Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

The boy has (or had) his priorities.

Kinda grows on ya.

My dad was a Merchant Mariner. I was raised by an uncle, who had been Coast Guard - PBY flight engineer and R4D crew chief. Uncle Bob had some good stories! Bob had his A & P certificate, and was a career aircraft mechanic. After retiring, he worked for the then Confederate Air Force, until the CAF changed their name and moved to Midland, Texas. Uncle Bob on the left.

Hm. I just figgered those were just the olives from his last two martinis.

Correct. "Line 5," in Michigan. Currently carries upwards of half a million barrels of oil a day. Seems Governor Gretchen Whitmer (wonder if she's related to Gavin Newsom?) wants to shut it down; the Brandon administration is "studying the issue." https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/11/08/white-house-confirms-reviewing-impact-line-5-shutdown/6342914001/

He's gonna be kinda uncomfortable sleeping on that couch tonight - it looks to be a mite short.

Yup... I'd take San Antone over Austin. And don't forget The Alamo! But if ya pick Austin, you could get a picture with Stevie Ray's statue.

I think those fellas laughing in the car behind her are Russian...

Simple puzzle.

How could someone NOT know...?

The Wedding Dress A woman married three times walked into a bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding gown for her fourth wedding. "Of course, madam," replied the sales clerk, "exactly what type and color dress are you looking for?" The bride to be said: "A long frilly white dress with a veil." The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?" "Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as any first-time bride. You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel. My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the Limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled Immediately and never spoke to each other again." "What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk. "That one was a Democrat," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be."

Rabble Rousers

Darned upstart youngsters ain't go no idea what "CRS" is.... They'll learn!!

So I just watched the Army - Air Force game. Actually, a darned good bout; Army won in overtime. Anyway, as the excitement mounted toward the end of the game, it occurred to me that, just like with any other colleges, both teams had cheerleaders. Which gave rise to the wondering, are service academy cheerleaders professionals? Borrowed from other schools? Or can they they actually be cadets?? So I looked it up - they ARE cadets! I had never ever considered such a possibility. Pretty cool, imagining them as future officers, engineers, pilots, even combat leaders....

Well... at least they're a polite bunch.

Actually... copper is only mandated for hunting. Believe it or not, lead-based personal defense ammunition is perfectly legal. For now.

I hates to tell ya this, Alps... but it don't get no better with age.

California legal...?

For sure a bottle of wine. I've been known to bring a Weber cooked turkey, pies, and a favorite - pumpkin soup. Folks are always surprised at that one... and everyone wants the recipe. So here it is! A bunch of years ago when one year I found myself flush and foolish, I bought myself a Staub five quart, cast iron "cocotte" to cook it in. And a set if miniature ceramic versions for serving. Fun!

Literally...? In california, if they don't win they figure out how many they need after the election and then go find 'em. Literally.

I snapped the picture below Thursday afternoon in Gorman, California, just off Interstate 5. Noted that Chevron is almost pricier than other brands; however, I'd see stations with posted prices at least 20 - 40 cents/gallon higher earlier in Santa Monica - again, an admittedly "high rent district." But it's indicative of the direction we're headed. Earlier on Thursday, Bank of America analysts predicted that by June oil will see about a 45% increase over today's prices ($79.63/bbl). Brace yourselves; before summer, in areas like where I live (Central Valley) we could be seeing gasoline at over six bucks a gallon - for regular. More like $7+ for "premium," which a bunch of cars still like. Folks in places like Gorman and Santa Monica will be paying a LOT more! People in the current administration undoubtedly will see this as a good thing, as it will lead to a significant reduction in travel and fuel consumption - it'll save the planet fer sure. The only good I see coming of this is that most people with any sense at all will realize the impact on their lives, and remember how much better life was under the previous administration.

Joe, you can get an "instant" 2-pack test kit from Walgreens for $23, if you'd rather not wait two days... But hang in, Pard!

Nope. It was something technical; had to do with resistance specs for the downstream O2 sensor (that's the exhaust "Oxygen Sensor") heater coil, and voltage output from and return to the PCM (Power Control Module - aka, the "computer"). The sensor had failed prematurely, as well as a replacement. My son (who is a mechanic and robot technician) and I were attempting to diagnose the issue. We were unable to do so, and had to take it to Mazda for resolution. The problem turned out to be a faulty PCM installed earlier by that dealer as a recall repair. The original had functioned perfectly; the dealership had stated that the replacement was mandated as an "emissions control issue." Their mechanics subsequently required eight hours of shop time (much of it connected with their national service center) and proprietary software to diagnose the problem - hence our inability to do so. They then claimed that since it was a recall issue there was no warranty. Repair would require a new PCM, with a cost to me of about $2 grand. I took some exception to that. Off to court we went. I prevailed. Dude, to put it bluntly, that is downright insulting. If you want to cruise around in a Corvette (of any flavor), by all means have at it. And if you can afford a Z4 at almost twice the price of a Miata, well good on ya. But your perception of folk who drive Miatas or similar indicates quite a lack of understanding of those cars, and moreso the people who drive 'em. FYI, the Miata was designed (by a Japanese American, no less!) to recapture the feel and experience of 1960's and '70's British and Italian sport cars; indeed, the lines are reminiscent of the classic Lotus Elan. Finely crafted machines that focus on engineering and skilled driving, rather than raw horsepower and absurdly loud exhaust to make an impression. Handling is excellent. The Miata reacts to the driver’s input like a Formula Ford race car: Lift off the throttle in the middle of fast corner, and you’ll feel the chassis rotate as the nose tucks in tighter. Step on the gas again, and she straightens out as weight is transferred to the rear and the rear tires gain grip. It’s perfectly balanced, 50/50 front/rear. Unlike most front-wheel-drive sport coupes, the rear-wheel-drive Miata does not mask poor driving technique. Nor does it rely on bursts of power to break the rear tires free and fishtail like some Detroit "Sport" cars. Rather, it rewards the smooth, skilled driver. A good driver will become a better driver in this car; many drivers have noted that it indeed made them better at driving their Detroit "Sport" cars. I and many of my friends drove those British and Italian cars back in the 60's and 70's. We could make better time from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach than the folks we knew who drove those Detroit "Sport" cars. Hell... my 1973 Super Beetle with Koni struts and shocks and a sticky set of Pirelli tires made better time. And by the way, that car also doubled as my hunting and fishing rig - brought home blacktail bucks in the trunk a couple of times.

I can think of at least one...!

Not limited to gun fora.... I was severely roasted the first time I asked an honest question on a Miata forum.