He's been putting up these nearly weekly posts about baby names coming out of his local newspaper. The posts are classics! Go read some of the names and have a great chuckle.
The guy is sharp so be careful. You might have a soft drink/keyboard/monitor interference moment!
Sunday, September 11, 2005
I have a new motto to live by-
Mayor Nagin- VIOTY candidate! First nomination!
I put this in the comments to a previous post but its too good not to give a post of its own. Its from an email from my Dad today. I don't know why he's shy about leaving comments- he's NOT a shy guy... Anyway, he has a suggestion:
I think a VIOTY trophy should be designed and perhaps presented to the good mayor if nobody manages to defeat his cluelessness this year. Design suggestions anyone?
If you are going to be founder and CEO of the mayor Nagin fan club, do I, as your father, get family/cutrate membership?
Not only is he a jackass, but certainly very much in the running as Village Idiot of the Year. Since the democrats use the jackass as their emblem, maybe the VIOTY trophy could be designed, using just the rear portion of said animal.
Open for a nationwide design competition? Maybe you could start something using your blogspot?? Might get some very unusual designs.
I think a VIOTY trophy should be designed and perhaps presented to the good mayor if nobody manages to defeat his cluelessness this year. Design suggestions anyone?
Some photos from Biloxi- before and after Katrina
Great aerial photos over at Murdoc Online. He has matched up post-Katrina aerial photos with Google Earth photos from before the store struck. Well worth checking them out.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Two words I am waiting to hear from New Orleans
Actually, the first one is two words- Superfund Site. Does anyone believe that after being so thoroughly contaminated by
the flood water, that there is a way that New Orleans can avoid becoming a Superfund Site? Think of this contamination on EVERYTHING it has touched, every bit of floating furniture, every stick of lumber that was part of someone's home. Its all covered with the same toxic muck and cannot be cleaned, scoured or just tossed into the local landfill. As the water soaks into the ground, doesn't the ground become contaminated with the same disease, toxic chemicals and filth that would cause the EPA fits if it were an industrial clean-up site? I think it does mean that.
Next word I expect to hear from New Orleans? Gitmo. That's right, I expect to hear that the ACLU will be comparing the temporary jail set up in the Greyhound bus terminal to the detention camp for terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. How can they possibly resist the pictures of lonely, deprived, misunderstood citizens locked up behind chain link fences? I don't think they will be able to pass up the opportunity to claim that these stalwart citizens are being mistreated without air conditioning, television, and immediate access to their lawyers.
Those are my predictions for the coming week. Remember, you read them here first!
the flood water, that there is a way that New Orleans can avoid becoming a Superfund Site? Think of this contamination on EVERYTHING it has touched, every bit of floating furniture, every stick of lumber that was part of someone's home. Its all covered with the same toxic muck and cannot be cleaned, scoured or just tossed into the local landfill. As the water soaks into the ground, doesn't the ground become contaminated with the same disease, toxic chemicals and filth that would cause the EPA fits if it were an industrial clean-up site? I think it does mean that.
Next word I expect to hear from New Orleans? Gitmo. That's right, I expect to hear that the ACLU will be comparing the temporary jail set up in the Greyhound bus terminal to the detention camp for terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. How can they possibly resist the pictures of lonely, deprived, misunderstood citizens locked up behind chain link fences? I don't think they will be able to pass up the opportunity to claim that these stalwart citizens are being mistreated without air conditioning, television, and immediate access to their lawyers.
Those are my predictions for the coming week. Remember, you read them here first!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
My Labor Day weekend?
Well, sure; I had one. Didn't everybody? Why is it Thursday already and I haven't written about my weekend. I don't know, busy I guess. So what did I do with 4 entire days off? Let's see...
Friday, the BSU and I did a little shopping and had a very nice lunch in the Union Grill. It is part of the Union pacific railroad station that now houses several nice museums and a gift shop or two. John Moses Browning's original gunsmith bench is here as well as the rest of his shop in the Browning Gun Museum, which I did not get to revisit! It was our first visit to the restaurant but I'm certain it won't be our last. The food was terrific. I had a chicken and sausage gumbo, the spouse had french onion soup and a salad that she raved about. And tiramisu and coffee for desert! Yum.
Friday night was special because I had convinced the spouse to attend a Raptors baseball game with me! We sat on the first base line because I was late getting tickets for my regular area but otherwise it was a nearly perfect baseball night. We even got 33% more baseball than a regular night because we stayed through the midpoint of the top of the 12th inning! We finally walked out when the Raptors went down 7-4 with only one Orem Owl out. By the time we walked the 2 blocks to the truck, the score had changed to 11-4! The Raptors got waxed- terribly.
On a related note- the Raptors face off against the Owlz again on Friday night for the first of 3 playoff games. In the series last week the Raptors only got 2 wins from 7 games against the Owlz. That doesn't bode well for the playoffs but I'm buying tickets for Saturday night's game anyway!
So, where was I? Saturday was homework in the morning, a repair on the scooter and then a movie date. The repair was to one of the handlebar mirror mounts. Underneath the plastic cover is a normal looking set of handlebars and the mirrors mount to welded on brackets. One of the brackets had failed and my first attempt to re-weld the broken stub only lasted one day. So, I cut the entire original bracket off, bent up a new one, drilled the hole for the threaded insert and got it all welded back together. And it all fit... And its lasted 4 days so far!
The movie? Redeye. A very fine thriller movie. Not creepy or supernatural or other-worldly, just a really fine thriller. Worth the admission costs if you like that kind of film.
Sunday- more homework. Then omelets for a late breakfast and then in the afternoon, a trip to Cabelas! Yes! We have a brand new Cabelas Outfitters store down in Lehi, that's 60 miles from home. It just opened earlier this month. The spouse and the boy went along and we had a pretty wonderful time. And I only spent $60! But what a very cool store it is. Its similar in design and scope to the Bass Pro Stores, with an aquarium and a mountain with stuffed animals on display, a small trout stream and a real outfitter's airplane hanging from the ceiling. It would be very easy to rub the numbers on a credit card completely smooth in that place but having the spouse nearby really kept me from going overboard with the purchases. I did buy 3 boxes of ammo for the new rifle, some candy and son Noah got a pair of new jeans.
And since I bought more ammo- of course on Monday we had to shoot it up! First there was a thorough carport clean-up necessary after the boy's engine change that was completed the previous weekend. Then, we got to go shooting and we had a blast. The new Savage 223 rifle took about 6 shots to get it shooting to point of aim. After that I took to shooting someone's left over clay pigeons on a hillside at 150 yards! Heh! What fun that was! I also, finally got the Stevens Favorite shooting where I pointed it. I even hit the prairie dog targets that I set at 75 yards 3 times out of 6 using my Model 19 from a sandbag!
Afterwards, there was a dandy dinner at home and guns to clean before sitting down to a little television watching with the spouse. And that's how I spent my weekend!
I'm sending this in through an email post with no time to chase links right now. Tonight maybe. More likely tomorrow. Check back!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The Ray Nagin Memorial Motor Pool
There's lots more pictures and a detailed look at New Orleans' Emergency Evacuation Plan over at Junkyard Blog. You really need to go read the whole thing and understand, city and state officials had exercised the Emergency plans, repeatedly, they knew the plans did not work when ran as an exercise and they did nothing to fix the shortcomings.
Apparently, it was President Bush's personal call to Governor Blanco, who then called Mayor Nagin that actually got the mandatory evacuation underway.
I'm sure glad Nagin's not my mayor!
Apparently, it was President Bush's personal call to Governor Blanco, who then called Mayor Nagin that actually got the mandatory evacuation underway.
I'm sure glad Nagin's not my mayor!
I wish I wrote as eloquently as Bill Whittle-
But I don't, by a long shot. So you have to go read his most recent essay, Tribes. I think like Bill thinks, I just can't say it nearly as well.
My Tribe doesn’t fire on people risking their lives, coming to help us. My Tribe doesn’t curse such people because they arrived on Day Four, when we felt they should have been here before breakfast on Day One. We are grateful, not to say indebted, that they have come at all. My Tribe can’t eat Nike’s and we don’t know how to feed seven by boiling a wide-screen TV. My Tribe doesn’t give a sweet God Damn about what color the looters are, or what color the rescuers are, because we can plainly see before our very eyes that both those Tribes have colors enough to cover everyone in glory or in shame. My Tribe doesn’t see black and white skins. My Tribe only sees black and white hats, and the hat we choose to wear is the most personal decision we can make.Read the whole thing...
Friday, September 02, 2005
Decorating my computer-
I bought one of these USB Lava Lights! At Target, on sale, about half of the price on this page.
Its very cool!
Its very cool!
Another thought or two about Katrina- and preparations
Today I listened to the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, railing at the federal government for not stepping in fast enough to rescue his city. Its on the CNN video page right now but I can't figure out how to link it. I did find a transcript. Since then, I've been thinking about what the mayor did, since his time in office, to prepare for this type of disaster and disaster response.
He did order the city evacuated before the hurricane struck, didn't he? Sure he did. First on Saturday:
But if he was so concerned with getting the people of New Orleans out of town, why are these buses still parked in a flooded yard? Why weren't they loaded with citizens and driven out of town while there was still time? And just 30 boats was all the city could scrounge for rescue efforts? Come on mayor! That's hardly a preparation plan!
Great plan Mayor, ya jackass!
He did order the city evacuated before the hurricane struck, didn't he? Sure he did. First on Saturday:
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin followed at 5 p.m., issuing a voluntary evacuation.
Nagin said late Saturday that he's having his legal staff look into whether he can order a mandatory evacuation of the city, a step he's been hesitant to do because of potential liability on the part of the city for closing hotels and other businesses.
"Come the first break of light in the morning, you may have the first mandatory evacuation of New Orleans," Nagin told WWL-TV.
But if he was so concerned with getting the people of New Orleans out of town, why are these buses still parked in a flooded yard? Why weren't they loaded with citizens and driven out of town while there was still time? And just 30 boats was all the city could scrounge for rescue efforts? Come on mayor! That's hardly a preparation plan!
In a somewhat surreal morning news conference, Mayor Ray Nagin issued an emergency order giving state and local authorities the right to commandeer private buildings and vehicles -- including boats -- as they see fit. The mayor did not say which buildings might be seized for public use, but said that if the Superdome became too full, additional buildings might be needed for shelter.So Nagin takes the President and FEMA and everyone he can think of to blame for not resucing his people, he wanted every greayhound bus in America on its way to save his people, but all he had was 30 boats and a couple hundres schools buses abandoned and unused.
Nagin also said the city has 30 boats at its disposal, but could need far more, depending on the water level in the city after the storm.
Great plan Mayor, ya jackass!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Thinking about New Orleans
Last night I told the BSU that I wanted to go to the bank and get a loan. I said I needed 6 new dump trucks, 2 front end loaders and an RV. And trailers to transport the loaders. She of course, looked at me like I had just announced a plan to take over the world, when all I really had expressed was my business plan for the next 5 years.
I've been looking at the pictures of New Orleans, on the web and the television. I even found some satellite pictures from before and after Katrina last night. My heart truly goes out to all the people that have lost everything they owned, that are homeless, jobless and sleeping on interstate overpasses. It is a disaster of huge proportions and I do not have any solutions that will resolve the human suffering that is going on our Gulf Coast right now.
I can see that the city of New Orleans will need to be scraped clean to the ground and rebuilt. All those homes that have been underwater to the rafters cannot be repaired. Those thousands of homes will need to be bulldozed and carried away, every scrap. With the threat of water-borne disease that is being discussed, this scrap will need to be treated as hazardous waste- biological waste perhaps.
The state of Louisiana needs a new landfill to contain the debris that needs scraped out of New Orleans. It will be a massive landfill and it needs to prepared right now.
My suggestion? Lake Ponchartrain looks pretty good, just on the other side of that failed levee and Lakeshore Drive. Maybe they won't need the entire lake but they need a significant portion to levee off, drain and use as a landfill.
If I could, I would be there with my dump trucks, loaders and some reliable operators, next week, applying for permits and contracts that will be forthcoming to assist in the cleanup. There is going to be lots of work for people willing to get into the cleanup effort and all that has to be done before the building trades folks can go to work.
I think it will turn into a historic effort. It will be an effort that reflects the resilience and strength and savvy that built this country in the first place. As Americans, we will do the right thing, do ourselves proud and show the world that we will not be beaten even in the face of such disaster.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Katrina-
My mind just can't quite grasp the level of devastation that has hit New Orleans, Gulfpot and Biloxi and all the area in between. There are tons of photos from WWL TV and you can read reports from a local blogger here.
The pictures of New Orleans underwater are particularly hard for me to grasp.
Its going to be a long time before life returns to normal for every member of that city and locale- for those that survive.
The pictures of New Orleans underwater are particularly hard for me to grasp.
Its going to be a long time before life returns to normal for every member of that city and locale- for those that survive.
Army vs Marines
An Army guy is sitting at a bar wearing a shirt that says "Marines suck".
Sure enough, two Marines walk up.
One of the Marines says, "WHAT DOES THAT SHIRT SAY!?!?!?!"
So the Army guy responds, "That's the first thing I hate about Marines, they can't read."
The other Marine growls, "What did you say!?!"
The Army guy responds, "That's the second thing I hate about Marines, they can't hear."
Then the first Marine demands that they take this outside.
Two minutes later the Army guy walks back into the bar unharmed. The bartender askes what happened to the two Marines.
The Army guy responds, "That's the third thing I hate about Marines, they bring knives to gunfights."
Sure enough, two Marines walk up.
One of the Marines says, "WHAT DOES THAT SHIRT SAY!?!?!?!"
So the Army guy responds, "That's the first thing I hate about Marines, they can't read."
The other Marine growls, "What did you say!?!"
The Army guy responds, "That's the second thing I hate about Marines, they can't hear."
Then the first Marine demands that they take this outside.
Two minutes later the Army guy walks back into the bar unharmed. The bartender askes what happened to the two Marines.
The Army guy responds, "That's the third thing I hate about Marines, they bring knives to gunfights."
Sunday, August 28, 2005
I think I'd like to have one of these!
Its a Peugot! I've always been intrigued by 3-wheelers, this one looks like a bunch of excitement!
This isn't too surprising
| John Wayne You scored 57% Tough, 9% Roguish, 23% Friendly, and 14% Charming! |
| You, my friend, are a man's man, the original true grit, one tough talking, swaggering son of a bitch. You're not a bad guy, on the contrary, you're the ultimate good guy, but you're one tough character, rough and tumble, ready for anything. You call the shots and go your own way, and if some screwy dame is willing to accept your terms, that's just fine by you. Otherwise, you'll just hit the open trail and stay true to yourself. You stand up for what you believe and can handle any situation, usually by rushing into the thick of the action. You're not polished and you're not overly warm, but you're a straight shooter and a real stand up guy. Co-stars include Lauren Bacall and Maureen O'Hara, tough broads who can take care of themselves. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test. |
 |
We didn't have sling shots like this when I was a kid!
And certainly a good thing too! What kind of trouble could we have managed if we had laser pointed, red dot sight aimed slingshots?
I'll bet I would still be paying for damage repairs... And of course, begging my dad to give it back!
I'll bet I would still be paying for damage repairs... And of course, begging my dad to give it back!
Cats in Sinks
Who doesn't love them? Here's all the cats in sinks you can imagine. Link shamelessly stolen from Dave Barry's blog after he high-tailed north out of hurricane Katrina's way.
[Note] You folks will dial up connections may really hate this link. There's a lot of kitty pictures!
[Note] You folks will dial up connections may really hate this link. There's a lot of kitty pictures!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Feminine Hygiene Tips- from Lysol...
I found this link today over at Lance McCord's blog. I've been watching and reading Lance's page for a few days now, I probably ought to put him over there on the link list pretty soon.
Anyway, today he has a link to a directions from Lysol on how a woman can protect her "feminine allure and daintieness". Lysol seemed to think that a women's husband will only remain interested in her if her "objectionable odor" has been expunged.
Creepy. Really creepy!
Anyway, today he has a link to a directions from Lysol on how a woman can protect her "feminine allure and daintieness". Lysol seemed to think that a women's husband will only remain interested in her if her "objectionable odor" has been expunged.
Creepy. Really creepy!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
My feelings about Cindy Sheehan?
Most of my regular readers probably don't need to ask. I've refrained from commenting about this woman and her circumstances because there are so many other bloggers already doing a much better job of it. This one, Adeimantus, expresses my feelings better than I could say it myself.
So when Cindy Sheehan speaks, decency obliges us all to give her a respectful hearing. But though we are obliged to hear her, we are not obliged to heed her.Go read the whole thing.
Unfortunately, her wrathful voice brings no new insight. Her opinions are nothing more and nothing less than re-amplified repetitions of the hyperbolic irrationalities that have been heard from her manipulators on the extreme left since before the war in Iraq began.
Feeling kind of lucky tonight...
I've decided that I really don't like days like today when a southerly wind blows through our state. If you remember the last time I mentioned the wind being bad, it was the day the Phantom was struck by a runaway boat. Well, it was windy from the south again today and the scooter got damaged again. This time I was on the scooter and on the road when a driver pulled out from a side street into the side of the scooter!
I'm ok. I didn't even drop the scoot. But I was kind of shook up. The driver, a young airman in a Ranger pickup, was pulling out from a side street on the base as I was headed home after work. He failed to see me coming and so pulled out from the right, just as I was getting to the intersection. I moved left as far as I could without getting into the next lane and the driver hit the brakes just as I came into his view. I just about got clear of his bumper but he ran into me, just under my seat. I got the scoot stopped right away with no further drama and then we pulled off together to check out the circumstances.
I need a new body panel. I don't need the decal or the turn-signal lens as I have those left over from the previous incident. My muffler has some scratches on it that should buff out. The airman is going to pay for the parts and then all should be back to 100%.
Damm!
I'm ok. I didn't even drop the scoot. But I was kind of shook up. The driver, a young airman in a Ranger pickup, was pulling out from a side street on the base as I was headed home after work. He failed to see me coming and so pulled out from the right, just as I was getting to the intersection. I moved left as far as I could without getting into the next lane and the driver hit the brakes just as I came into his view. I just about got clear of his bumper but he ran into me, just under my seat. I got the scoot stopped right away with no further drama and then we pulled off together to check out the circumstances.
I need a new body panel. I don't need the decal or the turn-signal lens as I have those left over from the previous incident. My muffler has some scratches on it that should buff out. The airman is going to pay for the parts and then all should be back to 100%.
Damm!
Monday, August 22, 2005
Let Cindy Sheehan meet the president!
In fact, like Lawrence, I think it should be a mandatory meeting, as soon as it can be arranged. If you don't click over to his post, you're going to think I've flipped sides, so go read the whole thing!
A prayer for better beer-
No, really! Its from a Marine Corp chaplain. And if you go read the Prayer for Better Beer, you will probably wish to say the prayer yourself.
On a related note- the beer at the James Taylor concert we went to Saturday night- $8.50 for a 24 ounce draft microbrew... I had Country Time lemonade instead!
On a related note- the beer at the James Taylor concert we went to Saturday night- $8.50 for a 24 ounce draft microbrew... I had Country Time lemonade instead!
Interesting find in my referral pages today
I found this link to Big Scooter Guide.com in my referrals today. I've never heard of this site before, and looking at it, it seems to be one of those "no content-all redirect" advertising sites.
But whatever, the site has my little blog listed as a Recommended Resources For Scooter Phantom R4i Vento. I'm presently listed 3rd, just below the eFundraising and SoberRecover.com. Don't ask me what either of those two sites have to do with scooters, but there you have it. If you're drunk and broke and looking for help, Wasted Electrons remains vigilent to help by offering scooter advice.
Its a good thing this internet thingie doesn't have to make sense!
But whatever, the site has my little blog listed as a Recommended Resources For Scooter Phantom R4i Vento. I'm presently listed 3rd, just below the eFundraising and SoberRecover.com. Don't ask me what either of those two sites have to do with scooters, but there you have it. If you're drunk and broke and looking for help, Wasted Electrons remains vigilent to help by offering scooter advice.
Its a good thing this internet thingie doesn't have to make sense!
Stupid- Stupid Camera!
Ya know, just one of you might have mentioned that the date on the pictures I put online a week or two ago had the wrong date on them! My camera's date is set one month ahead, rather like a really advanced Daylight Savings Time.
But nobody mentioned it; not in the comments or through email or phone call. So I look dumb, in front of the entire internet and I had to find out from another blogger poking fun at me!
At least he said Astin was a cute baby!
But nobody mentioned it; not in the comments or through email or phone call. So I look dumb, in front of the entire internet and I had to find out from another blogger poking fun at me!
At least he said Astin was a cute baby!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Weekend update-
Well, my time off from school ends tonight and I'm back in class tomorrow night. So what did I do for fun while this weekend? Well, first I took the BSU to the movies Friday evening, we went to see March of the Penguins. What a neat movie this is!
It has it all, drama, romance, birth, death, fuzzy babies and dramatic weather. No explosions though, and no car chases. Other than those things, it has it all. It really is a marvlous movie and through the ending credits you get to see how much trouble the camera men went through to get this story on film.
I was reminded of one of my favorite Bloom County cartoon strips where Opus the Penguin was trying to call his mother and was terribly distraught because no one ever answered the phone when he called. The final frame of the cartoon showed all the penguins standing around a pay phone on a post watching it ring and complaining that no one had a stool so they could reach the receiver. If I were an Emperor Penguin in Antartica, I think I would have to have a phone and a speed dial set to the Fish Gut Delivery Service so I didn't have to march back and forth so far for a meal!
Saturday night was another date night, a big one this time! We went to see James Taylor in concert at the
USANA amphitheater in West Valley City. This was a big deal for the spouse, she really wanted to see James again, since we saw him just a couple years ago at the Delta Center. Anyway, the money was in the checking account so at the last minute I bought a couple tickets, (ouch!) and off we went.
It was a really fun show. James is so full of stories and songs and joy in doing his shows that its a pleasure to go and see him in concert. The man has written SO many songs! This show was a pleasure. James does the ballads and old-time tunes simply with just his voice and acoustic guitar and you can believe all night would be fine if he did that. But then he gets the band cranked up with horns and electric guitar and does Steamroller like rock and roll is all he knows how to do! The changes are remarkable and fun all at the same time.
I've been tired all day after last night night. we went out for pie and coffee before going home and then stayed up another hour with the boy and his new gf who were watching Mythbusters. But I got my shop cleaned up and out today, all the benches have been cleared but one and I got my bike hung up out of the way and I threw out a bunch of stuff that I could no longer remember why I wanted to save it.
I did not get the inside glass of the truck cleaned, which was on my list of things to do, nor did I get to go to the shooting range. That was supposed to be a priority since my new Savage 223 rifle is now safely in the gun locker and begging to be taken out and shot. I did buy 2 brands of ammo for it this weekend and a sandbag rest and I cleaned it really well after reading the owner's manual. Nothing left to do but shoot it now!
Laundry machines are running full bore right now, meaning I've got clothes to fold if I want to be able to find them in the morning before work. The drain is still not working well even though I've been pumping lots of dangerous chemicals through it. The over flow is coming up black and smelly right now, so I know I'm making progress!
Son#2 is doing much better now and is back home where he belongs. He seems to have picked up a new gf, though she may be of the "right now" type instead of "Miss Right." Because he's been so involved with her this weekend, the Tracker is still not running. He does have the engine in place and he thought things were going just fine until he discovered 30 minutes ago that the engine will not turn over. Not even a lttle. It is locked up tight. I've looked at it- since I started this post- and the bad news is, it looks like the engine has to come out again. Something in the transmission bellhousing, flywheel is not right and is locking the engine. I don't know what it is, I wasn't here when he slung the motor and hooke the pieces together, but I'm certain there is a clearance problem of major proportion.
Neither of my school books have arrived yet. ECampus.com has really let me down this term. I ordered my books on the 10th, they weren't shipped until the 18th and won't be here until the middle of this week. Totally unsat!
Anyway, I'm tired. I guess I'll go to work in the morning to rest up!
It has it all, drama, romance, birth, death, fuzzy babies and dramatic weather. No explosions though, and no car chases. Other than those things, it has it all. It really is a marvlous movie and through the ending credits you get to see how much trouble the camera men went through to get this story on film.
I was reminded of one of my favorite Bloom County cartoon strips where Opus the Penguin was trying to call his mother and was terribly distraught because no one ever answered the phone when he called. The final frame of the cartoon showed all the penguins standing around a pay phone on a post watching it ring and complaining that no one had a stool so they could reach the receiver. If I were an Emperor Penguin in Antartica, I think I would have to have a phone and a speed dial set to the Fish Gut Delivery Service so I didn't have to march back and forth so far for a meal!
Saturday night was another date night, a big one this time! We went to see James Taylor in concert at the
USANA amphitheater in West Valley City. This was a big deal for the spouse, she really wanted to see James again, since we saw him just a couple years ago at the Delta Center. Anyway, the money was in the checking account so at the last minute I bought a couple tickets, (ouch!) and off we went.
It was a really fun show. James is so full of stories and songs and joy in doing his shows that its a pleasure to go and see him in concert. The man has written SO many songs! This show was a pleasure. James does the ballads and old-time tunes simply with just his voice and acoustic guitar and you can believe all night would be fine if he did that. But then he gets the band cranked up with horns and electric guitar and does Steamroller like rock and roll is all he knows how to do! The changes are remarkable and fun all at the same time.
I've been tired all day after last night night. we went out for pie and coffee before going home and then stayed up another hour with the boy and his new gf who were watching Mythbusters. But I got my shop cleaned up and out today, all the benches have been cleared but one and I got my bike hung up out of the way and I threw out a bunch of stuff that I could no longer remember why I wanted to save it.
I did not get the inside glass of the truck cleaned, which was on my list of things to do, nor did I get to go to the shooting range. That was supposed to be a priority since my new Savage 223 rifle is now safely in the gun locker and begging to be taken out and shot. I did buy 2 brands of ammo for it this weekend and a sandbag rest and I cleaned it really well after reading the owner's manual. Nothing left to do but shoot it now!
Laundry machines are running full bore right now, meaning I've got clothes to fold if I want to be able to find them in the morning before work. The drain is still not working well even though I've been pumping lots of dangerous chemicals through it. The over flow is coming up black and smelly right now, so I know I'm making progress!
Son#2 is doing much better now and is back home where he belongs. He seems to have picked up a new gf, though she may be of the "right now" type instead of "Miss Right." Because he's been so involved with her this weekend, the Tracker is still not running. He does have the engine in place and he thought things were going just fine until he discovered 30 minutes ago that the engine will not turn over. Not even a lttle. It is locked up tight. I've looked at it- since I started this post- and the bad news is, it looks like the engine has to come out again. Something in the transmission bellhousing, flywheel is not right and is locking the engine. I don't know what it is, I wasn't here when he slung the motor and hooke the pieces together, but I'm certain there is a clearance problem of major proportion.
Neither of my school books have arrived yet. ECampus.com has really let me down this term. I ordered my books on the 10th, they weren't shipped until the 18th and won't be here until the middle of this week. Totally unsat!
Anyway, I'm tired. I guess I'll go to work in the morning to rest up!
Friday, August 19, 2005
I might just have to attend this event-
Its the Saints and Scooters"Don't Let the Terrorists Win" weekend scooter event. Three days and nights of hanging out with scooter folks- it sounds like lots of fun.
'Course I'm shy a few 'tats and piercings to really fit in with most scooter crowd folks, and I don't have any Doc Martins or a black leather jacket. But maybe they would let me ride with them...
'Course I'm shy a few 'tats and piercings to really fit in with most scooter crowd folks, and I don't have any Doc Martins or a black leather jacket. But maybe they would let me ride with them...
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Rabbit Motorscooters
A few days ago I was talking to an buddy on the phone and we got to discussing motorscooters. Imagine that... Anyway, he asked me what I knew about Rabbit motorscooters and I had to admit that I had never heard of a scooter called Rabbit. He said it was more luxurious than Vespas of the same age and he was familiar because someone he knew had owned one years ago.
Well, my friend was right. There was a Rabbit motorscooter, made by Fuji Heavy Industries after World War 2. They were imported into the US beginning in 1957, in a number of different models. And unique to Rabbit for the time, was an automatic, continuously variable transmission. Unlike today's belt drive CVTs, the Rabbit's transmission required automatic transmission fluid to operate.
I'm still certain that I've never seen one of these scooters. But now, I'm sure willing to look for one!
Well, my friend was right. There was a Rabbit motorscooter, made by Fuji Heavy Industries after World War 2. They were imported into the US beginning in 1957, in a number of different models. And unique to Rabbit for the time, was an automatic, continuously variable transmission. Unlike today's belt drive CVTs, the Rabbit's transmission required automatic transmission fluid to operate.
I'm still certain that I've never seen one of these scooters. But now, I'm sure willing to look for one!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Speaking of scooters-
What's happening with my Phantom? A number of things actually, since you ask.
First, Alan from PowerSportsFactory warrantied out my HP-150 muffler that separated a few weeks back with a brand new one. That muffler's inlet pipe came completely loose from the main can of the muffler. That's the good news.
The bad news is that the same problem appeared last week on the new muffler. It was only two weeks old. Today I found a welder that has TIG welding capability and can weld on the stainless materials. He said it would be ready tomorrow. While that muffler is being repaired, I'm back to my JC Whitney home-grown muffler.
I've still been tinkering with my carburetor as reported in this post, but its all for no improvement until I get a new fuel enrichment solenoid. The one I have is broken, the housing is split and seems uninterested in any of the glue types I have around here. I ordered a new one today. I also discovered why the dang thing breaks over the weekend. Way back here I showed pictures of my new intake manifold and mentioned that making everything fit due to its increased length was a challenge. What I failed to realize was how big a challenge it would be! When the scooter is on the centerstand, there is plenty of clearance for the solenoid. But when the scooter goes back on its wheels, the angle of the offending mount moves forward and dislocates the solenoid from the carburetor!
Dang! When this thing is broke, it lets in air where it shouldn't be, making any attempt to adjust the carb an effort in futility. So, I've ordered a new part and a new motor mount. I'm going to get all ugly with the mount and cut and weld and grind until I get a mount that gives plenty of room for the carburetor and its attachments. I'm kinda tired of dinking with it and the only way I can figure to get the clearance I need is to just basically build a new one. That should be fun.
Anyway, there's 2700 miles on the scooter already and it still looks good and goes good. I did replace the fuel diaphram and that fixed my problem of running out of fuel going up long, steep hills.
My neat, mesh jacket arrived, finally, today and its too small. So I've got to send it back. Rats!
First, Alan from PowerSportsFactory warrantied out my HP-150 muffler that separated a few weeks back with a brand new one. That muffler's inlet pipe came completely loose from the main can of the muffler. That's the good news.
The bad news is that the same problem appeared last week on the new muffler. It was only two weeks old. Today I found a welder that has TIG welding capability and can weld on the stainless materials. He said it would be ready tomorrow. While that muffler is being repaired, I'm back to my JC Whitney home-grown muffler.
I've still been tinkering with my carburetor as reported in this post, but its all for no improvement until I get a new fuel enrichment solenoid. The one I have is broken, the housing is split and seems uninterested in any of the glue types I have around here. I ordered a new one today. I also discovered why the dang thing breaks over the weekend. Way back here I showed pictures of my new intake manifold and mentioned that making everything fit due to its increased length was a challenge. What I failed to realize was how big a challenge it would be! When the scooter is on the centerstand, there is plenty of clearance for the solenoid. But when the scooter goes back on its wheels, the angle of the offending mount moves forward and dislocates the solenoid from the carburetor!
Dang! When this thing is broke, it lets in air where it shouldn't be, making any attempt to adjust the carb an effort in futility. So, I've ordered a new part and a new motor mount. I'm going to get all ugly with the mount and cut and weld and grind until I get a mount that gives plenty of room for the carburetor and its attachments. I'm kinda tired of dinking with it and the only way I can figure to get the clearance I need is to just basically build a new one. That should be fun.
Anyway, there's 2700 miles on the scooter already and it still looks good and goes good. I did replace the fuel diaphram and that fixed my problem of running out of fuel going up long, steep hills.
My neat, mesh jacket arrived, finally, today and its too small. So I've got to send it back. Rats!
Another Scooter Blogger!
This guy just purchased his Strada from PowerSportsFactory. He's pleased with his scoot and I'm jealous that New Jersey is just a little too far to go to window shop for scooters.anyway, his blog is StradaScooter.
Here's the pictures I promised
The first one is of the newest Mccord family, Son #1, Sara and baby Astin.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Friday, August 12, 2005
Update on the familial stress
Son #2 is now a patient- same hospital where his mom was a patient just about a year ago. We took him there last night after he met with a therapist and his suggestion was that the boy needed some immediate accessement and treatment.
So, he's getting it. Seems his troubles were bigger than he had been willing to share with ol' Mom & Dad. Or his counselor or Job Corp, who was kind enough to call this morning to ask how and what was happening with him. She sounds like a lovely woman and it was obvious from her call that she thinks the world of Son #2. The boy has already called with clothing and personal gear requests and he sounded upbeat about the circumstances so far. Good.
I've loaded up his new cell phone with prepaid minutes and the essential numbers he needs until he gets back home and into school.
Now there are lots of other chores to run today before going to see him tonight!
UPDATE: Sunday, 11 Aug. The young man is doing well. He has been moved into a less restrictive unit and started on meds. More are planned for today. We visited last night nad except for the "sleepy" factor that most of those meds cause, he was in decent spirits and cooperating with the program.
I expect he will be home by the end of the week.
So, he's getting it. Seems his troubles were bigger than he had been willing to share with ol' Mom & Dad. Or his counselor or Job Corp, who was kind enough to call this morning to ask how and what was happening with him. She sounds like a lovely woman and it was obvious from her call that she thinks the world of Son #2. The boy has already called with clothing and personal gear requests and he sounded upbeat about the circumstances so far. Good.
I've loaded up his new cell phone with prepaid minutes and the essential numbers he needs until he gets back home and into school.
Now there are lots of other chores to run today before going to see him tonight!
UPDATE: Sunday, 11 Aug. The young man is doing well. He has been moved into a less restrictive unit and started on meds. More are planned for today. We visited last night nad except for the "sleepy" factor that most of those meds cause, he was in decent spirits and cooperating with the program.
I expect he will be home by the end of the week.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Its a boat! Its a plane! What the heck?
You gotta see this Hydro Foam boat video! Very wild. And they look like lots of fun!
Major, major frustration at our house right now!
On a ugly note, son #2, after an extended breakup with his long term GF, lost his mind Tuesday night, kicked down some door frame lumber, swiped as much of my beer as he could carry and spent the night wandering around in the neighborhood. This was just after we had such a pleasant dinner on earlier that evening.
The ex-GF threw him out when he appeared at her house at 3:30AM, (GOOD!) and then he failed to show up at the Toyota dealer where he just began apprenticing on Monday. This was part of his Job Corp training and was supposed to be leading to full time employment within about 6 weeks. He finally showed up at home about 3 PM Wednesday.
Now he's at home, did not go to the Toyota dealer or Job Corp this AM and saying he is not going back. Meaning he'll get dropped from the program. He doesn't think he needs to be in a Psych hospital but does think he could use a therapist. He's not speaking and he's acting as the spouse says, "like a 4 year old." And he is.
So he didn't go to Job Corp or the Toyota shop today. He did attempt some repairs on the door frame that I told him I was expecting. And he has a therapist appointment later this afternoon. Before that, his favorite instructor from JC, one that he really likes and respects, is coming over to the house to talk to him. I went and asked this favor from him this morning…
He's really put a lot of effort into this mechanics training, 18 months worth of going to school everyday and doing well all along the way. Now he's obsessing over a girlfriend that he broke up with, when he found out she quit college and kept it a secret for an entire term. He really does love her. But he broke up with her and she has moved on.
I have tried to tell him that time would heal his hurt. I've also encouraged him to leave alone everything he has no control over, like this relationship and instead to focus on those things he has control over, like his training and his career.
Right now, he is not hearing me or his mother. Perhaps his instructor or this therapist will be able to talk to him in a way that makes sense.
The ex-GF threw him out when he appeared at her house at 3:30AM, (GOOD!) and then he failed to show up at the Toyota dealer where he just began apprenticing on Monday. This was part of his Job Corp training and was supposed to be leading to full time employment within about 6 weeks. He finally showed up at home about 3 PM Wednesday.
Now he's at home, did not go to the Toyota dealer or Job Corp this AM and saying he is not going back. Meaning he'll get dropped from the program. He doesn't think he needs to be in a Psych hospital but does think he could use a therapist. He's not speaking and he's acting as the spouse says, "like a 4 year old." And he is.
So he didn't go to Job Corp or the Toyota shop today. He did attempt some repairs on the door frame that I told him I was expecting. And he has a therapist appointment later this afternoon. Before that, his favorite instructor from JC, one that he really likes and respects, is coming over to the house to talk to him. I went and asked this favor from him this morning…
He's really put a lot of effort into this mechanics training, 18 months worth of going to school everyday and doing well all along the way. Now he's obsessing over a girlfriend that he broke up with, when he found out she quit college and kept it a secret for an entire term. He really does love her. But he broke up with her and she has moved on.
I have tried to tell him that time would heal his hurt. I've also encouraged him to leave alone everything he has no control over, like this relationship and instead to focus on those things he has control over, like his training and his career.
Right now, he is not hearing me or his mother. Perhaps his instructor or this therapist will be able to talk to him in a way that makes sense.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Big explosion closes Highway 6!
A truck carrying 35 tons of explosives overturned this afternoon, then blew up in Spanish Fork! The television reporters are all a-twitter trying to say something better than the other networks. It appears no one was killed and injuries limited.
The hole in the ground is massive and the debris set hillside fires several hundred yards from the blast site.
Its gonna be a long commute for those folks that travel Highway 6 and have to bypass!
The hole in the ground is massive and the debris set hillside fires several hundred yards from the blast site.
Its gonna be a long commute for those folks that travel Highway 6 and have to bypass!
Hoopty Rides- a new addition to my blog list
Maybe you've already seen Hoopty Rides, but if not, swing over and check this guy out. He has some great stuff going on in his garage and I'll bet we could be best friends if given the chance to hang out. Anyway, he has some really cool projects going on and I'm mighty envious.
Kye, Sara and Astin buy a new car!
Son #1, his lovely wife and my grandbaby came to visit last night! They wanted to show off their newly purchased Scion XB. They only purchased it Monday night. It's a beauty in dark blue. The Malibu they have been driving is consuming coolant at a more than daily rate, in spite of a head gasket replacement just a few weeks ago. So, they took advantage of all the sales efforts going on, shopped around and decided on an XB. They liked it better and was less expensive than all the small SUVs that made the consideration list.
They came up for a very pleasant visit and we all headed out to Village Inn for dinner with Son #2 and his ex-girlfriend Lily.
Dinner was fine, Astin the grandbaby was in a playful mood and let me hold him and play with him for the entire time. He's getting quite chubby and his red hair hangs in his eyes most of the time. After dinner we headed home and Astin got the stuffed baby sea otter toy that we brought for him from Oregon.
I've got pictures but they are stuck at home in the camera. I'll post a couple this evening if I get time.
Sure glad I bought a Phantom last year-
Bet you never thought you would see me write that, did you? Well, Vento has released the pictures of the new Phantom. If you're shopping for a Phantom, I sure hope you like the "rat rod", industrial look of flat black and diamond plate!
Note too the exhaust system on the scooter- its expansion pipe shaped with a turned around, stinger muffler, just like the style for every 2-stroke motored scooter! Vento obviously decided to jump on the "racing pipe" look for this 4-stroke engined scooter and to me, it looks ridiculous. I suspect its a fake with no real expansion chamber properties and probably restrictive as hell with that tiny tailpipe diameter.
Personally, I like my shiny, copper colored Phantom. I suppose the flat black look will be good for the young kids that can't keep the tires in touch with the pavement and scratch up their body panels. It will be easy to keep a can of BBQ grill paint on hand to touch up the scratches!
Note too the exhaust system on the scooter- its expansion pipe shaped with a turned around, stinger muffler, just like the style for every 2-stroke motored scooter! Vento obviously decided to jump on the "racing pipe" look for this 4-stroke engined scooter and to me, it looks ridiculous. I suspect its a fake with no real expansion chamber properties and probably restrictive as hell with that tiny tailpipe diameter.
Personally, I like my shiny, copper colored Phantom. I suppose the flat black look will be good for the young kids that can't keep the tires in touch with the pavement and scratch up their body panels. It will be easy to keep a can of BBQ grill paint on hand to touch up the scratches!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Another movie review- a good one this time!
Saturday evening the BSU and I went off to see a preview of a movie that doesn't hit the normal rotation until this weekend. The movie was The Great Raid. Surprisingly, the BSU was all over going to see this film because she had seen some documentary on the same raid on the television some weeks ago.
The movie is a re-telling of the story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, a group of green, untested Army Rangers in the Philippines as they trek 30 miles behind Japanese enemy lines to rescue 512 American POWs held in a notorious camp.
I'm not going to spoil it by telling you more. I will advise you to go see it. It is a terrific story and very well told. That said, it is graphic. Perhaps more graphic than Saving Private Ryan, if only because the killing that is displayed is up close and personal, in courtyards and inside the POW camp instead of on the beaches of Normandy. I admit to being surprised that this movie, and the manner in which it portrays the Japanese could be made in these Politically Correct and Culturally Kind days we live in. This movie is easily the equal to Saving Private Ryan or Enemy at the Gate so if you liked those movies, you may really like The Great Raid.
The movie is a re-telling of the story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, a group of green, untested Army Rangers in the Philippines as they trek 30 miles behind Japanese enemy lines to rescue 512 American POWs held in a notorious camp.
I'm not going to spoil it by telling you more. I will advise you to go see it. It is a terrific story and very well told. That said, it is graphic. Perhaps more graphic than Saving Private Ryan, if only because the killing that is displayed is up close and personal, in courtyards and inside the POW camp instead of on the beaches of Normandy. I admit to being surprised that this movie, and the manner in which it portrays the Japanese could be made in these Politically Correct and Culturally Kind days we live in. This movie is easily the equal to Saving Private Ryan or Enemy at the Gate so if you liked those movies, you may really like The Great Raid.
Our dog Sandy-
I don't want to sound as if our beloved, on long-term babysitting-duty dog Sandy is weird or anything.
But this morning, when I got up at 5:10AM and went to use the toilet, she was sitting in the shower stall!
Not sleeping in the shower- sitting. And she didn't want to come out and go back to her sleeping pad. Strange dog, really strange.
BTW, there's a picture of Sandy welcoming one and all to the Tiki Hut camper from our trip to the beach here.
Monday, August 08, 2005
A Phantom performance quandry
Today I had a phone chat with Alan from PowerSportsFactory. When he learned that my air filter was still attached to a portion of the original air filter system, he strongly recommended that I get rid of it and install the filter directly to the mouth of the carburetor. The configuration that has been working looks like this:
And since, due to the narrow confines of the motor mount and the tight fit of the hole that I already enlarged to fit the bigger manifold some months back, I was unable to fit the filter directly to the carb inlet, so I used a couple inches of the rubber tube from the original air intake. It looked like this:
Replacing the curved tube, and readjusting the air mixture got me right back to where I had been in the first place. And I tried adjusting the mixture 3 different times with test jaunts up my block, all unsuccessfully.
I'm stumped. I can not believe that bit of curved hose makes so much difference in the performance but I can't figure out which way to go with the carb and its jets and adjustments to get it running right. The hard part of course is that you can't get the poor performance when its sitting on the centerstand, the engine must be under load.
Maybe it needs a different sized pilot jet. I suppose bigger would be the way to go but that is just a guess. Any suggestions?
BTW, I did bypass the fuel shutoff with a new length of hose after replacing my curved inlet pipe and made one run up the hill successfully without the engine cutting out. I think that verifies that the valve is bad. I'll be awaiting the new one in the mail shortly. Thanks Alan!
And since, due to the narrow confines of the motor mount and the tight fit of the hole that I already enlarged to fit the bigger manifold some months back, I was unable to fit the filter directly to the carb inlet, so I used a couple inches of the rubber tube from the original air intake. It looked like this:
Replacing the curved tube, and readjusting the air mixture got me right back to where I had been in the first place. And I tried adjusting the mixture 3 different times with test jaunts up my block, all unsuccessfully.
I'm stumped. I can not believe that bit of curved hose makes so much difference in the performance but I can't figure out which way to go with the carb and its jets and adjustments to get it running right. The hard part of course is that you can't get the poor performance when its sitting on the centerstand, the engine must be under load.
Maybe it needs a different sized pilot jet. I suppose bigger would be the way to go but that is just a guess. Any suggestions?
BTW, I did bypass the fuel shutoff with a new length of hose after replacing my curved inlet pipe and made one run up the hill successfully without the engine cutting out. I think that verifies that the valve is bad. I'll be awaiting the new one in the mail shortly. Thanks Alan!
Movie Review- Summertime fun!
Want to have some fun at the theater this summer? Here is the solution- go see Stealth. Take with you a cranium packed full of all the foolish movies that tried to portray the military that you can think of. Think Iron Eagle and all its terrible offspring. Then, buy a bag of popcorn, a soda, then sit back and count up all the ways you can identify this movie as completely off the mark. I mean, its obvious that NO Naval personnel were employed as advisors for this movie. The movie is not supposed to be funny, but it is. It really is.
I'm not going to give away the whole movie but I'll give you a short list of obvious faux pauxs that made me laugh. You can check out the movie and collect your own set of Hollywood goof-ups. My list:
"Implosion" bombs that can penetrate 15 floors of a building, then go off and cause the building to fall in on itself without injuring anyone outside the building
The skipper of the USS Abraham Lincoln call it a "ship." I'm pretty certain that every floating piece of naval equipment is a "boat" no matter how big it is.
The skipper was also wearing a jacket with the patch of the USS Carl Vinson!
While evading the Russian MiGs, our hero expended "chafe and flares"
The "concussion check" for our hero was pretty funny.
The visual references to Top Gun were fun and frequent.
The controlled flat spin of the unmanned fighter jet made me laugh out loud.
Finally, the crashed heroine of the movie who was NOT wearing a one-piece flight suit while sneaking out of North Korea.
Make up your own lists!
I probably could buy that 30mm carburetor
If I hadn't already paid for a new jacket from Brockton Cycle. You can see the details of the jacket here.
Its mesh, so it lets in the fresh air during these hot summer months and meets the requirements of long sleeves and reflective and high visibility required by the Air Force base. The wind-tight jacket I have been wearing is just really miserable on the way home when the temperature's up over the 90 degree mark.
Now I'm just waiting for a new package to arrive.
Its mesh, so it lets in the fresh air during these hot summer months and meets the requirements of long sleeves and reflective and high visibility required by the Air Force base. The wind-tight jacket I have been wearing is just really miserable on the way home when the temperature's up over the 90 degree mark.
Now I'm just waiting for a new package to arrive.
More Phantom "improvements"
I've been talking to Alan at PowerSportsFactory this morning, based upon some discussion of carburetors and related vacuum lines. It all started due to a post over at the Vento Users Group at Yahoo. Alan had mentioned to one of the posters that no intake manifold vacuum splitter was required as the big carburetor did not require a separate vacuum source. But my carb does have a requirement for a external vacuum source and so I ended up calling Alan to figure it all out.
I have a 26mm carburetor, not the 30mm version that is presently being offered in the big-bore kit from PSF. That explains the difference! Alan was also insistent that if I remove the u-shaped portion of the original air filter system and installed the air filter directly on the intake end of the carb that I would feel the performance improvement immediately. I used the u-shaped portion based on a picture of the kit from PSF that showed the tube included! I suppose the configuration has changed as development continues, so I'll give it a try.
The scoot has also had a problem that Alan has promised a replacement part to correct. The scooter runs out of fuel when operated at high speeds and high loads, like when I'm trying to get up some of the steep hills around my house. The motor just "dies" for a few seconds but letting up on the throttle allows the engine to recover and then it runs just dandy at everything less than wide open throttle. The fuel shut-off valve is vacuum operated and it appears to not maintain enough vacuum to hold the diaphragm open when operating under low vacuum conditions. I figured out last night how to bypass the valve tonight to verify my theory. In the mean time, Alan is shipping me a new valve.
It also just occurred to me that I could build a small vacuum storage tank to put inline to level out the changes in the low pressure level fluctuations…
The real question is, do I spend the money for that 30mm carburetor that has an accelerator pump feature? Hmm...
I have a 26mm carburetor, not the 30mm version that is presently being offered in the big-bore kit from PSF. That explains the difference! Alan was also insistent that if I remove the u-shaped portion of the original air filter system and installed the air filter directly on the intake end of the carb that I would feel the performance improvement immediately. I used the u-shaped portion based on a picture of the kit from PSF that showed the tube included! I suppose the configuration has changed as development continues, so I'll give it a try.
The scoot has also had a problem that Alan has promised a replacement part to correct. The scooter runs out of fuel when operated at high speeds and high loads, like when I'm trying to get up some of the steep hills around my house. The motor just "dies" for a few seconds but letting up on the throttle allows the engine to recover and then it runs just dandy at everything less than wide open throttle. The fuel shut-off valve is vacuum operated and it appears to not maintain enough vacuum to hold the diaphragm open when operating under low vacuum conditions. I figured out last night how to bypass the valve tonight to verify my theory. In the mean time, Alan is shipping me a new valve.
It also just occurred to me that I could build a small vacuum storage tank to put inline to level out the changes in the low pressure level fluctuations…
The real question is, do I spend the money for that 30mm carburetor that has an accelerator pump feature? Hmm...
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Movie Reviews later
Right now I have some scooter troubleshooting to do and preparations for a trip to the gun range!
New scooter blog added to my list
That scooter link list keeps getting bigger as often as I find a new one to share. Today's addition is a Road Less Taken and its author is Sparky. He's Canadian but I promise not to hold that against him. His blog is brand new so I encourage everyone to go by his blog and say hi and encourage Sparky to give us some great stories.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Social Security - Medicare FUBAR Update-
While we don't yet have the medications in hand, the temporary solution to the BSU's pharmocological requirements replentishment might be resolved. It appears that while we are applying and waiting for Social Security to take her money and implement the spouse into Part B, we can get her pills and potions through the pharmacy at the base hospital.
The pharmacy even claims to have all the meds she requires on their shelves. Now we just need to get the call-back from her Doc, the Doc to write new scripts and for the Doc fax in the scripts to the pharmacy. Otherwise, I have to make a 80 mile round trip to pick up the scripts to deliver to the pharmacy counter.
With a little luck this will be resolved today and the BSU will continue to have the right amounts of meds floating through her system without me skipping a house payment.
Its still DUMBASS that the Medicare can't be declined in favor of the Tri-Care.
The pharmacy even claims to have all the meds she requires on their shelves. Now we just need to get the call-back from her Doc, the Doc to write new scripts and for the Doc fax in the scripts to the pharmacy. Otherwise, I have to make a 80 mile round trip to pick up the scripts to deliver to the pharmacy counter.
With a little luck this will be resolved today and the BSU will continue to have the right amounts of meds floating through her system without me skipping a house payment.
Its still DUMBASS that the Medicare can't be declined in favor of the Tri-Care.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Speaking of all things Moronic- Social Security!
What a hassle we have discovered today! It all began last week, when we tried to pick up the BSU's meds from our friendly Sav-On pharmacy. Seems the insurance payer was calling her ineligible for her meds... Digging in a little bit, we discovered that her military elegibility ID card had expired earlier in the month of July. That seemed to be the simple reason for her payment coverage, through our military insurance to be denied.
Friday, we got her card renewed. We also went to the local advisory office and they assured us her coverage was re-instated and everything should be fine with the meds insurer. Friday night, still no coverage. The pharmacist gave her enough of her meds to get her through the weekend while we waited for all the computers involved to get aligned and for her coverage to resume.
Last night- still no joy. Now the phone calls begin! The pharmacy insurer tells me to call the DEERS office to get her re-instated. The DEERS office tells me to call the Medicare office and the Medicare office tells me to call the Social Security office...
The BSU has now been enrolled, against our specific wishes, in Medicare because she receives a Social Security disability each month. But only Part A Medicare, which makes her ineligible for the Tri-Care military coverage. Social Security says that she can't be unenrolled from Part A and that the only way to re-establish her Tri-Care eligibility is to sign up for, and pay for Part B!
So it will now cost us $78 per month, deducted from her disability check to be able to go back to receiving medications through the free military Tri-Care system!
What a pain! The worst part is that it is apparently going to take a month or more to get her into the Medicare system and that until that is done, she can't get her meds that she needs every day- over $1000 worth! I can't afford to write them a check and these are her mental health meds, so she can't live without them for a month!
Sonofabitch! Stinkin government agencies and their contradictory rules!
Friday, we got her card renewed. We also went to the local advisory office and they assured us her coverage was re-instated and everything should be fine with the meds insurer. Friday night, still no coverage. The pharmacist gave her enough of her meds to get her through the weekend while we waited for all the computers involved to get aligned and for her coverage to resume.
Last night- still no joy. Now the phone calls begin! The pharmacy insurer tells me to call the DEERS office to get her re-instated. The DEERS office tells me to call the Medicare office and the Medicare office tells me to call the Social Security office...
The BSU has now been enrolled, against our specific wishes, in Medicare because she receives a Social Security disability each month. But only Part A Medicare, which makes her ineligible for the Tri-Care military coverage. Social Security says that she can't be unenrolled from Part A and that the only way to re-establish her Tri-Care eligibility is to sign up for, and pay for Part B!
So it will now cost us $78 per month, deducted from her disability check to be able to go back to receiving medications through the free military Tri-Care system!
What a pain! The worst part is that it is apparently going to take a month or more to get her into the Medicare system and that until that is done, she can't get her meds that she needs every day- over $1000 worth! I can't afford to write them a check and these are her mental health meds, so she can't live without them for a month!
Sonofabitch! Stinkin government agencies and their contradictory rules!
Terry has a new blog- Revolvo!
Its the central depository of all things Volvo related to his Volvo, commonly reffered to as his Moron Project. Way to go, Terry!
I should do the same thing for my scooter stuff, but I don't get enough daily visitors to WE that I'm willing to drive away towards another blog. So you just have to keep reading the scooter links over there on the right side.
I should do the same thing for my scooter stuff, but I don't get enough daily visitors to WE that I'm willing to drive away towards another blog. So you just have to keep reading the scooter links over there on the right side.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Want to be a Copy Editor?
Or know what a Copy Editor is? Or does? Bill Walsh will tell you everything you need to know while making it interesting and accurate. And he has a blog!
If you have any interest in the use of the English language, this can be a fun web page. Check it out.
If you have any interest in the use of the English language, this can be a fun web page. Check it out.
Movie Review- Must Love Dogs
No spoiler here, just these comments. Sure, its a chick flick, a date movie, but its funny! Take your significant other and go see it. You'll score points for being willing to see the chick flick and you will laugh. Out loud.
If you need a reference point, think Sleepless in Seattle, but funnier. CNN interviews John Cusak about his role in the film here.
If you need a reference point, think Sleepless in Seattle, but funnier. CNN interviews John Cusak about his role in the film here.
A rainbow on a Monday morning commute
I really need to get a camera equipped cell phone for mornings like today! Its trying to rain this morning and there are dramatic clouds over the Great Salt Lake. But there was also a glorious rainbow peeking through that lit up for most of my morning commute. To the east, from behind the mountains, the sun was lighting the clouds with a vibrant orange wash.
Rainbows are pretty common here but almost always in the afternoons as the sun sets and the rainbows appear over the mountains. This morning's rainbow over the lake was a wonderful rarity and a pretty darn good way to start the week.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Our trip to the beach- by me
So, it only a week late but considering everything, I'm thinking this report isn't too untimely. I mean, we just got back on Monday evening and then there were those two finals and an oral presentation to complete before Thursday. So all things considered, today seems like a good time to write about last week's mini-vacation to the beach.
For the visitors around here, this trip to the beach has become an annual event, started 4 years ago by joint edict of the Sisters. The BSU's sisters, the total number of the clan is 7, the BSU being #6. Here's a picture of 4 of them. And since the rest of the Sisters live in Oregon, the beach is the Oregon coast, not somewhere warm and tropical and inviting. Each year they make reservations at one of Oregon's very nice state parks and then we all gather on the appointed weekend.
For us, its a 1600+ mile trip... Normally we make it into a two day trip going up and that's what we did this year. We stayed in LeGrand Oregon on the way up, had a decent dinner and even played in the motel's pool for a little while before bedtime. The second day was the regular trip down the Columbia River Gorge with a short stop at Multnomah Falls and then finally through Corvallis and over to the coast to South Beach State park on Thursday afternoon.
We got a nice, corner campsite, far enough away from Sister Mary's barking beagle, Riley to not be bothered by him. We took our dog, Sandy and she turned out to be a perfect travel and camping companion. She rested quietly in the back seat of the truck on the road, never made a peep in the motels and took to sleeping in the camper as if she owned the place. The first night there was a terrific storm that blew through the park, lightning and thunder just pounded for 30 or 40 minutes. Sandy, who is normally afraid of any loud noises, slept through the entire storm with nary a wimper. And when the rain came in, behind the thundering introduction, we all slept, warm and dry in the camper. Here's a picture of our camper, set up like a tiki hut for the weekend.
Most of the camping trip involved overeating at the communal picnic tables and feed troughs in Sister Mary's campsite. Everybody brings food, based upon some schedule and directions from two other sisters who are appointed as meal planners. Basically, everybody brings what they like, plus cured pork products and pancake fixings in huge quantities. There was a complete table set up this year to hold the desserts!
When we weren't eating, or preparing to eat or cleaning up afterwards, there was time to sit around the campfire and rest and catch up on family stories. This year there was some nieces and nephews that haven't attended before, so it was god to see them and meet the additions to their families. There was time for the BSU and I to walk over the sand dune and out to the beach with the dog and shiver in the morning's fog. I also excused myself from some of the joviality around the campfire to do homework, trapped in my camper by deadlines that were not going to be extended.
The BSU and I did take a few hours to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. My favorite part of the aquarium was the floor-to-ceiling tank of Oregon Moon jellyfish. There is a webcam on the link you can see but it doesn't begin to display the mesmerizing effect this huge tank, filled with such strange and beautiful creatures had on me while I watched them. The otters were another particular favorite of ours.
So we rested and visited and generally enjoyed much cooler temperatures than the 100+ temps that had been clobbering us in Utah.
We headed home Sunday after another too-big breakfast and disassembling of all the campers, awnings and a good trash pickup. Instead of following the Gorge back home this time, we decided to take the more direct route, through the south-central part of the state, through Sisters, Bend, Brothers and into Burns for our first day's travel. This was a beautiful trip if pretty desolate for the latter half. The first portion was up through heavily wooded wilderness area and mountains with lots of curving, 35 and 45 mph turns. Later it was just high desert and longe range vistas and only occasionally another car on the road. Its an empty part of America!
After another good night's rest we came on home, finally getting onto interstate 84 in Ontario. We did have a tire blow and shred on the camper just after passing through Boise but changing that was no real adventure except for the roaring traffic at my back as I worked. We stopped in Mountain Home, Idaho for a replacement for the in-use spare and then we were back home without incident.
All told, 1651 miles round trip. I didn't keep track of the gasoline consumption but the computer in the truck said 11.5 mpg when we got home. Highest price for fuel? $2.62 at a otherwise decent stop in Eden Idaho. Ouch!
We rented and listened to the audio version of One Soldier's story, Bob Dole's memoir of his time in World War 2. It is a fascinating tale of his efforts to rebuild his life after being injured in battle. We both really liked listening to this and its probably worth buying a copy of the book to keep and re-read. I highly recommend it.
UPDATE: You can see all the pictures I took from the weekend here.
For the visitors around here, this trip to the beach has become an annual event, started 4 years ago by joint edict of the Sisters. The BSU's sisters, the total number of the clan is 7, the BSU being #6. Here's a picture of 4 of them. And since the rest of the Sisters live in Oregon, the beach is the Oregon coast, not somewhere warm and tropical and inviting. Each year they make reservations at one of Oregon's very nice state parks and then we all gather on the appointed weekend.
For us, its a 1600+ mile trip... Normally we make it into a two day trip going up and that's what we did this year. We stayed in LeGrand Oregon on the way up, had a decent dinner and even played in the motel's pool for a little while before bedtime. The second day was the regular trip down the Columbia River Gorge with a short stop at Multnomah Falls and then finally through Corvallis and over to the coast to South Beach State park on Thursday afternoon.
We got a nice, corner campsite, far enough away from Sister Mary's barking beagle, Riley to not be bothered by him. We took our dog, Sandy and she turned out to be a perfect travel and camping companion. She rested quietly in the back seat of the truck on the road, never made a peep in the motels and took to sleeping in the camper as if she owned the place. The first night there was a terrific storm that blew through the park, lightning and thunder just pounded for 30 or 40 minutes. Sandy, who is normally afraid of any loud noises, slept through the entire storm with nary a wimper. And when the rain came in, behind the thundering introduction, we all slept, warm and dry in the camper. Here's a picture of our camper, set up like a tiki hut for the weekend.
Most of the camping trip involved overeating at the communal picnic tables and feed troughs in Sister Mary's campsite. Everybody brings food, based upon some schedule and directions from two other sisters who are appointed as meal planners. Basically, everybody brings what they like, plus cured pork products and pancake fixings in huge quantities. There was a complete table set up this year to hold the desserts!
When we weren't eating, or preparing to eat or cleaning up afterwards, there was time to sit around the campfire and rest and catch up on family stories. This year there was some nieces and nephews that haven't attended before, so it was god to see them and meet the additions to their families. There was time for the BSU and I to walk over the sand dune and out to the beach with the dog and shiver in the morning's fog. I also excused myself from some of the joviality around the campfire to do homework, trapped in my camper by deadlines that were not going to be extended.
The BSU and I did take a few hours to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. My favorite part of the aquarium was the floor-to-ceiling tank of Oregon Moon jellyfish. There is a webcam on the link you can see but it doesn't begin to display the mesmerizing effect this huge tank, filled with such strange and beautiful creatures had on me while I watched them. The otters were another particular favorite of ours.
So we rested and visited and generally enjoyed much cooler temperatures than the 100+ temps that had been clobbering us in Utah.
We headed home Sunday after another too-big breakfast and disassembling of all the campers, awnings and a good trash pickup. Instead of following the Gorge back home this time, we decided to take the more direct route, through the south-central part of the state, through Sisters, Bend, Brothers and into Burns for our first day's travel. This was a beautiful trip if pretty desolate for the latter half. The first portion was up through heavily wooded wilderness area and mountains with lots of curving, 35 and 45 mph turns. Later it was just high desert and longe range vistas and only occasionally another car on the road. Its an empty part of America!
After another good night's rest we came on home, finally getting onto interstate 84 in Ontario. We did have a tire blow and shred on the camper just after passing through Boise but changing that was no real adventure except for the roaring traffic at my back as I worked. We stopped in Mountain Home, Idaho for a replacement for the in-use spare and then we were back home without incident.
All told, 1651 miles round trip. I didn't keep track of the gasoline consumption but the computer in the truck said 11.5 mpg when we got home. Highest price for fuel? $2.62 at a otherwise decent stop in Eden Idaho. Ouch!
We rented and listened to the audio version of One Soldier's story, Bob Dole's memoir of his time in World War 2. It is a fascinating tale of his efforts to rebuild his life after being injured in battle. We both really liked listening to this and its probably worth buying a copy of the book to keep and re-read. I highly recommend it.
UPDATE: You can see all the pictures I took from the weekend here.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Don't tell my BSU-
But I've given the nod to Bob the Religious Artifacts Dealer to get another artifact for my, ahem gun locker cough. I'm buying a Savage .223 bolt action rifle.
Hey, I don't own a centerfire rifle! And Kenny wants to go to Wyoming and try to reduce the prairie dog population and he wants me to go along and help. And a man needs a centerfire rifle for that, don't ya know? Anyway, the rifle will have a grey composite stock, blue steel, the Acu-Trigger and come ready-to shoot with a 3X9X44 scope already installed and boresighted.
And with luck, it will be here by this time next week! UPDATE: Sadly, Bob the RAD will be leaving on his vacation next Thursday, immediately after work. And the earliest my gun could get here is also Thursday... Meaning that because of the potential for the gun to be delivered late and Bob not to be there to sign for it is very high. And it means I won't get it until after Bob gets back, about the middle of the month. Rats! UPDATED AGAIN: I caught Bob this afternoon, just before leaving for the day and suggested I'd be willing to pony up an extra $20 or so if he could get the gun delivered before his vacation. I guess I won't know until Monday.
Guess I better go buy some ammo this weekend...
One last thing, The suggested retail price on the link is just about exactly $100 more than I'm paying for my gun, delivered, taxed and background check included. How's that?
Hey, I don't own a centerfire rifle! And Kenny wants to go to Wyoming and try to reduce the prairie dog population and he wants me to go along and help. And a man needs a centerfire rifle for that, don't ya know? Anyway, the rifle will have a grey composite stock, blue steel, the Acu-Trigger and come ready-to shoot with a 3X9X44 scope already installed and boresighted.
And with luck, it will be here by this time next week! UPDATE: Sadly, Bob the RAD will be leaving on his vacation next Thursday, immediately after work. And the earliest my gun could get here is also Thursday... Meaning that because of the potential for the gun to be delivered late and Bob not to be there to sign for it is very high. And it means I won't get it until after Bob gets back, about the middle of the month. Rats! UPDATED AGAIN: I caught Bob this afternoon, just before leaving for the day and suggested I'd be willing to pony up an extra $20 or so if he could get the gun delivered before his vacation. I guess I won't know until Monday.
Guess I better go buy some ammo this weekend...
One last thing, The suggested retail price on the link is just about exactly $100 more than I'm paying for my gun, delivered, taxed and background check included. How's that?
I am such a geek-
Though you probably already knew that, if you've come around here more than once or twice. Anyway, school's out, the term's over, and I have a three week respite.
Why does that make me a geek? Because I really strive to get those 'A' grades. I'm just not willing to get anything less! I know that nobody else but me cares about my GPA and I'm mighty certain that it won't be a factor once I get that degree completed, but I really like getting 'A's!
Last night I stuck around a few minutes after my Financial Management final exam since the instructor was grading them on the spot. And I got the grade I wanted, both on the test and for the class. The Organizational Behavior class grades will be equally as good.
I haven't had a 'B' since this time last year...
I have 12 more classes- 6 terms to completion. Then what? A Masters degree? The BSU is saying ixnay to that consideration... Loudly!
Why does that make me a geek? Because I really strive to get those 'A' grades. I'm just not willing to get anything less! I know that nobody else but me cares about my GPA and I'm mighty certain that it won't be a factor once I get that degree completed, but I really like getting 'A's!
Last night I stuck around a few minutes after my Financial Management final exam since the instructor was grading them on the spot. And I got the grade I wanted, both on the test and for the class. The Organizational Behavior class grades will be equally as good.
I haven't had a 'B' since this time last year...
I have 12 more classes- 6 terms to completion. Then what? A Masters degree? The BSU is saying ixnay to that consideration... Loudly!
Thursday, July 28, 2005
You should be reading Trevor's Blog
I don't remember how I discovered Trevor's Blog and I don't get around to reading it as often as I should. But its heart-warming and heart-wrenching and shouldn't be missed.
Go check it out. Tell me if I'm wrong when you get back.
Go check it out. Tell me if I'm wrong when you get back.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Scooter Related- JJ's Cruisers has a new name
I went looking last night to add JJ's Street & Electric Cruisers to my link list of scooter related sites over there on the right. I found only a single page with an email address at their website. You might remember last fall when I was scooter shopping that I nearly purchased my scooter from those helpful and informed folks and only a lack of the desired color sent me looking for a Vento Dealer.
Today I dug a little deeper and discovered they have changed their name! Now they are Bandit MotorSports. They still seem to be doing a booming business and I continue to recommend them as a source of quality scooters. Their brick & mortar store was a bit too far away from my travel route to the Oregon coast last week to go find them but if you happen to be within traveling distance of Elmira, Oregon, stop in and check out their line of Bandit scoots.
Tell them Nate sent you!
Today I dug a little deeper and discovered they have changed their name! Now they are Bandit MotorSports. They still seem to be doing a booming business and I continue to recommend them as a source of quality scooters. Their brick & mortar store was a bit too far away from my travel route to the Oregon coast last week to go find them but if you happen to be within traveling distance of Elmira, Oregon, stop in and check out their line of Bandit scoots.
Tell them Nate sent you!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Reporting in from Burns Oregon
Yesterday was a beautiful day of travel through a part of Oregon I've never seen before. Very empty. Desolate. Pretty. We ended up in a decent motel in Burns, an America's Best. We skipped getting into the pool but I did borrow a network cable and got hooked up to the internet while imbibing a couple beers before bedtime.
We're out'a here in a little bit and on the road to home in time for supper. Probably. And I still have homework to do!
We're out'a here in a little bit and on the road to home in time for supper. Probably. And I still have homework to do!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
So, its gonna be pretty quiet around here
While I'm jaunting off to the Oregon coast with the BSU for the annual Clark Sisters weekend campout at the beach and yack fest. Leaving tomorrow for arrival and check-in Thursday and lowering the camper top and heading home starting Sunday and finishing Monday.
In between there will be some beach walking, too much food, lots of excited, running children, brothers-in-law that I only get to see annually , some I have to see annually , maybe a morning of offshore salmon fishing, fresh crab boiling and eating, homework and just a little bit too much to drink.
Not necessarily in that order... There is 1 week remaining in my school term, so I do have work that must be done. I have a book I hope to read just for fun.
And I'm decorating the camper's screen room like a tiki hut lounge! I've got margarita mix and pina colada mix and Jimmy Buffett on the CD player. Plus some decorations to set the mood!
I just wish it wasn't so many dang miles to get over there!
In between there will be some beach walking, too much food, lots of excited, running children, brothers-in-law that I only get to see annually , some I have to see annually , maybe a morning of offshore salmon fishing, fresh crab boiling and eating, homework and just a little bit too much to drink.
Not necessarily in that order... There is 1 week remaining in my school term, so I do have work that must be done. I have a book I hope to read just for fun.
And I'm decorating the camper's screen room like a tiki hut lounge! I've got margarita mix and pina colada mix and Jimmy Buffett on the CD player. Plus some decorations to set the mood!
I just wish it wasn't so many dang miles to get over there!
Evil, Evil! I tell you!
UPDATE: I sent this to my buddy Chris, who promptly shared it with all his friends. Chris has sent me two updates from one fellow- his current score is 23039 points! He is on level 8 and still going!
This game, Planatarity is a huge brain scrambler! I've negotiated to level 3 and 481 points.
Oh, its a tricky one... Found on Dave Barry's blog. Don't blame me for your productivity rates!
This game, Planatarity is a huge brain scrambler! I've negotiated to level 3 and 481 points.
Oh, its a tricky one... Found on Dave Barry's blog. Don't blame me for your productivity rates!
Last weekend- some entertainment!
I often neglect to mention the fun stuff that the BSU and I find to do together during my blathering recaps of my weekends. To my readers, you might guess that my life, and our life is just one big drudge of schoolwork and chores. That's really not true. Somehow I just neglect to write about the fun stuff until its way past and then I write again about the droll stuff. So in the spirit of trying to encourage folks to believe that life behind the Zion Curtain isn't as terrible as I make it out, let me tell you about the concert we went to Friday night…
We went to see the Lovin' Spoonful! The band was playing at the Kenley Amphitheater just down the road in Layton last Friday night.
First off, the Kenley Amphitheater is a beautiful venue. It was our first visit but I promise it won't be our last. There's seating in proper chairs for 1500 folks or so and lawn seating just behind the (more) expensive seats. You can carry in your own chair or rent one for the night just a buck. We elected to purchase the reserved seating but there really is no bad seats in the place so its all a matter of preference. There are huge trees shading most of the seating from the setting sun and very nice flower beds surrounding the entrance. It’s a nice place for a show, its close and its priced right- why have we never been there before?
So, enough. Let's talk about the band and the music! It was fabulous! The Lovin' Spoonful's big album from the 60's, Daydream, was the first rock and roll record album I ever owned. My favorite aunt gave it to me as a Christmas present and I remember that my dad was mighty unhappy about the whole deal. But I loved that record and if there ever was a record that was see-through thin from having a needle run through it, it was that record. And because of that record, I became a fan of the Lovin' Spoonful forever.
John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky are gone from the band of course, but the rest of the group remains with the addition of a couple younger guys playing drums and lead guitar. They played all their old hits, talked a little about the times in the 60s when they all met, became friends and band members and played some new songs they have produced in the past couple years. They also did a wonderful medley of the folks songs that were so popular early in the Flower Power generation that was a hit with the crowd.
It was great fun. The band was obviously in love with their place in life and on the stage and their performance reflected their passion and pleasure. The crowd sang along, clapped hands and even struggled with the whistling portion of Daydream. When the music was over the band stuck around to sign autographs and I was really sad that that old album disappeared during one of our many housecleaning efforts prior to moving somewhere back in my AF past. Otherwise, I would have taken it for autographing. I did buy their CD even if I didn't get it signed.
There was even some local TV news celebrities sitting in the row just in front of us. I would not have known or recognized these two attractive folks except that I heard other people talking to them during the break. I know how smitten Terry is with some of his Birmingham news reporters, so I couldn't help but wonder how he would have managed sitting just behind Samatha Hayes and her handsome, sportscaster date, who's name and bio I can't find right now. And since I can't find that info on KSL's website, I think she must be consorting with somebody from one of the other networks… [If I find his info, I'll update this] Anyway, I would not have recognized her from the television but I can assure you, she is a lovely young woman and drew a small continual flow of folks that just wanted to come over and shake her hand.
Afterwards, on the way home we had Baskin-Robbins and the evening was perfect.
We went to see the Lovin' Spoonful! The band was playing at the Kenley Amphitheater just down the road in Layton last Friday night.
First off, the Kenley Amphitheater is a beautiful venue. It was our first visit but I promise it won't be our last. There's seating in proper chairs for 1500 folks or so and lawn seating just behind the (more) expensive seats. You can carry in your own chair or rent one for the night just a buck. We elected to purchase the reserved seating but there really is no bad seats in the place so its all a matter of preference. There are huge trees shading most of the seating from the setting sun and very nice flower beds surrounding the entrance. It’s a nice place for a show, its close and its priced right- why have we never been there before?
So, enough. Let's talk about the band and the music! It was fabulous! The Lovin' Spoonful's big album from the 60's, Daydream, was the first rock and roll record album I ever owned. My favorite aunt gave it to me as a Christmas present and I remember that my dad was mighty unhappy about the whole deal. But I loved that record and if there ever was a record that was see-through thin from having a needle run through it, it was that record. And because of that record, I became a fan of the Lovin' Spoonful forever.
John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky are gone from the band of course, but the rest of the group remains with the addition of a couple younger guys playing drums and lead guitar. They played all their old hits, talked a little about the times in the 60s when they all met, became friends and band members and played some new songs they have produced in the past couple years. They also did a wonderful medley of the folks songs that were so popular early in the Flower Power generation that was a hit with the crowd.
It was great fun. The band was obviously in love with their place in life and on the stage and their performance reflected their passion and pleasure. The crowd sang along, clapped hands and even struggled with the whistling portion of Daydream. When the music was over the band stuck around to sign autographs and I was really sad that that old album disappeared during one of our many housecleaning efforts prior to moving somewhere back in my AF past. Otherwise, I would have taken it for autographing. I did buy their CD even if I didn't get it signed.
There was even some local TV news celebrities sitting in the row just in front of us. I would not have known or recognized these two attractive folks except that I heard other people talking to them during the break. I know how smitten Terry is with some of his Birmingham news reporters, so I couldn't help but wonder how he would have managed sitting just behind Samatha Hayes and her handsome, sportscaster date, who's name and bio I can't find right now. And since I can't find that info on KSL's website, I think she must be consorting with somebody from one of the other networks… [If I find his info, I'll update this] Anyway, I would not have recognized her from the television but I can assure you, she is a lovely young woman and drew a small continual flow of folks that just wanted to come over and shake her hand.
Afterwards, on the way home we had Baskin-Robbins and the evening was perfect.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Its gonna be a busy week
But I'm only working today and tomorrow. With school both nights. Wednesday starts the annual trip to the Oregon coast with the BSU and the camper so there is much to do before heading out. Over the weekend I got the tires rotated and the oil changed in the truck, had the coolant replaced and bought some firewood. I also finished a term paper, hooked up the Tiny Tach on the scooter and worked on my knocked-down fence.
The fence is not finished after 2 weeks of being down. We had a good windstorm whip through that broke off two of the 4X4 posts where they had rotted at ground level in the concrete mowing strip. Noah started the job during his two weeks off from Job Corp but then his plans got more important than my plans and he didn't finish the work. Yesterday, I bought three new posts and dug out the holes of the rotted wood that remained below the concrete. Digging dirt and wood chunks out through a 4 inch square hole is a little tricky- let me tell you! Anyway, the new posts, because they are new and damp won't fit through the concrete holes... Rats! Old pieces that I have laying around fit right in but the new posts were sticking and not fitting in. I hope a couple days of drying in the sun will shrink them down so they fit and I can get some cement in around them.
Ninety-two bucks to have the truck's coolant changed on Saturday. I could have done it myself but there just seemed to be enough other chores to keep me busy. That fee seemed like a bundle but I haven't touched the coolant since I bought the truck 5 years and 100,000+ miles ago. So dividing the cost by the years makes it seem not so bad really. And I decided that I would rather get it done in town, at my convenience than doing it on the way to Oregon while on vacation. There is over 4 gallons of coolant in that truck's system as well, so maybe I'm glad to pay somebody else to deal with the disposal issues.
So today I've got 2 briefings to give an hour from now, some online training to complete, a Purchase Request to cancel and an email to write to my instructors explaining my upcoming absences and how I will complete the work before the term ends next week. Gotta run!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Too much time on their hands
I don't know who made this movie but they sure spent a bunch of time playing. Can't say I blame them, really. Its weird but mesmerizing and tough to stop watching. Its got a bank robbery, car chases, crashes and sirens. Enjoy.
Another "mother of the Year" candidate...
Sent to me by my sis, this woman was drunk when she delivered her baby!
A police affidavit says Melissa Tanner had a blood alcohol content of point-two-nine percent when she gave birth June 30th. Police say the baby girl was at point-two-one percent.Maybe its not obvious enough, but I have no pity for anyone as dumbass as this woman!
Hospital staff had to use an oxygen bag to help the baby start breathing and gave her medication to counteract any narcotics.
Police say Tanner told them she and another person had just polished off a case of beer -- and that she regularly drank during pregnancy.
A sheriff's investigator says the baby has fetal alcohol syndrome.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the syndrome as the leading preventable cause of mental retardation and physical deformity. The severity of the girl's disability won't be known until she is older.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Where the hell is PETA when you need them?
Man dies while having sex with horse.
King County sheriff's detectives are investigating the owners of an Enumclaw-area farm after a Seattle man died from injuries sustained while having sex with a horse boarded on the property.Serves him right! Dumbass!
Investigators first learned of the farm after the man died at Enumclaw Community Hospital July 2. The county Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the death was accidental and the result of having sex with a horse.
But because investigators found chickens, goats and sheep on the property, they are looking into whether animal cruelty — which is a crime — was committed by having sex with these smaller, weaker animals, he said.
The farm was talked about in Internet chat rooms as a destination for people looking to have sex with livestock, he said.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Scooter Updates for July
Hmm, there's lots going on with my scootering this month. I even met another scooterist in Ogden this week. Jon has a Phantom clone called a Wildfire that he bought off Ebay. Visually it is an identical twin to my scoot, even the color. We happened to cross paths early this week and stopped to chat and compare notes. Jon had to put his together when it arrived from Ohio and the scoot had suffered a little plastic damage that he is trying to get replaced. He's also already discovered PowerSportsFactory and has ordered their HP150 exhaust and variator. He's ordered a racing clutch as well and is planning to have my buddies at Quad & ATV Sales install all the new bits when they arrive. Jon's scoot has a different method of mounting the muffler than the standard Phantoms so there is going to be a little challenge fitting up the new exhaust system.
My HP150 muffler is on its way back to PSF for warranty consideration. I discovered last week that the inlet pipe portion had separated from the outer can portion of the muffler. In fact, the pipe would rotate around inside the cannister. A quick email to Alan, the manager there at PSF confirmed that my pipe's failure was the first of its kind from the 500 that PSF has sold this summer. So I got instructions to send it back and Alan has promised to either warranty it out with a new one or get it welded up for me.
In the mean time, I'm using my JC Whitney megaphone muffler attached to the header of the HP150. It looks really sharp. (pictures later- from home.) With my homemade stinger installed, the sound is deep but not obnoxious, with the pipe open as it was designed, its really, really noisy. Its too noisy for a responsible citizen to impose on the community. And it produces less power than the HP150 muffler! Overall, the scoot just doesn't run as crisply with the megaphone as with the cannister muffler. Taking out the stinger makes it better but the top speed is still decreased and obnoxious. So I'll run it as it is until my cannister makes it back from New Jersey.
I've also purchased a tachometer and a voltmeter for the scoot. The tach is a Tiny Tach and the LED voltmeter came from Wing Toys, a Gold Wing specialist place. . Those 2 shiny bits only arrived this week and so are not yet installed. But they both look pretty slick and I'll get pictures once they are installed.
And- I'm supposed to be putting my Phantom in a motorcycle show at Lindquist Field on Saturday! The show is being called Bike Stock and apparently its supposed to be a concert with motorcycles on display. I've got almost no details but I signed up just on a lark and if I get my term paper for Org Behavior finished, I'll shine up the Phantom and take it down there for a while.
Lots still to do this week before next week's Oregon trip so I gotta run now!
My HP150 muffler is on its way back to PSF for warranty consideration. I discovered last week that the inlet pipe portion had separated from the outer can portion of the muffler. In fact, the pipe would rotate around inside the cannister. A quick email to Alan, the manager there at PSF confirmed that my pipe's failure was the first of its kind from the 500 that PSF has sold this summer. So I got instructions to send it back and Alan has promised to either warranty it out with a new one or get it welded up for me.
In the mean time, I'm using my JC Whitney megaphone muffler attached to the header of the HP150. It looks really sharp. (pictures later- from home.) With my homemade stinger installed, the sound is deep but not obnoxious, with the pipe open as it was designed, its really, really noisy. Its too noisy for a responsible citizen to impose on the community. And it produces less power than the HP150 muffler! Overall, the scoot just doesn't run as crisply with the megaphone as with the cannister muffler. Taking out the stinger makes it better but the top speed is still decreased and obnoxious. So I'll run it as it is until my cannister makes it back from New Jersey.
I've also purchased a tachometer and a voltmeter for the scoot. The tach is a Tiny Tach and the LED voltmeter came from Wing Toys, a Gold Wing specialist place. . Those 2 shiny bits only arrived this week and so are not yet installed. But they both look pretty slick and I'll get pictures once they are installed.
And- I'm supposed to be putting my Phantom in a motorcycle show at Lindquist Field on Saturday! The show is being called Bike Stock and apparently its supposed to be a concert with motorcycles on display. I've got almost no details but I signed up just on a lark and if I get my term paper for Org Behavior finished, I'll shine up the Phantom and take it down there for a while.
Lots still to do this week before next week's Oregon trip so I gotta run now!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Not any ordinary dumbass...
But a real, no-kidding, ought to be drug out and shot, dumbass- this woman! She left her 3 month old baby in the car while she went shopping in Wal-Mart!
Folks, it was over 100 degrees here today! It was, according to other reports, 132 degrees inside the car!
And this stupid woman was shopping in Wal-Mart. No mention of what she was buying, but what do you suppose, something really important- like a brain maybe?
Dumbass! And I hope she goes to jail for a good long time. Maybe she won't get knocked up again while in jail...
Folks, it was over 100 degrees here today! It was, according to other reports, 132 degrees inside the car!
And this stupid woman was shopping in Wal-Mart. No mention of what she was buying, but what do you suppose, something really important- like a brain maybe?
Dumbass! And I hope she goes to jail for a good long time. Maybe she won't get knocked up again while in jail...
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Mr. MaCrae makes it right
Note the post below where the letter to the editor writer complained about the noisy F16 fly-by and questioned why his morning peace was being disrupted. Well, after learning that the formation flight was in fact a tribute to a fallen airman killed in the line of duty, Mr. MaCrae has issued an apology.
I read with increasing embarrassment and humility the response to my unfortunate letter to The Republic concerning an Air Force flyby ("A wake-up call from Luke's jets," Letters, June 23).Thank you Mr. MacRae
I had no idea of the significance of the flyby, and would never have insulted such a fine and respectful display had I known.
I have received many calls from the fine airmen who are serving or have served at Luke, and I have attempted to explain my side and apologized for any discomfort my letter has caused.
This was simply an uninformed citizen complaining about noise.
I have been made aware in both written and verbal communications of the four-ship flyby, and my heart goes out to each and every lost serviceman and woman in this war in which we are engaged.
I have been called un-American by an unknown caller and I feel that I must address that. I served in the U.S. Navy and am a Vietnam veteran. I love my country and respect the jobs that the service organizations are doing.
Please accept my heartfelt apologies.
Tom MacRae, Peoria
Friday, July 08, 2005
Well, this won't help my homework any
The Raptors baseball games are now being internet streamed! Sweet! I've been listening to the games almost every night and tonight, when I clicked on the button, I was pleased to see a new page and the option to watch the game! Heh heh.
And I have 5 tickets in my pocket for tomorrow night's game. Vicki should be going with me and my friend Pat and her parents who have just driven out from New York get the other three. It should be great fun.
And I have 5 tickets in my pocket for tomorrow night's game. Vicki should be going with me and my friend Pat and her parents who have just driven out from New York get the other three. It should be great fun.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
What kind of scooter rider am I?
According to Scooterlife, I think I must be a Number 3.
As for being an Econowonk- today's fill up was 1.168 gallons. 96 miles.
.
.
.
82.19 mpg. Down a little bit now that I've upsized the main jet again. Its a 120 now, up from the previous 115. Top speed is improved to almost 60mph indicated. But I'm down to just 82 miles per gallon...
As for being an Econowonk- today's fill up was 1.168 gallons. 96 miles.
.
.
.
82.19 mpg. Down a little bit now that I've upsized the main jet again. Its a 120 now, up from the previous 115. Top speed is improved to almost 60mph indicated. But I'm down to just 82 miles per gallon...
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Tom Macrae- Foot in Mouth Poster Boy!
With a hat tip to my buddy Chris who turned me on to this article via email yesterday and to Black Five for having the story of one guy's dumbass letter to the Arizona Republic newspaper posted. Seems Mr. Macrae was offended by the noise of a 4 jet formation disturbing his morning's peace-
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!Of course there was a good reason for the fly-by and Mr. Macrae got his answer from the commander for the noise source:
Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns' early-bird special?
Regarding "A wake-up call from Luke's jets" (Letters, Thursday):Black Five has the links to the newspaper letters online. No word yet if Mr. Macrae has responded to the answer to his question...
On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt Jeremy Fresques.
Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.
Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the president of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.
A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, "Whom do we thank for the morning air show?"
The 56th Fighter Wing will call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Lt. Col. Scott Pleus
Luke Air Force Base
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Changes to my blog
I've added another list of links over there on the right, just for scooter bloggers and scooter related websites. Additions will be forthcoming as I find them but for now, go check out The Scooter Scoop. Steve Guzman is the author, he's from Austin Texas and he has a dandy scooter blog.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Happy Independence Day everyone!
I've hung a new flag and mount this morning on my house front. Later I think we are going to the amusement park and I hope to see fireworks from the ferris wheel tonight.
And speaking of the end of the world-
The BSU and I went to see one of the big summer blockbuster movies this weekend. Not to mention any names but its star is a looney tune that has taken to jumping on other people's furniture in public and on television, shouting and yelling...
Its really hard for me to believe that those scary superior beings didn't know about this.
And, no, its not Howard Dean!
Its really hard for me to believe that those scary superior beings didn't know about this.
And, no, its not Howard Dean!
The end of the world must be near...
Friday, July 01, 2005
Save the Cornatees!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
I got a new monitor today!
Whee! This thing is wi----de! 1680 X 1050 sized. First the boss came around with a tape measure in his hands, measuring everyone's monitors. Later, a truckload of shiny new Dell LCD monitors arrived and were handed out to those of us willing to disconnect our old monitors and plug in the new one.
And I volunteered. This thing is Napoleon Dynamite sweet and I'm certain it has more capabilities built in than I have yet discovered. There is a USB connection on the monitor so accessories can be plugged in without reaching all the way around to the dusty back corner of my desk. All I know is right now I can get more windows open and visible than ever before. And my homework's done for tonight.
I still need a corporation with a organizational behavior circumstance as subject matter for a term paper. I'm open to suggestions so send them via email please.
Astin is 6 months old already!
And ain't he a cutie? Granny Sunday and I got to visit for a little while last Friday. He's pretty neat.
A picture from my trip
These Possumblog decals seem to be popping up all over!
And a test of Blogger's picture uploading feature.
Vento Phantom Scooter link post
This post will become a permanent part of my blog and have a link added to the front page as I get it implemented. On this page, my plan is to put a link to every scooter post as it goes up on the front page. If you are a visitor to Wasted Electrons and leave a comment in a post from the past, please email me so I'm aware of your visit. Updates as they occur.
Speaking of scooters
Sure glad i bought a Phantom last year
Phantom performance quandry
I bought a jacket
More Phantom "Improvements"
July Scooter Updates
101 miles, 1.157 Gallons
Scooter mileage update
I'm really happy with my Phantom- finally!
Another blogging scooter rider!
There's another Phantom!
The Phantom is really getting better!
Scooter Parts!
More Phantom Stuff- Good News This Time
Vento now telling buyers they received "knock offs"!
When fishing boats attack!
Vento Phantom Exhaust Pipe Update
Me? Easy weekend, how about you?
The scooter's working!
School's out, the scooter runs, spring is here!
Phantom scooter updates
My scooter parts have arrived!
My Vento Phantom is getting bigger!
I've become a scooter consumer advocate
Vento Phantom Update
Vento Phantom scooter engine sizes revisited
My first scooter convert!
Regarding the Vento Scooter misrepresentation
My most visited post ever-
Vento Phantom R4i scooters are 125cc!
90 miles today, 1.03 gallons!
Still doing my part to support Scootersdirect2U...
Scooter purchase is Imminent!
My Scooter Choices- Feedback Wanted
Hey, scooter guy, check this out!
More fun with Scootersdirect2u!
SCOOTERDIRECT2U@aol.com
Of Mountain Bikes and Motor Scooters
More weekend fun
More Scooter Shopping-
Something completely different- Scooters!
Speaking of scooters
Sure glad i bought a Phantom last year
Phantom performance quandry
I bought a jacket
More Phantom "Improvements"
July Scooter Updates
101 miles, 1.157 Gallons
Scooter mileage update
I'm really happy with my Phantom- finally!
Another blogging scooter rider!
There's another Phantom!
The Phantom is really getting better!
Scooter Parts!
More Phantom Stuff- Good News This Time
Vento now telling buyers they received "knock offs"!
When fishing boats attack!
Vento Phantom Exhaust Pipe Update
Me? Easy weekend, how about you?
The scooter's working!
School's out, the scooter runs, spring is here!
Phantom scooter updates
My scooter parts have arrived!
My Vento Phantom is getting bigger!
I've become a scooter consumer advocate
Vento Phantom Update
Vento Phantom scooter engine sizes revisited
My first scooter convert!
Regarding the Vento Scooter misrepresentation
My most visited post ever-
Vento Phantom R4i scooters are 125cc!
90 miles today, 1.03 gallons!
Still doing my part to support Scootersdirect2U...
Scooter purchase is Imminent!
My Scooter Choices- Feedback Wanted
Hey, scooter guy, check this out!
More fun with Scootersdirect2u!
SCOOTERDIRECT2U@aol.com
Of Mountain Bikes and Motor Scooters
More weekend fun
More Scooter Shopping-
Something completely different- Scooters!
Story of my trip to Ohio
I expect that this story will go up in several posts simply due to all the stories that need to be told and because of the continual burden of work, school and family man. So, you'll just have to keep stopping by to see how the story goes as I manage to scribble it all down.
First of all, I had a great time in Ohio with all my immediate family. Both of my parents were there, Mom down from Michigan, Dad on his annual sojourn up above the Mason-Dixon line from Florida with his wife Carol. Next younger brother Tim came from Florida as well, I met him at the airport in Cleveland just as planned. Baby sister Melanie, with her hubby Mark and three offspring, Rachel, Joshua and Steven also came from Michigan. Melanie's blog is over the on the right, so we'll see what she has to say about the weekend soon enough. Youngest brother Peter still lives in Alliance, with his girlfriend Debby and we were all there to share in the celebration of the installation of brother Mark as the new pastor of Highland Church of God in Wooster Ohio.
The party actually revolved around Mark and his lovely wife Barb's house in Alliance. This house has been in the family since 1973 which is some kind of record for our family and soon its going to be readied for sale. That's a huge transition in the family right from the start!
So flying into Cleveland was uneventful and pleasant, all except for that 6:05 takeoff time that I've moaned about previously. My flight was right on time, Tim's flight was delayed nearly 30 minutes but we still found each other without any difficulty. We didn't make it to the rental car counter before staring with the "old guy" cracks, asking if I wasn't already getting a AARP discount!
Well, I wasn't getting any discount for my age but I did wrangle a decent discount on an upgrade from the lovely Dollar Rental Car assistant. I had booked a full-size car and was expecting a Chrysler product, because that's what Dollar has for rent. Except that I had a Taurus waiting for me! Yuck! Instead of a clone of the most deserving of being a rental car autos, I upgraded to a Dodge Magnum! Oh yeah! Much better. And, no, it wasn't a Hemi. Too bad about that.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
The internet ate my travel post!
That's right, I emailed into Blogger part of my story about my trip to Ohio. This afternoon. And it hasn't arrived yet. So tomorrow I'll copy and paste it from my email into the posting box for your reading pleasure...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
101 miles, 1.157 Gallons
Another scooter gas milage update, just so you know I haven't quit blogging entirely. I had a group presentation to prepare for and deliver last night. Tonight is the Financial Management mid-term test.
That's 87.29 mpg if you're math challenged...
Isn't that too cool? I'm doing my part to save the oil reserves every day when Iscotter scooter to work and school and leave my 12 mpg truck in the driveway!
That's 87.29 mpg if you're math challenged...
Isn't that too cool? I'm doing my part to save the oil reserves every day when I
Monday, June 27, 2005
This is only a test-
If this was an actual cat, you would have already been informed to fill his food dish!
Note: regarding the test, you can now post a photo directly from Photobucket into Blogger. Its pretty slick but obviously it doesn't resize pictures to fit your Blogger template. I generally just use the thumbnail and link feature but I had to try out the new trick.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
My family
Photo from this past weekend's trip to Ohio. Its just a teaser while I continue to write some substance...
Some notes of interest- obviously there is NO familial resemblence amongst any of us... Brother Tim is looking ever so handsome with his greying hair and no eyeglasses blocking the view, except that his eyes are closed in this picture! He recently had cataract surgery and is eyeglass free for the first time since he started kindergarten many years ago.
That's my clan. There's not a black sheep in the bunch, really. Heck, I've got more visible vices than anyone else in the family!
Lots more pictures later.
Some notes of interest- obviously there is NO familial resemblence amongst any of us... Brother Tim is looking ever so handsome with his greying hair and no eyeglasses blocking the view, except that his eyes are closed in this picture! He recently had cataract surgery and is eyeglass free for the first time since he started kindergarten many years ago.
That's my clan. There's not a black sheep in the bunch, really. Heck, I've got more visible vices than anyone else in the family!
Lots more pictures later.
Scooter mileage update
Ninety-seven miles, 1.15 gallons to fill up today. That's 84.3 mpg.
Sweet! [/Napoleon Dynamite]
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Weekend Update
There was travel, visiting, church services- twice, and squirt guns. It will be a great story, I promise.
But later.
And in an update- I noticed that the previous post finally did meander in and get online from the emailed effort, almost 4 hours later than the direct post into the Blogger box. I guess the email forgot to turn left at Albuquerque!
But later.
And in an update- I noticed that the previous post finally did meander in and get online from the emailed effort, almost 4 hours later than the direct post into the Blogger box. I guess the email forgot to turn left at Albuquerque!
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