Thanksgiving: The Springfield Reporter

An open letter to The Springfield Reporter in Springfield, Vermont

11/18/08

For starters, I want to publicly give thanks to Barb Parker for giving me what seems like a lifetime subscription to my home town weekly newspaper, The Springfield Reporter. After I read it, I pass it on to my Mom out here in California. So it is a Vermont gift that keeps on giving. The Reporter is like a time machine that takes me back to my days at Elm Hill, Park Street, Riverside, the Plazoo and Cosmos Green. Every week I secretly treasure my little read with the local home town news. News, I may add, that exists only in newsprint form. Trees and ink required, no website. Out of Google's reach and not a slave to the search engine. Old School.

I still remember the thrill of reading my name in print in the paper for the very first time when Red Forbush wrote a brief blurb about our freshman basketball campaign in 1976. So, it was with delight I read the recent screaming headline "CHAMPS! Cosmos Earn First State Football Title in 61 Years" and the 58 point explosion over Windsor in the championship game. To put that in perspective, I'm pretty sure our punchless '79 team didn't score 58 points over the course of our entire season. Congratulations to Coach Mike (do they still call him Hondo?) Hatt and his dominant '08 Cosmos team! 61 years. That's not exactly Curse of the Bambino territory, but it's only off by a generation. Certainly longer than most any of us can remember.

But reading the Reporter saddens me at times, too. A couple weeks ago I was so sorry to read the obituary of Phyllis Wyman. My sincerest condolences and sympathy go out to Richie, Jeff Sherry and Mike and your extended families. My thoughts and prayers are with you. To me Phyllis was the quiet matriarch of a Springfield sporting dynasty that is now in it's third generation. Bless her and her family.

In closing, I want to thank Coach Richie Wyman publicly, too. I know the timing is way off, but I want to do it now, while I'm thinking of you and we're both still around. It may not seem like much, but thanks for not cutting me from the varsity basketball squad my junior year at SHS. You didn't have to keep me around at the end of the bench, but you and Chip let me ride the pine that season. In hindsight, I know that the SHS hoops practice was the 'family' group that I needed to belong to, especially then. It was a completely unstructured and difficult time in my home life, and I can only wonder what would have become of me if I'd had all that time after school to myself... Today, I still find joy in playing hoops, but still can't finish with my left, and am still a notorious streak shooter, and have become infatuated with this new thing they call a 'three'. So, thanks for including me. It's not just who starts and plays and wins those games that matters. In the long run, I think whoever gets to suit up and practice every day is quite blessed, as well. Even those of us lost in those six decades between Cosmos gridiron greatness, who never came close to winning anything like a Vermont State Championship.

With gratitude and a heavy heart that will always bleed Green 'n White.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Take care,
--Scott Harrison;
SHS '79

Famed basketball coach Pete Newell Sr.

Perhaps you saw this:
Famed basketball coach Pete Newell dies at age 93
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_11012112
11/17/2008

Since we lost Charlie on the day that the Santa Cruz High basketball team won the California State Championship, the SCHS hoops coach, Pete Newell Jr., has reached out to me on rare occasions. That day has inextricably linked us - the worst day of my life - one of the best days of his. He has been sort of a father figure and mentor to me, sometimes giving me some tough love comments that I know I really needed to hear. I gave him the tickets to that game that Simon and I never made it to. Of course, I'll never stop wishing Charlie had been with us that day instead of with his two friends at the beach...

Pistol (Jr) himself has no children. Today he lost his father. Pete Sr. is without question a legend in the game of basketball, and I'm sure his son is a reflection of his intense passion for the game, and deep compassion and caring for people. 93 is a lot of years, and to think the life that went into those years makes it seem even more historic and legendary, and sad to me. My thoughts and prayers are with the Pistol and the Newell family at this time of great loss and grief.

I'm well aware that some of us on this list have already lost our fathers in one way or another. Some I also knew well and they were truly great men in their own right. It is a hard thing to face, knowing that no one lasts forever, not even the best ones, the ones we think will be there forever. But I guess we are still here to carry on their legacy as best we can, so their memories and goodness, even greatness, can live on in us.

Please take care.

Love,
--Scott;

picture is from the Sentinel, 2003

"Happy?" Halloween

"Happy?" Halloween!

I used to say that Halloween was my very favorite holiday. Christmas is too commercialized and too localized to just your immediate family on the BIG DAY when you open tons of presents at home under a beautiful tree that no one else sees but your family. It's too much sharing with too few people. Christmas involves sending Hallmark greeting carsds, too, which I am emphatically against for reasons I'll discuss at Christmastime. Halloween, on the other hand, is postage-free, and is a get out of the house, let your inhibitions go and dress up in a crazy outfit just like everyone else, decorate your house if you want, and prepare tons of sweets and candy for others. You get to see everyone else's costumes and enjoy the pageantry and parade, you get too feed your sweet tooth, and you can even do it anonymously but completely publicly if you're wearing the right costume. The Americanized version is just the best idea for a holiday, even though it's origins lie in All Saint's Eve and the Mexican Dia De Los Muertos.
My memories of Halloween are rich and wonderful. My first memory is my Mom dressing me up as the Jolly Green Giant. A costume based on a mythical spokesman for frozen foods and canned vegetables. Remember the commercial on TV and the jingle?
"In the valley of the Jolly
ho Ho HO
Green Giant!"
In elementary school days, we would run around the village neighborhood and collect tons of candy, filling our pillowcases with pounds of chocolate. Sweet! And then we'd be sure to make it to the Elm Hill School gym / cafeteria by ~9pm to get more goodies, see everyone else's costumes in the area, and watch a screening of classic cartoons such as Woody Woodpecker and the *?* Crows. What a madhouse the school was on that night. One big treat. Those were the days when people gave out handmade cookies, popcorn balls, candy apples and the like and you actually thought those were the best treats. Before the rumors fueled the fear of razor blades and pins in the apples, or poison in the popcorn, and people stopped trusting their lifelong neighbors. Ahh, the good ol' days - am I imagining this?
For many years as a teenager, I remember not really having my act together for a costume until the big day, so I'd always go as a "hobo" or a "bum". Pretty easy to throw together some old ripped up clothes and smudge on some black facepaint. Quick and easy and comfortable, but how lame was that!?
It was good for camouflage when we'd go out and steal jack o'lantern pumpkins and roll them down the steep Elm Hill that led right to the center of town. There were two parts to this annual ritual. One was the days leading up to Halloween when we'd get whole pumpkins, as yet uncarved, still plump and nice and heavy and full of punkin' guts and roll them down Elm Hill late at night. The goal was to have them roll fast, far and make a spectacular mess in the middle of the hill when they 'exploded' when the gourd's thick skin could no longer contain it's slimey contents and the velocity and momentum of the orange orb caused it to disintegrate into bits. Rolling pumpkins was great autumn right of passage like jumping in a pile of raked leaves or throwing snowballs at cars and pogey'ing in the winter.

Egg Throwing - I was never into egg throwing, but knew plenty of kids who were. My own mom got hit driving up Elm Hill one night. Her driver side window was down and she got hit with an egg right in the face. She made it home but was crying and was a mess. I think she went to the hospital. Her glasses and hair were covered in egg yolk. It was pretty scary.

Shaken, not stirred at the door. My scariest Halloween story.
One teenage year I was out Trick or Treatin' with friends. We were right across the street from Mike Davis' house. The house we approached was dark with no decorations. It was a tight squeeze at the top of the steps for all of us at the front door. I was squeezed in the back next to a black iron grate railing. For whatever reason we banged on the door over and over and rang the doorbell many times. No one answered. I moved to the front of our pack to try to peer into the darkened house and, BAM!, the door flew open and a huge old man reached out with both hands and grabbed me by the shoulders. He shouted "God damn you little bastards I'm gonna show you!" Our group scattered, but I was trapped, and he slammed me against the railing over and over again, screaming anger and venom at me. Somehow I ended up over the top of the railing and flipped over the other side into the bushes in front of the house. I was scratched up but FREE and I ran like crazy out of there. It took a long time before our group reassembled in various parts of that neighborhood. I was pretty shaken up, but had hung on tight to my pilowcase full of candy and didn't spill a thing. I never needed to gorge myself on comfort chocolate more than that night, and I'm sure the sugar buzz lasted for a few weeks after that.

I was a hobo that year. A couple of memorable times in later years, I really got creative and daring and actually came up with a cool costume.


Roosevelt Bouie - Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 1979



At Syracuse University in 1979, my freshman year in college, I had grown 2 inches and gained 20 pounds in the first two months of school (5'7+" to 5'9+", 135 to 155 pounds). This growth spurt was the result of a dining hall card that allowed me to eat ALL YOU CAN EAT for every meal, breakfast lunch and dinner. This included sneaking into the dining hall where the football team ate huge steak dinners on Friday nights before the games on Saturday. I also was not running around playing after school sports every single day like I did in high school. I also worked at the Sadler Snack Bar in the evenings flipping burgers and drinking my specialty milk shakes. I dreamed that I was on my way to growing into a Center for the famous SU hoops team. So my low-budget costume was to go as senior hoop star Roosevelt Bouie. He and Louis Orr made up the famous Bouie 'N Louie Show under coach Jim Boeheim. I had not only met him (really nice guy), but actually played against him - and guarded him!- in a pickup game and what a joke that was, but that's another story for another day. My costume was easily thrown together. A Go Orange t-shirt with a #50 on the back made with electrical tape (stapled on for good measure cause it kept peeling off), hoop shorts with black sweatpants underneath (it's cold in Syracuse on Oct. 31, my friends), and the piece de resistance - black face paint and my curly brown hair all afro'd and fluffed up. I carried my basketball for a prop - and ended up losing it - during a night that was full of scandalousness I'd rather not remember completely or at least not publicly. Yes, it was my ball that smashed the glass Playboy pinball machine in the Delplain Hall front lobby, but I wasn't the one who threw it. Honest. TILT!

.insert pic here of d'land shroom candle.

'Shrooms - 1980 at the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont.

I road the psilocybin pony for the first time - and got thrown off. I had blood like pure spring water (see the Coors beer commercials) and even low dosages of drugs had a drastic effect on me. I don't remember much from this evening actually. I was given some dry pieces of mushrooms and put them in a peanut butter sandwich and washed it down with keg beer. This was when the drinking age was 18 - I was 19. I wandered out of Simpson Hall over to a large rock along the side of the parking lot near the tennis courts. This rock was maybe twice my height, but I climbed up it and laid on top and stared up into a starry night sky. I can't remember if I was alone or not. It was cold, but I had this feeling of being outside my body. I'm usually a pretty hyper guy, but everything slowed waaaay down and I felt like I was on that rock for an eternity. I paid attention to every detail. I remember being amazed at how everything worked (who made these perfect shoes for me?!) and was awed by how all the pieces of the world didn't just come apart and crash into each other. Bright lights that I focused on had the effect of turning into negative images of themselves - bright to black, black to bright white. I made the mistake of tagging along with friends to go to downtown Burlington. At Last Chance, a dark basement of a dive bar, I wondered over to watch people play the latest craze - video games like Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Ms PacMan or Gallaga. When I focused on the fast, bright lights of one of the games, suddenly the negative imaging exploded on me and the brightness completely blinded me - like special effects they show in movies for a nuclear explosion. I remember my head physically snapping back like I'd been hit in the face, and I slowly, but surely lost my balance and started reeling all over the bar. Thankfully I was with good friends (Good Dougie!) who were watching out for me, and I was grabbed and set down in a chair in a corner... TILT! again.


'Damnit Jim' (Bones) O'Donnell, 'Big Doug' (Spock) Parker, 'Little Doug' (Cap'n Kirk) Madden, 'Scotty' (F?!) Harrison, Burlington, VT, 10/31/82. The Klingon shown is actual size after we put our phasers on shrink. Thanks for this pic go to J-O'D who finally figured out how to scan it in with his 1970' era tri-quarter reader.


Star Trek Crew vs. the Klingons - In 1982 at UVM, this was the best Halloween ever.

The pic above really tells it all. This was the year we lived at Rose Street and we were poor and made our own costumes out of yellow felt and tape, toy guns, action figure klingons and the one key costume purchase: Spock Ears for "Big" Doug Parker. I was engineer Scotty, of course, armed with a phaser and keeping a prisoner Klingon. Jim O'Donnell went as Dr. Bones McCoy, and had his old-school cassette player to take triquarter readings. Doug Madden was lady-killer Capt. Kirk, of course, armed with the perfect narcissist attitude to go with it. We were a hit everywhere we went. Late at night we met up with another ensemble costume group - a bunch of guys dressed up as Klingons! Their costumes were awesome, too, and I never did see their real faces and have no clue who they were. But they had cool props, including swords. So, on the sidewalk downtown in front of Rasputin's (or was it Texas - somewhere there), we ran into each other and spontaneously broke out into a mock battle just like in the TV show. I faced off with one Klingon with a sword and as he swung wildly, but always under control and intentionally just missing me, I jumped and ducked and dove out of the way. A big crowd circled around us as we ad-libbed a fantastic fight scene that would've made Gene Roddenberry smile. We just kept going with the flow and it was so surreal. Every move just fell into place and it felt and looked real. People were cheering and oohing and awing and it felt great to entertain so many people. I'll never forget the spontaneity and feeling of being in that zone with the other guy. I never did catch his name, but we can honestly say that we do our own stunts.



Pics - Tammy Farmer and the transgendered me at her aunt's house in Anchorage, AK. The blue dress was later used by some intern named Monica, and I later became mayor of Wasilla, AK and was nominated to be Vice President of the USA. (ok, last sentence is exaggerated).

Nylons and a Nice Blue Dress - Anchorage, Alaska 1983

In Alaska, there's something like twenty men for every woman. Odds aren't good for single guys, but I was lucky and met up with a fellow UVM grad, Tammy Farmer, up in the Great Land. She had an aunt and uncle who lived in Anchorage. I bought their 1967 Plymouth Valiant frozen into their driveway for $500 and fixed it all by my lonesome and put it on the road. But that's another story. For Halloween, Tammy and the aunt talked me into dressing up as a woman. We went to the Salvation Army and picked out a really nice blue dress and a pair of high heels that actually fit me nicely. This was pre-Monica Lewinsky mind you, so we didn't think to embellish the blue dress with presidential stain. Anyway, they gave me nylons and did my afro hair (no wig required) and make-up and lipstick. And of course we stuffed the breasts full of socks and I was built. Dare I say I was hot? The parties we went to were OK, and I had a good time, but check this out. I actually felt the eyes of guys at the parties staring, dare I say glaring, at me. And I remember thinking, I better not get too drunk tonight or I'll do something I'll regret. I had to walk carefully on the icy walkways in my high heels, too. That was rough. One short older guy actually came up to me and hit on me. I'm not sure he was kidding and it was getting really weird. I was thinking, where was my wing-man, I mean woman, when I needed her!? So it turned out to a pretty scary Halloween after all. It took some balls to do this, but I'd do it again. You know, Governor Palin has her Alaskan lipstick shtick, but I'd wear her Neiman Marcus wardrobe and show her who's boss any day, and twice on Sunday.




Pic - Some of the crew at the Waikiki Youth Hostel circa 1984. Greg, me (the mature one), Jenny, Sue W, Bob, Jacky, Andrew, Lisa, Lee. Missing: Sue "Heaps!" Parky. What a good looking bunch before the costumes came on...

Pic - an actual gokiburi hoihoi cockroach trap, as I remember it. Notice the roach waving from the window on the right.



Gokiburi Hoi Hoi- Honolulu, Hawaii 1984

I had the pleasure of spending Halloween in the International Youth Hostel just off Waikiki in Honolulu in 1984. The Aussies, South Africans, Irish, Welsh, Swedes, Canadians and other hard partying world travelers at the hostel were totally stoked to celebrate this uniquely American holiday. We made make-shift costumes and planned to hit the festive Waikiki bar scene. My costume was inspired by the ubiquitous cockroaches that shared the common kitchen area with us. I decided to be a cockroach trap (goki buri hoi hoi in Japanese). I wore a cut out black garbage bag body suit and made a tent shaped hat out of folded cardboard. Then I cut out a bunch of larger than life cockroach shaped pieces of cardboard (old pizza boxes) and taped them all over me. My imagination ended there, but the rest of the hostel gang took it to the next level, embellishing the 'trap' by sticking other random hostel detritus all over me. Real squashed insects and roaches, half-eaten donuts, pizza crust, cardboard shaped 'cocks' and real condoms, cigarettes butts and genuine pre-smoked home-grown Hawai'in 'roaches'. In preparation for the festivities to follow, lots of glue was slathered on the costume so we could add items as the night went on. Bar coasters, bottle caps, toiler paper, sea shells, Budweiser labels and fuzz and fur from other's costumes got tacked on as the night went on. Red face paint came out later and my face was decorated with images of cockroaches, as well as 'cocks' and 'roaches'. At one bar costume contest I actually won a prize which I vaguely remember was free pitchers of more beer for me and entourage. My memory gets awful fuzzy after that... I don't think I have a picture anywhere of this costume, but the image I have in my mind is certainly more elaborate and impressive than what it looked like in reality. It was hilarious (to us, at least) and that's all that matters.


Pic - chonmage wearing me and the crew at San Lucas in Ito.

Chonmage hachimaki bikeman - Tokyo, Japan 1987

In 1987, I was newly married and riding my Peugeot mountain bike every day from my Kawasaki apartment into work on Aoyma-dori in the heart of Tokyo. An easy 30 minute ride through congested traffic that beat riding the 真人電車 (manindensha) over-crowded rush-hour commuter trains that took just as long. I'd stop at a Fitness Center across the street and shower before going into my programming job at Nippon Ashton-Tate. Halloween was not big in Japan then, but when it rolled around I felt I had to do something. I had a chonmage skull cap that someone from the infamous San Lucas bar in Ito had given me the year before. The chonmage (pic above) is a traditional hair style worn by sumo wrestlers and samurai warriors with the head shave except for a very long center piece of hair heavily oiled and stacked up on top. To that I added my 日の丸 (hi no maru) red circle representing the Japan flag hachimaki. The hachimaki is a bandana often worn during times of battle to inspire the wearer to success. It was a staple during the war, of course, and in modern Japan is worn by rabid sports fans as well as high school students studying like crazy for the impossibly difficult Japanese college entrance examinations that will shape their future. My hachimaki had the Japanese characters 必勝 (hissho - 'must win' or more optimistically 'certain victory') printed on it. With the chonmage and hachimaki I wore a really tacky touristy t-shirt with a lavish picture of a Japanese geisha on it. OK, so I by weird stuff. Anyway, you get the picture. With little effort I was decked out and rode my bike into work. I had sunglasses on, too, as always to protect my eyes from the dust and exhaust from the road. As I rode in and passed the cars stuck in the interminable morning traffic jam I could feel the eyes on me. I'd slow down and stare into the cars at the bored but unsuspecting drivers and really enjoyed the looks on their faces. Of course they had no idea it was a Halloween costume holiday and they would gape in disbelief and surprise at the gaijin in the over-the-top get-up. At one stop light, I peered over at an unsuspecting salaryman who stared and then indiscretely reached over for the auto-lock button to lock himself safely in is car. I smiled my gaijin smile and got a kick out of it. But the best was yet to come... When I reached the office I kept my costume on and took the elevator alone up to the top third floor. When the elevator doors opened, standing right in front of me waiting to get on the elevator was a balding older Japanese gentleman I had never seen before. He froze, his jaw dropped open and he started shaking a little bit at the sight of me. I wasn't sure what to say so I blurted out "Trick or Treat!" in English. He obviously didn't get it, and he started shaking more. There were already some of my Japanese and American office mates in the room who glanced over and started laughing. So he laughed nervously, too. I took off my sunglasses and chonmage and shouted out the traditional morning office greeting of "Ohayou gozaimasu!" (good morning) and then added "Happy Halloween!". One of the Japanese employees rushed over and introduced me to the man, the owner of our office building and our landlord. Woops! Then they explained briefly the meaning of Halloween to the shaken landlord. He composed himself and then, with all the courage he could muster and his voice shaking he said in Japanese-English, "W-wo-wo-wondahfuru!" (wonderful) and we all burst out laughing. It was a classic gaijin moment for all of us.



My Kid's Costumes and the Santa Cruz Halloween experience -
- The Open Source Prisoner
- The Rasta WereWolf
- LRRH, Where's Wally in VT...
- cowboy, cop, batman, clown,
- Giraffe
- Ballerina Boy
- Dinosaur Boy
- Charlie Marley...

"Happy?" Halloween!
What a strange greeting. Wishing people happiness on a day that remembers and evokes death. Halloween in 2005 was like re-living nightmare for me.
Skeletons
Tombstones
Decaying body parts
Ghosts
This year Charlie Marley and Pippin aren't going to get to enjoy this 'best of the holidays'.

Related topic: stealing lawn ornaments and FOR SALE signs and decorating other's yards.

One Day At A Time...

One Day At A Time...

That's been my motto these last few years. You may know why.
Because that's really all we get.


Since my last post,
I had to witness another terrible terrible tragedy at Natural Bridges Beach. I left some flowers.

I shared some beers and a great talk with a lifelong friend from Elm Hill.

I consoled a dear friend in hard times at home back east. (spray painted for privacy)


I met an older guy named "Charlie" at Fast Eddie's Billiards who had a stroke a year ago and wasn't supposed to live, but did. He told me all about it and how after he recovered a bit he got his life in order and priorities straightened out. We watched the Red Sox fall behind early to the Rays and a nutcase started head-butting the plate glass window of the door of the bar... I had to go anyway.
Then I went home watched the Red Sox never give up.


I returned a lost purse to beautiful blonde.

I helped my dog stand up time and time again. And I'm wondering when it will be the last time.
I posted a ton of pics from the EV Rally and my own VoltsRabbit so you can gorge yourself on pics at those links.
I drove my EV and but I need to get a ton of stuff done at work and at home...
and I find myself feeling helpless but just wanting to help...

The Sky Is Falling

Wow. What a couple of weeks. Biden did great in the VP debate, and all the "Moose in the headlights" could do was shout "I'm not going to answer that question. I'm a hockey Maverick, you betcha!" and wink. Sad. Obama-Biden has now opened up a bigger lead in the polls and taking some swing states. We may (should) have a landslide. Bush-Cheney is leaving a disaster for the next administration and generation. Sorry, kids, I didn't vote for them.

My own 401K's have shaved off 15% in the past week or so. Ouch!
Hi-tech layoffs are just starting to ratchet up, too. It's time to really buckle down!

Thus, I plan to put more time into the EV and drive more EV miles - if the battery pack can hack it. Here's what's new on the EV front:

• New dog dish hub caps installed to give it a slightly less 'junk car' look.(ebay)
• Vintage VW car stereo is on order. (ebay)
• Books arrived to 'paint your own car' on a budget (amazon). Bought a vintage 1979 VW Rabbit brochure as well (see above). (ebay)
• Bought a new charging cable and plug. - not sure I need the plug. (osh)
• Bought safety glasses and industrial strength chemical gloves. (osh) Finally, added almost 2 gallons of distilled water to the batteries which means they were probably too low... grimace. "Full" voltage is now looking like 80% instead of 85%. Shucks.
• Estimate from Andy at falconev dot calm for 96V LiFePO battery pack is "about $15K". Hopefully that gets cut in half in two years.
• Still debating getting a paktrakr or pakcheq'r. Cost is in the hundreds.
• All the while, the bailout bill allows for up to $7,500 in federal rebates for EVs of "production quality". They should include conversions, but Detroit won't get a nickel of those - consume and waste - that's what this economy thrives on. Screw that!!! It should be reduce, re-use, recycle or do without.
  

Here are some sites of interest:

• Vatican installs solar panels. Finally, a prayer from above answered!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080929/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_going_solar_1

• A good build an EV rabbit blog.

http://electriclittlecar.blogspot.com/
http://www.usabuiltev.com/

• Some VW rabbit 1979 history. Looks like mine is a C package with the L package enhancmements, a Wolfsburg edition built in Germany with all the trimmings. Nice!

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Overview-c7082-1979-Rabbit.html
Stupid loud ICE Rabbit video: http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/v-1979-Rabbit-c7082

quoted from above:
""

CarGurus' 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit Review

The 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit was the first VW made in America, at a new plant in western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. In fact, the '79 Rabbits were the first European cars produced in the U.S., and demand was high for the high-mileage vehicles, especially at a time when a gas crisis was pushing up prices at the pump.

One of the most noticeable changes for the American-made Rabbit was the use of square headlights in a black grille, instead of round headlights. New trim packages were also available for 1979, with a Rabbit C and a Rabbit L joining the basic Rabbit in the lineup.

The Rabbit C package was equipped with an AM/FM radio, a color-coordinated interior, reclining front seats, a rear window defogger, and a day/night rearview mirror, while the Rabbit L package added such features as a wood-grained dash, special moldings on the windows and hatch, and a lockable glovebox. In addition, several other special packages were available, including the Rallye Package, an Air Conditioning Package, and a Custom Exterior Package. Plus, the Rabbit was available in a number of new colors for '79.

Standard power for the Rabbit was a 1.5-liter overhead-cam four-cylinder engine that generated 71 horsepower. A 1.5-liter diesel engine (made in Germany) was also available. MacPherson struts, large disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, four-wheel independent suspension, and energy-absorbing bumpers were all standard equipment.

The 1979 Rabbit was generally very popular with drivers, particularly the diesel models, which were especially appreciated for their high gas mileage at a time when gas prices were soaring

""

• Another EV rabbit site:

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/viewArticle.action?site=62888

• Another EV rabbit site, nice exterior. Decided not to sell for $9,000. In SoCAl.
  

http://www.foxyresearch.com/rabbit/

• A Rav 4 site: excellent details:

http://evnut.com/rav_data.htm

• EV Calculator

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/8679/evcalc.html

• EV FAQ (must read):

http://www.evparts.com/page-FAQ.htm

Debate!

• That's no EV truck, either.
• Don't miss the historical debate tonight. McCain is history.
• My EV is still running fine. Need to water and balance the batteries, though.
• Simon and I are going to paint this bunny, and I've ordered the "How To Paint A Car" books to prove it. We're thinking yellow with green leaves instead of flames. Should be fun!

VoltsRabbit - Week 3 - Tesla, Vasoline, "Gas" caps, Skunks

This is not my car. But it makes me hot. The incredibly sexy Tesla Roadster above is parked in a field in San Jose which is the future home of the Tesla factory! Tesla announced it this week, and they plan to build a sedan and sell it for $60,000. General Motors also said they're going to start selling their Volt EV in 2010 for $30,000. Some guy in Santa Cruz is selling his RAV4-EV for $45,000. As Huggz would say, "WTF, mate?"



I'm now up to 150 oil and gas free miles in two weeks! At this rate the car will completely pay for itself in less than two years. But remember - it's NOT about the money. It's about the clean air, quiet ride, stopping the greenhouse effect, sustainable energy, energy independence and global peace. But if it's all about the money to you, then...

• The bumper sticker above is available for sale on www.cafepress.com. There are more subtle ones butt what the hey.
  
• Got a wiper blade and gas cap at Volks cafe on Soquel Drive. Those guys are awesome.
  
• Got a side view mirror on Ebay.
• Joined a bunch of Yahoo! groups on EV's, we'll see which ones are useful. Need to find out more about the Zivan NG1 charger's blinking yellow (or is it green?!) light. Also trolled the evalbums for other Rabbit EV conversion owners who might help me out.
  
• Couldn't show it off, as requested, at the Green Seminar at the Boardwalk on Friday cause I had to work.
• Investigating the Paktrakr to better monitor the batteries.
• Almost got run over on Hiway 1 when a huge Escalade tried to merge behind me and there was no juice to accelerate at 55mph to pull ahead of him. Dude!
• This is really wild. Scared off a skunk and then a raccoon raiding the garbage can late at night when I went out to check the charger.
• The new DMV title arrived! I'm so proud.
  
• Took a BUNCH of pics of the VoltsRabbit and at the Annual EV Rally, but need to upload them on picassa... stay tuned.
  
• Attending the eaaev.org monthly meeting tomorrow...
  

VoltsRabbit , Week 2. Zero Gas + Zero Emissions + Zero Oil Wars = ICELESS! and Ur So Gay!

Went to DMV and got the registration done, ICELESS plates ordered, and ZEV stickers ordered. ICELESS means no Internal Combustion Engine, of course. Plates take 8-10 weeks. Zero emission vehicle stickers will allow me to drive the EV in the carpool lanes over in San Jose solo - if and when I ever get the range to be able to actually do that. I am lucky enough to already have hybrid stickers on my 2001 Prius. No hassles at DMV about "where's the smog certificate?!" Went pretty smoothly actually.

Equipment:
I ordered a passenger side view mirror online on Amazon. Bought a gas cap for a 79 Rabbit at Volks cafe but it doesn't fit. Need to cover the plug somehow. Bought a AM/FM portable transistor radio for $5. Poor man's stereo system. Gets KPIG just fine.

Driving:
Total of 60 miles on her so far. The charger still blinks yellow. Not sure if we're truly fully charged yet or not. Need to water the batteries and get someone to help me debug this. Tracking the trip mileage, state of charge, and # charges and hope that will help me figure out what is FULL and EMPTY and the realistic range at this point.

Online:
Took a bunch of pics. Will post those on my picassa site, too, along with the EV Rally.

Contacted Will Beckett about joining the Central Coast EAA. He asked if I could show the VoltsRabbit at the Boardwalk on Sept 19. I said she ain't pretty but I'd be happy to do it. She could sure use a wash, wax and vacuuming!

Will go to the Silicon Valley EAA meeting on Sat. Sept 20, 2008 at 10am to make some contacts.

Links:
Sources for VW rabbit 79 gas cap(?):
http://shop.autopartsfair.com/basket.php?add_item_id=121451
http://www.car-stuff.com/carparts/volkswagenrabbit19761979stantst10816317980.html
http://theserviceadvisor.com/part/fuelbestvolkswagen/itemv7989_82494yoz.html




My evalbum page:
http://www.evalbum.com/2041

Long list of new tech battery co's:
http://www.aortacity.se/Items/Li-jonTillverkare.htm

lifepo4 batts:
http://www.falconev.com

Better Place:
http://www.betterplace.com/our-bold-plan/

Katy Perry's song "Ur so gay" where she disses vegetarianism and "electrical cars" (!).
http://www.metrolyrics.com/ur-so-gay-lyrics-katy-perry.html
Not that there's anything wrong with that...

and the rebuttal! Electric Car SONG! see the song here:
http://www.myspace.com/trudeelunden
Cool!

“ELECTRICITY”
Written by Trudee Lunden, Tom Fair & Michael H. Gaytan
Performed by Tom Fair "Extraordinaire"

This is the hour and we’ve got the power
So let’s keep building electric cars

Motors are racing - this dream’s worth chasing
Around the corner - the new superstars

Electricity it’s almighty energy
Electricity driving new technology
Electricity charging up my battery
Tesla and Aptera
Green as aloe vera
Plug in any socket
You’ll take off like a rocket

Down to the wire we can’t quit or tire
The road’s wide open to ride for miles

Wheels are in motion ocean to ocean
Speed into the future moving along in style

Electricity it’s almighty energy
Electricity driving new technology
Electricity charging up my battery
Muscle you can measure
Maximize your pleasure
Pedal down and push it hard
Cruising on the boulevard

Electric fever
Makes you a believer
Step right up and try it
Don’t you start a riot!

Electricity it’s almighty energy
Electricity driving new technology
Electricity charging up my battery

(Fade out)

© 2008 by Trudee Lunden, Scaramouche Music

VoltsRabbit - Week 1

Misc:
Used my AAA Plus account to tow the EV 70 miles from Oakland to Santa Cruz for free.
Sweet.

EVonline:

• Created an evalbum page for the AMP HARE. Check it out. Will add pictures there as we go.
• Joined the Electric Auto Assoc. of Silicon Valley Yahoo group. Wonder if Google has one more active?
• Attended the EV Rally in Palo Alto. Took a lot of car pics to post on Picasa. Made some good contacts with Doug (Charger) and Jim Ramos (US Battery).
• Here's a good cheat sheet on electricity basics - how electricity is measured, stored, moves and works. The water analogy is particularly useful.
  

Driving:
The e-stick so far isn't hard, but no optimized, yet. Mushy brakes aren't comfortable, but drove the 16 mile roundtrip to Capitola with no problems. Sweet.

Charging:
First few days of charging it resulted in a blinking yellow light on the Zivan NG1 charger. Manual says it's "thermal sensor" warning after only an hour. Hmmm... too hot? no fan? Previous owner Nic doesn't know. Need to call the Zivan people, and ask some folks for help. Charging on flat surface and not in sloped driveway helped charge time extend to > 5 hours.

Next Steps:
DMV tomorrow to transfer the title. AAA to get it insured. Water the batts. Clean it up and fix misc things missing: "gas" cap, hubcaps, stereo, antennae, passenger side mirror, vent window handles, windshield washer, bumper pads, back door on driver side is stuck closed, charger base, spare tire. Pick n pull here I come...

Voltsrabbit - FOUND!

On Thursday, 8/28, at 9am I searched the SF Bay Area Craigslist cars & trucks section for "electric vehicles" and found this ad. (copied below, since it's probably removed by the time you read this).

I sent an email, but was afraid to lose out, so I called Nic directly.
He said he could sell it to people who didn't know anything about EVs, but didn't want to.
I told him what I knew about EVs - and that I'd take it for his asking price and would drive up to pay him. He said OK, but he was out of town over Labor Day weekend. He said to come Tuesday night.
I'm going to pick up my EV tomorrow!
I'm so excited!

SF bay area craigslist > east bay > cars & trucks - by owner

Voltsrabbit Electric Vehicle Conversion - $4500 (oakland lake merritt / grand)

---

Reply to: sale-814898845@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-08-27, 12:22AM PDT


1979 VW Rabbit professionally converted into fully electric
4 doors, seats 4
Power-assisted brakes
96V lead-acid battery pack (8 in front, 8 in back)
Brand new Zivan NG-1 Charger
Curtis controller
DC/DC converter
Plugs into any outlet
Max range: 50-60 miles
Runs great!
No gas, no oil, no tune-ups, ever!

Contact Nic at 510.377.bacdxxxx

Timeline

diary/blog for family and friends:
Jan - Misao's MLK Day accident...
Feb - (Chopey bday trip canceled)
Mar -
Apr -
May -
June - Trip East. Simon's Performances. Charlie's class graduation.
July - Ariba restructuring.
Aug - SF Half Marathon. SF Stepology vacation.
Sep - Back to school. VoltsRabbit purchase.
Oct -
Nov - Election
Dec -

to do:
Audiobooks: Know-It-All. No Death No Fear.
Books: Creativity. The Thing About Life.
Movies: Batman, Eagle v Shark, Roots
Music: Katy Perry - ugh - Ur gay. CDs from Mark.
Sports: Olympics vball, Redeem Team, Dropping the baton, etc
Exercise: Hoops, run, (bike)
Health:
Mortality: obits, ALS sickness,
Solar: Stats*
Prius: Stats*
Electric Car: VoltsRabbit
Politics:
Money: zillow, solar & battery stocks,
Calendar: birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Learning: writing, Spanish, electricity, h2 car,
Writing: Autobiography-old. -new. Kids stories. fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir,
Teaching: ?Japanese?, Alternative energy, Programming, Personal finance,


* copy old yahoo! blog contents somewhere...

Running in 2008

In Loving Memory of my son and running partner,
Charlie "Chuck Huggz" Harrison











This year's plan was to try to do 75% of Hal Higdon's running regime, and play hoops two or three times a week. One run during the week and organized runs on the weekends. I'm not going nuts like this guy, Adam Blum.

My (dis)organized run schedule, and what really happened:
Date, Run, Distance, (goal time)
========================
2/3/08 SuperBowl 10K, 3K - DNS (did not start =scratch). Not ready.


4/6/08 Sunday - Presidio 10, 10K @ 57:32, in memory of Ashlyn Dyer, too. (see my tribute on Stories at her site link). 4/13/08 Sunday - Santa Cruz, 10K @ 53:23 as bandit. Kee ran the Half in 2:11 (!). 4/19/08 Saturday - UCSC Slug Run, 10K @ ~58:00? behind Mav and P. Back and hip in pain. Not promising and not training...


4/27/08 Sunday - Long Marine Lab 10K @ 56:36 with Mav behind P. Right leg and hip numb. Right leg shin splints hurt, too. 5/3/08 Saturday - (r) Pat's Run, 4.2 Miler @ 1:37:56 Walked it due to shin splints and hip. 5/10/08 Saturday - Mt. View Human Race, 10K Walked the 5K only. Tender.

5/11/08 Sunday - Watsonville Homeless Shelter, 10K (Charlie would run this one!). DNS.

5/18/08 Sunday - (r) SF Bay To Breakers 12K (Charlie would run this one!). Got on the train but never made it to the starting line. Long story involved Santa Clara U. and Smirnoff.
5/24/08 Saturday - Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras 10k (<~50 min?) DNS. 6/1/08 Sunday - Practice Dipsea 6.8 Miler (Mill Valley, tentative) . DNS.

6/7/08 Saturday - (r) Nisene Marks Half Marathon (<~2 hours). DNS. Pre-paid the fee, but simply was in no shape to run this one. This means that any hope of running the FULL SF marathon is probably out the door.
6/15/08 Sunday - CRY 10k Mtn View (tentative) DNS. 6/21/08 Saturday - Pacifica Trail Run, 9K, 21K, 30K, 50K (tentative only - dance day)

7/4/08 Friday - SC Firecracker 10K (or the Angel Island run below?). DNS. I should've at least tried to run this. Still not in shape. Recovering from the Vermont trip.

7/5/08 Saturday - Angel Island, 8K, 16K, 25K, 50K (tentative longest run). DNS.

7/13/08 Sunday - Los Gatos Jungle Run Half Marathon (<~2 hours) . Pre-paid for this one so I showed up to see if I could run a half marathon (13.1) completely cold with virtually no running training at all for the past three months. I ran the first 6 miles in 62 minutes, but fell in and started talking with a slower runner at that point. My calf cramped at 10 miles and walked/jogged the last 3 miles. Finished in 2:25, 25 minutes slower than in 2007 when I ran a pretty strong race in exactly 2 hours. Bummer, but I finished.

7/27/08 Sunday - (r) Wharf to Wharf 6 Miler with Simon. Pre-paid. The gun time at mile one was 20 minutes. We ran the whole way but somehow a lot slower than in 2007. I figure our tru running time was about 1:16. ScottP and Greta gave us a ride home. That was key.

8/3/08 Sunday - SF Marathon 26.2 Miles (4:30). Pre-paid. The day before I downgraded to the Half Marathon. Ran the 1st half that goes over the Golden Gate bridge. My new bib # put me in the very last wave of runners (8) starting, so I was starting with walkers and joggers and first-timers just hoping to finish. I actually felt OK and must have passed thousands of runners in the first 10 miles. My right knee swelled up at the 10 mile mark, so I was basically running on one leg from then. I lost my wind but still finished in 2:17, which is at least better than the LG Jungle Run. All in all, survived with no serious injury and did much better than I could have hoped. No way could I have run the Full marathon on this day! Maybe next year - but maybe not. Long distance running may be too hard on my bow legs, HS football injured knee, bad hip and chronic back problems. Maybe I should stick to hoops, some 5k's and 10k's and ride the bike some more. Charlie would be cool with that.

---
further possibilities...

August 9, 2008 Saturday - Dammit Run
8/17/08 Sunday - Felton Race Through the Redwoods 10K
9/27/08 Saturday - SC Mountain PCTR 10K, 21K, 29K, 50K (3:30 don't bonk!!!)
10/4/08 Saturday - Angel Island 8K, 16K, 25K, 50K
10/4/08 Big Sur Half Marathon, Marathon, 5 Miler
10/5/08 San Jose Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon
10/26/08 Silicon Valley Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K

--- Pics and Run Recaps ---


The San Francisco Half Marathon. What a goof-ball face. I'm feeling good at this point, (7 or 8 mile mark), coming back over the bridge and still passing lots of people.












The 2008 Wharf to Wharf with Simon. He is giving the "buck" sign and wearing his "Never Stop Believing" Santa Claus shirt. I'm giving the Mama forehead salute and wearing Charlie's memorial shirt. We're about to finish really strong.














The Presidio 10 mile or 10K on 4/6/08, coming back from the run across the Golden Gate Bridge. I knew Charlie would've loved to be there especially the great live music at the end. When I learned of the tragic loss of Ashlyn I knew I had meet her parents. I sent a tribute to her, and Ashlyn's spirit and goodness lives on. Next year I'll find out how to get an orange shirt...















The Santa Cruz Half Marathon and 10K on 4/12/08. It was HOT and the race was sold out, so I had to run as a 'bandit' (no bib # or official time). I ran the 10K with the turnaround right in front of my house. I found a bib in the garbage afterward and traded it in for a t-shirt and medal. I think Charlie would be proud of that move! My colleague from Ariba, Keeyoung, ran the Half in 2:11. Not too shabby, Kee!




---
Last 2007 year results.... (can be found from http://www.zinsli.com/)

Quintana Castle Construction

A man's home is his castle. My castle needs the moat cleaned and the alligators, at least the squirrels, tamed. The drawbridge I installed myself needs adjusting or it won't close unless you hold the button down. There is just always something to do. Here's my stab at a prioritized list. I will attempt to complete all of these in calendar year 2008. We've lived here since 1996. Time for an upgrade.

Done:

1. Gutters cleaned 3/4 of house. - done 2/16

To Do:

1. Heating duct over 1F hallway replaced. - HIGH


2. 2F shared bathroom: replace floor, replace tub(?), replace sink cabinets(?) - HIGH


3. Paint front door (rust spots) - HIGH


4. Replace, clean windows on 2F.


5. Sell Rabbit.


6. Gutters clean 1/4 of house near solar panels. - need 2 story ladder.
   Squirrel nest removed from gutters near solar panels. - (see raining squirrel story)




8. Clean garage, paint drywall white, put down faux shop floor (Kragen).


9. Lattice-top the fence around the property.
   Plant fruit / plum trees around house.


10. Prune large tree out front.


11. Replace grass with sustainable landscaping.


12. Video and doc house contents for insurance purposes.


13. Replace fire sprinklers.


14. Replace carpet / flooring throughout house, esp downstairs living area.


15. Paint inside of house, esp downstairs living area. + Wainscot, molding?


16. Replace gas h20 heater with insulated electric (or tankless) heater. - tank u very much. =tax deduction?$


17. Dream 1: Build deck over garage, outside window of 2F bedroom.


18. Dream 2: It's possible to add 3 bedrooms and rent them out: 1 off the kitchen (+ sunroom into back patio), 1 replacing the 'dining' room (+ sunroom into back patio), 1 as part of the garage (or make it an 'office'). This would pay the mortgage and prop taxes.


19. Oh yeah, adjust the garage door closer...