 |
| 2009 07 Meadowbrook |
And here are a few pics from Woodward ave this past week!
The first "rat rod" is a car built by my friend roys' dad. Awesome car!
 |
| 2009 08 Woodward |
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The summer of cars
Here are some pics from our visit to the Meadowbrook Concours a few weekends ago..
And here are a few pics from Woodward ave this past week!
The first "rat rod" is a car built by my friend roys' dad. Awesome car!
And here are a few pics from Woodward ave this past week!
The first "rat rod" is a car built by my friend roys' dad. Awesome car!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday Music
I tend to categorize music by when it should be listened to. I suppose it's based on the mood it elicits within my brain. SO what would i recommend for today?
Glad you asked (did't you?), here's a few,
Friday night - helmet
Best Saturday morning music - black label society - hangover music
Sunday morning - Crosby stills and nash...maybe with young.
But i'm always on the lookout for good new music and here's a few i thought i'd pass on!
Although not technically new, this album is awesome. it falls somewhere around the sunday afternoon category.
Raising Sand - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.
Having seen Plant's recent zeppelin renditions, i was fairly well convinced that he'd lost his talent. But having heard these two together..there's no doubt he can still sing. and quite well, even at a reasonable decibel! I Highly recomend this.
Matt Jones and the Reconstruction
This was the only website i could find for these guys...you can get the album off itunes. Very unique music. Again, it's mellow (no i'm not going soft), but very creative. Here are a few songs to wet your whistle on....start with "Threadline"...there's a real variety of sound on this song. Then listen to "One Cotton Shot Short". Lastly check out "Jugulars, Bones and Blisters". The guitars and keyboards in the middle are great
http://www.myspace.com/mattspainting
Lastly, if something a little more raucous is what you're looking for, check out Black Merda. They'e an older band..but really good.
http://www.blackmerda.com/home.html
If you want something hard, but instrumental, check out the Hotel City Wreckers. This would probably fall under early saturday evening...or reeeally late saturday evening music. Couldn't find a website for these guys...
Ok..one more. Check out Starchild. The singer takes a bit of getting used too, but he (and the music) grown on you the more you listen.
http://catacombrecords.bigcartel.com/product/starchild-born-into-eternity
The last few albums can also be found for free at the following site, along with a bunch of other bands:
http://getoffmyelevator.blogspot.com/
and what got me thinking about music today? well...this...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/13/ST200908 1301806.html
He was playing weekly in a NYC until the day he died. Anytime you see an "LP" guitar...now you know where the name comes from.
RIP Les Paul
oh, and thank god for this!!!
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/unreleased_jimmy_page_guitar_riff?utm_source=onion_rss_dailyn
har har
Glad you asked (did't you?), here's a few,
Friday night - helmet
Best Saturday morning music - black label society - hangover music
Sunday morning - Crosby stills and nash...maybe with young.
But i'm always on the lookout for good new music and here's a few i thought i'd pass on!
Although not technically new, this album is awesome. it falls somewhere around the sunday afternoon category.
Raising Sand - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.
Having seen Plant's recent zeppelin renditions, i was fairly well convinced that he'd lost his talent. But having heard these two together..there's no doubt he can still sing. and quite well, even at a reasonable decibel! I Highly recomend this.
Matt Jones and the Reconstruction
This was the only website i could find for these guys...you can get the album off itunes. Very unique music. Again, it's mellow (no i'm not going soft), but very creative. Here are a few songs to wet your whistle on....start with "Threadline"...there's a real variety of sound on this song. Then listen to "One Cotton Shot Short". Lastly check out "Jugulars, Bones and Blisters". The guitars and keyboards in the middle are great
http://www.myspace.com/mattspainting
Lastly, if something a little more raucous is what you're looking for, check out Black Merda. They'e an older band..but really good.
http://www.blackmerda.com/home.html
If you want something hard, but instrumental, check out the Hotel City Wreckers. This would probably fall under early saturday evening...or reeeally late saturday evening music. Couldn't find a website for these guys...
Ok..one more. Check out Starchild. The singer takes a bit of getting used too, but he (and the music) grown on you the more you listen.
http://catacombrecords.bigcartel.com/product/starchild-born-into-eternity
The last few albums can also be found for free at the following site, along with a bunch of other bands:
http://getoffmyelevator.blogspot.com/
and what got me thinking about music today? well...this...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/13/ST200908 1301806.html
He was playing weekly in a NYC until the day he died. Anytime you see an "LP" guitar...now you know where the name comes from.
RIP Les Paul
oh, and thank god for this!!!
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/unreleased_jimmy_page_guitar_riff?utm_source=onion_rss_dailyn
har har
Monday, August 10, 2009
When you find yourself in a hole...
you stop digging, right?
Not if you're the US Government. Their solution is not to stop digging, but rather to borrow money, buy more shovels, and hire workers to help dig.
From Sec. Geithner's letter to congress last week on raising the debt ceiling,
"It is critically important that Congress act before the limit is reached so that citizens and investors here and around the world can remain confident that the United States will always meet its obligations."
We need to borrow more to promote confidence? I've been doing it wrong all these years!
Not if you're the US Government. Their solution is not to stop digging, but rather to borrow money, buy more shovels, and hire workers to help dig.
From Sec. Geithner's letter to congress last week on raising the debt ceiling,
"It is critically important that Congress act before the limit is reached so that citizens and investors here and around the world can remain confident that the United States will always meet its obligations."
We need to borrow more to promote confidence? I've been doing it wrong all these years!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Breaking NEWS: Cash for Shacks
Following the enormous success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program, the government has decided to expand rebates into other beaten down markets to stimulate economic activity.
Now before the house, HR 4100, or "Money for Shacks", would offer a rebate of between 8000 and 10000 for any consumer who upgrades their old polluting home to a newer more efficient home. In order to qualify the old home must be at least 25 years old and have a total energy efficiency rating of less then 2. Each homes actual energy efficiency rating (EER) will determine the total rebate available. The EER takes into account the energy efficiency as well as the geographical location of the home. Residents of areas with more extreme temperature's will get higher rebates while residents in more moderate climates will receive less.
The energy efficiency rating, or EER, is calculated by taking the total number of rooms, dividing by the number of windows and then adding the number of appliances. If more then 50% of the appliances run on electricity, this number can be doubled. Take that value subtract out the lattitude where the home exists. Voila. Once this calculation is done and the EER number is determined, go to the government's website, www.hud.gov/moneyforshacks/eer to dtermine how much a home may be worth under the program.
Additional qualifications for the homeowner include,
-homeowner must have at least 1% equity in the home
-homeonwer must have lived in home for at least 1 month.
-homeowner must destroy old home withing 30 days of receiving rebate. Possible methods of destruction include fire, destruction by bulldozer, meteor strike or raging kegger.
-new home must have an EER value at least 20% higher then the home it is replacing.
-new home must be built on existing home's land.
-rebate is not considered taxable income by the IRS.
-Moving fees are not deductible.
-All new homes must be constructed using a minimum 90% unionized labor, to be verified at the time of occupancy inspection.
The president estimates that this move will save the country somewhere between 1 and 1.2 trillion dollars in energy costs over the next 5 years while destroying 500,000 "shacks".
"Paying people to get out of their old homes and into new, better homes is at the core of what we as American's believe in", stated President Obama.
When asked about whether he would be setting an example by offering up the White House to the program (whose EER number is measely 0.8) the president would not comment. Only saying that "while this program is good for normal citizens, different rules must be used when it comes to politicians. you know..for safety and stuff"
Tom Snyder, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, says that while he "applauds the goal of reducing energy consumption, destroying existing homes only to be replaced with newer homes is is a poor use of resources".
But we all know he's just pissed he didn't come up with the idea (and get the funding).
Thusfar the only group voicing significant opposition to the governments new found generosity is the taxpayer. But as noted by House Speaker Pelosi, "someone's gotta pay for this". Looks like the taxpayer shouldn't expect change anytime soon.
The program is intended to run until it exhausts it's 4.5 billion dollar fund, or housing prices reach their 2006 levels. Whichever comes first.
Other areas that Congresss is considering for rebates include digital music players and fast food. Although significant resistance is expected from advocates of Obamacare for any funding of Fast Food rebates.
And in other news, it looks like Timothy Geithner is having trouble selling his home even after raising the price.
poor guy, if he can't get a bailout, what hope do the rest of us have?
Now before the house, HR 4100, or "Money for Shacks", would offer a rebate of between 8000 and 10000 for any consumer who upgrades their old polluting home to a newer more efficient home. In order to qualify the old home must be at least 25 years old and have a total energy efficiency rating of less then 2. Each homes actual energy efficiency rating (EER) will determine the total rebate available. The EER takes into account the energy efficiency as well as the geographical location of the home. Residents of areas with more extreme temperature's will get higher rebates while residents in more moderate climates will receive less.
The energy efficiency rating, or EER, is calculated by taking the total number of rooms, dividing by the number of windows and then adding the number of appliances. If more then 50% of the appliances run on electricity, this number can be doubled. Take that value subtract out the lattitude where the home exists. Voila. Once this calculation is done and the EER number is determined, go to the government's website, www.hud.gov/moneyforshacks/eer to dtermine how much a home may be worth under the program.
Additional qualifications for the homeowner include,
-homeowner must have at least 1% equity in the home
-homeonwer must have lived in home for at least 1 month.
-homeowner must destroy old home withing 30 days of receiving rebate. Possible methods of destruction include fire, destruction by bulldozer, meteor strike or raging kegger.
-new home must have an EER value at least 20% higher then the home it is replacing.
-new home must be built on existing home's land.
-rebate is not considered taxable income by the IRS.
-Moving fees are not deductible.
-All new homes must be constructed using a minimum 90% unionized labor, to be verified at the time of occupancy inspection.
The president estimates that this move will save the country somewhere between 1 and 1.2 trillion dollars in energy costs over the next 5 years while destroying 500,000 "shacks".
"Paying people to get out of their old homes and into new, better homes is at the core of what we as American's believe in", stated President Obama.
When asked about whether he would be setting an example by offering up the White House to the program (whose EER number is measely 0.8) the president would not comment. Only saying that "while this program is good for normal citizens, different rules must be used when it comes to politicians. you know..for safety and stuff"
Tom Snyder, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, says that while he "applauds the goal of reducing energy consumption, destroying existing homes only to be replaced with newer homes is is a poor use of resources".
But we all know he's just pissed he didn't come up with the idea (and get the funding).
Thusfar the only group voicing significant opposition to the governments new found generosity is the taxpayer. But as noted by House Speaker Pelosi, "someone's gotta pay for this". Looks like the taxpayer shouldn't expect change anytime soon.
The program is intended to run until it exhausts it's 4.5 billion dollar fund, or housing prices reach their 2006 levels. Whichever comes first.
Other areas that Congresss is considering for rebates include digital music players and fast food. Although significant resistance is expected from advocates of Obamacare for any funding of Fast Food rebates.
And in other news, it looks like Timothy Geithner is having trouble selling his home even after raising the price.
poor guy, if he can't get a bailout, what hope do the rest of us have?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Home Crisis Investigation | ||||
| ||||
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Am i an old Fart?
I've been informed recently, on multiple occasions in fact, that i may be an "old man" because i don't have a facebook account. I normally don't feel the need to defend myself, but given that it's happened multiple times maybe i should.
I mean what's the point? I already have so many damn login's and websites, do i really need another? Gmail, hotmail, blogger, linkedin..the list goes on. I don't want another one. And i don't really like having a lot of personal information online.
That girl and i just got back from aruba! if only i had a twitter account...i could have tweeted about it while away. If only....here's what it would've been like -
tweet #1 - got off the plane. prnts at airprt. sign said fox and friend. i'm friend? wtf!?
tweet #2 - at htel. vry nice. need drink
tweet #3 - time to dive! wthr is great.
tweet #4 - dive went well. thnk mel's hookd.
tweet #5 - ribs for dinner! mmmm!
tweet #6 - turtle eggs in the beach! might hatch..stay tuned.
tweet #7 - does anyone read these?
tweet #8 - tour of east end. lots of cactus's's
tweet #9 - more diving..and a turtle!
tweet #10 - squids!
tweet #11 - diving makes me tired! naps evry afternoon. nice!
tweet #12 - shopping. yay.
tweet #13 - what day is it?
tweet #14 - more great food. prnts fly out tomorrow.
tweet #15 - baby beach! snorkeling. shells. awesome.
tweet #16 - nice 2 not be the only albino at the beach! but sun got me in the end. only a lttle though.
tweet #17 - one last great meal. tuna!
tweet #18 - corrigan & mel out. paris, here we come
Anyway...in english now...Aruba was great! The diving was good, the hotel (Costa Linda) was a great homebase and the weather was a nice change from Michigan in the fall. Yes, it's apparently fall here. Here are a few pics..
No tweets..no facebook...So am i an old fart? Well..i do turn 30 this year. Guess that says it all.
A few of the above photo's came courtesy of bill who sells his photo's at
www.undertheseaphoto.com
check 'em out!
I mean what's the point? I already have so many damn login's and websites, do i really need another? Gmail, hotmail, blogger, linkedin..the list goes on. I don't want another one. And i don't really like having a lot of personal information online.
That girl and i just got back from aruba! if only i had a twitter account...i could have tweeted about it while away. If only....here's what it would've been like -
tweet #1 - got off the plane. prnts at airprt. sign said fox and friend. i'm friend? wtf!?
tweet #2 - at htel. vry nice. need drink
tweet #3 - time to dive! wthr is great.
tweet #4 - dive went well. thnk mel's hookd.
tweet #5 - ribs for dinner! mmmm!
tweet #6 - turtle eggs in the beach! might hatch..stay tuned.
tweet #7 - does anyone read these?
tweet #8 - tour of east end. lots of cactus's's
tweet #9 - more diving..and a turtle!
tweet #10 - squids!
tweet #11 - diving makes me tired! naps evry afternoon. nice!
tweet #12 - shopping. yay.
tweet #13 - what day is it?
tweet #14 - more great food. prnts fly out tomorrow.
tweet #15 - baby beach! snorkeling. shells. awesome.
tweet #16 - nice 2 not be the only albino at the beach! but sun got me in the end. only a lttle though.
tweet #17 - one last great meal. tuna!
tweet #18 - corrigan & mel out. paris, here we come
Anyway...in english now...Aruba was great! The diving was good, the hotel (Costa Linda) was a great homebase and the weather was a nice change from Michigan in the fall. Yes, it's apparently fall here. Here are a few pics..
 |
| 2009 07 Aruba |
No tweets..no facebook...So am i an old fart? Well..i do turn 30 this year. Guess that says it all.
A few of the above photo's came courtesy of bill who sells his photo's at
www.undertheseaphoto.com
check 'em out!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Aruba!..soon
The countdown to Aruba continues. Only 3 more days! After taking last wed. and thursday off and i've decided that 2 day work week, followed by a 4 day work week, followed by a week off, should be my normal schedule. I'll bring that up in my next review.
After spending a day helping to fix Mel's sisters' car, I made some progress on my Alfa last week. I cutout the front portion of the driver side sill and began making the patch panels. My welding skills are sorely lacking but this portion of the work won't be seen, so it's a good place to get some practice before i have to start welding body panels.
Here's a few pics of the work so far...
Summer's flying by! It's hard to believe, but it's been over a year since i found out about my cancer and almost a year already since i had my surgery. I'll be done with the interferon in about another 8 weeks or so and it can't come to soon. Losing three nights a week isn't fun, especially when i live with someone whom i enjoy spending time with so much (i guess, just a little). Right Paris?
j/k babe
What better way to celebrate kicking skin cancer (i hope) then going to a sunny island for a week?!
Wait a minute...
After spending a day helping to fix Mel's sisters' car, I made some progress on my Alfa last week. I cutout the front portion of the driver side sill and began making the patch panels. My welding skills are sorely lacking but this portion of the work won't be seen, so it's a good place to get some practice before i have to start welding body panels.
Here's a few pics of the work so far...
 |
| 2009 06 Metal Work |
Summer's flying by! It's hard to believe, but it's been over a year since i found out about my cancer and almost a year already since i had my surgery. I'll be done with the interferon in about another 8 weeks or so and it can't come to soon. Losing three nights a week isn't fun, especially when i live with someone whom i enjoy spending time with so much (i guess, just a little). Right Paris?
j/k babe
What better way to celebrate kicking skin cancer (i hope) then going to a sunny island for a week?!
Wait a minute...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Summertime in Royal Oak
I haven't blogged in quite a while. It's hard when i go to bed at 7 three days per week! Luckily that episode of my life is wrapping up...hopefully. I've been back to the doc's (retinal opthomologist, dermatoligist, oncologist...maybe a few other oligists i can't think of) and my treatment appears to be back on track. Barring any more surprises i'll be done in September. About time! I'm really looking forward to getting some more of my free time back. Even though it's extremely hot out right now it's been almost a year since i've been up late enough for Southpark on Wednsday's! For the sake of that example, you have to ignore the fact that i don't have a TV.
My new Alfa project is progressing well. It needs far more metal work then i planned but i wanted this car to be a learning experience. I got it in more ways then i thought! I put a few more pics at..
The rear end of this car presents the biggest challenge. New sheetmetal is available..but it's very expensive. I've been burning up the phone lines trying to find a rear clip for a reasonable price. i've got a few leads. The rest of the car is repairable with not too much investment. The reason i have the doors cut apart is that in '73 Alfa Romeo added side impact beams and they weight about 25 lb's each! That kind of weight just won't stand for my race car! so off came the skins and out came the side impact beams.
My basic plan is to complete all the repair work then get it off to Roman Tucker (a local Alfa expert) to cage it and do a few other select mod's (panhard bar setup, cell install). I'll take it from there to finish the setup, wiring, plumbing, engine, tranny, etc. My original goal was to have it trackworthy next year, that may yet prove a bit optimistic. AT least i get to buy lots of cool tools!
Mel and i recently got a new addition to the house. NO, it's not what you may think. Her youngest sister moved in with us about 2 weeks ago. She's heading off to college in the fall and was looking for better opportunity's to make a little money over the summer. Amazingly...Michigan fit the bill! Within two weeks she had a job though, her first i might add. Good Luck Beck!
The auto industry is a bit crazy right now. One company's been in and out of bankruptcy (already?) and another one is in the midst of it. For anyone that survives the next year in this industry, looking back years from now, this year will be a defining moment in the industry, detroit, michigan and the country as a whole. From my viewpoint (as a supplier) it's been both positive and negative in many respects. New business opportunities have all but dried up however i definitely get the feeling that whatever emerges in the next weeks/months will be more efficient than the industry of the past. Everyone is getting lean. Those who can afford it will survive.
and of course it's summertime in Royal Oak! Mel and i head to Aruba on the 10th! This break couldn't come at a better time. This feels like my first real vacation since 2007 and Mel hasn't taken a trip like this in even longer. Aside from a bit of diving we plan to relax, read, and spend as much time on the beach as possible....under an umbrella of course!
My new Alfa project is progressing well. It needs far more metal work then i planned but i wanted this car to be a learning experience. I got it in more ways then i thought! I put a few more pics at..
 |
| 2009 06 Body Work |
The rear end of this car presents the biggest challenge. New sheetmetal is available..but it's very expensive. I've been burning up the phone lines trying to find a rear clip for a reasonable price. i've got a few leads. The rest of the car is repairable with not too much investment. The reason i have the doors cut apart is that in '73 Alfa Romeo added side impact beams and they weight about 25 lb's each! That kind of weight just won't stand for my race car! so off came the skins and out came the side impact beams.
My basic plan is to complete all the repair work then get it off to Roman Tucker (a local Alfa expert) to cage it and do a few other select mod's (panhard bar setup, cell install). I'll take it from there to finish the setup, wiring, plumbing, engine, tranny, etc. My original goal was to have it trackworthy next year, that may yet prove a bit optimistic. AT least i get to buy lots of cool tools!
Mel and i recently got a new addition to the house. NO, it's not what you may think. Her youngest sister moved in with us about 2 weeks ago. She's heading off to college in the fall and was looking for better opportunity's to make a little money over the summer. Amazingly...Michigan fit the bill! Within two weeks she had a job though, her first i might add. Good Luck Beck!
The auto industry is a bit crazy right now. One company's been in and out of bankruptcy (already?) and another one is in the midst of it. For anyone that survives the next year in this industry, looking back years from now, this year will be a defining moment in the industry, detroit, michigan and the country as a whole. From my viewpoint (as a supplier) it's been both positive and negative in many respects. New business opportunities have all but dried up however i definitely get the feeling that whatever emerges in the next weeks/months will be more efficient than the industry of the past. Everyone is getting lean. Those who can afford it will survive.
and of course it's summertime in Royal Oak! Mel and i head to Aruba on the 10th! This break couldn't come at a better time. This feels like my first real vacation since 2007 and Mel hasn't taken a trip like this in even longer. Aside from a bit of diving we plan to relax, read, and spend as much time on the beach as possible....under an umbrella of course!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Mowing the Jungle
After weeks of watching our Royal Oak jungle grow and grow i finally got out the lawn mower today and got it under control. Partially. The ferns are still a bit overwhelming but they provide a level of privacy from our A-Hole neighbor..so the ferns will stay. We also don't have to worry about fertilizing this lawn ever as i found ample amounts while traversing with the mower. Thank you Paris.
On sunday mel and i also picked up some nice backyard leisure accessories. Namely some kick ass lounge chairs! We can only pull this off because our backyard is well shaded.
On sunday mel and i also picked up some nice backyard leisure accessories. Namely some kick ass lounge chairs! We can only pull this off because our backyard is well shaded.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Royal Oak in the Spring
Spring is here and the house is looking like a jungle! The landlord told us (warned us?) that there was quite a bit of flowers and such planted around the house but it wasn't until about 2 weeks ago that we realized just how much was there! The fern's are coming up fast and are over 2 feet high already. The area along the driveway has bloomed with all sorts of flowers and other green things (that's about the extent of my identification skills).
A few weeks ago i found a large container of birdfood in the garage. After filling all of the available birdhouse's i spread some in the back yard so that Paris would have some friends. Some friends..ha! It only took a few days for word to get out to every neighborhood squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit, bird, and rat? that 1023 N Maple had free eats! And when they were done with what i put out they set out attacking the plastic container eating two massive holes in the container!
I hope you enjoyed it Paris!
The interferon continues..I really wish it was overwith. Now that the weather is nice, in particular, i hate crashing so early 3 nights per week. At least it's going quickly.
A few weeks ago i found a large container of birdfood in the garage. After filling all of the available birdhouse's i spread some in the back yard so that Paris would have some friends. Some friends..ha! It only took a few days for word to get out to every neighborhood squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit, bird, and rat? that 1023 N Maple had free eats! And when they were done with what i put out they set out attacking the plastic container eating two massive holes in the container!
I hope you enjoyed it Paris!
The interferon continues..I really wish it was overwith. Now that the weather is nice, in particular, i hate crashing so early 3 nights per week. At least it's going quickly.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Alfa progress
I spent most of the weekend stripping my alfa. I got all of the engine out, suspension off, the rear end, the gas tank (which was full!..), the steering column, drive shaft, windshield wipers..pretty much anything that could be unbolted. After that i started poking and grinding on the paint to see just what i was going to need to repair. Unfortunately i found a bit more filler than i had planned..but it's not as bad as it could've been. Or as bad as i've seen on other cars. Now that i see the extent of the filler, rather than try to strip this myself I think i'm gonna take it somewhere to get it mediablasted or chemical stripped. here are a few pics.
Last night i gave the paint stripper a shot. It seems to work well, with only 2 applications and some scraping the entire front fender is completely stripped. I have to modify my technique slightly as the wire wheel i used in a few spots proved to be too aggressive. But aside from that...this should do the trick.
In other news, i started on the interferon again, this past week being my first full week. The first few nights were surprisingly rough. i guess our body's forget their tolerance quickly. But it's gotten progressively better while the side effects, thusfar, aren't nearly as noticeable. I'm not nearly as tired and my mind isn't nearly as cloudy as it was. I've got another 4 months to complete on this regiment but it should go quickly. My biggest disappointment is that this is happening in the middle of summer! No point in worrying i suppose..it's out of my hands.
 |
| 2009 ALFA Project |
Last night i gave the paint stripper a shot. It seems to work well, with only 2 applications and some scraping the entire front fender is completely stripped. I have to modify my technique slightly as the wire wheel i used in a few spots proved to be too aggressive. But aside from that...this should do the trick.
In other news, i started on the interferon again, this past week being my first full week. The first few nights were surprisingly rough. i guess our body's forget their tolerance quickly. But it's gotten progressively better while the side effects, thusfar, aren't nearly as noticeable. I'm not nearly as tired and my mind isn't nearly as cloudy as it was. I've got another 4 months to complete on this regiment but it should go quickly. My biggest disappointment is that this is happening in the middle of summer! No point in worrying i suppose..it's out of my hands.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Meeting
How to describe the Berkshire Hathaway meeting....well the name "Woodstock for Capitalists" has been tossed around before and it seems about right (ignoring the obvious issue that there were probably no capitalists at woodstock).
Picture 35,000 people packed into the Qwest center for 7 hrs of questions and answers.
The two at the front, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, already well into retirement, are seemingly the most successful pair in the world at allocating capital.
To help them along they have little more then a few cokes and some "dilly bars".
The crowd consists of everyone from 10 yr old's in business suits to Grandmothers in jogging suits.
The questions ranged from the absolutely ludicrous to the almost brilliant (along with the people it would seem)
Never have so many people been in 1 place while it was so quiet.
Nor have so many people been in the same room and remained so civilized!
The meeting started with 1 slide (which is 1 slide more than usual) that was a sale ticket for treasury bonds that Berkshire sold in Dec. The sale price left the buyer with a negative yield. The profundity of that was (hopefully) clear to all in the room and was a great way to kickoff a meeting like this during such incredible economic times. Never again in my life do i think i will see treasury's sold with a negative yield (Guaranteed loss!). Hopefully
Moving to the questions and answers the format was changed slightly from years past with a panel of 3 journalists asking questions while rotating with Audience members. The panel questions were all sent in by the public but, given the opportunity for some pre-screening, the quality was much better. Buffett and Munger had no knowledge of any questions before hand. None of the meeting is transcribed or broadcast so this is by memory (either mine or found online). Here were some of my favorite questions (some because they were good questions, others because they were so stupid as to be funny, especially considering Buffett and Munger's answers).
A shareholder asks about the federal stimulus bill, saying only 8 percent is aimed at infrastructure. He asks should not more of that bill go to real assets and put numerous people to work? Munger says "Let me answer that one. Yes!" Buffett says that should be the goal. Buffett says anytime government or anything else throws a lot of resources into something, there is a lot of slop. Buffett says the intent though, is to get a lot of money into action and used smartly. Buffett says when the consumer pulls back the way they have, government needs to step in. Buffett also says there will be consequences. "I think we should be doing it, but we shouldn't think its a free ride."
I never pictured Buffett as much of a Keynsian. Guess i was wrong!
A shareholder asks if starting a smaller investment fund today what do about high returns on some stocks? Reinvest earnings somewhere else or sit on the high returns in the name of value investing? Buffett says he would buy good companies and keep them. And not worry about the stock price. Munger more bluntly tells the shareholder that he must "Realign your thinking". The room chuckled.
A shareholder says Berkshire's competitive advantage is Buffett and Munger. Buffett says that is not true. He says Berkshire's competitive advantage is a business model that is hard to copy. Buffett says for example shareholders hold onto Berkshire stock, with little turnover. He says there is no other company in the country that has the ability to do that now, or the ability to adopt that model in any big way. Buffett says any new CEO will be dedicated to that model in the future. Buffett says managers and shareholders joining the company are immersed in that culture. Munger says a lot of corporations in America are run stupidly with profits each quarter guiding decisions. Munger says that is not the case with Berkshire.
Buffett is asked why people shouldn't just invest in companies that Berkshire invests in, and not in Berkshire itself? And why is the meeting not Webcast? Buffett says the meeting could be Webcast, but there is a lot to be gained with face-to-face contact. He says people come to see each other and Berkshire products. Buffett says in terms of buying securities Berkshire buys, a lot of peple do that. He says, though, that they don't have free float. If they had $58 billion then they would be at the same level as Berkshire. Munger says generally they would be smart to copy Berkshire's investment moves. Munger says "I think you have a very good idea." Buffett says he used to look at Graham's moves and he got ideas from them.
Buffett is asked about inflation. He says the country will have inflation, and people holding government debt in the form of bonds will pay for that. Buffett says a good deal of that debt is being held by the Chinese. Buffett says the best protection against inflation is your own earning power. He says if you are the best teacher or whatever, you will command earning power and get your share of the national economic pie, regardless of the value of the currency. The second best investment, Buffett says, is in a good company. He says people will give up their own earnings to enjoy whatever product your company is making. Munger suggest becoming a brain surgeon and investing in Coca Cola instead of government bonds.
BYD Chinese company is not early stage venture capital company, Munger says. It is a big maker of batteries, for example. Then finally, not satisfied with a couple of miracles it is now in automobile business. With zero start point and very little capital he built best selling model in China. That was against joint ventures in China. Munger says it is a damned miracle, not a speculative activity. Munger says engineering graduates are being hired at BYD who were at top of their classes. He says it is a remarkable compilation of talent. Munger says lithium batteries are needed in every utility company in America and using power of the sun will need batteries. Berkshire has invested in BYD and Munger says it is not a crazy venture. Munger says that car to be seen in the Qwest Center Omaha, the company makes almost every part in that car. Munger says it is a privilege to have Berkshire associated with a company that is trying to do so much. Munger says it is a small company but its ambitions are big. Munger says he will be amazed if great things don't happen.
A shareholder through journalist Becky Quick asks about lack of disclosurre issues around Bank of America's buying of Merril Lynch. Buffett says he wonders if he would behave any differently than Bernanke or Paulson in this matter. Buffett says it is a tough question. Munger says the decision by Bank of America to buy Merril Lynch could be second guessed. But Munger says sonce the deal was signed, the government and Bank of America behaved honorably.
Berkshire is asked about Chinese companies. Buffett says he didn't know he'd be invested in BYD some years back, nor did he know he would have invested in Petro China. Buffett says in some ways Berkshire will be restricted by ownership limitations, such as in insurance. But Buffett says it is hard to imagine not doing more in China in coming years because it is a huge market. Buffett says a Chinese officially recently was upset with the Treasury bonds they hold because the value is dropping. Buffett says he believes the Chinese official is right. Buffett says it is a problem, though not the biggest problem in the world. Munger says he would exactly what China is doing. Munger says China has one of the best financial managing systems in the world. He says China will be very hard to compete with all over the world, and that is exactly the right policy for China. Munger says that is exactly the right policy and he greatly admires the Chinese.
A shareholder asks about student loan industry. Buffett says he doesn't know a lot about the business. Munger says he doesn't know a lot either. Buffett says it has been a long time since he and Charlie sought a student loan.
There were a lot of other good questions that i don't remember, but i'll keep my eye open on the web for a better transcript. Here were the two i submitted
Given the size of Berkshires cash position, where and in what investment vehicles (if any) is that money kept? Is it with any TARP banks?
Given the tax disadvantages of preferred shares (over bonds) along with the bankruptcy disadvantage, why did Berkshire choose preferred shares for some of it's recent investments? What risk do you see of a dividend cut?
What was my feeling after leaving the meeting? I left with renewed confidence in our system and the markets (along with my Berkshire purchase). I'm already nearly 100% back into equities so my path is set (for now). But at the end of the day the true "magic" to their strategy of investing is how un-magical it truly is. Knowing that most people do not act rationally when it comes to investing, you simply be patient and never over pay for something. Over the long term, you will always come out ahead.
Mel came along as well and dare i say, had a lot of fun. I think she found the blunt common sense of Buffett and Munger (Munger in particular) was quite refreshing. Although we spent the vast majority of our time at the Qwest center we were able to hit some of the Berkshire company's in the vendor area and picked up a few little things. After the meeting we went to a show at the Omaha Playhouse. Originally i had tickets for "Twelve Angry Men" but switched it to "Rock Legends" at the last minute on the advice of the lady working the door. And it was good advice! A little Japanese food, a cab ride to the airport in the morning and we were home! Paris was thrilled to see us, well, Mel at least.
Book your flights for 2010!
Picture 35,000 people packed into the Qwest center for 7 hrs of questions and answers.
The two at the front, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, already well into retirement, are seemingly the most successful pair in the world at allocating capital.
To help them along they have little more then a few cokes and some "dilly bars".
The crowd consists of everyone from 10 yr old's in business suits to Grandmothers in jogging suits.
The questions ranged from the absolutely ludicrous to the almost brilliant (along with the people it would seem)
Never have so many people been in 1 place while it was so quiet.
Nor have so many people been in the same room and remained so civilized!
The meeting started with 1 slide (which is 1 slide more than usual) that was a sale ticket for treasury bonds that Berkshire sold in Dec. The sale price left the buyer with a negative yield. The profundity of that was (hopefully) clear to all in the room and was a great way to kickoff a meeting like this during such incredible economic times. Never again in my life do i think i will see treasury's sold with a negative yield (Guaranteed loss!). Hopefully
Moving to the questions and answers the format was changed slightly from years past with a panel of 3 journalists asking questions while rotating with Audience members. The panel questions were all sent in by the public but, given the opportunity for some pre-screening, the quality was much better. Buffett and Munger had no knowledge of any questions before hand. None of the meeting is transcribed or broadcast so this is by memory (either mine or found online). Here were some of my favorite questions (some because they were good questions, others because they were so stupid as to be funny, especially considering Buffett and Munger's answers).
A shareholder asks about the federal stimulus bill, saying only 8 percent is aimed at infrastructure. He asks should not more of that bill go to real assets and put numerous people to work? Munger says "Let me answer that one. Yes!" Buffett says that should be the goal. Buffett says anytime government or anything else throws a lot of resources into something, there is a lot of slop. Buffett says the intent though, is to get a lot of money into action and used smartly. Buffett says when the consumer pulls back the way they have, government needs to step in. Buffett also says there will be consequences. "I think we should be doing it, but we shouldn't think its a free ride."
I never pictured Buffett as much of a Keynsian. Guess i was wrong!
A shareholder asks if starting a smaller investment fund today what do about high returns on some stocks? Reinvest earnings somewhere else or sit on the high returns in the name of value investing? Buffett says he would buy good companies and keep them. And not worry about the stock price. Munger more bluntly tells the shareholder that he must "Realign your thinking". The room chuckled.
A shareholder says Berkshire's competitive advantage is Buffett and Munger. Buffett says that is not true. He says Berkshire's competitive advantage is a business model that is hard to copy. Buffett says for example shareholders hold onto Berkshire stock, with little turnover. He says there is no other company in the country that has the ability to do that now, or the ability to adopt that model in any big way. Buffett says any new CEO will be dedicated to that model in the future. Buffett says managers and shareholders joining the company are immersed in that culture. Munger says a lot of corporations in America are run stupidly with profits each quarter guiding decisions. Munger says that is not the case with Berkshire.
Buffett is asked why people shouldn't just invest in companies that Berkshire invests in, and not in Berkshire itself? And why is the meeting not Webcast? Buffett says the meeting could be Webcast, but there is a lot to be gained with face-to-face contact. He says people come to see each other and Berkshire products. Buffett says in terms of buying securities Berkshire buys, a lot of peple do that. He says, though, that they don't have free float. If they had $58 billion then they would be at the same level as Berkshire. Munger says generally they would be smart to copy Berkshire's investment moves. Munger says "I think you have a very good idea." Buffett says he used to look at Graham's moves and he got ideas from them.
Buffett is asked about inflation. He says the country will have inflation, and people holding government debt in the form of bonds will pay for that. Buffett says a good deal of that debt is being held by the Chinese. Buffett says the best protection against inflation is your own earning power. He says if you are the best teacher or whatever, you will command earning power and get your share of the national economic pie, regardless of the value of the currency. The second best investment, Buffett says, is in a good company. He says people will give up their own earnings to enjoy whatever product your company is making. Munger suggest becoming a brain surgeon and investing in Coca Cola instead of government bonds.
BYD Chinese company is not early stage venture capital company, Munger says. It is a big maker of batteries, for example. Then finally, not satisfied with a couple of miracles it is now in automobile business. With zero start point and very little capital he built best selling model in China. That was against joint ventures in China. Munger says it is a damned miracle, not a speculative activity. Munger says engineering graduates are being hired at BYD who were at top of their classes. He says it is a remarkable compilation of talent. Munger says lithium batteries are needed in every utility company in America and using power of the sun will need batteries. Berkshire has invested in BYD and Munger says it is not a crazy venture. Munger says that car to be seen in the Qwest Center Omaha, the company makes almost every part in that car. Munger says it is a privilege to have Berkshire associated with a company that is trying to do so much. Munger says it is a small company but its ambitions are big. Munger says he will be amazed if great things don't happen.
A shareholder through journalist Becky Quick asks about lack of disclosurre issues around Bank of America's buying of Merril Lynch. Buffett says he wonders if he would behave any differently than Bernanke or Paulson in this matter. Buffett says it is a tough question. Munger says the decision by Bank of America to buy Merril Lynch could be second guessed. But Munger says sonce the deal was signed, the government and Bank of America behaved honorably.
Berkshire is asked about Chinese companies. Buffett says he didn't know he'd be invested in BYD some years back, nor did he know he would have invested in Petro China. Buffett says in some ways Berkshire will be restricted by ownership limitations, such as in insurance. But Buffett says it is hard to imagine not doing more in China in coming years because it is a huge market. Buffett says a Chinese officially recently was upset with the Treasury bonds they hold because the value is dropping. Buffett says he believes the Chinese official is right. Buffett says it is a problem, though not the biggest problem in the world. Munger says he would exactly what China is doing. Munger says China has one of the best financial managing systems in the world. He says China will be very hard to compete with all over the world, and that is exactly the right policy for China. Munger says that is exactly the right policy and he greatly admires the Chinese.
A shareholder asks about student loan industry. Buffett says he doesn't know a lot about the business. Munger says he doesn't know a lot either. Buffett says it has been a long time since he and Charlie sought a student loan.
There were a lot of other good questions that i don't remember, but i'll keep my eye open on the web for a better transcript. Here were the two i submitted
Given the size of Berkshires cash position, where and in what investment vehicles (if any) is that money kept? Is it with any TARP banks?
Given the tax disadvantages of preferred shares (over bonds) along with the bankruptcy disadvantage, why did Berkshire choose preferred shares for some of it's recent investments? What risk do you see of a dividend cut?
What was my feeling after leaving the meeting? I left with renewed confidence in our system and the markets (along with my Berkshire purchase). I'm already nearly 100% back into equities so my path is set (for now). But at the end of the day the true "magic" to their strategy of investing is how un-magical it truly is. Knowing that most people do not act rationally when it comes to investing, you simply be patient and never over pay for something. Over the long term, you will always come out ahead.
Mel came along as well and dare i say, had a lot of fun. I think she found the blunt common sense of Buffett and Munger (Munger in particular) was quite refreshing. Although we spent the vast majority of our time at the Qwest center we were able to hit some of the Berkshire company's in the vendor area and picked up a few little things. After the meeting we went to a show at the Omaha Playhouse. Originally i had tickets for "Twelve Angry Men" but switched it to "Rock Legends" at the last minute on the advice of the lady working the door. And it was good advice! A little Japanese food, a cab ride to the airport in the morning and we were home! Paris was thrilled to see us, well, Mel at least.
Book your flights for 2010!
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Welcome to...
Omaha!
I just landed in Omaha and checked into my hotel. I arrived on a commercial flight but i think i'm in the minority if the amount of learjet's at the airport is any indication. Mel couldn't get on the same flight so she'll get in a bit later. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll head to the Qwest center to attend the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. Given the recent economic issues as well as the most recent drop in book value of Berkshire i expect some great discussion during the question/answer portion!
More to come...
I just landed in Omaha and checked into my hotel. I arrived on a commercial flight but i think i'm in the minority if the amount of learjet's at the airport is any indication. Mel couldn't get on the same flight so she'll get in a bit later. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll head to the Qwest center to attend the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. Given the recent economic issues as well as the most recent drop in book value of Berkshire i expect some great discussion during the question/answer portion!
More to come...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Work Begins..
so the first step in building this new car will be to completely strip it and make any chassis/body repairs that are necessary. With this in mind i constructed a dolly to work on the car.
All in all it came out rather well but i should have used larger casters. Home depot just didn't have that many choices. i may swap them out, but i want to see how well it rolls once i get the engine and a few other weighty objects off of the car.
Friday night mel and i went out to an awesome sushi dinner at, dare i say, our favorite sushi restaraunt, "Ronin". I had left work early on friday and gotten plates for my camaro so afterwards we headed out to woodward for a bit of custard too! On sunday we spent most of the day clearing leaves from next to the garage. With the 20 new bags we filled today we're somewhere around 40 bags total of leaves removed! It was a hot day to be out working but a nice change of pace from the rainy cold of the last few weeks. Should be interesting to see what buds from all that we raked out too.
All in all it came out rather well but i should have used larger casters. Home depot just didn't have that many choices. i may swap them out, but i want to see how well it rolls once i get the engine and a few other weighty objects off of the car.
Friday night mel and i went out to an awesome sushi dinner at, dare i say, our favorite sushi restaraunt, "Ronin". I had left work early on friday and gotten plates for my camaro so afterwards we headed out to woodward for a bit of custard too! On sunday we spent most of the day clearing leaves from next to the garage. With the 20 new bags we filled today we're somewhere around 40 bags total of leaves removed! It was a hot day to be out working but a nice change of pace from the rainy cold of the last few weeks. Should be interesting to see what buds from all that we raked out too.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Interior Resto
After getting my car back i wanted to tackle a few projects that I've neglected for the past, ugh, 14 years. Namely, restoring the console and rebuilding the door panels. It's been 3 and a half long years since i was able to tackle any projects on my car so it was nice to get my hands dirty! I started off by cleaning up and painting the battery tray and replacing both battery cables and the battery. They were all in pretty sorry shape.
Next up was the console. It was in OK shape, all of the gages functioned but it was in need of a few key replacement parts (springs, bumpers, door) along with some select repair and cosmetic work. First step was to strip everything and disassemble it.
These two halfs cost nearly 200 bucks to replace! so i salvaged my old ones...
The finished product. National Parts Depot, a nationwide resto company, has a warehouse about 20 minutes from here. I was able to drive there Saturday AM and get nearly everything i needed to do the console and the door panels.
Here's what i found under the door panels as i began to strip them.
Next up was the console. It was in OK shape, all of the gages functioned but it was in need of a few key replacement parts (springs, bumpers, door) along with some select repair and cosmetic work. First step was to strip everything and disassemble it.
These two halfs cost nearly 200 bucks to replace! so i salvaged my old ones...
The finished product. National Parts Depot, a nationwide resto company, has a warehouse about 20 minutes from here. I was able to drive there Saturday AM and get nearly everything i needed to do the console and the door panels.
Here's what i found under the door panels as i began to strip them.
Stripping
The old panels were in pretty rough shape after many years of use and installation/removal.
I measured everything before final disassembly to ensure the new panels fight as close as possible to the old ones. I'd heard that the new panels weren't very well made but the set i got was pretty decent.
I measured everything before final disassembly to ensure the new panels fight as close as possible to the old ones. I'd heard that the new panels weren't very well made but the set i got was pretty decent.
Stripping and painting
I wanted to protect the metal backing but not interfere with the glue..so i tried to paint very selectively (i.e. one side only)
Condition of the metal backing before paint.
My outdoor glue zone
I cleaned then painted the entire emblem then circled back with a bit of acetone to remove the paint from key areas.
Condition of the metal backing before paint.
My outdoor glue zone
I cleaned then painted the entire emblem then circled back with a bit of acetone to remove the paint from key areas.
Gluing
Gluing the steel backing is the most critical part. Originally the cardboard backing of the door panel would've been pressed in with a series of punch holes. Without the equipment to do this i had to bend and pound out the old punched holes and strictly glue things on.
The new panels have 3 layers of material..the vinyl..then plastic..then foam. they each have to be glued and trimmed to fit in the right spots.
The new panels have 3 layers of material..the vinyl..then plastic..then foam. they each have to be glued and trimmed to fit in the right spots.
The finishing touches
Clamping is critical to make sure the vinyl is tight..
The finished product. ready to be installed!
Both front panels are done and ready to be fitted to the door. This requires a little finesse (something i have tons of) and some select trimming to get the metal clips to pop into the right spot. Next up is completion of the rear panels then i'll be on the road!
Whats in store for the first drive? Take Mel for some Custard of course!!!
The finished product. ready to be installed!
Both front panels are done and ready to be fitted to the door. This requires a little finesse (something i have tons of) and some select trimming to get the metal clips to pop into the right spot. Next up is completion of the rear panels then i'll be on the road!
Whats in store for the first drive? Take Mel for some Custard of course!!!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Easter Weekend
A long time has passed with little activity here! What's been doin the last few weeks? Well....
In an attempt to downsize my stereo i recently sold my old DCM's and bought some even older Bose speakers. The Bose had blown woofer's so i got them for a steal but they were in otherwise good shape. Rather then paying someone to recone them (or buying new ones) i thought I'd try to do it myself. For 30 bucks..what the hell!
As you can see from the pics (below) the foam is destroyed. On one of the two speakers the speaker had been used like this so much that the voice coil had even become separated from the mount. Not good!
The refoam kit costs about 30 bucks and comes with new foam, the proper glue and instructions on how to clean and reglue things correctly. Cleaning is the key as 100% of the old foam and adhesive must be removed to ensure proper adhesion and sound. Before gluing, the next important thing is making sure things are centered (in the x-y) such that the speaker has it's full range of motion available and centered in the a-b such that there's no rubbing in the coil itself. After a few hrs things turned out well and my new 80 dollar Bose speakers sound like a million bucks!
Onto other things..
About a month ago i started losing my vision. Rather, i started seeing spots (or maybe stars..from that girl). It turned out to be interferon retinapothy...a rare but not unheard of side effect to the interferon I've been taking for almost 8 months. As a result of my vision problems i had to stop taking the interferon immediately or risk vision loss! Not a fun prospect, risking cancer over vision..but a required choice nonetheless. However if and once my vision returns to normal i will go back on the interferon at a lower dosage and monitor things more closely. The silver lining? I've been staying up past 8 on Mon. Wed and Friday! It's a whole new world.
Onto even more things.....
The last few weeks have been very busy here in Royal Oak. To start it off, Mel and i had visitors from her family two weeks in a row immediately following her week "vacation" in Colorado. Here are some pics! Ridemakerz was probably the highlight!
http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-boys-four-adults-and-dawg.html
http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/04/miss-rebecca.html
Then to top it off my family came bearing early Christmas gifts, i.e. my newly painted Camaro! Thankfully they brought a helper to unload things, my cousin Delaney.
Never one to miss an opportunity, having access to a proper car trailer also allowed me to pick up my latest project, a 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV. It'll take me a year or so to get this together as most of it came in boxes. Despite looking for hrs, i didn't find any directions either. Here are some pics from the weekend
In an attempt to downsize my stereo i recently sold my old DCM's and bought some even older Bose speakers. The Bose had blown woofer's so i got them for a steal but they were in otherwise good shape. Rather then paying someone to recone them (or buying new ones) i thought I'd try to do it myself. For 30 bucks..what the hell!
As you can see from the pics (below) the foam is destroyed. On one of the two speakers the speaker had been used like this so much that the voice coil had even become separated from the mount. Not good!
The refoam kit costs about 30 bucks and comes with new foam, the proper glue and instructions on how to clean and reglue things correctly. Cleaning is the key as 100% of the old foam and adhesive must be removed to ensure proper adhesion and sound. Before gluing, the next important thing is making sure things are centered (in the x-y) such that the speaker has it's full range of motion available and centered in the a-b such that there's no rubbing in the coil itself. After a few hrs things turned out well and my new 80 dollar Bose speakers sound like a million bucks!
 |
| 2009 03 Speaker Rebuild |
Onto other things..
About a month ago i started losing my vision. Rather, i started seeing spots (or maybe stars..from that girl). It turned out to be interferon retinapothy...a rare but not unheard of side effect to the interferon I've been taking for almost 8 months. As a result of my vision problems i had to stop taking the interferon immediately or risk vision loss! Not a fun prospect, risking cancer over vision..but a required choice nonetheless. However if and once my vision returns to normal i will go back on the interferon at a lower dosage and monitor things more closely. The silver lining? I've been staying up past 8 on Mon. Wed and Friday! It's a whole new world.
Onto even more things.....
The last few weeks have been very busy here in Royal Oak. To start it off, Mel and i had visitors from her family two weeks in a row immediately following her week "vacation" in Colorado. Here are some pics! Ridemakerz was probably the highlight!
http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-boys-four-adults-and-dawg.html
http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/04/miss-rebecca.html
Then to top it off my family came bearing early Christmas gifts, i.e. my newly painted Camaro! Thankfully they brought a helper to unload things, my cousin Delaney.
Never one to miss an opportunity, having access to a proper car trailer also allowed me to pick up my latest project, a 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV. It'll take me a year or so to get this together as most of it came in boxes. Despite looking for hrs, i didn't find any directions either. Here are some pics from the weekend
 |
| 2009 04 Easeter, Camaro and Alfa Delivery! |
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Oops, i did it again....
It's been quite some time since my last post...so let's see what's happened recently.
The markets gave us a bit of a bear trap. Don't get caught up.
Spring is nearly here, lots of rain in Michigan and things are turning green!
I found out my neighbor is an A-Hole. (see mel's post)
I was CALLED an A-Hole yesterday while talking on the phone at the gas pump. Whoops! (but come on, i'm an engineer, no way in hell a cell phone has enough power to generate enough static through a human to cause a spark)
I started getting spots in my vision. Turns out i have Interferon Retinalapothy. Can be permanent and cause loss of vision but i caught it early enough. I had to stop taking my cancer drugs to save my vision. So i got that goin for me. Which is nice.
Oh and as to the title? I bought another car. sight unseen. from a guy i never met.
Before anyone goes jumping all over me i must say that i learned my lesson from the last time and did my homework on the seller (reputable guy) and the car (paid for a buyers inspection from a shop). Plus i found it on an alfa romeo site and the seller was a well known, trustworthy person in the alfa community (commonly called, Alfista's). No ebay scammers.
If someone were to start a hotline called 1-800-caraholics, they'd be a millionaire off me alone by next year.
So without further adue..ado...audu....without further delay, here it is.
The last pic is of a similar car and no, my plan is not to keep it orange.
Although it does look good in orange....maybe hugger orange.....maybe with some black stripes...hmmm....
As you can see the car is almost completely disassembled. I'm buying the car and about 6 boxes worth of parts!
I always did like doing putting models together.
I got a great deal on the car. As for the shipping, there's a guy a few miles from me bringing a nearly identical car from nearly the same location as this one (and a motorcycle too) over next week! so i got the empty spot on that truck for a song. Literally, i sang for the guy
Ok, not literally.
The cards seemed to fall into place on this one. I'm just hoping my eyes weren't bigger then my checkbook!
The markets gave us a bit of a bear trap. Don't get caught up.
Spring is nearly here, lots of rain in Michigan and things are turning green!
I found out my neighbor is an A-Hole. (see mel's post)
I was CALLED an A-Hole yesterday while talking on the phone at the gas pump. Whoops! (but come on, i'm an engineer, no way in hell a cell phone has enough power to generate enough static through a human to cause a spark)
I started getting spots in my vision. Turns out i have Interferon Retinalapothy. Can be permanent and cause loss of vision but i caught it early enough. I had to stop taking my cancer drugs to save my vision. So i got that goin for me. Which is nice.
Oh and as to the title? I bought another car. sight unseen. from a guy i never met.
Before anyone goes jumping all over me i must say that i learned my lesson from the last time and did my homework on the seller (reputable guy) and the car (paid for a buyers inspection from a shop). Plus i found it on an alfa romeo site and the seller was a well known, trustworthy person in the alfa community (commonly called, Alfista's). No ebay scammers.
If someone were to start a hotline called 1-800-caraholics, they'd be a millionaire off me alone by next year.
So without further adue..ado...audu....without further delay, here it is.
 |
| 2009 03 Alfa Project |
The last pic is of a similar car and no, my plan is not to keep it orange.
Although it does look good in orange....maybe hugger orange.....maybe with some black stripes...hmmm....
As you can see the car is almost completely disassembled. I'm buying the car and about 6 boxes worth of parts!
I always did like doing putting models together.
I got a great deal on the car. As for the shipping, there's a guy a few miles from me bringing a nearly identical car from nearly the same location as this one (and a motorcycle too) over next week! so i got the empty spot on that truck for a song. Literally, i sang for the guy
Ok, not literally.
The cards seemed to fall into place on this one. I'm just hoping my eyes weren't bigger then my checkbook!
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Color! and Stripes!
If there was any doubt about my color choice..well, it's too late now!
 |
| 2009 02 Camaro Paint Revisited |
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Progress!
Finally some progress! I made a small workshop in the basement so i could start working again regardless of the weather.
I'm second guessing my decision to go back to school for my MAE and am considering Masters in Finance instead. On the surface it seems more aligned with my interests but it's about twice as much moneywise. Hmmm..
Mel spent all day yesterday making soup, Palenta (sp?) and some small fruit containers for lunch and dinner this week. How did i get so lucky? She loves too cook and i like to eat! not to mention that she's a great cook. Her soups are great and the palenta was reeally good. Especially the second time around!
 |
| 2009 Chris Craft Pics |
I'm second guessing my decision to go back to school for my MAE and am considering Masters in Finance instead. On the surface it seems more aligned with my interests but it's about twice as much moneywise. Hmmm..
Mel spent all day yesterday making soup, Palenta (sp?) and some small fruit containers for lunch and dinner this week. How did i get so lucky? She loves too cook and i like to eat! not to mention that she's a great cook. Her soups are great and the palenta was reeally good. Especially the second time around!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Gear Review
I got a few new pieces of gear in the past year and i thought i'd share my thoughts.
Amp
About a year ago i picked up a Reeves Custom 50. This is a 50 watt all tube head that will melt your face off! Actually, all kidding aside, it's got quite a unique sound. It's designed to be an accurate re-make of the original hiwatt amps that were common in the late 70's (think Zeppelin, the who, Floyd, etc.). Although you can still buy a new hiwatt amp the construction, sound and quality have deteriorated since the original designer's and builders quit, died etc. Enter Bill Reeves. He builds these down in ohio and they do a good job offering the original hiwatt sound, quality and appearance without paying for an actual original hiwatt.
To the amp itself...awesome. The 2 channel/4 input setup allow for some cool mixing options and the master volume drives the tubes extremely hard producing a great sound with as much (or as little) crunch as you want. The only down side is the tubes (both stages) must be driven hard to sound good. So it'll make you deaf! Enter the weber mass lite!
www.reevesamps.com
The weber mass lite is an attenuator. It allows you to drive the tubes very hard but bring the actual volume back down to a reasonable level (i call this the save the relationship box). It's completely passive and is installed between the amp and the speaker box. It's got some other features like a bypass, headphone output etc. but at it's core it's designed to bring the volume down. It works great. I can get a better sound at the house or while jamming but still maintain reasonable volumes. Amps tend to offer way to much volume to be realistically used. I hardly got past 1 on the volume knob but now i can push it all the way to 10 (or 11)!
http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm
I also picked up an ABY box but it really didn't work as expected. It allows me to switch channels on the amp easier but made things sound very muddy. Unfortunately i tried to return it and the shop i bought it from has a no return policy. I guess i know where not to shop any more (MUSIC CASTLE IN ROYAL OAK!)
I think we've settled on "Hit 'n Run" for the band's name. We played out at a bar in Royal Oak a few weeks ago for the second time and we're tightening up. Hopefully we'll get out some more in the coming weeks.
Amp
About a year ago i picked up a Reeves Custom 50. This is a 50 watt all tube head that will melt your face off! Actually, all kidding aside, it's got quite a unique sound. It's designed to be an accurate re-make of the original hiwatt amps that were common in the late 70's (think Zeppelin, the who, Floyd, etc.). Although you can still buy a new hiwatt amp the construction, sound and quality have deteriorated since the original designer's and builders quit, died etc. Enter Bill Reeves. He builds these down in ohio and they do a good job offering the original hiwatt sound, quality and appearance without paying for an actual original hiwatt.
To the amp itself...awesome. The 2 channel/4 input setup allow for some cool mixing options and the master volume drives the tubes extremely hard producing a great sound with as much (or as little) crunch as you want. The only down side is the tubes (both stages) must be driven hard to sound good. So it'll make you deaf! Enter the weber mass lite!
www.reevesamps.com
The weber mass lite is an attenuator. It allows you to drive the tubes very hard but bring the actual volume back down to a reasonable level (i call this the save the relationship box). It's completely passive and is installed between the amp and the speaker box. It's got some other features like a bypass, headphone output etc. but at it's core it's designed to bring the volume down. It works great. I can get a better sound at the house or while jamming but still maintain reasonable volumes. Amps tend to offer way to much volume to be realistically used. I hardly got past 1 on the volume knob but now i can push it all the way to 10 (or 11)!
http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm
I also picked up an ABY box but it really didn't work as expected. It allows me to switch channels on the amp easier but made things sound very muddy. Unfortunately i tried to return it and the shop i bought it from has a no return policy. I guess i know where not to shop any more (MUSIC CASTLE IN ROYAL OAK!)
I think we've settled on "Hit 'n Run" for the band's name. We played out at a bar in Royal Oak a few weeks ago for the second time and we're tightening up. Hopefully we'll get out some more in the coming weeks.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Go on VACATION!
As i watch money bleed from my investments, I'm really pissed. These A-holes in washington seem intent on taking a bad situation and making it even worse. In the last few months (including today's "stimulus" and bank plan) they've commited over 10 trillion dollars to try to prop up this economy to little result. They can not create demand, when will they realize this? They can push banks to extend all the credit in the world, but people aren't willing to take on more debt. Their actions are making people and business's more unsure of the future. It's starting to dawn on the population that all this spending will eventually have to be paid back (the alternative, defailt, is unthinkable) and that our children are facing 100's of thouasands of dollars in new taxes in order to attempt to maintain our unsustainable spending habits today. They've commited enough money to wipe out nearly 100% of all the mortgage debt in the country (not that i would promote that..but it gives reference to the scale of this borrowing and spending)! Instead they're spending the money on condom programs and parks in miami, it's no wonder the country (and the world) has lost confidence in Washington and America.
Capitalism didn't fail, it did it's job. Uncompetitive companies were driven into failure, that's an important (albeit painful) aspect of capitalism. It's washington's extraordinary efforts to prop them up that were the failure. Companies that competed successfully are now subsidizing their competition (via washington). How can any company or person compete with the Fed's?
And on top of that they stepped back on the plans to allow domestic offshore drilling. Talk about kicking an economy when it's down.
I wish all these politicians would go on vacation undil '12. Or maybe forever.
Capitalism didn't fail, it did it's job. Uncompetitive companies were driven into failure, that's an important (albeit painful) aspect of capitalism. It's washington's extraordinary efforts to prop them up that were the failure. Companies that competed successfully are now subsidizing their competition (via washington). How can any company or person compete with the Fed's?
And on top of that they stepped back on the plans to allow domestic offshore drilling. Talk about kicking an economy when it's down.
I wish all these politicians would go on vacation undil '12. Or maybe forever.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
New Crib
It's been a long couple of weeks as Mel (Paris) and I moved into a new (rental) house. My lease was up and given the tumbling home & rental prices it presented a lot of opportunities to upgrade while maintaining costs. We went from a 1000 sq ft apt with no garage to a 1300 (ish) sq ft house with a new 2 car garage for 200 bucks more a month! That's a deal. Mel's out of town right now ( :( ) so Paris and i are a bit lost, but we're surviving. We've gotten 99% unpacked and i can finally put a few pics up without boxes blocking everything!
I was this close (fingers about 1mm apart) to buying an 08 Z06 on Thursday. I made the mistake of taking a look in person and driving it. But a cooler head prevailed. 2 Car payments just makes no sense right now, besides i found some really good corporate bonds that will pay me to own them, unlike a car. Maybe once i get out of my Audi i'll re-evaluate. But it's still not that bad, my other toy is about to have the paint applied!
 |
| 2009 New House |
I was this close (fingers about 1mm apart) to buying an 08 Z06 on Thursday. I made the mistake of taking a look in person and driving it. But a cooler head prevailed. 2 Car payments just makes no sense right now, besides i found some really good corporate bonds that will pay me to own them, unlike a car. Maybe once i get out of my Audi i'll re-evaluate. But it's still not that bad, my other toy is about to have the paint applied!
 |
| 2009 Camaro Painting |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
