Living The O Doctrine

What we can usually get from US presidents is a new twist on language and philosophy.
Depends on what is is
Strategery

And now, "the buck stops there." (yes, it is a twist on the Truman quote, adding a t to one word. That makes all the difference)

Words to live by. It's kind of like the old, "I'm rubber, you're glue, anything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you". Except it's shorter. Buck stops there.

In a world of bolsheviks, stalinists, and oppressive hall monitor syndrome, one must keep up with the lingo. Red doesn't necessarily mean red, go may mean stop. It is tricky business.

Many people have forgotten that freedom was more fun than a soviet or Cuban style state. Probably more dangerous too. Certainly less litigious than modern America.

Good Things People Do

(pics were sent to me from facebook. someone put them up and someone else shared or however FB works. from a local party on someone's back deck)
The Olympics hooplah caused me to think. Dangerous, I know.

At one time, the first thoughts of the games would be who might win what. Now the first thought is, "I hope some terrorist outfit doesn't make an appearance and create havoc.".

I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who kind of holds his breath wishing the opening and closing part would be over with. Since I don't have TV coverage, I am not as inundated with it as most.

But I was thinking how hard we try to keep going in spite of all the madness. The solution has been to subject everyone to search and more. No comment on that, or on what has been done that feeds this stuff. The point is that, one way or another riffraff of the world have managed to make fun a lot more work. At least the large scale event fun.

Then I remembered how cool it was to be at that gathering on a guy's back patio, overlooking a little canyon in Spring Valley. Lots of people, and people playing live music and having a great time. This sort of thing seems to be more common here than most other places I've lived. Either that or I was not paying attention.

I was able to play with my group from up here on Ballistic Mountain, and a group of older, very seasoned, very professional country players. Everyone called them the cowboy band. Their guitar player, Les, sat in with us--CopperCreek aka Ballistic Mountain friends.
There were some very good players there. Very good. I made a few new friends and think I may have more playing opportunities as a result of my showing there. I think being a sort of blues crossover guy helps. Plenty of better blues harps out there, and better all around. Just not many of the crossover people around here. That allows me to be of value.

So, we can still voluntarily gather and associate with our choice of people in situations like that party. A bit of freedom to be had.

They had a gazebo back there with a P.A. and sound board and it was good. I was able to work the mic for best dynamic range. What a treat. Haven't had it that good in awhile. Only screwed up a little bit.

***since I keep posting and will be gone, I am trying the write-now-post-it-later-automatically option

At the Crossroads

(somewhere in the neighborhood. pulled this off a 4x4 site. The road is not quite that bad. Lots of places off the path for these guys. I searched my street name and photos and this is definitely where I live)
At the top of the steep hill which is all unpaved, bumping dirt road, I turn left to reach my place. There is a sign there at the corner and little area for other signs or what have you.

Today there were cars pulled over at that corner and a woman flagged me down. They were gathered to toast a man who died up here recently. He was a big force in the neighborhood fire council, and road maintenance. His illness came fairly quickly and he did not suffer for too long. The condition of the dirt road speaks loudly of how much his influence is missed. I have to reduce speed to about two miles per hour in spots, or else my fillings would be rattled out of my teeth. I don't have many fillings, but I need them.

I thought it was an interesting and touching thing that people stopped and the ones already there handed them ginger ale or a martini to toast Dave. This is a unique neighborhood.

A group of five people on horseback stopped by while I was there. They were just out for a late afternoon ride, in the cool before sundown. They live a little further up the road. There are several horses up here. East county is horse country.

I'm somewhat less social than just about everyone else, but they flagged me down by name. Then the lady said she'd been keeping up with my music exploits on facebook. Cliff's wife and others post video clips and pictures which include me or sometimes feature me. I don't put anything there. It was a nice thing to hear, in any case. I guess the people remember me from the party last year. And maybe from my short lived association with the cute cowgirl up the hill. That was a case in which backing up was the correct solution for me. But I have no regret.

I've never lived anywhere like this. If I moved and didn't have a mile of dirt road and lots of distance from other dwellings, I'd be disappointed. This place could spoil a guy. It has spoiled a guy. Some very nice people. We also have our crazies, but they cause few problems. What a find this place was.

****when you can't cover your corruption otherwise, and your lies are transparent, best thing to do is appeal to a vaguely religious nerve, even if it is nonsense.
Jerry Brown and Arnold recently came to Alpine to dedicate the sunrise power link fiasco, and I guess rub salt in the wound:
Gov. Brown: "Earth’s Future is More Important Than Preserving East County". ????Come again? You've created a fire hazard, destroyed land, etc. etc. Well, good news, Earthlings, the future of your planet is now secure. Dingbat Brown has pronounced it so!
east edge of Alpine (I love these official dedications by corrupt bureaucrats pretending they are doing a favor to the world instead of stealing and lying. Such phony creeps)
The point is: our ex republican governator and our present democratic governor, Moonbeam, are in on the same corruption. Do not believe that republicans are into big money and dems aren't. That is patently false.

Oh, the ex-Governator also had a great quote at this event: "Dis wil bwing Mega Bytes of ewectwicity to da people..." Can't wait for them mega bytes, Ahnold. Watt you say?

Our Evolving Language: part 7252012

If you think the previous posts were about my new skid plate, you are wrong wrong wrong.

Obviously, I was referring to autopilot, and the wisdom of hopping in the back seat for a nap while cruising the interstate when you feel a little drowsy. Anyone who suggests I was talking about skid plates and oil recycling at WalMart is clearly a racist.

Speaking of racist, I had to almost stop completely to let a herd of turkeys cross the highway near Descanso. The first couple would have made it had I only slowed a little. Most of the other eight would have been rendered lifeless. They had that look like, "I know this is a bad idea, but we are following them. That is our number one job, even if it kills us."

I didn't realize turkeys were into single file travel. Maybe it is only when they cross the street. That way, if the leader misjudges, some will survive. If they all crossed in a big clump, then if one gets hit, chances are, most will.

In the rear view mirror I noticed three rebels who held back until I passed by. Then they scampered in single file across the road to catch the others. The car about a tenth of a mile back had to slow a bit.

It is odd that he did that. In california, the normal procedure if a car is entering the highway ahead is to speed up drastically. These people are polite to turkeys and rabbits, rude to one another. Are we the only species that treats other species better than our own? I tend to think so.

I did have that urge to test my new skid plate, but A) I don't eat turkey, and B) I don't know if that is grounds for arrest and jail time in CA. Some guy was on trial for picking on an opossum (in speech, I always say "possum") and posting it on youtube. I don't know if he killed it or merely bullied the creature.

Not nice, but is it worth the thousands of dollars court costs? And and the cost of room and board in jail? Not that I think jail is a nice place. I'm looking at relative costs to humanity here. Maybe they gave him community service hours in a rescue home or soup kitchen for rodents and prehistoric marsupials.

Either way, you probably don't know I was just discussing dodge ball, which would mean you are a...

Skids 2; info in case you try this at home

quick heads up: http://autopartsoem.net/ is an outfit that spams with BS in comments and leaves their link. I'd never do business with them. And if it is just a person leaving comments about how I should do my page, then leaving the link--that is one sick cookie



So, I worked Monday evening as the sun was setting, the breeze was picking up, and the heat less oppressive. First, as indicated in the sketchy, yet not illustrated, instructions, I removed the existing plastic under guard. Then I proceeded to change the oil. No need to install the new shiny skid plate, then take it off to perform this task.

That being done, I installed the new item. I forget the designation of that type of aluminum which is aircraft grade, blablabla. 30/60 or something. I made up those numbers. Anyway, it is very strong and hard, for aluminum. I can't imagine anyone needing the optional thicker version of this plate.

It fit a bit close to a piece of the heat shield around the header pipe of the exhaust, but I figured, maybe it is OK. The less than detailed instructions mentioned that "on some models" you could cut the plastic thing to retain the extra bit of splash guard. I had carefully saved all fasteners and did not trash the existing plastic thing in the process of removal. Just in case.

Now I had about a gallon of old oil in need of disposing. Not like the old days when you could just dump it back into the ground from whence it came, or use it to discourage growth of unwanted vegetation. Fortunately Walmart makes a big deal out of "being green" and how they are so nice that you can recycle the oil at their store. Well, not just anywhere, they don't want it in the aisles or all over the toy department, etc.

I know from experience that they have a place next to their oil change facility where they accept your old oil and dump it into a big tank. Unless Latisha is working. She makes you dump it.

They expect you to sign a sheet and include your address. Over the last year or so I have dumped oil there for Greg Rasputin, Eddie Van Halen, Nick Buonicotti, Robert E Lee, F. Lee Bailey. That is all I recall at the moment. I drive a lot, and I keep up with oil changes. All those people live in either Alpine, Pine Valley, Boulevard, or Jacumba. Addresses vary, and I do not recall the street names I give. Usually something festive like Fiesta way, or Los Cajones Fuerte.

What's with the info quiz to dump oil at a place that only takes it because they love you and want "to help the earth"?

It was after oil change hours and the chain link gate which is locked to protect the dirty oil room has a sizable gap, so I slid the gallon oil bottle in and left. I missed the challenge of creating a new donor identity. I was leaning toward Albert Gore, had the opportunity arisen.

The oil episode gave plenty of time and highway driving to see what I thought of the new skid plate, if anything. I thought the car was noisier, and kept being troubled by the thought that the plate was touching the heat shield.

Today, I examined the set up and opted to cut the old plastic under engine guard to retain that extra splash shield the instructions vaguely mentioned. I retained as much of it as possible, then realized I had to trim more and more or the aluminum part wouldn't fit.

Finally, I got 'er done. I also pulled the plate and took it to the back deck where I managed to cut a semi circle out of the edge which had been rubbing exhaust parts. The stuff is tough. I drilled many holes, then used a Dremel tool with those cutting disks to cut the in-betweens. Then I used the little drum sander attachment, and a grinder attachment to smooth it out.

The remaining plastic is a U-shape, with the bottom of the U riding up under the radiator. They should suggest that you do this, and offer a diagram showing where to cut. It is hard to judge it because you can't have both items installed at once, and things don't work exactly as you think they will from setting one on top of the other on the ground.

I'm fairly pleased with the result so far. Instantly quieter. I noticed the skid plate actually gives a bit more ground clearance than the plastic arrangement did. Not much, but possibly an inch. It has a pad which sits up against the oil pan, so I think close is the intention. I've decided this presents no cooling issues, but I'll spare you my analysis of that matter.

Now I believe I'll remain happy with this modification. Last night I was ready to chalk it up as another dumb purchase.

Because it came from an outfit which is involved in racing and modifying Subarus, I suppose the minimalist approach to offering info should be no surprise. I've noticed that many parts and wrench pull types think it is uncool to communicate adequately. Even though their main customers for this item are just regular Joes and Janes. I figured it out, I think. I've got the best of the old part and the new part now.

Still, to change oil, I have to undo four bolts and drop the thing down. Not much more trouble than all those inadequate fasteners for the old access panel, and once it is off the oil and filter work is easier. What happens if I take it in to a quick oil change place? I do not know. Part of the reason I change my own is because the old system seemed too much for them to handle without screwing it up--either no crush washer on the plug, or missing fasteners on the plastic panel. Or both.

If I were Mr. Subaru, I'd design a much easier and more durable system for oil change and under engine protection.

****helpful hint: if you are doing work of this nature in a ground up bark covered lot, it pays to have old drop cloths. Fortunately I have several, two or three of which are reserved specifically for auto maintenance. ****

The Skids

Skid plate before changing oil, removing the plastic stuff and installing it.
It comes off easy enough.
Foggy corner of pic is because I had to tape my phone case together and a bit of the tape was over the lens.

I'll wait until I'm sure before offering a definitive review. It looked cool, as polished aluminum usually does. The little vents help.
It is a tough item.
If a rabbit hits it with his head, no longer will little plastic nonsense fasteners fall out causing something to drag on the highway.

Quick Sanding Hint

If one were to be running a power sander for hours at a time, and he had the wherewithal to figure out the advantages of ear plugs early in this project, you'd think he'd have known that it would behoove him to employ the services of the dusk masks, which are easily found in the modern marketplace, before completing 9/10 of the power sanding which the project entails.

However, even if only one hour out of twenty was worked using the dusk mask, one glance at the thing after an hour or two of sanding would confirm its value.

I'm out of breath just typing this. And the sanding is done for now. Two hours out of more than I'm willing to admit. Only two hours of not breathing finely ground teak and who knows what mixed in. I will say the balance of unprotected sanding was less than 100 hours.

I'm an idiot.

--still pleased with the 1/4 sheet sander made by Ridgid

Quick Reminder

It is rarely noted, but none of the TSA bans on toothpaste, nail clippers, etc., and the searches and pat downs initiated as the result of 911 would have prevented 911. Box cutters are not such a big deal. For all the purpose they served, a well honed credit card would have done the same thing.

We knew who Bin Laden and many other players were. It was odd that people were paying to learn to fly, but did not care about learning to land. There was much intelligence which was neither applied, nor shared with flight crews.

Prevention is often more complicated and has something to do with culture, the nature of what people see, read, hear, etc. Rarely is it to be found in politically motivated band aids and power grabs.

Never Let Someone Else's Suffering Go To Waste

Hey, sorry for your loss, mind if I borrow the tragic death of your loved ones to kind of boost my image? Thanks, I knew you'd understand. You can go back to being numb and in shock now. In no time at all, I'll be out of here and you won't have to worry about roads being blocked and such.

But before I leave, I'd like some M&Ms, and none of them had better be blue. Or else! I feel your pain, now get lost while I psyche myself into my cool, calm, yet compassionate leader/and/or celebrity persona. I need that mirror to make sure my concerned face is tuned up. Photo ops await. Another few minutes in the lime light. This is about me. Your job is to be a good prop.

So sorry for whatever it is that has you folks down; but this is an opportunity for my campaign or news story or power grab or another chance to play Papa to New York City or to spin something unfounded against my philosophical rivals, or bolster my entertainment career. Matters not what you may call it, I call it pay day.

Of course many of us have our spots reserved in the VIP tent for whatever vigil. What's this town called?

Oh, look! Michael Moore is here with his crew to make a documentary. He says rich fat white guys are to blame--except not him, of course. Wow, this party is sure to last awhile. I can put on a real performance, get some publicity, and all the while pretend to just be in somber mourning solidarity with the people who are actually suffering.

How many people were killed in Afghanistan and Chicago over the weekend? What's it matter? No percentage in that angle. Nope, Pay Day is right here.

PS: Dear El Presidente del Mejico, Senor Calderon

How about you figure out how to run your own country and quit pretending you know how to run ours. I dislike you more and more every time you express your illogical bizarre itch to play US politics. You suck. other than the guns Eric Holder made sure went down there, I think the notion of US gun stores supplying your gangs which have killed 55000 or so in the last five years has been found to be a somewhat erroneous assertion. You still suck.

Ever Wonder if an Online Purchase Was Legit?

My skid plate has not arrived, and it is due. I finally got fed up with the plastic under-guard, that Subaru uses under the engine, because it keeps falling apart, so I ordered a well reviewed skid plate made of aircraft grade aluminum. I am familiar with that stuff; very rigid and tough.

Considering where I live and the occasional rabbit who bumps his head under there, not to mention the once a year, unexpected big rock in the road (oh, I just mentioned it), I think the more durable protection is the way to go.

Gearing up and I have no idea yet for how long or which path I'm going to take. Young nephew needs to get me the specs of that crate I'm probably picking up for him so I know if it is something I can do. Also I need to know exactly where to meet the shady vendor. I have faith the young engineer wouldn't place me askance the law or in harm's way, but in the path of semi-lunatics, he'd not hesitate.