One year ago today: April 13, 2015, scooters, motorcycles, electric bikes.
Five years ago today: April 13, 2011, C.V. Meyers, non-person.
Nine years ago today: April 13, 2007, Wallace visits waterfront.
Random years ago today: April 13, 2009, only women worth chasing.
MORNING
Call this a nothing morning, warmed over. The exciting part is news from the dermatologist. What? You want to hear that? Guess your morning hasn’t been much better. All tests were negative, I don’t have cancer. There, you happy now? It’s still a good idea to get a checkup. And I went to the place that gives you free nitrogen on age spots. I only had three. Why? Because I don’t like the way that sounds, “age” spots. That’s a 75 mile round trip by scooter, so I was gone most of the day.
It certainly is huge, over 2,300 square feet not including the garage or stable or whatever it is. I counted the budget and can easily afford a trip up there to take a look. But as it always plays out, I have to check on the starter or rely on JZ. Both carry equal gravity.
The airwaves are again flooded by fake listings, that is, mobile homes that do not include the land and do not spell that out in the advertising. Remember, when you buy such a place, what you are really getting is the right to pay the rent or lose your equity. In that manner, it is similar to owning a condo. You really own nothing but the liability and you can't plant a garden.
It has not happened where I live yet, but the game plan is if the owner gets an offer on his property, he keeps raising the lot rent until you can neither afford it nor possibly sell it. When he finally gets rid of you, then he flips. They say this activity is prevented by county ordinance, but don’t you believe it. It is not uncommon to find pad rentals of $800, more than a current mortgage. I laugh when I see rents up near Orlando of even more. My lot rent as gone up 60% since I got here. Don’t fret, I can afford it. But do I want to afford it? Let’s have a show of hands. Oooooh, that’s what I thought, but I had to be sure.
The above property has been thoroughly discussed with JZ, who will bear the major responsibility if that roof needs repair. Don’t worry, I take on the financial responsibility and am thus the sole proprietor of everything, so it all balances out. How? Because neither of us could take on such a property independently. My days of fixing rafters by my lonesome are long over. Well, ladies, not that long over but there’s nothing like being prepared.
I have an aversion to real estate agents who don’t answer their phone. I believe they do it on purpose to get your name and number so they can check you out before they call back. It’s a disgusting procedure, but I suppose it must work on the bulk of people or the agents would quit with that. I know at the phone company we used to pass on the callers from bad neighborhoods to the new employees who had not yet learned to recognized the call digits. In general, Alpine was the worst exchange in most cities. That’s numbers that start with 25.
Rassspberries.
NOON
Sorry, it is goodnight in a hurry. What should have been a minor and routine procedure y’day has disrupted my biological clock. I even lost a $20 bill. I was barely okay driving to Harbor Freight for some necessities like another free multi-meter. I must have a dozen of them still in the package by now. Ah, I thought of something novel I could write about. It’s so nice you appreciate how that becomes a task sometimes. The topic is those 9V battery clips, you know the ones I mean. With the two different side-by-side clips that trail a couple of wires, usually black and red.
Taking a chance that I’m making sense (I’m wide awake but not alert) I’ve decided to build an auto bulb tester. As a challenge, kind of to give the old brain a little exercise. I don’t really need a tester and it could be done cheaper and easier other ways, but now I want one. Now, I’ll describe the concept so later we can compare it to the finished product.
I salvaged a Ford brake/tail light socket. These are different than side marker light sockets, in that the brake/tail light model has two slightly different offset slots that will only accept a bulb that has corresponding little prongs. The reason is so the bulb can only be inserted one way. And that is to line the bulb and socket contacts up to receive the correct signal. This is called an 1157LL. I will have to modify the one I have because it only has two wires, I will need three.
The three wires are the ground, the tail light, and the brake light. The ground is common to both, but the tail light is always on, while the brake light operates only when a contact is closed. That makes for a perfect design at my hobbyist level. Recall, I’ve [already] built operating ROM and binary memory circuits, so it’s not like I could not make something more complicated--if I wanted to. This is to keep me going until I get over whatever it is I’m getting over. Then, we’ll compare it to what my hecklers built in the same time frame.
NIGHT
Dozy as I was, I kept alert and designed a potential new “windscreen” for the batbike. Instead of a plexiglass shield, I got to thinking how often I sit in the sidecar and have a sandwich, or just to relax with a coffee. Plus, the passenger does not often stare at the road directly ahead, so it is like a full-length mirror to bother with a full-size transparent panel. I also want it to fold down into a better fit of the sidecar cutout than the standard issue.
[Author's note: here is the photo. You can't see the green fuzz, but note how the test stick reveals even the brand new fluid has become murky after an hour. It does not appear to be service affecting.]
The bottom line is the “leather” shroud and tonneau cover that comes with the unit is not very durable, practical, or suitable. Since nothing but real leather (which it definitely was not) is likely to be rain-, wind-, and cold-proof, I may opt for something flexible, but cheaply replaceable. A secondary thought is something that will also accept a canopy. This need not be for travel, just for pulling over. I’ll describe that.
It is daytime rain showers that cause the most inconvenience. At night, I’ll sleep through anything. But in the day, precipitation means parking wherever there is shelter. That darn rain doesn’t always cooperate. Sometimes there is nothing nearby and I wind up getting soaked having to blast through a downpour before finding some type of sanctuary. The other alternative is to dip into the camper, but this involves the setup and takedown procedure. That isn’t fun to do unless it is beddy-bye time.
Now, if I could pull over and snap up a canopy, I could prop a coffee on the dash and work a crossword or something. The sidecar seat is comfy enough to take a nap if it came to that. I’m used to constructing wooden prototypes now. Give me some time with this idea. I’ve never slept in the sidecar, but I’ve easily dozed off in my easy chair for the whole night. Could the sidecar be made as comfy? I foresee one immediate snag. When I’m in the chair, my feet stretch out on an ottoman. In the sidecar, it is nearly impossible to completely extend your feet forward. Let me measure out the whole sidecar tomorrow or the next day.
Why the next day? My new starter has finally arrived. Is it the right one? No telling until I get over there mid-morning. And I put in the order for my new Karaoke mics using a friend’s PayPal account. The new light-weight PA system is under negotiation. If all goes well, I could be rehearsing through the actual stage gear around this time next week. I’ve never had the sound troubles in stage that seem to plague certain people. For me it is the odd feedback that is always my own doing. Part of my liking for this 25-lb PA system is the possibility of rehearsing directly as I would sound live.
Last Laugh
(The door handle is made of chocolate.)
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