Two weeks straight of swimming

Cathi and I have been swimming Monday through Thursday for the past two weeks, and I must admit that I am really getting into it. It isn't a killer like I thought it would. The first two days were hell, but I'm doing 2000 yards now and it isn't that tough. Check out my logs (using just an old school html page) that has ALL my workouts clear back to my High School days at West High.

The problem with breathing - most likely dust mite poo

Back when I saw the allergist he said that I should replace my pillow something like twice a year, and wash my sheets and pillow case every week using hot water and get a pillow case that is hypo-allergenic. I haven't kept that advice very well and I think that I may be suffering as a result.

For the past several months I have had chronic nasal congestion. Sometimes so bad that it affects my sleep (as it did today - causing me to not be able to go back to bed after 3:50 am and went to work to do some research and then get started on the day). Its time for some action! I'm so fed up that I want to get a new mattress. But that won't be cheap. So I think there are many other things I can do to cut the problem down....

Here are a couple of informative sites that may help to understand and control dust mites population:

http://adam.about.com/reports/000077_12.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_mite

But this site was the best:
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/dustmites.php

Our new washing machine comes today. Since its a front loader it will use less water, so I'm gonna ask Cathi to make sure to wash the sheets, and pillow cases in the hottest water setting available. Our hot water heater is already set to a pretty high temperature. I'm going to replace my pillow on the way home and pick up a new mattress cover and pillow case cover that is dust mite proof.

Then when our tax rebate comes in next year, I'm going to replace the mattress. I'm sure that it has millions of mites inside. We bought it used from somebody's garage many years ago. Thinking about that makes me want to puke! Can't wait for a new one!

If you aren't green by now, check out this video and then go clean your bed and change your sheets and pillow!

Near the end when they show "Jane Doe"'s darkened face in her ritzy home with the pool in the background getting cleaned who is horrified that she has an "infestation" really makes me laugh. Problem is they didn't slow down her voice and I now know who it is!

Yogurt stealing

Thanks to Travis for making more public the food stealing issue. Here is a mini-clip of the much larger version he posted on his own blog.

I have a confession. I've taken a couple of squirts of Supratim's ketchup. But being overcome with guilt I bought a big bottle of ketchup for anybody to use. But I am proud to say that I've been a good boy other than Sup's ketchup.

I'm reconsidering leaving a half consumed two liter bottle of mountain dew in the fridge. Somebody might be drinking out of it, or worse yet, could potentially play a really sick joke. We very well could have a transient hiding and camping out somewhere.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

This last Friday I took Austin, Lucy and Sam up to Pocatello to visit Grandma and Grandpa Richins. We had a fun time visiting. Near bedtime Lucy wanted to see Mrs. Doubtfire, but Grandma wanted to expose Lucy to some classics so we watched "Heidi" with Shirley Temple. The kids were all glued to the show and enjoyed it. I sacked out with Sam afterwards. His hand by the way is so much better.

We woke up at around 7:30 and prepared for the day, cleaned up the basement made everything as nice as when we got there. Had some breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa. That night it must have snowed 4 inches of wet snow. I shovelled the driveway and prepared to leave. The kids were all talking and playing with Grandma. I had planned to leave before conference started so Grandma and Grandpa could watch it in peace. We listened to it on the way home. Once we got past Inkum it wasn't snowing anymore and there was only a trace on the ground.

US Dollar

This last week I bought an online gift card for an Australian friend. I was originally thinking I could get a big gift since the exchange rate from what I remembered from our October 2001 trip was 1 to 2. For every USD I could get 2 AUD. Well, wishful thinking! It was almost even yesterday. 1:1.12

I thought to myself "Was it really 1 to 2 back then?" So I checked it here. Sure enough it was more than 1 to 2 on October 1st, 2001. It has plummeted since then, and quite a bit this year.

I certainly am not an economist and don't really know the real impacts of the dollar rate in relation to the economy. But I'm not pleased that my dollar doesn't stand up very well like it used to. From the little research I have done. I've seen that the dollar was overpriced in the past and that was a bad thing for some. Check this out.


For me, I like when the dollar is high. I can buy more outside the USA with my dollar when it is high. I don't like the idea that Canada has a stronger dollar than the US. I also realize that the President has very little to do with the value of the dollar. But I need to have someone to blame. I can't stand Pres. Bush and can't wait for that guy to leave office. According to this article there is a strange correlation to President Bush's approval and the value of the dollar. So if that's true and I want a stronger dollar I better say nice things about the doof, I mean Mr. President, your honor, sir.

Found cool website

Looking for code examples for various languages? This might be a good place to start:

http://www.rosettacode.org/wiki/Main_Page