In reply to tuna55:
Congrats!
My minor win - I got the orange Miata running and drove it to work. With the top down. It wasn't too happy about starting, but by the time I made it to work, it was running like new. Makes me want to keep it, instead of selling it off...
I drove the duster a hundred yards today!!!!
My E46 suddenly started running on the regular key again. For the last month or two I've had to unlock it by hand with the main key, then start it with the plastic valet / spare key.
The remote in the main key is still dead, but at least it starts the car again.
My recently 9 year old son hauled up the Rock Band gear from the basement for our PS3 and is having a blast with it. For the last week he has asked me to practice Nirvana's In Bloom so we can play it when his friends come over for his "kids" birthday party on Friday.
Kids are a lot of work and very frustrating at times but seeing him light up when he gets it right and wanting to high five puts it all into perspective.
Have fun with your kids, that is how memories are made.
Really minor win territory, but that's me (the giant on the left) receiving my class win hat for winning C/SP in the 2016 season. I ran uncontested, so that's why it's a minor win,
I randomly found UTZ sourdough pretzels at a store here in ohio. I havnt had them since i moved out of maryland. Still delicious!
In reply to dropstep:
The crab seasoning-flavored chips by Utz are the E36 M3
I just tried the fried dill pickle chips from UTZ, they are as amazing as I imagined they would be.
UTZ is so underrated.
NickD wrote: In reply to dropstep: The crab seasoning-flavored chips by Utz are the E36 M3
I had them when I toured the Southeast a couple years ago. They are just too good. I thought I'd be safe from them out west, but Amazon sells them.
EvanR wrote:NickD wrote: In reply to dropstep: The crab seasoning-flavored chips by Utz are the E36 M3I had them when I toured the Southeast a couple years ago. They are just too good. I thought I'd be safe from them out west, but Amazon sells them. UTZ Crab chips
I'll murder a bag of them suckers in a single sitting.
I finally broke down and ordered about $370 worth of parts for my Crown Vic. Which, if you are familiar with parts prices for Vics, means I ordered quite a few parts. I had previously replaced the upper and lower balljoints along with the rear shocks and springs, the latter of which were sourced from an '02 Town Car that had been converted from air to coils then sent away to a junk yard. The springs raised the rear of my Vic from the stock "droopy drawers" look to the old school "muscle car rake" look. I wanted to raise the front to match and increase the spring rate while I was at it so...
My list ( I found some smoking deals through a company that was significantly improved by a certain highly caffeinated GRMer 
):
Moog #80090 front springs ( 720lb/in vs 400ish lb/in stockers with the same free length)
KYB Gas-A-Just shocks all around (A fellow GRMer or two have sang (sung?) the praises of these dampers and I will now add my voice to the chorus, they are AWESOME!!)
New upper balljoints, again (They came in the 14 piece kit) shrug
Inner and outer tie rods, adjusting sleeves, FSB endlinks and an idler arm.
On top of all that it finally has a proper alignment.
It feels similar to how the Burban felt after I cranked up the torsion bars and slapped on some decent shocks. I wouldn't say "nimble" but it feels about 1,000 lbs lighter. I dig it.
Also it looks like a PreRunner so I guess that's pretty cool. 
SWMBO's birthday is coming up this next Monday, and we're going to be spending the weekend out at a cabin in a nearby nature area. I typically bake her a cake, but this year she very non-subtly hinted that what she really wanted were some of the 7-Layer Bars that a local bakery (relatively local- it's about 20 minutes away) had at a local food festival we went to last year. So I call them up and ask about them- and they were apparently something that they made just for that festival and don't typically carry. It took some prodding, but I finally convinced them to make a batch of them so I can get some for SWMBO- so she'll have her birthday dessert. 
In an effort to make some sort of good come from today, I got on CL shortly after I got home earlier. And promptly left again. I just scored 5 16x8 (i think) aluminum wheels from a wrangler for $100. I haven't put them on the scale, but they feel 15-18lbs per. Combined with my 4 old miata wheels, I've got over 100lbs of awesome casting material now. Time to play with fire.
Wish I could find wheels for the challenge car at this price, but that would be a Major win.
Was able to get a new soft top for the miata this morning from RevRico. Luckily it lined up that I was already part way there, so things worked out pretty well.
Once a year we make dinner ahead of time, suspend the rules, and eat in the living room. We're sitting here as a family unwrapping our Philly cheese steaks and watching a game I have no interest in, but I'm damn happy and a lucky man.
When I took the exhaust manifold off the Neon, there was one that was exceptionally difficult to get to and even as I was removing it, I was concerned that I had no idea how I would get it back on.
It took a couple tries, but amazingly the answer appeared to me and with a very minimal amount of effort, I was able to get the threads started!
I'm not saying it solved world hunger or cancer or anything, but I'm marking that down as a minor miracle! Thanks, St. Eloi!
In reply to wae:
I love it when that happens!
My team won!
I managed to stay off Facebook since Thursday. Haven't checked it on my phone in over a week. Only checked it this morning because I'm playing a game of SKATE (like HORSE, but skate park tricks) with a group online and wanted to see what new trick(s) had been set before I went to the skatepark.
25 new notices. I read 4 of them.
Started just scrolling through the wall and realized that I was maybe reading 10% of what I saw. Turned it off and plan to not check it again until I have video to post for the game of SKATE.
Good things reported on my yearly check up today. Apparently my cholesterol has dropped into the very good catagory. DR was pretty happy with that.
Scored correct bucket seats for the 64 chevelle for 100 bucks. Craigslist they go for 600.
I also scored a full set of mustang bullitt wheels with not too dead bfg g forces for 140.
And had a successful plastidip experience on a hood.
Things are looking up!
Called my favorite machine shop (Blockhead Enterprises in Blossvale, NY) to have them clean the head, bore the block, and balance the rotating assembly on the Mazda BP-4W I'm building. It's a small operation, so in the winter, when everyone is building/rebuilding their race engines, they can get swamped. He tells me bring it on over anytime, he can get it in. When I tell him the engine is a 2000 Mazda 1.8L, he knew instantly it was a BP and adds "I think I have a set of 0.010" over pistons for one of those floating around at the shop I can use". Winning!
Nice long session at the skate park. Landed a trick I've been wanting to get for a while:
Just over an hour ago I did a muscleup for the first time ever!
This past Monday a fellow weight room knucklehead watched as I dropped off the pull up bar, smiled and said, "You ever try a muscleup?"
"I have not..." I replied somewhat taken aback that I had never tried one. I do weighted pullups and weighted dips all the time so I assumed it would be a breeze. It's not nearly as easy as those fellas on youtube make it look. After I finished my normal workout I spent a solid 15 minutes swinging on the bar and getting stuck at the point where the movement transitions from pullup to dip.
Nailed it today though. berkeleying nailed it!!! I grinned like an idiot for about 5 minutes after I did it.
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