Engrish, Live from Chinatown Houston

I took my mom and stepdad out for a Chinese Sunday brunch. I had to go buy some Ramen (the REAL stuff) from Chinatown. We went to Classic Kitchen, which is a restaurant that serves Taiwanese Comfort Food. This place is run by the Soup Nazis Asian relatives. Cash only, and the waitstaff is rude, but what Chinese restaurant is known for good customer Service?

We ate and left, and when I was walking out, I had to snap a pic, Engrish is abundant here guys!



Happy New Year, Friends! Hope you have a great and very prosperous 2009!

Is that Really your name?

So I was cashing out at the grocery store the other day and this Girls name caught my eye.

I snickered and texted my friend, "Dude, this girls name is Diselina!" (pronounced, "Diesel-ina").

Of course, K texts back, "Pics or it didn't happen" of course this was as I was loading the groceries in the car.

So of course I went back and took a picture. She didn't want me to snap her face, so I just got her name tag.....


Yup. I have too much time on my hands....

Christmas Tree

Ever since I bought my house, every year I buy a live tree. Remember when you were a kid? Didn't the tree seem like it was 10-20 feet tall?

According to my mom, our trees were always about 6-7 feet, no more.

Heres a pic of the Noble Fir that I bought this year.




and in the dark...


Merry Christmas to all of my Friends!

Engrish....part II

So I against my promise of not going out of the house on black Friday, one of my friends asked me to meet him for lunch. I had to go to Costco anyway, so I decided to meet him at a Chinese buffet off I-10.

We had a good time and then the fortune cookies came out. We BOTH got the same fortune....his first comment was "They could have used correct grammar."




Engrish is all around us now....

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey Gang!

Happy Thanksgiving! This year, I have a whole lot to be thankful for. More than I can even say on the blog!

Enjoy your day. Stop a moment and think about those who aren't able to be with us today, especially those who are serving our country.

Engrish

Engrish. The attempt for people that don't speak or write the English language well to speak/write something that others find funny......

I was having lunch with C yesterday at our Favorite Thai place. C is half Filipino, and we used to work together. Anyway, we both appreciate good food, so we meet up for lunch and then laugh about our Asian heritage and catch up. So we're looking over the menu, and C points out something, I look and chuckle, and she asks "Where's it going?" which sent me into a roar, loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to glance over.....Thanks for the good laugh Cyn!



I ordered the Pad Thai, and asked her to make it spicy. It came out, not spicy enough, so I asked for some chili sauce. I should have kept my mouth shut. This was one of the few times I haven't been able to finish a meal because it was so hot. I was sweating profusely, and when I returned to the office, I could feel the spicyness eroding my stomach!

Retro Commercials.....

I love them...I can't help myself....heres one from 1980!



Love the clothing and music!

Free Parking?

Well, Network Geek finally has his entire driveway back!

A little history....

In 2005, I bought NG's old car, which had been sitting idle for a while, with the intention of fixing and selling. Fast forward to November 2008, NG is having a get together at his house on turkey day, and I owe him a Entertainment center that I promised him from March of this year. I decided to stop procrastinating and bring him the stand, and when I went over there, I saw the car, sitting with layers of grime and dust, lookin kinda sad. Thats when I finally decided, well, 3 years of free parking and no efforts to get that thing running, NG's trying to get his house cleaned up for Turkey day, so I'll help the effort by removing 2 tons of steel off his property.....
So off she goes to the world of Craigslist. And what do you know, within 1 hour of posting, a guy from 2 hours north of here is coming to get her! To top that off, the new buyer found a set of wrenches that I had bought and left in the car back in 2005. I always wondered where those things went off to! ;)

He arrived an hour before he said he'd be there, loaded the car and paid up, and left! Thanks again NG for the free parking for the last 3 years!

I've actually been paring my fleet down little by little, so much to the point that I'm getting a little nervous about how many vehicles I'm down to! I'm sure this will be a temporary situation of course!

More Cookin

I love Sunday nights. My mom used to make a big deal out of Sunday night supper. So now a days, living on my own, I still like to make a nice home cooked meal on Sunday nights.

Heres one I tried a week ago. Home Made Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes (from Scratch not a box you lazy guys!), Creamed Corn and a Salad. Really? There wasn't a lot of prep involved. This was an easy meal to make.

Heres the meal in progress....



And the finished product......





Probably not the healthiest choice with the Fried Chicken, but a nice home cooked meal really feels good on a Sunday night!

2nd Gen Lexus GS300 Valve Cover Gaskets

Heres another technical post for you car nuts out there. This past weekend, I replaced Valve cover gaskets on my friends 2nd Gen Lexus GS300.

"Gasket(s)?" You ask? On a GS300? Isnt that an inline 6? Why yes, yes it is. But Lexus has separate valve covers. One for Intake Side, and one for the exhaust side. So I went ahead and ordered the gasket set from Oreilly Auto Parts, which carries Fel-Pro.

For this project you'll need:

-Standard set of tools, specifically allen wrenches, 8,10,11, 12 mm sockets, a ratchet
-in-lb torque wrench
-Gasket Set
-RTV Sealant
-Brake Cleaner/Carb Cleaner
-Rags

Here you'll see the view of the intake assembly. The intake tube, throttle body and "Y Pipe" all have to come off, but you have to take each piece off, remembering to mark Vacuum hoses and electrical plugs if you can't remember where they go. Note the water bypass hose. Remember to put the clamp back on when you slide the hose back. The "Air intake chamber" Does not have to be removed to do this job.




Now that you have all that out of the way, you have easy access to both valve covers. You may have to unplug some of the ignition coils or the spark plug wires. BE VERY CAREFUL: these plugs are brittle from heat cycles and could crumble!!

This is also a good time to replace the plugs if you haven't done so in a while. I like NGK or Denso Plugs in Japanese cars.





Remove both valve covers and use the cleaner and a rag to clean the mounting surfaces of the cylinder head, paying attention to the front of the cam where the RTV sealant is.

Next, remove the old valve cover gaskets. This car has 180,000 miles on it, and the gaskets were hard and brittle and were no longer doing their job. Clean the seating area of the valve covers well and if you like, apply a gasket sealant to the inside of the valve cover where the gakset rides, and insert the new gaskets.

Go back to the car and apply some RTV sealant where the cams ride near the timing chain to help promote a good seal. Let this set a few minutes (10-15 in warm weather).

Now, we're ready to put the covers back with the new gaskets. Sit the cover on the cylinder head and replace all the bolts and 2 nuts, finger tightening each one and then using the in-lb torque wrench to snug to 95 in-lb. Start from the center and criss cross the bolts all until snug at 95 in-lb.

Now, throw it all back together. The Y Pipe has two very small vacuum lines and a larger one on the firewall side. Dont forget about them. Reinstall the Throttle body and the coolant line, make sure you put the clamp back.

Now for the intake tube. Plug all the electrical connections back in and you're ready to go!

Start the car and check for leaks.

Believe it or not, I love to cook

It may come to a surprise to some of you readers, but I actually DO enjoy cooking!

Recently I picked up some Pork Chops on sale at HEB. I usually grill the pork chops, but now I have an easy and tasty way to make em!

Preheat oven to 350.

Thaw them out, I let them season with Fajita seasoning for about an hour in the fridge, covered.

Rub with olive oil, then coat with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Then put the chops on top of a 2 layered pan, one with the vents on top, to let the juices run into the lower tray.

Bake 15 minutes on each side at 350. Serve em with whatever you like! Sorry boys and girls, no pictures. I'll take some next time!

Still Learning how to bend...

Okay, so some of you (well most of you) know that I'm in a new relationship. This is the best, healthiest relationship I've ever been in, yet we still have struggles, but I have to say, the challenges that are posed sometimes really bring me very deep insight.

OK guys, I'm not going soft on you here, but I'm really just trying to learn how to do this whole relationship thing. I'm enjoying the challenges at the same time as I'm learning more about this person, I'm learning more about me at the same time. She brings balance to me (aka not work 500 hours a week), and I'm actually enjoying just doing nothing (now and then). Its weird how God works, but this was something that I was joking with a friend of mine about and it ended up turning into something great. I'm still learning how to do this whole relationship thing, and actually COMMUNICATING with her! The good and the bad stuff, and we talk about it! This is amazing stuff because I never was shown this as a kid, so being able to use the tools that I have gained over the years and yield great results is awesome.

This Gary Allan Song was on the radio the other day and I had to laugh, because it's a good description of how things are going, and where I'd like them to go....

I'm still learning how to pray
Trying hard not to stray
Try to see things your way
I'm still learning how to pray
I'm still learning how to trust
It's so hard to open up
And I'd do anything for us
I'm still learning how to trust

Chorus:
I'm still learning how to bend
How to let you in
In a world full of tears
We'll conquer all our fears
I'm still learning how to fly
I wanna take you higher
I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend

I'm just trying to understand
It's all in someone else's hands
There's always been a bigger plan
But I don't need to understand

Chorus:
I'm still learning how to bend
How to let you in
In a world full of tears
We'll conquer all our fears
I'm still learning how to fly
I wanna take you higher
I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend

I'll be there till the end
I'll be your lover and your friend
I'm still learning how to bend
I'm still learning how to bend
I'll be there till the end
I'm still learning how to bend

For those who want to hear the song, Heres the Video...

Rebuilding Houston....

Man, After Ike, Houston and Galveston are slowly getting back to normal, but I still see signs all over town.....

Amazes me how Hurricanes make people unable to spell....

Houstons (and possibly the Worlds) Nastiest Apartment!

This is from a Forum that I check out now and then....Man I thought we were messy in college....

This has nothing to do with the Hurricane. We had a resident who had an outstanding balance for over a month and no one could get ahold of her. The Bookkeeper went inside after so many tries to leave a note and this is what we found.

The pictures do NO justice. There is suppose to be 2 cats living here but we cant find them (we think they’re dead somewhere inside the apartment-we contacted the SPCA). The place REEKS to say the least, i gagged non stop.

Why I dont shop at Wal Mart

Howdy All,
Been a while since I posted, been meaning to log in and make a post, just been busy, hurricane and all!

Well, most of you know that I dont like Wal Mart, for many reasons, Most of the stuff there is made in China, the employees just need a pulse to work there, and they squeeze out the local small businessman/woman.

Well, last night I needed some supplies, I was tired, and Super WalMart is closer than the HEB that I usually go to, so I made a quick run to get groceries and some cleaning supplies.

I go to the check out line, where the employee doesn't know ANY of the produce codes, and rings my lettuce up as cabbage, then my Celery as green onions.

When I make large purchases, I pay by check, so I can keep track of it easier than just swiping my Debit card. Back in 2005, when I became very aware of ID theft and cleaning my credit, I started printing my checks with my Initials and Last name, address, and nothing else. No License number, phone number etc, to make it harder for someone to steal my checks and go on a spree.

When she gives me my total, I hand her my check and license. At Wal Mart, when you write a check, they scan it, take your Routing number and account number and do an EFT as your payment and you get your check back. She looks at the check, looks at my license, then at me. "Your name does not match your license." I raise an eyebrow....huh?

"Your drivers license says XXX XXX, but the name on your check is Wells Fargo."

At this point, I'm looking around for Candid Camera's Peter Funt to come out and say "SURPRISE!" but nope. I point out to her my name is on the top of the check.

"Your name is XXX XXX, but your check only says "X. X. XXX".

By this time, the woman behind me is looking at me and looking at the cashier like shes crazy.

I calmly explain, "Those are my initials." She keeps studying the check.

"Your address is 17,600 Katy Freeway, Suite 100?"

Now, at This time I'm losing my cool.

"No, thats the Banks address." My address is below my name up here, and I show her my address, as well as the one on my drivers license. "See? They match."

At this point, she looks at me, like shes getting agitated.

Have you never seen a freakin check before lady? She finally scans my check, it goes through fine and she gives me my reciept.

Once again boys and girls, this is my annual trip to Wal-mart, until I get crazy and decide to go again.

Transporter 3

So my buddy Enrique got me hooked on the Transporter movies, you know the ones with Jason Statham.

After Transporter 2, I figured there wouldn't be a 3rd....but there is!

These movies are great action, but totally unbelievable in the stuff that happens in them, but hey, we all need some excitement and mental escape right?

Looks like this will be released around Christmas!

Check out the trailer....

Did you know....

That an AC adapter or battery charger continues to use electricity even when it is not plugged into the device? Recently, manufacturers have reported that most adapters or chargers continue to consume as much as 40% of the electricity that it normally does during usage or charging of the device... such as mobile phones, power tool chargers, laptop computers and the like.

In these times of increasing energy costs, higher prices of everything, we need to minimize use of things, right? Unplug that alarm clock in the guest room! Unplug the phone charger when its not in use, your laptop charger? unplug it if its not being used!

You may notice that when these chargers are plugged into a wall outlet, they're a little warm even though they are not plugged into the device they are designed to power up or charge. This heat can only be created by the consumption of electricity. The transformer in these adapters continue to draw electricity and produce the heat at anytime it is plugged into an electrical outlet.

So, unplug all of your unused chargers and adapter when not in use... you will save some electricity, and although it may not be noticeable on your electric bill, it may be saving you a couple of bucks per month.

A Good old fashioned Gas Price War...

Thats right boys and girls. Chevron and Shell at it.

Current price is 2.61 as of 4:45 PM!

UPDATE: 2.39 as of 5:30 PM



http://www.click2houston.com/news/17171733/detail.html

HOUSTON --

A gas price war that has fuel selling for less than $3 a gallon turned into long lines for two northwest Harris County gas stations, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.Two gas stations on Eldridge Parkway at FM 529 started the price war at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday.Word quickly spread and long lines formed when gas prices kept dropping. At one point, the lines continued onto the street.At 3 p.m., gas was selling for $2.85 a gallon at the Shell station and $2.83 a gallon at the Chevron across the street.Even big rigs got in on the action when diesel dropped to $3.69 a gallon.There's no word on how long the gas price war will last, how low prices will go or how long the gas will last.The average gas price in Houston on Tuesday was $3.62 and diesel was $4.44.

Another LOL Cat

Okay so this one is probably not as good as the Firefox one, but if you guys ever saw office space, you'd appreciate this one!




moar funny pictures

Shaving down the excess....

So these days, I have been trying to shed the economic drag thats on me, and that includes things that I pay for that I dont necessarily require to exist.

One thing was selling my Ford Diesel truck. I miss it, but I couldn't justify the cost of diesel fuel and insuring such a vehicle that gets used for weekend projects. The extra cash was nice too.

So I've been paring down on excess, and using it to pay off more of my credit card debt, which is looking better every day. My score is up and I feel better knowing that financial freedom is near!

For example. I have a Napster account, so I can listen to what I want to while at work....its 15 bucks a month. Well, Youtube has 99% of the songs I want to listen to, and its free! Okay, so we're 86ing the napster account.

Lunch? I honestly spend 8-10 bucks a day on lunch, eating out. So, now, 2-3 times a week, I pack my lunch. A sandwich, leftovers from what I cooked the night before, a Can of Soup, etc. Saves a few bucks too.

Of course you all know I clip coupons.

Anyway, just a post to check in, I'm still alive and kickin!

Hot Enough For ya?

Well summer offically started June 21, so the hot days are here!

I just ran out and got a bite to eat, and here's what car's thermometer had to say....



Thats right, summer is definitely here. I know, the temp is from sitting in the parking lot with that hot concrete bounching back, but still. Its warm out!

Old Car Commercials on Youtube

I love youtube.

They have all these old car commercials that I used to remember. You know the ones, they were more artsy and focused on the car more. Newer car commercials seem to be 'special interest' stories.


HEres a good example of a mid 80's Oldsmobile Commercial...




I liked how these used to be!

Anyway, Sorry for not posting recently, work's been busy!

Stalled Server Room

I know this is more for my buddy the network geek, but I had to share this one.

This came from the Daily WTF.

A few months back, Jen Frickell's company was given some bad news. When their lease ended, they'd have to move out of their second-floor suite. The good news, however, was that a suite would be available on the first floor. All they'd need to do was pack up and move downstairs.

It was a fairly reasonable request, so the company's executives signed a new lease and prepared to move. There was, however, just one, small hitch. The nice little server room they built in the back of their office - equipped with air conditioning units, ventilation, dedicated power, backup power, and so on - could not be relocated. Not only would it cost too much, but there was simply no room for it. The server room would just have to remain upstairs.

Obviously, the new second-floor tenant wouldn't want their neighbors walking through their office to access a server room, so building management and the company's executives came up with an alternative: wall off the server room door and build a new one. It seemed simple enough, but there was, however, just one small hitch. The only available wall to install a door was adjacent to the women's restroom. Inside the handicapped stall.

And since you're reading about it here, you know that didn't stop them. Here is the email from building management:

From: ---- --------
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2008 4:37 PM
To: Everyone
Subject: Server Room Access

Hi all.

As you all are aware, we have new tenants that have moved into
the 2nd floor suites.  The access to the server room is now via
the women’s bathroom.

There will be a sign on the woman’s door that can be changed
from OPEN to CLOSED and vice versa.

Should you need to enter the server room, please change the sign
to CLOSED.  Once you are done, please change it back to OPEN.

Once you enter the bathroom, you will be able to access the
server room via the handicapped stall. Please close the stall
door prior to entry, just in case someone doesn’t see that the
bathroom is closed.

I know this isn’t ideal, but if we adhere to this protocol, I
don’t think anyone will be disrupted.

Thanks!  Let me know if you have any questions.

---- --------
Building Management

Lifetime Warranties

Sometimes I miss the days when they used to "make em like they used to..."

Now I find that products that are bought are just total crap. Recently I've been noticing more products have a "Lifetime Replacement Warranty" or maybe a longer than typical warranty.

Example, last spring, I bought one of those fancy "Dial A Sprayer" garden hose attachments, you know the chrome ones with the rubber grip and 63 selectable settings, Shower, mist, angle, cone etc. I think I paid around 12 bucks for it.

After I got home, I noticed the tag. "Life time replacement warranty". Hmm. Interesting.

Let me take the tag off and staple the sales receipt to it, and put it in the 1 gallon ziploc I have for 'warranty' stuff.

Well here it is, the peak of watering season 2008 in Texas. I'm noticing that the chrome is starting to come off on the sprayer, not in little pieces, but in big chunks. So I keep using it, until all the chunks of chrome are gone, and now, the pot metal underneath starts to turn white and deteriorate. Hmmm didn't I remember something about a warranty?

So I found the receipt and warranty info. A quick filling out of the form on the Gilmour website and I had a response 3 days later, promising me a replacement. I asked how I should send the old one back, and the lady said just to chunk it.

Now, I have to say, one one hand, I'm delighted that their warranty service is that wonderful, no questions asked. On the other hand, it irks me that the company doesn't even care enough to find out the cause of the defect, that it would just be cheaper to throw the customer a new one rather find out what the root cause of the issue is.


Another company that is good on warranty is Delta Plumbing Fixtures. No questions asked. Call them with the model number, and its a lifetime replacement on anything newer than 1995. I've had my water diverter cartridge in my shower replaced twice with their warranty (labor not included of course), each time I've had a new cartridge show up on my doorstep via UPS. Its wonderful.
Anyone else have a 'good guys' product they use/like?

LOL Cats Part II

So I'm Famous....

The LOLCat Caption you saw below actually made the front page of I Can Has cheezburger.


http://icanhascheezburger.com/

So I made a LOLCat

For those of you that don't know what a LOL Cat is, go to www.icanhascheezburger.com

Its basically captioning whats going on. I know. I must be bored at work.

Just click on the picture and it will take you to the page, click the hamburgers and vote for me please!

Thanks!

Oh How I love dilbert....

Heres one of my favorites from 2001....


And a recent one....

Smart Cars..Maybe not so smart....

So I'm sure with the high gas prices, you're all running around in circles (at least in your mind) about "Gas prices, what should I do????"

So Mercedes decides to start bringing the Smart Fortwo into the US.

Yes, its passed all the NHTSA tests and is legal for US operation. Heres a Mercedes W220 (00-06 S Class) and a Smart Car doing a offset frontal crash test....



I dont know about you, but I think I'll pay a few more bucks at the pump and live.

Ever Wonder

To those one hit musical acts?

About a year ago, I started hearing a new one by Lady Antebellum. Pretty Catchy, but they all but disappeared recently.

Seems like they'll be a one hit wonder.

Anyone else have a song/band they liked, and they just had their "Fifteen minutes of fame" and thats all?

Lamborghini Reventon

The One MILLION Euro Lambo! That's right boys and girls. This is how it comes, in its own wooden crate. Packed like fine china!

More electronics.....

So my latest product I have been testing, is Logitech's Harmony One Remote. Okay so I sound like a product testing infomercial now, right?

This new remote allows you to control everything like a Universal, but theres one huge plus. You can program the remote's actions in the computer and sync it via USB.

So you can program all these activities in it. (Watch TV, Listen to Radio, Listen to CD, Watch DVD etc) and when you're done, one button turns it all off.

Here's an example. I want to watch a DVD. Press "Watch DVD" on the remote, and it powers on the:

TV, DVD player, and Home Theater unit......one click.....and also, it will tune the home theater to "DVD", open the DVD player, and set the volume on the home theater to my preprogrammed level.

Pretty nifty huh? All from ONE remote. No batteries to replace, theres a charging cradle like a cordless phone!

Home electronics......

So, the Oral-B electric toothbrush I've been using for the last TEN years finally had its last hurrah before heading to the electronics trash bin in the sky.

So I went to Target to look for a replacement, and picked up an Oral-B Sonic Complete. Apparently, sonic tooth cleaning is the new trend, as last time I went to the dentist, the scaler that the hygenist used was also sonic.

Its very wierd at first because, 1. Its quiet, 2. it does a really good job without having to make large brushing motions. Just let the bristles do their job. Quite nice once you get used to the feelings. The charging light on the base is a neat blue color, kinda matches the UV brush sanitizer I have too!

The Post office..part II

Well I got a response from the post office beleive it or not....So I replied....

Lets see what happens....

Dear redassaggie00,

Thank you for contacting us about the behavior of one of our employees at the Park Row Post Office.

I apologize this occurred. This type of conduct is not acceptable under any circumstances. As with any business, much of our public image depends on the manner in which our employees interact with customers.

I will be happy to document this complaint. In order to do this, I need some additional information so this can be sent to the correct office and you can be contacted. Please reply to this email with the following information:

- Your home telephone number
- Your address
- Date of incident
- Time of incident
- Whether you would like to receive a call regarding this issue (There is no guarantee that further information can be provided via email.)

If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for choosing the United States Postal Service®.

Regards,

Linda P

The Post office....

Most of you know that I run a website/internet mail order company from my home, and 98% of the product I ship is within the US. I use private carriers most of the time, but sometimes I use USPS for international or small stuff I can jam into a priority flat rate box.

I recently printed a label with "Click n Ship" service going to Canada, and I went to the post office near my house to drop the package off.

From what I understood on the website, All I had to do was to get the special international envelope for the customs forms that I printed and then drop it off at the Post office.

When I arrived there, the disgruntled worker, waited on me. I showed her the information I had, and that I had not done an international label online before. Then she proceeded to tell me, that,

"They dont train us how to handle online, I have no idea what that is" then she told me that the tape I used was masking tape "This ain't no box tape, this here some masking tape." I explained that it was Pressure sensitive adhesive tape that was USPS,FedEx and UPS approved. She then went on to say "You don't have the address on the box, you be usin' the wrong tape, and that package isn't ready to be shipped."

I run an internet sales company. We ship worldwide. I spent thousands of dollars in shipping last year. When I do ship USPS, I use a Post Office by work, where they have NEVER said the tape I use is improper.

So I asked if I need to write the address on the box, since the USPS Prioirity international label was not good enough to her. ANd her reply was "I dunno, they dont train us about that, you jus droppin a package off and you get a discount, really I dont have to help you because you printed that online." And put me at an empty station with my box, and helped the next customer.

All the while making snide comments about the way my box was packed and "You need to go get your money back cause thats the wrong tape right there." I did not feel like arguing with her anymore, but I don't appreciate the non stop sarcasm, rudeness, and being yelled at like a five year old for something that she thought was done incorrectly that I have done HUNDREDS of times before at other post offices with no problems.

Anyway thats my rant today. The post office is a Joke.

the Big 3-0

Well it's over, the big 3-0. I'm officially in the middle age zone....woo hoo! I guess....

I started enjoying easy listening, and just accepting it when I go to the store and people call me sir.

Oh my GAWD, where did the 20s go???

I celebrated with around 80 people, and it was a wonderful night.

Spaghetti warehouse took great care of us too!

Heres a pic of one of my oldest friends. We've known each other since 1987!





The rest of the pics are available, if you didn't get a chance to see them, drop me a note and I'll send you a link to them!

Help the Police

Remember the NWA Song F*ck the Police?

Here's the version if you have kids....

Spring Planting time!

Well its that time, time to rip out the old 'winter' flowers, and plant spring ones.

The pansies survived this time around, but now I'm gonna pop them out and put some spring stuff in. I already have my tomato plants in the ground, and I just have to work on the corner plot now to get it weeded and some mulch added in.

For those of you who aren't already using this stuff, I have used Scotts Bonus S MAX for the last two years in a row, and have had ZERO fire ants in the yard. You do pay more but man does it do a good job of keeping the fireants out, and keeps the yard looking nice throughout the summer too!

Kia Sorento Crank Sensor

If you're reading this post, more than likely you're either a car nut like me, or you've searched the net to come upon my site to figure out why your Kia Sorento SUV is acting up.

My neighbors, have a 03 Sorento with 99K miles. It died on them mysteriously the other day, and they had it towed home. The car starts and runs but you rev it and the check engine light comes on and it dies.

Well, I scanned it and it comes up with a Crank Sensor Fault. Heres the problem, the crank sensor access requires timing cover removal....which requires FEAD removal. This project is not for the faint of mechanicals but can be done in around 5 hours if you have air tools. This would also be a good time to replace your FEAD belts (3 of them) and inspect your timing belt. My neighbors had the belt replaced at 60, so we wont touch them.

The sensor is a Borg Warner CSS1002, and is available at Pep Boys for around 130 bucks. Its a simple operation, take everything off, and put it all back together.

What about the 10 year, 100k warranty, you ask? Read the fine print. The warranty is a bare bones deal, covers the block, crank, and certain hard parts. Nothing like sensors and other stuff that tends to fail with heat soak. So, what happens if you end up not having a neighbor like me? Your first instant reaction would be "Oh I have a warranty", and have it towed in, and then letting the dealer tear it down, and then tell you its not under warranty. I asked my neighbor to call and ask what it costs to do the repair at the dealer. HE was quoted "Around 750 dollars" OUCH!

Time for another trip to the store!

Well once again, this single guy made his usual pilgrimage to the local grocery store to stock up on supplies. As usual, I challenge myself to save as much as I can, and this time, looks like I knock almost 20% off my bill with coupons.

Remember my trip last time?

Anyone else care to play? The lady behind me was getting impatient until she started looking at the screen. "Wow, almost 17 dollars off??? Thats really good!"

TVs GALORE

So now I have a 65" TV in the living room...which means the 42" will go into the Bedroom...then the 37" will go into the...um...guest room....Now...the 21" will go to the hmmm...where else should I have a TV....uhm Garage, on a wall mount....and the 13" will...sit in the dark corner of the closet!

Seriously, I never thouhgt I'd have too many TVs.

For those of you who were considering putting a plasma in your bedroom, they put out LOTS of heat. I'm going to attempt to mount it on the wall in the next few weekends before my dad and his wife arrive.

Used Oil Analysis....More Car fun...

Some people may think I take the car maintenance thing a little too far sometimes. Well perhaps I do.

On my diesel Mercedes, I run 12,000 miles between oil changes. Yes thats right, twelve thousand. I do change the filter and top the oil off every 3,000, and at 6,000 and when I change it, I send a sample in to Blackstone Labs for a UOA or "Used Oil Analysis". Theres two reasons I do this.

1. I want to know whats going on with my car. I'm approaching 280,000 miles quickly and its nice to know whats going on inside. Kind of like bloodwork.
2. I use Synthetic Oil, which is costlier but one of the key benefits I like is better protection and extended drain intervals (or so they claim)
3. Extended Drain intervals means less impact on the environment, even if you do recycle the oil.

I'm not a big environmentalist or anything dont get me wrong, but there's no reason to pollute more than I need to.

So the last UOA report I just got in, shows that wear materials are high, and potassium is high. I spoke with a guy at the lab and he explained that just changing the filter isn't going to remove the amount of wear materials (iron copper etc) from the oil, and most certainly not coolant. Now if I had a bypass filter on this car, then I would be fine for thousands of miles more, but how far are we going to take this on a car fast approaching 300,000 miles?

Anyway, heres a link to the report.

I think the plan here is to change the oil at 5,000 this time and send a sample in again to see whats going on. The odd thing is, I'm not losing any coolant. Go figure.

Daylight Saving Time!

Dont forget to "Spring Forward" before bed Saturday night.

Interesting tidbit I never knew. It's "Daylight Saving Time" not "Daylight Savings Time" Someone actually wrote a whole article about it.

Anyway, dont forget to change 'em before bed tonight!

Tech Post: Modular V8 Ford AC Compressor bypass/delete

So a friend and classmate from school has been driving the same pickup since our college days.  This truck has served him faithfully for years, but recently his Compressor crapped out.

He doesnt want to replace it,  since he will buy a new truck soon, so we improvised.

After looking at this 1998 F150 4.6L Pickup, it was determined that the Compressor itself wasnt bad, but the clutch gave up the ghost.

How do we do this?   Well, theres actually two trains of thought here.

1. Work around it....
2. Rip it off and plug the lines.

Looking at the belt routing and tensioner, I can just bypass the compressor but to keep tension, I want to run the belt OVER the idler, instead of under.  This wont be that hard.  I wont bore you with the how to of taking a belt off and replacing a pulley.  If you cant do that, you shouldn't be attempting this workaround/repair.

We got out the Gates catalog and started looking. I found a 6 rib grooved pulley (to help keep the belt in place) and a shorter belt.  In this case, after trial and error, we found the best combo was a gates Micro V #K080806 or equivalent, and buy gates 38053 idler pulley. Boom and done.
(See below. You will replace Item #1)


If you want to pull the compressor, run  Ford Racing's AC compressor delete bracket, or, Dorman Products just released their version last year for much less. Look at Dorman 34188, AC compressor delete assembly.  Amazon has it, and oreillys and auto zone can order it for you.  Keep in mind you MUST plug the refrigerant lines properly if you plan on running AC again in the future to avoid contaminating the system. 


In this case, we kept the compressor in place and kept the system sealed and the truck was traded. 

Hmm...Interesting Messages

So I went to lunch with some clients the other day to a Chinese restaurant. Where I received this Fortune Cookie...

On the front....



and then....

on the back....




Hmmmm...I find it ironic and true at the same time....Crazy huh...

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!

Its that time of year again! The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is upon us!

Here's the performers and the rodeo events happening. I always like the Chuckwagon races!

Anyone else going this year? The cookoff is coming up soon too! YEE-HAW!

Monday, March 3	Tim McGraw Super Series I, Go Round 1
Tuesday, March 4	Faith Hill Super Series I, Go Round 1
Wednesday, March 5	Kevin Fowler Super Series I, Go Round 3 & Championship Round
Thursday, March 6	Alan Jackson Super Series II, Go Round 1
Friday, March 7	John Legend Super Series II, Go Round 1
Saturday, March 8	Martina McBride Super Series II, Go Round 3 & Champ. Round
Sunday, March 9	Hannah Montana - Miley Cyrus Super Series III, Go Round 1
Monday, March 10	Sugarland Super Series III, Go Round 2
Tuesday, March 11	Rascal Flatts Super Series III, Go Round 3 & Champ. Round
Wednesday, March 12	John Fogerty Super Series IV, Go Round 1
Thursday, March 13	Toby Keith Super Series IV, Go Round 2
Friday, March 14	Clay Walker Super Series IV, Go Round 3 & Champ. Round
Saturday, March 15	Brad Paisley Super Series V, Go Round 1
Sunday, March 16	Duelo / Los Horoscopos De Durango Super Series V, Go Round 2
Monday, March 17	Miranda Lambert Super Series V, Go Round 3 & Champ. Round
Tuesday, March 18	Big & Rich Xtreme Bulls
Wednesday, March 19	Fergie Super Series Semifinal 1
Thursday, March 20	Dierks Bently Super Series Semifinal 2
Friday, March 21	Pat Green Super Series Wild Card Round
Saturday, March 22	Brooks & Dunn Super Series Championship

Valentines Day...2008

For the first time in years, I actually have a date with someone on Valentines!

An old friend from High School, we're just having dinner, but who knows whats to come of it?

Keep your fingers crossed readers!

Baby Care, Final Episode!

OK this is the last of them!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!!

Baby Care, Episode 4

I'll stop with these soon, I promise!

Baby Care, Episode 3

These are hilariously insane!

Baby Care Episode 2

More of these funnies!