he geekmobile is no more.
 Due to plans for moving and no longer running MaladNet, it is no longer necessary as a mobile wireless office and emergency mobile wireless tower.
 Just finished tearing the geekmobile apart today.
 To see the pictures, click the Read more link at the bottom of this article...

Previous page about the geekmobile and information

The Geekmobile Lives!

Truck stripped.   
 Ladder rack removed and stripped. Rack is for sale, as well as the red Chevy pickup. email hawke(at)hawkes-haven.com for information, or see for sale section of this site.   
 All wood removed and piled as scrap .

I've made the many pics and videos of the various offroad adventures of myself and my friends.
Over time I'll add stories explaining each pic and video, but for now you can view all the directories here:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/04192000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/04262000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/07012000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09052000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09092000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09102000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09132000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09142000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09152000/

The "geekmobile":
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/geekmobile/

And here's pics to my motorcycle:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/cycle/

The geekmobile is no more.
<br />
Due to plans for moving and no longer running MaladNet, it is no longer necessary as a mobile wireless office and emergency mobile wireless tower.
<br />
Just finished tearing the geekmobile apart today.
<br />
To see the pictures, click the Read more link at the bottom of this article...

Previous page about the geekmobile and information
<br />
<br>
<br />
<a href="http://www.hawkes-haven.com/manicmechanic/images/geekmobile/20030816/index.html">http://www.hawkes-haven.com/manicmechanic/images/geekmobile/20030816/index.html</a>
<br />
<br>
<br />
<br>
(uploading pictures in a few hours):
<img src="http://www.hawkes-haven.com/manicmechanic/images/geekmobile/20030926/truckstripped.jpg">
<br />
Truck stripped.
<br />
<br>
<br />

<br />
<br>
<br />
Ladder rack removed and stripped. Rack is for sale, as well as the red Chevy pickup. email hawke(at)hawkes-haven.com for information, or see for sale section of this site.
<br />
<br>
<br />

<br />
<br>
<br />
All wood removed and piled as scrap .
<br />
<br>

It is a year of new things, and old things that are new to our family. ;)

First the wonderful house (pics and information coming soon) and now, we once again have a Bronco in our family.

Click the read more link for more information...

Click here to see whole archive of pics of the new bronco

Click here to see the archive of other offroading adventures and previous bronco and video clips of offroading fun

I'll be doing a lot of work on it over the coming months to make it ready for winter...

I just picked up, on July 15th, 2004 a 1983 Bronco 4x4.
It has the following configuration:
6" lift kit with
36" tires on 16.5" wide tires on 17" rims.
I plan to lower it 2-3 inches, and maybe go down to 33" inch tires, but not sure, have to check local laws here on the limits. (Spokane, WA, USA)
351 Windsor (I think) with motorcraft 2 barrel
4 speed plus overdrive (5 speeds) manual transmission.
4wd of course (manual locking hubs).
Front clip (hood, grill, and front fenders) from 1987 Bronco.
Front heavy duty bumper with slot for winch.
Tow hooks.
Some areas need work of course, but the body is in ready to paint condition.
Here's the various part numbers/model numbers I was able to glean for the differentials, transmission, transfer case, etc:
CARBURETOR # MOTORCRAFT 2 BARREL E3TE AVA D 3C 9

DIPSTICK FORD E5AE-6750-BA M

SPARK PLUGS AUTOLITE 25 GAP 0.44

OIL FILTER FRAM PH8A

TIRES 36X(12.5-)16.5 5 BOLT LUGS ON TRUCK, 10? BOLT ON RIMS

OPTIONAL: 33X12.5

TRANSFER CASE MODEL: 208-F (New process 208) C-136683 ASSY NO: FOTA7A195A8 RATIO: 2.61:1

REAR DIFF 4088 FOTW-4025-AA 5838F 55 88 4D25

FRONT DIFFERENTIAL 3.54 E3TA VB5 610178-12

TRANSMISSION SIDE PLATE STAMP: ZF 1304 301 035 CASING: 1307 401057 ATTACHED LABEL: SF? OR ZF? MODEL NUMBER: F307 050 050 FORD PART NUMBER: EP(?)TA-7003-R(?)A TOTAL RATIO: 5.72-0.76 5 5 45 GEAR SPEEDO: 7(?) BUILD DATE: 10 1990 OIL CAP: 3.2

I've already replaced the spark plugs (it's running too rich because the previous owners removed so many vacuum lines and didn't know how to tune it up correctly, so I'll be fixing the vacuum and electrical issues).
I'm going to replace the shocks, and upgrade them from 1 shock per wheel, to the 2 shocks per wheel configuration of the previous Bronco, as well as as stablizer shocks across the front to keep it from swaying as much on turns.
The very rear ujoint needs replacing, this is probably because of the obnoxious 6" lift they did, without lowering the transmission bracket to compensate. I'll have to investigate what my options there are based on the local laws. If the lift is kept around 4", I may modify the transmission mounting to reduce that angle on the driveline.
It'll be getting new tires by winter, and hopefully I can swing a new paint job to, so it doesn't have the great body rust when winter comes.
I'll also be taking out the mp3 stereo system from my 1986 f150 (now for sale for $1200USD or best offer), and put it in the bronco. And much, much more.
In the near future I hope to fix the cruise control, and possibly add air conditioning to it.
Stay tuned....

Well, the "Legendary Black Beast of Aaaargh" has turned out to be more hassle than I wanted to deal with. So, when I stumbled across something better, I jumped on it.
Welcome to Bronco 3.0. A much more "civilized" version. Now the Black Beast is up for sale. I'll setup a page with detailed information soon. I'll be posting in classifieds, and maybe E-bay. The Black Beast is an awesome offroad vehicle, but not family-friendly enough (especially for the wife) to meet all our needs. Read more for detailed pictures of all 3 Broncos, and some history/background of each...


Bronco 1.5 (1.0 is the one on top, with me by the hill with the back off the red and black one)


Bronco 2.0, Black Beast with Hawke standing by


Bronco 3.0 with Hawke standing by.

Click the read more link for many more pics, and specifications of the vehicles.

Well. after some discussion with the wife and family (and boy will Brennan be glad), I've decided to keep BOTH Broncos. We'll keep the Beast in the garage most of the year, but when the weather is bad, I'll let Karina drive the Bronco 3.0, and I'll drive the beast. Rest of the time she'll drive the Crown Vic, while I drive either the Bronco 3.0 when needed, or my motorcycle whenever I can. ;-)

As per an earlier posting, I've opted to keep both broncos. The "Legendary Black Beast of AAAaaaarrrrgghh" and the "More Civilised Bronco". ;-) Here's a pic of the two of them side by side parked in front of our house:

Both Broncos Side by Side (click to see larger pic)

Click the "READ MORE" link below to, well, you know, read more. ;-) Also to see many more pics of these beasts.

The plan is to use the Black beast until I have the few things the Civilised (Red and Tan) Bronco fixed. The to do list is:

• Rebuild carburetor
• Fix rear axle pinion seal
• Fix right rear axle seal
• replace rear brake pads (because of leaking seal contaminating the brake pads)
• Replace valve cover gaskets
• Change oil
• Tune up (I already finished this part)
• Get air conditioning services
• Do some paint job touch up on the hood where paint is peeling

And that's it. Compared to the HUGE todo list of the black beast, this is a very short and simple list.
They're both getting around 9-11 MPG, though the Black beast is a two barrel carburetor on a 351 Windsor V8, and the Civilized Bronco is a 4 barrell H.O. (High Output/High Performance) 351 V8.
Click the "READ MORE" link for stats on both vehicles.
Cheers!

Pics and stats coming soon!

Click images for full size view.

Yes, I did that. at 5 MPH. ARGH!
I'll post more when I'm less upset about it later on.
:-(

Well, I'm finally (in shock) doing it, I'm buying new cars !
I'm just too busy (and tired) these days to keep the maintenance up on the older vehicles that they deserve.
It's still generally MUCH cheaper to keep the old vehicles going, but I just can't afford the time anymore, so it's down to the old tradeoffs:
Time
vs.
Money
vs.
Convenience.

So, I'm doing the following.
1. Buying a Toyota Prius hybrid (50-60 MPG!) car.
2. Buying a Toyota Sienna mini-van.
3. Selling the "legendary black beast of arrrgh" black '83 bronco around the Fall.
4. Selling the Crown Victoria '95 as soon as have the Mini-van (or trade-in).
5. Next year, plan to buy a Nissan Armada to replace the '86 (red) Bronco.
6. Next year, sell the red Bronco.
7. Keep the Bandit (motorcycle)

Click the READ MORE link to see the pics of each vehicle, and more details on each vehicle...

Click the pics for the full size image...

1983 Black Bronco "legendary black beast of arrrgh" (Monty Python reference)




1986 Red Bronco "a more civilized beast".




1995 Ford Crown Victoria




2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200






2006 Toyota Prius hybrid car


(Arriving in about 2 weeks)




2006 Toyota Sienna mini-van



Ordering this summer


2005/6 Nissan Armada SUV




(buying next year)


I'm out of time, but I'll post specs, stories, info related to these vehicles when I can find the time. Cheers!

Well it's been an exhausting 2 weeks.
I drove down to Ogden and back in the Prius, and averaged 55 MPG from Spokane to Ogden, going over the mountains through to Missoula Montana.
It's a long 12 hour trip each way at 65 mph.
I'm recovering from fatigue, etc. Then have to catch up on all the backlog on the house and everything else.
I have a new door to install downstairs to try to keep the cats upstairs so Brennan's allergies aren't so terribly afflicting him.
I have a stair set to put in the garage to the attic.
Eventually to put insulation in the garage attic and then some flooring to prepare it for storage.
I still need to bury the sprinklers and and run new sprinkler lines, and repair some others.
There's wasps nest already built up in just 2 weeks in the eaves.
Finish converting the rocky part of the yard to soil and grass.
This isn't even including the ongoing retaining walls still to be done, the new stairs in the back, the fencing, etc.

It is a year of new things, and old things that are new to our family. ;)

First the wonderful house (pics and information coming soon) and now, we once again have a Bronco in our family.

Click the read more link for more information...


Click here to see whole archive of pics of the new bronco

Click here to see the archive of other offroading adventures and previous bronco and video clips of offroading fun

I'll be doing a lot of work on it over the coming months to make it ready for winter...

I just picked up, on July 15th, 2004 a 1983 Bronco 4x4.
It has the following configuration:
6" lift kit with
36" tires on 16.5" wide tires on 17" rims.
I plan to lower it 2-3 inches, and maybe go down to 33" inch tires, but not sure, have to check local laws here on the limits. (Spokane, WA, USA)
351 Windsor (I think) with motorcraft 2 barrel
4 speed plus overdrive (5 speeds) manual transmission.
4wd of course (manual locking hubs).
Front clip (hood, grill, and front fenders) from 1987 Bronco.
Front heavy duty bumper with slot for winch.
Tow hooks.
Some areas need work of course, but the body is in ready to paint condition.
Here's the various part numbers/model numbers I was able to glean for the differentials, transmission, transfer case, etc:
CARBURETOR # MOTORCRAFT 2 BARREL E3TE AVA D 3C 9

DIPSTICK FORD E5AE-6750-BA M

SPARK PLUGS AUTOLITE 25 GAP 0.44

OIL FILTER FRAM PH8A

TIRES 36X(12.5-)16.5 5 BOLT LUGS ON TRUCK, 10? BOLT ON RIMS

OPTIONAL: 33X12.5

TRANSFER CASE MODEL: 208-F (New process 208) C-136683 ASSY NO: FOTA7A195A8 RATIO: 2.61:1

REAR DIFF 4088 FOTW-4025-AA 5838F 55 88 4D25

FRONT DIFFERENTIAL 3.54 E3TA VB5 610178-12

TRANSMISSION SIDE PLATE STAMP: ZF 1304 301 035 CASING: 1307 401057 ATTACHED LABEL: SF? OR ZF? MODEL NUMBER: F307 050 050 FORD PART NUMBER: EP(?)TA-7003-R(?)A TOTAL RATIO: 5.72-0.76 5 5 45 GEAR SPEEDO: 7(?) BUILD DATE: 10 1990 OIL CAP: 3.2

I've already replaced the spark plugs (it's running too rich because the previous owners removed so many vacuum lines and didn't know how to tune it up correctly, so I'll be fixing the vacuum and electrical issues).
I'm going to replace the shocks, and upgrade them from 1 shock per wheel, to the 2 shocks per wheel configuration of the previous Bronco, as well as as stablizer shocks across the front to keep it from swaying as much on turns.
The very rear ujoint needs replacing, this is probably because of the obnoxious 6" lift they did, without lowering the transmission bracket to compensate. I'll have to investigate what my options there are based on the local laws. If the lift is kept around 4", I may modify the transmission mounting to reduce that angle on the driveline.
It'll be getting new tires by winter, and hopefully I can swing a new paint job to, so it doesn't have the great body rust when winter comes.
I'll also be taking out the mp3 stereo system from my 1986 f150 (now for sale for $1200USD or best offer), and put it in the bronco. And much, much more.
In the near future I hope to fix the cruise control, and possibly add air conditioning to it.
Stay tuned....

Well, I bought/ordered the Prius.
It's black, with dark gray interior.
Package #4. I wanted Package #6, but would have had to wait 4-6 months for a custom order. So instead I settled. The only parts that are missing are the HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamps and integrated foglamps, and the security system, and the bluetooth handsfree integration.
I am informed I can get a better warranty, and better quality versions of those after market, and the dealer is referring me to just such a person, for FAR less money too.
This is coming straight from the factory with zero miles on it.
It will arrive somewhere between May 2nd to May 10th.
I paid 24,600 for this one. Base package it about 22k, and fully loaded (package #8) with leather interior is only 26k.
Plus I get a $3,150 tax credit from the government because it's a hybrid, all that, and it gets around 50 MPG +/-, to top it all off, I miraculously fit!
I'll definitely post when I finally get it.
Below is a generic photo, I'll post the photo of my actual car when it arrives:

I've made the many pics and videos of the various offroad adventures of myself and my friends.
Over time I'll add stories explaining each pic and video, but for now you can view all the directories here:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/04192000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/04262000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/07012000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09052000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09092000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09102000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09132000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09142000/
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/09152000/

The "geekmobile":
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/geekmobile/

And here's pics to my motorcycle:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/images/cycle/

Well I've had the Prius now for a few months, and thought I would comment on my experience, since I pretty much can't pull up to a light with the window down, or stop in a parking lot without someone ask "how do you like it?". ;-)

I have to say I like it a lot. It's been better than expected thus far.

Toyota posted it as 51 mpg Highway and 60 mpg city (yes it does better in the city because of the way hitting the brakes and coasting recharges the battery, and at lower speeds you run in "all electric mode" much more frequently than on the highway).

Then I read that most experienced around 44-48 mpg. So that's about what I expected to get.
The first few tanks full of premium unleaded (that's all I run in everything I have, motorcycle, lawn mower, old bronco's etc.) I was getting about 46 mpg on average. A huge improvement over the 11-13 mpg from my '83 and '86 broncos, the 20-22 mpg for our '95 Crown Vic, the 15-19 mpg of the '06 Toyota Sienna (disappointing on that mileage), and even a nice improvement over the 35-40 mpg my 2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200 cc motorcyle.
Then my wife drove it to Salt Lake City, Utah and back and only averaged 41 mpg. Worse, when she came back from that 1600+ mile trip, it continued to still only get 41 mpg for me!

At first I thought maybe it was a bad batch of gas, but after the second entire tank full with no improvement I took it to the dealership.
I had also noticed it seems to shifting more roughly from electric to gas mode. Plus I had a bit of a scare when I was in park reading and with the air conditioner on, then the engine kicked on to charge the battery and the whole car moved a few inches.

The dealership didn't find anything wrong. But reset the ECM.
This completely cleared things up!
I asked why it would do that and they explained that apparently the computer adjusts to driving styles over time.
So it turned out my wife had been lead footing (as she continues to do in protest to not driving V8's anymore) and the computer had dialed itself into max performance rather than mileage.

The reset immediately had me getting (and for the most part continuing to get) around 48-52 mpg!
This is with about 50% highway and 50% city.

The power has been more than adequate. It's no sports car, but more than enough to meet any needs at any time.

The only regret I have is that I wasn't patient enough.

I originally wanted to get a fully loaded package 8, but I would have had to wait 4-6 months to have one made and shipped. So I tried compromising, and went down in packages, until I was able to get a package 4 in 4 weeks.

The only thing I really miss is the leather seats.

The low end model (without VSC (Vehicle Stability Control, aka Traction Control aka Limited Slip, etc.) is only about 20k.
The loaded with leather, VSC, HID, Navigation, etc. is about 29k.
My mid-package was $24,600.

I'm planning when they make the pluggable hybrids available in the USA, to trade in and upgrade if the price is reasonable. They currently get about 100+ mpg (but the kits in the us void the warranty). If not then I'll wait until the warranty expires and then do the upgrade myself for the batteries, plugin and computer.

Hands down I can recommend this vehicle for just about anything except 4x4 off-roading, racing, or large groups of more than 4-5 people to be transported.

I have more leg room than the Sienna, though certainly not as much as the Broncos or the Crown Vic.

I had the windows tinted to the legal limit for about $100.00 and had the 3m coating added to the hood, front fenders, and mirrors for about another 200.00. Well worth it.

It's black and the tint helps cool things off inside and adds a nice look to it.

I recently learned (thanks to the salesman in later conversations) a trick to increase the battery recharge by "shifting" it into "B" mode on steep hills or long deceleration.

I've been able in the city to get sustained mpg around 65-75 mpg as long as I "behave".

If you're considering a prius I hope you found this useful. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions about my experience with it as the months and years roll on.
Cheers!

An old friend/coworker recently emailed me asking how things were with the family and myself. I replied with an exceptionally long email, and decided I should post excerpts here, for others who might have the same questions... Click the READ MORE link for the rest of the details...

Regarding Halloween this year:
Last year only about a dozen or so
kids came to the door, and my wife had bought a LOT of candy. So this year, I
just bought one large bag from Costco. Well. we actually ran out after about
the 30th or 40th visitor!
In just the past year, a lot of new families have moved into the area, so
that's probably why the significant change. This is/was an older
neighborhood, about 40 years old, and most of the people were in their
70's/80s. So they've been moving out to retirement communities and selling
their house on this very hot market, and families like ours have been moving
in. So we hit it at a great time of transition for what is normally a very
non-changing, nice families, neighborhood. ;-);-)

Kids are doing great. William (9, be 10 in December), is in his second year of Kungfu, is in chess club, has become fanatical about role playing gaming (non-computer) since I introduced all three kids to it recently, and
I'm trying to keep him from going overboard on that. ;-);-)
He's now using email between family members, and loves playing multi-player game classics such as Warcraft 2 and Diablo. All three kids are totally addicted to Neverwinter Nights. William read The Hobbit last year in 2nd
grade. He's now started the Lord of the Rings. He was dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween today.

I'm going to post Halloween pics shortly today on
my site.

He prefers to be sedentary, so I kind of have to push him to do physical stuff, but he's really good about doing Kungfu every day. He's a bit of a pessimist, and that may be a bit my fault, but we're working
on it. ;-);-)

He's struggling with OCD and anxiety issues, but doing ok in school. We're working with counselors to help him with that. I've been teaching them meditation and breathing techniques, and those are slowly sinking in.
He is most content "playing in his imagination" in his head, reading, playing video games and watching tv, and role playing gaming (paper and dice).

Brennan (7) is being active as always, despite his asthma. We tried him in
Kungfu this summer, but he kept goofing off, so we pulled him (much against
his wishes) until he's a little more mature to behave. ;-);-) He's been close to
whooping my tail in Warcraft, and is acing Neverwinter Nights.
He's good at being active, and helping around the house, riding his bike,
inline skating, scooter, running (despite asthma), and more. He's struggling
with controlling his temper, which has had him in trouble sometimes, but he's
making progress. He's a huge optimist, very positive, and loves people. He
loves role playing gaming and games, and a little tv, but he's most happy
being active, playing with others, going outdoors, mountain biking, and most
of all doing stuff with daddy. (as they all love). ;-);-) Brennan is a real
"doer" who expresses his emotions of the moment very strongly. He love
cuddling the most.

Drake (5) is the youngest, probably the toughest (out of necessity), and will
probably be the largest of the three (burly and tall). He is a real
"watcher", and shy with people at first, but very outgoing once he gets to
know them. He's actually doing very well with WC2 and NWN. He also loves
paper and dice RPGing, He does a GREAT orc voice, I should record it, it's a
hoot from a 5 year old. He also has a bit of a "Dark side". Long before he
played video games or role playing, he always wanted to play "the bad guy",
while his brothers were the good guys. I'm not sure how much of that was just
the other two putting him there, but he fully embraces it now, though I try
to dissuade him. ...
He enjoys rough housing with his brothers and others (they all love that of
course). Loves hid and seek and tag. Likes to watch tv waaaaaaay too much.
Enjoys moderate hikes and some bike riding, though not as much as Brennan,
much more than William does.
He's doing well in private school in Kindergarten, he'll be joining his
brothers at Evergreen next year. Evergreen is one of the "best" public schools in the Mead district, and the Mead district is the one of the "best" districts in the Spokane area (we kept our house selection to try to make sure they ended up in that school).
The private schools here aren't quite what I thought they should be from a private school
from them, as well as the expense, and Evergreen is an exceptional school, though I generally don't
like public schools.

Karina is going to school now taking her generals. She is thinking of becoming
a nurse possibly. But it's early yet since she just started this Fall
quarter, taking a course in precollege map to work up to her requisites. She
is very excited today because she had the best grade on the midterm test
today. And the teacher pointed it out and praised her and all, I think she
said she had a 96% on the test.
Woohoo! You go girl! ;-P

She's doing the "craft fair" thing on the weekends, She registered booths at
the three largest fairs in the area. Her website is www.karina.org, the
undeveloped catalog is dev.karina.org
I'm trying to take pics of all her stuff, especially her great angels, before
it's all sold off. She says this is the last year she's going to do this.
We'll see... ;-P
She has been taking Kungfu on and off the past year as well. And she just
started going back to the gym this week. Her weight is still not good (380
lbs). But her health is better than 2 years ago, even though she skips Kungfu
and working out for weeks or months at a time. She can kick quite high with
good balance, and woe betide anyone who tries to mug her without a
weapon. ;-P
She's been reading fanatically the new Robert Jordan (11th) book, and the
Harry Potter book she recently finished, after re-reading all the books
leading up to both.
She's made lots of friends here, and is active with them frequently.

I'm acting as "Mr Mom" now. I control the finances, groceries/shopping, and do
most of the cooking. We are eating much healthier now, but eating well too (I cook a lot
of gourmet and other recipes). I'm enjoying this (quasi-retired) still busy,
but less insanely intense life style. Though it's still overwhelming with school on top of everything else.
I've posted some of what I've been
cooking on the website.
I love it here in Spokane. Though my heart is always with Northern California,
I'd say this is the closest "2nd" I've been to in the USA (about 25+ states
I've been in for any brief or prolonged periods). The economy is much more affordable than
CA, the city is large enough to have all the necessities, but not TOO large. It has an excellent education and medical infrastructure (multiple major hospitals and suppoorting structure, two community colleges, several other colleges, and universities).

We feel like we almost live in the woods (which is a good thing from my view), even
though we're only 3 minutes from the malls and such, and everything is within
15-30 minutes. Surrounded by trees and life. Since most of the trees are
evergreens, it stays green year round, rather than the brown "ugliness" of
winter in other places. There is a "winter" of actual snow and ice, but very
moderate compared to Utah, Idaho, Nevada. Very temperate summer (actually
cooler than the Bay Area many times by a few degrees). Over 100+ lakes within
100 miles in any direction. Awesome outdoors life here.
Reasonable "cultural culture" here. Though certainly room for improvement there.
I'm hopefully getting my Internet radio show approved on a community FM radio
station here in the next few weeks. I've donated streaming for their signal
as well. Check them out here:
www.kyrs.org
You'll see the streaming link leads to one of my servers.
I don't agree with much of their politics, but I agree TOTALLY with their
approach to free speech, civil liberties, etc.

I have started being trained by the Kungfu studio to become an instructor in
their style. I'll be starting with the kids in a few months, and adults after
a year or so.
Physical therapy is going well. I "graduated" from the first level, and am now
at the 2nd tier, which is more a "Sport training" level.
I'm VERY sore from the first Friday session, but no injuries, and I did handle Kungfu yesterday just fine. No injuries, just soreness, is a VERY good thing, and a welcome change to the pattern of pain and injuries of the past years.

There's a third more
intense program from PT for "professional sports level". I don't know that I'll go to that third level or not.

My goal is to be at Kungfu a
minimum of 3 days a week for 2-3 hours per day. Eventually maybe 4-5 days per
week.

Also a therapist who used to teach Karate, says, when I'm ready he'll hook me up with teaching the
children in the Children's Asthma center of Sacred Heart hospital as
well, which he apparently did years ago.

School is chugging along. I've never liked academia, and have always struggled
in school, except for my computer science degree. But I'm trying to make the
best of it.
I'm full time this quarter taking:
Overview of Therapeutic Recreation
Intercultural Communications
Medical Terminology

I've been chiseling away at my required 1500 hours of volunteer/work related
work for the prerequisite before I can start the 16 weeks internship as part
of the degree requirements.
I'm majoring as a Recreational Therapist, and minoring in Music for music
therapy.
I've been learning the African Djembe drum, in addition to continuing with the
Native American wood flute, guitar, bass, harmonica. I've been taking on and
off voice lessons to try to get better with vocals too.

I LOVE my online broadcasts, but due to a busy schedule I just cut it back
from 3x / week to 1x / week, in the hopes that I'll be doing the Radio
broadcasts with KYRS 1x /week as well.
My site for all this is:
www.thesyntheticzenshow.com
or
www.synthzen.com

My show time is now:
Sundays 4 am to 6 am UTC/GMT (that's 10 pm to Midnight Saturdays for Pacific
time).
I've been working on my two Broncos. One is lifted 6", with 32" tires. It's an
awesome off road beast, but a POS other than that. That's the black one. :-p:-p
The red one is "a more civilized" Bronco. It's a great family mobile, that I
can take them most anywhere, and it's in great shape, though it's needs a
little work.
It's going to cost me about $200.00 to replace the melted/burned parts on the
motorcycle. :-):-)
Luckily my Zaurus wasn't in the bag, as it usually is, else that would have
been a $930.00 handheld lost. But I did lose all three of my Kungfu uniforms,
and my primary eyeglasses, as well as my whole quarter's work so far and
their sylabi (?). But, could have been a LOT worse. I'll post the full
version of my stupidity in that event at some point as an update to that same
article already on line.
I've been working on the house, the landscape.
I'm still working on a (way overdue) database project for a client, for extra money for my "useful gadgets" such as the Zaurus.

I'm Game Mastering a role playing gaming group twice per month (http://eagroup.merp.com) based in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

So, that's probably WAAAAAy more information than you wanted. And if you
actually managed to read through it all, you should get a reward for
patience. :-P :-P

But, that gives an overview of the highlights of current events for our clan.
Cheers!