Out of 100

I used to have a subscription to Paste Magazine. When Paste got out of the printing business and went electronic, they began sending me emails with news, commentary, and feature articles. This week I received their list of the 100 greatest songs of the 2010s. Each entry had an accompanying YouTube video.

I was curious to see how many songs I knew. My criteria consisted of knowing how the song sounded after reading the title. I might recognize a song when I press "play" because I had heard it playing at the mall or in a commercial, but I don't consider that "knowing" the song.

Out of 100 songs, I knew four:

63. Adele: “Rolling in the Deep” 

51. Katy Perry: “Teenage Dream” 

39. The Black Keys: “Everlasting Light” 

36. Lorde: “Royals” 

32. Fleet Foxes: “Helplessness Blues” - I was wrong. I know this band, but I didn’t know this song.

I had to read 37 titles before I knew one song? Where have I been for the past 10 years? I didn't have my head in a hole in the ground, did I? 

I remember when music was a huge part of my life. When the Sunday paper would arrive, my roommate would grab the sports page, and I'd go for the Best Buy ad. I used to drive to Iowa City to see emo bands like the Promise Ring or rock groups like the Foo Fighters. I watched Weezer in Kansas City, and I was there when Slipknot premiered Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat at the Safari Club here in Des Moines. I went to Woodstock '99 for crying out loud.

I have 100s of CDs and LPs in my basement, and now I only know four songs from the past ten years? What happened?

Oh, yeah. I became middle aged. Today's popular music is created by artists in their 20's and performed for audiences aged 14-30. I know a lot of crabby 50-year-olds, but there's not a lot of new music for the 50 angst crowd... 

Hey! Have you heard that new rock anthem, "'We're Cold! Who's Got a Blanket?"

I can't completely blame it on age. I became a parent in 2010, and I haven't listened to my music in the car for most of this decade.

But then I thought about it more. I realized I have been buying new music, it's just not top 100 music. Char's excited to break out JD Mcpherson's Christmas CD, Socks next month. I've been spinning  Durand Jones & The Indications, All Them Witches, Dommengang, Clutch, and King Garbage records in my basement.

I've also picked up a lot of "new to me" music like Marvin Holmes & the Uptights and Golden. I could spend all afternoon hanging out with Lou Rawls' LPs. While working on my Aragon bike, Stephen Ashbrook's live CD kept me company.

This Yamaha tape deck was a Goodwill find. After a cleaning, it's been busy playing 80's cassettes in my classroom.

Okay. Whew. I'm may be out of the loop, but I'm not out of the game.

Here, check it out and see how many songs you know ---> link

False Advertising

Sadly, this is no longer true...

But she did keep us safe for over 12 years.

We were given advice after our first house was broken into, "Get a security system or get a big dog." We got both.

The deck on that house was one story high. You had a pretty good view of the east side of our neighborhood if you stood in the corner where the railing was attached to the house. Maggie liked to sit there and keep watch.

One day a guy was walking down the sidewalk on our side of the street. He was one of those sketchy dudes that leads with his belt buckle when he walks. He had a hoodie tightly covering his head, his hands were jammed into his jeans' pockets, and he was nodding to music only he could hear.

He caught our attention at the same time. We looked at each other, and then Mags growled and began aggressively barking at him, "Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Without giving us a side glance, Mr. Sketch immediately turned 45 degrees and quickly crossed the street.

I smiled, looked back down at Mags, and patted her shoulder, "That's my girl." Maggie wagged her tail, but she kept her eyes on his back until he was out of view.

A Trunk, a Market, a Maze, a Party, and a Confirmation

St. Stephen Lutheran Church, United Church of Christ, and Covenant Christian Church got together for their annual Trunk or Treat event last Wednesday.

Can you find Charlotte in this group from St. Stephen?

Here's our trunk. It's not as intricate as some of the other trunks, but we put some effort into it. Daphne was going for scary eyes, but one kid said, "It's Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon!" Ummm... yeah! It is Toothless. Good job, you figured it out!

Actually, yes. We have seen this wizard.

Saturday was the last Downtown Farmers' Market of the year. It was fun to see people dressed for Halloween.

Batman was on the scene.

Here's our last to-go container of poffertjes for Maggie. Bittersweet. 

In the afternoon, we searched the corn maze.

Can you see the hidden marker?

 Char did!

We were invited to a family reunion on Sunday. This group was on Daphne's mother's side, and everyone had a Czech background. The food followed suit.

There were three dogs at the party, and it was fun watching them run around begging for food and attention. They went crazy when the doorbell would ring. The graying black lab was weaving under tables looking for scraps, and the bulldog grunted appreciation when you petted his head. It sounded like a cat's purr.

More than anything, those dogs confirmed that taking Mags to the vet is the right thing to do. She isn't living like that anymore. She's no longer interested in her dinner. She barks out of duty, but doesn't want to make the effort to get up. She spends her day slowly moving from one sleeping spot to the another. She could live like this for another month, but I don't want to put her through that.

Maggie lost her balance last week while eating, and we're worried it would happen when she is near a staircase. We want her to pass away in peace and not in pain.

When our cat Chip died, the vet sent us a card that read, "Sometimes the kindest thing we can do for our pets is to say goodbye." I have parent teacher conferences tonight. We'll say goodbye on Tuesday.

A Xbox 360 Update: Updated!

Charlotte didn't seem too concerned that her Xbox 360 did not have the same updates as her neighbor's, but I was curious if I could do something about that (I can be competitive). I came across this article from last August while researching how to update a 360.

It's kind of amazing that Microsoft is still putting out updates for a system that is 14 years old. It's also amazing that the 360 is that old.

I bought this Wi-Fi adapter at Game Stop. I would have preferred an adapter with two antennas, but you take what you can get.

I had to move the console around to get a decent signal, but I was able to connect to Xbox Live. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I followed the onscreen prompts, and after an hour both the 360 and Char's Minecraft game were freshly updated. 

Char checked it out before school, and she gave it her stamp of approval. "Ha! Now I have ocelots!"

I hope that's a good thing.

The Craft of the Deal

Maggie is still with us. She had a good weekend in terms of walking and eating, and she was happy to go outside and protect the house. We're taking it day-by-day. I stop each time I open the door from the garage and hope I hear the thump of her tail. So far, so good.

In other news, Charlotte also had a good weekend.

There are kids from two different families in our neighborhood who play Minecraft on their Xbox. One family has an Xbox One, and the other has an older Xbox 360. Charlotte likes playing Minecraft on both systems, but she wants to play at home and not have to jump through the hoops of playing somewhere else.

Because it would be cheaper, we went shopping for an Xbox 360 last Thursday after school. Charlotte wanted to buy it herself. She has $115 dollars saved up in gift cards and birthday money. A local used game store was selling a 360 for $99. That was Charlotte's first brush with sticker shock. I watched her deflate. "A hundred dollars? I won't even have enough money to buy a Minecraft game!"

I told her that I might play the 360 sometimes, so I'd split the cost of the system with her. She had to buy the game, though. I don't see myself mining for any craft in the near future. I also told her we should wait and see if I couldn't find her a better deal.

The better deal found us on Saturday. My buddy Tim had forwarded this Craigslist ad to my email.

The Xbox was in our car by 1:00 p.m. We then spent a couple of hours trying to find a Minecraft 360 Edition game. I stopped at six different stores before we struck gold. It was hers for $21.69.

On the drive home, I said to the back seat, "Okay, I'll keep my promise. I'll charge you $12 for the 360. That means you owe me $33.69."

"What?!" said the face in the rear-view mirror.

"$33.69. That's what you owe me. I didn't make you bring any money today, so when we get home you'll have to pay up."

"But if I pay you that, then I won't have a hundred dollars anymore!" Charlotte whined, "I love knowing that I have hundred dollars. Don't make me spend it!" That was Charlotte's first brush with buyers' remorse. Even so, I made her spend it.

We discovered that the 360 did start right up, but the wireless remote didn't work. Its rechargeable battery wouldn't take a charge. There was a double A battery case that we could use, but one contact was so corroded it couldn't make contact with the battery. A cleaning and a fold of tin foil fixed that. She was in business!

She doesn't need the 360's headset for playing Minecraft. She just likes wearing it. Sometimes, it's all about the accessories.

Charlotte invited her friends over to see her "new" 360 that afternoon. I overheard one friend say, "My Xbox is nicer than yours, Charlotte. I have more controllers and all the updates you don't have."

Charlotte did not take the bait. She replied, "You know what? I'm playing Minecraft in my own basement. I don't care what you have. I'm happy with this!"

Attagirl!

Missing One Soon

"Now give me one more summer." 
- The Rainmakers

Last June I tearfully wrote a goodbye post for our dog Maggie. We thought we were losing her. A couple of days later I reverted that post into a draft. Maggie had begun to eat and drink again, and she was moving much better. We guessed that our 12-year-old dog just had a stomach bug. We cancelled her last appointment with the vet. Against all odds, we had her back again for what we knew would be our last summer together.

She barked, wagged her tail, and smiled all the time. I gave Mags a "truck ride" almost everyday. We knew we were living on borrowed time, but it was a good time.

Now her legs are weaker than we have ever seen them. She's on daily pain medication, but making her walk out to the front yard is beginning to feel cruel. She had an accident by her water dish this week, and that hasn't happened before. Last night I took a walk with Daphne, and we discussed what day we should schedule Maggie's appointment.

It's such a tough decision, but we are reassured by what our vet once told us, "I'd rather be a week early than even one day late." We also have to remember that we were given four extra months with Mags, and that's not something to be unappreciated.

I'm not going to rewrite that previous post. All of my thoughts, feelings, and worries are the same. I'll just add that the humane death of Maggie is not tragedy. It's part of the promise you make when you bring a pet into your life. But losing her does make our world feel incomplete.

From June 3, 2019:
Our neighbors had a beautiful golden retriever named Roxy. She didn't come over the fence for play dates, but she and Maggie would lie in the grass near each other for hours. Roxy prematurely died last winter (cancer), but Maggie still barks at their basement door hoping Roxy will come out. She only stops when I say, "I'm sorry, Maggie. Roxy can't come out to play."

As I write this, Maggie, our 12-year-old Pyrenees, is taking a nap. She didn't eat much this weekend, and this morning Mags refused to drink any water. Both Daphne and I went home for lunch to see how she was doing. 

We brought her outside to enjoy some fresh air. A leash is unnecessary; she can barely stand on her rear legs.

The plan is to take her on a "truck ride" this afternoon - she loves those. 

If she won't eat dinner tonight, then we will give her all the love we can. Tomorrow we plan to go to the vet for advice. 

Maggie has been a constant in our lives since 2007. Mags has been there for most of our marriage. As far as Charlotte knows, there has always been a Maggie. When the three of us rode a day of RAGBRAI in 2014, Brent from the Breakfast Delights food stand said, "Hey guys! I almost didn't recognize you without your dog!"

I started this blog in 2012, and Maggie was the topic of one of my first posts. It was about truck rides. With the exception of Charlotte, there are probably more photos of Maggie on here than anyone else.

I did the math and calculated the approximate number times that she went outside to potty or party. The number is close to 22,000. What that doesn't tell is you how ingrained Maggie is into our lives. When Mags wants out, all she has to do is run her paw down the door frame. One of us will open the door for her without really thinking about it. I don't know how many times we have asked each other, "Is Mags in or out?"

For over a decade we have had to be home every afternoon to avoid an accident. I don't remember what it is like to plan a day that extends past 5:00 PM.

I'm also concerned how Charlotte will take this. When she was a toddler, Maggie was a nuisance that had to be shoved away, "Maggie! Go!" As Char grew, she took Mag's presence for granted. Char only complained when they got too close, "Mom! Maggie keeps sniffing me!" Now Char tells me, "I'm not really a dog person, Dad. I'm more of a cat person." But I'm not so sure. I was shocked at how much I missed my sister when she left for college. I bet we have some rocky days ahead.

As strange as it sounds, I am also worried about our cat Earl. I catch Maggie and Earl together all the time.

A few weeks ago, Earl ate (we think) something that made him very ill. We put him in a pet crate to keep his mistakes to a confined area. He's fine now, but Maggie slept next to his crate while Earl recovered.

We still have a few days to be together, I hope, but I know the Monsons will be missing one soon.

We had a pastor who told our congregation that if Heaven was big enough to hold all the souls that have ever walked the earth, then surely there was also room for the pets that we have loved. I have found that argument to be comforting. When Maggie scratches her paw on the Pearly Gates, Roxy will be there to show her around. 

I'm sure the other feline Monsons - Brody, Chip, Theo, and Miles - will be waiting for her, too.

Our 17th Wedding Anniversary: History, Mystery, and Film

We took Charlotte with us to celebrate our wedding anniversary on Saturday. Daphne and Char had the day planned out, and like my birthday, I was along for the ride.

It was too cold for the Downtown Farmers' Market, so we went downtown to walk around West End Architectural Salvage. It's four floors of history and mystery. You really have no idea don't what you will find. They also host weddings, and Char took our picture in front of West End's marriage sign.

Char posed in an old store front kiddie ride. She laughed, "This is my new boyfriend."

They had a Hang Glider for sale for $800. It looked pretty fun with five drop targets, multiple stationary targets, a spinner, and a kick out hole. I didn't want to buy it, but I was itching to clean and fix it. (Since it's a Bally, I'd start with checking the fuse holders. They are known to be a weak link...)

Speaking of mystery, we broke out again! The Mystery Mansion escape room was a blast. There were quite a few surprises in there. It came down to the wire, but we managed to find the haunted object before time ran out. Daphne does most of the problem solving. I pitch in here and there. Char handles lock duties.

We headed over to Flix to see Abominable after the escape room excitement. I had read a lukewarm movie review, and so I wasn't expecting too much. I got a lot more film than I expected. We all liked Abominable quite a bit.

I figured out how to use the photo booth at Flix last May. I like to pose in front of the movie posters and look bored. I think it looks funny. The girls helped me out with this one.

We had a great day. No joke.

Halloween '19: Costume Tryouts

Picking out Charlotte's Halloween costume is always a fun time.

"Toss Another Shark on the Barbie" costume mash-up. 

Reminds me of Slipknot.

I'm really happy it's October.

I need to push away from the candy sack.

Give us a kiss.

I'll add to this post as the month goes along.

The Aragon Project: Last Post

I installed the front Suntour AR derailleur that was on the Traveler. It's a better partner for the crankset, and it is the last component that the Traveler could donate to this project.

I read a forum post by an owner of a Giant-made Schwinn frame. He said his was constructed with FEMCO 1207 Tensile Tubing. I bought this sticker from eBay, and put it on the seat tube. I have no idea if this sticker is a lie or not.

I added a handlebar mount for the retro bottle cage. Both came from Velo Orange. The koozie is from our trip to the Black Hills.

The Helicomatic freewheel has its detractors, but it has its fans, too. I think this is a unique component for a unique bike.

I might replace the rear derailleur with a AR model, but your Honor works fine for now.

I have a new chain to put on. The back tire has a slow leak, and I have a replacement tube for that. Neither of these two jobs would be fun to write about. For now, I'm done blogging about this bike. Time to wrap it up.

The Aragon has come a long way in one month. Once again, here's the "before" picture:

And the "after" pictures:

I really enjoyed putting this bike together. I learned quite a bit. I'm going to ride it for awhile to make sure it is safe, and then I'll move on to another project. I have an idea for that.

What did I end up with? It's not a restoration bike; there aren't many original components left on the Aragon. I didn't even bother touching up the paint. It's not a custom bike. I didn't do anything wild to it. I just moved parts from one bike/place to another and cold set the frame and fork. It's not a racing bike, either. You won't win many races with that steel frame.

The boy scouts have a rule about leaving a campground better than when you found it. That is what happened here. No matter how you slice it, the Aragon is still just an old bicycle. Even so, I have a much better old bicycle than what I started with.

I can guarantee you that I have the nicest 12 speed Aragon on my block.

What's New Copycat (bike)?

When I'm in bicycle-mode (like now), I like to visit Coco's Variety's website to see what their used bike builds look like. I have learned a lot from reading the build descriptions. The owner of Co-Co's writes very well, and he is funny.

"In addition to new bikes, Coco's sells faded champions reborn for another chance at glory. Quality bikes that originated in bike stores - not big box - that have been reconditioned and warrantied for the next owner."

A classic Ideor bicycle caught my eye six years ago. I spend a lot of time studying pictures of that bike. The Ideor wasn't for sale; Coco's were working on it for a customer. I couldn't have afforded a vintage Italian ride, anyway. I decided to see if I could make a bike similar to the Ideor.

Our computer was later hacked, and this is the only picture of the Ideor that survived. 

I really could not believe it when I first spotted this Schwinn in Dad's storage space. It was black, a road bike, and it had downtube shifters. The Voyageur was exactly what I was looking for. We didn't have much room in our garage for another bike, but there was no way this wasn't coming home with me. 

I found Dad's bike five years after he passed. It felt like he had given me one last, cool gift. I thanked him as I pushed the Schwinn to my car. 

Here's the first version of my Co-Co Copycat. I cleaned everything and installed new tires and tubes, a new handlebar, and new cork handlebar grips coated with shellac. The brake levers were used. I rode it like this for a couple of years.

On Co-Co's advice, I installed Tektrol FL750 brake levers. I used these rubber hand grips when we went on RAGBRAI, and I added a bell.

Here's Co-Co Copycat version 2.0: I wanted pedals that I could use barefoot, and I added a short, chrome fender out back. The rack came off an abandoned bike I ran across while training for the Dam to Dam. That's the only kind of litter that I like. That saddle from Goodwill is currently on the Aragon.

Co-Co Copycat 3.0: I liked the look of the previous handlebar, but it wasn't long enough to accommodate the brake levers and the hand grips I wanted. These handlebars are roomier.

I bought the Ideale 80 saddle at the Vintage and Made Fair a few years ago. I believe the seat was meant to be a display piece because the leather was in really rough shape. Heavy Duty LP brought the seat to a usable condition.

I believe this was created for firefighters' boots, but people in the bike forums recommend it.

I didn't ride the bike barefoot, and I didn't ever like the look of those rubber-topped pedals. I went back to the Ideor picture for inspiration. It took me awhile to find matching pedals. You can't see the brand or model number even with the picture enlarged.

I searched eBay for "vintage bicycle pedals," and then looked at every listing. That took a few tries.

I think I found a match.

One of the last things I wanted to install were covers for the shift levers. I found these on eBay, and I didn't notice who the seller was until I had purchased them. It's true. They're from Coco's Variety. Kind of neat how that worked out.

I'm stoked that something from Co-Co's is on my bike. It's fun to pay back.

Here's the Copycat today. I ditched the fender, the rack, and the frame reflectors. 

Someday I might put it back into its original road bike stance, I kept the drop bars and grip tape, but I'm satisfied for now.

I really need to clean it...