RowdyRebel

To Those commercials...used to be DeVry, then UTI, WyoTech took a turn, and now it seems to be UNOH every other commercial. Seems when one tech school starts advertising, the others all disappear.

Oh, he's got my temper alright. Gets a little frustrated & things go flying. Doesn't talk yet, so no cussin'.

Not too bad considering he's still a year or so below the "recommended" age...

Key points omitted in the version of the story you selected: 1) Mark Galli, author of the op-ed, is leaving the publication. His views are NOT theirs. 2) Franklin Graham tweeted "My father knew @realDonaldTrump, believed in him & voted for him. He believed Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation," https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/evangelical-publication-calls-for-trump-s-removal-from-office/article_69ab84e0-233f-11ea-8029-53dab061365a.html

I replaced the auto-lock hubs on the Suburban with manual lockers. One of the auto-lockers was broke, and with open diffs, that meant no power to either front wheel. MUCH cheaper to buy & simpler to install...and more dependable. I lock 'em in, they're locked. It also gives me 2wd low for when traction is good but I want to gear down (like when backing a trailer). Only thing worse than auto-lock hubs are the constant-lock ones that turn the entire front-end drive train even when in 2wd, causing excessive & unnecessary wear & tear.

Caught him wrenching on his truck the other day... ...then he caught me trying to record him.

Got the Ranger tore down, and there was a silver lining to it all. I'd been hearing a ticking sound coming from the front left wheel. Just put new brakes/calipers/rotors/brake lines/wheel bearings/etc...on this summer, and it's only been back on the road since August. Been meaning to jack it up and investigate, but with so much other crap going on just haven't had time. It drove straight, no vibrations, handled well, and no obvious signs other than the slight "tick tick tick" as the wheel went around. Well, when I raised it up to pull the transmission, I took a look at that front wheel. I've never even seen that much play in a shopping cart wheel! The outer bearing race fell out of the rotor when I pulled it off the spindle. I'm surprised the entire wheel didn't come off...which would've been REALLY bad. So, the transmission going out probably saved me and the truck, because losing that wheel running the roads I commute on at the speeds I take them would've been quite ugly...total the truck and probably do some serious damage to me, too. Anyway, I'm a little jealous of my boy. I'm rolling around on the creeper, struggling to maneuver around in the tight quarters under the truck...and all he has to do is stoop over a little bit and walk. Being in the garage is nice because he can wander around and watch me work, rather than be contained in the bed of the truck. I don't need him wandering off while I'm elbow deep in a project. I'd upload a pic of him "helping" but they're all too large...only have 1.57MB available. If I find time here in the next few days I might see about making some room to do that...

My "friend" whos numbers I was running decided insurance was too expensive & leased his trucks onto another carrier...leaving me up a creek w/o a paddle at the end of August last year. With the input shaft seal leaking, it wouldn't pass an inspection to lease back on where I had been before (really didn't want to anyway because of their insistance on running THEIR peoplenet system and charging me for it & the access it would give them to info that goes with it which they have no reason to have), and because my "friend" was a little behind on paying me, I didn't have the resources to get my own numbers. So, it got parked. Hopefully next spring when the weather breaks I can tear into it. I had hoped to this year, but it didn't quit raining dang near August... Hell, he STILL owes me over $3K and hasn't taken my calls or responded to a text in over a year. His wife says she's sure he'll call "when he's ready". I THOUGHT he was a friend...was best man at my wedding. He's SUPPOSED to be my boy's Godfather. At this point, I couldn't care less about the money...sure, it'd be nice & would go a long way towards getting things fixed the way they need to be, but I'm getting by without it. It's only money. Losing a good friend of damn near 20 years sucks.

Got it home. Neighbor has an uncluttered garage I can put my diesel/kerosene heater in to at least stay warm & dry. On the plus side, it SHOULD come out easy enough as it was just out a month ago doing the clutch & slave cylinder. Neighbor says his cousin just bought an old Ranger for parts, so if it's 2wd with the 183cid V6 and a 5-speed, I might have a transmission. Otherwise, he says "junk yards sell those for $50-$75 all day long"...just not sure about a junk yard transmission. But, if it gets me down the road for a few months until I can get a remanned (or tear into/fix this one), then it'd be worth it just in fuel savings alone vs commuting 100 miles/day in the F250 (which is OOS at the moment...timing cover gasket leaking antifreeze) or Suburban (having issues with that transmission, too...but that might be due to the tach signal coming from the ECM being anything but accurate & steady). Beyond that, I've got my bike back on the road (it sat for 5-1/2 years) and the wife's (that I've been riding) decided to dump all its oil onto my garage floor. Yeah, it's a Harley. Then there's the Mack...with no plates, no insurance, no batteries, and a leaking transmission input shaft seal. What good is having spare vehicles when they're all broke? Just got to get ahold of the neighbor again so I can get over there and get to work on it...

Welp...there goes Christmas! On my way to work this morning and the transmission let go in the Ranger. Good news is the local auto parts stores can get remanned ones in for about $800. Bad news is that's $800 we just weren't looking to spend on a vehicle right now. I doubt the one off my '86 (4-banger 5-speed) will bolt up to the '92 (V-6 5-speed) as the slip yolks were different. Slip yolk is an easy fix if that's the ONLY issue...I'm afraid the bolt pattern on the blocks are different as well. Just the way this year has gone...2 steps forward followed by a kick in the teeth and 5 steps back. Sitting on the side of the interstate now waiting for the wife to bring the Suburban & draw-bar to tow it home. Fun times.

Just been hectic. 50-60 hour work weeks with another hour commute each way, broke down vehicles to fix, floods closing bridges, not to mention my little guy is 2 now & likes to be the center of attention.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, time to start thinking about Christmas...

And something that really has me freaking out right now, Dozer was a diabetic, and so to control his blood sugar he was on a strict diet...fed at 9:00 AM and PM, with his insulin shot at 9:30 AM and PM. I had the calendar on my phone programmed to remind me at 9:00 and 9:30 AM and PM...recurring events every day at those times with push notifications indefinitely....been that way since he was diagnosed. Last night, I went in to delete those events on the calendar since I'd no longer need those reminders, and when I opened it up the last one showing on the calendar was for Wednesday morning. He passed shortly after noon. The Wednesday evening feeding & shot as well as every future occurrence was already absent from my calendar. I didn't delete them...so what happened? How did my phone know those events were no longer relevant? 😨

. Never got to say goodbye. Night before, I had worked late & picked the kid up at the sitter looking forward to getting home and crawling into bed...but when I got home I found that the wife's dog had pushed the door open to the baby's room and messed in there...which really pissed me off (she knows better)...so I cleaned it up & put the boot to her. Ol' Dozer hated it when I gave her ANY attention (good OR bad) and so he tried getting between me & her growling and barking at me the whole time...so he got the boot, too, just enough to get him out of the way. I left both dogs outside & went to bed since the wife was going to be home soon. Next morning I gave him a little extra rub on the head and let him know we were OK, then left for work. He passed mid-day...never saw him again.

I did usually have a rug or something of the sort tacked on there, but occasionally it'd need replacing. That pic was in between coverings. I didn't really like rolling around with just the plywood because it was a little slick.

He was about 4 months old when he came into my life 10/24/2008. He'd been abandoned down in Texas...kicked out of a moving car in a box with a few other pups, but he was the one the wife (g/f at the time...we got engaged that night) picked out for me. She brought him up that weekend when she came for a visit, and the 1st thing he did was let out this deep, low growl at me when I leaned in to say hello. He rode around in the truck with me for years...best damn truck dog you could imagine, and the road-ragingest son-of-a-gun you ever saw. I still remember that Arkansas state cop that pulled me over on 67 going around the scale...jumped up on the passenger side step and damn near got his nose bit off. Tumbled down into the ditch in his haste to avoid the snapping dog, and motioned for me to exit the truck to talk on the shoulder. Before we parted ways, he said he'd have to have a look inside the truck...and I said "That's really up to him" and pointed at Dozer, who'd been snarling and barking through the passenger window the whole time. So the truck is on the shoulder, and I open the door. Dozer was crouched on the floor by the pedals bearing every inch of his teeth, with the MEANEST damn growl you could imagine...every hair on his back standing at attention. So I stood there in the road with my thumbs hooked in his collar, scratching him behind the ears saying "good boy" as the cop...standing on the opposite side of the road on his tip toes...did his best to look around me and the dog to have that look. Anyway, there was nothing he loved more than riding around in the truck with me all day, and I never went anywhere without him. When the wife (fiance at the time) moved up here with her dog, we had to retire old Dozer...his new job was keeping her dog company so she wouldn't get anxious being alone and tear up the house while we were gone. When I'd be getting ready to leave, he'd try to outsmart me...waiting by the truck and refusing to go back in the house. After a couple weeks, though, he got used to the new routine, and seemed content staying home. He gave us a scare once several years back...lost 35 pounds (1/3 of his weight) in a month and was really peeing a lot. Turned out he had diabetes, and so from that point on he'd get 2 shots of insulin per day every day. Unfortunately, with dogs if you don't get their blood sugar in check quickly, they develop cataracts. Slowly over the course of the next several years, his eyesight faded. He still got around pretty good, though...he knew his way around the house and yard. Yesterday while I was at work, I got a text from the wife that he was having trouble breathing, and that she was taking him to the vet. Within an hour, she was blowing up my phone. Apparently, they had taken some x-rays and found a tumor in his gut, that pressed against his spleen and leaked fluid into his throat. He collapsed within 20 minutes of arrival at the vet, and he's gone. Last night was rough. It was the 1st time in over 10 years I had to sleep without him in the house. The little things that annoy you...like his heavy panting (which we thought was just his subtle way of letting us know he needed out...turns out he was just trying to breathe)...are missed. Damn near lost it this morning when I walked out of the bedroom and looked down at the spot on the floor in the doorway where he'd lay as we slept...force of habit to avoid stepping on him in the dark. Anyway, it's going to be rough around here for a while until we figure out what the new normal is going to look like... June ??, 2008 - June 12, 2019

Because it has been a 2-year opposition research attempt to dig up or create dirt on Trump, his family, and his associates in preparation for 2020. There is no reason for rumors, lies, or wild & unverified allegations (like the dossier) to be made public.

I put 100 miles on the motorcycle today. 😛

Dad remembers that winter quite well, as he shoveled a LOT of snow...by hand. My parents had a rather long driveway (garage at the back of the property) back then and dad had to keep it cleared so they could get out because my arrival into this world was quickly approaching. Mom sure as heck didn't want to be snowed in when I decided it was time...

Hell, I went out for a walk pulling the boy on his tractor today...sleeveless shirt, no jacket. Even had the windows open airing out the house. Of course that was AFTER the storm blew through. Was going to go to the farm show in town, but the boy decided it was nap time right as it was clearing up...so we stayed home. Probably better that way.

Update: Blew a tire on the F250 on my way to work, so been running the Suburban 5 days per week rather than 3. Ran a gallon of Seafoam through it...1 oz per gallon over 4 tanks...and it has cleared up most of the issues created by sitting. Unfortunately, I left the under-hood light on and it drained the battery...so I jumped it and ever since the transmission has been acting goofy. Tough to fine tune a carburetor when it isn't shifting right. Throws a slip code in 4th gear when the torque converter is locked in and I lift off the throttle. Also shifts stupid hard from 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 if the torque converter is locked in...it isn't releasing like it should. That and when you get on it (like when you're merging onto the highway or pulling out into traffic), it won't hold the lower gears up to the shift point I have programmed in. Instead, it jumps to top gear, bounces between top gear and the gears (4-3-4-3-4-2-4-3-4-3...) with the engine revving up and lugging accordingly. If I hold the throttle wide open, it'll hold top gear and just lug up to speed. I've started manually shifting (1-2-D-O) to help stop that, but it's still frustrating. If I have to manually shift the stupid thing, I may as well put a manual transmission into it...which I actually got the go-ahead from the wife to pursue. Looking for a NV4500 from an earlier Chevy with the 6.3x 1st and reverse gearing, 32 spline output shaft, and set up for 4wd. If I'm lucky, I'll find one that came off a 350 motor and had a NP241 transfer case so I'll have the bellhousing and t-case adapter...then it's just a matter of finding clutch parts & pieces and cutting a hole in the floor for the shifter. The later ones have the Dodge 5.xx ratios...would still work (just not out of a Dodge...23 & 29 spline outputs) but I'd prefer the lower ratio granny & reverse. That won't be until late summer/fall at the earliest, though, so I'm going to try changing the fluid & filter in the meantime and see if that helps. Even if it does, I'm still swapping in the manual transmission. I know I started out building this thing for the wife, but she never drives it anyway, so I may as well make it so I can enjoy driving it...

A group of democrats gathered together wearing white...seems like that sort of thing used to be cause for serious concern. Were they trying to show solidarity with the VA governor?

You could build one with 3x the CID and have the same though if you could've built it with 4x the CID...

...but that ain't a Mack. I specifically told Santa if it ain't a Mack I don't want it!