The Thread of Randomness. . .

[Brian in TN]

On the beach again. It appears that seagulls are aware that Captn Crunch will scratch the roof of your mouth. They wont eat it.

[winfred]

tried to find a exploding seagull vid and failed but this is more awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T569Z8t8ZA0 we need more pelicans

On the beach again. It appears that seagulls are aware that Captn Crunch will scratch the roof of your mouth. They wont eat it.

[davintosh]

It's an absolutely perfect night for a fire on the patio. No wind, ~65°. The only thing detracting from the perfectness of the evening is my youngest and his two buddies being middle-schoolers.

[davintosh]

I stopped at a rummage sale on the way home from work today and scored a few woodworking tools (an old block plane, a miter saw and a dovetail jig) and a pile of Louis L'Amour books on CD. Tucked into the pile was a CD labeled "Polka Nuts". Popped the CD into my computer just now, and iTunes/Gracenote* actually recognized it, Kleine Kinde -- Polka Nuts.



And who knew that there is actually a website named PolkaMart?

* True story; I've digitized several old LPs and on nearly every one, iTunes has been able to successfully identify the artist, album and track titles. I'm pretty sure it's magic.

[davintosh]

My iPhone-toting, Facebook-freak buddy went pheasant hunting for the first time in his life today; his followup wall post:

Hunt is over. My new goal in life is to be even one percent as happy as a hunting dog crashing through a field.

[m5chaser83]

I dropped my phone in poop of all things today.

[winfred]

didja say "shit"

I dropped my phone in poop of all things today.

[m5chaser83]

didja say "shit"

I dropped my phone in poop of all things today.

No crap

[slammin_e28]

I feel like there was a spider in my last gulp of coffee this morning.


I. Want. To. Die. Now.

(Yes, I'm terribly arachnophobic.)

[davintosh]

I feel like there was a spider in my last gulp of coffee this morning.


I. Want. To. Die. Now.

(Yes, I'm terribly arachnophobic.)

Yikes.

True tale: One Saturday morning a while back (July?) I took a long slurp from the foam atop my freshly-made cappuccino and felt something distinctly un-coffee-like in my mouth; guess what it was.














Yup. About 1/2" long. No idea how he came to be in my coffee cup, but at that point it didn't matter. Very nearly

[slammin_e28]

I had a terrible, terrible dream last night involving spiders and brakleen.

This, after dropping the girlfriend off at home last night and almost running into, and consequently getting on me, a spider web with a massive spider in it. One of those giant ones that only comes out at night and makes it's web near outdoor lighting fixtures.

I FLIPPED SHIT.

This fear probably all stems from watching "The Fly" at a very young age. Thanks, mom, for keeping the TV tuned to AMC all mt life.

[MicahO]

Spiders love me. My whole family can walk across a room, or a freshly mown lawn, or down a well-lit hallway, with me bringing up the rear. And somehow as I follow along behind, I get a spiderweb right across my face. Happens all the time, in many places where there just. should. not. be. a. spiderweb. And while the people 10 feet in front of me get nothing, I get webbed? Whuck?

Gravel trucks love me too. Over the years I've had two of them drop load in front of the ZHP (both on I-287 in Westchester), one in front of wifey's former minivan (I-75 near Gainesville) and one in front of the M5, THE DAY AFTER I FINISHED THE EURO FRONT END!!!! (again, I-287 in Westchester, no damage sustained)

The spiderwebs don't bother me. When I have nightmares, it's gravel trucks.

[Brian in TN]

Well, its been 6 days without a drop of vodka. I feel good. Is it ok to celebrate this milestone with said spirit tonight?

[oldskool]

Well, its been 6 days without a drop of vodka. I feel good. Is it ok to celebrate this milestone with said spirit tonight?

NO. Switch to gin.

[davintosh]

Just got back from helping my buddy Greg pick up his new-to-him Sunbeam Alpine. Rust-free car (that's been sitting for about 10 years) and several crates of parts (probably enough to outfit another car) in trade for an old boat. According to the previous owner, the car was running when it was parked (turned over by hand with no problem) but had a stuck brake on it; she didn't have the time or money to sink into it at the time, and then... out of sight, out of mind, and ten years later...

I'm glad Greg grabbed it up or I would've been sorely tempted to buy it myself. Thought it would be fun to swap in an S52, paint it orange & black and modify the nameplate to Tigger. After actually seeing the engine bay, I decided the S52 wouldn't fit; maybe an S14 would be a better match, and it would still tweak the die-hard Tiger drivers.

[rmiddendorf]

After actually seeing the engine bay, I decided the S52 wouldn't fit; maybe an S14 would be a better match, and it would still tweak the die-hard Tiger drivers.

It would be much lighter...

[rmiddendorf]

My %$# $@^! kitchen sink is clogged. I made meatloaf for a friend who just had a baby and normally drain the rest of the juices from the Crock Pot into serving trays for us. But since we were taking it over to them we didn't drain the juices. I left the Crock Pot on the counter and left to drop off the food.

When I returned I found it in the sink filled with water. So, as someone who needs a clean kitchen sink to live, I cleaned it and put it on the stove to dry.

Fast forward to this afternoon / early evening. I just got in the car to drive home from the flypark (where us R/C geeks fly our R/C air devices) and the phone rings. It is my wife. She's telling me that our sink is clogged. $%^ %$#& it. So much for playing Grand Theft Auto 4 this evening. $&*@.

So I get home. I ran some water through it and it indeed backed up. So I should mention that she did do her part in this and emptied most of the cupboard under the sink out. But she left the stuff on the far right in its own little slider because she couldn't get the slider out. So I'm thinking about plunging it but if I hold down the stopper on the non-disposal side and then run the disposal it will create positive pressure anyway creating a similar effect. So I do that.

Did I mention that there was still stuff under the sink? Yeah that positive pressure pushed one of the fittings loose and wham-o, water everywhere. I took off my shirt to try to sop as much of it up as I could while Amy got me the bucket and a bunch of towels. And then I have to clean off all the stuff that got sewer water all over it and remove that.

So by this point I'm figuring I need a snake. I threw my old one away because it was broken. Call be best friend, he says he might have one but isn't sure if he does or if it works. I then call a few neighbors, and then eventually, and why I didn't call him first I'll never know, call my neighbor who I know has everything. His wife says that of course they have one come on over.

I make it over to their house and they're carving pumpkins, something Amy, Ellie and I should have been doing at this time. And Paul is using a sawzall to carve his. This would be the highlight of my evening. Seeing Paul with a sawzall carving a pumpkin.

So we go to his basement. And he goes to the drawer where he keeps it and its not there. We poke around looking for a bit but I didn't want to waste too much of his time so we give up. I call my best friend back (who only lives a block away anyway) and ask if he can find his. At this point I'll try anything. And also at this point I'm not paying Roto-Rooter to come out if its within the scope of my repairs.

I get it and its a hand operated Craftsman model with a 15' auger. 15'? That's gotta be enough, right? Its not the main drain because everything else in the house still works.

I auger the drain once. Re-assemble it. Still clogged. Auger it again- this time making sure to use all 15'- but its still clogged. What next? Well I did pull two bottles of foaming drain cleaner out from under the sink. So I used the drain opener stuff. After waiting two hours it still hadn't cleared the drain.

So now after a shower I'm sitting here typing kinda pissed at my wife because if she knew there was grease and fat in the Crock Pot why the heck didn't she drain it before she put it in the sink?

Tomorrow I'll be getting up with Ellie and going to Lowe's to buy the 25' drill powered auger. Hopefully that will work. If that fails then its time to call a professional.

Anyway thanks for listening. L8ER!

[Mike W.]

My %$# $@^! kitchen sink is clogged. I made meatloaf for a friend who just had a baby and normally drain the rest of the juices from the Crock Pot into serving trays for us. But since we were taking it over to them we didn't drain the juices. I left the Crock Pot on the counter and left to drop off the food.

When I returned I found it in the sink filled with water. So, as someone who needs a clean kitchen sink to live, I cleaned it and put it on the stove to dry.

Fast forward to this afternoon / early evening. I just got in the car to drive home from the flypark (where us R/C geeks fly our R/C air devices) and the phone rings. It is my wife. She's telling me that our sink is clogged. $%^ %$#& it. So much for playing Grand Theft Auto 4 this evening. $&*@.

So I get home. I ran some water through it and it indeed backed up. So I should mention that she did do her part in this and emptied most of the cupboard under the sink out. But she left the stuff on the far right in its own little slider because she couldn't get the slider out. So I'm thinking about plunging it but if I hold down the stopper on the non-disposal side and then run the disposal it will create positive pressure anyway creating a similar effect. So I do that.

Did I mention that there was still stuff under the sink? Yeah that positive pressure pushed one of the fittings loose and wham-o, water everywhere. I took off my shirt to try to sop as much of it up as I could while Amy got me the bucket and a bunch of towels. And then I have to clean off all the stuff that got sewer water all over it and remove that.

So by this point I'm figuring I need a snake. I threw my old one away because it was broken. Call be best friend, he says he might have one but isn't sure if he does or if it works. I then call a few neighbors, and then eventually, and why I didn't call him first I'll never know, call my neighbor who I know has everything. His wife says that of course they have one come on over.

I make it over to their house and they're carving pumpkins, something Amy, Ellie and I should have been doing at this time. And Paul is using a sawzall to carve his. This would be the highlight of my evening. Seeing Paul with a sawzall carving a pumpkin.

So we go to his basement. And he goes to the drawer where he keeps it and its not there. We poke around looking for a bit but I didn't want to waste too much of his time so we give up. I call my best friend back (who only lives a block away anyway) and ask if he can find his. At this point I'll try anything. And also at this point I'm not paying Roto-Rooter to come out if its within the scope of my repairs.

I get it and its a hand operated Craftsman model with a 15' auger. 15'? That's gotta be enough, right? Its not the main drain because everything else in the house still works.

I auger the drain once. Re-assemble it. Still clogged. Auger it again- this time making sure to use all 15'- but its still clogged. What next? Well I did pull two bottles of foaming drain cleaner out from under the sink. So I used the drain opener stuff. After waiting two hours it still hadn't cleared the drain.

So now after a shower I'm sitting here typing kinda pissed at my wife because if she knew there was grease and fat in the Crock Pot why the heck didn't she drain it before she put it in the sink?

Tomorrow I'll be getting up with Ellie and going to Lowe's to buy the 25' drill powered auger. Hopefully that will work. If that fails then its time to call a professional.

Anyway thanks for listening. L8ER!

Having dealt with a few drains in my time, it may not be past that 15' mark. Sometimes the goo in drains will allow a snake to pass, but seal up after it's gone by. Of course I've had plugs further than 15' too, so who knows.

[rmiddendorf]

My %$# $@^! kitchen sink is clogged. I made meatloaf for a friend who just had a baby and normally drain the rest of the juices from the Crock Pot into serving trays for us. But since we were taking it over to them we didn't drain the juices. I left the Crock Pot on the counter and left to drop off the food.

When I returned I found it in the sink filled with water. So, as someone who needs a clean kitchen sink to live, I cleaned it and put it on the stove to dry.

Fast forward to this afternoon / early evening. I just got in the car to drive home from the flypark (where us R/C geeks fly our R/C air devices) and the phone rings. It is my wife. She's telling me that our sink is clogged. $%^ %$#& it. So much for playing Grand Theft Auto 4 this evening. $&*@.

So I get home. I ran some water through it and it indeed backed up. So I should mention that she did do her part in this and emptied most of the cupboard under the sink out. But she left the stuff on the far right in its own little slider because she couldn't get the slider out. So I'm thinking about plunging it but if I hold down the stopper on the non-disposal side and then run the disposal it will create positive pressure anyway creating a similar effect. So I do that.

Did I mention that there was still stuff under the sink? Yeah that positive pressure pushed one of the fittings loose and wham-o, water everywhere. I took off my shirt to try to sop as much of it up as I could while Amy got me the bucket and a bunch of towels. And then I have to clean off all the stuff that got sewer water all over it and remove that.

So by this point I'm figuring I need a snake. I threw my old one away because it was broken. Call be best friend, he says he might have one but isn't sure if he does or if it works. I then call a few neighbors, and then eventually, and why I didn't call him first I'll never know, call my neighbor who I know has everything. His wife says that of course they have one come on over.

I make it over to their house and they're carving pumpkins, something Amy, Ellie and I should have been doing at this time. And Paul is using a sawzall to carve his. This would be the highlight of my evening. Seeing Paul with a sawzall carving a pumpkin.

So we go to his basement. And he goes to the drawer where he keeps it and its not there. We poke around looking for a bit but I didn't want to waste too much of his time so we give up. I call my best friend back (who only lives a block away anyway) and ask if he can find his. At this point I'll try anything. And also at this point I'm not paying Roto-Rooter to come out if its within the scope of my repairs.

I get it and its a hand operated Craftsman model with a 15' auger. 15'? That's gotta be enough, right? Its not the main drain because everything else in the house still works.

I auger the drain once. Re-assemble it. Still clogged. Auger it again- this time making sure to use all 15'- but its still clogged. What next? Well I did pull two bottles of foaming drain cleaner out from under the sink. So I used the drain opener stuff. After waiting two hours it still hadn't cleared the drain.

So now after a shower I'm sitting here typing kinda pissed at my wife because if she knew there was grease and fat in the Crock Pot why the heck didn't she drain it before she put it in the sink?

Tomorrow I'll be getting up with Ellie and going to Lowe's to buy the 25' drill powered auger. Hopefully that will work. If that fails then its time to call a professional.

Anyway thanks for listening. L8ER!

Having dealt with a few drains in my time, it may not be past that 15' mark. Sometimes the goo in drains will allow a snake to pass, but seal up after it's gone by. Of course I've had plugs further than 15' too, so who knows.

Well I went out and bought a 25' snake this morning, but after 4 rigorous attempts to clear it no success. I threw in the towel around 11:30 and called WaterWorks, a local plumbing company.

Cedric came out and cleared the drain, although even he had to make multiple attempts with his large 75' snake. The clog was likely 35' into the system according to him, and I have no reason to doubt him. Locally I'll recommend them. Great service. $155 which, IMO, isn't that bad.

So now the sink works again. I cleaned up the entire area and am now running the dishwasher so that Ellie can use her sippy cups later in the afternoon. I still have to run the washer to clean the last round of towels used and the laundry baskets will need some work as well.

Ellie and I will now be going to the mall and buying a copy of L.A. Noire for PS3 because that is such an age appropriate game for a one year old.

/plumbing adventure

[Cactus]

Hey Rodney, next time you ned to snake a drain, my dad's got this badass 50+ footer (I don't know exactly how long it is, but it'd be a bear trying to fit it in my trunk.) It has a half horsepower motor on it, I think.

I'm not as near as your neighbor, but I'd drive an hour and a
half for a friend in need.

I saw an e23 745i on the way to work today. That was cool. I waved, didn't appear to get one back.

[rmiddendorf]

Thanks for the offer Hunter- will do next time. But hopefully that's a long way off...

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Got 1000km out of tank of diesel in the e34 today. Pretty good considering it leaks from the pump.

On the topic of clogged pipes, I'm about to unleash hell on the toilet. That kebab from lastnight is about to make a second appearance.

[oldskool]

I've had enough pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds to know tomorrow will not be good. . .throw in some Milwaukees Best Ice and I hope I can make it through yoga class without another "incident".

[davintosh]

Got 1000km out of tank of diesel in the e34 today. Pretty good considering it leaks from the pump.

On the topic of clogged pipes, I'm about to unleash hell on the toilet. That kebab from lastnight is about to make a second appearance.

Reminds me of this morning; not sure what I ate to bring that on, but it wasn't funny. Or fun.

I played hookey from work today. Actually, it was kinda half-planned (but ok with my employer.) Spent the day finishing up sanding the siding that my kid stripped the paint from, then applied a coat of primer to it. Hoping for a few days of Indian Summer in the coming weeks so we can slap some paint on it. Why oh why oh why do I wait so long on these home improvement projects?

[Tim in N FL]

Enjoy...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/ ... 2009-05-18

http://www.wolframalpha.com/

[davintosh]

Enjoy...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/ ... 2009-05-18

http://www.wolframalpha.com/

Well, it knows the answer to life, the universe and everything. It didn't even take 7 and a half million years to come up with it. Pretty schmart.

[1st 5er]

Enjoy...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/ ... 2009-05-18

http://www.wolframalpha.com/

Well, it knows the answer to life, the universe and everything. It didn't even take 7 and a half million years to come up with it. Pretty schmart.

And it knows Where's Waldo?, , as opposed to Where's Waldo?.

[bobby in Derby City]

Breeders' Cup in da Derby City!!! "DDon't hate da PPlaya, hate da GGame!"


I think the Eb Minor7 contains the best chord progressions in Jazz

[oldskool]

British car club show today at Poplar Grove Plantation.
Good show with many a XKE, Morgan, Triumph, Healy, MG and even a lone Sunbeam tucked away in a corner near the porta-potties. I got giddy and sashayed over to hopefully get a pic and a VIN for my big brother Duke. Alas, it was the Alpine model and sporting a V-6! I was quite disturbed by this but quickly distracted by the offering of a beer by one of the Sunbeam "crowd". I politely declined seeing as how it was approaching 11am and I had not yet eaten breakfast.
Car people are good people.

[Mike W.]

British car club show today at Poplar Grove Plantation.
Good show with many a XKE, Morgan, Triumph, Healy, MG and even a lone Sunbeam tucked away in a corner near the porta-potties. I got giddy and sashayed over to hopefully get a pic and a VIN for my big brother Duke. Alas, it was the Alpine model and sporting a V-6! I was quite disturbed by this but quickly distracted by the offering of a beer by one of the Sunbeam "crowd". I politely declined seeing as how it was approaching 11am and I had not yet eaten breakfast.
Car people are good people.

So is 11AM too late for a beer?