I'm way behind. My last post on 1/30 stated that gas prices hadn't changed, later that morning gas jumped to 1.949, where it still is this morning.
Over the weekend we saw temps in the low 40's on Saturday, while Sunday made it into the mid 20's. Right now it is -20F. No wind at all, but still rather cold.
Showing posts with label Gas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gas. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
New "Blazer" Page
I've decided to copy all my posts on the Blazer into a new page and then put all updates on the Blazer in that page.
-20°F this morning. High today is supposed to be about 10°F, low tonight about 7°F, high tomorrow about 25°F. Maybe I can get some outside work done tomorrow.
Gas is STILL at 1.899. Hard to believe it has been stable for this long.
Gotta run to a meeting. When the electrician arrived to hook up the two new racks we made a discovery: Although the spec sheets we got from the vendors say each rack should draw about 35-40 amps, the UPS packages in the racks are rated at 100 amps. At 40 amps each rack plus the existing servers we would have maxed out our 100 amp panel. Under normal circumstances the racks may only draw 40 amps, but we can't wire for that, we need to wire for max load. If we do not then we will for sure blow the main breaker and take down the entire server farm the first time we attempt to draw full load. So, we need to add two new 100 amp panels. In the next two working days. Not likely, the electrician needs to order the panels. So, it looks like we will need to re-schedule Tuesdays planned arrival of the GE and EMC and Quantum implementation teams.
-20°F this morning. High today is supposed to be about 10°F, low tonight about 7°F, high tomorrow about 25°F. Maybe I can get some outside work done tomorrow.
Gas is STILL at 1.899. Hard to believe it has been stable for this long.
Gotta run to a meeting. When the electrician arrived to hook up the two new racks we made a discovery: Although the spec sheets we got from the vendors say each rack should draw about 35-40 amps, the UPS packages in the racks are rated at 100 amps. At 40 amps each rack plus the existing servers we would have maxed out our 100 amp panel. Under normal circumstances the racks may only draw 40 amps, but we can't wire for that, we need to wire for max load. If we do not then we will for sure blow the main breaker and take down the entire server farm the first time we attempt to draw full load. So, we need to add two new 100 amp panels. In the next two working days. Not likely, the electrician needs to order the panels. So, it looks like we will need to re-schedule Tuesdays planned arrival of the GE and EMC and Quantum implementation teams.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Cold - and busy
Don't have much time, but if I don't get some of this down I will forget it.
On Sun 1/11 gas in GR was 1.949, in Bemidji it was 1.799. Yesterday 1/12 in GR gas dropped to 1.899.
Last Wednesday 1/7 I changed the oil (as I mentioned I was planning in the last post) to Wal-Mart SuperTech 5w-30. Having the oil filter remotely mounted on the fenderwell is very nice. I need to get a coffee can to add to my toolbox to put under the filter when I change it. The oil oil was very thick. Oil pressure went waay down with the new oil.
On Saturday 1/10 I changed the oil and filter again. It was very black (as expected). I put in Wal-Mart SuperTech 5w-30 Synthetic this time. Oil pressure is still very low. At cold start oil pressure is about 50 PSI. At warm idle, maybe 5 PSI. At highway speeds warm it runs about 20 PSI. I'm guessing that the engine probably needs bearings, need to investigate further.
I'm planning on changing the oil again, probably next payday. Since it doesn't appear to be using any oil yet I will most likely go to either Mobil1 0w-30 or Valvoline 5w-30 synthetic and see what happens.
I changed the temp sending unit on Saturday also. The temp gage still fluctuates wildly. I need to get an OBD scan tool hooked up and see what the computer is actually seeing.
Found two wires chopped and looped around one of the thermostat housing bolts when I changed the thermostat. Had to chop the wires off, the nuts and wires and stud were too corroded to remove properly. I put a crimp on lug on the wires and grounded it on another bolt. I need to get a wiring diagram and find out what those wires are for and where they are supposed to go.
Picked up an AC Compressor pulley bypass at O'Reilly's. It's a Dorman part. Unbolted the seized up compressor, bolt the idler pulley in (it's a LOT harder than it sounds!). Put the new Serpentine belt on. Much quieter, and looking at the old belt I note that I was NOT seeing the worst parts of it. It was missing some serious chunks.
Haven't fixed the doors or hinges yet. The hinge pin press from Eastwood arrived yesterday, the hinge spring compressor from Eastwood should arrive tomorrow. So, maybe this weekend.
Got to do something about the doors. We had -30°F this morning. Drivers door was frozen shut. Other doors were locked, and the key wouldn't go in the keyhole. I've kept Vger plugged in, so I drove it this morning. It's -18°F right now. Hope to thaw the door enough to find out how it starts tomorrow morning.
On Sun 1/11 gas in GR was 1.949, in Bemidji it was 1.799. Yesterday 1/12 in GR gas dropped to 1.899.
Last Wednesday 1/7 I changed the oil (as I mentioned I was planning in the last post) to Wal-Mart SuperTech 5w-30. Having the oil filter remotely mounted on the fenderwell is very nice. I need to get a coffee can to add to my toolbox to put under the filter when I change it. The oil oil was very thick. Oil pressure went waay down with the new oil.
On Saturday 1/10 I changed the oil and filter again. It was very black (as expected). I put in Wal-Mart SuperTech 5w-30 Synthetic this time. Oil pressure is still very low. At cold start oil pressure is about 50 PSI. At warm idle, maybe 5 PSI. At highway speeds warm it runs about 20 PSI. I'm guessing that the engine probably needs bearings, need to investigate further.
I'm planning on changing the oil again, probably next payday. Since it doesn't appear to be using any oil yet I will most likely go to either Mobil1 0w-30 or Valvoline 5w-30 synthetic and see what happens.
I changed the temp sending unit on Saturday also. The temp gage still fluctuates wildly. I need to get an OBD scan tool hooked up and see what the computer is actually seeing.
Found two wires chopped and looped around one of the thermostat housing bolts when I changed the thermostat. Had to chop the wires off, the nuts and wires and stud were too corroded to remove properly. I put a crimp on lug on the wires and grounded it on another bolt. I need to get a wiring diagram and find out what those wires are for and where they are supposed to go.
Picked up an AC Compressor pulley bypass at O'Reilly's. It's a Dorman part. Unbolted the seized up compressor, bolt the idler pulley in (it's a LOT harder than it sounds!). Put the new Serpentine belt on. Much quieter, and looking at the old belt I note that I was NOT seeing the worst parts of it. It was missing some serious chunks.
Haven't fixed the doors or hinges yet. The hinge pin press from Eastwood arrived yesterday, the hinge spring compressor from Eastwood should arrive tomorrow. So, maybe this weekend.
Got to do something about the doors. We had -30°F this morning. Drivers door was frozen shut. Other doors were locked, and the key wouldn't go in the keyhole. I've kept Vger plugged in, so I drove it this morning. It's -18°F right now. Hope to thaw the door enough to find out how it starts tomorrow morning.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Too confused/busy to blog the last few days. I managed to get off early on Christmas Eve and took Christmas Day and Friday off. I was actually carrying the Master Pager for the group and only got one page the entire weekend, and the problem was solved before I could return the call; so "work" was not the problem.
We'll start on 12/21, when we finally setup the (fake) Christmas Tree.
I think the picture is much prettier with the flash turned off:
Then we move to Christmas Eve, We had a couple of snow storms and some very cold weather, so on Christmas Eve (and Day) the roads were very icy. Driving past the neighbors house I noticed an eagle sitting in the tree looking out over the road and field beyond.
On Christmas Day the roads were still very icy, but the scenery was beautiful.
Spent most of Christmas Day in Bemidji with the kids. This was Phillip's first Christmas. I really remember very little about my childhood, but I do remember that I loved Legos (still do, actually). I have a set of Legos that were always at my grandparents, if you look thru the "Slides" you can find at least one photo of me playing with them. One of the first gifts I gave our kids was Legos, and I decided that would be my first Christmas Present for Phillip, start his collection of Legos. I got him a simple Duplo set to get started with.
Phillip played with Matt and Evolena a bit, he's getting quite the winning smile now.
Matt made up some more burned plaque; Jon got a Dragon and Patty a Mermaid, that face each other.
Evan got a plaque also, the Lord's Prayer - in Finnish.
Evolena also got a plaque of a Dragon
On Friday we took it (more or less) easy. On Saturday Matt and I (and a couple of helpers) went over to Jim's and installed a frost plug block heater in Vger. Haven't had to use it - yet. Tomorrow night we have a forecast for -20, so I'll get to test it then.
Went bowling Sunday with the neighbor's; I figure it's the first time in nearly 20 years I've tried to roll a ball at some pins. I did manage an 86 with a strike and a couple of spares and several gutter balls.
When we got home from Bowling I found Bear under the Christmas Tree
Gas in GR went to 1.659 on Friday, I believe Bemidji was at 1.629 on Christmas Day.
Until Later!
We'll start on 12/21, when we finally setup the (fake) Christmas Tree.
I think the picture is much prettier with the flash turned off:
Then we move to Christmas Eve, We had a couple of snow storms and some very cold weather, so on Christmas Eve (and Day) the roads were very icy. Driving past the neighbors house I noticed an eagle sitting in the tree looking out over the road and field beyond.
On Christmas Day the roads were still very icy, but the scenery was beautiful.
Spent most of Christmas Day in Bemidji with the kids. This was Phillip's first Christmas. I really remember very little about my childhood, but I do remember that I loved Legos (still do, actually). I have a set of Legos that were always at my grandparents, if you look thru the "Slides" you can find at least one photo of me playing with them. One of the first gifts I gave our kids was Legos, and I decided that would be my first Christmas Present for Phillip, start his collection of Legos. I got him a simple Duplo set to get started with.
Phillip played with Matt and Evolena a bit, he's getting quite the winning smile now.
Matt made up some more burned plaque; Jon got a Dragon and Patty a Mermaid, that face each other.
Evan got a plaque also, the Lord's Prayer - in Finnish.
Evolena also got a plaque of a Dragon
On Friday we took it (more or less) easy. On Saturday Matt and I (and a couple of helpers) went over to Jim's and installed a frost plug block heater in Vger. Haven't had to use it - yet. Tomorrow night we have a forecast for -20, so I'll get to test it then.
Went bowling Sunday with the neighbor's; I figure it's the first time in nearly 20 years I've tried to roll a ball at some pins. I did manage an 86 with a strike and a couple of spares and several gutter balls.
When we got home from Bowling I found Bear under the Christmas Tree
Gas in GR went to 1.659 on Friday, I believe Bemidji was at 1.629 on Christmas Day.
Until Later!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
20-Dec
Getting a bit behind.
Gas dropped to 1.679 12/19 in GR, at the same time gas in Bemidji was 1.659. Closest it's been for some time.
On the way back from Bemidji about 6:30 12/19 we passed a fresh accident scene. Found out this morning that a semi load of OSB tried to pass a pickup truck just east of Bena, the semi lost control on the very icy highway, side-swiped the pickup, spun, and flipped. The pickup went off the road, the driver was apparently uninjured, the semi looked like it had been wadded up and thrown into the trees, wheels on the tractor were up and the cab was flattened down nearly to the engine; the trailer was bent and twisted with OSB flung over the surrounding area. The driver of the semi was flown to St Luke's in Duluth with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Very lucky. We were about 15 minutes behind the accident, emergency vehicles passed us maybe a mile before the scene. We had to wait while they cleared the highway of debris, then, while they were still waiting for Luke's One to arrive, they allowed traffic thru.
Just about 1-1/2 weeks ago, a couple of miles further east on Highway 2, a VW Jetta suddenly swerved out into an oncoming lumber truck. The driver of the Jetta was dead at the scene, both vehicles were destroyed by fire. The semi driver had minor injuries. The roads were clear and dry at the time, there was no other traffic, and no-one alive today knows why the Jetta suddenly swerved into the oncoming traffic.
Picked up a block heater the other day, O'Reilly's was surpried that they actually received all 3 that they ordered. Still have not decided how or where or when to install the heater.
It's starting to snow again. 4-6 inches forecast for today, 8 to 16 inches forecast over the weekend. I'm afraid we won't be going very far this weekend.
Gas dropped to 1.679 12/19 in GR, at the same time gas in Bemidji was 1.659. Closest it's been for some time.
On the way back from Bemidji about 6:30 12/19 we passed a fresh accident scene. Found out this morning that a semi load of OSB tried to pass a pickup truck just east of Bena, the semi lost control on the very icy highway, side-swiped the pickup, spun, and flipped. The pickup went off the road, the driver was apparently uninjured, the semi looked like it had been wadded up and thrown into the trees, wheels on the tractor were up and the cab was flattened down nearly to the engine; the trailer was bent and twisted with OSB flung over the surrounding area. The driver of the semi was flown to St Luke's in Duluth with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Very lucky. We were about 15 minutes behind the accident, emergency vehicles passed us maybe a mile before the scene. We had to wait while they cleared the highway of debris, then, while they were still waiting for Luke's One to arrive, they allowed traffic thru.
Just about 1-1/2 weeks ago, a couple of miles further east on Highway 2, a VW Jetta suddenly swerved out into an oncoming lumber truck. The driver of the Jetta was dead at the scene, both vehicles were destroyed by fire. The semi driver had minor injuries. The roads were clear and dry at the time, there was no other traffic, and no-one alive today knows why the Jetta suddenly swerved into the oncoming traffic.
Picked up a block heater the other day, O'Reilly's was surpried that they actually received all 3 that they ordered. Still have not decided how or where or when to install the heater.
It's starting to snow again. 4-6 inches forecast for today, 8 to 16 inches forecast over the weekend. I'm afraid we won't be going very far this weekend.
Friday, December 12, 2008
12-Dec Colder
The thermometer at home said -20°F, the NWS says -10°F. I was shivering too much to read the thermometers in town.
Ran ourselves out of propane at home; not sure how. I'm sure the gauge read 30% last Friday, but it is empty now. Might have something to do with all the house cleaning and traffic thru the house all week.
Vendors have been sending "Customer Appreciation" gifts of fancy chocolates all week, I'm eating myself sick.
When I call my UniCel phone I get a message that service has been suspended. All the cell phones owned by the hospital say that when you call them.
Gas in GR is still at 1.699. We'll be going to Bemidji tonight, see what it is there.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
10 Dec
Gas went to 1.699 yesterday.
Snowing to beat heck outside, 1"/hour. Forecast 5-7 inches today. And the snow plow tractor isn't done. Ah well.
Economic news continues to get gloomier. There are even rumors of layoffs at Blandin here in GR. Since Blandin makes coated paper usually used for adverts and mags they typically see steady or increased business during economic downturns as businesses increase advertising, but with the rise of global e-business many companies are turning to the Internet to increase their visibility, and mags have been losing subscribers steadily over the last few years as more people use the internet. Blandin's warehouses are reportedly full now, so they will need to cut back sharply soon. Since they are one of the major employers in the county it will be a big blow here. However, they still seem to be shipping paper since I still see the special train delivering clay and hauling away 5-8 boxcars of paper daily. We'll see.
I'm still waiting to see the new Sherwin-Williams paint store close. I was very surprised when they opened it last spring, back on a side road behind the new Super Wal-Mart. I have never seen any other cars in its parking lot other than the two employees. I have been in twice looking for paint products that they do not sell only to end up at my usual hardware store where they do sell the product I'm looking for. I suppose that they are primarily aimed at the professional painting contractor rather than the homeowner or hobbyist, and maybe contractors will keep them open. Our local ProBuild (formerly UBC) never has any vehicles in the parking lot, but rumor is that most contractors in the area use them and that is how they stay open. They must give contractors a pretty deep discount if that is true; every time I have priced them they have been nearly twice as expensive as any other source in the area.
Need to go get parts to fix a heater. The heater we used while working on the Suburban needs to go back to its owner today; and the one that is to replace it needs a new power cord. The ground prong was bent over and when I tried to straighten it the prong broke off. Since we are working here with diesel and electricity I want it to be properly grounded when we plug it in. Would have been easy to just put a new plug on the cord, but the cord is only 2" long to begin with and there just isn't room to cut it off and start over.
Snowing to beat heck outside, 1"/hour. Forecast 5-7 inches today. And the snow plow tractor isn't done. Ah well.
Economic news continues to get gloomier. There are even rumors of layoffs at Blandin here in GR. Since Blandin makes coated paper usually used for adverts and mags they typically see steady or increased business during economic downturns as businesses increase advertising, but with the rise of global e-business many companies are turning to the Internet to increase their visibility, and mags have been losing subscribers steadily over the last few years as more people use the internet. Blandin's warehouses are reportedly full now, so they will need to cut back sharply soon. Since they are one of the major employers in the county it will be a big blow here. However, they still seem to be shipping paper since I still see the special train delivering clay and hauling away 5-8 boxcars of paper daily. We'll see.
I'm still waiting to see the new Sherwin-Williams paint store close. I was very surprised when they opened it last spring, back on a side road behind the new Super Wal-Mart. I have never seen any other cars in its parking lot other than the two employees. I have been in twice looking for paint products that they do not sell only to end up at my usual hardware store where they do sell the product I'm looking for. I suppose that they are primarily aimed at the professional painting contractor rather than the homeowner or hobbyist, and maybe contractors will keep them open. Our local ProBuild (formerly UBC) never has any vehicles in the parking lot, but rumor is that most contractors in the area use them and that is how they stay open. They must give contractors a pretty deep discount if that is true; every time I have priced them they have been nearly twice as expensive as any other source in the area.
Need to go get parts to fix a heater. The heater we used while working on the Suburban needs to go back to its owner today; and the one that is to replace it needs a new power cord. The ground prong was bent over and when I tried to straighten it the prong broke off. Since we are working here with diesel and electricity I want it to be properly grounded when we plug it in. Would have been easy to just put a new plug on the cord, but the cord is only 2" long to begin with and there just isn't room to cut it off and start over.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
9 Dec
Gas in GR went to 1.729 sometime yesterday.
Changed oil in Vger and the Red Horizon on Sunday to Valvoline 5w-30. Vger barely started after the cold night and we had to jump-start the Horizon. Neither car has a block heater, not sure why I didn't get one installed on the Horizon while it was apart. I need to see about doing that soon. Vger has an oversized battery, but I don't know of a bigger one that will fit the Horizon, it needs a small, reversed terminal battery and doesn't have room for anything different.
Matt got the steering box out of the Suburban and removed the old pitman arm and put on the new one, just need to figure out how to torque it to 160 ft-lbs. Need a big vice on a big bench or something like that. The 115,000 btu heater makes a big difference in the garage. If I had $3-400 I'd get one.
Changed oil in Vger and the Red Horizon on Sunday to Valvoline 5w-30. Vger barely started after the cold night and we had to jump-start the Horizon. Neither car has a block heater, not sure why I didn't get one installed on the Horizon while it was apart. I need to see about doing that soon. Vger has an oversized battery, but I don't know of a bigger one that will fit the Horizon, it needs a small, reversed terminal battery and doesn't have room for anything different.
Matt got the steering box out of the Suburban and removed the old pitman arm and put on the new one, just need to figure out how to torque it to 160 ft-lbs. Need a big vice on a big bench or something like that. The 115,000 btu heater makes a big difference in the garage. If I had $3-400 I'd get one.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
4 Dec
Gas this morning is at 1.829.
Temp this morning is at 5°F with a light dusting of snow. Forecast is -3° tonight, first below 0°F.
Pain level very high this morning; don't know how much longer I can sit at my desk; may need to go home and take some pain killers.
I have restarted scanning the slides, my new scans are much better than the old ones, so I will be replacing the old with the new. I'm doing good to get between 5 and ten slides an evening; takes nearly 10 minutes to do each one. These scans are approx 3000 x 2000, I will be posting approx 800 x 600 but originals can be emailed or made available for download upon request. Here's a sample:
The filename is 19790632-M-LoneCypress.jpg. Format is YearMonthNumber-size-Info; in this case the date and sequence number printed on the slide indicate that it was developed June of 1979 slide number 32, Medium size (could be Original or Small) and I happen to know that this is the Lone Cypress. Info may include what is written on the slide or the names of the people or place pictured when I know it.
Temp this morning is at 5°F with a light dusting of snow. Forecast is -3° tonight, first below 0°F.
Pain level very high this morning; don't know how much longer I can sit at my desk; may need to go home and take some pain killers.
I have restarted scanning the slides, my new scans are much better than the old ones, so I will be replacing the old with the new. I'm doing good to get between 5 and ten slides an evening; takes nearly 10 minutes to do each one. These scans are approx 3000 x 2000, I will be posting approx 800 x 600 but originals can be emailed or made available for download upon request. Here's a sample:
The filename is 19790632-M-LoneCypress.jpg. Format is YearMonthNumber-size-Info; in this case the date and sequence number printed on the slide indicate that it was developed June of 1979 slide number 32, Medium size (could be Original or Small) and I happen to know that this is the Lone Cypress. Info may include what is written on the slide or the names of the people or place pictured when I know it.
Monday, December 1, 2008
December already
Yup, today is December First, or in Xanth, Dismember First. Or, maybe, Disremember First.
Gas yesterday 11/30 in Bemidji was 1.719, in GR it is still 1.899.
Some days I don't know why I bother looking at the news. Officials found 9 headless bodies in Tijauna Sunday. Over 4000 people have died in drug related violence this year in Mexico. A seige of Mumbai, India left 172 people dead over three days last week. A temp worker at a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream NY was killed as Black Friday crowds blew down the doors at the 5AM opening. GM owned Saab and Ford owned Volvo are having financial problems and Ford and GM are asking the Swedish government for help. Chinese manufacturing orders dropped sharply last month. Black Friday sales figures appear to be down from last years. Since Black Friday can be 10% of a stores annual sales, and sales are already down this year, most retailers books aren't going to make it into the black. Japanese factory output is down.
Sunday while in Bemidji I noticed that I was approaching an odometer milestone, so I tried to photograph it. Almost succeeded; I was on a quiet stretch of road, getting into position, when three cars suddenly came up behind me, so the picture ended up being really poor, but here it is, Vger hitting 222,222.2 miles at 22 mph:
If only I'd been an hour earlier it would have been even better.
Pretty nice weather so far this winter. No snow to speak of yet, we haven't been below 0°F yet.
Codex Alera: Princeps Fury arrived in Friday's mail. Wow. Jim Butcher has outdone himself. In the penultimate book of the series he has opened up many more questions. He answered the question of Invidia Aquitane with a question. He answered the question of Attis Aquitane with a question. He answered the question of Raucus Antillus with a question. He answered the question of Kalarus Brencis Minoris with an final answer (I think).
Gas yesterday 11/30 in Bemidji was 1.719, in GR it is still 1.899.
Some days I don't know why I bother looking at the news. Officials found 9 headless bodies in Tijauna Sunday. Over 4000 people have died in drug related violence this year in Mexico. A seige of Mumbai, India left 172 people dead over three days last week. A temp worker at a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream NY was killed as Black Friday crowds blew down the doors at the 5AM opening. GM owned Saab and Ford owned Volvo are having financial problems and Ford and GM are asking the Swedish government for help. Chinese manufacturing orders dropped sharply last month. Black Friday sales figures appear to be down from last years. Since Black Friday can be 10% of a stores annual sales, and sales are already down this year, most retailers books aren't going to make it into the black. Japanese factory output is down.
Sunday while in Bemidji I noticed that I was approaching an odometer milestone, so I tried to photograph it. Almost succeeded; I was on a quiet stretch of road, getting into position, when three cars suddenly came up behind me, so the picture ended up being really poor, but here it is, Vger hitting 222,222.2 miles at 22 mph:
If only I'd been an hour earlier it would have been even better.
Pretty nice weather so far this winter. No snow to speak of yet, we haven't been below 0°F yet.
Codex Alera: Princeps Fury arrived in Friday's mail. Wow. Jim Butcher has outdone himself. In the penultimate book of the series he has opened up many more questions. He answered the question of Invidia Aquitane with a question. He answered the question of Attis Aquitane with a question. He answered the question of Raucus Antillus with a question. He answered the question of Kalarus Brencis Minoris with an final answer (I think).
Friday, November 28, 2008
SVCHOST Finale
Well, I don't have svchost errors anymore.
Disabling the "server" service stopped the errors from happening, but it also stopped a bunch of other stuff that I wanted. So, I was going to do a repair install of XP and brought a CD home to do it with.
I have two types of WinXP CD's lying around; I usually keep them labeled appropriately. One type is just a basic, standard CD that is slipstreamed with current patches (at this time, up to SP3), and the other is my "rebuild the PC and get it on the floor CD" that automatically boots, reformats, installs, and configures everything to our desktop standard so that when the install process is done in about an hour it can go straight to the floor. As I said, I try to keep them labeled, but I grabbed an unlabeled XP CD and it was my auto CD. Most of the data is backed up to about 2 months ago, so it isn't a total loss, and it is probably better this way anyways, clear up a bunch of junk.
Had a great Turkey Dinner yesterday at Jon and Patty's place. After dinner Jon showed me a book he got recently; an Anthology of Dragon stories. The first story was by Anne McCaffrey. I've just never gotten around to reading any of her writing, but after reading that short story (the beginning of the Pern saga) I realized that I've been missing some great reading. I'm going to have to get the "Dragonflight" book and start reading about Pern.
Jon and Patty gave me the latest Mannheim Steamroller CD, "Christmasville". From the Mannheim Steamroller Website:
"This record was born out of a once-in-a-lifetime project: Universal Theme Parks commissioned Chip Davis to create music WITH vocals-- for a holiday show called 'Grinchmas'. Thus, for the first time, you'll hear Mannheim Steamroller with voice as the final instrument"
I'm afraid it's not one of the better Mannheim efforts. Actually, it's the worst Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Album yet. It's very short, about 30 minutes. Only two (I think) of the tracks are actually Mannheim Steamroller, the rest are some kind of a bastard Mannheim/Universal cross.
Chip, I really hope that this is indeed a "once in a lifetime" album.
Gotta remember to pick up the head for Stripez at the machine shop today.
Gas in Bemidji was 1.719, in GR 1.899 on T-Day.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
SVCHOST errors cont.
I'm continuing to have problems with the svchost process crashing, so I continued my research. So far, the most helpful website I have seen is http://www.huguesjohnson.com/svchost.html. I took a hint from his writing and disabled the System Event Notification Service. Well, that didn't stop it (didn't really expect it to). In reading the event logs I did see that the errors followed the successful load of "Performance counters for the WmiApRpl (WmiApRpl) service". I'm not using WMI so I have disabled that. Also, one (just one!!) of the errors references the acgenral.dll; all the rest say "unknown module". AcGenral.dll is part of Application Compatibility, not sure what the connection is. I also updated to the current Java since it seemed as though the errors would come up on certain web pages, no change yet. I have disabled System Restore and it's services, we'll see what happens.
Gas in GR was at 1.899 when I got off work yesterday 11/24.
Hip O Select is the online store for Universal Music Group. I wanted to order a limited edition album from them, the website said (still does) it was in stock for immediate shipment. Well, two days after I ordered it I got a backorder notice (but the website still says it is in stock for immediate shipment!!). I've seen enough of that crap, so I asked them to cancel the order. It took 3 days, but they have finally acknowledged and canceled the order. It's a lousy website. I guess I'm spoiled by Amazon.com and its wonderful Customer Service.
Well, it still crashes. I've rebooted twice since the last entry. For entertainment I' have disabled the server service. I typically disable it on workstations, but it is enabled here because this PC shares resources. If that doesn't work I need to remember to bring home a copy of UBCD4Win. I should bring it home anyways just to see if it shows me anything.
Gas in GR was at 1.899 when I got off work yesterday 11/24.
Hip O Select is the online store for Universal Music Group. I wanted to order a limited edition album from them, the website said (still does) it was in stock for immediate shipment. Well, two days after I ordered it I got a backorder notice (but the website still says it is in stock for immediate shipment!!). I've seen enough of that crap, so I asked them to cancel the order. It took 3 days, but they have finally acknowledged and canceled the order. It's a lousy website. I guess I'm spoiled by Amazon.com and its wonderful Customer Service.
Well, it still crashes. I've rebooted twice since the last entry. For entertainment I' have disabled the server service. I typically disable it on workstations, but it is enabled here because this PC shares resources. If that doesn't work I need to remember to bring home a copy of UBCD4Win. I should bring it home anyways just to see if it shows me anything.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Finally
Gas in GR dropped to 1.999 yesterday.
9°F this morning. Single digits. At least it's not negative yet, and I don't see any negative temps in the next week. Maybe another light dusting of snow.
But I still haven't seen any deer, and the season ends Sunday afternoon, and I still have two tags left to fill and Matt has one tag left to fill.
Saw something on the BNSF track in La Prairie this morning on the way to work, I'm guessing it was a work train of some sort. It was lit up with flood lights all around, so it was hard to see in the dark, but it looked to be an engine and maybe 8 cars. It was just sitting on the track in La Prairie, not moving. Maybe it will be there still when I leave work early to go hunting.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Gas Redux
Gas in Bemidji dropped to 1.959 yesterday, gas in GR dropped to 2.199. I see on www.minnesotagasprices.com that some Twin Cities stations are at 1.859. Whoa.
While it's a good thing at the moment, I'm not certain that it is a good idea long term, but I guess we will find out.
While it's a good thing at the moment, I'm not certain that it is a good idea long term, but I guess we will find out.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Deer Season
Well, Deer Season came in with a BANG!! Sitting out on my stand, about one minute after my watch said "time", from all around I heard bang! bang! bang-bang-bang-bang! bang!
I haven't seen anything yet. Matt, hunting with his friends a couple of miles away, tagged a nice doe and a button buck first thing this morning. He took the button buck with one perfect shot through the lungs; it dropped and never moved. Should be some good eating there.
Thursdays rain was part of a large system centered down near Sioux City. The center stayed there most of Thursday, wrapping Gulf moisture and warm air up and around onto us. Overnight Thursday it moved East across MN and Friday we continued to get some rain and drizzle as the temps began to fall. Saturday (Deer Season Opener) started out with some mixed snow and drizzle, but the ground was warm enough that the snow disappeared right away.
Today, Sunday, the ground has cooled enough that the snow is staying. We are only getting a few flakes at a time, and the puddles aren't frozen solid yet, but it's about 20 degrees F out right now and that North wind is coold.
Gas is at 2.259 this morning.
I tried to buy a pair of 195/75/R14 Winterforce tires at L&M on sale, but they were sold out Thursday night. Said they would transfer a couple from another store and I could get them Friday afternoon. Stopped by Friday afternoon and then later that evening, still haven't arrived.
Decided to pull the pair of Winterforce tires off Stripez. They don't have many miles on them since Stripez blew the head gasket soon after it got the new tires. They are on Vger now. While I had the front drivers tire off Vger I checked the trans oil, it was down nearly 2 quarts. Trying to remember when I checked it last and topped it off, hopefully I blogged it (no, I didn't. September?). Still have a funny noise under the hood anytime the engine is running, suspect that I'm about to lose the alternator or waterpump soon; or perhaps the timing belt idler? Hope not. Too cold to mess with it right now, it needs to keep running until we can get Stripez back together.
Need to pickup the head for Stripez from the machine shop, $220.
Need to pickup the starter for the Allis-Chalmers from the rebuild shop, $195.
Need to put a pair of Winterforce tires on the front of the red Horizon, $100
Got a bit of a shock Thursday afternoon. My current Auto Insurance policy was due to be renewed Friday, and I asked my insurance agent to check around for a better price, was paying $900 every 6 month's for 5 vehicles and 4 drivers.
Well, Evan's car is titled in his name, he is not a student, and he lives in Bemidji. Jon has his own family, is not a student, and lives in Bemidji while driving Betty's LeMans. Turns out that, although we have been paying for the insurance coverage, if they had an accident they wouldn't have been covered. So Betty gave the title to the LeMans to Jon and they are not on our new policy, which dropped the price a bit.
Here is what we learned. If the driver is a full time student and/or lives at home, they can be covered under our policy. If the title to the vehicle is in mine or Betty's name, it can be covered under our policy. Otherwise, NOT.
So, when Matt gets his truck running, we leave the title in my name, and he is living at home, then he and the truck will be covered under our policy. When Matt titles the truck in his name he will then need to get his own insurance. When Matt leaves home, he will need to title the truck in his name and get his own insurance.
OK. Didn't know that. And we've been paying for Jon and Evan's insurance that wasn't going to cover them. Thank God they didn't have any accidents.
I haven't seen anything yet. Matt, hunting with his friends a couple of miles away, tagged a nice doe and a button buck first thing this morning. He took the button buck with one perfect shot through the lungs; it dropped and never moved. Should be some good eating there.
Thursdays rain was part of a large system centered down near Sioux City. The center stayed there most of Thursday, wrapping Gulf moisture and warm air up and around onto us. Overnight Thursday it moved East across MN and Friday we continued to get some rain and drizzle as the temps began to fall. Saturday (Deer Season Opener) started out with some mixed snow and drizzle, but the ground was warm enough that the snow disappeared right away.
Today, Sunday, the ground has cooled enough that the snow is staying. We are only getting a few flakes at a time, and the puddles aren't frozen solid yet, but it's about 20 degrees F out right now and that North wind is coold.
Gas is at 2.259 this morning.
I tried to buy a pair of 195/75/R14 Winterforce tires at L&M on sale, but they were sold out Thursday night. Said they would transfer a couple from another store and I could get them Friday afternoon. Stopped by Friday afternoon and then later that evening, still haven't arrived.
Decided to pull the pair of Winterforce tires off Stripez. They don't have many miles on them since Stripez blew the head gasket soon after it got the new tires. They are on Vger now. While I had the front drivers tire off Vger I checked the trans oil, it was down nearly 2 quarts. Trying to remember when I checked it last and topped it off, hopefully I blogged it (no, I didn't. September?). Still have a funny noise under the hood anytime the engine is running, suspect that I'm about to lose the alternator or waterpump soon; or perhaps the timing belt idler? Hope not. Too cold to mess with it right now, it needs to keep running until we can get Stripez back together.
Need to pickup the head for Stripez from the machine shop, $220.
Need to pickup the starter for the Allis-Chalmers from the rebuild shop, $195.
Need to put a pair of Winterforce tires on the front of the red Horizon, $100
Got a bit of a shock Thursday afternoon. My current Auto Insurance policy was due to be renewed Friday, and I asked my insurance agent to check around for a better price, was paying $900 every 6 month's for 5 vehicles and 4 drivers.
Well, Evan's car is titled in his name, he is not a student, and he lives in Bemidji. Jon has his own family, is not a student, and lives in Bemidji while driving Betty's LeMans. Turns out that, although we have been paying for the insurance coverage, if they had an accident they wouldn't have been covered. So Betty gave the title to the LeMans to Jon and they are not on our new policy, which dropped the price a bit.
Here is what we learned. If the driver is a full time student and/or lives at home, they can be covered under our policy. If the title to the vehicle is in mine or Betty's name, it can be covered under our policy. Otherwise, NOT.
So, when Matt gets his truck running, we leave the title in my name, and he is living at home, then he and the truck will be covered under our policy. When Matt titles the truck in his name he will then need to get his own insurance. When Matt leaves home, he will need to title the truck in his name and get his own insurance.
OK. Didn't know that. And we've been paying for Jon and Evan's insurance that wasn't going to cover them. Thank God they didn't have any accidents.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Gas at 2.299 since Sunday 11/2
I'm writing this a week later; I forgot to blog it at the time.
Halloween night the window mechanism on Vger broke. In the ChryCorp minivans of this age the crank drives a gear approx 8" diameter that moves a flexible rack gear bolted to the bottom of the window and running on a track inside the door. The plastic rack gear broke about 6" below the window.
Well, I've tried replacing these mechanisms before and it is a regular PITA, so I wanted to avoid that if possible. I figured OK, I have two other vans, so I'll just swap this door with the driers door from the Turbo Caravan. In the meantime, I stuck a piece of wood in the door to hold the window up.
So, Matt's going to help me swap the doors. I had forgotten, but we parted out an 88 Caravan a year ago, and the drivers door was in pretty good shape. So, Matt dug it out of the barn and installed it. Vger now has a white drivers door and a working window.
The door we took off is in excellent shape, I don't think it has any rust on it, so we put it aside as a spare. When we get around to it we'll replace the window mechanism.
Halloween night the window mechanism on Vger broke. In the ChryCorp minivans of this age the crank drives a gear approx 8" diameter that moves a flexible rack gear bolted to the bottom of the window and running on a track inside the door. The plastic rack gear broke about 6" below the window.
Well, I've tried replacing these mechanisms before and it is a regular PITA, so I wanted to avoid that if possible. I figured OK, I have two other vans, so I'll just swap this door with the driers door from the Turbo Caravan. In the meantime, I stuck a piece of wood in the door to hold the window up.
So, Matt's going to help me swap the doors. I had forgotten, but we parted out an 88 Caravan a year ago, and the drivers door was in pretty good shape. So, Matt dug it out of the barn and installed it. Vger now has a white drivers door and a working window.
The door we took off is in excellent shape, I don't think it has any rust on it, so we put it aside as a spare. When we get around to it we'll replace the window mechanism.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
And the price drops
Gas in GR this morning is at 2.459, although I am told that at 6AM this morning in Bemidji it was at 2.35 (some people I work with live in Bemidji).
Nymex crude is at 68.40, Brent is at 64.24 at the moment.
Been fighting with a Blackberry that doesn't want to sync with Outlook. Even when it does sync it dupes all recurring appts. About half the time the Desktop would crash taking Outlook with it. Finally figured out how to wipe the BB calendar (options, RSET). Uninstalled BB Desktop, rebooted, logged in as another user, deleted all temp files and BB/RIM related files and folders, rebooted, installed the BB Desktop. It appears to be working at this moment. What a PIA. The BB sync process is SO unreliable compared to the HotSync or ActiveSync process. I don't EVER recall having a problem like this with the Palm and when there is a problem like this with Windows Mobile usually rebooting the PC and the device cures the problem. RIM can't make it that easy. And people wonder why I don't recommend the Blackberry.
Nymex crude is at 68.40, Brent is at 64.24 at the moment.
Been fighting with a Blackberry that doesn't want to sync with Outlook. Even when it does sync it dupes all recurring appts. About half the time the Desktop would crash taking Outlook with it. Finally figured out how to wipe the BB calendar (options, RSET). Uninstalled BB Desktop, rebooted, logged in as another user, deleted all temp files and BB/RIM related files and folders, rebooted, installed the BB Desktop. It appears to be working at this moment. What a PIA. The BB sync process is SO unreliable compared to the HotSync or ActiveSync process. I don't EVER recall having a problem like this with the Palm and when there is a problem like this with Windows Mobile usually rebooting the PC and the device cures the problem. RIM can't make it that easy. And people wonder why I don't recommend the Blackberry.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Another Weekend
and winter is fast approaching.
Gas was at 2.519 this morning.
Matt and I got the windows pretty well winterized, better than ever before I think. Spent most of Saturday on that, taking advantage of the nice, sunny, 60 degree day to get some outside work done.
Sunday was colder (40's) and windy, with drizzle and rain off and on. I spent most of Sunday in the shop on a woodworking project I've been wanting to tackle.
I have a small collection of swords, mostly made by Windlass Steelcrafts and purchased from Atlanta Cutlery or Museum Replicas (same Co. for my purposes). Nothing fancy or exotic, nothing antique and just one really special sword. I've been displaying the swords on my gun rack that I made 1-1/2 years ago, but a gun rack is not a sword rack. I bought a small sword rack somewhere (don't recall) but it wasn't more than a scaled down gun rack, and besides, I have more than 3 blades. Also, most of the swords have scabbards, a couple of which are worth looking at, and it's not a good idea to store the blade in the scabbard. And, even if I don't have them now, I hope to aquire more blades that have etchings or other patterns on them, and you can't see them when they are scabbarded.
So, I wanted to build a sword display rack. I also wanted to be able to display the scabbard along with the sword.
Here is what I came up with:
Instead of making one big loop for a rifle, I made a loop big enough for a scabbard, then continued forward and down with a small squared notch for a blade. The squared notch keeps the blade vertical so that it doesn't fall over. You can best see it in the bottom, empty slots.
The rack is currently unfinished. It probably won't get finished until sometime next summer because it's getting too cold to stain and varnish it now. I made it out of some scrap 3/4" oak plywood that has been banging around the barn for a while and it's pretty rough.
I may very well end up building a newer one. The first thing I noticed is that the 3/4" inch plywood is too thick and takes attention from the swords. I first made a practice 3 sword table rack from 1/4" inch OSB, which was ugly, but I think that 1/4" ash or oak would look very nice, so I might try to get some later and try it.
My other problem with both the sword rack and the gun rack is that both are made from plywood. I knew when I made the gun rack from CD plywood that it wouldn't be pretty and that there would be voids, but when I made the sword rack from oak AB plywood I didn't expect to find as many or large voids like I found.
So, I think that on my list of 'things to do when I feel like woodworking' is a new sword and a new gun rack. The new sword rack made from 1/4" or 3/8" ash and the new gun rack made from 3/8" or 1/2" ash. And probably including some kind of storage compartment for polishing/dust cloths.
Oh, and if you're interested, from top to bottom in the sword rack we have the Windlass replica of a Confederate Cavalry Saber, the Windlass replica of Lt Patton's Cavalry Sword, the Windlass replica of an Enfield Bayonet, a Windlass Tai Chi sword, and last a replica of the Dragon Ball Z sword belonging to Evolena that came from Medieval Weapon Art, but they 'forgot' to send the matching scabbard and finally sent a generic one to her. I had problems with MWArt myself; I ordered the Patton Sword from them and after saying it was "in stock" when I ordered it they said that it was backordered. Took several weeks to receive it, and MWArt never replied to any of my emails. Now I see that MWArt has been renamed "Realm Collections"; I do NOT recommend them.
Here's a picture of the gun rack and the purchased sword rack:
The blade at the top is the Windlass "Modern" katana blade, I'm still thinking about what to use for a hilt and grip (I am starting with a Katana blade,but am not making a katana); next is a wooden prototype of a sword design that I'm working on that is loosely based on the blade shape of the Enfield bayonet; next is the Remington Model 4 .22 single shot, probably manufactured about 1920. I inherited it from Dad, it was a very accurate gun, but after the second 22LR shell blew in half I decided it was time to retire it and so it has been made inoperable. Next is a Moisin-Nagant M44 stamped 1946 that has been made inoperable. Bottom on the gun rack is an inoperable 12 gauge double-barreled damascus wound black-powder shotgun dated 1893 manufactured by E. Daoust & Co. that I believe belonged to my grandfather.
Below the gun rack is the store-bought sword rack. Currently, it's sole occupant is "Sting" from "Lord of the Rings" and its scabbard. Sting is my special sword, a gift from Betty. You can see that the rack is just a mini version of a gun rack.
One of the other things I need to change about the gun rack is the loop spacing. In this photo, the barrels on all three guns have been shimmed up so they are sitting level. Part of the problem is that the M44 has 1/4" of shims, the shotgun has 1/2" of shims, and the 22 has 1-1/2" of shims. The only way to get them all to sit level is to shim them or build a custom rack with the spacing built in. When I built this one I built in (as I recall) 3/4" difference between the two sides of the rack, but it wasn't enough for these guns.
And, note how my prototype sword is resting. The hilt end should probably be 1/2" higher than the tip end. I should probably factor that into my next sword rack.
Just had a wild idea after re-reading this. I should make both racks of 1/4" Plexiglas! On second thought, maybe not. 1/4" x 24" x 96" Plexiglas (enough to make 2 of each) is well over $100. I'll have to think about it some more.
Matt and I also worked some more on the living room window, we got it rocked on three sides and Matt has taped and mudded it. I'm hoping I can figure out what to do with the right side of the window so Matt can get it mudded. If we get that done and if we get time, we might be able to paint it next weekend and then I will still need to figure out the trim around the window. Don't have any idea what I can do with the outside; I can't find a source for the asphalt siding that is on the house (and falling off). Easiest thing I can think of is to reside that side of the house, but I don't really want to do that. Probably end up putting some CDX plywood around the window and painting it some color that almost matches the siding.
Gas was at 2.519 this morning.
Matt and I got the windows pretty well winterized, better than ever before I think. Spent most of Saturday on that, taking advantage of the nice, sunny, 60 degree day to get some outside work done.
Sunday was colder (40's) and windy, with drizzle and rain off and on. I spent most of Sunday in the shop on a woodworking project I've been wanting to tackle.
I have a small collection of swords, mostly made by Windlass Steelcrafts and purchased from Atlanta Cutlery or Museum Replicas (same Co. for my purposes). Nothing fancy or exotic, nothing antique and just one really special sword. I've been displaying the swords on my gun rack that I made 1-1/2 years ago, but a gun rack is not a sword rack. I bought a small sword rack somewhere (don't recall) but it wasn't more than a scaled down gun rack, and besides, I have more than 3 blades. Also, most of the swords have scabbards, a couple of which are worth looking at, and it's not a good idea to store the blade in the scabbard. And, even if I don't have them now, I hope to aquire more blades that have etchings or other patterns on them, and you can't see them when they are scabbarded.
So, I wanted to build a sword display rack. I also wanted to be able to display the scabbard along with the sword.
Here is what I came up with:
Instead of making one big loop for a rifle, I made a loop big enough for a scabbard, then continued forward and down with a small squared notch for a blade. The squared notch keeps the blade vertical so that it doesn't fall over. You can best see it in the bottom, empty slots.
The rack is currently unfinished. It probably won't get finished until sometime next summer because it's getting too cold to stain and varnish it now. I made it out of some scrap 3/4" oak plywood that has been banging around the barn for a while and it's pretty rough.
I may very well end up building a newer one. The first thing I noticed is that the 3/4" inch plywood is too thick and takes attention from the swords. I first made a practice 3 sword table rack from 1/4" inch OSB, which was ugly, but I think that 1/4" ash or oak would look very nice, so I might try to get some later and try it.
My other problem with both the sword rack and the gun rack is that both are made from plywood. I knew when I made the gun rack from CD plywood that it wouldn't be pretty and that there would be voids, but when I made the sword rack from oak AB plywood I didn't expect to find as many or large voids like I found.
So, I think that on my list of 'things to do when I feel like woodworking' is a new sword and a new gun rack. The new sword rack made from 1/4" or 3/8" ash and the new gun rack made from 3/8" or 1/2" ash. And probably including some kind of storage compartment for polishing/dust cloths.
Oh, and if you're interested, from top to bottom in the sword rack we have the Windlass replica of a Confederate Cavalry Saber, the Windlass replica of Lt Patton's Cavalry Sword, the Windlass replica of an Enfield Bayonet, a Windlass Tai Chi sword, and last a replica of the Dragon Ball Z sword belonging to Evolena that came from Medieval Weapon Art, but they 'forgot' to send the matching scabbard and finally sent a generic one to her. I had problems with MWArt myself; I ordered the Patton Sword from them and after saying it was "in stock" when I ordered it they said that it was backordered. Took several weeks to receive it, and MWArt never replied to any of my emails. Now I see that MWArt has been renamed "Realm Collections"; I do NOT recommend them.
Here's a picture of the gun rack and the purchased sword rack:
The blade at the top is the Windlass "Modern" katana blade, I'm still thinking about what to use for a hilt and grip (I am starting with a Katana blade,but am not making a katana); next is a wooden prototype of a sword design that I'm working on that is loosely based on the blade shape of the Enfield bayonet; next is the Remington Model 4 .22 single shot, probably manufactured about 1920. I inherited it from Dad, it was a very accurate gun, but after the second 22LR shell blew in half I decided it was time to retire it and so it has been made inoperable. Next is a Moisin-Nagant M44 stamped 1946 that has been made inoperable. Bottom on the gun rack is an inoperable 12 gauge double-barreled damascus wound black-powder shotgun dated 1893 manufactured by E. Daoust & Co. that I believe belonged to my grandfather.
Below the gun rack is the store-bought sword rack. Currently, it's sole occupant is "Sting" from "Lord of the Rings" and its scabbard. Sting is my special sword, a gift from Betty. You can see that the rack is just a mini version of a gun rack.
One of the other things I need to change about the gun rack is the loop spacing. In this photo, the barrels on all three guns have been shimmed up so they are sitting level. Part of the problem is that the M44 has 1/4" of shims, the shotgun has 1/2" of shims, and the 22 has 1-1/2" of shims. The only way to get them all to sit level is to shim them or build a custom rack with the spacing built in. When I built this one I built in (as I recall) 3/4" difference between the two sides of the rack, but it wasn't enough for these guns.
And, note how my prototype sword is resting. The hilt end should probably be 1/2" higher than the tip end. I should probably factor that into my next sword rack.
Just had a wild idea after re-reading this. I should make both racks of 1/4" Plexiglas! On second thought, maybe not. 1/4" x 24" x 96" Plexiglas (enough to make 2 of each) is well over $100. I'll have to think about it some more.
Matt and I also worked some more on the living room window, we got it rocked on three sides and Matt has taped and mudded it. I'm hoping I can figure out what to do with the right side of the window so Matt can get it mudded. If we get that done and if we get time, we might be able to paint it next weekend and then I will still need to figure out the trim around the window. Don't have any idea what I can do with the outside; I can't find a source for the asphalt siding that is on the house (and falling off). Easiest thing I can think of is to reside that side of the house, but I don't really want to do that. Probably end up putting some CDX plywood around the window and painting it some color that almost matches the siding.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Snow
Snow in Saturday's Forecast!!!!!
Gas is at 2.589, highest I recorded was 3.699 on 8/30/08. This will be a help to the budget, once I get it straightened out again.
Oil is at about $63/bbl, down from a high of about $121 at the beginning of August 2008. They say it will be a month or so before the pump prices get down the rest of the way.
Stock Market is down over 300 points just today, from a NASDAQ high of 2860 Oct 31, 2007 down to 1572 as of 3 PM Eastern.
Gas is at 2.589, highest I recorded was 3.699 on 8/30/08. This will be a help to the budget, once I get it straightened out again.
Oil is at about $63/bbl, down from a high of about $121 at the beginning of August 2008. They say it will be a month or so before the pump prices get down the rest of the way.
Stock Market is down over 300 points just today, from a NASDAQ high of 2860 Oct 31, 2007 down to 1572 as of 3 PM Eastern.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)