Spent money this morning. Sent off check for alarm system, trash service, registration for the h/oca meet, paid someone for a pistol, and managed to get check 666 to pay the HOA fees for the year. Sent off my tax forms to my accountant.

I drove then up to Vincennes and met a friend who sold me some beer signs, then came back home.

 

One of them.

 

John - I enjoy collecting some signs. Nice history behind the Hoosier's Champagne Velvet. They made a Champagne Velvet Root Beer, as well. I'll bet it was a tasty root beer.

 

Perfect!

Very cool sign! 😎

 

Both Cook's and Champagne Velvet are bottled again. Cook's was ok back in the day, and the new stuff is ok. CV was a pretty lame beer then, and is overhopped now. So, I guess they are both accurate. In my opinion, beer should not be something bad tasting that you tolerate just so you can appear cool when you drink it like these double IPAs of late. It seems that all of my hobbies either get taken over by young morons and get ruined, or die out because the youth are not involved any more.

 

Nice. Last four digits of my telephone number are 6666. Son of the son of the son of the Devil's Dominion. I have no shame.

 

Too bad you aren't the owner of the Ranch in Texas!

 

Perhaps I should be. Where is this ranch?

 

La Grange.

 

The Four Sixes (6666) Ranch is near Guthrie, Texas, 260,000-acres. It was featured in several episodes of Yellowstone as the place John Dutton sent Jimmy off to to become a "Real Cowboy".

 

Shiver me timbers...1st time I've heard of it. I just read up on it - it's now mine ($138,000,000).

 

Headed off to Gabe's 1st Spring Developmental 4-on-4 game in just a few minutes. Younger brother Keegan had his 1st one this morning that we went to. The little guy played a great game in goal only giving up 2 goals in a 3-2 win. He played the whole game in goal. That's alot for a 7-year old with all that gear on.

 

My best little whorehouse in Texas joke went unappreciated.

 

August 1, 1973 - a very sad day in history - very sad.

 

Not unappreciated, just uneducated, I had to look it up!

 

With the end of his regular Winter season, Gabe is now in the upper part of his 11 - 12-yr old age bracket for the Spring Developmental League he is playing in. His team was dominant tonight winning 6-1, and Gabe was also dominant with another hat-trick, his 2nd one in a row after the one he had in the tournament last Sunday. Fun times!

 

"uh haw haw haw haw...."

 

"I hear it's tight most every night"

 

But I (we) might be mistaken.

 

Stayed home today. Made a meatloaf. Caught up on some dishes from cooking the past few nights and ran some laundry.

I got my scanner back in action today and am trying to scan then shred documents from the past ten years like utilities, bank statements, credit card bills, insurance stuff, car registrations. Paper takes a ton of room. I am endeavoring to digitize all paperwork that isn't on important or historic paper, donate all but one textbook on any given subject, and, if I reread an author in my library who is no longer to my tastes, I donate his or her works.

On the last, I find that classic science fiction like Heinlein stands the test of time. Former columnists turned authors like Sandford, Hiassen, and Dorsey also stand up. I still like rereading Lee Child's older books, though the newer ones are lesser. I believe I will either go try Ken Follett again, or Jack Higgins, or Stuart Woods, all of which I have at least 20 of their books apiece. Michael Connolly is quite good still. As a young man, I like the Star Trek novelizations, but I donated them ten years ago. I donated my Star Wars expanded universe stuff about five years ago. Interspersed with the new stuff are some classics; I have a decent amount of Shakespeare; Conan Doyle's stuff is there, and for some reason I really like Dostoyevsky.

 

Dostoyevsky - extraordinary.

 

I may have stuck an extra Y in his name. I read Crime & Punishment in high school and read The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov on my own. I think that's all of his works of which I have read / have a copy. He wrote others, perhaps I should pursue them.

Addendum: I just checked, I seem to have an additional copy of two of them. I suspect they are from my sister. She has had a bad habit of both abandoning possessions in her multiple failed attempts at educations and careers, even though she seems to be more stable now, and also, even worse, buying impressively named books without ever reading them. So, these two appear unread. I am of the opinion that a man should have read every book he owns at least once, especially the one of his faith.

 

I read The Idiot & C&P. I enjoyed Ayn Rand’s novels, as well. Who is John Galt? Iliad & Odyssey are good. Plato’s Republic is interesting. I don’t own any books I haven’t read. The Voyage of the HMS Beagle (unabridged) I thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t think I’ve finished Joy of Cooking but I’m working on it.

 

X2 on Hiassen.

 

About 2 " of white stuff today... Ah it's March that's what March does. It won't last. Took truck for it's 1st drive of the season couple days ago- All 3 projects on it seem great. Changed out F100 steer gear box for one from a 56 F350, Replaced clutch pedal assembly for new repop, and added halogen headlights and relay kit from Toyota. Steering gear is much tighter- though still sloppy compared to new cars/trucks-and it doesn't leak. Clutch works great, haven't been out in dark w headlamps yet, but seems brighter. Now starting back on Olds changing radio to original style AM-FM Stereo.

 

Greg - Wow, you've had the truck out already, that's great! You're doing better than I am in regard to getting your classics ready to roll. I've still got to get the oil/filter change and lube done on on mine before the season starts but I've been so busy with Insurance & Contractor communications and inspections it's been hard to find time. I'm hoping to get mine done this week for the the 1st Show I know of this coming Saturday. However, right now the weather does not look favorable for next weekend anyway.

 

Greg - Very sorry to hear this.

 

G'day Myke


Mike Mike Mike





https://kansascity.craigslist.org/ct...830073811.html

 

G'day everyone.

That's a pretty Valiant. Half Valiant and half American Dart. I think it would be fun to have a three on the tree. I wonder how long I'd think that if I actually had one.

A friend of mine is coming Friday to help me pull the engine out of the Amphicar. We've tried this before with no luck. This time we're going to pull the engine and the trans as one unit. I bought an engine hoist from Harbor Fright. My friend isn't going to have his along this trip, and I should have one anyway. I'm going to spend all week getting ready for company, cleaning, getting things together, at a couple hours a day I might just make it.

I'm not one to read. I have read books, but don't particularly enjoy it. Which means I wouldn't have a favorite author. Stephen King maybe. Because I like Christine I guess, and the Langoliers. I liked Christine the movie better than the book. I never read Cujo but I absolutely hated the movie.

I've been laboring over the decision to have my truck fixed or to get a new(er) big truck. I'm not sold on frame straightening. Has anyone had experience with this? Do they get it exactly right? Is it as good as new? If I go ahead and fix him I'll likely spend way more than I'll get. I'll do a full repaint, repair the interior, upgrade the lighting maybe.

Yellow pollen dust is in full swing. We got a smidge of rain yesterday and it all turned to paste. I hate this ****. I'll be congested for weeks. Eh, it's spring.

Okay things are rolling here at work. Hope everyone has a great day!

 

Mike - Yellow (Pine) & yellow-green (Oak) pollen began falling here ~1 week ago. At times I can feel/taste it in my mouth. I've never had a vehicle's frame straightened. For the expense, labor & time involved I'm 99% sure I'd get a newer truck.

 

I owned a 1963 Dodge Dart of some variation - 2-door Rallye Sport Coupe (?), I think. Red exterior, black interior, 1/2 black vinyl roof, chrome trim w/ center console. It had 'some' type of trim pkg. Sold my 1967 4-4-2 in 1972 (couldn't afford insurance any longer), bought a 1968 VW Beetle, rolled it over once end-over-end & twice sideways in a college treasure hunt road rally (1973), had to have a car. My first credit card (Master Card) I got from a used car dealership (1973) financing deal with my local bank - approved for $250 credit. Bought the Dodge Dart for $250. That car was solid metal - doors were long & weighed a ton. Boy Howdy you sat really, really low in the seats in that car. Almost felt I was sitting on the floor boards.

 

Norm if I drove just an every day, run of the mill truck I'd get a new one for sure. But mine is hands down, the best truck I've had. And I won't be able to replace it. For one it's a straight shift and no one offers that anymore. And it's a big block. I don't think you can get a big block anymore. And it's a long bed. I'm just sick over the whole thing I have to try.

We had a town hall meeting sprung on us at the last minute. I wasn't going to go but the lead stayed in the shop and made sure everyone went. What a colossal waste of time. First off the guy was a douche bag. And he kept saying we had to be maniacal about what we do. I whispered to the guy next to me, I think the word is methodical. He laughed a little too loudly. -That- was funny. Anything he said I could have read on the homepage. It was the usual opportunity for us to ask questions and he not answer them.

Lunch is running long because of the meeting and we won't get our momentum back, and we have less than an hour and a half to go. I hope I make 20. I'm at 16.

 

Mike - As stated, I've never had a vehicle frame straightened. I hope I never have to have one straightened. I've certainly been driving behind my share of vehicles with a body which sits caddywompus on a frame, they're darn funny looking. Still, sounds like a long uphill battle wrought w/ grief to get a frame straightened.

Are you shitting us or what? The douche nozzle actually said y'all need to be more maniacal? Did you flick a booger at him?

 

Good evening guys,

First, sorry I have not commented or provided encouragent on folks trials or tribulations. My bandwidth is being significantly impacted by having to respond in a timely fashion to storm damage issues.

Received what is being referred to as an Initial Estimate from my insurance company yesterday. Upon my review, I noticed some major issues which include the following:

- First and foremost, at least initially, my insurer is looking at a piecemeal replacement of the Siding only in damaged areas. Personally, I think this will be an extremely difficult match. If I want full replacement I am going to have my contractor provide information that they cannot complete a match that would not effect the look and diminish the value of the home. If my contractor does submit information to that end, then they would send their own representative to collect samples and attempt to make a match themselves and then go from there.

- My insurer left out items/damages in their estimate for items that were incorrect or omitted from the on-site assessor, but for which I provided proof via text/pictures after the fact. After a call to my insurer, they concurred that those items should have been included in the estimate. Most of these items are related to specific areas of hail damage to Siding, fascia, gutters, downspouts, decorative shutters, and condition of broken windows. Estimate of roof damage/replacement looks very close to being correct.

Essentially, I have had to become the on-site assessor because the 2nd Party Assessor my insurer sent out did such a **** poor job of writing up his report, despite the fact that I pointed out all the damage when he was here. I am having to identify all the items that were either incorrect or omitted from the original damage report and submit my own pics for proof of damage. It sucks, and substantially delaying the process.

The window guy is coming tomorrow, and hopefully I'll get his estimate quickly and will have that piece of the puzzle. We'll, that's where I'm currently at, and there ain't none of it any fun!

Hope everyone has a great evening!

 

Chris - I'm getting duly pissed off just reading your post. Phuque your insurance company. What a fiasco.

 

Norm - Thanks, I appreciate your support. I am not a happy camper right now, based on the incompetence I'm dealing with.

 

My blood is beginning to boil thinking of the pure $HIT you're dealing with.

 

Well then, this might put you over the top. It's not like I'm asking for the moon, because my damn deductible for wind/hail damage is 1% of the total loss coverage of the home, approximately $5K deductible!

 

Yeah. Home insurance companies - I hate every single last one of them. My wind/hail policy has a normal deductible, but if it is a "NAMED" storm, the deductible goes to 3% of the total loss. Nothing more than the rotten scum of the Earth these companies then they'll try any trick they can to get out from under the rug. Hate, hate, hate them.

 

Agree 100%! To add insult to injury, I just got notice today about renewal of my regular auto policies at the end of April. We've had no driving infractions or claims, yet they want to raise the 6-month premium a whopping 20%. Another group of major league *** Hats! Makes ya start to wonder if you'll ever make it to death with a cent left to your name. I really feel bad for younger families like my kids/grandkids, it's got to be tough making ends meet, even with decent jobs.