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Early this morning a series of wild storms pummeled our city with strong winds, torrential rain, intense thunder and the most spectacular lightning I’ve ever seen in my life. The storms lasted over 3 hours. I thought for sure that hail would be next, maybe even a funnel or tornado, but thankfully that nastiness bypassed us. We were in the trailer watching the show. Unbelievable lightning! Wish I had pictures to show you all. The scene was better than any fireworks show I’ve ever seen and constantly lit up the sky until about 5 am. While we were oooh-ing and ahhh-ing, the dog shivered and snuggled right in between us. Needless to say, we didn’t get to sleep until after 5 am. Feeling very sluggish today.

There’s another storm warning tonight. Although the show this morning was amazing, it’s humid as hell today and poor Brad is sweating to death in the sweltering heat. The garage is well over 100 degrees today thanks to this morning’s torrential downpour. It’s not often that we get such intense storms that last hours. He’s almost done sorting the piles of parts into buckets and organizing them on shelves. He’s building a small desk in his office area today, then it’s a matter of cleaning up the floor and he’s done. What a job! Who else would insulate a garage in the sweltering heat? Um, you-know-who!

Mid-last week, we captured four baby mice that had made their way into our house, or probably born somewhere in the attic, the basement, walls, wherever. We never did find the nest, but we did catch them by hand over a two hour period. Two in the kitchen and two in the back porch. The poor things were weak, barely had their eyes open and starving. Something must have happened to their mom for the little tykes to go out foraging for food on their own, when their eyes were barely open. The mouse rescue had begun!

We took our 30 gallon empty aquarium and converted it into a mouse hospital with sleeping areas, obstacle course, cardboard tubes and a feeding area. They chowed down on oats, fruit, seeds, bread, mango peels and dried dog food, basically the kind of food they’ve been accustomed to when their mom foraged for them. We estimated they were about 2 weeks old and might not have been weaned yet, so we bought a can of kitten formula and hand fed them with a dropper.

One of the quartet, Mr. Cranky, wasn’t fussy on being held, but the other three have been quite content to be pet, fed and handled once in awhile. We plan on releasing them this week or next week in a forested area away from buildings. So, our role as foster parents has kept us amused for the past week and researching the lifecycle of a mouse, diet, health issues, breeding, etc. They really are remarkable creatures. Problem is that does about 2 months old can get pregnant and have a little of 5 to 12 babies! They can go into heat and breed again about 24 hours after giving birth. Yikes! That’s too many kids to look after. It’s been interesting and fun, but time for them to go.

Besides all of that, Sparky the electric minibike will be completed in August, as we’re still waiting for some parts to come in.

The Gladiator tandem trike will be next, and we’re working on putting together some Evil Genius project kits this fall.

The garden has been growing like crazy and we should have corn on the cob in about 2 weeks or so. We’ve already been enjoying peas, swiss chard, beets and beans. Tomatoes are ripening daily and the carrots and peppers should be ready for picking in about three weeks. The rain this morning was awesome and definitely needed. I’ll bet the lightning didn’t help the forest fire situation any, though.

Well, back to the grind and sit in front of the fan for awhile. It’s going to be another hot, humid week, so we might as well get used to it. I’m not complaining, mind you. In six months, people will be complaining that it’s –30. Summer is short, so get out there and enjoy it!

 

Hot, hot, hot!

This entry is going to be short and sweet. Way too hot to be sitting here in this sauna-like house. Another great weekend. I like hot weather, but the humidity here just knocks the wind out of your sails. Yesterday was sunny and +35°C, but with the humidity it was over +40°C. 

Anxiously waiting updates on another severe storm that is expected to arrive in our region tonight. This is the weather warning posted by Environment Canada:

THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTING. CONDITIONS ARE ALSO CONDUCIVE TO TORNADO DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS A WARNING THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. REMEMBER SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE TORNADOES. LISTEN FOR UPDATED WARNINGS.

Nice. It's now 11 pm and nothing yet, but there are some ugly clouds moving in fast from the southwest. Uh-oh.

It's sunny and +31°C. It's going to be a scorcher today.

Well, we couldn't wait any longer. Saw Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest last night. The line-ups were insane. Had to get there almost an hour before the show started just to get seats. Wow! Words can't describe this movie. It thought the first one was awesome, but this one is just as amazing, maybe more. Johnny Depp is perfect in his role as Captain Jack. There are so many funny scenes you'll end up laughing through at least half of the movie. Again, the special effects and action were outstanding, excellent story, amazing acting. Can't say anything bad about this one. This is definitely a must-see-at-the-theatre movie. Don't wait until it comes out on DVD. Gotta see it on the big screen.

Other great movies we've seen lately: Munich, Syriana, The Constant Gardener, Failure to Launch, Nacho Libre, The Pink Panther, 16 Blocks, Firewall, Hotel Rwanda.

Don't forget - Saturday, July 15 starting at 11 am is the bike/kustom cruise organized by the cool folks at the Freakbike Militia Golden Horseshoe Cruisers of Hamilton, Ontario. For more info., contact YyzMec@hotmail.com or www.chopperbicycle.net or scroll down this page to the May 23 entry to see the flyer. Cheers dudes! Have a great time and make sure you send us some pics!

It's sunny and +20°C. Not too hot and not too cool, makes working in the yard and garage bearable. Sparky is coming along very well. The frame is almost done. This little electric minibike is going to be so cool! It will be done by the end of this month. Stay tuned here and in the forums for more updates.

Saw Superman Returns over the weekend at the theatre. I'm not a huge fan, but have to admit, seeing it on the big screen was worth the $7.50. I liked the storyline and the effects were something else!

After the movie we went to a cafe and had the best pretzels ever! They are made by Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels located in Chicago. They were the best! I had a stuffed pizza and Brad had the stuffed apple cinnamon. I don't think they're sold in stores here - yet. Yep, I'd buy a case of them! Check out their site. Their Pretzels for Peace initiative supports organizations that promote peace, educate children on diversity, make a positive difference and fight all forms of bigotry and discrimination. Great company and great commitment to help make the world a better place for all of us. Atomic Zombie salutes Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels and Pretzels for Peace!

Maybe we'll see Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest next. "Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann engage in another rip roaring sea adventure because Jack's life is in danger with supernatural warriors, led by the legendary Davey Jones." Oooohh, that's gonna be a good one! I liked Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom in the first Pirates movie. In fact, I think we just rented it recently.

No more 4 am bedtimes for awhile. I feel a little odd today. Not much else to report on today, so outside I go to weed the gardens again. Looks like the rest of the week and weekend are going to be sunny and warm. Let's hope so.

Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines web stats for June 2006

It's 3:30 am and I have no idea what the temperature is. Had a jumbo coffee a couple of hours ago and we're still wide awake. We thought it would be fun to post a questionnaire about ourselves here about some of our personal stats. Hope you enjoy learning a bit more about us.

It's sunny and +30°C. Another week is coming to end. Where does the time go? Having Monday off made this week feel short. Hope that everyone had a safe long weekend celebrating Canada Day and Independence Day.

Pretty impressed that we got the Ucan2 handcycle project finished and available for download late last night. Brad spent about 15 hours formatting the pictures and writing the project. We seem to be very efficient these days, even pulling off 12-16 hour days and still managing to catch some sleep in between.

Next on the project To Do list is Sparky the electric minibike. The first Sparky built in 2003 was a blast to ride, but it really did have some sparking issues after a certain amount of operating time, hence the name. The new and improved Sparky will have a sleek yet compact and functional body design, improved steering and braking systems and other features to make it safer, functional, fun and funky.

Stay tuned to the forums and here for more updates and announcements. Time to sit in front of the fan for awhile and cool off. Dang, it's hot!

It's partly cloudy and +23°C. We're back and well rested after the long weekend. It rained quite a bit on Saturday and Sunday, torrential at times, but our "Duct Tape Palace" (aka tent trailer) survived with only a couple of minor leaks. She's sure showing her age, but as long as there's an abundance of duct tape in the world, we'll keep her around for a few more years at least. Before I forget, the Ucan2 handcycle plan will be available for downloading this week, Wednesday or Thursday. Check back here and in the forum for announcements.

The rain was great for the gardens. The corn is over 2 feet high, pumpkin, tomato and zucchini plants are flowering, strawberries should be ripening soon, peas, beans, beets, potatoes and Swiss chard are coming along. Carrots aren't doing very well, though. I think the birds have been feasting on the seeds. Oh well, they have to eat, too. No big deal.

It was a very relaxing weekend, some friends came out to visit and we met some other campers. Brad helped someone install a new alternator in his car after it suddenly died. Not a fun thing to happen while at camp, but they got it installed with Brad's help and the couple were so grateful.

We brought our WildKat and DeltaWolf bikes with us and toured around. I'm looking forward to doing some serious riding this summer. The WildKat handles amazingly well, I just need to get used to it and trust the bike, as well as myself. Went down a steep hill on a paved road and the disc brake performed just as it should -  thank goodness!  Just don't touch it, right AZ? He touched my disc after I descended the hill and it was seriously hot, even seared a pattern onto his fingers. I'm sure that you could have fried an egg on it, seriously. It really was sizzling hot.

Brad went zipping around on his DeltaWolf for quite some time and was amazed at the speeds he could reach and overall smooth ride. I tried it and have to admit it's pretty sweet. Sounds like I might be getting my own trike this year, too, maybe with two wheels in front. Woo hoo! We'll see. In the meantime, the WildKat is awesome, comfortable and suits me just fine. I think I'll keep her around for awhile.

That's about it for now. Oh, and for the record, I kicked Brad's butt at Scrabble this weekend. Ha! Back to work I go.

Happy Independence Day to our U.S. friends and neighbors at home and abroad! Be safe and take care.

It's 91 pages of illustrated, step-by-step instructions and 162 high resolution pictures! These downloads are like books! It's a pretty awesome project, though, one that we hope will inspire alot of people to look at, build and ride trikes in a new way.

Just shortly before we uploaded the plan to the Atomic Zombie store, AZ also finished a proposal for our editor for another Evil Genius book. Will keep you in suspense about that one until/unless it's approved. If we didn't have to sleep we could get so much more done! It just wouldn't be the same if we didn't have a dozen projects on the go at the same time. Life would be so boring! No fate but what we make.

Special thanks to the mosquito that buzzed around my head for over two hours. Dude, I got a whopping 3 hours of sleep because of you. I even offered you my arm to suck on, which you eventually did accept, but you still buzzed around annoying me even with a full belly. I don't feel guilty about squishing you. Hope you're not so annoying in your afterlife.

Tomorrow, 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius will be officially launched, and next week, the Ucan2 handcycle downloadable plan will be available, probably Monday or Tuesday. Now we really need to get some sleep this weekend and recharge our batteries.

Oh, and the next download after Ucan2 will probably be an electric vehicle. Stayed tuned for more updates, news and general madness. Must...sleep...zzzzzz...

Happy Canada Day on Saturday, July 1!                                                            C-A-N-A-D-A  -  Canada, eh!

June 27

Handcycle test ride and Delta Wolf trike progress

Brad came up with this idea for a local children's centre that was looking for an affordable trike for their young clients with physical, developmental and social needs. The kids are with a therapist and/or caregiver at all times, and it's important that the bike be lightweight, safe and comfortable.

So, Brad spent a couple of weekends designing and building the Ucan2 handcycle using readily available parts, BMX freestyle wheels for the "cool factor", coaster brake hub and adjustable seat post so you can attach either an adjustable standard seat or one with full back rest. Foot rests can easily be fitted with foot straps, too. It's designed to be versatile for kids of various ages and weights.

We took it to the guys at The Cyclepath yesterday. They were pretty impressed with how well it turned out. Thanks, guys. We'll be in again very soon for more parts.

We hope to bring it to the centre today to show the Seating and Mobility Service staff the newest addition to their collection of bikes, designed for kids with specific needs for under $400 in parts. You sure get an awesome upper body workout. Plans will be available for download late next week.

During test rides in our neighborhood we could hear kids passing by on their bikes and skateboards saying, "Cool bike!" There you go. A cool, adjustable and practical handcycle for kids with specific needs. The only problem we foresee is how tired the therapists and caregivers will be trying to keep up with kids once they get the hang of it!

The Delta Wolf trike plans will be available for download this week. Check back here on Thursday.

June 21

Tornado warnings!

June 20

Hot off the presses!

June 19

Urban jungle noise in the village

June 15

Handcycle update, taking a break

June 10

PayPal payment option added to store

June 9

Launch of new online store - yay!

June 8

We're still here!

In the meantime, here are some stats from last month. Will update when launch day is finally here! Adios for now.

Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines web stats for May 2006

06 / 06 /06 !

Time to build bikes is running out!

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia -this is the word that describes those with a fear of the number 666...

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

Since I am a programmer, I normally work in octal and binary, so I am probably exempt. As you can see, I find all of this a bit silly indeed, so in my warped style, I bid you all farewell just in case...

Cheers from the skeptic!
-Brad