And no, I didn't get any nekkid pix :(
What I *did* get was a nice little trip to Nashville with Ramona. Just barely, though. We'd talked about it in the past, but it never worked out. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to afford it this time, so I didn't tell her about it. Rich was confident enough to take Fri. nite off, though. I'm digressing. So Thursday night Ramona comes into my room & states that her mother is picking her up from school on Fri. so I can go out & "do something fun *you* want to do on your birthday". OMG! As soon as she left the room I called Sam. Seems as though Ramona had planned it all, and it was really going to be a burden on Sam. Good for me! I told Sam not to worry about it, I'd pick her up and we were going to Nashville, but don't tell Ramona, it's a surprise.
Friday rolls around & I take off work early, go home & pack for us both, being sure to put everything in the trunk. You know, so she can't see it. I head to the school & pick her up, and of course she comments that "Mom was supposed to pick me up". Oh, she's running late so I told he I'd pick you up. We get on I-40 and head east. We pass Wolfchase. We pass Lakeland. I can tell by now she's confused, and she knows we're much farther east than is usual. So I turn off the radio & get her to take her ipod off. Now she's worried that she's in trouble.
"Sweetie, you know today is my birthday, and you're supposed to stay with your mom so I can do whatever it is that I want to do most. Well, what I want to do most is go on a trip to Nashville with you. So instead of staying with your mom, we're going to Nashville."
She screams & hollers & basically is happy. I give her her phone & she starts texting all her friends telling them where we're going. After the initial flurry of texts, I'm glad she got the ipod nano with video. She's got all her music on there, and a couple of movies to keep her occupied for the trip.
We get to Nashville & meet up with Rich & Lisa. Dinner at Sal's (I think) pizza joint. The pizza was pretty good, but I like the High Point pizza better :) Then we go check into the hotel & hang out there a bit. I couldn't get wireless working, but I was able to "hack" into the old wired connection. It helped that a previous occupant had removed the faceplate that covered it :)
Saturday morning we woke up bright & early & checked out. Brunch at ihop. Then Lisa split to do schoolwork, and Ramona, Rich, & I went to the Adventure Science Center. It was fun, and Rich got to touch things (but not the abundance of milfs). Towards the end, Ramona convinced me to do the flight simulator with her. It looks like so much fun, you spin around & go upside down. Well, after the first time we went upside down, she was threatening to hit the "stop movement" button. I think it freaked her out more than she expected :)
A combination of the flight sim & ihop breakfast (there's a *reason* I don't eat their eggs) upset my stomach something fierce. Luckily Ramona had some Tums in her purse. We sat in the car & gave that a chance to work, and then went to pick up Lisa for dinner, at Red Robin. The burgers were really, really good. They ought to be, at 10 bucks a pop! Oh, well, Rich gracefully paid for most of the meals while we were there, as a birthday present. Thanks Rich!
We made our way towards home. I don't think Ramona made it out of the county before she was asleep.
It was a great trip, and a great birthday!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Oooh, I want one of these to play with
The Thunderpack model TP-R2G2, a personal jet backpack with a maximum flight time of 75 seconds, and only costs $100k. Now, where did I put my checkbook???
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A pet post!
Not *my* pet, though. Hmmm, although I might be convinced to adopt the second one :)
Kitten stowaway abducted! Ok, not really. The kitten did stowaway in her owners suitcase, and she did take a nice little plane ride. I'm quite sure the plan was to pop out and surprise her owner at the destination. By that time, it would be too late to send her home, and she could enjoy a bit of a vacation. Imagine the look of shock on her feline features when she jumped out... to discover the suitcase had "accidentally" been picked up by some stranger! Needless to say she was less than pleased. Unfortunately for the catnabber, she expressed her discontent using her teeth and claws, and sat on the man's slowly cooling corpse while she called home for someone to come pick her up.*
* Portions of my report may have been fabricated
Speaking of kitties, goth girl Tasha was kicked off a London bus for wearing a leash. She considers herself a "pet" for her fiance. She doesn't work, and he does all the cooking and cleaning, including laying out her clothes for her. Personally, I think *he's* the freak. Still, she's cute enough, in kinda a Chelsea Clinton way ("pet" picture here).
Kitten stowaway abducted! Ok, not really. The kitten did stowaway in her owners suitcase, and she did take a nice little plane ride. I'm quite sure the plan was to pop out and surprise her owner at the destination. By that time, it would be too late to send her home, and she could enjoy a bit of a vacation. Imagine the look of shock on her feline features when she jumped out... to discover the suitcase had "accidentally" been picked up by some stranger! Needless to say she was less than pleased. Unfortunately for the catnabber, she expressed her discontent using her teeth and claws, and sat on the man's slowly cooling corpse while she called home for someone to come pick her up.*
* Portions of my report may have been fabricated
Speaking of kitties, goth girl Tasha was kicked off a London bus for wearing a leash. She considers herself a "pet" for her fiance. She doesn't work, and he does all the cooking and cleaning, including laying out her clothes for her. Personally, I think *he's* the freak. Still, she's cute enough, in kinda a Chelsea Clinton way ("pet" picture here).
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Try standing on your head
I got a call today from a long-time client. They're one of our best clients. Not big, or especially lucrative, but very nice & appreciative. Not the kind that calls up screaming at you because their computer doesn't work, leaving out the part where they installed a "free" screensaver just before their PC became a virus-laden cesspool.
Anyway, Sue (not her real name) called me in a panic. "Long story short, I broke my arm a while back, and I was trying to carry some papers but I dropped them on my keyboard and now my screen is upside down! What do I do???"
Well, luckily she's a good sport and laughed at my suggestion that she stand on her head :) I knew what had happened, some video cards allow you to change the rotation of your display, so you can turn it on it's side for a page view or even 180 deg, although I don't know why you'd want to. So I went in to her system remotely, which had the benefit of the display being correct, turned off her display rotation, then turned off the hotkey which enabled it.
She was happy, and it made a bad work week a little more pleasant.
Anyway, Sue (not her real name) called me in a panic. "Long story short, I broke my arm a while back, and I was trying to carry some papers but I dropped them on my keyboard and now my screen is upside down! What do I do???"
Well, luckily she's a good sport and laughed at my suggestion that she stand on her head :) I knew what had happened, some video cards allow you to change the rotation of your display, so you can turn it on it's side for a page view or even 180 deg, although I don't know why you'd want to. So I went in to her system remotely, which had the benefit of the display being correct, turned off her display rotation, then turned off the hotkey which enabled it.
She was happy, and it made a bad work week a little more pleasant.
Video games *are* good for something
Man Imitates America's Army, Saves Lives
When Paxton Galvanek saw the SUV roll several times, he told his wife to call 911 and went to help the passengers. He pulled the first person out of the vehicle, determined there were only minor injuries and moved on to the next. This was more serious. Missing fingers and excessive bleeding.
Remembering medic training during the game America's Army, he utilized the first aid skills he learned there to stabilize the injured man's condition until more qualified help arrived. It's very possible the man would have bled to death if Galvanek hadn't been there to help.
----
I played AA for quite a while before I moved to Counter-Strike:Source. The training, especially the medic training, was a pain in the ass. You sat through several lectures and then took a quiz. My biggest complaint was that this didn't help you whatsoever in the game. In the game you found an injured player, hit the "heal" key, and went on. I guess that medic training wasn't a complete waste of time :)
When Paxton Galvanek saw the SUV roll several times, he told his wife to call 911 and went to help the passengers. He pulled the first person out of the vehicle, determined there were only minor injuries and moved on to the next. This was more serious. Missing fingers and excessive bleeding.
Remembering medic training during the game America's Army, he utilized the first aid skills he learned there to stabilize the injured man's condition until more qualified help arrived. It's very possible the man would have bled to death if Galvanek hadn't been there to help.
----
I played AA for quite a while before I moved to Counter-Strike:Source. The training, especially the medic training, was a pain in the ass. You sat through several lectures and then took a quiz. My biggest complaint was that this didn't help you whatsoever in the game. In the game you found an injured player, hit the "heal" key, and went on. I guess that medic training wasn't a complete waste of time :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Quote of the Day
The best advice his father ever gave him: “Son, you know when things get down and out and life’s hard on you?” Larrison nodded, waiting eagerly. His father leaned forward. “It’s going to get worse.” It seemed like forever passed before his father added the punch line: “So don’t ever give up.”
- Jack's dad
- Jack's dad
Thursday, January 17, 2008
File this under "Duh!"
Apparently someone decided they needed to spend a bunch of money to find out that kids don't like clowns. In fact, most are scared of them.
On a slightly unrelated topic, my baby sister just texted me with the gender of her unborn child... only 6 months left to go, LOL!!! Hey Janis! Don't forget to check out this cool website! :D
On a slightly unrelated topic, my baby sister just texted me with the gender of her unborn child... only 6 months left to go, LOL!!! Hey Janis! Don't forget to check out this cool website! :D
Monday, January 14, 2008
Damn I hate about.com
With all their links to "related" subjects! It's easy to lose a day there, going from page to page.
Then you get stuck on the Holistic Healing pages, and find articles like Cutting Cords to Toxic Relationships. Ok, *obviously* something about the link made me click on it. Somehow I think I was looking for something other than "visualize walking towards them on a bridge, talking about stuff, then visualize walking away".
Hmmm, I wonder if they have something like "What To Do When Restraining Orders Aren't Enough". :)
(actually, they *do* have All About Restraining Orders. Apparently you're supposed to call 911...)
Then you get stuck on the Holistic Healing pages, and find articles like Cutting Cords to Toxic Relationships. Ok, *obviously* something about the link made me click on it. Somehow I think I was looking for something other than "visualize walking towards them on a bridge, talking about stuff, then visualize walking away".
Hmmm, I wonder if they have something like "What To Do When Restraining Orders Aren't Enough". :)
(actually, they *do* have All About Restraining Orders. Apparently you're supposed to call 911...)
Friday, January 11, 2008
I have found a new requirement for marriage consideration
She has to be able to watch this whole video without laughing, exploding, or screaming "Oh my god!" while gouging her eyes out....
Monday, January 07, 2008
QOTD
Sometimes things fall apart just so other things can fall into place.
-Seen on Kelli M.s myspace page.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't *her* quote, though. When I googled it, it came back with a bunch of myspace pages. Go figure.
-Seen on Kelli M.s myspace page.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't *her* quote, though. When I googled it, it came back with a bunch of myspace pages. Go figure.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Oh, what a tangled web we weave.
You reap what you sow.
Etc. etc. You know how it is, you find yourself barrelling down a path of your own choosing. Events are unfolding exactly the way you expect them to unfold unless you do something to change them, yet you stand and watch. "Your band sounds worse than a train wreck!" You'll put an eye out! Hey y'all! Watch this!
2008 should be interesting to say the least. Ah, yes.
"May you live in interesting times"....
Etc. etc. You know how it is, you find yourself barrelling down a path of your own choosing. Events are unfolding exactly the way you expect them to unfold unless you do something to change them, yet you stand and watch. "Your band sounds worse than a train wreck!" You'll put an eye out! Hey y'all! Watch this!
2008 should be interesting to say the least. Ah, yes.
"May you live in interesting times"....
Thursday, January 03, 2008
First burnout on the new bike
1980 Goldwing, with all the baggage stripped off. I was kinda surprised it spun the tire so easy, as heavy as it is.
Long story short, the original owner started swapping the engine on it, got as far as putting everything in & finger-tightening the motor mount bolts & his son decided he wanted a hot rod instead.
I tightened everything I could find, checked the fluids & dumped the old gas (into a "bad gas" can). Put some premium in it & shot some starting fluid in the carbs & fired her up. According to my dad that will fix 90% of old carbs, saving you from a rebuild. It's got a bunch of power, first bike I've ridden over an 800, a GL1100. I rode it up & down my street a few times, could barely get out of first gear on my street (at least the part it's safe to ride a bike with no head or tail lights). My biggest surprise was the idiot light coming on to tell me the rear suspension needs more air. Even my car doesn't have that
Next up I need to figure out why the radiator fan isn't coming on, probably isn't wired up yet, and try to run as much of this "high test" through the carbs as possible. It's stumbling at idle, but once you get on it, it runs good. I'm thinking one or more of the pilot jets is clogged. The throttle is a bit stiff, but I've traced that to the carb shafts. Going to try a bit of PB Blaster & see if that loosens them up.
Going with the stock rear fender & tail light for now, at least until I get tags. I have to decide whether I'm going to put the fairing back on or leave it off & rig up a headlight. This is going to be my sidecar/"trip" bike, so I might pussy out
Once that's done, my tax refund should come in & I can start on the sidecar. I'm going fairly basic. Getting the mounts from a guy here and my uncle is going to weld it up for me. I've never ridden a sidecar rig before, so it should be interesting. One thing I'm not clear on is if the sidecar is supposed to have a suspension. It seems like if the bike AND the sidecar has a suspension, things will be all mushy. Well, I guess it's not much different from having independent rear suspension.
Well, enough rambling, I just wanted to share with you guys. It wasn't exactly a "first of 2008" but it could be the "last of 2007" ride/burnout post
Happy New Year!
Long story short, the original owner started swapping the engine on it, got as far as putting everything in & finger-tightening the motor mount bolts & his son decided he wanted a hot rod instead.
I tightened everything I could find, checked the fluids & dumped the old gas (into a "bad gas" can). Put some premium in it & shot some starting fluid in the carbs & fired her up. According to my dad that will fix 90% of old carbs, saving you from a rebuild. It's got a bunch of power, first bike I've ridden over an 800, a GL1100. I rode it up & down my street a few times, could barely get out of first gear on my street (at least the part it's safe to ride a bike with no head or tail lights). My biggest surprise was the idiot light coming on to tell me the rear suspension needs more air. Even my car doesn't have that
Next up I need to figure out why the radiator fan isn't coming on, probably isn't wired up yet, and try to run as much of this "high test" through the carbs as possible. It's stumbling at idle, but once you get on it, it runs good. I'm thinking one or more of the pilot jets is clogged. The throttle is a bit stiff, but I've traced that to the carb shafts. Going to try a bit of PB Blaster & see if that loosens them up.
Going with the stock rear fender & tail light for now, at least until I get tags. I have to decide whether I'm going to put the fairing back on or leave it off & rig up a headlight. This is going to be my sidecar/"trip" bike, so I might pussy out
Once that's done, my tax refund should come in & I can start on the sidecar. I'm going fairly basic. Getting the mounts from a guy here and my uncle is going to weld it up for me. I've never ridden a sidecar rig before, so it should be interesting. One thing I'm not clear on is if the sidecar is supposed to have a suspension. It seems like if the bike AND the sidecar has a suspension, things will be all mushy. Well, I guess it's not much different from having independent rear suspension.
Well, enough rambling, I just wanted to share with you guys. It wasn't exactly a "first of 2008" but it could be the "last of 2007" ride/burnout post
Happy New Year!
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