Cleaning Files/Coxing/Roofing/500,000 Meter Mark

The temperatures are still in the 20’s in the early mornings here. Today it was warmer at 4:30 a.m. in my hometown of Lockport, NY (33°) over Tuscaloosa, AL (27°) However, it is SUPPOSED to warm up to the high 50’s later on in the day.

Speaking of my hometown Lockport, NY, this summer they are having an Old Home Week celebration similar to one held back in 1910. Buried in my files I knew I had an old flyer from that event. I needed to dig it up to post on the event’s Facebook page.

Using that mission as an excuse, I sorted through my filing cabinet. The forgotten stuff I turned up was amazing. One file I had not used in MANY years was my Mileage Plus from US Air. Southwest is my Airline of choice anymore. In that file were the remaining coupons of AirScrip I never used. This was the settlement of the airline industry for fixing prices in the 1980’s – early 1990’s. I checked on the “Internets” to see if these had any value left some 15 years after they were issued. I was so surprised to find they are now worthless!

Also in that file was the receipt for a plane fare to San Francisco from August 1991. That ticket cost $393.00. Using one of my favourite internet tools the comparative value calculator That $393.00 in today’s dollars would be:

$621.25 using the Consumer Price Index

$570.28 using the GDP deflator

$669.99 using the value of consumer bundle

$655.67 using the unskilled wage

$788.54 using the nominal GDP per capita

$947.16 using the relative share of GDP

To think that I can fly to San Francisco round trip using the internet to work out fares cheaper than I could 19 years ago is pretty amazing to me.

Another file I found was my master packing list and invoice from Atlas Van Lines from my move south in March 1997. I had my packing boxes colour coded and numbered for different categories. The content of each box was also listed. I had stopped actively journaling at that point of my life, but just seeing that paperwork brought back such a flood of memories. Someday I’ll get that part of my life documented.

I was successful in turning up that elusive paper. I wish it were in better condition. It was folded up inside some vintage sheet music I purchased at a flea market many years ago.

Thursday morning it was 28° when we took out the sweeps. I was not scheduled to row, but filled in as a cox last minute. I coxed the “Clean Sweep” with mostly new rowers. I learned how to row and cox in a “port rigged” sweep. This means the “stroke seat" (#8) is on the port side of the boat. The “Clean Sweep” is starboard rigged where-by the stroke seat is on the starboard side, which changes everything around.

The stern and bow pair are supposed to be the most experienced/lightest rowers. As usually happens when I cox, I had a strong stern four and weak bow four. Rotating through drills when the bow four would be rowing it would be so frustrating trying to keep a point. The river was still full of floating debris to navigate around. Trying to give some coaching advice and keep the sweep on course gets very nerve wracking to me.

Thank God for Will, who is an experienced rower. He rowed stroke seat and was instrumental in making sure I did the right calls and had the right positions doing the maneuvers to keep on course. Normally the rowers in the bow are used to correct the position when doing drills. As the cox, I’m responsible for the safety of the boat and the eight rowers. It is a scary sight to look down the sweep and see oar blades all over the place. We survived and docked in one piece.

Off the river I headed to Roger’s house to help him and Tim install a metal roof to his shed project. I arrived at 9:00 a.m. I’ve never worked with this kind of roofing. All I know about it is that it must start out square and perfect from the first sheet. Any discrepancy shows up real fast.

This shed turned out to be one of those “mushroom projects” that just went wild. How I wish I had my camera to document the work we did and to show the site. It is hanging on the side of a hill.

It was an all day job; we did not put the tools away till 4:00 p.m. Had we used regular shingles the adventure could have been done in no time.

On the way home I stopped at Publix and got a steak and a bag of onions. I needed a treat. I broiled up a nice juicy steak smothered in onions and butter. I slept like a baby after that meal!

Today I need to do double duty on the Concept 2 at the “Y” since I missed yesterday. There is a challenge going on for the month to row 5,000 meters a day to be eligible for a daily drawing. I missed yesterday so I’ll have to row 10,000 meters today!

By doing the 10,000 meters today, I’ll be over the 500,000 meter mark: half way to one million meters!!!!