Minor Win thread - Life is good!

AngryCorvair said:

In reply to AWSX1686 :

Build thread?

Hahaha, it would probably be a bit boring as so far I've picked it up, titled it, and drove it to work. It's going to be my daily so I'm trying to not HAVE to do a lot to it, only stuff I WANT to do. We'll see how that works. Once I actually do something to it maybe I'll start a thread. Hopefully I can find a roll bar sooner than later so I can use it for a Track day the weekend after the challenge...

A few months ago, bored and so interested in getting a cheap gadget, I started the nifty gadget thread, I bought a fountain pen for something like $7 at Books A Million while on a lunch break. 

It wrote wonderfully. 

I didn't have it on me a few weeks ago, so I bought a second pen, a Pilot Metropolitan,  through Amazon. When it arrived, I went to install the cartridge, and was surprised to find that it came with a squeeze-style converter for bottle ink pre-installed. I didn't know that was a thing. I left the cartridge in the box and ordered a bottle of Iroshizuku blue ink via Amazon.

The bottle is beautiful and heavy, the ink is beautiful, the filling process was super efficient, and this $20 pen is the best thing I've ever written with. 

I'm now going down the rabbit hole.

I just had a Noodler's Ahab arrive. It smells like hell, but writes like heaven if I don't ask it to flex. The packaging feels like I bought a pen from Dr. Bronner's or something.

It looks like I have lots of headroom for this to be a cheap hobby. I'm looking forward to some smaller variety packs of ink. I want some orange and maybe brown.

This is fun.

In reply to Mike :

I wrote with Lamy Safaris for years, in a variety of nib widths.  I love them.  They also came with a cartridge bladder. I have a big TTN Core that looks cool but never quite broke in for me. I still lust after one of those billet aluminum Rotring jobs. 

I just called SWMBO's parents.  I got permission to marry their daughter.  I know her answer already. I'm nervous enough to puke. I couldn't be more excited. 

In reply to Appleseed :

Best of luck! Don't want to jinx things... :)

In reply to Appleseed :

Exciting! You have to ask her soon now, don't keep us in suspense! 

SWMBO has officially given the approval on buying the new bike as soon as my road bike sells. All she wants in return is a new desk lol (which is on sale at her work, & she'll get the employee discount on top of that. should put the desk at less than $100 or right around there.)

In reply to Appleseed :

Fingers crossed.

Appleseed said:

I just called SWMBO's parents.  I got permission to marry their daughter.  I know her answer already. I'm nervous enough to puke. I couldn't be more excited. 

That's awesome, best of luck to you. You got this!

Just made the last payment on the wife's Mazda5.  Weird thing where they canceled auto-pay on the loan before the last payment was made and we had to make this last payment manually.  It was apparently due yesterday but I didn't call them until today.  Despite that, they didn't try to charge any extra fees or penalties, just happily took a check over the phone for the last payment and the lien release paperwork should be in the mail early next week.  So, double-win!  No more payment, and they didn't penalize me for being slow to getting around to calling them!

I saw an Infiniti G35 coupe today with a personalized plate that read: “Z ISH” It made me smile.

She said yes. I dropped to one knee in front of "DOC." That plane will always be a part of us now.

Congratulations to both of you! Cool spot to propose as well. 

In reply to Appleseed :

Yaaayyyyyy!   Way to go man!  

I need to pose the question to Tiger Mom, she’s pretty awesome.  Gotta nail that E36 M3 down. 

it it feels really good to get to the weekend.  

Appleseed said:

She said yes. I dropped to one knee in front of "DOC." That plane will always be a part of us now.

 

Best wishes!

Autocross hardware.  1st in class (CSP), third in raw (75 drivers), and a dollar against a Danny Popp prepped ZO6.  The last one feels the best cause it was piloted by a good friend and talented driver.  Those are the sweetest victories.

The transmission in teh R got tired of being between the immovable object and irresistible force, and decided to regurgitate all of its fluid out somewhere behind the torque converter.

While I was five hours from home.

Within a phenomenally short period of time, I was handed the key to a '13 Silverado, the sulking Volvo was pushed onto the attached trailer, and I was on my way, not to home, but to another friend's house five hours away in a different direction, for he had something I could borrow to drive until teh R is repaired.   The Volvo was deposited, a Mitsubishi was loaded on the trailer, and after a short nap I was headed back up to return the trailer, whereupon I unloaded my borrowed ride from it, hung out for an hour or so, then headed for home.

Total time from me going into "shoeleather mode" to me being home, 26 hours.  Including roughly 800ish miles of driving.

Any time people are THIS awesome, I am humbled and get driven to be as awesome in the future.

Tomorrow will be my first non-six day week in I think a year.  I think.  Because I can't remember the last time I had two days off in a row never mind having two off.  I feel guilty about not working but I'll make up for it with lots of chores new wheel nuts for the SVT then get it up in the air on all four corners change the oil and filter with the sender unit and take a look at the exhaust to see where everything is at if it needs to be replaced etc. Not willing to spend money on the brakes just now and I need to change the p/s pump and lines first. So it'll be positive.  Might even change the other headlight on the S-10 so both are new.  The clutch cable on the SE?  Whoa there.  Can't have too good a day off.  

   As of yesterday, the maxjax I bought over a year ago is finally fully installed and functional.

Feels good to "level up" my garage game..

At the risk of doubling down on the “life is good” posts in a single day.  Today my son and I were messing with the $1,000 dollar RX-8 we picked up Saturday.

PO had reported that it had “run and idled ok but seemed to have a bad SSV valve”.  But when we got there it wouldn’t start (at which point I almost walked but figured wth) so I loaded it on the trailer and dragged it home.

Knowing how problematic the renesis can be I had little hope and it seemed more and more likely I was just wasting my time and money on this thing but at worst it would be something for my son to tinker with for a few months and learn about working on cars with.

Put the jumper cables on the thing and when I went to crank it and noticed the fuel gauge is bottomed out.  No gas will cause a no start condition i’ve heard so 5 gallons of high test later and a few cranks to get the system primed again......vroom!

I’m pretty sure it does have a gummed up SSV because it’s idle fine and rev slowly fine, if you goose it quickly it stumbles and breaks up.  Yay for cheap cars!

Finally said berkeley it on megasquirt.  Bought msd box and distributor, set megasquirt to fuel only.

Issues solved!!!!!

Finally can start figuring out how to tune.

In reply to Dusterbd13 :

OMG BUT YORE NOT USEING THE FULL ABILITTY OF MEGASQUIRT WTH

...

A running and driving car is far, far better than a theoretical perfection that does nothing but gather dust and regret.

Exactly. 

Wanna link me to a luddites explanation for tuning? One of your posts pushed me in this direction, and im grateful for it.

Building permit in hand.  Let the garage begin!

My kid got her first paycheck yesterday.  I'm not sure who smiled more, her or me or Mama.