Dan, I use some super Flieschmann's pizza dough yeast. Makes it immediately with a minute of stirring. Just add what it says, water, sugar, salt, yeast, flour, stir some, then the rest of the flour, boom, dough.

 

Good suggestion, thanks.

 

Good morning everyone.

Got woke up by thunder this morning, decided to let the dog out early before it really started raining. Too late, but he didn't spend too much time out. It let up a little by the time I left for work.

Came in at 6 this morning, I didn't get the special invite to come in early. Maybe tomorrow. Been sort of slow, the retriever broke early. But holy toledo someone had the brilliant idea to get the tires off the rack manually and roll them up to the robots. We've only been screaming for that to happen this whole time and the lead says we can't. I'd guess some higher up saw our low output and said do something about it.

Rain stops this morning but everything will be a muddy mess, so inside stuff this afternoon. Gotta figure out what that will be. Tiger stayed home since I didn't leave early. I'm sure we can figure something out.

Have a great day everyone.

 

Got an email from Microsoft letting me know that Windows 10 will no longer be supported (October 2025). So, I checked my computers compatibilty and the damn thing doesn't meet the compatibility requirements, this after I spent over 400 bucks to have a new hard drive installed a year and a half ago. I figured for half the price of a new computer, that this would be the way to go. so much for that.

 

Dan - I am in the same boat as you are. I'm not sure if I saved the link/s, but I've read in a couple places now that because there are so many Windows 10 computers still in operation, Microsoft is going to offer a subscription extension of at least a year beyond the 2025 date. I can't remember exactly what the cost was, but I seem to remember something like $50. There was even some talk of an extension beyond a year. You can probably find some info just by Googling Windows 10 extension. I really like my laptop, I'm not looking forward to going out to find a new one.

 

So you guys, I have a Windows 10 laptop. If they stop supporting it, and I don't get the extension, will my machine just stop working? Or will I be okay until it has a problem?

Turned out to be an average day. The lead didn't ask me about overtime in the morning yet when we were leaving he told all the ASMs to come in early. So I asked him, who are the overtime mechanics. He just walked away. He does that a lot. I should have been asked today and if there are mechanics after me on the list that were asked we're going to go have a pow wow with the foreman.

So I heard from the guy with the Valiant. I'm gonna go over there and get it on Saturday. I'm so excited! I pity anyone who has never driven a Valiant. They aren't the most luxurious but they are just nice. Nice size, easy to drive, just nice. And the 6 cylinders sound like a tractor.

 

Windows 11 is a racket with manufacturers. There is something called a TPM, a Trusted Platform Module. This, they promise, is to keep your data safe if someone messes with your encrypted drive. Really, what it is is a hardware level chip to make sure you don't pirate windows, pirate any software, pirate any movies or music, and, if you DO have a legal copy of any of that stuff, to lock it to that one computer's windows install so that you can't use it on another computer.

This **** is why I have purchased precisely 1 fully legitimate copy of windows in 25 years. The manufacturers add all this extra stuff to combat piracy, and, if it bricks your hardware or software, they don't care. So, I don't care back.

To answer Mike's question, no, your laptop will work fine. Windows 10 will continue to run. New security patches will not be made. So, it will gradually be less safe to run it, but I think you have a few years.

 

Good morning everyone.

It's Friday, real Friday. We aren't working this weekend so I have one full day off and Sunday to myself. The weekend should be a good one. Nice weather, and I'm getting the Valiant tomorrow and Sunday a guy is coming over to look at my parts cars and maybe want a few things.

Thanks for the reassurance John. I'm sure my cheap laptop will give it up long before Windows 10 is totally kaput. Actually, the best computer I've ever had, that didn't give me any problems and was reliable, was the very first one I bought, it was assembled by some outfit with Pentium 2(I think) and dial up. Sure it was slow but consistent.

Slow this morning. I stewed about OT all night and when I got here this morning most everyone was here. I asked the guy across from me if he came in early, since he wasn't asked, and he said everyone but me came in. I guess when he said everyone come in he meant mechanics as well. Any other time when he says everyone he only means the ASMs. And when I asked, how hard would it have been to say, everyone. Instead he chose to be a dick and ignore me. That's going to bite him.

The new car sits. It has only drops of gas in it and it's just easier to get in the truck to go somewhere. I'll fill it up this weekend and the inaugural trip to work will be next week. The whole point to having another car besides the truck is to get more than 11 miles to the gallon.

Okay gonna take a walk to the roll up door. And the guys across the hall are making popcorn so that sounds good. Smells terrible they put jalapenos in it. They have the good sense to make a batch without jalapenos first.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Mike - Now that's some serious BS that he did you that way, especially when you specifically asked for direction and he just ignored you! I hope you have a way to to put his **** in a wringer!

 

Good morning guys,

Well, it's been a busy morning. I had my Colonoscopy this morning at 0800, and had to leave the house at 0615 to be there at 0700 for paperwork. This meant getting up at 0-dark thirty for both of us to shower and get ready, and get the dogs taken care of. We were home by 1000. Everything went fine. Doctor removed 3 small polyps he described as fine, and one slightly larger one he described as "fair". I didn't really like the sound of "fair", but it is what it is. Pathology report should be back in 2-weeks. He didn't really sound like there was anything to worry about, but I will. I'm feeling fine, and just glad to be home. Dinner will taste especially good tonight, whatever it is!

I didn't think I'd ever be saying this, but I got a nice surprise when my 2024 Real Estate (home) and Personal Property Tax (vehicles) statements came in the mail yesterday afternoon. The Real Estate went down $220, and the Personal Property went down $137, for a total savings of $357 from last years taxes. When do you ever hear that these days??? Very nice surprise indeed!

Hope everyone has a great day!

 

I have found that, in personal and work life, there are some people who are just dicks to everyone. Worse, there are sometimes people who are just dicks to you personally. I've played games with those people at work; when you know they will disagree with whatever you say, you can recommend the opposite to them, they will decide the way you secretly want, and off you go having what you want.

I find social engineering to be fascinating. I truly regret that some people make it necessary.

 

Well Chris I don't know what I could do at this point. I'm not really the vengeful type. I like to think that I am, like I could just pick up the phone and take care of things, but anymore who has that energy. He'll cross up somebody some day and get his.

So I reached a victory. Not anything that reaches my goal, but a victory nonetheless. Remember I want to build Mom's house she grew up in. When we were in town a couple months ago we drove past the house. It had a different address than what she remembered. Try as I might, I could not figure out where else that house would have been, and it looks just like pictures she has. Mom always said the trailer park was built in their pasture. It made me question if that was actually the house. I finally got ahold of someone at the township level and he said, part of that property was split off and a trailer park built. New roads were created and several properties on the street were renumbered. It doesn't get me any closer to the building plans, but at least I can tell Mom unequivocally that's the house.

By the way, how would I go about finding out who built the place and where the plans would be 89 years later?

 

County clerk and assessor's office would have all owners and tax records (look for big spike when building was made in taxes). As for plans, I don't know if the municipal gov would have them. Current owner MIGHT have the abstract.

 

Hey guys - I took the 1st step towards selling one of my motorcycles today, the 2010 Yamaha Stratoliner Deluxe (pic). The Sales Manager of the local Yamaha dealer where I've had tires put on it in the past, had expressed interest on more than one occasion in buying it years ago, and asked me to call him if I ever decided to sell it. I saved his card and called him today. I spent about 10 or 15-minutes with him on the phone going over the special add-ons that are on the bike. He is already very familiar with the Base model, and has owned more than one over the years. Being a Yamaha guy, he rides with a bunch of Yamaha enthusiasts, many of whom (including himself) own this very Model. The Stratoliner Deluxe is recognized as the top of the line Yamaha V-twin cruiser/touring bike they ever made. After doing my own research out in the marketplace, I threw out a very fair asking price and sent him some recent pics. He said he was very interested and wanted to do a little research, and he would get back to me. Keeping my fingers crossed! 🤞 Even if I make the sale, I think I'll just hold on to my Indian until Spring when I would probably get more for it. It will also give me time to deal with any seller's remorse I may have from selling the Yamaha if the sale happens.

 

Sweet lookin' bike Chris!

 

Thanks Greg! It's a great running bike too. It will run away from anything in it's class. 1900cc with multiple performance enhancements, and a Top Speed of 140mph. I've had it up to 120mph a couple of times and that was more than enough for me. I am not riding enough anymore to justify having 2 bikes, probably not enough to justify 1 bike, and they are just sitting depreciating.

Here is my other bike that I'm keeping for right now, at least until Spring. It's a 2016 Indian Chieftain. Not as fast as the Yamaha, but alot more creature comforts and sophisticated electronics.

 

Hi everyone.

Nice bikes Chris. I had a Fatboy years ago and I think I liked saying I had a Harley more than I actually liked having it. I never was real good at riding, and after I lost my riding buddy it was really just a chore to ride. So it sat. Hope that guy wants the Yammi.

So I got the Valiant today! It's actually a little more beat up than I thought it would be, but it's still my Valiant. Can't wait to drive it a lot. Also took the Charger to Awful house for lunch then put some gas in it. And since the SRX is still at the mechanic we took it to Walmart. It seems strange to drive a regular car. Not a truck, not a miniature, not an SUV.

Tomorrow that guy is coming to look at Valiant parts cars and to talk Valiants. He looks at the Plymouth website that I do and saw something that I posted and thought I'd have some good parts. Hey it might be fun.

Worked in the yard a little bit this afternoon. I need to fire up the chain saw and get a few things down. I don't really have a viable fireplace these days but I'm making up firewood anyway. Heck I've given away firewood before, I just hate letting it go to waste.

Okay Tiger is ready for bed, he's been sleeping all evening anyway. Hope everyone is having a good evening.

 

Mike - Thanks for the compliment on my bikes. Like happened with you, my best riding buddy sold his bikes and quit riding. That happening is the biggest cause of why I haven't rode much the last couple of years.

Glad your Valiant got there! I hope you get alot of enjoyment out of it!

 

Sucks about your OT Mike. Where I work the supervisor comes around with an departmental employee list, and is required to ask each of us if we want OT. Good looking bikes Chris, GLWTS. Where's Norm? hasn't posted in a couple pf weeks.

 

The way the line gets OT at a Toyota plant is that production Saturdays are reserved at the beginning of the year, and they may or may not use them. That's about half the Saturdays. Sometimes, they revert the call. Rarely, there is an emergency Saturday on a non reserved day that they can call, but they know they better kiss *** and give out presents and free lunch soon thereafter.

For weekday OT, they call it in tenths of an hour, and must call it by the end of the third quarter, which is before the second break, so you can call family and tell them. Pre-holidays are drop dead zero OT. They can cut back OT after the call. Typical calls are 0, 0.7 (35 min), 1 hour, 1.5 hours, or 2 hours. They get a ten min break if there's going to be 1 hour OT, if it's 0.7, they just keep going.

We used to be able to do 2.5. The shifts were 12 hours opposed, start at 6:30. They moved night shift to 7:15 to give folks more time with family. They then called 2.5 one time on nights. That meant it ended at 6:30 AM, right when the next shift started. The parking lot was an apocalypse. 12 hours opposed is the way to go, because both shifts can do 8 hours, .75 hour lunch, and 2.5 hours OT, and still have .75 hour to GTFO before the next shift. I doubt they'll revert.

 

Thanks Dan!

 

Hi guys,
Went to grandson Gabe's hockey game this morning. He is doing himself proud after being drafted up to an Elite level team just 2-weeks ago. He had a game last night that I couldn't make it to. In last night's game he had 2 goals and 2 assists in an 8-3 win. This morning he had another goal and an assist in a 4-1 win. I am very proud of him and that he is rewarding his new coaches faith in him.

My wife has come down with some kind of crud and is feeling pretty miserable. I'm just trying to help her out with anything that needs to be done, and watching a little football in between chores. I'll make sure I have everything she needs done finished before the Chief's game comes on later this afternoon so I can sit and enjoy the game.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

Good morning everyone.

Such a surprise! I walked down to the credit union and the department across the hall were selling sausages on hot dog buns. Two for 6, can't beat that deal. Then in the not a surprise corner, the lead isn't here on a Monday. And the washer is broke. We don't know if the retriever is broke because there are no tires needed.

So this guy comes over yesterday. He looks at the Plymouth forum and saw that I have parts cars and was looking for a radio. Nice fellow. We destroyed the dash in on of the parts cars trying to get the radio out. The late 60s Plymouth radios are unique in that they have thumb wheels instead of *****. Anyway, he's about as passionate about Valiants as I am. So it was a nice couple of hours.

John that OT sounds overly complicated. Our OT used to be simple. You want OT, come in. Until someone perceived that he was getting beat out of it and said something to the general manager. Since he heard something that wasn't in line with official policy, he had to do something. Now we have the lists and seniority and all that. The holiday schedule is coming up and word is we're going to get busier. Washer and retriever notwithstanding. So I hope it becomes all-encompassing OT again, and if it does will likely stay that way.

Chris I think I asked you before if Gabe was serious about hockey and you said he wasn't sure. Now that he enjoys success and has graduated to Elite status is he thinking about it more seriously? If he isn't that's okay, he can go as far as he wants while he still enjoys it. Does he have any interest in your weight training? He'd be lightning on the ice.

Not sure what to do this afternoon. Rain comes tonight. I need to call my insurance and get these two cars taken care of, then get them registered. I drove the Valiant around the neighborhood. Oh how nice to drive a Valiant. Like a perfectly balanced hammer. Just a joy.

Okay have a good day everyone.

 

Mike - Gabe really enjoyed all the success he had with his team last year, and I think he realizes that others, including his new Coach at the Elite level, see potential in him. The good news about the situation is we have already seen him "step-up his game" since moving up. I read that as him being "serious" about wanting to succeed, now and in the future. He's still so young, hasn't even turned 12 yet, and you never know how kids are going to continue to develop, both physically and mentally. With him being so young, we (parents and grandparents) are trying not to be too serious about it, and just let nature take it's course. I haven't offered to get him into any weight training and conditioning routine yet because he is so young, but I may ask him next summer when he's off from school whether he would like to in preparation for his season next year. I just don't want to put any pressure on him and just want him to enjoy himself and develop at his own pace.

Glad you were able to go for a drive in the Valiant! 👍

 

Good morning everyone.

As I suspected, once it started raining it won't stop. We had rain a few days ago and now it is raining again. That was a song, It's Raining Again, by Supertramp. Had a nice looking Buick in the video that got its wheels stolen. Supposed to be nice the rest of the week but cold, I hope things dry out.

Slow going at work today. No wheels are being broken down because the back room is all torn apart for painting. We're beating the bushes for wheels to build but I suspect we'll run out by lunch.

Called Hagerty to insure the Valiant. I got the lower rate(?) because I said I'd drive that car less than 2500 miles a year. How will they know, she didn't ask the current mileage. Anyway, with the $4 extra so I can keep it if I suffer a total loss, the premium for a year is $30. Why charge anything at all? On the flip side, I called State Farm and insurance for the Charger for 6 months is going to be over 800. I told her if the agent can't get that down then I'm looking for a new company. Unacceptable.

Chris I don't know why I thought Gabe was older. I went to grade school with a guy who was gaga over hockey. When we went to high school his parents paid big bucks to send him to a school downtown Chicago that was big into hockey, had a successful team, I guess he rode the train every day. I looked his name up once and I thought I saw that he was a coach for some college team, but I wasn't sure it was the same guy.

Jamesbo come back and tell us about that Blazer that you're gonna buy in Virginia.

Okay break time. Hope everyone has a good day.

 

Mike - If I were you, I'd get online and get a quote thru Progressive, it's not hard to do, and you can avoid the middle-man/agent. My 6-month premium for full coverage (liability/collision/comprehensive) on both my Ford Truck and Hyundai SUV is $411 total for both, with a $1,000 deductible on the collision/comprehensive. Of course rates are different in different States, but I found them to be the cheapest of the major carriers.

You probably thought Gabe is older because of some of the pictures I've posted. At 5' 7", he is extremely tall for an 11-year old. He is already taller than Dawn, and it won't be long until he passes me at 5' 9". His pediatrician has estimated he will probably be in the 6' 3" - 6' 6" range as an adult. This wouldn't surprise me at all because there are tall genes that run in the family on both sides.

 

I tried getting a quote from Progressive online and it said it couldn't be completed. Probably because it knew I asked for a quote for the Fiat and when it was too much I didn't finish. Everyone else so far has been the same or more than State Farm. I must be out of touch, because this seems insane that a guy pushing 60 needs to have insurance that's this high. Gee I wonder if Hagerty insures regular cars, they can't be as high as everyone else. Famous last words...

Chris I'm still working on getting those crush washers. They aren't kept in the hangar free issue anymore(probably people were taking them and recycling) so I'm gonna dig through my stuff and find a few.

I haven't been to the back but they must have started breaking down wheels, as we've had a steady flow all day. Now the people up here doing their jobs is a different story. I'm at 18 for the day, I should be way further.

Rain continues. I got a couple errands to run after work. That will keep me out of the rain, sort of.

 

Mike - Please don't worry about the washers, they're cheap enough and easy to find. It's the thought that counts and I appreciate your thoughtfulness!

 

Hi guys,

I've been busy all day doing a wide variety of chores, some of which my wife would normally do if she was feeling better. She said she feels like she's turning the corner and I'm thankful for that.

My biggest task was some cleaning that needed to be done on the 4-4-2 before it gets any colder. I can't really clean and polish the rear bumper without the garage door open, so I did that first. Then I cleaned and polished all the wheels. I didn't really want to crawling around on the cold concrete when it turns off colder. The rest of the car can be done leisurely a little bit here and there as I have time.

Frozen pizza for dinner tonight, and I'm just fine with that. Pizza is one food that would be hard for me to get tired of as long as it's decent.

Hope everyone has had a nice day and has a great evening!

 

Trying to buy this property. The mineral rights are close to in order. I've got 75% of them with the property, and the other 25% got split off years ago and are with a whole bunch of people. Indiana has a dormant mineral act, in 7 years, the claim will age out and I'll be there the next day to reclaim that 25% at the clerk's office. Hopefully, whoever renewed the claim last time will have croaked by then and it will be forgotten about.

My end is ready, I have the money good to go. Problem is, the title company is dragging ***. I told them I wanted the documents to review today, so I could send the money by Thurs and close on Friday. I am going to be on them like cologne on a mobster tomorrow until I get those. The agent is some dumb girl in her 20s that this must be her first job; she's not getting that she's not just a go-between, she's a makes-sure-****-gets-done-between. So many butts that need kicking into gear, and only so many pairs of steel toed boots a man can wear out in a lifetime....

 

John - I know absolutely nothing about Real Estate Law, but your description of the mineral rights to the property sure sounds like a sticky wicket to say the least. It sounds like something that would need to be resolved before a new owner could close on the property, but I'm just talking out my ****. I hope you're able to close soon without issue.

 

As the title company wasted no time assuring me, surface rights are all they do. Mineral rights have gotten people killed. A mine tries to kick someone out of their home, they show up with bulldozers, and get shot. Typically, the more rural the situation is, the more people go for guns. My situation is fairly benign, only 25% is in play, and nothing has happened for at least 50 years, and that 25% is owned by about 20 different people, so, even if there were minerals, which there almost certainly aren't, it can't ever be an issue. I'll still jump their claim if I can in 7 years to get it back to 100.

Mineral rights are separate from surface rights, so there is no resolution at point of sale unless the holder of the rights wants to sell. I certainly won't be asking 20 people to sell; I'll bet on the coordinator dying and being late on the claim. I don't think I would've bought with no mineral rights; 75% allows me to control everything.

Main issue right now is the title company is just dragging ***.

 

This is the sort of thing the professor would weigh in. He may be too busy playing golf at the end of the season.

 

Ya, where is the professor when we need him. I bet he's off banging Ginger!

My parents were involved in an unusual, I guess you would consider it mineral rights situation years ago. An Oil Company found an oil field where the reservoir extended under the subdivision my parents lived in. There was a huge tract of undeveloped land on one side of the subdivision where they were going to drill the extraction wells. The Oil Company had to request permission from every household in the subdivision and agree to pay them a monthly fee in perpetuity until the homeowners died. The monthly fee was nominal, as I remember it was $75/month. After about 10-years the checks quit coming, even though the wells were still pumping and oil trucked away. The subdivision owners hired an attorney to investigate and the Oil Company claimed they were no longer required to pay because the monetary value of the oil contained within the portion of the oil field under the subdivision had already been paid out. The court sided with the subdivision because the original contract stated the $75/month payments were in perpetuity, regardless of how much oil was recovered. The court also ordered the Oil Company to pay the Subdivision's legal fees, plus ordered punitive damages for what the court felt was an intention to defraud the homeowners. I don't remember the total amount of punitive damages, but I seem to remember it being around $20K per homeowner.

 

Good morning everyone.

Great start to the morning. Got to work and two of the three traffic lights coming off the expressway weren't working. Not even flashing red, just out. Nobody has any idea what to do in that situation so everyone went every direction. It took me 20 minutes to get to that point and 30 minutes to get through it. Saw one cop trying to push through traffic only to turn and speed off. And another one that sits at the entrance to the first parking deck every day, with his seizure-inducing lights going, just sitting. One might think someone could come and direct traffic. With the thousands of people coming to work every morning you'd think Delta would have a little pull in getting this **** dealt with. Not to mention the airport passengers who have now missed their flights.

No rain at midnight when we were out but it was pouring down at 430. Supposed to be nice this afternoon, but I have errands to run. The guy I got the Valiant from put a vintage 1968 plate on the back and somehow registered it to be the real license. He emailed me the form to have it transferred to my name. It looks pretty cool. I'm sure it isn't what would be correct for my county but who is going to know these days. As long as it's a real Georgia plate I can use it. Looks pretty cool.

Now that everyone is here from the traffic snafu, things are moving right along. Hope it keeps up. The retriever hasn't broken all week. Knock on wood it's fixed for awhile. Some plant maintenance guys came in over the weekend and worked on it.

Okay have a good day everyone. Hump!

 

Mike - Sounds like a real cluster "F" of a trip into work. I sure don't miss those since I retired, and you won't either.

The plate sounds cool! We can do that here in Missouri too.

 

Eh, retirement isn't in the cards for quite a while. I've got 10 years easy and who knows what things will look like then, I may have to go longer. Now, if the company would offer a package I'd be hard pressed not to take it.

We've been going good all morning. I'm at 20 now with an hour before lunch. Now, two mechanics are MIA so I've been getting extra cards, but who cares. At the end of the day there will be a number next to my name which is how many I've signed and it will look good.

You guys remember years ago, when Dallas was a popular TV show, someone was selling 1 square foot pieces of land on the South Fork ranch, which included the rights to any oil(and I assume anything else) under that 1 square foot. Maybe I should sell mineral rights for my yard.

 

Good morning guys,

Well, Uncle Sam has made this a milestone day for me whether I want it to be or not. I'm 65 today. Still haven't got my Medicare selection done yet, but I'm close to deciding on the path I'm going to take and I have 3-months yet to file. Good news is that my monthly premium for my Government sponsored Term Life Insurance ends today. That will be $75 more in my pocket every month. Bad news is that the payout value of the policy will decrease in value by a total of 50% in increments over the next 5-years.

My youngest daughter (Gabe's mom) and her family are taking me out to dinner at the Mexican place we like so much here in our town of Pevely. The place is a whopping 5-minutes away. I like to get their Steak Fajitas platter, and of course a giant mug of ice cold Modello draft to go with it!

Cold front came in last night and is supposed to get below freezing overnight for the next few days at least. To be expected though, it's that time of year in the StL.

Ya know what would make my day, to hear from Norm and Jim, I miss their camaraderie!

Hope ya'll have a great day!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!! Don't be fooled. It was the Good Lord who allowed you to reach this milestone, not the government. Though I can see why one might think that, what with their hand in everything these days. If you're having trouble with your selection, tune in to MeTV and watch the 80,000 commercials they have about Medicare selection. Seriously, I hope your day is a success and you enjoy your dinner out with the family.

Went to lunch at that place I like. The rice was a little clumpy but still good. I'll go next week. If they ever start screwing it up... It's a bit expensive for what it is, but it's partly remembering the people who used to run the place, and all the years I've been going there. Over 20.

I don't know what's up with Norm. I know he's logged in to the site. Maybe he's in a snit. Okay who pissed off Norm! Jim, he's trying to recover from his vegan diet.

Nice out, 68 and sunny.

 

Thanks Mike, very much appreciated!