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The things in my head go ’round and ’round

This is my life. You can’t have it.

Archive for the ‘the truck’


Doing the Ipod Shuffle

Published September 15th, 2008 in Music, Princess, driving, friends, technology, the truck | No Comments »

I finally did it. I think that I was the last hold out not to be an Ipod. I purchased an Ipod shuffle today for use in my truck going back and forth to where the heck ever it is that I am going.

Earlier this year I had purchased a really nice cd player for The Red Beast so that I would have music other than the crap played on local radio stations. The idea was to burn a billion cd’s and live happily ever after.

That idea crapped out when our computer absolutely refused to burn cd’s. Even though it is supposed to be able to do that. I could have reached out to my friends and begged, and bribed them with Dodd Family Legacy Beers, but that didn’t work out either. So today The Princess and I, yeah she is home from school again after going to the Dr. this morning, went out and did the good consumer thing and spent some cash. Cash that I got from dividends on an insurance policy that I have on myself, and the girls. Sounds like a Monopoly game, doesn’t it?

Moving on.

Now I have this piece of plastic that holds 1 gig of music. I have 145 songs on it now. That is the equivilent of 14 cd’s. Awesome! Of course this means that I am going to be spending time setting up folders with fav songs in them so that I can download them whenever I want to.

Great. Something else to waste time on.

Namaste.

It’s here! It’s here!!

Published September 9th, 2008 in friends, pennsylvania, the truck | No Comments »

My bumper sticker from The Central Pa Gazelle is finally here!

I am so excited! Another bumper sticker for the red beast. My life is now complete.

Namaste.

Fun, Fun, Fun on the Autobahn

Published August 12th, 2008 in Commuting, driving, the truck | No Comments »

So, there I was driving home from work.

Sunday evening was pretty nice here in Pennsylvania. The sun was shining, not too hot. Somewhere around 80 degrees with little humidity. Almost like an Indian Summer day. Not like what we usually have around this time in August.

Matter of fact, as I am typing this I have a cool wind blowing through the window. Feels like brewing weather.

But I digress. The route that I take home is a two lane country road. Up and down hills, past pastures of cows and horses, corn and soy beans. Past farms and the houses of folks who just don’t want to live close to other people. It is very bucolic.

The posted speed limit is 45 mph, and I try to stay as close to that as possible. It doesn’t always happen, but most times it does. I was smoking a new cigar that had been recommended to me by a friend, listening to…hell I don’t even remember what I was listening to on the CD. All I do remember is thinking that the steering was getting a little mushy.

And coming around a gentle curve it happened. A loud bang, and then the sound of scraping metal on the road. Dust, and stone flying past the window. Tossed the cigar out the window, and tried to steer to the side of the road, stopped the truck and turned it off.

And in the silence following the storm wondered what the hell had just happened.

I got out of the truck and walked to the front. The tire on the drivers side was facing parallel to the rest of the vehicle. The steering assembly on the drivers side had collapsed. Simply, the ball joint assembly had broken.

Poop.

Thankfully this was one day that I remembered to bring my cell phone. Called AAA, called MLW to let her know that I was going to be late and then leaned against the truck to listen to the locusts. You forget how quiet the country is when you are racing back and forth from one city to the next. I grew up in the country, and it is amazing to me how far removed I am from it now.

But that is all I really wanted to tell you. If I could extract the pics from my cell phone I would post a couple to show you what it looks like. But unfortunately, that won’t be happening any time soon.

Take care out on those mean streets, folks.

Namaste.

The Perfect Car

Published May 6th, 2008 in Family, Michigan, driving, kids, the truck | No Comments »

Pierce, the youngest son, is always talking to me about cars. He has not had the best of luck with vehicles. His first was a Ford Ranger. That promptly broke down and cost him a bunch of cash. His next vehicle was a geo priszm. Also known in our family as “The Car That Won’t Die”. It is a 1992 or 1993 geo that has been in MLW’s family since that time. And it won’t die. The engine in it is as strong as the one in my Tacoma.

Now the boy owns a Tiberon. Loves it. But I called him the other day to tell him that I had found the perfect car for him.

A 1979 Checker Motors Company Marathon. Yeah, that’s right. An old Checker cab. It is perfect as the boy lives outside of Detroit. The car is built like a tank, runs off of a small block V-8, and has a huge back seat for all of the kids he is always hanging out with. He can also charge fares from all of his free-loading friends.

I like this idea.

Him? Not so much. Kids just don’t have the vision that their parents do.

Namaste.

Not acting my age

Published May 3rd, 2008 in Life, Princess, kids, the truck, waiting for | 4 Comments »

I am a piece of work.

By my own admission. Given the chance, I would have my hair down to my ass with a beard to match. Unfortunately work gets in the way. It is rather difficult running a cash register when you have to keep tossing your beard over your shoulder.

And not everyone is understanding when they come across a long hair in their freshly ground hamburger.

Which is another question. After 28 years in retail food, I still don’t know why they call ground beef “hamburger”, or “hamburg”. There is no pork in it. It is only beef.

Whatever.

Driving up to the school the other night to pick up The Princess from her last volleyball game, I whipped the truck into a parking place and sat back to watch the parents. You have the Mom’s with their cutesy cars who are always talking on their phones. You have the Mom’s with their vans who are always staring off into space. And you have the Dad’s with their humungoid vehicles that could be used for world dominiation.

And then you have my faded red 12 year old Toyota with a stereo that is worth more than the truck. Blasting out Linkin Park.

Not many of the parents talk to me.

I think that I like it like that.

Namaste.

It’s all about the he said, she said….

Published April 28th, 2008 in Retail, screwups, the truck | No Comments »

And here I go taking on the coporate giants once again. Though the first time I talked about a major corporation I was being very positive in my assessment of their product.

Of course, I happened to be going for the all important suck-up-send-me-some-free-stuff side of the issue.

It didn’t work.

Now, though. This time I am pissed off yet once again.

The story….

Here in the Great State of Pennsylvania we have this quaint law that states that every car on the road has to be annually inspected. Whether it needs it or not. This is to, ostensibly, guarantee the all of the cars on Pennsylvania roads are safe to operate. All of the lights work, the brakes work, and that they have adequate tread on their tires.

Yeah right. In reality it is to keep the shoddy garage mechanics in a job. Case in point.

My truck needed tires to pass inspection. I called Sears and ordered the tires I needed, and arranged for an appointment. I was told that no appointment was needed. Just show up at 7:30. I did, signed all of the paperwork needed, and went back to a waiting room with crappy tv reception, no clock, and tool sales literature to read. After a couple of hours spent walking with geriatrics (you can read about it here) I was told that my tires would not come off. Thinking that the tire guys were nuts, I took my truck and new tires home and started trying to get a local mechanic to deal with this. So that I can get my inspection sticker so that I don’t get a ticket for not having one.

Tell me that all the state agencies don’t get a swig at this trough.

I have a garage up the street from me. Called them and arranged a day and time. Went to the garage at the appointed day and time, and found out that they were closed. Called them later that afternoon to find out the next time I could come in, and all I got was “sorry, something came up”.

I did finally get my tires on, so today I went back to the garage that told me that I needed tires so that they could complete my inspection. And the reason I didn’t have the original garage do the tires is that they don’t do tires.

I can understand that.

Tires seem to be a real pain in the heinie for everyone in Pennsylvania. Especially those of us who need new tires, and have to look for some poor fool that will actually put them on the vehicle.

All of this in the spirit of keeping the residents of Pennsylvania safe from one another. Because given our druthers, we all would drive around in rusted out heaps that would endanger not only the surrounding populace, but ourselves.

Because that is the way we roll.

Namaste.