The Midnight Cacher

I'm baaccckkk

2009-03-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

Cue AC/DC's "Back in Black" as I fade back into existence. I know, I know, I should be banned from the net for not updating as I should. Not easy to do when all you have is a Sidekick to work with ( got rid of that thing real quick, I'll have you know. But, I have a great connection now that will be with me most everywhere I go.

Have I been caching lately? You bet!! Have I logged any of them yet? uhm....er....uhh.... Look! A MONKEY!! :runs and hides:

No stress, though. Now that I have net access again I'll have a better chance of updating many things..... blogs, caches, etc.

Until we meet again...

Random Happenings

2009-02-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

:sigh: Look, I know that I haven't updated since October, but I've been busy. Being a single parent on low income is quite challengeing.

Anyway, tonight KG and I went caching with NevadaWolf. On our way home we saw a dude wailing away on a bongo drum just outside of the Carson Nugget! Now, were we in the Bay Area it wouldn't have been odd, even kinda blah. But here in Carson City it's ccertainly a random occurance.

Be Well and Cache On!

Time For an Update

2008-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the quitting smoking idea didn't exactly pan out like I thought it would. My caching fun has slowed to a very small crawl with the exception of being featured in the local paper on the front page in a pro-geocaching article recently. I'm currently looking for work among all of the other things that life throws at me.
No stress, I can handle it. I'll get by no matter what.

Be well one and all.

The time starts tonight, the path starts here.

2008-09-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight starts a new phase in my life as I attempt to become a non-smoker.

This will not be easy, as I've been smoking since 1984, and the last attempt failed miserably for still unknown reasons.

This time around, I know I have my support team. They know who they are, and they know that I love and appreciate all they have done and will do for me.
None of us know what's in store for us, but I can say that I for one see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not from a lighter.
I'll make it through. I have to. I need to. It's time for this phase of my life to end.

Wish me luck, one and all.

Good night and sleep well.

The future is here...

2008-08-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

You can be sure I'll be referrencing (spelled wrong, I know.) this on The Kindergeek Chronicles, but I just had to post it here as well. KG decided he wanted to play a game. Not wanting to dig out my CD binders while also wanting to give him something sans flashy graphics and a ton of adventure I chose to load up a small game called "Hacker 3.1::Cyber Warfare". He read through the instructions and dove right in. I should have known better, as this is childs' play for him...

For the rest of the story, hit the link to the right for the Chronicles.

Reality Brick

2008-08-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

The recent past (combined with changes at work) has given me time and many reasons to evaluate my marketable skills. After some serious soul searching I've come to the conclusion that I cannot deny my past and what I've been trained for since I was in elementary school: I'm a driver, a "Wheelman" if you will. If it's road-worthy I can drive it, and drive it well. The problem is there's not much call for someone with my particular skillset, and if a person gets into the line of work I'm in now, it's hard to get out of because it's such a niche field.
:sigh:
There's gotta be a better job for me out there...

Speaking of Kindergeek...

2008-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

If you scroll down to the post "Happenings of Late", you'll see where I speak of a major life change. I mentioned what the change will be in my previous post.
Yes, it's true, Kindergeek will be joining me again!!! Sound the trumpets, strike up the band, he'll be moving in with me in about a month. Given time I may even start the Kindergeek Chronicles up again, as I'm sure he'll be up to more than a few antics.

The adventure begins anew...

Cache On!!

New b0neZyard

2008-05-28T19:03:00.001-07:00

There's an old saying:
"Home is where you hang your hat."
Well. I have a new home. Its about a 30 second walk from NevadaWolfs' place. It's not much, but it's mine, and soon it'll be Kindergeeks' as well.
Is it a little run down? Yeah, it is. But it's more than sufficient for my needs and it's nothing that time and a little T.L.C. won't fix.
Will it take time to adjust to living alone? You bet.
New sights, sounds, perspective... it'll take a lot of getting used to.
I'm not even moved in yet and I'm already lonely.

:sighs:

Well, at least I know this isn't the worst I've been through, and therefore can be certain that, no matter what, I can and will survive.

Be Well, and of course....

CACHE ON!!!!

GeoWoodstock VI!!!

2008-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

0600, Carson City, NV.
NevadaWolf and I set out for the MegaEvent of the year, GeoWoodstock VI.
It's a bit nippy out, but not too bad. We're geared up, I have my coffee, HT, and assorted goodies. All is right with the world as we back out of the driveway.
Through Reno. Stateline (as noticed in the difference in pavement as soon as we got to the marker). THIS IS WHAT WE DRIVE THROUGH AT DONNER SUMMIT!!!!
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't mind snow. As a matter of fact, I rather enjoy it. But c'mon, May 24??? Meh, no stress, we're on on our way to lower elevations.
The rest of the drive there was fairly uneventful until Wolf decided she wanted to not listen to me ("There's a sign that says "Pumpkin Farm"...") which took us out of our way by a couple of miles, but worked out well as we were able to correct our bearings and help a couple of lost cachers find their way to the event as well.

Estimated arrival time was 0900. With stops and a slight amount of Ca traffic that Wolf was not used to, we arrived at....

(note the timestamp in the pic)

Buzzed the Vendor tables. Said hello to old friends, made new friends. Attended a talk...of sorts. Visited a petting zoo and generally had a great time. Even saw our mascot again!

We saw odd but somewhat useful contraptions:

Saw various travel bugs (you may remember one from a previous blog entry.):

Towards the end of the day, back starting to ache, legs numb from standing/moving all day but not caring because, after all, I was at GeoWoodstock among friends. Who did I get a chance to meet? None other than Ranger_Fox (of Whereigo fame. Google it.) and and and and AND J2B2's Mihae (Whereigo developer) who just happens to have lived in the same places I have, though not exactly at the same time. We made fast friends. As a matter of fact, were it not for Ranger_Fox and Mihae, NevadaWolf and I would not have the dubious distinction of being the last non-volunteer cachers to leave the event grounds.

This is Mihae. Notice the glazed look in my eyes. It's not due to boredom, I assure you. It's due to being up and running since 0430.

There was one and only one downside to the day: There were no hot drinks served at the event. The "official" reason is because they were planning for 80 degree weather.... so I'd only had one cup of coffee since our arrival, and I had to coerce NevadaWolf to leave the event to acquire it.

We got home at about 2330 hours or so, decompressed, and passed out around midnight. Yes, 19.5 hours non-stop movement and a total of 3 cups of coffee (one on the way, one there, one on the way home). Not too shabby!!

Until next time, Be Well.

The Dayton Museum

2008-04-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful place!! Today NevadaWolf and I visited this little gem. The docent was a wonderful lady and very knowledgeable (Thank you for your help, Ruby!).
The Dayton Museum is open on weekends (Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) February 24 to December 1. No donations are required, but come on, this place is way too nice to not donate something to, even if you just buy a book, or a gemstone, one of the cool shirts they have there.
For more information, visit Dayton History

Make sure to check out the old maps in the back of the building, and the Templar Sword as well. Those were my personal favorites.

b0neZ

What a view!

2008-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Looking Northwest from the Northmost edge of the Pinenut Mountain range.
Geocaching is truly an adventure, for if it weren't for this sport, I surely would not be up here now.
NevadaWolf, Trekkr and I were up here for the morning on a multi-cache called Adventure In The Pinenuts (GC17GCV). What a ride! The pic here is taken near the first stage. It was a great way to spend the morning. Including lunch at the final, all in all it took about 4 hours or so.

Cache on!

Happenings of late!!

2008-03-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Good evening one and all!
A few things have been happening lately, and I thought I'd share them with you.
FIRST THINGS FIRST:
A major life change will be happening here in the next few months. As a matter-of-fact, this change is already underway. I can't elaborate on this, as I'm not sure if the person this will also be happening to/with has regular access to the net and reads this blog. They know it's here, I'm just not sure how often they read it (no, I don't have a traffic counter on here. I don't care to. Who reads this and when whoever reads it does is their own business, not mine). I'll keep you posted as things progress. I will say this though. Patience pays off, I'm living proof.

Secondly:
You already know about my phone and what it is. Well, I don't like to leave anything stock. If a piece of equipment I own doesn't do what I wish it to then I will tweak it as far as I can until it plays like I want it to. GPS's hold data well. Cars can perform well beyond manufacturers' specs with the right care. Most times you can run a computer off a bootable Flash Drive (with appropriate OS installed on said flash drive), and phones/PDA's don't always have to maintain stock OS's.

Which brings me to what's going on with my phone.

The current iteration of the XV6700 ships with Windows Mobile version 5 preinstalled. While it's an okay system, it lacked the creature comforts that I want in my tech (i.e. tweaking ability, etc). So true to form I went ahead and flashed my phone to run Windows Mobile 6.1!! Did I void the warranty? I don't worry about that, as I bought the phone off Ebay with no warranty anyway. Will it ruin my phone? I've been running it for 10 days solid now with no ill effects and it's quicker in every way. Was it easy? Once I understood the basics of the operation, most definitely.
Now what, besides speed and stability, did this adventure gain me? A phone with the newest OS, features that I want installed on the phone as part of the OS (not cab files filling up anywhere that I have to worry about later), and I got to learn how to work with a piece of tech that I had not even thought of touching previously in that fashion.

There's more besides this, but I'm beat and and I still have to think about getting a nap before work in 3 hours (like that'll happen). Maybe I'll just do dishes instead.

Be well and Happy Easter!!

Adding to The Arsenal

2008-02-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

First, a little back story:
Back in 2005/2006 I was employed by one of California's larger "Quick Lube" outfits to work in their I.T. Department. One of the many perks of this position was that I was issued a company cell phone. It was a Blackberry. Sweet unit, but it lacked oomph. So, after a couple of months, I was handed a box. Within this box was a brand new, never ever ever been used, HTC 6700.

I was in love, to say the least. So much so, that when I left the company I cringed at having to give this thing back, but swore I'd get one of my own someday.

Fast Forward to now:
Last September I had occasion to get a new phone. I found that the 6700 was still being sold! Alas, I couldn't afford it, so I settled for something Blackberry-esque. Last week, I got tired of not having what I wanted (I normally get what I want, and settle for nothing less. It doesn't make me spoiled, as I don't ask others for things that I want. My wants are mine and mine alone.), so I got onto eBay and nailed down a used 6700 for a really sweet price!

How does this relate to Geocaching? Well, It'll help me with Paperless caching. It does more than the phone I had, and it's what I got used to using, so therefore it's much easier for me to use and sooooo much more configurable for my needs. GSAK anyone?

Now all I need to do is log the 3 I got earlier this month...

Carpe Noctum, and Cache On!!

OOPS....

2008-01-12T11:11:00.001-08:00

I know, I was supposed to publish from Vegas and once we got back, but life sometimes gets in the way, ya know?
But here are some pics from the trip anyway.... enjoy!

Took off from this (delayed by close to an hour, had to de-ice with TWO different chemicals, captain said the airport closed just after we left the ground)

...to land in this!! A nice, comfy 48-ish degree weather. Blue sky, bustling airport, furry frogs...wait what???

Signal (the mascot for Groundspeak) met us when got to Vegas!! Yes, we got met by the same mascot that was there to greet Groundspeak founders AND AND AND Garmin reps!! How cool is that?

Random geek pic, but it had to be taken. At least the license plate is secure (I think the doors were unlocked though)...

It's a pity that not every pic I took on this trip turned out. This is an example of how creative Vegas cachers can be!
This is NOT a photoshopped picture. This IS a real , untouched picture of a real Geocache about 45 minutes North of Vegas on the way to Mt. Charleston.

Here's another example. This one's called "Build a better cache", but I call it "How to catch a cacher"!!

Hanging out at the event...

There are many many more pics than this, but I have limited space here. If you'd like to see them, contact me through here and I'll get them out to you.

Cache on!!

Farewell my son

2008-01-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Flight 891 has called for final boarding, and you are already seated. Fly safe, and I'll talk with you tonight. I love you!

Just so everyone knows...

2008-01-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow afternoon NevadaWolf and I are flying to Vegas. Weather permitting we'll be taking off at 12:55 p.m. and landing there at 2:10 p.m.
We plan to return Sunday night, taking off from there at 10 p.m., and arrive here at 11:15 p.m.
If you're religious, pray for our safe travel. If you're not, hoist a beer or a glass of wine to us and wish us well.

I'll post a bit from there, probably via mobile.

Keep in mind that we're doing this in the midst of a major storm, and can only fly out after KinderGeek goes "wheels up" safely, which he's supposed to do (again, weather permitting)just prior to us having to go to our gate.

Let it snow!!

2008-01-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well folks, we're supposed to be in the midst of the worst storm to hit the region in 50 years.
:shrug:
I wouldn't know.
But, here's some pics from this evening, and I'll post more from the road tomorrow.

This was on the way to Silver Springs. We were in "4WD High" for the ride there and back... took us close to 3 hours' drive time total. Round trip is 98 miles. The return trip was faster because the snowplows were out doing what they do best.

Happy New Year 2008!

2008-01-01T02:08:00.001-08:00

From KinderGeek, NevadaWolf, and myself (b0neZ) to you and yours. May the year ahead be better than the year we left behind.

OH. MY. GOD!!

2007-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

This was JUST taken at a location which I will not disclose.
Someone actually bought and/or gave/recieved this BEER HAT as a gift! Odd, I don't recall seeing anyone with a team-color pinted face sitting in a recliner with a mullet at or near the location...

Kickin' it in Carson!

2007-12-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the last event of the season for this area. It's also the first event KinderGeek has been to!
Thanks to all who attended, and see you in the new year.

One more for DJ

2007-12-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

Just after I started uploading the photos for the previous post, it started snowing AGAIN!!
Thought I'd take a quick vid and see if this'll work. Here's hoping!!

For the Vegas Crowd

2007-12-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

These pics are for a good friend of mine in Las Vegas, DJ King. He misses the snow, so I thought I'd take some pics and post them him. Here ya go bud!
By the way, I hear that it snows more when you play happycore. :-P

Christmas time again...

2007-12-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

Here we are again folks, the time of year when roads ice over (supposedly), just in time for people to travel to see their loved ones for a few days.
Here where I am it normally snows, but so far it's just been a tad cold. No snow, no real ice to speak of, just a bit of nip (okay, down to the teens at night) in the air.
Well, I'll post a couple of pics so you can see for yourself.

He's here! w00t!!

2007-12-22T10:06:00.001-08:00

Southwest Airlines was kind enough to deliver to me the venerable KinderGeek last night. Well, not quite deliver... I had to get him from the airport and all, but they got him as far as RTIA, and for that I am grateful.

He'll be here for a couple of weeks through his Winter Break.

I think we'll be having a GREAT TIME!

There's quite a few caches out there for him to discover...

The Nevada Delmore Finishers' Party!!!

2007-12-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

I know, it's a bit after the fact to be posting this, but I've been a bit busy lately. With what? Work, Caching, etc. etc. etc....

On December 16 2007, there was a party held for those who have recently (read: finished after the last Nevada Delorme party) finished the Nevada Delorme Challenge.

This party was held at a Round Table Pizza (spelled S-t-r-a-w H-a-t, just ask NevadaWolf. She'll tell ya.).

It was a blast, and I really enjoyed meeting everyone. I am trully glad I can I say that I know such nice people.

I have a few pics though, and I thought I'd share them. It was a good party, and even a local radio station was on hand (though not for us, for another event that was there at the same time)!

On with the show.

A California reviewer at a Nevada event? Wait, what??? Where's our representation? C'mon RR, step up... :-P :hides:

Well, that's it for now. Time for the next post.

CACHE ON!!!

It's a bit brisk out there...

2007-12-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 0400.
Why?
I went to bed at 1700 yesterday.
Why?
I had been up and active since 2355 the previous day.
Again, why?
I had to work. That what my shift calls for.
Anyway, back to what I was gonna write about.
As I lay in bed pondering my fate for the day I wondered what the temperature was, as it was a bit chilly in the house. Like a fool, I slipped out of a nice warm comfy bed and padded out to the front room. This is what I saw:
(note the time. the temp had not changed from the time I got up to the time I took the pic.)

Like a bigger fool, I decided I was too awake to go back to bed until a reasonable time. Instead, I threw on some clothes and went outside to have a smoke (I cannot and will not smoke in a residence. In a casino or bar, okay, as they have appropriate air-filtering for that kind of stuff).
Look at the outside temp. This is a huge indicator that I should quit the nasty habit. Besides, if I quit smoking, I'll have more energy and money to devote to caching!
Speaking of the game/hobby/sport/life-consuming pastime, I've been a bit off my game lately. I need to get back into the hunt. I miss the challenge of the FTF, or even the STF.
Don't get me wrong, if I haven't found a cache yet, I want to. I love the originality of most of the placements, and there's no way that I would have found the places I have been to had NevadaWolf not hooked me on this infernal and totally addicting adventure. The people I've met and have yet to meet, the places I've been and will be can not be compared to anyone or any place that I have experienced previously. It just keeps getting better, and I hope this ride never stops.
Well, it's about time that I get ready for work. It's been 4 hours now since I woke up, so I guess I really should go do something productive.

Stay safe, stay warm, and CACHE ON!!

YES!!!!

2007-12-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

Sound the trumpets, strike up the band, use whatever term you wish you wish to express glee and promote a time for celebration, as the venerable KinderGeek will be here in just a few days!
He is still new to Geocaching, so I think he'll have a blast caching in the winter.
See my previous post (Snow, Life...) for activities for just after his departure as well.
It's "Green across the Board" for the next month.

C'mon RoadRunner, publish some local stuff for us, please?

Cache on!!

My 'new' cache retrieval vehicle

2007-12-09T10:19:00.001-08:00

Here it is in its' early stage. A 1985 Bronco. When this was taken (about 2 days ago) it didn't even have the gps mount in it! I wonder what it'll be like when I'm done...

Digital 3D...

2007-12-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight NevadaWolf and I went to see Beowolf 3D. I will never again go to a cinema unless it is to see a movie in this format. Everything else waits to get rented. 'Nuff said.
Goodnight all, it's bedtime.

Snow, Work, Life and Caching

2007-12-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

Here we are, the night after the first snow of the season (melted off by noon), and I have another day of work ahead of me. Then I have one day off in which I have to get a nap in the afternoon only to have to report for duty at 0100 Monday.
Upside: I get overtime.
Downside: It seriously cuts into my caching time.
Upside: It's one day closer to KinderGeek coming to visit for the Winter Break (whatever happened to Christmas Vacation?? No, I never claimed to be "Politically Correct", or even a decent speller.).
Downside: It seriously cuts into my caching time.
Now, I'm still fairly new to the hobby/sport/addiction, so I've yet to go winter caching (natch). I'd like to go, and I'm eager to do so. I even procured a vehicle that will assist in this, though the actual and sane reason is because it's safer for KG, NevadaWolf and myself to ride around in when we're not in NW's mobile. Now if only I can get time...
One thing though: The same day that KG leaves (bad, very bad), NW and I leave for Vegas (cool, very cool)!!!
And after that event, we more than likely will be here!! (DO NOT ask how.) :-D
Well, it's time for pizza and a movie. I'll post more from work tomorrow if I have time.

CACHE ON!!!

NevadaWolf gone mobile!

2007-12-02T00:55:00.001-08:00

Here she is folks. The infamous NevadaWolf in her den, checking her mobile blogging capability. I guess this means we'll both be posting from the road, as well as logging caches on the fly.

Welcome to my blog

2007-12-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Here we go. My first post on this blog. I had another blog, it was centered around my son and is for the most part no longer being updated.
If you've read my profile (and I hope you have), you've read a little bit about me.
My name is b0neZ. I've been called a hacker for many many years now (I consider myself a computer/networking enthusiast), and I know I'm a Geocacher. You can find me on there, or here at Nevada Geocaching Association.
My girlfriend got me into Geocaching earlier this year, and I must say, I'm completely addicted. It's fun, healthy, family friendly, and it lets me play with my geek toys out away from the house. We, in turn, got my son hooked on the sport and he does it with us with us when he comes to visit.
Now, why is this blog called "The Midnight Cacher"? That's usually the time when the gf and I head out caching, as it's typically the only time we're able to get time together to be out and about with enough time for the hunt. Yes, I do cache during the day, but that's rare. Very, very rare.
If you want to listen in on podcasts that are purely about Geocaching, you can go here. For those here in northern Nevada that want to keep up on happenings, go here.
I'll more than likely be posting "from the road" as often as possible, and I'll put up pics and maybe a video or two when I can.
Have fun, and for those who play.... CACHE ON!!