Author Archives: Joel

It’s not me, it’s you. Goodbye, Polar. I’m moving on to Garmin

It’s been a three years since I started using Polar products — I started using the Polar H10 chest strap in 2017 only for bike rides and other outdoor exercise, and then got a Polar A370 watch in 2018 for … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Where does he get those wonderful toys? I have the Batmobile and the Batwing.

My wife bought me the Lego 1989 Batwing for Christmas. I love that woman. Considering that I recently put together the 1989 Batman Batmobile, this is an awesome set to own and put on display. There are 2,363 pieces – … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Due to recent events, the Ipes upgraded our physical security controls

Recently, our part of town has been the subject of what appears to be two amateur thieves attempting to break into unlocked cars and at least one house. Thieves trying cars near our neighborhood? Disconcerting, to say the least. These … Continue reading

Posted in News, Technology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Batmobile is done, and I’m ready to ride to Gotham’s rescue

We finished the Batmobile! I ended up completing most of it, and the kids jumped at times to help. Surprisingly, we were missing one small piece, but a friend/neighbor had an extra piece from prior Lego projects, and he came … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Outdoor Christmas decorations and new landscape lighting

Last weekend, it took a family effort to decorate the exterior for Christmas. But, we did it! Okay, we skipped the lawn decorations this year, but we can live without them. Some news – earlier this month, I had one … Continue reading

Posted in Family, News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Garage clean-up and reorganization project continues

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

9th month of the pandemic and the end of my cycling season – 153.1 miles biking and running in November

Folks, that’s a wrap on the 2020 cycling season. While I will continue to hit the gym in December, I hung up the bike for the year. In November, I mostly ran at the gym, but I was able to … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Tagged | Leave a comment

Our Lego project for 2020 – the 1989 Batmobile

I may be in my mid-40s but I still love Legos. The kids and I have worked on Lego projects on and off for a few years. Our last Lego set was Voltron in 2018. For some reason, we skipped last … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Our new Lutron Serena shades are here, installed, and awesome

After waiting 2 years (Dec 2018 – Feb 2020) for us to paint the house interior, 7 months (February – September) to research best options for blinds and save up the money, and 6 weeks for delivery & install, our family … Continue reading

Posted in News, Technology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Our latest room renovation project – the home office

In February, we decided to renovate the home office. This has been a long time coming. In 2016 (two years after we moved in), we invested by installing recessed lights in the office. That was a huge improvement, because all … Continue reading

Posted in News, Personal | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment