well shit

That's no good, no good at all.

Jeeze...yesterday I noticed the dog had been chewing the chuken wire on the peacock cage. Today my father and I were going to double wire it...should've done it yesterday. This morning the dog broke through the wire and attacked the birds, killing one of them. The other appears to be OK, just some ruffled and missing feathers, but otherwise fine. She wouldn't come out of her house for a few hours afterwards though. So now I've got one less bird and no dog. I mean, just no way we could trust the dog any more, so we had to get rid of him. He'll be fine though, and we're replacing the dead bird with two new ones, hopefully to ensure that we'll have at least one male, as the male was the one that was killed. Ideally, we'll get one male and another female.

This house must be cursed for dogs, I tell you...been here only two and a half years and have gone through three dogs. Of course, mother says she doesn't want another dog, but she said the same thing after the last two dogs as well....we'll see.

you know who's hot?

Kate Beckinsale. Like, uber hot.

Had a nice little visit to the junkyard today...came away with some good stuff. Snagged 4 coil-overs from a Jag, a cool radio from a Falcon, some seat belts for the '66, and a manual door (hood) release for the '01. There was just no way that I was going to remove the driver's side door handle without having a manual back-up, that's just asking for trouble.

I also got a nice little surprise in the mail...some W2's. That means that I'll have a little extra cash to play with. I'm not sure what I'll get, if anything. I may get some mirrors and/or a fuel cell. That'll get me to the point where I can 'finish' the body mods. Yeah...right...until I shave the upper body line and body drop it...although that'll probably be a stock floor if anything.

good to bad

And back to good again. Maybe even great.

Laziness. Is it just me, or does winter just make you lazy? When it's cold outside, nothing is more inviting then the warmth of a cozy bed or couch. If there is a nice little honey there with you, all the better. Although I don't have me one, damn; the couch is still a nice place to be.

Your fingers get cold and hurt from the lack of blood, but, still, the 'to-do:' list only grows. So what are you supposed to do? You can't wait till spring, as that's show season, and you want your vehicle done for the shows, right? Eh...I find that if the weather isn't the best, my ass will be inside. Maybe I don't have to drive that I should, or that I'm just lazy.

You know what's strange, but one of the best feeligns around? When you invision something in it's final form; you look at your truck, not as the stock kit that it is now, but fully modded out. You dream of what you'll add and what you'll do, and how it'll all turn out in the end. Then one day, you realize that you're nearly there, that your vision and dream and become a reality. I had such a vision the other day. I kinda just had to step back and slow things down a bit.

Most of the mods to my truck started less then 2 years ago. Before I moved to the great city I'm in now, the only thing done to the truck were the Probe GT buckets, the grille, and the grille neon. That's it. I did have custom gauges, but not the ones I have now. Now look at where my truck is: far, far from stock. I'll be out driving and see a truck just like mine, only stock and it's then that I realize that I've created something unique.

My vision still is not complete though, as a matter of fact, the current state of the truck is what I call "1.5". With state "1.0" being stock, and "2.0" being my final dream. Many of the mods I have are halfway between stock and where I eventually want to be. Take my audio set-up for example. I've got the dual 12's and amp, but I eventually want to put them in a nice, fiberglassed box that is better suited for a mini-truck; not the whipped up in a weekend look that I've got going on now.

Stay tuned, even though I'll soon have a different vehicle to steal away my money, I won't ever forget about the truck that introduced me to some great people and great times.

crisis adverted

Stand down.

Even though today was a decent day, plenty warm in the sun and no wind, I didn't get my other solenoid installed. Or even remove the driver's side handle. Quite frankly, you can't tell I did much. But in reality, I did a lot. I did something that I've been needing and wanting to do, which is redo much of the wiring for my accessories. I had about 5 hots coming off the battery through the fire wall, and three other wires to boot.

So whata do when you have a fire hazard just waiting to burn down your truck? Fix it. So I did. I added a terminal strip, bridged all the terminals to hot, and fed it with a fused link from the battery. So now I've only got two hots going through the firewall, with one being the amp wire. I also finally cut down all the wires so I don't have bundles and budles of wires everywhere. I did similar for grounds behind the radio.

I'm still not done though, but close. Once the sun went down it got chilly, and dark, so I went inside.

BTW, I'mma tool, I know, but I did the 'cool' thing and got a MySpace.com account. Not really sure why...but I did. All my friends have ones, so I gota to gets me one too. Yee haw.

fuck it all

Sideways with a 10' pole.

Whew, I'm glad to find out that the site where I was gonna buy my S15 from is back up. There is only a place holder page there now, but by the time I get money enough to get one, the site will (hopefully) be up and functional. I'm really likeing the FJ Cruiser, and Sky. In a perfect world, I'd have all three.

Anyone been watching Barrett-Jackson this week? Oh man...great stuff. I found my absolute dream muscle car: a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda HEMI Convertable in Hemi Orange. I want this car. It sold for $2.5 million if I remember correctly. If I had the money, I'd bet $2.6, or whatever was needed to get me that car. Only Hemi Orange 'Cuda Convert EVER made. EVER. 1 of 1. EVER. I need a change of pants...

It rained all weekend so I wasn't able to finish working on the doors, although I was able to tweak the poppers so that they pop the doors clear of the latch. It's pimp.

Kinda ironic though, I drilled three holes where I was gonna mount the popper, only to find out that I didn't have the space I thought I did...so I had to drill two more holes in order to mount it. Then I'm all worried about what bolts I have holding it in...regular hex head bolts are ugly, so I got some Allen button heads. Why am I worried about what bolts I'm using when I've got holes in my door? I'm insane I reckon. But I can always weld up the holes....Hopefully I'll be able to finish the install of the other popper and get to removing my handles already...

Oh yeah, before I forget....progress on the '66 is coming along. HOPEFULLY this weekend we'll have the motor and tranny at least at the house...then we'll install it, which shoudln't take too long. That'll be a real kick in the ass to get this thing done. In floor boards are 'done', and I'm still working on cleaning up various components and painting them so they look nice. September is our "to be done" date, and it'll be here before you know it.

nanobots and type iii carbon/silicon hybrids?

Escape the Big Freeze NOW! Sign-up for YOUR self-replicated nanobot encoded with YOUR DNA, Memory, and Personality to be sent through the Wormhole TODAY!

Greek? Much of astrophysics is, but I find this realm of physics to be the most interesting. Particles that fall up, weigh less then nothing, or particles that are invisible but contain weight, squarks. Yes, it's all there in astro and quantum phyisics. If you've got about 20 mins to spare, a good dictionary (or a grasp of physics beyond what you find in high school), then this article is an enlightening read. The jist is that billons of trillions of years in the future, once humans have evolved into a Type III civilization, the "dark energy" that makes up the majority of our universe will eventually push our universe so far out, that energy will cease to be, and the entire universe will reach absolute zero; however, all is not lost. A 'simple' trip through a wormhole or opposing blackholes in parallel universes will allow us to send nanobots, or actual humans, to an 4th dimension (or 5th, 6th ... 11th as the case may be) universe and repopulate that universe will the fruits of the current universes' civilizations. Yeah, good stuff when science 'fact' are stranger then science fiction.

where oh where has my little dog gone

Cause that bitch stole my wallet.

Got started on shavin' the doors today; more accurately, I installed the driver's side solenoid and popper. It works peachy, kinda strange to hit a button, see the exterior door handle move up. I need to adjust the popper some so that the door pops opens past the latch, right now it just kinda pops...the door stays closed. I'll fix that tomorrow. Hope to install the passenger side stuff tomorrow, and hide the stuff that I didn't hide today...It looked like rain, so I quickly hooked up what needed to be hooked to make it work and tried it out. B-e-au-ti-ful.

hi ho, hi ho, don't make me smack you

Cause I keep my pimp hand strong.

After a bit of a fiasco trying to get my shaved door kit...I finally got it today. It's all complete, solenoids, poppers, remotes, remote brain, directions, relays, everything. I'm having difficulty finding a spot to put the solenoid...it's just so darn big. I'm hoping I'm able to get the new remote to work the door locks so I won't have to carry around two remotes. This weekend should see the truck lose it's handles. I'm quite estactic about that.

nope, not today

But maybe tomorrow.

My shaved door package came Saturday. But no one was here to get it...so hopefully it'll be redelivered tomorrow...and if it isn't, it's off to the Post Office to try to get it. It seems like the Fates are toying with me, those cruel, cruel mistresses.

And on further Halo 3 related tidbits, this one comes straight from Bungie, in thier now hiring area of the site. They want a Content Writer, whom will "witness the creation of [Bungie's] latest masterpiece [and will] immerse [themselves] in the Bungie and Halo universe[s]". The job description furter goes on to say that the applicant "must be passionate and experienced with the Bungie Community ... espically Halo and Halo2". Read between the lines here...even though you almost don't have to. Good stuff, I still can't wait for Halo3.

it's gonna kick ass

Trust me.

Ask anyone who works at Bungie what thier next project is, and they are very tight lipped. Ask and Halo fan and they'll say 'Halo 3: The Game We Expected From Halo 2'. In the 200th issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has some nice tidbits all but confirming Bungie is working on Halo 3. This isn't my usual cup of tea, and I'm not breaking any new information, but I find it interesting so that's why it's here. Deal with it.

In EGM #200, Peter Moore, who is the Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Retail and Sales and Entertainment Division for Microsoft, is asked question about XBOX 360. Halo 3 invarably rears its head, as Halo and XBOX are inseperable.

Tidbit #1: When asked by EGM, if the 360 really needed a Halo to launch, he responds that not only would that be nigh on impossible, but "(i)t's nice to have [Halo 3] still in your back pocket".

Tidbit #2: EGM asks if 'Gears of War' will be the 'Halo' for 2006, in his answer, Moore volunteers that "we (obviously) haven't snnounced anything about any future 'Halo' titles. This is rehashed in the enxt question, "Will Halo 3 ship in 2006"?

Tidbit #3: A bit of a stretch, but not so much, when Moore is asked about what he is looking forward to in the next 5 years for the 360, he states "..and then of course [I'm excited about] things that we haven't announced yet that I can't talk about right now... Similar phrasing in slightly related (and leading questions) from a guy who knows how to dodge the press' questions is no coincidence.

Tidbit #4: Bill Gates is also interviewed about the 360, when question about his optimistic shipdate of Halo 3 being out when the PS3 comes out, he does volunteer this info "We do think [Halo 3] will be a great Xbox 360 title..."

I can't wait for Halo 3. I'll be playing Halo 2 up till the day I get my grubby mitts of the long-awaited triquel to the most addictive game I've ever played.

nope, not gonna do it

And you can't make me.

I've been in a kinda strange mood lately, so I created a wallpaper to convey that. I'm not sure if I like it or not; I kinda got the point I was going for across, but of course, I know what I'm looking for and at. The 'paper is based on a picture taken by my buddy Tim. Check his site out, some really good pics there. As for the wallpaper, I call it Hope:

on a kibosh

And I'm not happy.

Wha-oh. Since the new year, it seems the company's site where I was going to get my S15 from has gone down...that can't be a good thing. Hopefully it's just a technical delay...but just in case, I'm thinking I may have to buy a regular ol' American car. The two that have caught my eye are the Saturn Sky and Toyota FJ. Two vastly different vehicles, and both are quite different then the Silvia...but that's how I am.

now i'm lost

And I don't want to be found.

Yee-haw, finally ordered my shaved door kit. This should work plenty well on the Ranger. Hoping to have it MAYBE by the end of the week, but more then likely beginning of next week. Then I'll get to removing my door handles and finally look the part that I've been faking for so long.

I'm hoping to finish shaving the passenger fender and antenna this week. I've been holding off on finishing it as I wasn't sure of my weekend plans, and I didn't want to have a half-assed finsihed truck (oh....wait) to take, or have to take one of my parents vehicles. Only the fuel door and mirrors are left to shave off...oh and taillights. Still need to find some I like.

don't move

I'll go get you a towel.

If a few things around here don't work or are off, you'll have to excuse me. I uploaded a few files for a mock-up of my clans new website (you can see it here, it like pre-Alpha version...so deal with it, bishes) and I may've acidentally overwrote files for this website. I'll fix all that in the morning.

long shot...but hey

You might just be surprised.

Since I've been lax the past week, lots of stuff no one cares about but me:

My clan (Tied The Leader Gunslingers) is having a birthday/LAN party in Nashville. 'Round 'bout the end of 'eburary. What are my chances of going? Um, I dunno. I'd like to go, really like to go actually, but I'm not sure how things'll pan out by then. Hopefully I'll be working, so I won't be able to go...but I want to go. Trivial, yes, I know, but thus is my life. Full of trivialties and dink.

I like that work, 'dink'. What's the definition? I'm not sure...but that's the beauty of it. Use it, abuse it, blame others.

I still wan't able to find a chain wallet, although I did find this, which I like, but I was able to find just a chain. So I made my own wallet to attach it too. I've had a duct tape wallet for a good while now, but it was a trifold and I kept it in a front pocket because of the bulk. This is a bi-fold and is thinner, so it doesn't hurt my bony (boney?) ass as much while sitting.

Ya know, I've got two watches, but ask me what time it is and I wouldn't be able to tell you. That's because niether have working batteries. I'd like to step-up to a self-winding, like this fetching number from Tag Heuer, but, alas, those are much more then I can afford at this time. However, all is not lost my friend, for I have found some kick ass watches from Nixon. First, The Player, features a real diamond and a real wood face (at least the one I'd get). Lovely. Then, The GTO. A nice grommeted strap watch with a name I do like. Last, but possibly the pimpest, is The Rotolog. Nice mix of steel and wood, with an interesting way of showing what time it is. I do like them all, and it falls right in line with my usual philosophy, when something is broke or doesn't work right, instead of spending a few dollars to get it fixed and working, I'll spend many more dollars getting something much more expensive to replace it. How I do enjoy it.

And last, but not least, I'll finally be ordering my shaved door kit on Tuesdayish. How pimp my truck'll be. I can't wait.

off to a bad start

Narrowly missed almost certian disater today.

So, my father and I were at the auto parts store getting a new battery when I hear what sounds like a siren on some sort. I thought nothing of it. Get out to the truck and hear it again, followed by a prerecorded announcement saying somthing about severe weather. Interesting. On the way home several warnings come through the speakers, including a tornado warning for my county, the one directly east and directly north; with reported tornatic activity exactly where I live. We hit a few hail stones while on the road...this can't be good. The clouds were so low that you could tell that they were directly overhead, elevation of maybe 500-750 foot. Rolloing, tumbling, and boiling. Really, really nasty looking actually. However, we only got a spattering more of hail and some rain, not even a lot of wind.

However, maybe 1-1.5 miles north tornados were reported, and maybe 10-15 miles WSW there were more reports, with some destroyed outbuildings and such. So, while nothing really happened, plenty happened in close proximities. But, on a good note, I've got a new battery for the truck. So that's good. It's not under the bed or an Optima, but I can always add those later, no worries.

I found something kinda neat today; it's a low angle arial photo
photo of the house. Not sure when it was taken, but not anytime recently. Still, it's kinda cool to see it from an angle you'd normally never get to see.