Go check out this round of memes

more laters as I need to do the J.O.B. thingy

THIS article in question ‘pert much sums up my reasoning for my recent efforts nicely. Yeah, I’m DEEP in debt right now, and I could have forgone all the trials and tribs of such and continued worrying about my CredScore instead.

I said to hell with that damned score and have been dumping mad purchases onto cards, some even high interest cards (that I usually only touch in emergencies.) because I see the future of HIGHER PRICES across the board. Better to get it now and have a means, than to be looking at a sweet credit score that can’t even get a decent interest rate on anything because the inflation rate is in the ceiling.

Do I approve of the things Prez Trumped has been doing? No,,, I don’t. I haven’t the information he has access to either,,, Maybe there is some ‘game plan’ in place, maybe he has better advisors (yes, and NO) I certainly think his actions around the Epstein BS was sophmoric and childish, but thats so far behind me now, it doesn’t even matter. I am more worried about watching the Petro-dollar collapse like the Roman Denarius. Our ‘coinage’ has become so debased, and easily so since it’s no longer attached to ANY commodity other than a promise and a sly grin. Fuck the debt,,, I will have MATERIAL that WILL become a means towards whatever takes the place of the Dollar, and can survive with me, when simple businesses I use/work under now, fold under because they are totally dependent on that Dollar base. I’m looking past the current state to trends of the past, and making tactical decisions. Namely, Burying my ass in debt NOW,,, that I will start paying off (am making payments towards now) as soon as a certain Bloo-Twuck is out of the stall and roaring again. Any repairs to Buffalo can hold for the time as she is not mission critical.

Damn,,,, I sorta sound like some SNCO I used to admire,,,,

Not gonna bullshit y’all. Including the intitial purchase price, I am nearly 4G in debt for this truck. I am doing everything in my ability to make her RELIABLE, cuz she is gonna need to be. And I am taking a gamble here. this may not pan out as successfully as I envision. Still, if’n things get bad to worse, She is more valuable than what I have put in (not counting my time, thats gone forever, but I would adjust a selling point to account for some of it.) SANS TOOLS,,, those aren’t for sale,,,

Not that I would sell her. I don’t like selling tools off, and Bloo is definitely a tool.

I’m rambling again aren’t I?

Thats why I don’t do well in factory style production,,, Which is what the last two days have been like. About the only ‘thinking’ I needed to do was create the jig for that production line work. Easy peasy stuff to make a jig so the function is repeatable and accurate.

anywhooozzzz,,,, Keep your head on a swivel, watch what the markets are doing, as I don’t expect to see July of 2026 without a major financial issue arising for FUSA,,, Just a gut feeling, mind you, but I DO trust my gut.

It’s usually not wrong.

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most all Twuck’s brake parts came in today,,, Thought I wasn’t getting my hardware kit till Satyrday, but turns out, the P-brake cable is slow walking here,,, either way, Need them all on hand to get the job completed. (NY to GA, and I bet it goes past here to Crittenden KY to come back south,,,, LOL I literally watched a package enroute once, with all its updates; watched it fly overhead three times before it made it to ground travel. Michigan to Atlanta, to Chicago to Knoxville. What ever makes the world go, but I don’t see how they made ANY money on that $6.99 shipping fee I had paid.)

No, I am not working on Twuck tonight. Been a hella long day, doing mind-numbing production line welding at the shop. Pumping out 100+ plated poles for a fence line at a tennis court. No punching holes, just drilling in existing concrete for thunderbolt hold downs. Gonna be a LOT of drilling 1/2″ holes after I weld up all these poles. sigh,,, I have never liked production-like work,,, but I am the welder,,,, Their ONLY welder,,,

I can’t give my J.O.B. away, I try at least once a week and the boys all look at me like, “Yeah, Right, silly old fart!“,,, They see me switch hats on a daily, and they have no desire for that sort of thing

I guess there is a reason I make a bit more rate than they, eh? (Not what I should, but far more than they.)

I don’t believe I mentioned I dinged a finger today,,,, That shit HURTS!!! gonna lose the nail, I can already tell. Hazards of working my trade,,, Much like wrenching has it’s special hazards too. Hurts still, but not enough to slow down my typing here. Just makes me not want to type any words with the letter “D” in them,,, (middle finger left hand, if you didn’t get the memo,,, LOL) I find it funny that I am a righty, but my left hand has most of scar tissue. It tends to be slower about getting the hell out of the way,,,,

Cosmos is in flipping pupper heaven this week. Deer season is in full swing and this week was rifle season. SO far he has brought home two forelegs and one hind(lower, they keep the ham). Stuff that someone (my cousin or his buddy) cut off and tossed his way. The boy absolutely loves that venison, and those deer leg bones are tough enough for a pittie three times his size. My only rule is “LEAVE IT OUTSIDE” Don’t want that shit stinking up the house. He’s been a good boy, SO FAR,,,,

I’m sure he has been getting more than just the legs too. He hasn’t touched his kibble all week. hearts, livers, other parts,,, All dawgie food ’round here. Ya aughta see a Dawg trying to gnaw a lung,,, tough work for even the best teefers.

New bow in. One I signed on for as a tester. Pretty little thing and I do mean LITTLE.

43.5″ tip to tip. 42″ string I can just get it to 28″ draw @ 45#. Wouldn’t want to draw any further as I believe it would hand grenade on someone. Maybe, maybe not, but I don’t wanna find out. Fortunately for the bow, I have a 28″ draw normal,,, And all of my arrows are cut that length.

I need to get to Cousins place and use his Chronograph for a speed test. I can tell its fast, but thats subjective, not a scientific measurement. ( saying it sounds meaner when the arrow thumps is not scientific y’know.) but its so small, I would be happy to use this in the brush, or from a kayak. (not that that last is legal in KY,,, just saying.)

Cosmos doesn’t like it. Like with me grabbing a rifle: he sees me grab this and some arrows and vacates the area. Poor boy is gonna have to get used to things like this.

Anywhoooszits,,, I’m rambling, and not much to talk about, don’t wanna talk about the sanitized Epstien files being released, (and you know they have been ran through the political bleach several times now, since they ARE willing to let them out. Finally,,,) Don’t wanna talk about further decline of an empire around our ears. Just wanna get my working world in order so that when it does falter and fail, I have options. NOTE: things aren’t going to collapse in or implode, they are just gonna keep getting stranger and stranger and things are just gonna get more and more expensive until consumer confidence fails completely. THEN the fun really begins, Look at history for a details of what I am talking about.

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I HAS CLUTCH!!!

I didn’t even need to pull the MC all the way out. Just undid the connecting rod, pulled the MC off tje firewall and I had enough angle to burp it.

first round went great until i popped that quick-connect loose. Apparently I didnt have it fully seated. BUT, it had worked for a minute, reseated the QC and repeated the process.

SUCCESS

Bloo even moved a few feet under own power. Can’t do much, she has no stoppers on her feet. SHE DID MOVE THOUGH!!! And all the gears are there.

UPDATE!!!!!!

Note the new shoes up front. I will be duplicating this move this weekend. ( I only has 2 jackstands and Don’t like a truck this size sitting on four, even if I had them) You can see the bare patches where she had been sitting. I drove her up the hill to a flatter spot so that I could pull those wheels off and not worry about her falling on Cozz or anyone else for that matter. I then backed her back to this spot. She did this under her own power (though stopping her in her current place was ‘exciting’!!! seeing how she has ZERO braking ability (other than shut her off and pray she doesn’t diesel and keep’a’goin) Not my first rodeo,,,, While I was getting her new shoes (to the tune of $520 for just those 2 OUCH!!!) I walked next-door to O’Reilys for the solid brake line I need to stop that leaky-leaky line on the frame. I broke off a section to take with and it flat out fell apart in my hand. Enough steel there to get a size, but it wasn’t much,,,,

My original estimate of “around Turkey day” is back on. All but one of my brake parts will be here tomorrow, the other is being walked here from NY by USPS, might be Satyrday,,, Thats the hardware pack for the drum brakes. Is whut’tiz,,,,

Still have a bunch of detail stuff to do, but having her running with good brakes and new rubber is FAR BETTER than where she was sitting three weeks ago.

Still to go are the exhaust repairs, upper and lower hoses on the cooling system and a flush of same, New Fuel filter because I know this’un is gonna get plugged up soon (though it is NOT OEM,,, unlike most of the rest of the truck.) I had planned on a tune up, but when I was getting her running, I pulled a plug and they were NGK Iridiums,,, most definitely NOT OEM, and way better IMO and looked rather new-ish: no real discoloration on them at all. Some one had been doing basic maintnence at some point, (it does show with how smooth that engine runs. Especially on that crappy gas that was in her at first.)

Gotta say it: I managed one hell of a find here, and its gonna pay off eventually. IT may be costing me out the nose right now,,,,

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Have ya ever had one of those nights, where ya wake up, and things feel ‘Different’?

Ya,,, that was last night. Maybe it was something I read, in the kindle, in someone else’s blog, some ‘news’ item,, Dunno, but those were my only inputs outside of my “drudge life”,,, I don’t lead a real exciting existence, at least in my opinion. It keeps me content though, and thats better than happiness, again, in my opinion.

It also keeps me broke as fuck,,, but thats a different point of order. I could move my ass to a location where my skills and drive paid better, but I has my reasons for stickin’ close to my current digs. Besides, I have never been one for the ladder of society: I went down that road back in the early Aughts with Ex, and we made a ton of money and were flat frickin’ miserable, even though we felt like we were doing everything right.

and we had NOTHING to show for it after the fact of separation. (not totally true: she still owns our house. House because it was never really my ‘home’.) I literally bailed with little but the shirt on my back and a handful of tools and books. I didn’t even own my own vehicle then, but was driving my daughters car because she had lost her license through the stoopidity of ‘not maintaining her insurance’ and getting caught. She violated the 11th commandment and it bit her. I kept her car running and repaired while she straightened her life back out, and used it to build me back up, then bought my own beater.

Not long after that, I made the move here and the story took a radical turn.

Where am I going with this,,,, (you ask, I know, just not sure how to get there,,,)

This morning, I started to reach out to some other writers of blogs to ask “How do we keep going when we have nothing to say?” and I am sure that many of you have felt the ‘lack of content’ lately. Hell, I know it because the numbers are WAAAYYYYYYY down the last 6 days. Not even breaking 50/day,,, THAT is blogger purgatory people,,, I can’t draw ’em in, the blog dies. And yet, here I am paying for the ‘privilege’ of a blog site to voice myself on. I don’t want to talk about the politics anymore since it’s quite obvious to me that the whole thing is mere window-dressing on the the world, pure distraction to keep people on edge. The real goings on are so behind the scenes and out of control of the little guy, that banging the drum of warning about it is pointless. I gets one ostracized or ‘canceled’ and when you do point it out,,, Labels of anti-semitism or racist or whatever, true or not, get bandied about until they mean NOTHING,,,, but the effects are still the same. You drive some away, you draw in others, and not exactly those you wish,,,

This is not a black pill moment, this is a “what the fuck now” moment. I have been back in the wrenching business for the last couple of weeks, and like much of my life, I dive in deep in anything I do. Be it kayaking, writing a novel, I go full bore; I say it’s the INTJ, but really it’s more ADHD or OCD or Aspergers,,, It certainly is not a drive for success or perfection,,, (both of which are unicorns in my reality). I have never pursued the acceptance or accolades of anyone; not even my Da. (and believe me, that caused many years worth of angst between us.). ‘take me as I am, or piss off’ has always been my unspoken motto. That sometimes causes others to see me as Arrogant. No,,, it’s CONFIDENCE in myself and my abilities, the ones that have been tested again and again, and proven or adapted to work. (re-read, this is a contradiction: I apparently DO seek some accolades, or this blog wouldn’t exist, right? LOL. the dichotomy of my fucked up mind.)

And that brings me back to that question I was going to propose to fellow writers. I have been pounding on these keys (or some set of keys since I have worn out a couple of laptops (5 actually) and several sets of keyboards) for the last Seventeen years(!). Three blog sites, Three states, umpteen chapters of my life as I transition into new areas. Do I pursue the Podcasting thing more intently or keep the writing thing going until writing is a no longer a thing? I feel that last is closer than many think. I see the Vidcasting thing (which I have ZERO interest in) making long strides in the world of opinion and running higher numbers than anything most blogs have ever done. That seems to be where the ‘market’ is (and partly why I chose to do a podcast at all. More of an experiment and one that isn’t over, but is creating cracks in my psyche.

Its very hard to look back at 17 years of writing, seeing the gems I passed along, and then come up with new,,, There comes a point, and I know I have said this god only knows how many times: I’ll be tapping out a post and the feeling of “Beating that dead horse” is pervasive and overwhelming.

Much like the weekends attempt at the podcast,,,, I re-listened and immediately shut it down because of that, and the fact that it came across as some mindless rambling RANT,,,, I don’t do lectures,,, I hate lectures, and that rant,,, That was a lecture along the lines of WAKE THE FUCK UP YOU FRELLIN’ MORONS!!! and I couldn’t post it. I just couldn’t. It was more inline with me dressing down a Employee who had fucked up,,,,

Maybe that’s what people want,,, I mean, look at some of the better comedians of the 70’s and 80’s,,,

That ain’t me though.

or is it?

I dunno,,,, That’s the point that I woke up to.

I’ve invested in the blog, podcast thing. I am investing in my physical future as “mobile McGuyver” because I know the current situation I am in, won’t hold past a point. (and its not exactly a career oriented workplace, if you know what I mean). I keep my world small for a reason: mostly because at some point, Its very likely I will need to pack up and move it. Don’t desire the need of a 40′ moving van in that instance. (that, and over the last 20 years, I have found compact is more comfortable and maintainable, at least in my opinion.). (like everyone, I has a lot of opinions,,,, they might stink to you, but they are mine and work in my world.)

and maybe it’s just the current vibe of “shifting tides” that is pervasive in the world. again, Dunno,,, Just something in me is off right now and its showing in my writing, web traffic, and general listlessness I am feeling towards the world at large.

Whatcha’all think?

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Short day at shop, Master cylinder came in about the same time I was let loose for the day.

SO, thats what I went to deal with. Now, I do NOT like the current set up that GM uses… I’d much rather both cylinders were external and these high tech ‘quick connects’ that save them (GM) production time were relegated to the dustbin of history. That said, this is what I have to deal with so deal with it I will…

Got it all together, thought I had done a good bench bleed. Apparently, not so much. I can feel it engage but its almost to the firewall by that point. Little improvement in other words. I say “little” improvement as the squealing noise when the engine is running is no longer. That throwout bearing is making contact with the clutch spider again and didn’t disintergrate.

Ok, Fall back and punt here. Get online, do some research and most everyone is saying the same thing: BURP the mastercylinder,,, ANd there is a specific way to do that and not my oldskool method. SO,,, THAT is on the block for tomorrow since I was told to take the day off. (really Don’t like this seasonal slow down dammit,,, And that is reinforcing why I want this truck up-n-running ASAP. I could get side work much easier and work outside of the usuall J.O.B.) (along with all the headaches associated with ‘self employment’)

Other thing I did was replace all the box locks with new. Those came in today as well, and my frustration with the clutch was vented in destroying the old locks as I removed them. NOW, Bloo-Twuck has a double lock system to keep my tools safe and sound. An actual lock on every door, and a sliding bar that runs the bed length that is secured with a padlock: that bar engages internally and keeps even an unlocked door from opening. I fully understand that these are mere deterents to a thief. As we say in the bizz, Fences are just a way to slow down a determined thief. Locks are similar. Or another axiom: Locks only keep honest people honest. But its peace of mind for my tools, and I have quite a fair number that I very much desire to keep in my possession: these measures help in that regard.

All of my brake parts have shipped, but guestimated arrivals are spread out over three days: wednesday, thursday and friday. Just for giggles, I called around three parts places today and priced out exactly what I had already ordered. Losing the convienence of local purchase by waiting on shipping. I saved myself three hundred dollars . My total cost was just over two bills, including shipping. Local would have ran me $500+, plus my time and fuel. Granted, I can’t do a danged thing till parts are in hand, but thats always the reality, ain’t it?

Gonna be cold start tomorrow. Gotta pull that MC back out, and the line, and do a proper burping, new style. fingers still crossed that the slave is good.(it did move, just not enough to relieve the pressure plate: Air compresses, fluids don’t) If I can get the MC dealt with, I will go ahead and start that solid line replacement on the brakes. This Seasonal Work thing is working to my benefit on that note at least, even though I am running debts up far faster than income,,,

Bills WILL get paid,,, At least this is more of an investment effort, not just frivolous blowing cash for silly stuff I won’t recall owning in a year. That can be fun, but doesn’t satisfy like it used to.

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I’m gonna jump on the stage and issue a formal apology: I teased you about the podcast, not intentionally. I came back home after doing the domestics thing, busting a knuckle or two on Bloo-Twuck, and as I was listening through for edit purposes,,,

No,,, You don’t want to hear that crap,,,

Discombobuluated, randomized garbage about Poly-tickians, bought and paid for media platforms, and yet another Anti-Tax rant.

Maybe it can be salvaged, possibly re-written or something: odd that as I don’t run scripts, but there were some solid valid points, buried within, just the whole was not on par to what I want to produce.

SO,,, Instead, I will tell you about my busted knuckles session.

Got that Beeatch drum off the hub. Doesn’t look too bad in the pic, but I did have to destroy some parts to do the deed. Shoes and hardware, replaceable stuff, so no real loss. The axle is definitely free to spin now. Ordered shoes and hardware and that passengers p-brake cable. ( the Drivers side looks newish and works flawlessly. I know it isn’t new, but no dings in the shroud anywhere and it moves freely) Those should be here this week before next weekend.

Yes, thats a demo hammer to the right. Closest thing I had to an airhammer,,,

Then I put things back together, sorta: enough that I could put the tires back on and lower that end back to terra firma. And get into the front axles.

Had to place a second order for parts. Calipers and pads.

It took quite a bit to get the caiper on the DS off. Three foot crowbar and a lot of swearin’. And when I tried to compress the piston back,,,,

that plate was flat,,, Those calipers are locked solid. At least the DS is. I couldn;’t get the tire off the Passengers side to verify, but I don’t replace calipers singly, nor bearings. The rotors are good, (what I can see of the passengers side, mirrors what I saw on the Drivers side.) and right now, I have that hub (ps) hosed down with Free-all (the same way I had done on the drivers side,,, Why didn’t I do both at the same time? I dunno,,,) By the time all the parts are here,, I should be able to fire up the engine and use the Power steering to rock that rim off the hub (same as I already did on the drivers side, hoping both would come free)

And I did something most techs/mekaniks don’t do. I used a die grinder to clean up all the rust on the hubs and inside the rims, then ran some silicon grease over the exposed metal. (keeps them from binding up later,,,) Thats the biggest problem I am running into on BLoo: things bound up with age and rust. I’m not fighting abused history, just serious neglect and TIME, in an area that is borderline RainForest level humidity/moistures. I will duplicate this on the passenger front tire when I get it broke loose. Its looking like this coming weekend is gonna be Me, hip deep in brakes and hydraulic line repair/replace. Other than that one tire, everything else is near ready to be replaced or pulled the rest of the way off and swapped out.

And if I get lucky with that mastercylinder, I should be able to move her up the hill to my house for all the other little piddlin things that are needed done. I am crossing fingers, but I know I may end up needing to do a clutch and other parts yet. Getting her up the hill will give me better access to her and less working out of the back of Buffalo.

I will get back to podcasting here on the regular,,, I just need to schedule my time to do so, AND, spend a bit of time coming up with my talking points, not that scatterbrained rabbit chase I spent too much time on last night.

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