Garden Update
By Jonathan | July 2, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Just a quick update on our garden…we spent another fifteen dollars on materials, which brings our grand total to about $105. We have harvested a couple strawberries, which were valued at
$.65 at the store. Only $104.35 to go until we break even!
Also, we have a friend in one of our pots:
Topics: do it yourself, house, story | 1 Comment »
New House Month 10: More of What We’ve Learned
By Jonathan | May 20, 2009 at 10:02 pm
- Projects always take twice as long as you think they will
- Painting sucks, but the finished product is awesome
- If I build it, it’s going to be sturdy enough for me to climb on
- The bigger the fire, the better (applies to indoor and out)
- “Home improvement project” should include a dollar sign in there somewhere (or two or three or four…)
- The bigger the house the more time it takes to clean
Enjoy some new photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lepolt
Topics: current events, house, updates | 1 Comment »
Garden Challenge ‘09
By Jonathan | May 11, 2009 at 11:58 am
Last July when Abi and I moved into our house, the previous owners had raised a little garden that we decided to take care of for the rest of the season. It produced a fair amount of decent vegetables, which we ate and froze. The previous owners had planted a strange breed of tomatoes and onions, neither of which were our favorite, so this spring we decided to start from scratch and plant everything ourselves.
A couple months ago Abi and I went out to buy some various garden items like seeds and an indoor planter to get things going. This past weekend we moved everything from inside to out, and also planted additional seeds and plants to finish things off. In a few weeks/months time, we will [hopefully] have:
- Tomatoes (2 types)
- Onions
- Bell Peppers (2 types)
- Bella Hot Peppers
- Jalepeno Peppers
- Cayenne Peppers
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Planting this stuff was not cheap…which leads me to explain the title of this post: Will we recoup the cost of planting all this stuff in fruits/vegetables produced by the garden? As an experiment, we are going to weigh everything as it is picked and calculate a dollar amount of that “harvest” based on the current rate at a local grocery store. We’ll keep a running total throughout the summer, and hopefully come out ahead at the end!
Our initial cost was approximately $80. Stay tuned for updates!
Topics: house | 7 Comments »
Confessions of a CP Fanboy
By Jonathan | April 27, 2009 at 12:08 pm
It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning when Abi and I set out to ride the latest and greatest roller coaster that Kings Island has to offer. With an expected high temperature to reach the mid-70s and not a cloud to be seen, we couldn’t have asked for a better day to ride roller coasters! Kings Island officially opened for the season at 10am, but Gold Pass and Platinum Pass holders (which we are) were able to begin riding select coasters at 9am. We arrived to the park at about 8am to find a crowd already beginning to form. I estimated about 2000-3000 people in line before us, which was pretty impressive considering the park wasn’t even open yet. Most of the crowd was there to take part in the grand opening in Diamondback, now the tallest and faster roller coaster at Kings Island.
Diamondback promised to provided guests with a ride unlike any other at the park, and we wouldn’t be disappointed.
At about 9am the gates opened and those at the beginning of the line began to run toward the ride entrance in the back of the park. People were packed in like sardines, so by the time Abi and I made it through the gate, we already standing in line. For those familiar with KI, the line had already slithered back to the entrance of Nickelodeon Universe. I guessed that it would take about two hours to make it through the line, which turned out to be about 30 minutes over. Nothing eventful happened until we got closer to the actual queues for the ride where we could pay more attention to the amazing structure of the coaster, and the magnificent splashdown at the end of the ride. The queues were obviously completely filled, but the line moved pretty quickly which is always a good thing. We made it from the start of the line to the loading platform in a mere 45 minutes. I would have expected it to take at least 1-1.5 hours, and I’m wondering if KI really thought that one completely through for crowd control. However, I now know that even on a busy day it’s not as bad as it looks!
The loading platform didn’t offer up anything special, pretty standard stuff there. Abi and I chose to sit in the very last seat of the train, which meant with the new style car that we were on the outside of a four-seat car, and pushed back a little. It’s a pretty unique design, which I liked, but I’m not sure I actually was able to see much more than usual once the ride started. Diamondback used a standard chain-lift system, but was missing the click-click-click of your old school roller coaster rollback protection system. I haven’t done any investigation on the newer safety mechanisms, but it was a smooth, quiet ride up to the top. From that point forward the details of the ride are a bit sketchy; probably due to the mix of excitement, adrenaline, and just trying to enjoy the ride, but Diamondback has quickly become one of my favorite rides at Kings Island.
Diamondback is a reasonably long ride, running about three minutes from the time you leave the station until the time you return. Longer rides always make me feel like I get my money’s worth, so the ride gets a good mark in that category. There are plenty of big, smooth hills with lots of air time, which is always something I enjoy. The fantastic first drop carries riders right over the heads of guests walking down the sidewalk, and also just past riders on the Kings Island Railroad. The bright red and yellow track can be seen from almost anywhere in the park, attracting attention from coaster riders and non-riders alike. Diamondback features an incredible splashdown effect at the end of the ride which really is a neat touch for people watching the ride. The splash looks cool, and also helps to slow the train down as it nears the station. Trying to describe it won’t do it justice, so look for a video on YouTube if you’re interested. The ride moves about 1600 riders per hour, above average for most coasters, which really makes the time fly in that queue line.
Overall the ride gets a good rating from me, trying to eliminate as much of my Cedar Point bias as possible… Nice work, Kings Island and Cedar Fair, keep them coming.
Topics: review, roller coasters | 3 Comments »
Crazy Going Slowly Am I
By Jonathan | March 31, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I have an iMac. Abi has a Macbook. We recently found out that the Apple Remote that came with my computer also works with hers. That’s a good thing if we plug her computer into the TV to watch a movie. It’s a bizzare thing when Front Row randomly opens on my computer because Abi stole the remote. It’s a bad thing if I’m messing around on my computer and Front Row opens up on Abi’s computer when she’s trying to do work.
Apparently I find it more funny than she does.
We have since taken care of the “problem.”
Topics: Apple, story | 1 Comment »
What’s Going On at Cedar Point?
By Jonathan | March 19, 2009 at 5:43 pm
One of the blogs I subscribe to is the Cedar Point Blog, which generally includes posts about upcoming special events and various “behind the scenes” photos of the rides and park that most guests never get to see. From time to time I’ll read something interesting on the blog that catches my attention…like the other day when they posted two photos of what could be an upcoming construction site on Millennium Island. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but today I was informed that the particular post had been removed, and all signs of the mysterious photos disappeared. Thanks to the magic of my Safari cache, I was able to recover the missing photos and provide them here for you:
(Photo credits obviously go to Cedar Point)
Topics: Uncategorized, roller coasters, story | 5 Comments »
Thank You Mike, For Finding Me a New Addiction
By Jonathan | March 8, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Recently a friend of mine (we’ll just call him Mike to protect his true identity) reintroduced me to a photo editing technique known as selective coloring. I didn’t used to be a fan of this…but I just happened to have a couple of neat photos that I thought to be great candidates for a little selective coloring…and now I can’t stop…
Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
A Review: The Garmin Forerunner 305
By Jonathan | March 5, 2009 at 9:49 pm
This review is a long time coming…but here we go. Back in July 2007 Abi decided that she wanted to use some leftover birthday/Christmas/wedding money to buy a new watch. Not just any watch, a GPS watch that was designed to be used while running or biking. As much as I love technology, I actually thought this was kind of a silly idea…the watch was ridiculously expensive at the time, and I didn’t think we would use it very often. However, within a few days after the thing showed up on our doorstep, my thoughts about this particular watch changed entirely.
Most people have heard of Garmin. They’re the ones that make the GPS devices for your car so you don’t get lost looking for some specialty store that you’ve never been to in an area of town you’re unfamiliar with. What you probably are not aware of is that Garmin makes other GPS-enabled devices that aren’t designed for use in your car. For instance, Garmin also makes devices for running, hiking, biking, fishing, phoning, flying, and others that I choose not to list here. This post will focus on the running aspect of the aforementioned list.
Upon initially taking the Forerunner 305 watch out of the box the first thing I noticed was it’s size. It is one of the larger watches that I have come across, but considering the fact that it’s a small computer that communicates with satellites in outer space it’s really not that ridiculous. Putting the thing on my wrist didn’t look nearly as bad as Abi’s, but she has tiny girl wrists and I have thick, hairy manly wrists. In either case if you make the comparison between cell phones in 2009 to the Zach Morris Phone in those old ‘Saved by the Bell’ episodes, the Garmin watch really isn’t all that bad.
After charging up the internal lithium ion battery, we were ready to go for a run. The one crappy thing about any GPS device is that it must communicate with satellites that are very, very far away. Like 12,000 miles away. Sometimes it takes a while to get a signal from one or more of these satellites. Once the watch is turned on, it immediately begins searching for available GPS signals. Depending on the surroundings, these signals may be found more quickly than others. For instance, if you’re in a large, open field it will be easier to find a signal than if you’re hiding in the woods somewhere. After a signal is found, you’re ready to go.
Pressing the start/stop button does just that: it starts the timer and begins tracking your run. The Forerunner 305 has a whole slew of items that you can display on the main screen at any given time. Anywhere from 1-4 items can be viewed simultaneously, including but not limited to your time, current pace, your average pace for the run, your current/average speed, the total distance traveled, the distance traveled since the last split, and even a small map of where you have been in case you get lost in a neighborhood (it’s been done before…thank goodness for the map). There are other nifty fields that we don’t use very often like elevation, GPS accuracy, grade, heading, sunrise, and sunset (for a complete list of everything, check out the user guide).
The Forerunner 305 also includes a heart monitor, which is useful [and entertaining] to see how hard your body is actually working during a run. I’ve heard that some people actually think that running by heart rate is better than running by pace/speed, but I don’t have any research or links to back that up. All I know is the better in shape I am in, the less work my heart has to do to keep me at a reasonable pace.
Perhaps one of my favorite features about the watch is being able to download runs onto a computer by attaching the watch to the computer via USB cable. From within the Garmin Training Center software, you are able to track your run on a map, as well and view detailed statistics about each lap. Below I offer a few screenshots of a run Abi and I completed last summer:
This is the breakdown of each lap from this particular run. We had the watch setup to automatically split after each mile.
This is the map of the run. Each dot represents a transmission from a satellite. The watch updates every one second or so. The further you zoom in, the more dots you see.
This is a graph of pace vs. time, and heart rate vs. time. Other items can be graphed such as speed, elevation, distance, and cadence (for biking). The Windows version of this software enables you to smooth out the line a little so you don’t get the constant up/down rocky line. This probably has a little something to do with the accuracy of the watch, and the lack of support for the Mac.
Overall I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with this purchase. At first I wasn’t a believer, but now I tell everyone about how cool this watch is and constantly recommend it. There is a new model of the watch out, the Forerunner 405, which I know very little about. I looked at the specs of the 405 versus the 305, and it looks like very little has actually changed, but it does come in green. The 405 is slightly smaller, and can wirelessly transmit data to your computer instead of using the provided USB cable…but other than that it doesn’t look like the price jump is worth it. I would buy another 305 if I were purchasing a new GPS watch tomorrow.
Let’s recap
Pros
Accuracy – I was running down a standard residential street and just for fun ran back and forth from curb to curb on either side of the street. The results of my zig-zag run were recorded.
Features – There are 32 different pieces of data that you can put on the main display of the watch, up to four at a time. The display is large enough to read all four.
Size – For a GPS communicator it’s quite small, especially compared to GPS watches from a few years ago or the devices most people are used to seeing in cars.
Cons
Cost – Last check on walmart.com, the watch was still $215. It’s still pretty expensive, but if you use it regularly I think it’s worth it.
Size – For a wristwatch it’s still pretty big.
Difficulty finding satellites – Sometimes it takes five minutes or so to find a signal strong enough to use before you can start your run. Personally I use the extra time to stretch out a little more.
Mac support – Software support on the Mac is mediocre, at best. Windows support is much better…but I refuse to use it!
I hope you have found this review somewhat useful. If you are a serious runner, I would highly recommend using a watch like this for training. If you are a recreational runner training for a race, it will definitely be helpful, but might not be worth spending this much money on a watch. If are someone that goes out running right now without any watch at all, the Forerunner 305 probably isn’t for you!
Topics: cincinnati, opinion, review, sports | 3 Comments »
Look Back, but Don’t Forget About Moving Forward
By Jonathan | February 26, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Tonight the University of Cincinnati Bearcats will be taking on the Mountaineers of West Virginia in a college basketball game that will no doubt receive a little extra attention on ESPN. You see, West Virginia’s coach Bob Huggins was once the head coach of UC. Surprised? I didn’t think so. It’s clear that as a whole, the City of Cincinnati has not forgotten about the era that once was full of Bob Huggins. What UC fan could forget? He led UC to 14 straight post-season NCAA Tournament appearances (including one Final Four), coached five All-Americans, and really pissed off one University President.
I’m not expecting fans to ignore these feats. I won’t do it myself. I went to a number of UC games as an undergrad and was treated to some of the best basketball games I have ever seen. No, don’t forget about those. What we need to do however, is keep moving forward.
I understand that there is a big game on campus tonight. It’s a big game for both teams. UC and WV are both middle-of-the-road teams in the Big East, both fighting for that first (and second) round bye in the Big East Tournament. What’s not a big deal is the relationship of Huggs and Cincinnati for ANY player on EITHER team. Huggins’ last season with UC was in 2005. It is now 2009. No player on Cincinnati’s roster in 2008-09 was on the roster in 2004-05. Zero. There’s a chance that most of the players on WV’s team don’t even know where Cincinnati is. These players don’t care about the drama; all they want to do is win a basketball game tonight and move up in the Big East standings.
Most current students at UC weren’t around in 2004-05 either. All they want to do is watch the Bearcats win a basketball game tonight and move up in the Big East standings.
The UC athletic department decided that tonight would provide a great opportunity to recognize Bob Huggins for his exceptional efforts from 1989 to 2005. There will be a short video before the game tonight highlighting some of the great years Huggins had at UC. I feel that doing something like that TONIGHT is probably dumber than hiring Nancy Zimpher to begin with! In case you missed the first paragraph, Huggins is the opposing coach! He is coming to the Shoemaker Center tonight with plans on BEATING Cincinnati! We’re not friends tonight! Tonight we’re enemies! Why are Earth would UC take time out of pregame to say, “Huggs, you’re okay! Let’s be friends! Thanks for everything you’ve done for this program even though we suck right now thanks to controversy from your days of coaching!”
I am a Bob Huggins fan. I liked the guy from 2001-2005 when we were both at UC, and I like the guy today at West Virgina. It’s weird for me to see Huggs on the sideline at a different school, but I still want to see him get smoked by the ‘Cats tonight. Today is not the day to praise Bob Huggins and thank him for what he once did for the basketball program. That day will come…like, say, on another day when West Virginia isn’t in town? Or maybe after Huggins retires from coaching college basketball?
Come on, UC. I know ticket sales are down, but it’s a really shady thing to use controversy to sell tickets. Use excitement! Use pride! Use lower prices!
I will be watching the game tonight, cheering for the Bearcats. I am, and forever shall be, a Bearcat.
C—I—N—C—I—N N-A-T-I!!! (N-A-T-IIIIIIII!!!)
Jonathan Lepolt
College of Engineering ‘06
RallyCats ‘02-06
Topics: UC, cincinnati, current events, opinion, sports | 3 Comments »
Lumberjack, Painter, and Snow/Ice Remover Extraordinaire
By Jonathan | February 16, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Three new photo albums have been posted to Picasa:
Thanks to CD, Evan, and Abi for help splitting/stacking wood.
Abi and I were responsible for painting and getting all the winter off the driveway.
Topics: cincinnati, current events, do it yourself, house | 2 Comments »