...

 No fuss.  No tussle.  No biting.  Until Murphy flicked his big furry tail in Stella's face... and she pulled a tuft of fur out of that big furry tail.  They are doing good... until one of them decides to start something.  Despite the size difference, it isn't one-sided.

Then, we're back to the two-chair solution...