What did you do today?

[highup]

It's about time that I buy new stuff and do my rear brakes on the pickup. I've had it for five years and I've never even pulled the drums off.
My old Jack was such a pain in the butt to use. It takes 49 pumps to get it all the way up.
The new one takes less than five and goes up an inch higher, I think 16 and 1/2 inches.
.....hey, I'm talking about floor jacks here!
The jack is considerably lower at its starting point which is always good. The Flintstone roller on the handles on each side make it a lot easier to slide into place. Most floor jacks have two wheels in the front. I think I might like this one a lot better. When I jack up the truck it's either out on the grass or in the gravel so I put a piece of heavy plywood underneath the jack. I really think I'm going to like this one. I think it weighs 43 lb.

 

[highup]

“...and yes, I matched the pattern on the side of the steps..... don't try and tell me different.”

Looks perfect to me!

There's a round table that goes in that slot so you never even going to see it. Initially I was hoping he'd say okay to staining the sides. Being a woven carpet I was almost tempted to put stair edge metal down that side rather than wrapping over the edge.

 

[C.J.]

It's about time that I buy new stuff and do my rear brakes on the pickup. I've had it for five years and I've never even pulled the drums off.
My old Jack was such a pain in the butt to use. It takes 49 pumps to get it all the way up.
The new one takes less than five and goes up an inch higher, I think 16 and 1/2 inches.
.....hey, I'm talking about floor jacks here!
The jack is considerably lower at its starting point which is always good. The Flintstone roller on the handles on each side make it a lot easier to slide into place. Most floor jacks have two wheels in the front. I think I might like this one a lot better. When I jack up the truck it's either out on the grass or in the gravel so I put a piece of heavy plywood underneath the jack. I really think I'm going to like this one. I think it weighs 43 lb.

I bought a cheap jack years ago and it would barely lift one wheel on my van. Try and put it under the pumpkin an jack up the whole back end and it couldn’t do it. Guess that’s what you get for $29 but it sure did make it nice for putting chains on even if it was only one wheel at a time. Even better if you put the chains on the night before it snowed.

 

[highup]

I bought a cheap jack years ago and it would barely lift one wheel on my van. Try and put it under the pumpkin an jack up the whole back end and it couldn’t do it. Guess that’s what you get for $29 but it sure did make it nice for putting chains on even if it was only one wheel at a time. Even better if you put the chains on the night before it snowed.

My old one was probably $39ish. The thing that bothered me most was the sloppyness of the hole that you inserted the handle into. When you pumped the handle, you probably lost 15% of your pumping action in slop.
The new one has dual pistons, a much longer two piece handle that clicks together like a stretcher tube does. The longer handle means you don't have to lay on the ground to position the jack. Daytona is a Harbor freight brand. The store opened a few months ago. It was 210 buckaroonies, but just toying around with it makes me wonder why I didn't get something like this sooner. I do all of the work on my truck and this is gonna make life so much easier. I dreaded having to break out and operate that old yellow pos.

 

[zannej]

Don, I hate MDF. As an aside, a lot of products that say "Made in USA" are now made by prison labor. They don't really care about quality. Also, if something is made in Saipan sweat shops they will still say "Made in USA". But, it could possibly be from China. Wouldn't be surprised if they got materials there and assembled it in prisons.

As much as I enjoyed Disneyland as a kid, my theme park days are behind me. My heart condition won't permit me to go on rollercoasters. I would love to see some of the new Star Wars stuff and the Harry Potter world stuff (I think that is at Universal). My mother griped about Universal. She got special tickets to get to the front of rides and go on more rides or something-- not sure what but discovered that most of the rides weren't wide enough to fit her. As a teen she was called "hippo hips". She always had big hips even before she got fat and she's so wide she can't use the controls on a bidet seat attachment. So she got up and tried to fit and they told her she couldn't ride. She was embarrassed and angry about it.

Tile Tom, Yikes. Hope you get feeling better soon. I had Covid symptoms before Covid actually hit the US (as in 2019). I was coughing nonstop, exhausted, & started hallucinating. Also lost my sense of smell. No one else in my family got it then and I have no idea what the hell I had or how I got it. I was barely able to eat. My hallucinations were bizarre. I was disoriented & didn't know where I was and even though I was in my bed in daylight I felt cold & like I was in a dark oubliette. Then when I was stumbling my way to the bathroom I could see the hallway but the walls had an overlay of animatronic dolls with a series of ropes, gears, and pulleys and were guiding me toward the bathroom.

Looks good, Highup!

CJ, I should mention the wheelchair thing to my mom if she ever needs to fly again. It helped her get on rides faster at DisneyWorld. Her mom went to Disneyland & was getting tired. Aunt said "Get a wheelchair!" Grandma said "But what would people say? I'm not disabled!" Aunt: "Mother, you're EIGHTY!" She apparently went on all the rollercoasters she could and had a blast.

And now: Tales of Redneck Drama!

First we have the lazy/stupid security guard at my brother's workplace who doesn't understand what his job is. Bro was carrying some 60lb boxes of tickets for the arcade. Security guard mouthed at him and beckoned him over as if it was urgent. Bro went over and asked what he said. Dude said "I didn't say anything yet" and had an attitude. He then bitched about some kids misbehaving inside & that they were play-slapping each other and "That's a big No No" (as if the dude was 5-yrs old or something). Bro said "You could have waited for me to put these down first". Guard just bitched some more & bro said "Next time just call security". Bc it's literally the security guard's job to deal with those situations but he was complaining to other employees about it instead. Dude was apparently super pissed. Bro told the guy he didn't have time to deal with the dude's bs and was walking away.

Then, ultra ultra redneck drama: My friend's gf was over at her brother's place getting her hair done by her bro's common law wife. I'm not clear on the exact details but the bro was drunk and started sexting his own sister. Saying something about wanting to f* the bush off her p* and other nasty stuff. She got upset and told him he was gross. He started arguing with her. She rushed to her car, drove home, and ran crying to my friend and showed him the messages. He messaged the bro to STFU and leave his pregnant sister alone. So, this drunk mofo decides he's going to storm over to my friend's house to try to fight him. He was yelling at friend's gf. His two kids (15f & 11m) rushed after him to try to stop him. He violently shoved his daughter, at which point my friend stepped out and told him to stop. Dude jumped on him and started scratching the hell out of his neck. The boy was begging my friend not to beat the hell out of his dad so my friend just pinned him down. While he had him pinned, the drunk idiot was screaming "You think you're stronger than me?" Not sure how it ended but the drunkard went back home & had a violent rage. He headbutted his wife in the forehead and busted her eyebrow open, threw and smashed all of their dishes, broke the TVs and the wifi router. Friend said he would have knocked the jerk out if he'd known he was going to go home and do that. But, it now means the kids are going to be at his house to use his wifi constantly. And nobody called the cops. I told him he should have called the cops and the wife should have called the cops. The drunk dude has bipolar disorder & schizophrenia. The latter doesn't usually lead to violence but the former does. He's on disability bc of his mental disorders.

I'm planning to go to Walmart today for groceries. Went to samsclub the other day but they were out of almost everything on the list.

 

[havasu]

Flying back home today. Anybody else have a TSA pre check? It’s the greatest thing ever. Still gotta empty your pockets and do the metal detector business but there is absolutely no line at all! Wish I woulda done this 5 years ago.

For those of you that don’t have one, just request a wheelchair. You’ll get through security just as fast.

I was denied getting the TSA precheck, because of the metal in my knees.

 

[zannej]

TSA sucks.
The plug in my bathtub drain dislodged and bc that tub hasn't been used in years, the trap is dry & sewer gases were coming up. I had to clear stuff out of the tub enough to see the drain. I didn't see the stopper so I figured pouring water in would fill it. Four 12oz cups later and it was just siphoning out of the trap instead of staying and more sewer gases were coming up. I finally found the stopper and plugged it back up and then put the plunger on top of it. Plunger has a little case and the case sat over the plug. Inhaled enough gases to make me sick and I slept until 5pm.

Need to go to the store today bc we're out of stuff. They don't carry the larger bags of cat food that we get so I have to get the smaller more expensive ones. I hope samsclub will have more stuff next time.

 

[Floorist]

Gas jumped 20 cents overnight. $3.59 now

 

[zannej]

I'm not surprised on the gas price jump. It has been going down for a few months now. Gas companies will use any excuse they can possibly think of to raise prices.

I tried a veggie pasta made from lentils and zuccini. Forgot lentils are like onions so they did a number on my digestive system. Discovered there was a season 2 of "Broadchurch" and watched it with my brother. He loves that show. Before the digestive issues started I got down on my floor and crammed some steel wool into another mouse hole I discovered.

Ron over on houserepairtalk forums told me about a toilet flange that seals to the floor to reduce chances of water damage if the seal breaks. Sells for something like $33 to $45 (although the particular one he got was sold out). I found the 4" version on ebay for $14.99 & free shipping. New in retail packaging. No returns but money back guarantee if there's anything wrong with it.

My friend's gf's brother "limped" his way over and apologized to my friend but my friend refused to accept the apology & told him to go away & never come back.

I just had total brain freeze. I think I need a nap.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Gas jumped 20 cents overnight. $3.59 now

Lucky you we are a dollar more that you just jumped .30 this afternoon.

 

[Floorist]

Lucky you we are a dollar more that you just jumped .30 this afternoon.

Havasu says it is $6.89 in Calif.

 

[highup]

Gas jumped 20 cents overnight. $3.59 now

You lucky dog, our Chevron station is 5.70 for credit price. It might be 10 cents cheaper at some other stations.

 

[highup]

Halloween is approaching.
It's a 12 footer. Pretty darn cool looking.

 

[highup]

I finished emptying my goodie box of free stuff from the paint room. Looked em up, $37
I'll find a use for um.

 

[DarisMulkin]

I finished emptying my goodie box of free stuff from the paint room. Looked em up, $37
I'll find a use for um.

Excellent repair tips for retufting berbers and the like. Just don't drop your glue gun, the tips break off really easy. I don't know how many of those tips I have broken. They are from Taylor tools.

 

[highup]

Excellent repair tips for retufting berbers and the like. Just don't drop your glue gun, the tips break off really easy. I don't know how many of those tips I have broken. They are from Taylor tools.

I'm thinking these need to be kept in a pill bottle or something so that I get banged around. I'm still using the one that I made four or five years ago. I added a length of thin copper tubing to an existing glue gun tip. The copper can bend but it won't break. These definitely look special.

 

[zannej]

Gas had gone down to about $2.69 here and today it was up to $3.099.

Highup, what are those things? Love the giant skeletons.

I did some mild cleaning in the kitchen (wiping down counters), went to the store for groceries, got cow feed, fed cows, put away groceries, cooked rice while sateeing mushrooms & cleaning the living room. (I was stepping between the rice and mushrooms for prep and then set the pressure cooker on while I put a lid on the mushrooms and let them stew for awhile as I was cleaning). So Mom had rice and chicken for dinner. I discovered another set of stains on the vinyl plank-- light purple color. Not sure what they are from but I am trying baking soda and vinegar (more vinegar this time) held down with saran wrap to try to get it to soak in instead of evaporate. I'm tempted to see if barkeepers friend does anything to vinyl. I have plenty of scraps left over to test it on. And I wonder if it would be bad to mix it with vinegar.

On my way in I saw a lizard on my hood staring at a horsefly, I slowed down and watched as he caught the horsefly. I tried to drive slowly so he wouldn't fall off as he ate the fly. Then about halfway into town he went to scratch the back of his head with a rear foot and flew off. I said "NOOOOOOOOOO" as I watched him slip away. Didn't see any sign of him on the road behind me so I hope he landed safely in the grass somewhere and wasn't hurt. I wanted to keep that one at my house though. My friend discovered a spider in his bathroom that he is willing to let stay (he's afraid of spiders) because it caught a wasp. He's more afraid of wasps than spiders.

I'm about ready for a nap.

 

[havasu]

Just got gas today for $6.49 a gallon.

 

[Floorist]

Just got gas today for $6.49 a gallon.

Taco Bell?

 

[highup]

Just got gas today for $6.49 a gallon.

And I thought I lived in a crazy state. You're paying over twice as much as East Coast.