FedEx Invoicing

Ah, I see.

I can think of a few ways to handle this, but it will depend a lot on how much effort you want to use, what your particular computer skills are (I know you have a wide range here, but I don't know details), how much you want to store, etc.

But my first thought would be to import the csv data into a database. Then you can keep track of all the details in a single database. Use something like LibreOffice Base to make a report from the data when you need it.

You could also write a Python script that chews the csv file and generates an output in a more readable fashion - formatted ASCII, LaTeX source, HTML, pdf, etc.

The Teflon spray lube works very well.

Cheers

Thanks for the suggestion. I am able to handle the XLS files good enough to not make it worth while to build a data base and report. As much as anything I was complaining. It just makes no sense that you can't download a PDF copy of the paper statement they send.

The upside of all this is that in trying to figure out how to get the PDF copy of the invoice, I looked up the rates and they seem to be over charging me a few dimes. So I have a chance to pester them to correct it.

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Rick C

I've been pretty happy with White Lightning. I can't swear that it's the most efficient, but it's a wax-based lube (rather than oil-based), doesn't pick up / collect dirt, and doesn't leave nasty black streaks on our pants legs if we happen to brush against the chain (my wife and I have long-chain recumbent bikes).

Excellent! That should afford you many extra years in good health while your couch potato friends wither away. A year ago I met a wiry athletic guy on a trail who was well past 75. Some dude's mountain bike needed repair and he had a multi-tool that fit. Later he sped off up a hill and I simply could not keep up.

That depends on weather and turf. I ride rain or shine and also on very muddy turf which is why my bikes look the part:

Since my road bike is also exposed to a lot of dirt "roads" I use White Lightning Epic Ride on both:

The price gets jacked up seemingly by 20% every year but an 8oz bottle lasts me 8-9 months. I am meticulous about chains. I save my disposable interdental brushes and then use them one more time to clean the grime out of the links. Two flag brushes held side by side with the brush parts slightly bent apart work great. Make sure the derailer idlers, cassette and such are also cleaned (I use a pocket knife for that). I apply the Epic Ride this way: Shake the bottle vigorously, spritz about a teaspoon's worth into an old shotglass, use a Q-tip to apply it to each roller. I place the bike on my work bench for the job so I don't need to bend over.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I prefer not to use the car if possible. There is such a thing as health and environmental consciousness in people. Well, in some people.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

[...]

I'd love to have such a trailer but no space to park it in a "WAF-acceptable" way. This would also be cool since I come by a long lake a lot:

Which reminds me, I need to get some more pellets ...

The biggest item I transported by bicycle as a student was a bed. Mattress and all. We used two bikes in a row for that.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

You are right about good exercise. My father-in-law rode his bike every day. He made it to 93 years old in excellent health. He was up in a cherry tree gathering cherries for his wife when the branch broke. The fall broke his neck and he died. Best way to go, I think.

I'm strictly a fair weather dry roads biker. I fell off my previous bike and hurt myself badly. It was a number of years ago, but I talked myself into trying again. So far so good. Only fell once. I learned to not try to dismount facing downhill.

Thanks very much for your excellent details. Epic is available here in Canada, but one vendor charges $25 for shipping. I'll try to find a local vendor who has it in stock.

If not, what about chainsaw lube?

That could be. I never do ground by pickup and maybe that's why I never paid it. I guess they do not make enough moeny on ground shipments to swallow the extra cost of a pickup.

We used to have two. Down to zero now :-(

My experience with UPS has not been positive. Packages left at the backyard fence, in the rain, sometimes literally tossed across it. One contained a new Fluke 8845A precision meter. Being heard requires rattling the cage at corporate headquarters (that results in instant action though). Well, it's a union shop and that shows.

The folks at our UPS store are great though.

If the XLS is delimited by something you can re-format it. I do this all the time for BOMs.

Other than that they are ok. Just not very business-like.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Unfortunately their Epic Ride does all of the above for me. But it's still the best I know so far.

If I ride mostly paved bike paths it stays very clear. If I ride dirt trails it turns brown and a re-lube is needed every 35-50 miles. If I ride lots of busy roads it seems to attract Diesel soot and leave black spots on my socks. Which is why I split my socks into bicycling and non-bicycling ones.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

here the postal service switched all their bikes to womens bikes (or more politically correct, bikes with step through frames) and they got a drastic drop in injuries from falling

My great-grandpa made it to almost 103. He kept healthy by walking a lot every day.

My favorite turf is offroad. Sometimes out of necessity. For example, there is no other way to get to Placerville from here by bike and it's fun. After a while one learns how to handle an "involuntary dismount". My last one was a few months ago.

OTOH it lasts a long time. I ride (hard) around 4000mi/year and need

10-12oz of it per year. If I rode only on pavement I'd need 3oz/year at the most. On the road bike I get 200-250 miles out of each chain lube until it starts making noises.

That's nasty if you get it onto clothes. It never really washes out. It also makes the chain cleaning much harder because the gunk on there turns gooey. With White Lightning the gunk crumbles off when I clean it with interdental brushes.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I used to have that problem with a chain driven motorcycle. I bought a BMW.

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Rick C

How often do you make shipments??? There's environmentally conscious and then there's environmentally conscious. I recycle paper and cardboard by feeding worms to make rich compost. What's your point?

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Rick C

A shaft-driven full suspension mountain bike will probably remain a dream forever. The bicycle industry is decades behind on that stuff :-(

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

You don't see two piece kayaks very often. I've thought about chopping a boat into three pieces before. The main cockpit would be open at the two ends until sealed against the end pieces. The two end pieces would be water tight by construction to act as flotation for safety. The hard part would be coming up with a mechanism to clamp the parts together without tools or without taking up lots of space.

If I lived that close to a lake, I would paddle rather than ride a bike... oh, wait! I do!!!

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Rick C

I assume it is an issue of weight vs. practicality. A chain works well enough rather than carry the extra weight. But that could be minimized. A shaft would be carbon fiber and pretty light. But it would need gears... lots of gears. I guess they wouldn't need to be any heavier than the existing gears, but the shifting mechanism would be something more I think. Maybe a chain could be used. lol

How many speeds do you really need?

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Rick C

Sometimes weekly, sometimes less.

Huh?

My point is that it is not a good thing if people hop into their cars on every whim. Aside from being bad for the environment there is also the matter of fitness. I notice it regularly where we sprint up the stairs because the elevator just left and then within seconds most of the group is already out of breath. Same when bolting down a terminal hallway to make a close flight. At older age that catches up with them and then it's usually too late.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/