Minor Win thread - Life is good!

The only disappointing ones here are really bland, like someone put ketchup in water and called it a drink.

I realize I have not had a Bloody Mary for years, should really work on that.

The secret to a good Bloody Mary is clam juice.  

Duke said:

In reply to Antihero :

Bloody Marys should theoretically be my favorite drink, but somehow they are always disappointing.

 

I would have to say the same. I love tomato juice, I love a good vodka, but I've only ever had one really good bloody Mary, and recall it vividly.

It was in 1985

In reply to MX_Brad :

That's a popular Canadian drink and it's called a Caesar

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

The only disappointing ones here are really bland, like someone put ketchup in water and called it a drink.

 

I realize I have not had a Bloody Mary for years, should really work on that.

If you are in Milwaukee, I recommend Sobelmans, that's where we got this.....

In reply to Antihero :

That looks like the Chicago hot dog equivalent of a Bloody Mary if you ask me 

The most fancy I had ever had was the Devil's Spit at one of those forgettable chain restaurants.  They frosted the rim of the glass with black pepper.

I would usually just go with some premix and Sobieski to accompany some good old fashioned Quake 3.

Bloody Marys are best at 4 am right after putting a hog on the smoker for a 10-12 hour cook. 

They have to be spicy and need a pickle spear or two.

A couple of those while the smoker is stabilizing and the it's morning nap time. 

Antihero said:

In currently eating/drinking the biggest berkeleying Bloody Mary in the world and found the best oddball whiskey I've ever had ( Kurvball BBQ Whiskey)

I have neither the sense of smell, the passion, nor the budget to get snippy about whiskey, so I took the secondhand advice of wae in another thread and got a bottle of Evan Williams bottled-in-bond, and am not disappointed.

The MR2 refused to start today. No RPM showing on the tach, so it's probably going to be another crank angle sensor. I'll go with OEM Ford this time rather than McParts and maybe it won't go tets-oop in months like the current Dorman unit did. The minor win is that it only takes a couple of minutes to replace.

Bought the wife a 2002 today in Matchbox scale. The kid bought himself a couple of Hot Wheels cars and didn't object when we subsequently hit a secondhand store, a garage sale, and a Mexican grocery store before lunch. Despite ripping hellacious and foreboding SBDs all day (and I mean all damn day), he somehow did not poop himself.

I got his car seat turned around to the forward-facing position with no skinned knuckles and only minor profanity. 

That's all I got, and it's enough for today.

good enough for one day

Geico dropped my insurance premiums by 10%.

...I better check to make sure they did not lower my benefits

YouTube was educational!

Watched a video a while back about the effects of intake cam timing on turbo spool.  Made me wish I'd sprung for an AVCS engine for the Mini... but anyway

Teh Volvo suddenly got a MIL, and went into low boost mode - wastegate pressure only, 7psi max.  And the powerband shifted all the way to the right, you could feel the engine doing nothing until about 3500 and then it would ramp up by 4200 or so.  "Aha, I bet the intake cam is not moving, because that is what it would do if it were at least advance, and the computer is probably cutting boost to prevent damage"

I was part right.  The cam solenoids have circuit faults... as does the TGV, and about seven other things.  All of which are powered by the same fuse.

In reply to Antihero :

How was the game?

Folgers said:

In reply to Antihero :

How was the game?

It was fantastic as long as you were rooting for the Packers, they managed to score more than my age even.

Lambeau was everything I hoped for to, even though we had cheaper/higher seats I thought they were great

In reply to Antihero :

Guy at work grew up in GB.

His dad bought 2 season tickets in 1961 and still has them.  How cool is that?  

Datsun310Guy said:

In reply to Antihero :

Guy at work grew up in GB.

His dad bought 2 season tickets in 1961 and still has them.  How cool is that?  

That's awesome!

In reply to DarkMonohue :

I'm somewhat snobbish about my Scotch, it needs to be Islay mostly and I really like this stuff.

It's sweet and smokey, and about 20ush a bottle too

Antihero said:

In reply to DarkMonohue :

I'm somewhat snobbish about my Scotch, it needs to be Islay mostly and I really like this stuff.

 

It's sweet and smokey, and about 20ush a bottle too

Minor win #1: Antihero recommended a whiskey that I can justify trying.

Minor win #2: Today was my last opportunity to take a fat nap before returning to a normal work schedule tomorrow, and I took it.

Minor win #3: I have the GRM New Year's Garbage Exchange and Novelty Ambush Box nearly full.  And such new year's garbage it is!

All eight of the exhaust manifold studs/bolts came right out of the 454 in the motorhome.  No heat or checks required.

I also realized that I already have the perfect tool for pulling the head up through the floor: The engine support bar that I got from HF to hold up the motor when I did the clutch on the 5 should also be perfect for this!

The worn out 2004 Santa Fe I bought has zero redeeming qualities, except one:

The circled vent has a lot of horizontal adjustment range. I discovered that I can aim it right at my crotch, just like the crotch vents in classic Japanese cars. Which is nice considering its been super humid and in the 80s here.

Went to a Bucks game as well since we were in town, I enjoyed it but will say the difference in experience between that and an NFL game is incredible, kinda shocking

E brake light is on in the instrument cluster of Project Fester, my 04 F150. I Google all the scenarios that trip this light. In addition to the e brake, theres the low fluid sensor,  and it's also tied to the PCM. Oi!

Let's start with the easy. Pop the hood to che k the fluid, but  before I get to the hood, I check the lever under the dash. The kid had been bouncing around the cab. I push down the lever, and pop it. I noticed it didn't come up all the way. Help it seat and  it trips the switch, turning off the light.

A whole afternoon set aside to freeze my nuts off diagnosing, and a solution presents itself in 2 minutes.

I've had music lessons at several points in my life. The first two were piano lessons with family. Twice tried, twice failed to stick. I tried piano again in HS, to similar results. I also took guitar classes 4 times between grades 7-11, and not once felt like it was worth the time or felt like I'd actually learned anything. Now, part of the failure in each instance was my own fault. Between stubbornness, undiagnosed attention issues, lack of discipline... safe to say even the best teachers would have struggled to get through to me, not that I had the best but still.Now I'm 34, and I'm not ashamed to take some pride in my guitar playing. Stick with anything for 22 years and you'll pick up some skill. If I'm honest, guitar came pretty easily and even early on I had some natural talent. 

That said, one thing that has not come easily is drumming. I have the natural rhythm you'd expect from the average white guy, and my non-dominant limbs are borderline useless. I also don't have the time to devote to practice that I had when I was a teen. So even with owning a drum kit for most of the last 6 years I wouldn't describe myself as anything resembling a drummer. Maybe it's age (I'd never claim maturity) but I decided I needed to seek a good teacher if I ever wanted to progress. Some of the best money over ever spent on myself. Two months in and my understanding and progress are light years ahead of 6 years of noodling. Being able to see real, meaningful progress in such a short time is awesome. I'm no great talent, but I'm able to play along well enough to have fun doing it. My teacher is younger than me, and I don't care. He's awesome. Hugely talented, hugely patient, able to take things I'm familiar with and incorporate guitar concepts over in ways that make sense. 
The short version is this: It's easy to forget the value of a good teacher. But when you find one. What a treasure. 

Wife OK'd quickjacks that I can use to replace suspension arms on her car as well as use on my projects and our DDs in the future. We have Costco membership so the 'package' is cheaper than quick jacks alone at most other places. Woot woot!

Mrs Logdog cooked dinner while I was out and surprised me with prime rib.  Im now kicked back in the recliner with a cat on my lap enjoying life being a fat kid!

barefootcyborg5000 said:

I decided I needed to seek a good teacher if I ever wanted to progress. Some of the best money over ever spent on myself. Two months in and my understanding and progress are light years ahead of 6 years of noodling.
The short version is this: It's easy to forget the value of a good teacher. But when you find one. What a treasure. 

Quoted for truth and here's an Amen, brother!! Amazing what a skilled teacher can do in any area, but certainly music. (I'm back on the drums after 30 years away, and my teacher's excellence as an instructor and musician makes my experience.)

Went out to dinner tonight and our waitress had a really cute ass.