Questions and Answers

By way of Lawdog comes a link to this questionnaire. He has given his answers here, and I am giving mine below.

1. Do you believe that criminals and domestic abusers should be able to buy guns without background checks?

I don't believe criminals should be allowed to buy guns at all, but that doesn't stop them. Background checks are irrelevant. But, since you mentioned them, does that mean that you are OK with criminals buying guns as long as they have a background check?

On the subject of domestic abusers; number one, the goalposts keep moving as far as what constitutes domestic abuse, and number two, domestic abusers would by definition be criminals. However, I believe the biggest deterrent to violent domestic abuse (the only kind that would warrant the restriction of RKBA) is for the would-be abusee to be armed and trained.

2. What is your proposal for keeping guns away from criminals, domestic abusers, terrorists and dangerously mentally ill people?

We have four different classes of people here, so here are four different answers:

Criminals: either lock them up or reduce their number. You figure out how. Hint: it's hard to rob, rape or maim someone who is armed and trained.

Domestic abusers: we pretty well covered that in question 1.

Terrorists: kill them all, let God sort them out.

Dangerously mentally ill people: if they are a danger to themselves or others they are institutionalized and therefore not a problem, right?

3. Do you believe that a background check infringes on your constitutional right to "keep and bear arms"?

Of course it does.

4. Do you believe that I and people with whom I work intend to ban your guns?

Isn't that the reason you advocate the banning of guns? Note, if you want to ban even one you are by definition advocating the banning of guns. From there it's just a matter of how far you intend to carry out the act. Or as the UCMJ puts it; penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.

(completely off topic, but it's interesting to note that as per the UCMJ Article 120, rape is punishable by death.)

5. If yes to #4, how do you think that could happen ( I mean the physical action)?

Since a ban is a legislative action and not a physical one, the answer is "by the passing of unconstitutional laws." However, when it gets down to the physical action of actually rounding the guns up, the answer becomes "by prying them out of my cold, dead hands."

6. What do you think are the "second amendment remedies" that the tea party GOP candidate for Senate in Nevada( Sharron Angle) has proposed?

Love the "scare quotes" there, and nice job getting the tea party reference in as well, but shouldn't you be asking this question of Sharron Angle?

UPDATE: Here's the quote from Sharron Angle, from an interview by Lars Larson in Portland, OR:

You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.

I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.

7. Do you believe in the notion that if you don't like what someone is doing or saying, second amendment remedies should be applied?

Have we defined "second amendment remedies" yet?

As long as that person is not attempting to deprive me, or those around me, of life, liberty or property through force or fraud they are free to do pretty much whatever the hell they want. If, on the other hand, they are attempting to deprive me or those around me of life, liberty or property through force or fraud I believe in the notion that I may use any means necessary to convince them not to.

As far as what they are saying, there's a completely different amendment that covers that.

8. Do you believe it is O.K. to call people with whom you disagree liars and demeaning names?

If they are lying I believe it is OK to call them on it. If I call you a wannabe gun banner, and you in fact want to ban guns, wouldn't the name be descriptive even if you feel it is demeaning? Oh, and by the by, that little amendment I mentioned above that covers the whole "what they are saying" thing? Yeah, you might want to study up on it.

9. If yes to #8, would you do it in a public place to the person's face?

Damn straight I would. And then I would give them a chance to explain why they are not what I said they were, at which time I would either apologize if I was wrong or reiterate if I was right.

10. Do you believe that any gun law will take away your constitutional rights?

That's a pretty open-ended question. If the law was "no state or entity may, for any reason, deprive a citizen of his right to keep and bear arms without due process" then the answer would be "no." However, in the context of all the gun laws so far being restrictive, the answer would have to be "hell yes."

11. Do you believe in current gun laws? Do you think they are being enforced? If not, explain.

What does that mean, do I believe in them? Do I believe they exist? It's pretty obvious that they do. Do I believe they are lawful? No. Do I think they are being enforced? Absolutely, but remember only the law abiding are abiding by the laws.

I noticed that you didn't ask if I believed if they are effective. The answer, of course, would be that they are very effective - in creating unarmed victims out of law abiding citizens. Otherwise, not so much.

12. Do you believe that all law-abiding citizens are careful with their guns and would never shoot anybody?

I believe that all law abiding citizens are careful with their guns and would never intentionally shoot anybody without cause.

13. Do you believe that people who commit suicide with a gun should be included in the gun statistics?

There are lies, there are damn lies and there are statistics. If you want to keep track of the number of people who commit suicide and the tools that they use to accomplish that purpose (guns, knives, ropes, cops, etc.) then by all means do so. Just be honest enough to publish the raw data.

14. Do you believe that accidental gun deaths should "count" in the total numbers?

Total number of what? Accidental deaths? Once again, do as you like, but be honest enough to publish the raw data.

15. Do you believe that sometimes guns, in careless use or an accident, can shoot a bullet without the owner or holder of the gun pulling the trigger?

No. So-called accidental discharge of modern firearms can always be attributed to malfunction of the weapon or violation of one of the Four Rules. There are no accidents. Careless use violates at least one of the Four Rules.

Case in point: when the Saiga was being demonstrated to me it refused to fire. The operator turned the weapon on it's side to examine it and it fired without anyone pulling it's trigger. Examination of the weapon revealed an unfired cartridge that had gotten jammed into the mechanism. That is an example of a malfunction. Strict adherence to the Four Rules kept the malfunction from becoming a tragedy. That is the reason for the Four Rules.

16. Do you believe that 30,000 gun deaths a year is too many?

There is not enough information in that question to make a qualified answer. If it is 30,000 deaths of would-be rapists by way of their armed intended victims, then no. If, on the other hand, it is 30,000 deaths of unarmed victims due to asinine gun control laws, then yes. Remember what I said about statistics?

17. How will you help to prevent more shootings in this country?

Leaving alone the point that all shootings are not necessarily the same, I'm going to answer as if you meant to say unintentional shootings: By donating to organizations such as the NRA that teach new shooters about safe gun handling practices and by insisting on strict adherence to the Four Rules by myself and by anyone who is handling firearms in my presence.

18. Do you believe the articles that I have posted about actual shootings or do you think I am making them up or that human interest stories about events that have happened should not count when I blog about gun injuries and deaths?

I have no reason not to believe that everything you write is factually correct and you have the right to blog about anything that you so desire (there's that "what they are saying" thing again). But one can make the truth dance a pretty jig without uttering (or writing) a single word that is not absolutely true. It's all in the context, isn't it?

19. There has been some discussion of the role of the ATF here. Do you believe the ATF wants your guns and wants to harass you personally? If so, provide examples ( some have written a few that need to be further examined).

I believe the ATF, as with all government entities, is a bureaucracy that is not interested in you in the slightest as a person. You are a data point, a statistic if you will, nothing more. They are cold, faceless, and above all, impersonal.

That is not to say that you will not become their special project if they as an entity believe you merit their undivided attention, and individual bureaucrats can indeed make an example of you for any reason he or she wishes to. That is the nature of bureaucracies.

20. Will you continue a reasonable discussion towards an end that might lead somewhere or is this an exercise in futility?

Assuming that by leading somewhere you don't mean the abolishment of all gun control laws as a starting point, this is an exercise in futility. Consider these simple words:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

There is no reasonable restriction to a Constitutional right. There is, therefore, no reasonable discussion regarding the same. All "reasonable" discussions up to this point have resulted in the un-reasonable restriction of Constitutional rights, therefore I am not interested in any future discussions unless it involves the abolishment of every single gun law on the books at the present time. Only at that point will there be room for compromise.

Lawdog has a pretty good analogy regarding this last point, and you should really go and read it.

UPDATE: This is probably the most important question that was asked. The answer remains the same, but upon further reflection I would like to add that no compromise can be reached because we're not even talking in the same terms.

We both would like to see fewer deaths due to @$$holes with guns. Your solution is to eliminate the guns, my solution is to eliminate the @$$holes. Until we can agree on which factor to eliminate we will never agree on how to reach the goal of fewer deaths.

The Right To License

Is the right to deny.

I don't remember where I heard that first, it was on some radio show or another, so I can't properly attribute it. That doesn't make it any less so.

At any rate, RTWT, pay particular attention to the comments, and if you live in Cleveland JUST SAY NO!

HT: American Digest, story on the sidebar.

Just Because

Life At the Refuge

Work has begun on TDP. The head got taken off yesterday and sure enough, three of the four intake valves and at least one exhaust valve has tapped the pistons. Estimates for the head work run in the $400 range. I'll be glad to get it out of my driveway.

BIL has dumped a piece of junk on me as well, he brought his Toyota down for Eldest Son to repair. We are now waiting on parts, but I promise that I won't wait very long.

There will be a new shed arriving soon, I ordered a 12x20 footer that should serve nicely for motorcycle storage and repair. This one has high enough walls for lofts, which will supply some much-needed storage space for the seasonal supplies. The smaller shed will then become the home of the lawn mowers.

The riding lawn mower has worn out another of it's spindles, the same spindle that has already been replaced in fact. The lawn mower parts guy says it's common, he thinks it's because it is on the discharge end and should have been made heavier. I think it's all in the pulley, they are stamped metal and should have a milled hub (my opinion). A new spindle and three new blades are on the way and soon it should be mowing as it should.

The state of Iowa has decided I can keep my license. While I was back on vacation I got a little exuberant passing a truck and netted myself a nice little ticket. Since the speed was in excess of 25 MPH over the limit it was considered a severe violation. A little begging and pleading and I'm on probation until this time next year. Cruise control is your friend!

Last but not least, my checking account has been charged for Monster Hunter: Vendetta so it will soon be on it's way! I'm rather proud of myself, I've had a copy of the E-arc and have not even looked at it (although I did not delete it either, so the temptation was always there).

UPDATE: Shipped, ETA 4 October 2010. Soon, very soon...

Link

The Big Ditz. Just cause I loved the phrase "hugging the bear" enough to want to steal it, but credit where it is due.

Awesome

I found this at The Other McCain. I don't even remember what the post was about, but these guys RAWK!

Better Late Than Never

I missed my chance to die horribly in Monster Hunter: Alpha, but I will be dying in what I hope to be a loud, gruesome and awe-inspiring manner in a future Larry Correia book.

Hopefully he can work my new shooty stick into the action somewhere as well.

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to investigate your opportunity to die for a good cause as well.

UPDATE: Yes!!!! I have a good chance of being eaten by werewolves!

Cospunk? Steamplay?

Whatever it is, you can thank McGoo.


























































Click to embiggenate.
(This last one seems to be pretty well armed.)

Up To The Challenge

A little over a week ago Aggie Sith issued the Challenge of the Sith. It's basically a "tell me ten things about yourself" meme. So without further ado, here are my ten things.

1) I have never been a liberal. Even when I was in grade school I was pretty sure that Jimmy Carter was an idiot and that if you punish those who do good things pretty soon no one would do anything good. "Tax the rich, feed the poor, till there are no rich no more" always seemed to me to be a warning that we would be wise to heed.

2) I am the son of a son of a Sailor. My grandfather was a Seabee heavy equipment mechanic in WW2 who told my father that he didn't want his kids to be Sailors or mechanics. I'm sure I would have either been a source of great disappointment or great pride to him, having been both Sailor and mechanic (on Navy aircraft).

3) I am an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church (and you can be one, too, if you follow that link). The only reason I did it was because one of the people in a chatroom I used to frequent was one and used it as his "moral superiority" for any arguments he would make. I got ordained so that I could follow his "As an ordained minister, I think..." with an "As an ordained minister, I think you are a jackass" of my own.

4) I am a Darwinist at heart. I believe that stupidity should be painful, and occasionally fatal, and that the only thing that safety equipment has done is make it harder for the truly stupid to kill themselves off, and humanity is dumber as a result. For reasons that should be obvious, I hate ambulance chasing lawyers.

5) Both of my parents have been ordained ministers (Oral Roberts University instead of Universal Life Church, with divinity degrees and everything). My father still is one. My parents became ordained ministers after all of their children had left the house, so although I am technically a "preacher's kid" I wasn't one while I was a kid.

6) I have five children, but I only helped to create one of them. One of them is a red-headed step-child and another is actually my great-grandson if the family lines are all drawn out, so I am my own grandpa. The only one I helped to create was raised by her mother in Wyoming so she was spared all of this insanity.

7) I will occasionally mangle the English language on purpose to see if anyone notices. One of my former shipmates used to get crazy about it because I was "obviously intelligent so why do you DO that?!?!?!?" I didn't tell him that it was because I thought it was funny that he got so nuts over it because I figured if he knew he would stop letting it bother him and rob me of my amusement.

8) I have always had a fondness for unusual vehicles. One of my current vehicles is a Subaru Baja, and the one before that was a Dodge Rampage.

9) The first motor vehicle I ever owned was a motorcycle. I have owned at least one motorcycle ever since. I currently have two (a Harley and a Suzuki), neither of them run, and I don't have a current motorcycle license so neither of them are registered.

10) I have never broken a bone or had major surgery. Other than being short for my weight I am unreasonably healthy.

Finally!

Maybe we'll be able to get us some flying cars here like they promised!

HT: Ace of Spades HQ

The Wisdom of Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett, creator of the Discworld:

"In every case there was a chorus that forecast, more or less the end of the world. Well, here we are and if the world is ending it would appear to be for other reasons. People, you and me, are not trusted. The right doesn't like us because we don't do what we're told by our betters, and the left doesn't like us because it secretly thinks we would be on the right given half a chance and a lottery win. And both think we should not make our own decisions, because we might make the wrong ones."

and

"We are presented with a version G.K.Chesterton's game 'Fool the Prophet'. Governments and religions make rules that the compliant populous puts up with right up until they decide not to."

It is probably fortunate for him that he is not an American citizen, otherwise I would write his name in for President. I might still.

Looky! Linky!

I don't know why I had not added fellow Rott LC Aggie Sith to the old blog roll. This glaring oversight has been corrected. LC Aggie Sith coblogs with ArmedGeek, so it's a twofer.

Also welcome Laura from Fetch My Flying Monkeys. She's a "stream of consciousness" blogger, so you never know what you're going to find.

Lastly but certainly not leastly, welcome Mr Bingley from The Coalition Of The Swilling.

Enjoy!

Lifted From The Other McCain:

Submitted without further comment:

Hey, I’ve got an idea: How about asking voters in Delaware to compare the two candidates?

No contest. And besides, she’s right: You really do masturbate too much. Cut it out, you sick freaks.

Awards

I haven't yet written a detailed post about Staff Sergeant Giunta because he hasn't yet officially been awarded. As soon as he is, I will enter his name in the Last Refuge Hall of Heroes.

I just wanted you all to know that I am paying attention.

Hello

If you are here because Patrick sent you, tell him that you found me to be a charming, witty and handsome fellow.

No need to let reality intrude, right?

Representing

My Congresscritter was in town and didn't even let me know.

I don't think he likes me.

HT: The Other McCain

Burning Down The House

If you find it offensive that some would object to the building of a mosque two blocks from ground zero because of the concepts of freedom of speech, why do you find it offensive that others would want to burn books? Isn't the concept of freedom of speech still the same?

And the only thing that Gen. Petraeus said was this will make it harder for the troops to do their jobs and put them in more danger. To all of you who were bothered by that statement, what's the big deal? Does he not have the right to voice an opinion as well?

And to all of you who opine that the lives of US troops are made to be sacrificed, I have as much contempt for you as I did for the leftists that espoused the same beliefs not long ago, and the same vitriolic level of hatred for you. How dare you presume to spend such precious coin so carelessly?

Once again, the bottom line is just because you can doesn't necessarily follow that you should.

Someone To Look Over Me

Today I took the clan out to practice our zombie elimination skills.

Along for the ride was the .223 Saiga, the .22 Marlin and the new semiauto shotgun.

Also along for the ride was middle daughter and youngest son, the first time for both of them.

Last night in preparation for today's events I went over the Four Rules with youngest son, with the admonition that he would not be allowed to touch firearms without being able to tell me what they were. This morning he passed the test admirably.

The Marlin is still a tack driver, it consistently hits in the center at any range. It's a great little gun to teach new shooters with, but it is a bit large yet for youngest son. I'll have to get him a junior size one for his own until he grows a bit.

The Saiga shoots a bit high at longer ranges, so it will have to be slightly adjusted. Youngest son fell in love with the Evil Black Rifle, but he is a bit slight of stature yet to fire it well. Middle daughter shot a few rounds out of it and she was done.

The semiauto 12 gauge Franchi shot well, but it's plugged for 3 shots. I'll have to dig through the owner's manual and find out how to take that out.

When I shot the Saiga I was shooting at a 3" swinging target and doing pretty well with it until it disappeared. Turns out instead of hitting the center point of the target, which is what I was aiming at, I was hitting the bar that it hung from instead and two shots took the bar right off. The two shots that actually hit the target itself nearly penetrated the 3/8" steel that the target was made of.

With the swinging target neatly disposed of, the last victim of the day was a 2 liter soda bottle filled with water. I took my turn and couldn't hit it at all, Middle Daughter took one shot and missed it as well, but Eldest Son, aiming for the bottom of the bottle, put a round neatly through the center of the top about 2" below the cap. We never found the cap.

As to the title of the post, I pulled the guns and ammo out from the closet where they are stored and put them on the bed prior to loading up the Baja. As we carried everything out to the truck, Eldest Son found a golden band on the bed with the words "First Best 10 Years" inscribed inside. It was my wedding band, lost these past 6 months. Laura had it inscribed for me on our 10th anniversary.

There Goes Another One

Once more, just because you can doesn't necessarily follow that you should.

Even if the shoe is on the other foot this time.

HT: Marko, the Munchkin Wrangler

Some Days

it's just not worth going to the store.

Or as the fighter pilots used to tell me, some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.

Maybe more appropriately in this case, some days the deer hits your Kia and some days you eat that deer with Heinz 57. Sometimes it's even the same day.

At any rate, see if you can go help out a fellow American who's down on his luck. Even if they haven't acknowledged my presence.

Photo from The Other McCain

Cruise In

I attended my first cruise-in today and had a great time. There were lots of sharp looking cars and mine got some looks and comments as well, even though I had not polished it up to show. It was the only brand-new GT with the 5.0 Coyote motor, so that got a lot of admiring looks.

There was one other California Special (a 2007) and lots of other good looking Mustangs including a 66 convertible (the red one in the picture). The blue car is a supercharged Cobra and the black one is the 2007 GT/CS. There was also a 2004 Mach 1 and a Saleen of the same body style.

The lesser pony cars were represented by several 60's Camaros, a 'Cuda and some 70's vintage Challengers, and a brand-new SS Camaro. There was also one Firebird, one Model T wagon, and a couple of nice looking pickups as well. A slew of restorations and rods rounded out the mix, one of the more notable being a 59 Fairlane Skyliner with the continental kit. All together there were probably 50 - 75 cars.

A good time was had by all.

Picture taken with my crappy cell phone camera, I'll have to remember to bring a good one next time.

Just So You Know

I have always been a gun liker, but just because I have made a few purchases recently doesn't mean the Refuge will become a gun blog.

I did just pick up a new semi-auto 12 gauge Franchi from my neighbor though.

I also picked up a 100 round box of shells from the local Wally World.

I can't wait to shoot it.

Yay!

The Refuge has recently acquired anti-zombie equipage.

Middle daughter now wants to learn how to make holes in things.

We will now do the happy dance.

Thatisall.

One More Time

By way of Jennifer's Head we find the Evyl Robot up on his Soapbox. Today's subject is yet another article on gun control.

Yes, it's been done before, and no it doesn't seem to do any good, because no one seems to be listening. But, after seeing this one paragraph, I just couldn't resist.

"A common argument among gun rights activists purport that concealed carry laws may greatly reduce the committal of such crimes but one must ask, how is this possible?"

How indeed. Let us continue.

"A person that decides to commit a crime such as murder or rape would not factor in their state's most recent legislation allowing concealed weapons in their decision to commit, or subsequently not commit, the aforementioned crime. This kind of logic simply does not make sense."

But it does make sense to assume that the would-be criminal will factor in the state's most recent legislation banning the very weapons they will use to commit, or subsequently not commit, the aforementioned crimes?

"Rather, it is highly likely that this person would still commit the crime undeterred and the best way to prevent this from happening is to prohibit the future criminal from having a gun in the first place."

Because in MAMBY PAMBY LAND (thanks Gunny Hartman!) the future criminal would all of a sudden pay attention to yet another gun ban, so this time they would not have a gun. Speaking of logic that does not make sense.

Of course, a more satisfying conclusion would be for the would-be rape or murder victim to be armed, and thus be more able to effectively counter the threat that their would-be assailant presents.

For the clue bereft (such as the author of this article), this effective counter would be evident in one of two ways; either the would-be assailant would begin to rapidly approach room temperature immediately following the initiation of the attack, or the would-be assailant would find a less hazardous line of work (or more tempting (IE, unarmed) targets - just look for the gun control bumper sticker).

And so now we see how concealed carry laws may greatly reduce "the committal of such crimes" either by reducing the number of perps or by increasing the likelihood that they will "factor in their state's most recent legislation allowing concealed weapons in their decision to commit, or subsequently not commit, the aforementioned crime."

Yes, I know. All of you in the choir may now be dismissed.

Updates made for the terminally clue-challenged. Also because MAMBY PAMBY LAND is just funnier than happy bunny land.

Paging Tom Daschle

So now we have a couple of fun loving tourists, just minding their own business, being arrested by the jackbooted thugs in Holland for traveling without their luggage. I mean, really, now how many times have the airlines lost luggage, right?

The real kicker for me is where the article says "The two were allowed to board the flight at O'Hare airport last night despite security concerns surrounding one of them, the officials said" and continues with the explanation that "al Soofi was found to be carrying $7,000 in cash and a check of his luggage found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives. Officials said there was no indication of explosives and he and his luggage were cleared for the flight from Birmingham to Chicago O'Hare (emphasis mine)."

(Good thing for him that he wasn't an 86 year old retired Marine fighter pilot.)

Good to see the TSA is on the job! Boy, those new safeguards put into place right after 9-11 sure do make the airways safer for travelers, don't they? Remember Tom Daschle's assertion that "You don't professionalize until you Federalize"? Looks like he was spot on!

Fortunately those inspiring lads and lassies at TSA noticed when "al Soofi checked his luggage on a flight to Washington's Dulles airport for connections on flights to Dubai and then Yemen, even though he did not board the flight himself." Instead he and his friend sauntered off to Amsterdam where they were arrested by Dutch authorities on suspicions of terrorist activities.

They only have to succeed once. I wonder if anyone would notice if they did?

Now if you will, please excuse me while I go take a couple of aspirin for this splitting headache. I think I got it by repeatedly pounding my head against the desk.

Quotable Quotes

There has been quite the row about the Ground Zero mosque, by whatever name it wishes to call itself lately. Some are dead set against it, some are adamant that we allow it to be built, but most mirror my sentiment that just because you can doesn't necessarily follow that you should. For my money, Vanderleun at The American Digest says it best when he points out that tolerance does not mean approval.

"In essence" he writes, "we agree that I tolerate your worship of a moon god and you tolerate my worship of a tree. It's "live and let live" at the most basic level. If, on the other hand, you decide that I have to make continuous noises of "approval" of the moon god in order for you to grant me the right to worship the tree god in peace, we are headed towards an argument that ends in guns."

Good, right? More? OK, how about this: "It is well to reflect that every single move in the past few decades that has resulted in a loss of individual liberty has begun in a plea for tolerance and ended with non-negotiable demands for approval."

RTWT.

If you aren't reading The American Digest regularly, perhaps it's time to start. You can find the link on the sidebar.

Squeaky Wheel

Greased.

Die For A Good Cause

Details here.

Ready

The Refuge had been somewhat deficient in zombie elimination equipment. I'm happy to say that little issue has been resolved.

I'm also happy to report that following a visit to the dealer yesterday the damage done to the valence panel on the Mustang while on vacation has been repaired, as has the airbag warning light.

So now it's off to Roanoke to visit Sister. Maybe one day I'll have time to rest.

Happy Blog-Day

Is it unusual to get links from a cartoon?

At any rate, drop by and wish Mind Numbed Robot a Happy Blog-Day.

Welcome to the blog roll mnrobot!

Home Plate

We're back. It was a long trip, and long overdue.

Stripes

The wheel has been replaced, so some of the damage has been repaired. The valence is scheduled to be replaced when the airbag light is fixed, then the ouchies will be all better (except for the paint chips, but I'll talk to the dealer about that when I get back).

I also had some stripes installed, because it really needed to say 5.0 somewhere.

I can't say enough good things about Hawkeye Ford in Red Oak, IA.

Mabry Mill, Blue Ridge Parkway

Mabry Mill, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a grist mill, saw mill and woodworking shop that was all run off of the water wheel. The park service has restored the mill; the wheel turns, but none of the belts are installed.

Mabry Mill is so picturesque that other states have stolen it's image for their postcards (including, ironically enough, Iowa).

This is also where I curbed the wheel.

Bottoms Up

w00t!!!!

Another year is in the bank.

Nice!

I Need A Vacation

from my vacation. So far we have fixed three cars (including a clutch in the car belonging to the same nephew that was with me when I got my speeding ticket) and there are still a couple to go.

To prove that there are indeed Idiots Out Wandering Around in Iowa, my sister in law took her car in to have a squeaking noise in the front end. The tie rod ends were making the noise, so they drilled holes in the boots and pumped them full of grease.

Yes I did say holes in the boots.

Monday I take the Mustang to the closest Ford dealer (thirty miles away) to have the curbed wheel replaced. I have yet to catch up to my old high school chums, but I did manage to talk to one of their mothers so I have a number for one of them.

No one told me that vacation was so busy!

Hitting the Links

Patrick at The Political Byline is mad as hell and he's not going to take it any more. So, in a fight-fire-with-fire gesture, he has a shirt of his own. Go over and check it out.

Smitty at The Other McCain (who has yet to link me, the ungrateful bastards, which makes me The Blogger Whom TOM Hateth, I guess) has the Progressive Commandments.

And while you're at it, check the link for The Political Byline on the sidebar. Be warned, like several other links over there Patrick is wont to use some spice in his invective. Those with an underdeveloped funnybone (and those who are offended by language) should probably not hit that link.

Really?

What was your first clue Sherlock?

Another Year Gone

Happy Birthday Mom! Sorry it took me so long to make it back for one of them.

Just Caught This

Apparently there was a thing going around the interwebtubies about some girl who quit her job via 33 pictures with a dry erase board. This is right in line with the airline attendant who quit his job by similarly spectacular means.

The difference is that Steve Slater is a real live person and "Jenny" is not.

Should have known, coming from Chive, but enjoy the pictures anyway!

Oops

Well, the state troopers know I'm here.

I'll pay the fine and be glad they didn't just stuff me in the back of their car for a ride downtown.

Of course my nephew, who was riding with me, smugly informed me that he had me beat. His speeding ticket cost him his license for six months.

Corn Corn Corn

I showed this to Youngest Son before we left, and all across Illinois and Indiana he sang "Corn corn corn corn what's that smell? corn corn corn corn corn....."

Yeah, it got old pretty quick.

The Time Of Our Lives

I'm having a great time in Iowa.

That's probably not a phrase that gets bandied about very much, but it's true nonetheless. It's been twelve years since I was here last, a lot of things have changed but many things are the same as well.

Laura's sudden departure from my life reminded me that we never have as much time as we think we might, so we have to show all the love we have to all the ones we love while we have the chance, and we have to live our lives as if today will be the last day, because one day it will be.

This visit has reminded me that even though things change, there are things that you can always count on. For me, it's family. They have always been there for me, and I know that they always will be. I haven't always held up my end of that bargain, so it's time I did.

Learn from my mistakes, folks. You never have as much time as you think you do, and it's running out fast.

Call your mother.

Soft Landing

Here we are in Iowa, after a harrowing trip down the Blue Ridge. As you can see, the valence is scraped and the wheel on the right front has been curbed. I also found a chip in the paint on the spoiler, a result of the rainstorm while we were there that knocked sticks and such out of the trees right on top of us. I won't be taking the car down the Blue Ridge Parkway any time again soon I can tell you!

I know I'm being ridiculous about this car, I know that the only way to keep the dings and chips off of it is to lock it up and never drive it, and I am not about to do that. But it's my first new car (and what a car it is!) so I'm trying to keep it nice and new for as long as I can.

The local Ford dealer is shut down, so I have contacted the nearest dealer and arranged to have a new wheel put on it. I contacted my Wake Forest dealer and arranged to have the valence panel replaced (the Red Oak dealer couldn't guarantee that the valence panel would get here in time).

At any rate, two days of traveling got us here and we have two weeks of visiting to do.

Click photos to embiggenate and see all the gory details

This Day in History

338 BC - Battle of Chaeronea

216 BC - Battle of Cannae

1610 - Henry Hudson finds Hudson Bay while looking for the Northwest Passage

1790 - First US census

1903 - Fall of the Ottoman Empire

1905 - Myrna Loy is born

1937 - DuPont conspires with Congress to destroy the hemp industry

1943 - PT109 sinks

1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait

And forty-something years ago, I made my first appearance.

This year my son had a date with the girl in the picture while I went to work. How is that for a birthday present?

Can't Fix Stupid

I drive a Mustang.

One of the reasons I chose Mustang over Challenger (sorry GM people, I've never been a Camaro fan, but I do have a '62 C-10) is there is not a Challenger convertible. I would have loved to have had one, except for one thing. The other reason, as it were.

The other reason I chose Mustang over Challenger is that Chrysler took my money by force through tax dollars doled out in the bailout. Since the bastards took my money by force, there was no way I was going to give them even more by choice.

I made that point when I was talking to the Ford salesman. He said that they hear that a lot, and in fact they are very proud of the fact they didn't take the government money, and that their customers have shown appreciation by buying Ford products. As a result, Ford showed a profit early.

Beltway Bob, the simpering imbecilic motard, apparently didn't know that. Upon being told by a reporter that Rush Limbaugh was criticizing "Obama Motors", Gibbs retorted "We’ve got auto companies that for the first time since 2004 all showed an operating profit in the first quarter of this year. It’s adding jobs. And the money that this administration invested — about $60 billion — we believe we’re on the path to recouping all of that. That’s a significant story."

(Note that, as I mentioned, Ford showed the first profit, and without governmental assistance.)

“I’ll let those that sat in the cheap seats a year-and-a-half ago and wanted to walk away” from a milion workers, he continued, “explain to every one of those workers why they made that decision.”

Finally, he wrapped it up: “And then you should ask Mr. Limbaugh — I don’t know what kind of car he drives, but I bet it’s not an F-150.” (emphasis mine)

Perhaps not, but he might drive a Lincoln. Not everyone needs a full size pickup after all.

HT: Confederate Yankee. Mustang Club of America logo is linked to the MCA site.

Really?

Lately the IT gnomes at work have been tightening up on the old Internet usage. Used to be that Firefox was relatively unshackled, but all that has changed.

What is surprising is how some sites are classified (or not, as the case may be). For instance, I can still get to Ace's place (on mu.nu) as long as I don't care to see any comments (which are on minx) because they are classified as pornography. (If you have ever participated in some of the epic Over-Night Threads you might see how this is somewhat justified, but for the most part Maet keeps a pretty close eye on things.) McGoo's place, however, is completely unblocked (even the one that should be - oh yeah, that's definitely an NSFW link).

Social networking sites like Facebook and Photobucket are blocked for being social networking sites, as is Blogger's own photo storage site Picasa. Blogger itself is OK though, as are most of the Blogger sites (such as this one).

The biggest shocker though is Brigid's place. A click from work on her link gets a blocked message for...

*blink*blink*

illegal drugs????

*blink*blink*

Something tells me they don't let the IT gnomes out of the cage much.

Etc

The toll is now three strap wrenches. I got a chain type that the plumbers use for the next try, I'll bet that one won't break. As soon as this timing belt gets done the PM on the Subaru will be complete until the next scheduled oil change in 3000 miles.

The second key for the Mustang showed up today, so now I have both of them. I had to drive it to work again, oh darn. The Firefly keychain got hung up in my pocket the other day and it's gravity rotor housing (the part that goes up and around the middle and extends along the tail section) got pulled off. I glued it back on, but now I'm carrying the second key on another keychain.

TDP will wait until we get back from vacation next month.

The Fun Continues

The Banana Boat's planned maintenance is underway. So far two strap wrenches have been sacrificed to the cause, they are being used to hold the crankshaft pulley to remove the bolt but the ones I got from the local parts store haven't been up to the task. I went to one of the big tool stores and got one that will hopefully be a bit more robust.

I also got a Sirius radio for the Boat today. When I called in to activate the one in the Mustang I found that the dealer had already completed that particular task for me, but I went ahead and ordered one for the boat as well. It's a stand-alone unit that plays through the existing FM radio, but I'm going to put an antenna switch in for it.

For some reason the boat's right rear speaker doesn't work. It's just an annoying problem, but maybe I'll find something when I pull the radio out to put the antenna switch in. If not, I guess I won't miss it much.

At any rate, I drove the Mustang to work since the boat's engine is apart for the timing belt replacement. Middle daughter got her crack at the Mustang as well, I sent her downtown for a few things and let her drive it. She came back with no scratches and a big grin so it worked out well.

I guess she likes it.

At The End Of The Week

TDP still will not start, all of it's timing components are verified good and in the right place. It's not building compression, so it looks like the engine was interference fit after all and will need to have it's head taken off and rebuilt. So, off with it's head!

The banana did fine towing the trailer to Middle Daughter's house and her lawn is now cut. Mine is as well. Youngest son had a ball driving the lawn mower, so that worked out well, too. The riding lawn mower's deck just barely fits on the 4ft wide trailer, there is absolutely no room side-to-side to play with.

The new tent has been dried and stowed away, we were going to test it this weekend but decided not to. We did get some fishing in yesterday after the lawn work but only managed to terrify a few worms. No fish were harmed - or even mildly annoyed - in the process.

Today it's back to work.

Even On My Days Off, I'm Busy

Eldest Son has had TDP apart twice in the past two days, the timing chain looks right but the engine will not start. It acts like it wants to, and if you try a full-throttle start it will catch for a few turns and then die with a BANG and puff of black smoke from the tailpipe. It acts just like the valve timing is off a couple of teeth. Tomorrow he's going to pull all of the gears off and make sure they haven't broken any locating pins.

I installed the hitch on the 'boat today and got the trailer for it. Installing a Subaru hitch on the Subaru Baja is a snap, as it should be, and the trucklet hauls the trailer well. Anything that won't fit in the bed with the bed extender will certainly fit on the 4x7 trailer, and if it doesn't I guess I didn't need it anyway.

The other day I was backing the Subi out of the driveway, being very careful of that bright red Mustang, and I rubbed the left front corner of the Subi against the right front corner of Middle Daughter's Mercury. The only thing that happened was a little paint transfer, but when I went to get some touch-up paint the parts store didn't have any Subaru colors. Fortunately Chrysler's Radiant Silver Metallic is a dead match for the Subaru silver.

The headrests came in for the Mustang, and they don't fit. The headrest posts for the 10/11's are thicker and set closer together. No one seemed to know this before, but now I do. It only cost me a pair of Franklins to find out (grrrr). Hopefully I can find someone with an 05-09 that wants a set of tilting headrests in black, if not there is always Ebay!

I bought a new tent and put it up to Scotch Guard it. I did the rain cover separately, and wouldn't you know it the rains came down while the rain cover was off of it and went right into the open mesh top of the tent. So I had a bunch of water to get out of it. Out comes the shop vac!

The shop vac lasted just long enough to get the water out, and then the motor locked up. It's been going for a while, I'm just surprised it lasted as long as it did. I went down to the hardware store and got the next size bigger to replace it.

On the menu tonight, spaghetti with meatballs. On the agenda, a couple of beers and then a nap.

And that's what I've been up to today.

On The Reading List

My favorite author has a new book ready for pre-order.

You should go reserve your copy.

Rememberance

She would have been 46 today.

Happy Birthday Boo.

Car Maintenance

TDP's problem turned out to be a brand-new chain tensioner that is binding up. This tensioner was put on as part of a timing set not too long ago, so we didn't even suspect that we had a problem with it. Of course it can't be warrantied out because it was part of a set.

Anyway, a new one has been ordered and should be in tomorrow so TDP will once again be operational. It's Middle Daughter's car now in all but the names on the title, she will take it home with her when it's running again and will register it in her name whenever. Until then I guess she will drive it on my dime. Some things haven't changed.

The Subaru will get it's timing belt right after repairs on TDP are complete, along with a tune up and a full round of fluids. It should then be good for another 105K miles on the timing belt. I got a couple of key fobs for it the other day so now I can lock and unlock it remotely, aren't I special. I haven't figured out if it really has an alarm system or not yet, if it does it's stuck in the valet mode.

I also got a call from the Subi dealer saying the hitch is in, so I'll go get it on my next day off. When it gets put on I'll go get a small 4x7 trailer to carry the things that the bed is too small for. I'll order the cover for the bed this week also, and when it comes in and is installed the Subi modifications (such as they are) will be complete.

It's kinda nice doing stuff to cars cause I want to instead of cause I have to.

Sweeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now registered with the GT/CS Registry!

My particular car is number 350 on the 2011 GT/CS catalog, it was built on April 1, 2010 with the factory sequential blend number of 5889 (I have no idea what that signifies).

Yes, you have seen all of these pictures before.

In other news, the headrests should be arriving on Wednesday, so I'll know then if they are going to work or not.

UPDATE: They don't. Anyone need a set of adjustable tilt headrests for a 05-09 Mustang?

Driving The Blue Ridge

On the way back from Roanoke Youngest Son and I took the scenic route. We caught the Blue Ridge Parkway from Exit 120 at Roanoke down to Exit 150 near Floyd. It's a beautiful ride and I plan to drive it this fall at least from Asheville NC to Roanoke VA.

The car performed magnificently, especially when I figured out enough to turn the overdrive off. It's a real joy to drive this car in the twisties, and having the convertible so you can see everything just adds to the experience.

Next weekend we take the Baja fishing.

Lighting The Fires

Yesterday we were watching Firefly on DVD. Last night B-I-L and I went riding in the little red rocket ship.

As I was pulling away from a stoplight I couldn't resist the urge to demonstrate the acceleration. B-I-L looked over with a big grin and said "Let's moon 'em!"

So we did.

Bob Gets A Ride

Last night as Sister, B-I-L and I were heading to the store we passed a car dealer. B-I-L was telling me about a truck he was looking at, and Sister chimed in that there was a Mustang convertible that was almost the exact same color as the truck. The dealer was willing to sell them as a package, but they didn't have the money for the down payment.

A little red-headed angel whispered in my ear "My brother needs a truck."

They pick their cars up today.

Traveling

Youngest Son and I took the car to Roanoke today to see my older sister.

Older sister and I took the car across the Blue Ridge Parkway here in Roanoke. It was a beautiful ride.

Older sister picks up her Mustang sometime this week, maybe as early as tomorrow if she can get the insurance straight. It's a lesser car, a 2000 with a V6, but it is a convertible so it has that going for it.

I ordered some adjustable headrests for the car today. They are for a 2007 so I don't know if they will fit the 2011. Something must be done about the horrible headrests that came with the car, hopefully this will do the trick.

It's been a pretty good day all the way around.

No Post For You

Busy.

Know what I mean?

./___________\.
(]]]___o___[[[)

|\_o_______o_/|
|__|.......|__|

I think you do.

24

That's how many hours are left on the Mustang countdown.

The car is actually at the dealership right now, apparently the driver of the rollback got to the New Jersey dealer before closing time last night and got an early start today. The car is in for final prep right now, getting it's state inspection and a wash and polish.

The GT decklid trim panel did not get here yet, but as it is a dealer installed option it shouldn't take long to put it on so I'll bring the car back to them next week for that.

I pick it up tomorrow at 4:30.

UPDATE: The GT decklid trim panel has been canceled. After seeing the car in all of it's bright red glory, I realized that it was unnecessary.

Revenge of the Toyota

So it looks like Sudden Acceleration Syndrome was caused by "don't know what pedal your damn foot is on" after all.

The study does find one case out of seventy five fatal crashes where the pedal was trapped by the floor mat, causing an accident that killed a California state trooper and three occupants of the car.

Toyota has acknowledged issues with floor mats and accelerator pedals that don't immediately return to idle, but in no case were any other defects found. Several lawsuits have been filed blaming malfunctions in the electronic throttle control systems.

Funny, that. Ten years ago it was Audi getting hammered, and it turned out to be caused by the same seat-to-pedal interface malfunction.

Which leads us to the main problem with our bubble wrapped society. The idiots don't get a chance to kill themselves off nearly often enough.

HT: Ace of Spades HQ

It's That Time Again

Because you know you want to.

Day By Day fundraiser.

Donate money.

Get stuff.

Do it now.

Widgets

I'm separating the blogs that I visit from the websites that I visit. It's going to be a long and lengthy process since I have to depopulate one list and populate the other. I'm sure that some brilliant web designer somewhere could show me how to do this quickly and easily, but for now I have to do it the hard way.

Please excuse my construction.

(Re-starting the countdown; 38 hours until Pony Time!)

NOTE: Ace of Spades HQ will be remaining in the links list because of an annoying insistence by Blogger that some sort of tag get added to the URL when attempting to put it in the blog list, thereby rendering it 404.

Another Unavoidable Delay

The rollback left Wake Forest, NC this morning on it's way to a dealer in an undisclosed location in Maryland with a car on it bound for that dealer. When it gets there, that car will get dropped off and another loaded on.

With the second car loaded, the rollback will proceed to Butler NJ, arriving after the dealer there has closed for the night. The tired driver will stay the night and go on to the dealer in the morning, where he will drop off the second car and load the Mustang.

Wednesday morning, after the Mustang is loaded, the rollback will begin it's return to Wake Forest NC, arriving sometime Wednesday evening, very likely after the dealer in Wake Forest has closed up for the night.

Thursday morning the Mustang will be unloaded from the rollback and go into the shop at the Wake Forest dealer. It will get the GT rear decklid trim panel installed and then get washed, waxed and detailed.

Thursday afternoon Middle Daughter will drop me off at the dealership around 4:30PM where I will sign the final papers, write the final check, and drive away in the Mustang. Daughter is disappointed that she will not get to drive the car on Thursday, but she will survive the ordeal.

So that's the new plan. I certainly hope God is done laughing now.

Disappointments

No Mustang for me today.

It all has to do with emissions. New Jersey requires more strict emissions than North Carolina, so the dealer here had nothing that would meet New Jersey's emissions standards to trade with the dealer in New Jersey. As a result, the dealer here wasn't able to get the car from New Jersey.

All is not lost, however. Somehow a dealer in Maryland got involved. They have the more stringent emissions and wanted a car from the North Carolina dealer. They were selling the car to a customer in Virginia so it doesn't need the more stringent emissions, but all their cars have it for their in-state customers.

So in a round-robin type horse trade the Maryland dealer is sending a car with the more strict emissions to New Jersey for the Mustang, the New Jersey dealer is sending the Mustang here, and the North Carolina dealer will send a car to Maryland.

The rollback leaves tomorrow for New Jersey.

The new date is Wednesday the 14th.

Weather Check

A quick look at the weather shows rain in the forecast for the next ten days.

Twelve hours before I pick up the ragtop. Yeah, that's about right.

Oh well, I guess I get to find out how well the AC works in the car.

One!

The new owners took the Rampage home today.

I picked up the gaskets for the third foray into TDP's timing chain cover.

I ordered a timing belt for the Subaru, the book recommends changing it at 105K miles and it has 103K now.

I'm getting ready to go to work in the Baja.

The pony ride begins sometime in the next 24 hours.

Memorial Grove

Eldest Son and I went to the home improvement store today and got 24 more bags of rock for the memorial grove.

The area of the grove calls for 80 bags if spread 2" deep, but with the twelve bags from yesterday I think this is going to do the job.

At any rate, it was hot work and I'm glad it's done.

Wheeeee!

Sister In Law and I rounded up two of her grandkids and Youngest Son, and off to the skating rink we went.

It's been 25 years or better since I wore wheels on my feet, and Youngest Son was all excited about seeing the old man hit the boards. Literally hitting the boards, I mean. He assured me that he would show me everything about skating I needed to know, and it would be OK if I fell down.

I'm happy to say that his fondest dreams were dashed. My posterior never touched wood (although it was certainly a close thing several times). I am certain that my lower back and leg muscles will be having rude things to say to me tomorrow though.

Before we went skating Youngest Son and I went to the home improvement store and got nine castle-wall blocks and twelve bags of pea gravel. The blocks went the rest of the way around Memorial Grove and the gravel got spread out around the hibiscus all the way up to the bench. It will probably take another 40 bags or so before the area is all covered, and maybe more still to cover to a depth that will keep the red dirt from peeking out. Pics later when I have time.

41 hours remaining on the pony car countdown. Not, of course, that I am counting or anything.

Middle Daughter is all excited about that. Monday night I'm going to pick the pony up on the way to work and leave the Banana Boat at the dealer for the night. Tuesday morning she and I will go get it. Since she can't drive a stick, she will get to drive the pony back. With the top down and the radio blasting, I'm sure.

I have a dry-erase board on the fridge where we both write down our work schedules. For Tuesday the only thing she has scheduled, all day, is "Driving the Mustang!!!!"

I hope she realizes that this will not be an all-day affair.

Scoobytrucks

Since I got the Subaru I have been casting about for information on them, specifically online forums where I could get all the inside scoop on common problems and the like. The Subaru Brat and Baja each have their own online forums at scoobytruck.com where all of this information can be found.

Of course the obvious question (besides who cares) is why the heck are they called "Scoobytrucks" anyway?

Apparently all Subarus (Subarii?) are commonly referred to as "Scooby" this or that; it's a play on words. Subaru sounds like Scooby-doo, Subaru is commonly shortened to Subi, Subi sounds like Scooby, so there you go. Since the Baja and Brat were the only two Subaru (Subi) trucks, they are Scoobytrucks.

This concludes your trivia lesson for the day.

Anticipation

The pony is in Butler, New Jersey.

I will have it Monday.

OK a few more details. This morning I went first to the Subaru dealer where I completely forgot about ordering the fuel door cover but did order the jack that is missing from the car and a trailer hitch. On the way back I stopped by the Ford dealer.

I was planning on ordering the car and not seeing it for a couple of months, but the sales rep said "Not so fast, let's do some checking around. The new shipment of cars went out this week."

First they found a maroon one like the one I have pics of, it has all the options I wanted plus one that I didn't (remote start). I could have lived with the different color and the extra option, but it had been damaged as it was being taken off the transporter. Grrr!

Next they found a race red one, it has all the options that I wanted and none that I didn't. It is exactly the car that I would have ordered if I was going to order the car I wanted, and it was available to be shipped to the local dealer.

The only problem is that it's 400 miles away in New Jersey, so it won't be here until Monday. They are sending a rollback after it (they usually just have someone drive it, but for that distance they will transport it). I told the sales rep that I wasn't planning on having the car for 4-8 weeks, so a couple of days is nothing.

It's going to be a long weekend...

CENTCOM

A Marine 4 star General has been named to replace Gen David Petraeus as Commander, US Central Command.

GEN James Mattis will take command effective immediately.

GEN Mattis is probably best known for his statements regarding the enthusiasm that he approached shooting bad guys with. I think my favorite came in the spring of 2003, during the first of his meetings with recently defeated Iraqi military leaders, when he famously said: "I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f*ck with me, I'll kill you all."

OOHRAH GEN Mattis, good luck with your new command.

Photo by Charlie Neuman/San Diego Union-Tribune/ZUMA Press/Newscom

HT: Ace of Spades HQ

The Baja Has Landed

Today I caught a ride to the dealer and purchased the Baja. (This guy would probably have something rude to say. Actually, he's already pretty much said it.)

It has been christened Banana Boat by Youngest Son due to it's yellow color.

Tomorrow I will arrange for TDP to get towed back to the house. I will also get plugs, wires, oil, and a full round of filters for the Baja and re-base it's maintenance cycle. The engine is incredibly clean and the car runs well, but there is a bit of a sputter in the lower RPM ranges. No telling how long the plugs and wires have been on it.

UPDATE: It cost me a C note to get TDP back to the house, this was after the tow insurance paid off what they cover.

I also need to find a dentist tomorrow because I broke a corner of a molar off today.

So, busy day today and a busy day tomorrow. Friday I go order the Mustang.

And Now, Something Different

I have been reading the "Dies the Fire" trilogy by S. M. Stirling, and one of the main characters is a Finn. In the first book he was singing a little ditty about fighting with knives, so when I saw this cartoon I had to laugh.

The artist has a spot on deviantART.

The accompanying post was very informative. The Finns seem to be the most sensible Europeans left.

I think I love those guys. In a very manly way, of course.

Give Up What!?!?

Yep, I did.

I smoked my last cigarette this morning on the way home from work. I'm not a heavy smoker as it is (a pack will last me 2 or 3 days) and we had extinguished the smoking lamp in the house when the wife brought oxygen tanks home. We had noticed how much better the house smells now, so we had decided to continue the practice.

I intend to do the same for the new cars - the Mustang goes without saying, I don't know if it's even equipped with an ashtray, but I didn't look for one when I test drove the Subaru either. So, since I can't smoke in the house or in the cars I figured I might as well just lay the habit down.

I'm sure my doctor will be pleased.

Men Plan

And God laughs.

Tonight as I was wheeling into the parking space at work TDP died on me. It looks like the timing chain has skipped a tooth.

I was going to get the Subaru on Thursday, but it looks like I will be getting it tomorrow instead. This should be a surprise to the dealer as I have already called and confirmed that I was picking it up Thursday, but I'm sure they will take my money a day earlier.

Fortunately I have friends who have time and equipment, so tomorrow I will catch a ride to the dealer with a friend, and at some later point the same friend will show up with his truck and trailer to tow TDP home to be fixed.

The funny thing is that as I was pulling into the parking space I was thinking to myself "This will be the very last time I drive TDP to work." Mere milliseconds later it proved me right.

Looks like I picked a bad day to give up smoking.

Happy Fourth of July

My older sister came down from Roanoake VA, we had burgers on the grille and some "safe and sane" fireworks (which is all North Carolina will allow).

As an added bonus, the check cleared. I paid off a loan and a couple of credit card bills and am now ready to get my new wheels at the end of the week.

I hope everyone had a great holiday.

Wheelies

Today (Thursday) I went to the bank and dropped the insurance settlement check in. Two business days and I'll be able to draw on it, unfortunately with the long weekend that means Wednesday morning.

At any rate, as I was pulling back on the highway I had to make a hard left turn. When I did so the transmission on That Damn Pontiac (henceforth and forever to be known as TDP) slipped. I had to pull over and add another quart to the transmission, so there is definitely a leak there that was being masked by the power steering leak that we fixed earlier in the week (that popped up as soon as we fixed the massive engine oil leak, that happened as soon as we got the head gasket fixed (and put a new timing chain set on to replace the one that started rattling after we replaced the head last year - more on this later), that happened right after we fixed the first power steering leak, that happened as soon as we put struts on the damn thing a couple of months ago, which is where this round of car fixing started).

I tried driving the Mighty Rampage to work last week and the carburetor shelled on me again. The carb has been a constant problem for almost two years now. It also needs a driver's side CV axle and a clutch, and the transmission slips out of second if the revs aren't right when you let the clutch out.

TDP has a familiar rattle in the timing cover again as well. The last time we replaced the head, a little over a year ago, the timing chain started rattling soon afterward. We let it go for a while because we didn't drive the car that much, but when Laura started going to Rocky Mount we decided to fix it. Of course the head gasket blowing on the car hastened its fixing. We put a whole timing chain set on it, but when we opened the cover we found that the tensioner bolts had loosened, and the rattling was the chain slapping against the case.

It sounds like the tensioner bolts have worked their way loose once more. This means we have to pull the timing cover off again and this time we will apply a ton of Locktite on the bolts. TDP has not run trouble-free for a couple of months now, every time we get one thing fixed something else has popped up right away to take it's place.

While reflecting on all of this, I came to a decision. I'm tired of fixing cars. So, while I was in the neighborhood of the bank I dropped by a used car dealer and did a test drive. When I got home I called one of Eldest Son's friends and told him to come get the Rampage. I'll fix the Pontiac and Middle Daughter can have it as a backup (her Mercury isn't in very good shape either).

Next Thursday I go pick up the car in the picture, and a week from Friday I order the Mustang.

Heroes

Word on the street is that there will be a Medal of Honor recipient from the Global War on Terror that will be given in person, and not posthumously.

The CMOHS website has nothing on it yet.

I'll keep you posted.