First time playing and I made out like a bandit....Snap-On Yahtzee!!!!!
First time playing and I made out like a bandit....Snap-On Yahtzee!!!!!
noodle said:First time playing and I made out like a bandit....Snap-On Yahtzee!!!!!
Hey, you got it! Glad you are enjoying the contents of the box. That Snap-On Yahtzee is pretty sweet, and probably cost someone $267.53. 
BTW, those game controllers work on the PC as well. Enjoy!
daeman said:In reply to Woody :
And you're alive to write about the experience, Congratulations mate! How was it?
Vegimite is pretty rough, mate.
It tastes a little like salty gear oil. But I did eat the whole piece of toast.
In reply to Woody :
Vegemite isn't that bad. It looks like you put too much on.
In reply to EvanB :
There was less on there than you’d think, just enough to color the bread.
In reply to Woody :
Yeah, Evans right, that's still too much. Sorry Woody, though salty gear oil is an interesting description.
I went on a two week photo safari. Most of the places we stayed had Vegemite out with breakfast.
I thoroughly enjoyed eating it with my breakfast! The rest of the people on the safari treated me like a pariah. The tour leader was from Australia and he always broke into a grin when he saw me eating Vegemite and a big "Good on ya!" greeting.
Did I enjoy eating it? Nah, but I'm sure I could get used to it. I can eat just about anything, and it was fun with the reactions and approval.
oldopelguy said:So I am one of those stragglers who got my package a while back but didn't want to open it until I got mine sent. In my defense I have stopped by the post office 3 times in the last couple of weeks to pick up a new box and they have been out of them every time, so I have been driving around with a random similar size box full of stuff waiting to transfer it over. Also as a heads up, I think I sent mine out to the same place I sent last year's.
My package was clearly from someone more connected than myself, as demonstrated by the lanyard stack.
I'm 98% sure I have actually met my gifter in person, back when I was living in SC, which is pretty cool.
It was chock full of magazines, promotional materials, a carb adapter, uhaul trailer lighting adapter, tie rods apparently for a Jeep product, and this thing:
Which I think is for cleaning to a level beyond my abilities.
Also a 10mm socket, tshirt, and some fuel rail adapters I might actually be able to use!
Total loot shot:
Thanks again for everything!
Ding ding ding! Yup, not only have we met, you sold me a GM Slim Jim transmission (deliverd in the back of a Mini).
Not sure how connected I am, but a 20 year career in automotive writing has given me an ample supply of junk to share. The "nut job" wheel cleaner was basically thrown at me by the inventor who chased me down at a car show. The crap-tastic watch was a promo for the movie "Faster" with Nick Cage. The MR2 toy was mine as a kid that somehow survived. If you can use the fuel rail adapters I'm impressed. No idea what the carb spacer fits. The auto show USB drives are kind of cool, especially the glass Audi one. Should be a 10mm socket in there somewhere. And the magazines are from my collection that is both cool and worthless at the same time. And lanyards are always handy at the track.
Glad you didn't get hit by a porch pirate, I was starting to get worried.
Apologies to the group and the thoughtful sender of my first GRM game package. Things have been pretty busy and I haven't managed to get a full post up showing the loot, only my previous quick shot showing off some new gear. On with the story...pretend its two weeks ago.
A message from my lovely woman indicated a flat rate package had arrived on the doorstep. Witnesses claim to have seen a launch of approximately 17 feet, landing with a solid clunk loud enough to alert the cat of such an invasion. The lady promised to wait until my arrival, as we had quite enjoyed packaging up the loot we sent out.
The package showed to have come from the almighty GRM headquarters. Odd, could this mean I was paired with an employee? Would this mean some actual GRM merch to rep?
Aluminum donut....hmmm. No fancy opening at this house, a simple slice to the tape and the beauty within was revealed.
Yes, we hit the GRM jackpot here. Numerous GRM and Classic Motorsports magazines. Which is wonderful as my subscription lapsed a couple years back and being a bum I hadn't yet reinstated it. I know, I know.
A plethora of stickers. Bumper stickers, white vinyl stickers, GRM dork sticker, SCCA stickers, as well as a Hope College Formula Racing Sticker. Very dope...as the kids say.
A GRM koozie and nit hat as well. You better believe I will be wearing the hat this winter. Other than a GRM tee shirt back in the day, this is my first GRM swag and I am pumped.
Further literature includes a book by GQ highlighting some impressive vehicles, I am already about halfway through it. We've also got he glovebox companion booklet and trackday companion booklet by Motorsports Marketing. The 44:16 book leads me to believe this came from Mr. Wallens, being a BMX advocate. Although I don't have any history in BMX, I have done some cycling so it should be an interesting read.
The aluminum donut will come in handy at some point. Havent decided on what my next big project will be but it will certainly involve some metal fabrication.
Chopsticks showed no pitting or splitting, likely unused.
A stack of lanyards also filled the box, I imagine from various trade shows? I recall having a bunch of these from the few years I worked SEMA. Pretty cool and the BMW lanyard has become the home to our E30 key so it hopefully wont be lost. Especially since we don't have a spare.
Trying on some of the swag! And our first sticker was applied a few days ago. Awesome.
Overall a super incredible package with some very thoughtful inclusions. Really appreciate everything and thank you to Bill for organizing this exchange.
Thank you David!
It's....ARRIVED!
*thunderclap*
"You seem more excited than you did on Christmas morning," -swmbo last night
my first peek into my future
all kinds of promise yet I must restrain myself
awww yeah license plates can always come in handy. Touching that they are from Sandusky!
this part was the best part Especially the hand-written note. A reminder to future me to include something similar next year I actually remember the car and drivers My dad was a subscriber and I would always read them
as noted, the ice scraper will likely see minimal use down here in Southern California. But there are times I need one and I have resorted to credit cards more often than I care to recall. The little sender switch might come in handy, too, someday
and finally, new gauges, a clutch master cylinder, sockets and an oil filter! Fantastic! Must find a way to use them all
heartfelt thanks going out to Ohio. Thanks, John!
jfryjfry said:"You seem more excited than you did on Christmas morning," -swmbo last night
It fun to get these gift from people who really understand you. Probably understand you more than the people you live with every day!
Again, my apologies for the late sending.
Javelin said:In reply to RacetruckRon :
Those bearings look vaguely familiar...
As well they should! 
RacetruckRon said:A very cleverly decorated and slightly abused box showed up today.
I know, I know, Wisconsin blows this time of year. We are planning on relocating to the Carolinas in a couple years.
I gather that my gentle mockery was received okay. I find that decorating the box is some of the most fun of the game.
Layer one: a nice note, a few license plates and some stickers.
Layer 2: Surgical gloves and some literature
Layer 3: Hot Wheels, some old Happy Meal toys. These Happy Meal toys are awesome!!
Thanks to Javelin from last year's box. He really outdid himself for cool toys, so passing them on!
Layer 4: Mrs. Racetruck is pretty stoked about the Chevelle and the first aid supplies. A spare 10mm, some plastic panel fasteners, another Koni adjuster knob and lots of "caulk" jokes.
Fun for the whole family, and of course there must be a 10 mm socket!
Layer 5: Helicoil kit, a seat belt, light socket? zipties of course, US made Timken Bearings, duct tape bandaids and one on the useful hand tools I have ever seen.
Another must-have: zip ties! The helicoil set was purchased in the early 80s, and used once. I think it's time to give it a chance to be useful. As noted above, thanks to Javelin for the awesome bearings (and the duct tape bandaids). I wanted to keep them in circulation so they might get used. As for the hand tool, it's either useful or useless. Or maybe both at once!
Gotta do some googles to see what these fit. These might be worth basing a build around. Thank you Floating Doc! This is an awesome box, well worth the wait!
I'm glad the box was fun to unpack, and hopefully you'll get some use out of the contents (or find them appropriately inappropriate for sending on next year).
And, on to the unboxing of my box for this year. As I explained to Hungary Bill this week, I was late sending out my box, so I didn't feel like it would be appropriate for me to open mine. It subsequently became part of the scenery.
Here we go!
First, the decorations are always fun!
And on to the opening! I'm trying to ingratiate myself for my lateness by using a unique tool: a souvenir machete/sword, collected by an American soldier in Panama during the Spanish American War.
And off to the contents! Okay, so maybe this potentially lethal tool isn't the safest choice for this job.
Carefully...
And we're in! On top, this awesome telescoping backscratcher.
Followed by a Christmas decoration: a penguin/snowman/lighted/something... Cool!
And, since it needed to be opened, why not use the most dangerous and inappropriate tool?
But, I'm now well prepared for an accident with the "blade of death!" Notice: all fingers still present!
For a special treat, Bush's Baked Beans flavored LifeSaver candies! How could I have gone my whole life without trying these?
A cool telescoping flashlight!
A New Year's box game classic: a pack of zip ties! Always appropriate, always appreciated, always useful...always! I'm having too much fun...
A quite unique adjustable wrench. The patina definitely adds to the cachet. An automotive USB port adaptor, and (oh, boy), THREE PACKAGES OF MAGNETS! I LOVE MAGNETS!
A hat headlamp! I love headlamps! They get daily use around here, and I don't have one of these.
Then I came across this additional package. No lettering, but it needed to be opened. Carefully, now...
OOOH! Homemade BBQ Rub, with instructions!
But wait, there's more! A mysterious set of adaptors (this is one of three), a quite unique multitool, and an awesome set of pencils!
Next, the obligatory and always anticipated Hot Wheels, with an important clue to the identity of my 2020 benefactor: a NY transit Department of Buses Booking Sheet and wallet-sized maps of the NYC subway system and streets of lower Manhattan.
Complete with a bus, and a taxi, it must be Wally! Yay! I love Wally's posts on the photo thread! And check out the awesome Studebaker sticker.
And then, there's this ominous and mysterious package. Time for the blade again...
Stickers! Lots of stickers! I love stickers!
There's more, like a NYC Sanitation Department coloring book, an odd 8.8 grade bolt, and a really cool pocket bottle opener/screwdriver, but I must end with this...
My favorite Mo Willems book, animated: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Thanks Wally! This has been great, made even better by it being from one of my favorite GRM members!
Here's the connection to the video:
Woooww! What a great box!
Looks like someone's done gubmnt work!
My box just arrived!
And it's banged up. I have a feeling not all items made it.
Will open and post this evening!
Man... We are down to the single digits (this is where I get sad).
I've got all my confirmation e-mails back and I thought that as we begin to wrap things up that I'd give a status report:
Still in the game, we have:
- 6 packages received, but not yet posted (Be looking for those soon)
- 3 packages that are still in transit.
I look forward to seeing what these last few boxes hold for us, and just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who made this years game as good as it is! We've broken the attendance record 6-years in a row now, and I cant tell you guys enough about how awesome it is to see what I thought would be a "fun thing to do one year" grow into a life completely of its own. If we make it to 10 years, we're going to have to think of some way to celebrate!!
Anyhoo, here we go now. 'Round Ford Chicanes and headed toward the finish line.
Cheers guys!
My box arrived today! I watched the mailman host the box on his shoulder and struggle up the walk. I was watching from the bedroom window and gently smiled at his shuffle towards the door. The box weighed 21+ lbs!
The box has seen better days. This looks like something wanted out. It may have escaped. Look how much that duct tape pulled down!
Oh my. Yes, I expect to be filing a missing parts report. This does not bode well. However, onward! No fancy opening bit. I figured the box had been through enough indignity.
Here we have three used horseshoes. The box is from Texas, after all, and I think they get a monthly allotment of them or something. There are three bolts, and what reminds me of a distributor hold-down tab. Perhaps an exhaust clamp? Also obligatory zip-ties and hose clamps! Since the small ones are in original packaging I might flog those on Ebay. We’ll see.
Next layer! Oh yeah, full on swag here! A HF flash light that works! More hose clamps, but with little handles. I’ve not seen this type before. Fancy! A stout Stanley utility knife with patina, which I can use because it folds up. A cool decal which will join others on my storage box, and some super fancy gold tape stuff! I have never needed this before, but suddenly I have a tremendous need to deploy it. Probably not as the manufacturer intended, either!
Another layer with a sweet vinyl banner which will go on the garage wall, and a DSPORT magazine (which will be used for an upcoming airplane flight’s entertainment.) A cool Texas license plate, and some sort of weird paperweights. They work though!
Finally, the big finish! Two rear stabilizer bars in the original packaging for a Hyundai or Kia, and A. FREAKIN’. TURBO!!!
( passes out )
A big thanks to my new friend, MazdaFace!
This is the second year in a row somebody got a turbo in the mail. Yay!
daeman said:
Next up is a Porsche flag which has been signed, the only legible one is grm's own Woody.
^Two of those three guys are driving at Bathurst today!
Happy Imbolc! We received our package a few days ago, but due to family visiting and general insanity of our lives, didn't have time to do a proper opening.
Until tonight.
Being that tomorrow is Candlemas, we decided to celebrate Mid-Winter as is our custom. We burnt E36 M3.
Then, after dinner, the greatest movie ever made on quadruped meteorological prognosticators. And this year, with the bonus of a secret gift!
The little VCHs even dressed up for the occasion.
We armed them...
And they set to work opening the mystery box. Notably, excitement ran high.
Except for Mrs. VCH, who refused to be photographed for this event.
Working East, Working West, like the transcontinental railroad, they eventually met somewhere around Promontory, Utah.
And then, the real excitement began.
After a flurry of pieces parts flying everywhere, and the kids laughing gleefully over every new trinket extricated from the package, I was finally able to achieve some semblance of order and document the contents of our New Years, er, Ground Hog Day box.
THE ELECTRIC STUFF:
Some fancy tail lights (for maybe a trailer), headlight bulbs in a package with no English writing on it whatsoever, a black box (made out of what black boxes are made out of, I hope), a switch for when you have an arrow emergency, various piggy tails, a USB wall charger dealy, a carabiner flashlight (never seen anything like that before, super cool) a flashlight that charges where people formerly used to light their cigarettes (Mrs. VCH is claiming this for her truck, since she never uses her cigarette lighter outlet for lighting cigarettes) and a AA battery box.
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
Several blades for a bone-cutting saw, some solder protector thingies, a thermometer for measuring tire pressure, Squishy orange kids toys, some sort of homemade-looking double-ended wrench on a socket, emergency screwdrivers, a teeny tiny stapler (Mrs. VCH also may claim that) with teeny tiny staples, a partial rack of proper freedom unit sockets, and a plastic screw top lid thing for screwdriver bits...or some sort of bee hive.
PARTS AND PIECES
Assorted rubber washers, metal peg board hanger looking deals, a couple of red plugs that say "TH350" on them, so I'm assuming they're for or from a transmission bearing that designation, a somewhat-unique outlet cover, a change separator (my daughter claimed this, to sort her piggy bank into), roll of wicked good gold pinstriping that Mrs. VCH wants me to put on her black Camaro, a Chrysler AM radio faceplate, an eyepatch (which the little VCHs are fighting over custody of...) a couple of giant pencils (perfect for little hands!), a hitch pin, a mousepad, some wall anchors, a bag full of MAC'S screwy feet, and a giant roll of LED lights that should have been in the ELECTRIC STUFF picture. Oh well.
THE STUFF I STARED AT QUIZZICALLY AND NO ONE HERE REALLY KNOWS WHAT IT IS
I'm guessing the little man thing is some sort of a cell phone holder, as my Blackberry fits into it. The little ball doo dad has 'RAM' written on it, so it may be for a Chrysler-produced truck. The big gray 'C' things look like they may be overkill bottle openers. Various rings and hooks and other sort-of specialized looking hardware. A 'Weather Channel' plastic box. And a USB thing with a switch and some sort of display. I'm guessing it displays voltage? It confuses me...but then, it might be the most brilliant thing since orange tape measures.
Thanks, oldopelguy! BTW, I'm pretty sure you were my gifter last year, too. On behalf of my family, we appreciate your continued generosity.
The ball doo-dad is a RAM mount. Now you have to buy a kayak.
So the ram mount goes between the mirror and the windshield on something and gives you a base for attaching a phone or whatever mount; I just don't remember what it fits.
The little black guy is a vent mount phone holder for the car that I 3d printed. It works, but it's biggest virtue is the ridiculous smiley face always makes me smile. The two little black Ls are two different vent clips or stands for your desk.
The usb thing is a voltmeter and phone charger for a handlebar.
The heavy metal brackets are tie down anchors for welding to a trailer or something.
The little ring things are A or O track mounts.
The th350 red things are plugs for the end of most gm transmissions to keep them from dumping oil everywhere with the driveshaft out.
The coin sorter fits a cup holder, also 3d printed. My wife and her whole family wanted those at Christmas time.
Those little feet are actually elevator bolts, but they are handy as leveling feet.
The rubber washers are I think for garden hose. I always lose those myself.
The solder things are actually supposed to be wire splices that don't require crimping. You overlap the stripped wire inside the solder ring in the center, heat the whole works up, and it's supposed to solder, squeeze, and heatshrink everything all at once.
Those should be regular hacksaw blades. Cheap ones.
I have about 40# of those pegboard hooks if you find a use for them and want a hundred more.
The bit holder was also 3d printed, mostly to test making threads, but it seems to work well.
I really dig the Wera sockets because of the knurling.
The weird wrench came from Boeing surplus in Seattle. Who knows what it was made for.
The mousepad is actually a raft from the 3d printer. One technique for leveling and getting good adhesion is to print everything with one of those on the bottom, but it sucks up a lot of filiment and wastes a lot of time. When I was getting everything dialed in I created a lot of those and have no real use for them.
Sorry it was so late and kinda anticlimactic, but when I get your name again next year I'll see about spicing it up a bit.
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