I had to pick up a saw today…really didn’t have enough bungee cords to put it in the Valk…so I took the truck.

It only had half a tank of gas so I gassed her up…at $1.85 a gallon.

It occurs to me that the last time I filled it up the fuel cost $4.20/gal.

Since we all know pricey=better (yeah right), I’m wondering…

Ya think it’s okay to mix $1.85 gas with $4.20 gas? Or am I asking for trouble?

Anybody want to buy some of this most excellent $4.20 gas? I’ll sell it for $3.00/gal…

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
http://lifeisaroad.com

See, I’ve a project in mind…and I expect I’ll need a little help. I spent time yesterday getting some of the tools ready for the work…inspecting, lubing, and cleaning them.

Yep. Those are screw jacks…sometimes known as “railroad jacks” or “house jacks”. Folks that know what they are, or have used them, know that when they come out, that somewhere, sometime, there is a heap of work to be done.

The capacity is based on the screw size. The smallest is 1-1/4″, which is good for about 15 tons. The 2″ are good for 20 tons, and the big ones in the back are 2-1/2″ and good for over 30 tons. The jacks themselves weigh anywhere from 30 pounds for the smallest to 80 pounds or so for each of the two biggest ones. Altogether they weigh something near 400 pounds.

There’s enough jacks there to pick up close to 400,000 pounds…nearly half-a-million pounds.

“What the hell are you planning on jacking up?” says an incredulous neighbor.

I just grinned an evil grin and said, “Anything I want to.”

I’ll keep ya posted!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

In related news, I sent the wife out to get me a heating pad last week. Heat to the knee has been helpful.

The new heating pad has a serious flaw. If left on “high” it will cheerfully (and quickly) burn you (as in damaging burns) before it shuts off. I expect I could get it to burst into flames with little effort.

Guess where it’s made…yep, China. Claims it’s UL listed too. Yeah right.

It does make a handy cat-trap. When I turn it on and put it on my knee, suddenly I also have a 20-pound cat on my knee as well. It’s uncanny. “Click”. Cat. Should be listed as a side-effect!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

Y’all rock. Thanks for that.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

Ya’ll remember…whether your candidate wins or loses today, it’s really not the disaster so many would make it out to be. Our system works, and works better than any other place on earth.

Don’t like how things are going? Work constructively to change them. You’re allowed, and it’s the basis of our system.

It’s about us, not them. It’s about “We the People”.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

Whilst riding a motorcycle, which is worse to find on the 270 degree, loop-2-loop, reverse banked, 60-year old smoothed concrete, high-speed exit ramp off of I-35…

1) Spilled diesel fuel?
2) Or the pile of sand the highway guys left after they threw it all over the road to soak up the spilled diesel fuel?

Food for thought.

(wanders off humming “Slip-sliding away” by Paul Simon)

By the way…adrenaline is a great substitute for caffeine.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

I’m working tonight…so no new jack-o-lanterns etc…I’ll have to recycle an old one:

Y’all have fun! Pig out on chocolate! Feel up a French Maid! Grab a sexy cat-girl on the tail! All that sort of good stuff!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

I stopped what I was doing. “What?”

She smiled and walked over to give me a hug. “I was just wondering what it must be like to have a normal husband.”

That took me back a bit. I’m not normal? What’s she thinking?

I stopped what I was doing…paused, just to give me a chance to look at what I was currently about, just seeing with an outsider’s eyes. What could NOT be normal?

Hmmm…
I was about to leave for work.
I had tied my duffel bag on the back seat of my motorcycle.
I had picked up a couple bungee cords to strap my cane to the big machine.

Cane? Oh. Yeah. That.

Some of you may recall I tweaked my knee a few days ago, then made it worse with my activities on Monday.

So why was I loading up the bike, cane and all, to get to work today? Heck, I didn’t even think about it. It was 75 degrees, with only a low of 62 for tonight…no rider could take a cage today.

Of course, it could have been raining and near freezing too, and I’d have been doing the same. It was simply time to ride.

Sigh. Maybe she has a point.

“Well?” I asked her.

“Well what?”

“What do you think it would be like to have a normal husband?”

She grinned. “I can think of several possibilities.”

I waited a heartbeat before asking, “And what of them?”

She pulled up against me to give me a kiss…along with one of those very suggestive, full-body hugs. After a moment, she turned and headed into the house, laughing.

As the door closed, over her shoulder she replied, “All of them are boring. You come back to me safe!”

I’m sure there’s something to be said for being normal.

I’ve not the foggiest notion what that could be though.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

They had a new ac/heat system put in last year and there wasn’t enough power (cable size/breaker) for the electric heat. The installer just flipped off the switch for half the heating elements so there was enough power to run the ac or some heat. We had to pull a new wire run and install new breaker etc so he could have full power for the heating system.

My friends gave me a “mostly dead” riding lawnmower. It looks to be easily repairable, and that will be handy for our (possible) new (old) house project (more on that later). It has nearly a half an acre lot and I don’t want to spend my time up there working on the lawn…I’d rather work on the house. A riding mower and a weedeater ought to knock that place out in half an hour or so.

I learned some lessons yesterday.

1) Helping friends is extremely satisfying.
2) The Mexican food place in Rusk still kicks ass! (Yum)
3) Tweaked knees take longer than 3 days to heal.
4) I can overcome pain and function with an act of sheer will and a handful of Ibuprohin.
5) That is not a wise thing to do.
6) When overcoming pain via an act of sheer will and a handful of Ibuprohin, there is a severe price to pay later (I can’t walk today).

I’m trying to stay off the leg today and tomorrow. If it doesn’t get better by then, I’ll head for the doctor and get to throw some money at them. This is actually highly annoying and a little worrysome. I’m deep in the process of purchasing a project that counts on my physical ability to work on it to be a success. Tweaking a knee is just a reminder how fragile our intents and plans can be.

I’m not supposed to be vulnerable see? My plans don’t tend to take that into account.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

Let’s see, it means we’re busy. Lots of advertisers and sales and news to accompany it.

It means we’re frantically trying to get too many projects done. Some started due to the budgetary cycle (management suddenly deciding to spend money), some we’re just trying to get in shape enough to get us through the busy season.

And of course, it means everybody is trying to get the rest of their vacations and holidays in.

Since we’re supporting three newspapers with barely enough people to support one, and we work nights, weekends, and holidays, well, the schedule gets wonky.

Last year I worked 28 of 31 days in December, and worse, a mix of days and nights. Wonky can be bad.

Wonky can be good too. This year it’s working out in my favor.

I’ll be on nights most of the rest of the year. That’s normally four, ten hour days a week. Combined with the vacation and holidays I still have to take off…it looks like I can arrange it to have 3-day work weeks the rest of the year.

I’d worry because we’re not getting as much done as we need to, but it’s not like we’re slacking off. We’ve been working as best as we can with the resources we’re allowed (shrugs).

Some time off will be just the thing. I’ve got books to write, and apparently, a house to rennovate…well maybe anyway. Paperwork is still paperworking…or whatever it does when noone’s watching. More on that later.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer