This blog sucks!

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Laurie and Gracie, my heroes!

After about a zillion weekends of bad weather, we're having a beautiful weekend. I decided it was finally time to get Seth (my truck) registered. It's quite the process... I had to get insurance, get the emissions tested, get the truck weighed, then I can finally get the title put in my name. Then, I can register Seth...
I tried today, but didn't get very far. The problem is there are all sorts of little loose ends that need "buttoning up" before I can get all of that stuff done. Today, I thought I had finally finished those. I fixed the leaking radiator hose, I tightened a few bolts on an inner-fender, I topped off the transmission fluid, and I finally got a side-view mirror for the passenger side of my truck.
So, after talking to the insurance company and getting that in place, I decided to start off small by driving about 1 mile to get Seth washed.
Everything was A-okay... of course, he does kind of pull to the right when I brake. I'll have to adjust the brakes, and possibly "bleed" them, but that is not my biggest worry right now. As I was driving home, I was about 1/2 mile away from home, and waiting in the middle of a major road to turn left when my engine just stopped. I was in the very middle of an intersection, and I knew I couldn't leave it there, so I threw it into neutral, and jumped out. Luckily, just then, a break opened up, so I could "turn" left. Really, this involved me pushing my truck (alone) through the intersection, while I'm sure the entire world was laughing at my misfortune.
Once I was through the intersection, I pushed it to the side, and jumped back in to try to start the truck............... Nothing. Not even a click.
I popped the hood, and found that the negative cable on my battery had completely melted through, and was extremely hot. Since my dad knows everything about cars, he was my first call. His first question was, "Is your positive lead touching your header?" Me:"Yep!" He knew the problem right away! The next call was to Laurie. I happened to have a tow strap in the truck, so I called to have her tow me home, since I was only 1/2 mile away.
Literally, 20 seconds before Laurie arrived, a "Community Safety" Officer pulled over to help. Now mind you, Seth has AZ plates from 2002... I thought I was in trouble, but I explained the situation to him, and he was actually very understanding. He even followed us home, since I had no power (brake lights, turn signals, etc.).
When we got home, I thanked Laurie and Gracie for rescuing me, which turned into a minutes long session of singing "Go, Diego, Go" over and over... They were both pretty pleased that they rescued me... as was I. Laurie said that while they were towing me home, Gracie said to every car that passed by, not to hit her daddy. She's so thoughtful!
Anyway, I've almost fixed that problem, and Seth already looks great after his first bath in over six years... We're that much closer. My plan is to get him weighed and emissions tested next Saturday, and then the following Friday, I'll get him registered (assuming no more brake/electric problems!)
What a long boring post... I had to post something. I needed to convince myself I could still type...

Tired...

So, I'm extremely exhausted... and sore. Plus, I'm getting sick... I've had a sore throat all day.
My mom and dad came up for the weekend (actually Thursday night through this morning), and my dad helped me get Seth (my truck) working. I had some pretty optimistic ideas about what we would be able to accomplish... we didn't get it all done, but we got a ton of stuff accomplished. We upgraded to power steering, upgraded to power brakes, swapped engines, put on a new dual exhaust system, and did "most" of the work in getting a factory-type a/c system... like I said, I'm tired. We basically worked four 10-11 hour days while they were here, and made 2 trips to a "junk yard" and about a gazillion trips to Checker and Pep Boys. Today was my first day back to work, and it honestly felt like a vacation!

So, I'm too tired to go take pictures and post them tonight, by expect pictures within a week or two.

Also, I'll post about my date with Gracie to the "Sweetheart Ball" at the Highlands Ranch mansion. She loved it, and I did as well, but I'm waiting for the pictures they took of us to come back... I'll post more then.

Seth is back!

Anybody who knew me when I was in college knows Seth. Seth is my 1970 Chevy truck. When I got back from my mission, in 1997, I was at my dad's shop and saw an old ugly truck sitting lopsided in the corner of the shop. It was lopsided because at least half the tires were flat. The seat was sitting in the bed of the truck, and various other pieces were in a state of disarray around the shop. I asked my dad, "Who's truck is that?", and he said, "It belongs to Gus Hansen." The truck still looked ugly, but I was so excited to fix it, and make it mine!

Over the next several months, my dad and I beautified the truck. In all honesty, my dad did a huge majority of the work, but I helped whenever i was able to make it home from EAC... We swapped engines, we swapped transmissions, we painted the truck, and really did a lot of work making the interior look great!

It was on a Saturday afternoon in February of 1998 when I got back to my apartment after a day riding snowmobiles with friends on Mt. Graham and the truck was waiting for me outside my apartment. I was SOOOOOO STOKED!!!!!

I think that the chicks really loved Seth too...

Anyway, Seth was my pal for several years, while attending EAC, and then ASU. When I moved to California for my new job at Lockheed Martin, Seth came along. However, soon, I had to send him home to AZ with my dad, because he was getting into too much trouble. I parked him on the street without driving him for too long, and he got towed.

FAST FORWARD to DENVER!

Last fall, I started riding a vanpool to work every day (the van pool will likely be a future blog topic... interesting, I hope). Anyway, the vanpool gave me a great excuse to get rid of my crappy Chevy Aveo (along with the monthly payment) and bring Seth back! In October, my mom and dad brought Seth to Denver, and he's been sitting in my garage ever since. Seth runs just fine, and he sounds really mean. However, he is extremely dirty...

It is time to bring Seth back to his full glory! I've been working on Seth in the privacy of my garage for several weekends, and this Thursday, my mom and dad are coming up to Denver once again. This time, my dad will help me finish an engine swap and install a new exhaust system, and a new a/c system. Once again, I am TOTALLY STOKED!

I would like to paint Seth again... maybe a sky blue... but I don't have the cash, or the time right now, so I'll leave that for another day.

Stay tuned for new photos of Seth (post-bath) with new engine, exhaust, etc. Maybe I'll even post a video so you can hear him ROARRRRRR!

A break in my laziness...

I've sat down to blog about 87 times in the past month, and each time have found either no motivation, or nothing to say... I'll blog soon about my old truck, Seth, who my parents brought up to me the week of Halloween. I'm in the process of getting him ready to drive (he already drives, but I'm making upgrades). Anyway, I'll save that for another post, with pictures.

Today I want to share a couple of musings I've had in the last couple of days.
1) I assume that most people are like me in that sometimes they are uncomfortable talking to their boss. I don't mean talking about a raise or a promotion, or anything like that... Just making small talk. Sometimes it is a little awkward stopping in the hall to talk to your boss. Another thing that is sometimes awkward is standing at a urinal and making small talk with the guy next to you. Some people refuse to chat in the bathroom. I think for some men, that is their thinking time, and they do not care to be bothered... for some, they just fill "icky" talking while they're in that vulnerable condition... I'm not that guy... it can be a little uncomfortable, but it's not a big deal to me. However, the other day I was walking down the hall, on my way to the bathroom... All of a sudden, I see my boss up ahead turning into the bathroom. I think it is extra awkward to make small talk with your boss while you're both standing at the urinal, so I turned around (he hadn't seen me) and walked all the way to the bathroom at the other end of the building just so I could avoid the situation. I know not many guys read this blog, and girls typically chat it up in the bathroom anyway, so I don't know who feels the same way or not... feel free to share!
2) I hate malls. I went this morning to the Park Meadows Mall. My only purpose in going there was to visit "Dick's Sporting Goods" to get my duck hunting license (they were having a sale on ammo, so that's why I chose to go there). Anyway, the mall really isn't that bad... But, there are several problems I have with the mall.

• First, I can't stand all of the annoying people at vendor kiosks who want to sell you some magical fragrance, or a brand new phone.
• Second, I can't stand people who walk slowly, especially if they are walking with a group of about 3-20 people, and feel the need to walk side by side, slowly, through the mall, blocking the entire pathway. How about a little consideration, people?
• Third, I hate how frickin' retarded people get in mall parking lots. It happens in smaller parking lots too, but it is the worst at malls. They'll wait in their car, blocking the way, for five minutes waiting for someone to pull out, even if there is an empty space three cars away... They can't walk an extra 30 feet, so they'll wait five minutes.
• Finally, I can't stand it when I'm walking along a clearly established path and some aloof individual suddenly decides to stop and camp right in front of me... "If you want to stand, stand OVER THERE, where people aren't walking!!!!! This walkway is for walking!!!!"

Malls suck...

I used to love tag... ;) ("Four" Real)

My wife "tagged" me, and lest I seem anti-social, I suppose I had better answer the questions...

4 Random things I love about my wife:
*She is such a great MOM!
*She sings like an Angel...
*She has a great sense of humor
*She takes good care of me

4 Jobs I've had:
*Auditorium Technical Crew
*Print Shop Apprentice
*Math and Science Tutor
*Youth Mentor (with W.A.S.A. "Willcox Against Substance Abuse")

4 Movies I have seen more than once:
*Monty Python (Holy Grail)
*Cadence
*Shrek (about 18 zillion times, since my daughter loves it!)
*Forrest Gump

4 TV Shows I watch:
*The Office
*Big Bang Theory
*Amazing Race
*Little People, Big World (I'm fascinated by midg... little people)

4 Places I've Been:
*Germany
*England
*Hawaii
*Mexico

4 places I've lived:
*Joseph City, AZ
*Willcox, AZ
*Mountain View, CA
*Highlands Ranch, CO

4 Favorite Foods:
*Pizza
*Red Robin's A-1 Peppercorn Burger
*Breakfast Burritos (eggs, potatoes, cheese, sausage, and salsa)
*"Snacks" (just kidding... that's what Gracie says if you ask her what her favorite food is!)

4 Places I'd Like to Visit:
*Hawaii
*Germany
*New York
*Australia

4 People I tag:
Jodi C.
Raysha P.
Suzaphone B.
Kathy P.

Sign Thieves are Pansies!!!!

We've all heard of other people having political signs stolen from their lawns. I think we can all agree, no matter what your political views, that stealing lawn signs is childish and lame... Well, last night, we were over at our friends' house carving pumpkins. When we drove home, we noticed that my lawn signs were in disarray. I had two signs... one for McCain, and one for a Senatorial candidate here, Bob Schaffer. This particular night, there was only a McCain sign left standing, and it was ripped up, and leaning over.
I assessed the damage, and found the Schaffer bent and laying on the ground up by our front porch. The McCain sign was ripped down one side, but still standing. I simply put them back up, and as I was doing so, realized that the only reason the McCain sign was still standing is that it was anchored pretty securely in the dirt... pansies... quitters... can't pull a little sign out, so you run off in shame???
So, I'm not really attached to the signs. It just bugs me that people felt the need to step into my yard to destroy my property... especially that they just left the signs there as litter.
I've tried to think of how I should address the situation. Following are my options, as I see them. Please feel free to add your own!
1) Completely forget about it. Election Day is only 7 days from now, so it's not really a big deal.
2) Next election, if I decide to have yard signs, I will keep a live electrical current running through the wire frame of the sign. That way, if someone decides to grab it, they'll get a little surprise... I will make sure that the current is not deadly, just make them think a bit.
3) I was told that you can get a system to keep dogs from deficating on your lawn. It has a beam around the perimeter of your lawn that, if broken, activates the sprinkler system. I'm thinking I may get such a system that will both turn the sprinklers on, and snap a few pictures! Then, I could embarrass the jerks by sending them into the local paper or something...

Anyway, somebody destroyed my signs... No big deal, but it still makes me want to punch them in the face about 18 times...