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Gina and have been trying to compensate for our busy weekday schedule by cramming as many events into a weekend as possible. Last weekend took this to a new level. As a favor for a friend, I drove 30-odd miles to help a family with their 4-year-old iMac. After a quick stop at home, we went out to the Waterford area to wish my father-in-law a happy birthday and a happy mother’s day to Gina’s mom. (At least that part of the day was relaxing… apart from the on-call page I got from my office… feh…) We were then off to scenic Flint, MI to congratulate a friend of Gina’s on her graduation from dental school. We capped off our evening with a visit to another friend in Flint to meet the newest addition to their family.

Sunday was a little less hectic, although, in the long run, far more punishing. Gina and I packed for the season-opening autocross at the Willow Run Powertrain plant in Ypsilanti. All reports indicated rain… all day… lots of rain. We had our raincoats, hats, and pants… al set, right? Wrong. Sunshine all day long. No sunblock. The two of us are country-style crispy, hold the cole-slaw. Ow. Brad and Melissa were with us at the autocross, and Brad had to call in sick today. I’m betting that he’s in even worse shape than Gina and I. (His driving heat was the last one of the day, keeping him in the sun 2 hours longer than we were exposed.)

The autocross was fun. I improved on my times and learned what not to do, as well as a little about how my tires react as they heat up. My times were better than a few more experienced drivers… which is a nice ego boost, but I still have a lot to work on.

After the autocross and a quick top at home, we were off to the east side to celebrate mother’s day with my family. Overpriced buffet at a waterfront restaurant… feh. After all of that it was nice to get home and relax… for about 10 minutes… before heading to bed.

The end.

- Duane

Gina and I went to Chicago last weekend to attend her cousin’s wedding. It was very nice… the reception was in a nature museum… and they left the exhibits open so we could check them out. While we were there we did some shopping. Although Detroit is improving, the “downtown experience” still falls far behind Chicago, Boston, New York, etc. We visited dozens of stores, a couple of restaurants, even a museum or 2… all within walking distance of each other. I hope that Detroit can get it’s act together. Although the casinos and stadiums appear to have helped… there’s a lot more work to do.

While in Chicago, Gina and I visited the Lego store. There were some nice Lego sculptures around and I bought a few bags of Technic parts. I put those parts to good use as soon as we got home. I’ve built a cat-finding robot (named BlinkeyFinder5000) that uses a passive infrared sensor to locate and chase a mammal target and a dual-infrared proximity sensor to avoid obstacles. The robot chassis is amazingly flexible in design as well as robust. I must say that I’m rather impressed.

- Duane

Brad and I participated in the Detroit Region SCCA Autocross School last weekend. We learned a lot, and had a lot of fun. However, during one of Brad’s morning runs, he spun his car through a slalom that I was assigned to and nearly ran me (and several others) over. He managed to wave at us while his instructor commented, “Wow… we almost died… GO!

Gina and I attended the A Perfect Circle show at the Palace last Saturday. Excellent show. Little KISS and Burning Brides opened. Both excellent as well. I was pleasantly surprised by the 3-piece power of Burning Brides.

We had floor tickets. This meant we had to jump through a bunch of flaming hoops (including signing a mosh pit waiver) to see the show. However, we were able to get very close to the sound board and light controls. Very educational. Gina noticed early in the show that the vocals “weren’t right.” From the frantic scrambling, it appeared as though something was wrong with the equipment. Whatever the issue, it was corrected about 2/3 through the show. The highlight of the performance? James Iha singing an a cappella rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ “That Way.” Good stuff.

- Duane

Brad I threw down at work Lego robot-style. My simple design and relatively complex program defeated his experimental spinning wheel of death design (with no program at all). Seeing some robot-vs-robot action adds yet another level of enjoyment to the whole Lego robot hobby. [Pictures soon] Jona has started preparing for SumoBot 6. If time allows, I’m going to try to “compete.”

I am addicted to yet another Rev. George suggestion: del.icio.us.

I’ve been waiting for 2 weeks for my replacement cellphone. I called T-Mobile this morning to see what the delay was. I was told that the phone was “backordered” and that I would be called back sometime today with more information. I’m not holding my breath.

- Duane

Our fourth drummer has been offered a great paying job that conflicts with our practice and show schedule. It looks like we’ll be loosing Andy, too. Ironically, our previous drummer, Eric, is back in town. We’re meeting tonight to discuss options. Nonetheless, our show schedule will be affected. More to come.

Gina and I spent the entire weekend restoring the 12’x10′ shed in our yard. We sanded off all of the surface rust, repaired any holes, applied primer, replaced the roof, and repaired the doors. We’re hoping to paint it within the week. Conveniently, we’re having one of the windiest days I can remember.

- Duane