Showing posts with label car rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car rant. Show all posts
Friday, September 07, 2007
wash it out
Well, two weeks ago I set upon two "major" projects. I can say with some measure of certainty that I completed one task, and I completely failed the other. I installed computer cooling fans into my entertainment center. Designed to keep all of my electronics nice and cool during the day. Got that done, easy-peasy. The failed project? Re-wiring my accessories directly into the car battery. Sounds easy doesn't it? I thought it was. Turns out it really isn't that easy. I kept blowing fuses and ended up spending like $60 on this project. With school starting up again I figure I'll have less time to work on it, but next time I'm going to wire the accessories through the car's fusebox. Hopefully that'll work. Worse case scenario? I blow all the fuses.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
fm 3-22.9
I was perusing through this fantastic Army field manual. It is the pseudo-bible of the military. FM 3-22.9 Rifle Marksmanship M16A1, M16A2/3, M16A4 and M4 Carbine. So what makes me blog about this particular piece? Could it be because it's a load of crap? Nah, too easy. Is it the perpetual violence? Nope, I like it, keeps me employed. So what is it you ask. It's this:
As I read through all of the instructor portions of the book I stumbled across this little tidbit in Chapter 7: Advanced Rifle Marksmanship (Phase IV of Basic Rifle Marksmanship), Section 7-23c. This section is titled Aim Point. For the layman it is where you aim on a person. Now, as a lay-person where do you think you'd aim for "Lethal Shot Placement"? If you thought "the head" you'd be wrong. According to FM 3-22.9 lethal shot placement is acheived with the aim point of 'center mass' basically the area between the waist and chest. Headshots are "incapacitating shot placements" OK, I exaggerate it's the face but still, you think that a shot in the face would put the man down but I guess not. Silly Army, headshots are kids.
Sidenote: It finally clicked. You know the phrase, "it's a deusy!" as in "watch that last step, it's a deusy." It was a car. Doh!
As I read through all of the instructor portions of the book I stumbled across this little tidbit in Chapter 7: Advanced Rifle Marksmanship (Phase IV of Basic Rifle Marksmanship), Section 7-23c. This section is titled Aim Point. For the layman it is where you aim on a person. Now, as a lay-person where do you think you'd aim for "Lethal Shot Placement"? If you thought "the head" you'd be wrong. According to FM 3-22.9 lethal shot placement is acheived with the aim point of 'center mass' basically the area between the waist and chest. Headshots are "incapacitating shot placements" OK, I exaggerate it's the face but still, you think that a shot in the face would put the man down but I guess not. Silly Army, headshots are kids.
Sidenote: It finally clicked. You know the phrase, "it's a deusy!" as in "watch that last step, it's a deusy." It was a car. Doh!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
one thing leads to another
Do what you say, say what you mean. I'll just say it. The weather here in Indiana is just plain weird and I dislike it. I've lived in various parts of this country and I've never quite encountered weather patterns like this. In the morning I got up, it was kind of dreary but I still went out and ran my errands. When I got back the weather was beautiful so I decided to take advantage and work a little on my car. I've been putting off some maintenance for some good weather like this. One of the things I attempted to repair was my front bumper. It sits in front of the hood instead of behind it. The knucklehead ripped it out but stopped about 1/10 of the way through and put it back together. By rip out, I mean actually rip out. Regardless, I managed to correct the problem. In my efforts, I had to remove some parts to gain access to the part I was repairing. Once removed I realized that I should probably clean it off, 16 years of crap buildup is extensive so I used more extreme methods. My cleaning method required that I repaint it, no sense in this metal part rusting on me too. It went from a dirty white/pearl to gunmetal gray. Of course the bolts were still white so I repainted them too, black this time. All in all, this took about 5 hours of my day. Just as I'm going down to my car to install the part, dark clouds take form overhead. Once my tools were out and I was in position it starts to rain. A few drops here, no big deal but I hurry up anyway. Don't want to be caught out in the rain with my hood open. My primary concern was lining up the two mechanisms that lock the hood down and release it. With the assembly complete it starts to rain harder. Dedicated to my work and knowing that God was laughing at me I knew that I hadn't aligned the two parts correctly and that my hood would be locked. Sure enough, I went to pop the hood and heard nothing. It's raining pretty good at this point and I manage to temporarily fix the hood problem. Rain delay. Will finish the rest after a good night's rest.
OK, I don't understand this, but apparently stupidity is bigger in Texas too. I lived there for the better part of two years and I really don't see how a $500 incentive helps. Yes, I admit 75,000 abortions is alot. However, that's not that simple. I wish it were, but it's not. It's not a solution. It doesn't address the problem. It's just stupid. Yeah it could potentially save 3000 lives. And to the "critics" it's not buying babies, it's saving lives. That'll be spending $1.5 million that could be better spent on other things, like say, sex education. *gasp* And what about the women and the families that already have decided on adoption as an alternative? I guess they should just walk into a clinic just for the $500. I'm sure that'll drive up the cost of the program. To be honest, it sounds like a political move to gain voters among the pro-life camp. It'll get shot down in appropriations.
To clarify, I'm not pro-life. However, it may be crueler to everyone if a baby is brought up in an unsuitable environment with inadequate funds. I just don't know.
OK, I don't understand this, but apparently stupidity is bigger in Texas too. I lived there for the better part of two years and I really don't see how a $500 incentive helps. Yes, I admit 75,000 abortions is alot. However, that's not that simple. I wish it were, but it's not. It's not a solution. It doesn't address the problem. It's just stupid. Yeah it could potentially save 3000 lives. And to the "critics" it's not buying babies, it's saving lives. That'll be spending $1.5 million that could be better spent on other things, like say, sex education. *gasp* And what about the women and the families that already have decided on adoption as an alternative? I guess they should just walk into a clinic just for the $500. I'm sure that'll drive up the cost of the program. To be honest, it sounds like a political move to gain voters among the pro-life camp. It'll get shot down in appropriations.
To clarify, I'm not pro-life. However, it may be crueler to everyone if a baby is brought up in an unsuitable environment with inadequate funds. I just don't know.
Monday, December 25, 2006
don't go breaking my heart
That's it installed. Where are the wires you ask? Ah, that was the point of the project. It's still in progress, Bill has to come over and rewire the four adapters directly into the fusebox.
So what started out as a project has become a lot more complex. Original idea: hide the wires. Sweet, simple and easy. Right? Wrong. Wes had the idea to fiberglass a cover for it, which meant that all the wires would have to go through the back instead of sides as planned. No problem, I'll just cut off the back.
Since we were fiberglassing it, that meant that we needed to sand it down and repaint it. Sure it would've been easy to match the paint (flat black) and cover it. However, I made this complex by wanting to sand down everything and repaint everything (glossy black and gunmetal gray). So with redoing the center console I had to repaint the ebrake thingie too
The picture was taken in progress. After the first coat of paint. Yeah, that's a pizza box. Saving the environment!
OK, so back to the project. Fiberglass phase complete. Wes sanded it down, but there were still some indentions so we filled them with bondo and sanded it down. It was smooth. Meanwhile, I was sanding down the texture on the center console plastic frame and the ebrake thingie. Started with 100 grit sandpaper, working all the way up to 2000 grit. Lots of fun, sanding down that much surface area again and again and again and again... (you get the idea right?)
With the sanding complete, the painting begins. A coat of primer, wet sanding with 2000 grit, let dry, paint black, let dry, and paint black again. The center console is gunmetal but the trim is black. So to paint it two tone I had to tape it up. Now, in the back of my head, as I'm applying the tape to cover up the area I don't want painted I think to myself wouldn't it just be hilarious if the blue painter's tape I'm using peeled off the paint? Thirty minutes later, when I remove the tape. Guess what? The tape took off the paint. I had to re-cover painted areas and repaint.
Once Wes was done with the console I took a look at it. With the back cut out, the adapter would fall out (apparently the back kept it in place...) so the solution was to drill screws in to hold it in place. Good idea right? We thought so.
So all of this took four days to complete, working after our regular jobs until about midnight. So on Friday I took it upon myself to install all of this. The plugs had to go through first. I then had to run the wires to wherever they were going. Putting in the adapter was third in the order of things. Secure adapter with screws, oh, did I mention that the screws were on top right under the cd player? Yeah. So now I get to put the cd player in place, secure it with the little hooks, and plug it in. Now comes to fun part of shoving the whole unit into place, because all of the wires are back there taking up space that the car doesn't have. Grr. Holding console with one hand, put screws in to hold it.
Ah yes, just the plastic frame left. Oh wait, all of the sanding warped it! I gotta bend it back before I put it in. Whew. That only took an hour to put together, it will be darn near impossible to disassemble. Or at least just very complex.
So the project is complete right? (minus the rewiring) Wrong. I've already repainted the front speaker covers (I'm going to replace the speakers Tuesday) and the little handle thingies in the door. I've already pulled off all of the little covers, thinking I might paint them. I've noticed a leak in the back too, somehow water was running down a wire that was behind one of the panels. So there's that too.
The car is an adventure and hopefully, it will take me on a few too.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
bohemian rhapsody
OK, well, my part of the project is done. All of the pieces were disassembled, cleaned, sanded (repeatedly), primered and painted. I even got the piece I pulled out yesterday after work, yup, decided to do one more part of the dash. It's up to Bill now. He's supposed to do the electrical work. The whole point of the project was to redo the electrical (and to hide the wires). It looks pretty damn good, not perfect as if it came off the assembly line but good for what it's supposed to do. After installation and cleaning the car I'll snap a few photos of the redone console. Of course it contrasts with the rest of the dash and the interior but it's only the first phase of doing the whole dang thing.
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next. The interior stuff is relatively cheap to redo, but I want to save up to do an engine swap. Research online points to a B18 VTEC, 160hp and just general badass-ness. Unfortunately a brand new VTEC engine costs a pretty penny (almost $2000) and then there's the additional costs like tools, replacement parts, and an engine crain. Plus, if I get a good engine I'll need a new transmission and I haven't even begun looking for one yet. Not like I've done any of this to any other car, but I don't know anything about transmissions except for gear ratios. I know what they are, I don't know how to change them but I know what they're supposed to do. To utilize the bigger engine I'll also need a new air intake and exhaust system. So that's a big step, the biggest for the car project.
The biggest obstacle in the whole thing is financing. I don't get paid alot and a majority of my money is tied up in food and shelter. I supposed I can just live in my car, that'll solve most of my problems but I still need a place to store my stuff. Maybe my office... there's plenty of space. At the rate I'm going, this will probably years in the making but hopefully, ultimately worth it.
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next. The interior stuff is relatively cheap to redo, but I want to save up to do an engine swap. Research online points to a B18 VTEC, 160hp and just general badass-ness. Unfortunately a brand new VTEC engine costs a pretty penny (almost $2000) and then there's the additional costs like tools, replacement parts, and an engine crain. Plus, if I get a good engine I'll need a new transmission and I haven't even begun looking for one yet. Not like I've done any of this to any other car, but I don't know anything about transmissions except for gear ratios. I know what they are, I don't know how to change them but I know what they're supposed to do. To utilize the bigger engine I'll also need a new air intake and exhaust system. So that's a big step, the biggest for the car project.
The biggest obstacle in the whole thing is financing. I don't get paid alot and a majority of my money is tied up in food and shelter. I supposed I can just live in my car, that'll solve most of my problems but I still need a place to store my stuff. Maybe my office... there's plenty of space. At the rate I'm going, this will probably years in the making but hopefully, ultimately worth it.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
you're the best around
Ah... The interior refinishing project is nearing completion (of this phase). The piece around the e-brake is finished, and the accessories panel is 1/3 painted (black) I just need to add the gunmetal. The console work is coming along slowly, it's been fiberglassed and cut. Need to touch up the cut area, sand it and re-install it. Then there's the wiring that needs to be hidden but that'll be a quick job. True to my nature, as I'm painting I realize it would've been great to take pictures; before, during and after shots. I wanted to do that with the heater core assembly too but we only have the during disassembly shot where we've almost completely disassembled the interior of my car. It looked pretty bad ass striped to the metal.
Let's see what's on CNN.com. China is imposing more restrictions on adoptions. Fat people can't adopt Chinese kids, neither can depressed people, or the unmarried. Wow, that pretty much describes me. Luckily I'm not looking to adopt a Chinese kid.
I just hate people like this. The scary part of this story is that the headline might actually be true. They took on 11 special needs children. Uh, I can't do the math but that's like 11 needs that are special, and not special in the 'different' sense. Because if that was true, then sleeping in cages is different. Funny thing, they're married, not depressed and mostly not fat. Guess they're qualified to adopt some Chinese kids. Just not special needs kids.
Miss USA still a role model. Uh yeah. I remember that little girl back in school that said that she wanted to grow up to be a princess or Miss USA. You don't have to use your brain in the future, just make sure you look good in a bikini and an evening gown. We'll come up with some generic answers for the Q&A section. Sure you'll life will hit its peak by age 20 but honestly, everything after that is just downhill (40-70yrs of downhill).
Aww, I was disappointed when I clicked on this link. The headline had me thinking it was like Kung Fu or something like that. Right? With a title like:7 Injured as Monks Storm Monastry. You think it's going to be some sort of action film with monks fighting in the courtyard, bouncing off the roofs and dust flying whenever someone got hit. But alas, they're Greek and they don't know kung fu.
Let's see what's on CNN.com. China is imposing more restrictions on adoptions. Fat people can't adopt Chinese kids, neither can depressed people, or the unmarried. Wow, that pretty much describes me. Luckily I'm not looking to adopt a Chinese kid.
I just hate people like this. The scary part of this story is that the headline might actually be true. They took on 11 special needs children. Uh, I can't do the math but that's like 11 needs that are special, and not special in the 'different' sense. Because if that was true, then sleeping in cages is different. Funny thing, they're married, not depressed and mostly not fat. Guess they're qualified to adopt some Chinese kids. Just not special needs kids.
Miss USA still a role model. Uh yeah. I remember that little girl back in school that said that she wanted to grow up to be a princess or Miss USA. You don't have to use your brain in the future, just make sure you look good in a bikini and an evening gown. We'll come up with some generic answers for the Q&A section. Sure you'll life will hit its peak by age 20 but honestly, everything after that is just downhill (40-70yrs of downhill).
Aww, I was disappointed when I clicked on this link. The headline had me thinking it was like Kung Fu or something like that. Right? With a title like:7 Injured as Monks Storm Monastry. You think it's going to be some sort of action film with monks fighting in the courtyard, bouncing off the roofs and dust flying whenever someone got hit. But alas, they're Greek and they don't know kung fu.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
swing swing
First off, I want to start on a personal note. Since this weekend my car has been sounding beefy. I can't explain it better than that. She sounds like she's a souped up little rice burner. She's not. She's still stock under the hood. The only difference is that Bill pulled off my muffler. To be honest though, it was going to fall off so I can't complain. Either it was now or somewhere on the road. This is better. Of course now the problem is that Stacy sounds like she's racing everywhere, and I'm surrounded by porsches, corvettes and magnums. All of them think I'm racing them when we pull off the line at the stoplight. So when I'm driving normally (a little on the fast side) all these other people with hundreds of horsepower are just blowing me away.
Last night I did a search of odd news from Yahoo!. The rest of the world hates us because we live in a bubble. A coup in Fiji, Iran is still continuing its nuclear program and Iraq is still a mess. What are we concerned about? The Vaughn/Aniston split, Murphy/Brown split and the Longoria/Parker engagement. Umm, yeah.
Nothing brings a family together like the holidays, so nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like trying to stuff a spouse in an oven. Seriously? In front of the kids too, that must be one happy household to do something like that. Couldn't he just be like the rest of us and smack her around?
Kid violence is not a laughing matter. OK, so I make it a laughing matter but not by making fun of anything serious. Like this study conducted by the government on school killings. Really? It's up from last year? Wow. But what's really amazing is that the government had to do a study to state the obvious. What's next? Oxygen deemed a good thing for survival. Thanks government, glad to hear my tax dollars are being well spent.
I just liked the headline of this article.
Now there's another hazard when we're flying. It's not just shoe bombs, guns, knives or liquid. Yes, I'm talking about farts, the silent but deadly killer. Paranoid people are funny.
Irony: Auschwitz, the place made infamous in WWII as a death camp is getting renovated. So we're keeping this place that has caused so much death and destruction of families... because? Well, I guess if the South can keep the Confederate flag then the Poles can keep Auschwitz. At this point I was going to make a bad joke about the Holocaust but instead I'll just leave you this link.
There's a ton of odd news out there and I wish I had the time to post them all. Oh well, I can do that later. The world is a hilarious place.
Last night I did a search of odd news from Yahoo!. The rest of the world hates us because we live in a bubble. A coup in Fiji, Iran is still continuing its nuclear program and Iraq is still a mess. What are we concerned about? The Vaughn/Aniston split, Murphy/Brown split and the Longoria/Parker engagement. Umm, yeah.
Nothing brings a family together like the holidays, so nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like trying to stuff a spouse in an oven. Seriously? In front of the kids too, that must be one happy household to do something like that. Couldn't he just be like the rest of us and smack her around?
Kid violence is not a laughing matter. OK, so I make it a laughing matter but not by making fun of anything serious. Like this study conducted by the government on school killings. Really? It's up from last year? Wow. But what's really amazing is that the government had to do a study to state the obvious. What's next? Oxygen deemed a good thing for survival. Thanks government, glad to hear my tax dollars are being well spent.
I just liked the headline of this article.
Now there's another hazard when we're flying. It's not just shoe bombs, guns, knives or liquid. Yes, I'm talking about farts, the silent but deadly killer. Paranoid people are funny.
Irony: Auschwitz, the place made infamous in WWII as a death camp is getting renovated. So we're keeping this place that has caused so much death and destruction of families... because? Well, I guess if the South can keep the Confederate flag then the Poles can keep Auschwitz. At this point I was going to make a bad joke about the Holocaust but instead I'll just leave you this link.
There's a ton of odd news out there and I wish I had the time to post them all. Oh well, I can do that later. The world is a hilarious place.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
wouldn't it be loverly?
The Queen has lost her edge. Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?
Tonight on CBS is the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. I'm looking forward to that... for research purposes of course. You know, the latest trends and innovations in fashion technology. Wait, why do I have to justify that? I'm a guy.
If you were wondering what the Top 10 searches for 2006 are, you might be surprised. Maybe not. The overall winner is: Britney Spears. I'm just waiting for there to be an awards show on a cable channel. OK, before I open that can of worms I'm going to stop. I'll just say this, there are too many award shows nowadays. It takes away from the whole meaning of awards.
Moving on. Stacy still needs electrical work done. Wires need to be run, hooked up and devices need power. All of the standard features work, it's just all of my extras need power. The radar detector, power converter, iPod, phone charger and CB radio.
Tonight on CBS is the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. I'm looking forward to that... for research purposes of course. You know, the latest trends and innovations in fashion technology. Wait, why do I have to justify that? I'm a guy.
If you were wondering what the Top 10 searches for 2006 are, you might be surprised. Maybe not. The overall winner is: Britney Spears. I'm just waiting for there to be an awards show on a cable channel. OK, before I open that can of worms I'm going to stop. I'll just say this, there are too many award shows nowadays. It takes away from the whole meaning of awards.
Moving on. Stacy still needs electrical work done. Wires need to be run, hooked up and devices need power. All of the standard features work, it's just all of my extras need power. The radar detector, power converter, iPod, phone charger and CB radio.
Monday, December 04, 2006
cars
My love for my car knows no bounds. Here's the tale of the heater core...
It all started last Monday when I purchased a heater core and picked it up this Saturday, because this was the day that I was going to install it. No sense driving around with a heater core that wasn't installed. Sure. I had my trusty Haynes manual for all Civic models from like '87-'91. I get to my friend's house at about 10:30am on Saturday. In a genius move, I open the Haynes book to the heater core disassembly page. Nice! Only like eight steps, this will take a few hours top!
Step One: Disconnect negative battery cable.
CHECK.
Step Two: Drain coolant. (See Chapter 1)
Umm, Chapter 1 wasn't that much more of help, but it gets done.
Step Three: From inside the engine compartment remove the two hoses attached from to the firewall.
Crap, 16 year old hoses and clamps. Can't reach clamps. Need to disassemble air filter and attached hoses. Still can't reach clamps. Unbolt fuel filter. Ah. CHECK.
Step Four: Remove screws and bolts in center console and pull out console.
CHECK. Wait, there's additional stuff back there. Like the whole dash! Crap. OK, no problem, simply remove bolts securing the dash. Well, the display console needs to come out before that. Some issues, OK, here we go. Oh the steering column frame is in the way. Disassemble steering column. Fine. That only took a few hours to figure out.
Step Five: Disconnect AC/heater controllers.
CHECK.
Step Six: Remove screws and bolts securing heater core.
Look, there's only three bolts! This is easy! Four hours later... we find out that the old heater core pipes have melted into the insulation. Oh, the two pipes are also melted into their rubber fittings. RIPPPPPP. CRACK. Huh, there's a fourth bolt and hook attached to the back of the heater core case. CHECK.
Step Seven: Reinstall heater core.
CHECK.
Step Eight: Reverse removal procedures to install.
CHECK.
The part cost $32 with a deposit (that I get back) of $17. So really it's like $15. I feel like one of those Mastercard commercials.
Heater (minus deposit): $15
Oil drip pan: $6
Creeper: $29
Coolant: $5
8' rubber hose: $2
4 Clamps: $2
Additional tools needed to disassemble car: $149
3 packs of cigarettes: $12
Food: $29
Halogen lamps to work at night: $34
Working with two good buddies for 24 hours when a mechanic would've had this done in eight: PRICELESS.
For everything else, there's Mastercard.
Except that I used my Visa. Ha! Take that!
We had Stacy reassembled by 1:30am Monday. I have to go back to my friend's house to pick out my tools, plus the electrical isn't done. We have a plan, all of the accessories will have their own fuses and actually be ran properly, hidden from sight. May also install an external speaker to my CB radio to use it as a PA. Which will be a nice offensive weapon system.
So the story continues...
It all started last Monday when I purchased a heater core and picked it up this Saturday, because this was the day that I was going to install it. No sense driving around with a heater core that wasn't installed. Sure. I had my trusty Haynes manual for all Civic models from like '87-'91. I get to my friend's house at about 10:30am on Saturday. In a genius move, I open the Haynes book to the heater core disassembly page. Nice! Only like eight steps, this will take a few hours top!
Step One: Disconnect negative battery cable.
CHECK.
Step Two: Drain coolant. (See Chapter 1)
Umm, Chapter 1 wasn't that much more of help, but it gets done.
Step Three: From inside the engine compartment remove the two hoses attached from to the firewall.
Crap, 16 year old hoses and clamps. Can't reach clamps. Need to disassemble air filter and attached hoses. Still can't reach clamps. Unbolt fuel filter. Ah. CHECK.
Step Four: Remove screws and bolts in center console and pull out console.
CHECK. Wait, there's additional stuff back there. Like the whole dash! Crap. OK, no problem, simply remove bolts securing the dash. Well, the display console needs to come out before that. Some issues, OK, here we go. Oh the steering column frame is in the way. Disassemble steering column. Fine. That only took a few hours to figure out.
Step Five: Disconnect AC/heater controllers.
CHECK.
Step Six: Remove screws and bolts securing heater core.
Look, there's only three bolts! This is easy! Four hours later... we find out that the old heater core pipes have melted into the insulation. Oh, the two pipes are also melted into their rubber fittings. RIPPPPPP. CRACK. Huh, there's a fourth bolt and hook attached to the back of the heater core case. CHECK.
Step Seven: Reinstall heater core.
CHECK.
Step Eight: Reverse removal procedures to install.
CHECK.
The part cost $32 with a deposit (that I get back) of $17. So really it's like $15. I feel like one of those Mastercard commercials.
Heater (minus deposit): $15
Oil drip pan: $6
Creeper: $29
Coolant: $5
8' rubber hose: $2
4 Clamps: $2
Additional tools needed to disassemble car: $149
3 packs of cigarettes: $12
Food: $29
Halogen lamps to work at night: $34
Working with two good buddies for 24 hours when a mechanic would've had this done in eight: PRICELESS.
For everything else, there's Mastercard.
Except that I used my Visa. Ha! Take that!
We had Stacy reassembled by 1:30am Monday. I have to go back to my friend's house to pick out my tools, plus the electrical isn't done. We have a plan, all of the accessories will have their own fuses and actually be ran properly, hidden from sight. May also install an external speaker to my CB radio to use it as a PA. Which will be a nice offensive weapon system.
So the story continues...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
unknown.
Well, let's start off with I called the guy back. He answered, he was sober and he hung up on me. Bastard. I'll wait till later to give him a call back. This should be more interesting. Maybe I'll claim to have him mom.
In other news, three students are dead the results of a bus crash in Alabama. Now it's never cool to have children die. Apparently there was a car involved too. The driver was a fellow student, the teen says that 'something went wrong' with the car that caused it to veer into bus' lane and caused the bus to ride along the concrete side before falling over.
There's so many things wrong with that, so many things that could've been done to minimize the damage. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. I'll break it down.
1. The driver of the Celica was 17 years old. Probably has the average driving experience of a 17 year old. That's where better drivers' ed comes into play. I've been through the defensive/offensive driving courses. You learn cool techniques on how to disable a vehicle you're following or one that's following you. How to evade a car, S-turns, J-turns and U-turns.
2. The driver of the bus veered away from the Celica. That's basic instincts, but the classes above teach you to do the opposite. Me, I veer towards them. It's all about control. Plus, when driving a mass transit vehicle your responsibility falls to the others in your vehicle. I'd rather be charged with one count of involuntary vehicular manslaughter than 3 counts of involuntary manslaughter. That's just me.
3. The story provided by the teen is flimsy at best. He/She probably doesn't want to admit to goofing off or showboating as the cause of the accident. Something went wrong, yeah you were trying to cut off a bus but lacked the necessary skills to do it. Great, now three people are dead and fifteen are in the hospital.
Again, hindsight is 20/20. I can't say for sure that I'd do anything different but I can say that I have been taught differently. I know the limitations of myself and my vehicle. If it came down to saving 20 lives (plus myself) and killing one, or killing an unknown amount and saving one, I'd have to say killing one is an acceptable loss.
In other news, three students are dead the results of a bus crash in Alabama. Now it's never cool to have children die. Apparently there was a car involved too. The driver was a fellow student, the teen says that 'something went wrong' with the car that caused it to veer into bus' lane and caused the bus to ride along the concrete side before falling over.
There's so many things wrong with that, so many things that could've been done to minimize the damage. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. I'll break it down.
1. The driver of the Celica was 17 years old. Probably has the average driving experience of a 17 year old. That's where better drivers' ed comes into play. I've been through the defensive/offensive driving courses. You learn cool techniques on how to disable a vehicle you're following or one that's following you. How to evade a car, S-turns, J-turns and U-turns.
2. The driver of the bus veered away from the Celica. That's basic instincts, but the classes above teach you to do the opposite. Me, I veer towards them. It's all about control. Plus, when driving a mass transit vehicle your responsibility falls to the others in your vehicle. I'd rather be charged with one count of involuntary vehicular manslaughter than 3 counts of involuntary manslaughter. That's just me.
3. The story provided by the teen is flimsy at best. He/She probably doesn't want to admit to goofing off or showboating as the cause of the accident. Something went wrong, yeah you were trying to cut off a bus but lacked the necessary skills to do it. Great, now three people are dead and fifteen are in the hospital.
Again, hindsight is 20/20. I can't say for sure that I'd do anything different but I can say that I have been taught differently. I know the limitations of myself and my vehicle. If it came down to saving 20 lives (plus myself) and killing one, or killing an unknown amount and saving one, I'd have to say killing one is an acceptable loss.
phone ettiquette
Last night I had one of the best conversations on the phone, ever. If you own this phone number, I'm talking about you: 612-588-0064. So I get a call at 10:23pm and I answer, "This is Dan."
The guy is belligerent and starts going off about how this (my phone number) is his mom's and I must've kidnapped her. He asks me all these personal questions, but I make up some of the answers but tell him truthful things about me. Still, he's convinced that I've kidnapped his mom that really is of no value to me or anyone really. She's old, like 72 or something. He's still convinced that I've got her locked up in my trunk and that I'm holding her for ransom, I've tried to explain to him that I don't have his mom that she means nothing to me and that logically speaking there are several reasons how she wouldn't be answering the phone all of which do not involve kidnapping/extortion/ransom. Still, he doesn't believe me and asks me if his mom's OK. To which I reply that I don't know, probably. He says he's got me locked in on GPS and knows that I'm lying. I don't know exactly how a GPS could tell him that but I guess it's one of those new features.
Basically the call lasts 16 minutes and ends when I tell him I'm approaching traffic and need to get off the phone. Which he hangs up and that's the end.
The guy is belligerent and starts going off about how this (my phone number) is his mom's and I must've kidnapped her. He asks me all these personal questions, but I make up some of the answers but tell him truthful things about me. Still, he's convinced that I've kidnapped his mom that really is of no value to me or anyone really. She's old, like 72 or something. He's still convinced that I've got her locked up in my trunk and that I'm holding her for ransom, I've tried to explain to him that I don't have his mom that she means nothing to me and that logically speaking there are several reasons how she wouldn't be answering the phone all of which do not involve kidnapping/extortion/ransom. Still, he doesn't believe me and asks me if his mom's OK. To which I reply that I don't know, probably. He says he's got me locked in on GPS and knows that I'm lying. I don't know exactly how a GPS could tell him that but I guess it's one of those new features.
Basically the call lasts 16 minutes and ends when I tell him I'm approaching traffic and need to get off the phone. Which he hangs up and that's the end.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
all-state
I see the All-State insurance commercial all the time. The one with Dennis Haysbert and the split camera rotation commercial.
"All season radial tires. Anti-lock brakes. Electronic stability power steering. We've made everything about the car safer. Except the driver."
Well Dennis (and All-State) you've hit the problem right on the head. Human error, like most things in this world most of our problems stem from us. Christy would agree. Printer problem? Um, have you tried plugging it in?
Remember, this is coming from the guy that can walk out of the apartment without pants! *cringe*
I understand that insurance companies don't want safe drivers, because then they wouldn't make as much money. Insurance premiums would go down, can't have that! So All-State is offering up to $500 off your deductible for every 6 months you don't have an accident.
Hmm, let's see, I started driving in 1996. I had two minor fender benders in my first year and since then I haven't had a car accident. OK, I had one incident in Kuwait in 2003 but there was a small dust storm and a concrete baracade that I didn't know about! That shouldn't count!
At least they're offering something to the good drivers. Right? Let's examine this further, back in 1996 when I got into an accident (I was still on my parents' plan then) my dad's premium went up $155. I don't know how long he had to keep paying it but I figure it was for quite some time cuz he bitched about it for a few years after it. So it's not like they're making that much money (in the grand scheme of things) from the good drivers. Bad drivers is where the money's at! That's never going to change unless there's better driver's ed courses and laws against using cell phones will operating vehicles (and other such distractions).
"All season radial tires. Anti-lock brakes. Electronic stability power steering. We've made everything about the car safer. Except the driver."
Well Dennis (and All-State) you've hit the problem right on the head. Human error, like most things in this world most of our problems stem from us. Christy would agree. Printer problem? Um, have you tried plugging it in?
Remember, this is coming from the guy that can walk out of the apartment without pants! *cringe*
I understand that insurance companies don't want safe drivers, because then they wouldn't make as much money. Insurance premiums would go down, can't have that! So All-State is offering up to $500 off your deductible for every 6 months you don't have an accident.
Hmm, let's see, I started driving in 1996. I had two minor fender benders in my first year and since then I haven't had a car accident. OK, I had one incident in Kuwait in 2003 but there was a small dust storm and a concrete baracade that I didn't know about! That shouldn't count!
At least they're offering something to the good drivers. Right? Let's examine this further, back in 1996 when I got into an accident (I was still on my parents' plan then) my dad's premium went up $155. I don't know how long he had to keep paying it but I figure it was for quite some time cuz he bitched about it for a few years after it. So it's not like they're making that much money (in the grand scheme of things) from the good drivers. Bad drivers is where the money's at! That's never going to change unless there's better driver's ed courses and laws against using cell phones will operating vehicles (and other such distractions).
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
i love the rain
The rain. I love to watch people scurry around, thinking that if they run maybe they'll get less wet. Or people that hunch over to protect themselves as if it was acid rain instead. Then there's the people that act like it's the end of the world! *gasp* Even though according to Revelations, the Earth will be cleansed in fire and not water. So as long as it's falling from the sky, the world's not ending.
I think I'll blame this on the Army. "If it ain't raining, we ain't training." I got used to the rain over the span of my military career. I swear, ever time (EVER TIME) we went out to the 'field' to train it'd rain. It didn't matter if it was summer or winter, at some point whether it was driving out there, driving back, setting up or tearing down, it ALWAYS RAINED. We'd get all muddy, then there was always the fighting. We used to think that they scheduled training around the weather. "Oh, it's not raining this weekend? Let them go out. But it's going to rain at 3am on Monday? Sounds like a good time to roll out to the field." So it was that.
In Iraq I had a lot worse fall around me than rain. Look people, it's just water falling from the sky.
Plus, in the last six rain days I've only used my windshield wipers twice. Got to love that Rainex. Last night Stacy got washed, another coat of Rainex, her wheels polished and a wax with the buffer. Yes, I spoil her. *sigh* I need a girlfriend.
I think I'll blame this on the Army. "If it ain't raining, we ain't training." I got used to the rain over the span of my military career. I swear, ever time (EVER TIME) we went out to the 'field' to train it'd rain. It didn't matter if it was summer or winter, at some point whether it was driving out there, driving back, setting up or tearing down, it ALWAYS RAINED. We'd get all muddy, then there was always the fighting. We used to think that they scheduled training around the weather. "Oh, it's not raining this weekend? Let them go out. But it's going to rain at 3am on Monday? Sounds like a good time to roll out to the field." So it was that.
In Iraq I had a lot worse fall around me than rain. Look people, it's just water falling from the sky.
Plus, in the last six rain days I've only used my windshield wipers twice. Got to love that Rainex. Last night Stacy got washed, another coat of Rainex, her wheels polished and a wax with the buffer. Yes, I spoil her. *sigh* I need a girlfriend.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
oh my!
Continuing with my adventures in finding headlights for Stacy, I return a second set of headlights to WalMart. In my infinite wisdom I continue to believe that it is operator error, that maybe I'm retarded. So instead of getting angry at computer that told me Honda CRX - 9006 I decide to go to Autozone, that way I'm able to talk with a knowledgeable person in the field. Also, I'm able to take the merchandise out of the store to test without having to purchase it.
At Autozone I also bring in the old headlight to use as a comparsion, another genius idea! I explained my dilemma to the sales rep, which he was very understanding of. Typing in his nifty-difty computer he looks up what I need. 9006. OK, let's check the rack. Look, 9006. Compare to what I have in my hand. Nope. The plugs don't match. Huh. OK, let's check some of the others. Nope, nope, nope, nope. Yes! A match! 9005. Are you f***ing kidding me? Damn, so the computer was wrong! You'd think that someone would've caught this small error BEFORE now! Actually, no, I understand why. I have no idea who I'd call to rectify this problem.
I must remember not to go to Autozone when I'm sleep deprived, I started buying things that I didn't really need right now at this moment. For example, I bought wheel shine stuff, even though I won't be washing Stacy for a bit. Also purchased, windshield repair kit. Unfortunately it needs continuous heat which can't be provided in the cold.
The first snowfall here was kind of disappointing. Well, I consider it snowfall because white powder-like substance fell from the sky and landed on objects, then quickly melted away. It didn't even last an hour and it was gone.
At Autozone I also bring in the old headlight to use as a comparsion, another genius idea! I explained my dilemma to the sales rep, which he was very understanding of. Typing in his nifty-difty computer he looks up what I need. 9006. OK, let's check the rack. Look, 9006. Compare to what I have in my hand. Nope. The plugs don't match. Huh. OK, let's check some of the others. Nope, nope, nope, nope. Yes! A match! 9005. Are you f***ing kidding me? Damn, so the computer was wrong! You'd think that someone would've caught this small error BEFORE now! Actually, no, I understand why. I have no idea who I'd call to rectify this problem.
I must remember not to go to Autozone when I'm sleep deprived, I started buying things that I didn't really need right now at this moment. For example, I bought wheel shine stuff, even though I won't be washing Stacy for a bit. Also purchased, windshield repair kit. Unfortunately it needs continuous heat which can't be provided in the cold.
The first snowfall here was kind of disappointing. Well, I consider it snowfall because white powder-like substance fell from the sky and landed on objects, then quickly melted away. It didn't even last an hour and it was gone.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
rain, rain
Maybe I'm just crazy but why does rain affect traffic so much? Look, it's water falling from the sky. That's it. It's not molten hot lava, although if it was I bet people would drive a lot faster. Oh, the road is slick, so I have to go slower in case I have to brake. No, people behind you have to brake because they're expecting you to be doing at least the speed limit but you're not. If you do drive slow, then don't stay in the fast lane. Don't try to pass someone else that's going slower than you because you face the same risks you do if you pull out into the lane that's doing 70mph at 40mph. Just don't be stupid! "What if I hydroplane?" Honestly, it takes a lot of either water or speed. Now I go slow when the water is up about an inch. Small amounts of both don't make you spin out. Unless you've got racing slick tires you're not going to slide around as you're making a turn. If you do, then you need new tires. Stop being so cheap and get some new tires.
I'm not asking people to drive faster in the rain, but drive normal. Sure your windshield wipers are on but that's not an excuse. It's not the end of the world people, drive, get to work, get paid, and go home.
To highlight this rant, just remember this. Water falling from the sky, natural. People falling from the sky, unnatural. Drive slow if it's unnatural, drive normal if it's natural.
I'm not asking people to drive faster in the rain, but drive normal. Sure your windshield wipers are on but that's not an excuse. It's not the end of the world people, drive, get to work, get paid, and go home.
To highlight this rant, just remember this. Water falling from the sky, natural. People falling from the sky, unnatural. Drive slow if it's unnatural, drive normal if it's natural.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
murphy's law
I can't catch a break. Usually I run my car until it's nearly empty and then fuel up. This is to try to boost up my MPG but it's also because I'm lazy. I fuel up less, therefore have to make less trips. Between Indiana and Ohio there's usually at least a five cent difference in the price of gas. So I try to time my fuelings with my days that I have to drill in Ohio. This morning when I was leaving Springfield and going to drill I saw that the price was $1.96! Well, I didn't need to fuel up but I was planning on it on my return trip. So of course when I'm coming back I stop at a Marathon about three miles from the highway, $1.96 so I pumped the gas, paid, and left. About a mile down the road I saw another gas station. $1.94! Damnit! Why didn't I fill up there? I could've saved 14 cents on it. Argh! I can't catch a break! Either I have to fill up on an expensive day or I fill up at an expensive gas station. No in between for me.
To be fair though, Stacy takes Premium. She runs a lot better with it, better performance and mileage. She's worth it.
To be fair though, Stacy takes Premium. She runs a lot better with it, better performance and mileage. She's worth it.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
be warned
GOOD MORNING! Yes it's raining. Normally I would be kind of depressed about everything because of the weather but not today. No sir. The Rainex performed well in its first trial run. Except for the fact that I had to use the wipers once when I first started my car, the Rainex is as advertised. Beads of water formed on my windshield instead of the usual distorting coat of water. The only downside of the Rainex is that you need speed, at lower velocities the water doesn't do much except sit there in big beads. Around 35mph you start to see some movement. I can't wait for a high-speed test (whenever that may be) to really put the Rainex to good use. In fact, if I'm not working and it's raining then it's on like Donkey Kong. Don't know where I'll go to but the destination isn't as important as the journey.
Sadly though, I have to fess up to my hypocrisy. On my way home last night I received an email on my Blackberry. It was work-related but that's no excuse. So as I sat at a stop light I checked it, thinking that I had time. When I look up the car in front of me is almost fifty feet away and the light had turned green. Damnit, I've become one of them! I vow to not let that happen again.
Sadly though, I have to fess up to my hypocrisy. On my way home last night I received an email on my Blackberry. It was work-related but that's no excuse. So as I sat at a stop light I checked it, thinking that I had time. When I look up the car in front of me is almost fifty feet away and the light had turned green. Damnit, I've become one of them! I vow to not let that happen again.
Monday, October 09, 2006
best laid plans
My mission for this weekend was to finally compile a master list of all the dvds I own. I don't know how many I own but if I had to throw a dart in the dark, I'd say somewhere in the vicinity of 400. Yeah, I have no life. So I had this great idea of putting it all on an Excel spreadsheet that had title, production company, stars, and maybe even a rating system. I figured that it would take me the better part of the weekend to do this.
That was the plan. What actually happened was that I went with M to find a desk for a new employee. After three hours we give up, everyplace doesn't keep any in stock of the ones we need. We order instead. I decided I needed to wash my car too, it had been awhile since the last time. That killed another two hours for me. Afterwards, we meet up with Bill and Sabrina to grill-out. Sabrina is a vegetarian so that's a first for me. I've never had to grill out for a vegetarian, but I welcome the challenge. I made my famous (OK, not famous but unique. Well, not unique but just mine) 1lbs burgers. On a sidenote, I ate a total of 4.5lbs of meat this weekend. They were a challenge to cook on a grill that I've never used. Plus, the aerodynamics of the porch were bad that night and had to stare smoke most of the night. That meal basically ended the evening. No one could move very far from the table.
That was Saturday, pretty much a waste of time. Sunday was car maintenance day. Bill and I went to Autozone and picked up all the things we needed to complete the day (or so we thought). I got an oil filter, air filter, Rainex, towels, and brake fluid. Got under my hood and found out that I didn't need a new air filter. Doh! And as I let my engine cool down enough to change my oil, I applied the Rainex to my windows and refilled my brake fluid. Then I checked my coolant levels. Low. Damnit. OK, no problem. Later I can get some coolant and this will all be fine. I grab Bill's oil pan but it's gunked up with something (it may have been alive) and we decide to buy a new one. So Bill and I go up to WallyWorld in my car to get a new drip pan and some coolant. Yeah! For the favor, Bill changed the oil for me. So now Stacy seems to enjoy all of the attention. And rightly so, she hit the 245k last week. Probably later today I'm going to go to the gas station and fill up, adding in some gas treatment stuff I bought too. Hopefully she'll last another 245k.
With the Rainex I can't wait for it to rain. Muahahahaha, while the rest of you are slowing down and putting your wipers on high I'm just going faster! Recipe for disaster!
That was the plan. What actually happened was that I went with M to find a desk for a new employee. After three hours we give up, everyplace doesn't keep any in stock of the ones we need. We order instead. I decided I needed to wash my car too, it had been awhile since the last time. That killed another two hours for me. Afterwards, we meet up with Bill and Sabrina to grill-out. Sabrina is a vegetarian so that's a first for me. I've never had to grill out for a vegetarian, but I welcome the challenge. I made my famous (OK, not famous but unique. Well, not unique but just mine) 1lbs burgers. On a sidenote, I ate a total of 4.5lbs of meat this weekend. They were a challenge to cook on a grill that I've never used. Plus, the aerodynamics of the porch were bad that night and had to stare smoke most of the night. That meal basically ended the evening. No one could move very far from the table.
That was Saturday, pretty much a waste of time. Sunday was car maintenance day. Bill and I went to Autozone and picked up all the things we needed to complete the day (or so we thought). I got an oil filter, air filter, Rainex, towels, and brake fluid. Got under my hood and found out that I didn't need a new air filter. Doh! And as I let my engine cool down enough to change my oil, I applied the Rainex to my windows and refilled my brake fluid. Then I checked my coolant levels. Low. Damnit. OK, no problem. Later I can get some coolant and this will all be fine. I grab Bill's oil pan but it's gunked up with something (it may have been alive) and we decide to buy a new one. So Bill and I go up to WallyWorld in my car to get a new drip pan and some coolant. Yeah! For the favor, Bill changed the oil for me. So now Stacy seems to enjoy all of the attention. And rightly so, she hit the 245k last week. Probably later today I'm going to go to the gas station and fill up, adding in some gas treatment stuff I bought too. Hopefully she'll last another 245k.
With the Rainex I can't wait for it to rain. Muahahahaha, while the rest of you are slowing down and putting your wipers on high I'm just going faster! Recipe for disaster!
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