whatcha doing?

Post by **DerGolgo** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:35 am

I now feel a little bad about the flippant comments I made about the weather yesterday.

Severe damage all over.
Local public transit is shut down. So are a lot of the railroads - if I wanted to go to Cologne by train today, I couldn't. Normally, a trivial trip with multiple connections every hour.
Six dead.

I just went to buy some screws, and here is what I saw on what is also my usual way to work. The sticker on the orange trashcan says it all: Natur ist dein Feind - Nature is your enemy.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:16 am

Bolted a new harddrive into my old desktop machine and installed Ubuntu for a friend.
Linux is bewildering and intimidating and me no likey.
To do this, I hooked it up to spare keyboard and spare mouse I had around, and to the left of my two desktop screens. The right kept running my current machine.
Having two keyboards and two mice, even though all really different, can become ... confusing.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:16 am

DerGolgo wrote: Having two keyboards and two mice, even though all really different, can become ... confusing.

I'm currently (as I type) using this to chain two PCs together for my rig:

http://www.j5create.com/our-products/do ... ud500.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It has a few quirks, but overall it's an awesome set-up. I can control two machines (3 monitors) with one keyboard and one mouse -- cursor moves smoothly across all three screens, and I can copy/paste pretty well between the two machines.

--Jaeger

wyckedsin · Post by **wyckedsin** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:38 am

Cramming chunks of lead into brass cylinders over copious amounts of smokeless powder

Post by **DerGolgo** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:03 am

Yesterday, around three pm, after waiting the whole day for a package to arrive, I left my apartment for about fifteen minutes. See, the DHL guy usually comes around 1 pm. Obviously, he'd come while I was out.
So, today, I went to the downtown post office, miles away, where they always deposit parcels for me that they couldn't deliver. That they've got a fully functional franchise of their own operation on the other side of the street, literally in house number 94 while I'm in number 93, seems to be beyond them.
A friend of mine came along, we had some other things to take care off. I got two parcels. One with a new, broad-brimmed hat (it fits!!) and other travel-related stuff, one small one with my new phone. I had forgotten to take along a backpack or suchlike, we only had the little bag my friend was carrying around her stuff in. We had just realized the larger package wouldn't fit and were about to set off like that when I realized "I'm dumb as fuck!"
That other travel-related stuff? My all new backpack! So rip, shred, unpack, BAM; problem solved, right there on the steps of the post office. The hat went on my head of course. Running around with two hats, one hanging on it's lanyard or what you call it, the other on my head, felt ... dumb.

Right now, I just tried to set up my new phone. Surprise, surprise, my regular old Mini-SIM card won't fit, had to order a new SIM card. But I can start installing apps, I figured. So I do as the instructions say, plug it in to charge it up. I even put in the SD card. But after thirty minutes, the on-button still does nothing. What could be wrong?
I'm puzzled, confused. I figured I must have forgotten a little protective sticker on one of the battery's contacts. Only when I opened up the case did I get confirmation, "Yep, I'm dumb as fuck!". Charging the battery is difficult if you don't put it in.

Before you ask, it's an S5. I originally didn't even consider a phone like it, for lack of a proper keyboard, but they have announced a proper keyboard now, so it won out over the S4. Neither of them has fm radio anyway, the only alternative would have been the S4mini. But 2.5 GHz is 2.5 GHz, and I wanted a phone that wouldn't frustrate my with sluggishness while I'm on my grand tour. First time ever I bought a current model, expensive phone.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:32 pm

Starting a fire in the woodstove because it's cold in the house. June 12.

Waiting until later to get back into the garage. Slapped my frozen All Balls in a hot hub, but didn't do much beyond that.

Sisyphus · Post by **Sisyphus** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:30 pm

Contemplating my navel.

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 4:54 am

Just got home from toobing a local river (ok, actually in Austin) with my wife, daughter and her friends. These old bones cant handle partying like that anymore.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 3:50 pm

As of today, officially counting down the days until school starts. (72 days)

Post by **DerGolgo** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 11:37 am

I spent an hour taking evidence photos and composing a bilingual email to an Amazon Marketplace retailer in Belgium who had mis-advertised something I had bought and that was delivered today. They said 10.1" to 12" on Amazon, it says 11" to 12" on the packaging. I need something for 10.1". I don't know whether they'll be cool, but at least Amazon Marketplace retailers seem to be scared of Amazon's complaints department, so that's giving me hope.

Right now, I'm eating a lovely fruit salad of watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, red grapes and kiwi. Tasty, if high carb. But low calorie otherwise.

motorpsycho67 · Post by **motorpsycho67** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 7:23 pm

Laying half-naked on my bed typing this and contemplating dinner

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 11:58 pm

Sweating.

The big heat pump (4.5 tons or 54,000 BTUs or the equivalent cooling power of nine thousand pounds of ice per day) for my house is fucked, needs a new compressor & reversing valve. I sleep on the workshop floor mostly, where it's a nice 74F (though my little foam mattress kinda sucks). I try to stay out of the house until the sun goes down, but even at night, even with the attic fan pulling fresh air through my window, it's still pretty sticky. I wait until the middle of the night to do dishes, laundry, etc.

Could be worse, it hasn't even been an especially hot Summer so far this year...

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:01 am

Spent yesterday evening repairing a Heli-coil in the transmission pan on my wife's jeep, then rtv'd the pan back in place. Letting it cure until this evening, then its time to refill and test for leaks. Also replaced the bad water control switch on my washing machine, so overall a pretty successful evening.

Rench · Post by **Rench** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:02 am

Had to call in sick for the first half of my shift. Renchita has pink eye on one side and double ear infections. Daycare won't touch her. We're watching a little Einsteins marathon and practicing walking between antibiotic and anti inflammatory doses.

-Rench

wyckedsin · Post by **wyckedsin** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 12:47 pm

Ouch Rench, fast healing vibes sent her way

Bigshankhank · Post by **Bigshankhank** » Wed Jun 18, 2014 5:03 pm

Well after years of turning a blind eye to a persistent transmission leak on my wife's Jeep TJ, I finally got tired of constantly refilling it and cleaning my garage floor and made it my bitch. No more leaks. Well, except the valve cover, and probably the oil pressure sending unit, and maybe three or four other places, but not the transmission.
Coupled with having fixed the washing machine, I am having a celebratory bourbon/coke.

2XSL · Post by **2XSL** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:32 am

Ffilling a tranny is such a nuisance

Post by **DerGolgo** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:46 am

2XSL wrote:Ffilling a tranny is such a nuisance

People 'round here got filthy minds, you may wanna rephrase that.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:23 am

Singing a song stuck in my head.

I was rudely passed by a Hells Angel in my travel lane on a flat, straight boring stretch of road just a short while ago. Minding my own business when ARR! The pirate goes blatting by, scaring the shit out of me. But it rapidly turned to amusement.

The conversation with inside my helmet went like this:

1. What the fuck!
2. I fucking hate being passed in my lane!
3. I was passed by a Hells Angel!
4. Hells Angel.
5. HA.
6. I was passed by a HA.
7. A HA.
8. A-HA!
9. Taaaaake onnnn meeeeee (take-on-me), taaake meeee onnnn (take-on-me), etc.
10. Falsetto.

Post by **DerGolgo** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:50 am

***trying to shake mental image of gang of big, hairy Hells Angels reenacting the video for Take on Me***

Bo_9 · Post by **Bo_9** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 5:54 am

DerGolgo wrote:***trying to shake mental image of gang of big, hairy Hells Angels reenacting the video for Take on Me***

***trying to find a reason not to make a parody video of just that***

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 7:22 am

Wait, with the Hells Angels doing the band part, right?

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914[/media]

Post by **DerGolgo** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 7:40 am

Yeah, like a little choir of Hell's Angels popping in, singing to camera, gesturing all passionately and whatnot.

Ont the topic of music.
This week, I finally got my record player fixed. I don't know when it broke, though I must admit I hadn't used it since before my accident (when it had worked).
Today, I managed to find an incandescent lightbulb I had stowed away for just such purposes many years ago, so I could use the strobe disc on the turntable to adjust the different speeds. All three of 'em.
Three speeds? In one record player?
Indeed, which is why I've still got this steel-encased monstrosity sitting around here, rather than something modern with USB or whatnot that I could use to digitize my record collection (I have a record collection, yes. No, I never did scratching or emo record collecting or anything of that nature, I just liked vinyl when I was younger).
But while I can pick up a stereo record player of superior quality quite cheaply anywhere, with 33 1/2 and 45 rpm, this one is stereo and does 33 1/2, 45 and 78.
So I've just dug through the part of my record collection that I inherited in recent years as my father had finally decided that, after not listening to any records in about 40 years, he might as well chuck them out.
I found exactly one 78 rpm record, actually. High Society, performed by Chris Barber and his Jazz Band. Sounds nice enough!

Oh, resuscitating my record player and some shit crashing my computer at the same time distracted me from part two of this post, so here, on edit:
I also went shopping for a helmet today. First store I went to, many helmets, but no full-face units in my size for under 300 bucks. All meeting the same safety standards, so paying that much extra for something that'll just do pillion/sidecar duty over a few weeks didn't strike me as reasonable. Fifteen miles on and two towns over, another store. Many helmest my size, at reasonable prices, too, so now I've got one.

Pattio · Post by **Pattio** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:50 am

I have a huge pile of 78s from my in-laws. I wish I could magically gift them to you but they are _heavy_ and I'm sure not worth the effort.

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:40 am

Pattio wrote:I have a huge pile of 78s from my in-laws. I wish I could magically gift them to you but they are _heavy_ and I'm sure not worth the effort.

You take good care of those!

Pintgudge · Post by **Pintgudge** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:09 pm

I love garage sales. Went to one several years ago, and there was a 30"x30"x20" ( approx) wooden box with a crank handle sticking out the side. Opened the top and, sure enough, it was a Victrola Picknic Model! I wound it up and tried it, it was terrible! Sounded very badly off time, too slow. I figured it could be adjusted so I bought it for$45.00. Took it home and just couldn't get the speed right, so I go online to the Victrola forum, and find out that a little Three in One oil WILL solve many of the worlds problems.

When I was little we would go to see grandma and grandpa at the homestead cabins in the Blue Mountains in Oregon, just across the border from Walla Walla where I was born. At the cabins, no electricity, no running water, but Aladdin lamps, get water from the spring in a bucket, and use the outhouse. At night, in front of the fireplace, playing Chinese checkers, we would listen to the Sons of the Pioneers sing their songs on the big wind up Victrola record player. Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Cool Clear Water, Ragtime Cowboy Joe, and my favorite, Ghost Riders in the Sky!

Now I have some of those songs!

Sisyphus · Post by **Sisyphus** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:20 pm

Trying to figure out WTH to make for dinner that my kids will eat. My wife had to take off because her brother died on Wednesday all of a sudden-like, so I'm totally single-parenting it w/o so much as notes as to where to find shit. Looks like beans and rice again.

motorpsycho67 · Post by **motorpsycho67** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 11:20 pm

Zim wrote:
1. What the fuck!
2. I fucking hate being passed in my lane!
3. I was passed by a Hells Angel!
4. Hells Angel.
5. HA.
6. I was passed by a HA.
7. A HA.
8. A-HA!
9. Taaaaake onnnn meeeeee (take-on-me), taaake meeee onnnn (take-on-me), etc.
10. Falsetto.

xtian · Post by **xtian** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:27 am

Sisyphus wrote:Trying to figure out WTH to make for dinner that my kids will eat. My wife had to take off because her brother died on Wednesday all of a sudden-like, so I'm totally single-parenting it w/o so much as notes as to where to find shit. Looks like beans and rice again.

that sucks.

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:57 am

Spinach chips. Google it.

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