Parts are trickling in.

The headlights arrived yesterday and floor mats are due in today. The old floor mats are worn through.

The wheelskins are already installed.

After the Great Emergency Brake Disaster my mechanic went through the truck with a fine toothed comb and declared it an 8 which is pretty damned good for a 17 year old truck.

A nearby shop said the emergency brake job alone would run in the neighborhood of $3K which I found insane.

I had a 'little guy' mechanic that has done work for me before take a look at things and when he declared it to be basically a good truck I stopped shopping for another ride and decided to run with the one I already have. 

A search for a replacement ride old me prices were insane. An exact clone of what I have with 40K miles on it is damned close to what I paid for this one back in 2009! That's insanity!

So far it looks like a good choice. $2K got me the emergency brake fixed AND a new rear bumper installed (the bumper was the only sign of rust on the entire rig. The bracket was in sad shape). On top of that he rustprooofed the usual places that draw rust.

This was a reasonable deal. 

There's a spot on the front bumper where it was mysteriously whacked a few years back. Charlie Chan is still trying to solve that mystery. Also after 17 years of sunlight and weather the headlight lenses are all fuzzy and probably should be replaced. New headlights have arrived. A bumper cover, touch up paint and a few other odds and ends are on the way. 

I gave the cab a really good cleaning and when it's done I'll have a pretty good looking and good running little truck that should last me.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-

feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

It just occurred to me that the day after I got out of the Army

is the anniversary of the day I went into the army.

Fifty three years ago today I headed out on active duty. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Fifty years ago today I was discharged from the army.

Forty four years ago my father died.

Makes for a bittersweet day.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Some youngster posted that he was getting more girls than us old guys. My reply?

Beat it, Sonny boy.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I wonder what would happen if someone was the victim of someone making them late.

You board an airplane and the usual suspects create a disturbance like start a fight or something. The police are summoned and the perps carted off after the cops spend even more time trying to deal with them peacefully...or semi peacefully. 

(What they shoud do is tell them once to turn around and put their hands behind their back and if they don't administer a hickory shampoo until they either do. Settle it in court.)

The flight is delayed and you miss your connection because of it.

Your connecting flight is the last one of the day and you have to overnight at your own expense.

So you sue the bastards knowing it's going to be difficult to actually get paid. Of course the trick here is to find a lawyer that is an attack dog aond offer him 75% of what he collects for you to keep him interested.

Of course the disturbance makers are jailed and released with a small fine and no real jail time which does little to discourage further poor behavior. The ensuing lawsuit will even if the award is small. It will tie them up in court and cost them time and money.

Imagine being Joe Hoodrat ten years later. You've laughed at the judgement for ten years because you had no above the table job. You buy a lottery ticket and BAM! You find out you have just won $50K. This can't be garnished but the brand new car you bought with the winnings can be seized and sold as an asset seizure.

Suing them and having an attack dog go after their income would probably make them think twice about their future behavior.

When the system doesn't work it's generally time for the people to step up to the plate and at least try to do something about it.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

General Tso

Someone was grabbing a package of General Tso chicken at the deli and turnedd to me asking rhetorically "Who was General Tso, anyway?"

"General Tso was a really interesting person," I replied. He was a peasant that joined the Chinese Red Army in 1937 as a private and shortly after enlistment his culinary talents were discovered and he was made a cook and shortly thereafter became a mess sergeant." 

"His talents in the culinaary arts and the logistics got him a commission and he was shortly thereafter promoted to colonel and then under orders of Mao Zedong was promoted to general and placed in charge of feeding the entire Chinese Army."

He created his famous chicken recipe in 1945 because immediately after the war there was a large number of American GIs in China and he thought there would be a market for the recipe he created. It was brought to the States by returning GIs."

"Huh," he replied. "I never heard of that."

I refrained from saying "Neither did I. I just pulled it out of my ass."

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I saw some kid get roughed up after taking a swing at a cop.

The parents are mad at the cop. They say "He's a good kid."

Bull$hit! Good kids don't punch police officers. The kid got off light in my book. 

What should have happened is the kid should have been beaten totally senseless and come to in in a daze in the hospital.

Not so much as settling the score but as an example to others. 

We seem to have let so much slide that returning to base values is going to require some serious horsepower to get there.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I just had a pile of work done to my pickup for fairly short money.

The thing that made me need work done was the parking brake would not go free after it was set. I had to pump the brakes and sometimes have to rock the truck to get it to free up.

Estimates from a couple of shops ran upwards of and possibly over $3000. I figured the truck was worth a little more than that but not much. It's a 17 year old truck. I started looking for a brand new second hand low milage replacement. Prices were insane. 

So I went to a guy that I know that did some damned good reasonably prices body work for me several years ago to ask him if he knew a reasonable mechanic. 

When I explained the job he said he could tackle it. Seeing how fairly he had treated me years ago I simply gave him an open checkbook with orders to fix it.

I would up with a LOT more than I bargained for. 

When he was goiing through everything he called me and reported that the truck itself was in damned good shape with a few pre-rust spots that should be taken care of quickly. I told him to go ahead. He cleaned everything up and sprayed it with rust preventative.

He also said the rear bumper brackets were in terrible shape and that the easy and inexpensive route to go was an entire aftermarket bumper kit and told me where to get one. The inside of the bumper was heavily rusted. A check with eBay got me a damned good one, a complete kit for $165 delivered. 

As for the brake, all three cables, brackets and various smalls were replaced, the drums given a 'cleanup' turning. He went whole hog.

I'm back in business. The bill was $1535 plus my bumper purchase. I was floored. I handed him $1600 and told him to keep it. He was grateful.

Personally I consider the $65 I gave him to be an investment into the future. I often do things like this because practically every time I cast my bread on the water I get back poached eggs on toast.

I asked him about the other shop's estimate. He explained that a lot of places will just cut out a good part and replace it rather than reuse it because it's faster. In the shop world it's all a money grab and if it saves them time at customer's expense than so be it. Couple that with the current long waiting lists to get into the shop and that means many shops will take shortcuts.

Long waiting lists mean that there is no shortage of customers so enter the laws of supply and demand. When that happens shops go straight to 'The Gouger's Handbook'. 

 

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Come on, Seattle! You can do it!

Double down! 

With businesses leaving in droves double the taxes on the businesses that have not left!

When half of them leave, double down again and watch them leave!

Then double down on property taxes. 

With the jobs gone people will lose their homes to bank foreclosures and the banks will fail and there will be million dollar homes left vacant.

What a paradise on earth that will create! 

The now homeless can now live for free in abandoned water and electric free million dollar homes!

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Unbelieveable! TDS at its best.

Trump is scheduled to leave office in about 2.5 years.

This idiot is stuck for life with him. Imagine being 80 years old and STILL having the president back from when you were a 20 year old stuck in your head?

You can't make this stuff up!

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY