Monday, May 31, 2010
The List
So, I am moving to a new city.
It is always a stressful deal, moving...
You know, just the moving part sucks.
But then you are in a new place.
You don't really know anybody.
Everything is different and the local jargon is weird.
You don't know where to hang out.
What the scene is like.
This time I think I have it together, though.
I figure I will just make a list of different ways to be cool.
Then I will just do the stuff on the list.
Any self doubt, or awkwardness?
Refer to the list.
It shouldn't even be that hard to make new friends...
People we be like "Who is that cool guy? I wanna hang out with that guy!"
I will just need to find some dude named Steve...
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sorry California
Really...
It is not you.
It's me.
I just gotta move on...
I has just not been the same, lately...
Between us.
We can still be friends...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
RIP
Whew. Man, look, I gotta get out of here, man. Now we - we got things we want to do, man, like - I just - uh - I gotta get out of here, man.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Mud Bug!
Last time I was in Gata's garage, he had one of these just sitting there.
Golden yellow flake glimmering in the dim light...
John, your boys better be tearing around the yard on that thing.
Dammit.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hey, Palace People!
I feel like I hardly know you...
I am guessing that the feeling is mutual.
Professional decorum dictates a degree of distance.
I am sure that you understand.
My seeming aloofness was part of the facade I was required to present.
Nothing personal, between you and me.
Such is the nature of professional pretense and such...
The nature of the work.
Working relationships...
I will admit, I did sorta sneak out.
Under the radar, if you will...
Only because it needed to be done.
Lest I say what I mean, what I really think...
Of anything.
What I think of it all.
My own vanity, I admit, prevented me from allowing any hub-bub...
I couldn't allow myself to be all weepy and watery eyed in my departure.
My rather long imagined escape.
The sorrow in leaving is, perhaps, superseded by my optimism for new opportunity.
Hopefully, my desire to maintain some dignity is something you can understand.
I learned a lot, alongside all of you.
I could discount that, but I won't.
It deserves recognition.
As do you...
It was a pain in the ass and a pleasure, what we did together.
You can decide for yourself which part I played a part in...
I will do the same.
Yet, as mentioned, we barely knew one another...
We will have to count that as our collective loss.
There is always the future.
Perhaps, we will find one another there...
Good luck to you, in the mean time.
I will miss you...
Top Kill
Let us consider some of the bottom killing going on...
While BP considers the top kill approach, shall we?
Toaster Tuesday
Perfect toast!
Why the hell isn't there an Oscar for best screenplay featuring toast?
Monday, May 24, 2010
A New Place
The search for a new place is on.
I am kinda hoping we can find something like this...
I mean, technically, I am not an evil scientist - but I am trying to take over the world.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
What the Hey? Q&A
I am glad you all could make it here today...I figured we could just do a little question and answer session on what we have going on, KVC and I.
In an effort to keep things moving along, I have your submitted questions here.
I will just breeze through them, in no particular order-
Q- Hey, did you quit your job?
A- Yes, I did.
Q- I hear you were moving, is that true?
A- Yes. KVC and I are headed to Philly.
Q- Why are you guys going to Philly?
A- KVC is going to start something new there.
Q- You know it snows in Philadelphia, right?
A- We are aware of something called snow.
Q- Are you fucking nuts?
A- Yes.
Q- Are you taking all of those pets.
A- Yes. Shut up about how many pets we have.
Q- What about the Model T?
A- Yeah, it is going, too.
Q- Where are you going to live.
A- Philly. That is all I can say. All I know, at the moment.
Q- Do you know how to order a cheese steak sandwich?
A- "Wit whiz, wit."
Q- When are you guys moving?
A- Soon.
Q- Are you guys really leaving (I'll miss you so much)?
A- Yeah. We have been here five years, you coulda called or stopped by.
Q- Will we get to hang out, before you leave?
A- Maybe.
Q- What are you going to do, in Philly?
A- Kick ass.
KVC and I have always tried to be open to adventure.
We try to live our dreams...
We have not stopped doing that.
It is the motive for this change.
Sometimes, our motives should be questioned.
Sure...
I think we are doing this for the right reasons.
We both know it is a big fucking deal.
Trust me, we know...
If you are here, then we should hang out.
Your time is limited, and ours will be occupied.
If you are somewhere east, well, we are going to be closer.
Get ready, here we come.
This California thing has been great.
And it has been hard.
We both have enjoyed what makes this place cool.
We both have also been tempered by our time on this coast.
We will both continue to be the coolest people you don't quite know...
We're just going to be doing that in a new locale.
Philly seems like it is almost ready for the likes of KVC and me.
I have a good feeling about this...
That should cover all of the details I can comment on at this time.
Thank you for you concern.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thurgood Marshall Thursday
Given the ongoing blathering about our next Supreme Court appointee, I figured we could look back at one of the past justices...Thurgood Marshall was appointed back in 1967, by then President Johnson - who said of the nomination:
"...the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place."
No small sentiment, when you consider the state of the world circa the summer of '67...
Marshall, prior to his nomination, was a rather significant civil rights lawyer and served as chief counsel to the NAACP.
Consider a similar nominee in our current political climate, for a minute.
How would Fox News spin Obama coming up with a candidate with a parallel career path as Marshall?
Or the GOP?
Marshall made it past the Senate confirmation hearing on a vote of 69-11.
Just something to consider, as we watch our chosen representatives work through their due diligence in consideration of our next justice...
We could use another Thurgood on the bench, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Marshall was pro-choice, against the death penalty, a bit of a feminist and a stickler for criminal procedure.
He stated openly that the Constitution, in his view, was a flawed, living document.
Marshall retired in 1991 and was openly depressed that his replacement would be chosen by the first Bush.
He passed in 1993.
Find more details on Marshall here.
Shouldn't we care more about this than who wins Dancing with the Stars?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Camping
I have always had this sorta vision of a MadMax style Chevy Suburban set up for outdoors adventures.
A self contained, all terrain get away machine.
Clearly, I have not been thinking on a grand enough scale.
The bar has been raised.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hey!
This is for you.
You contemptible, imbecilic twat.
Not you, of course...
Don't get all wound up.
I don't mean you.
That other guy...
Shoot
I have been saying for years that one thing lacking in my general hanging around vibe was random shooting...
I just don't get enough shooting in on an average day...
And, hell, there are a lot of things I'd like to shoot on any given day.
Really, what is more fun than kicking back and popping off a caps while you pop a few caps?
Drinking and shooting shit is god damned American.
My idea for the garage/backyard shootin' range is only reinforced by this advertisement.
I need to get to work on this...
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Side Hack
I have been thinking a lot about getting a bike with a sidecar.
You know, so Michi-Bobo and I can go on rides together...
Friday, May 14, 2010
Fabulous Flamed Funnycar Friday
Either the painter was cleaning off the leftovers shelf...
Or there was more than just paint fumes wafting through the spray booth that day...
Wow.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Oops
I am pretty sure we haven't really gotten the whole story on the dramatic way we are about to ruin most of the Gulf Coast.
Sure, there are quarter page stories in the paper and minute long segments on the evening news.
But we all have stuff to do...
Like get to work, do some laundry and watch American Idol or Lost.
This is the first bit of coverage that seems to last longer than four paragraphs or 45 seconds.
Fucked.
Really fucked.
I don't know what else to say.
We face hundreds and hundreds of miles of Three Mile Island type devastation along the coast.
It is day twenty three and I still don't get the impression that anybody knows how to actually stop it.
One seemingly absurd idea seems to follow another.
When does hurricane season start?
Somehow, I don't think that will help matters much...
Even if they do stem the leak, in the mean time.
Update:
The NY Times points out the possible flawed math in the "calculation" of the spills size here.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Root Beer Brown
I am kinda of thinking that maybe I shouldn't have gone with black paint on the T...
Shoulda done root beer brown.
I need to find some Cragars, too...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Toaster Tuesday
Alright, this is a little embarrassing...
Sometime, when I am alone...
I like to dress up as a toaster.
I thought you should know.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
At the Moment
I am listening to something like this.
It has been a longish week.
Away from work.
Time away from the real world can really take it out of you...
El Gato
It figures that I would dig this song...
The Chandelles.
Recorded in New Mexico?
They don't surf there.
What gives...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The State of Design
Alright, what the fuck is with designers improving ice cube trays?
Trays with special cube release systems.
Cubes that aren't cubes.
Trays in futuristic shapes.
I swear I see some "life changing" new ice cube tray concept once a week.
Look at this thing.
Thirteen bits of a plastic, places to leak/break.
Plus, it would need to be assembled in some horrible third world to find a price point for any actual market.
You know what designers...
Chill out on the fucking ice cube trays.
I just want some ice in my damned drink.
If, heaven forbid, an extra few cubes slip from my archaic ice cube tray while I am getting some ice...
You know what?
It is only water.
Easy to clean up water...
Especially easy when it is in a solid form.
Go design a chair or something.
Christ knows we don't have enough unique designer chairs.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Suits
I wear suits.
It kind of sucks.
Part of the deal, though.
I am pretty sure that wearing a silver space man fire suit to work...
Driving your old Chevy gasser down the strip...
Would suck less.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Making Shit
I don't often think to document my weirdo processes here, when it comes to building a car.
I did remember to, while I was making a gas pedal, though...
I looked at a bunch of versions in catalogs.
I coulda spent $30-$50 and just ordered one, but that is no fun.
Right?
So I rummaged through the scrap bins.
I had that rectangular tube left over from building the frame.
The rod thing is just here, probably some bit that a restorer needs for something. I don't remember where I got it. Maybe a shift linkage for a cast iron Powerglide?
The plate is some leftover that the Crazy German gave me years ago, when this project was just an idea.
The orange tube is the handle from a jack that my pal Eric left, when he abandoned a car at our place more than a decade ago. It rode aound in the Impala's trunk for a while.
The bolt just happened to fit inside the jack handle tube.
So I started by making the pivot out of some of that rectangular tube...
Some holes delineate the basic form.
Trust me, it is in there if you look hard enough.
Then weld some of the jack handle to the odd piece of rod to make the pivot.
Along with some of that plate, that will connect to the linkage that will go to the center carb, like so...
Add some more of that jack handle to the end of the odd rod, for the shoe to press against, after squishing it in a vice to fit.Put some more holes in shit, because hot rod parts have holes.
Tweak on the whole thing for a while, to make it fit around the tranny hump.
Voila, gas pedal...
That is most things happen here, with the T.
I think about shit forever...
I look at some catalogs and fifty year old magazines...
I do some not to scale sketches...
I half-ass measure stuff...
I look at the crap I have laying around...
And figure out how to make what I need.
Sunday Drive
Yeah, just hang a right at the 7-11, and follow that for a ways...
It'll seem like you have gone to far, but just keep going...
It is right there, on the left.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
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