I always wanted one of the green-machines when I was a kid.  The rear steering just seemed so cool, and power-sliding was easy.

Apparently, this thing of awesomeness was built by the Parker Brothers Choppers in Melbourne.  It has a 45” front wheel and runs on an 80 cubic inch Harley motor.  Check out this article about it from Wired

It turns out this thing was featured in the Hammacher Schlemmer Holiday gift guide, for the low price of $75,000.

This is the 9′ three-wheeled motorcycle inspired by the Green Machine, the classic big-wheeled pedaled tricycle from the 1970s. Its proportion, color scheme, and striking 45" diameter front wheel–the world’s largest–are so convincing, it compelled the toy’s 1975 designer to see the motorcycle for a side-by-side comparison with the original toy. At its heart rumbles an air-cooled, 80" cu. Harley-Davidson v-twin Evo–hailed by some as the engine that saved the iconic company–providing 60 horsepower for speeds up to 50 mph. The front wheel is driven by a chain housed in a protective cowling that replicates the toy’s frame and, like its predecessor, the cycle is steered by two handheld push/pull levers that control the two rear wheels via a directional linkage. The hand levers include brakes while a foot lever controls its manual 6-speed transmission. Its 8 1/2-gallon fuel tank is built into the frame, hidden from view, providing a range of 400 miles. 9′ L x 4 1/2′ W x 45" H. (450 lbs.)

Photo: Parker Brothers Choppers

While wearing it around the office, I’m finding two things interesting; people’s curiosity about it and their surprise when I tell them I broke it snowboarding.  The later truly amazes me.  I’m looked at in such a way that says “I should have known better”.

I am now 38 year old and I hurt myself doing something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager.  What exactly is surprising about this?  The fact that I still chase my dreams and have refused to live with Adultitis (See Adultitis.org for Diagnosis and Treatment), or is it their inability to do the same?  Life is for experiencing that which I’ve yet to, without fear?  As we do not get a do-over at life.

Adventure sports have always thrilled me.  As a teenager I skateboarded, freestyled (BMX) and surfed.  In fact, I can still out Ollie a lot of teenage skateboarders.  During my life I’ve tried many other “adventure sports”; some of which I’ve been able to perform, some I have not.  I do not plan on stopping trying, until I’m physically, not mentally, not able to do so.

I have always been a healthy and capable person.  I rarely turn down an activity which physically challenges me.  Trying and succeeding, or trying and failing are both wins in my book.  I cannot rollerblade and I cannot waterski.  I know this because I’ve tried.

Over the years I’ve also tried knee-boarding, skateboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, wake-skating, whitewater rafting, deep skin diving; all of which I’m pretty damn good at.  I know this because I’ve tried.

At 38, I have many more challenges ahead; many more failures and successes.

Planned Adventures

• Hang-gliding
• Scuba Diving
• Whitewater Kayaking
• Sky Diving
• Long Distance Hiking (AT or Colorado Trail)
• Rappelling
• Learning to Sail and taking a long voyage
• Whitewater Rafting the Grand Canyon

In my 38 years alive, some of my fondest memories are doing things that others would think insane.  I would not trade them for anything.  If someone asked if knowing that I would break my arm, would I still go snowboarding: hell yes!  Seeing my kids do it and experiencing it with them is well worth it.

My shortlist of (real) Injuries

• Shark/Barracuda Bite on my back – Surfing, age 17
• Torn Right MCL – Wakeboarding, age 34
• Broken Right Radial Head – Skateboarding, age 36
• Broken Arm – Snowboarding, age 38

What have you always wanted to try but haven’t?  Why not?

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost

Photo: Eliya via Flickr

December 18 – A Christmas Carol

December 19 – Elf

December 20 – The Ref

December 21 – Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas

December 22 – Home Alone

December 23 – Scrooged

December 24 – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

In the three days we’ve had her, she’s had only two indoor “accidents”, the rest have been in her spot outside.  She sleeps quietly through the night in her kennel and loves to cuddle on the couch.

For those of you who’ve never heard of a MAME cabinet;  it is a PC built within a normal looking arcade cabinet, running a specialized piece of software which “emulates” the old hardware of real arcade machines.  This emulator allows the actual ROMs from arcade games to be loaded and run, in all their 8-bit glory.

Apparently MAME’ers like to brag and gloat, because there are a ton of information online about MAME cabinet projects, because .  While the best source of information is Arcade Controls.com, it was Chris Moyles’ “The Story of a Cabinet Built in 24 hours” that gave me the itch.

I’ve wanted to build this for quite a few years, but I finally got to a point where I have a space for it and the spare computer hardware that perfectly meets the needs of a full size cabinet.

After a little research, I sketched up a cabinet, ordered my controls and set off my my own MAME project.

Day 1

After two full days of torrential downpours, I was finally able to make a quick run to Lowes to pick up my MDF.   I transferred my sketch to wood, made a few adjustments then started cutting.  After nearly 10 hours of work (This was the only full day I could dedicate to the cabinet) and a garage (and nose) filled with MDF dust I had my cabinet shell.  After the glue set, Brandon and I applied wood filling and sanded, in preparation for primer.

Day 2

Before heading off to work, I applied one more layer of wood filler where needed.  When I got home, Brandon and I did a final sand and began priming ([amazon-product text="Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer" type="text"]B000H5VKBQ[/amazon-product]).

Day 3

After another lighting sanding, paint ([amazon-product text="Rust-Oleum Gloss Black Enamel" type="text"]B000LNQZ32[/amazon-product]) was applied.

Day 4

The mechanics of the cabinet were installed today.  First the access doors, which I carefully cut out on day one.  Then the air vent, which is just a standard $3 AC return vent from Lowes, painted gloss black.  I cut the top of the control panel and glued on its supports.

Day 5

After I was sure the glue had completely cured, I began final work on the control panel.  I sketched out a couple of control layout options, and settled on one that somewhat conformed to your fingers.  Next, I put my hole saw through the most wood it had ever seen; cutting a total 18 holes.  After sanding out the holes and test fitting the controls, I covered the front and top of the panel with vinyl.  I figured it more durable than a painted surface and it would help conceal imperfections.

Day 6

With woodwork, basically complete I spent the evening wiring up the control panel to the iPac controller board.  It was extremely easy to do, and my control board design worked out perfectly for wire routing.  After completion I test everything out on the arcade PC to make sure everything was going to work.

Day 7

The dreaded day has arrived.  We have to get this behemoth upstairs and into the gameroom…good thing I have sons! Once in place I began a rough installation of hardware.  Within 30 minutes of it being brought up stairs we a gamer.

Day 8

It felt like I was reliving my days as a car stereo installer today, as I built a custom speaker cover for above the monitor.  Once complete I installed it, and mounted the PC speakers and a Linksys Router behind the marquee.  The Linksys is running as a wireless bridge, running DD-WRT.  Both it and the speakers are mounted with simple bungees that enable me to quickly remove and/or swap out parts.  I also installed the coin door and frame that arrived that day.

Day 9

Today I stopped by Lowes and had a custom piece of plexiglass cut to cover the monitor.  After a little trim work, I had it and the monitor bezel installed.

Still to do

• Marquee Graphic – I have not decided exactly what graphic I’m going to install in the marquee.  I’ll likely design something myself and have it printed up.
• Marquee Light – The light I had bought was 1/4” too wide.

Conclusion

My goal was to complete the cabinet before we hosted a pasta dinner for the Rockledge High School Cross Country Team. I made it by one day and it was totally worth it, as it was a complete hit.

The result far exceeds my expectations.  When I originally decided to do this, I set a budget of $250, but as I was building it I realized little features like the coin door and bezel would just complete the cabinet, so I splurged a little.  All in all I spent around $340 and invested about 18-20 hours of labor.

As for my next project?  I’m thinking maybe a mock jukebox, with a mobile web-app selection engine.  Jennifer is going to kill me…

But each year my friends and I would make one particular house one of our first stops;  The Romprey’s.  Mrs. Romprey, was known far and wide (at least within the sub 16 year old population) for her popcorn balls.  They were salty, sweet and chewy.  So chewy, I think by design they are made only for young people; those without dental work to risk loosing.  She didn’t make them for everyone, just for the kids (and whose parents) she knew.

I can almost guarantee not a year has gone by, that I have not mentioned them to my kids.  To me and my friends, Mrs. Romprey’s popcorn balls and Halloween are synonymous.  But my kids have never been able to experience (yes they are an experience) them, until this year.   This year, our friends Richard (Mrs. Romprey’s grandson) and his wife Tabitha, organized a popcorn-ball-making extravaganza with her.

While it kind of takes a little of the magic out of it, making the popcorn balls with the kids and seeing the joy on Mrs. Romprey’s face was worth it.

We learned very quickly the importance of expediency when making the balls from our first batch, as we watched the syrup harden before our eyes.   But from there on, we had it.  Everyone was involved, from syrup pourers, popcorn stirrers, ball shapers, and ball-baggers.  We ended up making nearly 100 popcorn balls, but I suspect that between five to ten were subjected to quality control analysis during prep.

Memories like these are the glue that holds friendships and families together.  I hope my kids will cherish times like these, as much as my friends and I do.

The Beginning

In 1998 we were living in Bellevue, Nebraska.  I was still in the Air Force, trying desperately to get out early to go to school full time.  We had moved off-base with the anticipation of being civilian again.  Trevor was 4 ½ years old.  A year or so earlier we had gotten rid of our latest basset hound Dottie, which like our other dogs, she just have issues that we could no longer work with.

Jennifer’s birthday was approaching and she wanted another dog, so I told her to start looking.  Within a week she found a breeder in Iowa that had Lhasa Apso and poodle mixed puppies.  We new nothing of the coming “hybrid movement”, so it sounded like a small mutt to us.  It was a small and cheap (only $75); perfect.

Jennifer, Trevor and grandma all drove down to Iowa to look at the puppies.  They were filthy, matted and stunk, but one little black one liked Trevor.  So they bought him.  (Now, looking back I wish we’d had bought them all.)

After tossing around names, we settled on Farley, after Chris Farley (Tommy Boy) who had just died.  But I kept calling him fuzzy instead, because he looked like the fuzzy-side of Velcro.  I don’t think it took more than 48 hours for his name to be replaced with Fuzzy.

Freaky Smarts

We never housebroke him, trained him, or punished him…he just knew what he had to do and he did it.  He knew that I didn’t like to be licked, so he would give me (and only me) Eskimo kisses with no licking.  He knew the yard boundaries at EVERY single house we live in (6), without us showing him.  He would play when someone wanted to play and he would cuddle when someone wanted to cuddle. He knew his bedtime.  He knew when grandma drove up.  He knew when someone wasn’t a dog person.  He was a puppy until the day he passed.  He loved unconditionally.

Every now and then we would rip up a pile of toilet paper, but nothing else.  I think he did it as a test, just to see if we WOULD get mad at him.

A couple years ago, we had emotionally started preparing for yesterday.  He was getting old and grey and not jumping quite so high.  He would occasionally have bad days, were he would tell us with his eyes that he just wanted to rest and relax, but most days he was that same puppy we got in 1998.

Good Luck Charm

There is a little part of me that now fears the future.  I’ve kind of considered Fuzzy our good luck charm.  From the day we go him, our lives have improved continuously, emotionally and financially.  In 1998 I was an E-4 in the Air Force on the brink of being unemployed and full-time/in-debt college student.  We lived in a 700sf house, had substantial debt and no savings.  Today at Fuzzy’s death, we live in a 3000+sf house, debt-free (except for house), and honestly do not worry about money any more.

Fuzzy was there for it all…

• Our decision to have a second child
• Me struggling through college
• Keeping me company during our month-long separation and cross-country drive to Florida
• Sitting and kissing his new baby brother Brandon
• Sneaking peaks as his (and only his) presents under the tree every Christmas
• Being the social butterfly at every wedding rehearsal dinner
• Sitting in everyone’s lap at family get-togethers
• Visiting and play with the kids at every cookout
• Sitting with everyone who had surgery
• Riding along during every hurricane evacuation
• Seeing Trevor grow into an kind adult
• Watching Brandon grow from his size to the handsome young man he is
• Being our rock….

Bed Time

Anyone who has dog-sat Fuzzy will probably tell you, they favorite time (like mine) was bedtime with Fuzzy.  He had “expectations” of what was to occur every night.  First of which was a full face rub and ear scratch.  He would immediately climb onto my chest and look me straight in the eyes, then back and forth between my hands.  As if he was saying, “ok, use those things up here”.  Afterward he would walk over to Jennifer’s side of the bed to  give her kisses and wait for his medicine.  After a minute he would be done and either go to the end of the bed to dig a hole or “expect” one of us to put him down so he could go to his bed.

If things didn’t occur in this order, he would not be comfortable; and apparently neither would I….

Last night, I dreaded going to bed.  Fuzzy has become so integral to actually going to bed, I could hardly bring myself to actually doing it.  When I finally laid down, I just felt complete dread.  All I could picture was his eyes and him “digging” his whole in his bed.  Every sound I heard was him….I couldn’t do it.

Eventually, (after Nyquil, earplugs, and laying on the couch) I finally made it to bed.  I’m not looking forward to doing it again tonight.

What I’ll Miss Most

• Being greeted at the door by him and having to give him scratch and kisses before I left my office
• Seeing his ears perk when he heard the word “toy” or “outside”
• Napping with him in my arms
• Seeing him lay with the boys on movie nights
• His single motion “wakeup-jump of couch-walk to door” when he heard the click of the TV turning off at night
• Seeing him bring his food to another room to eat with us
• His jealously of Brandon (still after 11 years)
• Seeing him lay on the couch, looking out the window, waiting for Jennifer to come home
• Playing hide-and-seek with him
• Seeing everyone love him
• Going to bed

Conclusion

I know that everyone says this about their pet, but Fuzzy was truly special; and not just to us.  He touched everyone that he interacted with.  Friends and family that are not “dog people” would always make an exception for him.  Some went to far as to say he was not even a dog, but a little furry person.  He was so intelligent, it was freaky sometimes.  He could understand what we were saying and could read our expressions and faces.

During my adolescence, I basically had emersion training in grief.  My father died when I was 16 and within 8 years, everyone in my family, elder to my generation, followed.  But the death of my father was what I took the hardest.  I had never endured that much grief before then, or after…until yesterday.   He stared straight into my eyes through to my heart as he passed, never looking away or blinking as if he was saying goodbye.

Yesterday one of my greatest fears came to fruition; I lost a child.

Soda – In the nearly two weeks on the island, only two restaurants had fountain soda.  Nearly all of the rest had only cans.  So plan or order accordingly if you are a big soda drinker.

Rain – Rain in Puerto Rico is inevitable.  Make sure that your itinerary has some “fluff” to accommodate rain days.  We were extremely lucky, with only one full day of rain.

“Cheap” is Relative – You will read reviews of restaurants noting their cheap or affordable menu.  Be aware that this is not quite what it is back at home.  An affordable dinner is sub $25 in Puerto Rico.   Plan on paying at least $15-20 per person, if you want full service, even in the Luquillo Kiosks.

You are not being pulled over – Apparently it is the law in Puerto Rico, that all in-service emergency vehicles must have their flashing lights on, while in motion.  This is a little odd to get used to, especially when there are blue lights right behind you.

Pay-at-the-Pump – I failed to see a single gas station that accepted credit cards at the pump.  So plan on having to go inside to pay for your gas. It may be wise to get gas in busier/touristy areas if you do not speak Spanish.

GPS/Googleing Businesses is Useless – It appears that the regulatory requirement to start a business in Puerto Rico are simple: sell stuff.  There are no accurate business listings in Google, Google Maps, Bings, your GPS, etc.  If you search for “restaurants” on Google maps or your GPS, you will only get the large chain locations.  Use websites like PuertoRicoDayTrips.com or Yelp for recommendations.  Or better yet, just ask a local.

Get to know Latitude/Longitude – Addresses are basically non-existent.  Ensure you have a GPS capable of entering Latitude/Longitude coordinates, and not just street addresses.

Driving – While driving in traffic, you will quickly notice that if a car can fit in a space; there will soon be a car there. Turning lanes and lanes in general are merely guidelines not rules.  You will often see drivers take left hand turns from the far right lane on a four lane highway.

Cash is Imperative – Many of the best places to eat and visit in Puerto Rico are basically shacks.  A lot of which will not accept credit or debit.

Internet Access (check the fine print) – If you are planning on a vacation rental, like we did, from VRBO.com or the like, ensure that you get the full details of connectivity before you book.  The condo we had was advertised as having high speed internet, but in reality is was simply a AT&T Mobile Internet card with only 500MB of download available.  Thank goodness for my rooted Android!

PuertoRicoDayTrips.com – This website is the single best source for the Puerto Rico virgin.  Nearly every activity that we did, started from a tip or post on this website.  Being an over planner, I was not going to take any chances with internet connectivity, so I used a website mirroring tool to download the ENTIRE website to my laptop.  I cannot recommend PuertoRicoDayTrips.com enough.

All-in-all, Puerto Rico turned out to be a very cost effective vacation.  There is a surprising amount to do on the little island.  But I’d go again, I’d change my itinerary to travel the island more and to definitely spend more time on the out islands of Culebra and Viequez.

We’ll be back, but likely without kids.