:: Trying to keep track of it all... ::

:: 8.23.2008 ::

Where the hell have you been?!

So there's been a bit of a hiatus here at bigblackvan.com while we plodded along and worked on the house and the boat and uh, work.
There was never really anything to report, so I got bored.
Well, here's the next step in the evolution.

Meat.

Is it a step forward or step back, who knows. Really, who cares...
Anyway, here's the back story.

Last winter I bought a smoker, mostly because I couldn't get as much smoked salmon as I wanted without going completely broke. ($18.99 a pound!) So I wandered around the endless aisles of Ebay until I found a scratch and dent great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Series Propane smoker. Got it for $6.00, plus $30.00 shipping.


Not too bad.

Got the scratched and dented box via UPS and put it together. I straightened the bent bits fixed the broken bits (took me all of 15 minutes) an gave it a try. Love it! Totally hooked.
So since last winter I've smoked pork ribs, pork loins and tons and tons of salmon.
I never really kept good track of my recipes and whatnot, so I've had mixed success. Its all good, and it all got eaten, but some was definitely better than others. So instead of continuing to shoot in the dark, I thought I should start keeping a smoking log... or blog... or smlog.

So here it is.

Welcome to my smlog.

:: Zachary 12:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

Just back from Alaska

Had to go to Alaska for work recently.
Never been before. Pretty neat.
Spent about a week in Ketchikan working on a boat that had run aground.
Needed some mechanical work and a lot of fiberglass repair (thankfully not my dept).

Took the ferry from Bellingham to Ketchikan. Took 3 days. Kinda like a mini-cruise.
Except no cabin, so we had to sleep in sleeping bags wherever. Some people duct-taped tents to the aft outside decks.
Was still fun though.

Ketchikan was interesting. Pop. 8200 and only 26 miles of roads.
The only way in or out is by boat or plane. No highways, and no way to get to the next town by car. I guess the mountains and the ice fields kinda get in the way.

Will probably have to go back in a couple of weeks for sea trials.
Here are a couple of pics of note:




Thats Rob the carpenter and Dave the fiberglasser. My two coworkers.


Nice view of the inside passage.


Approaching Ketchikan.


Ketchikan and the surrounding mountains.


Theres the ferry.


Picture of some of the damage. This is the starboard side roll stabilizer. Keeps the boat a little more stable so that the passengers dont get seasick. Its not supposed to go into the hull like that.


Heres the hole left behind after I removed the stabilizer.


Heres the hole from the inside after Rob the carpenter removed all the woodwork and Zach the mechanic removed the hydraulics and the guts of the stabilizer. Now Dave the fiberglasser can get to work making the hole go away.


Thats it!

:: Zachary 5:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

awww... how cute. (retch)

Heres a cute pic I found the other day.
This is from Thanksgiving-ish when we unstepped the mast on our boat.
Just thought I'd share.

:: Zachary 6:12:00 PM [+] ::
...

My keyoard ha rapped out.

ooted up the old omputer thi morning to type omething up and notied that a ouple of the key weren't working.
ee if you an gue whih one hae gone tit up.
It tarted with the and the and then a the day progreed it moed onto more and more.
The tupid thing i thi keyoard i only aout a year old.
Mirooft Natural Elite. $45.00 well pent!

What a pain in my a!
Dammit...

:: Zachary 4:33:00 PM [+] ::
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Can't jinx it...

Went to qwest.com this morning for my once monthly DSL availability check.
Been doing it for over a year now. Same response every time.
Not available.
Not available.
Not available.

But this morning I got something different...



Technically, it's still not available, but what is that I see glimmering over the horizon? Could it be a tiny ray of hope?
Could this be the end of my internet exile (24.0 kbps dial-up for the past 16 months. You try it.)
Can't jinx it. Must not get hopes up.
Must keep silent and pretend I didn't see anything at all. Will continue on as I always have crawling through the darkness of this internet hellscape.
I see nothing....



My own personal torture...

:: Zachary 6:00:00 PM [+] ::
...