My 20-year old 3/8" swivel-head ratchet finally bit the dust. I'm surprised it lasted that long, inasmuch as the manufacturer didn't even put a brand name on it. For a replacement I went to Harbor Freight today and picked up a few other things I'll need in the near future. I could spend a lot of money in that place. Yes, mostly it's Chinese stuff of very questionable quality but I don't make my living with these tools so they're adequate for my needs. And cheap (the best part).
When I came out I drooled over a very clean 1972 Datsun 240 Z parked next to my Kia. That's the car that started the Japanese sports car movement. When it hit the market Car & Driver magazine said the only fault they could find was too much badging on the exterior. Still a beautiful car.
A few weeks ago the men of Pathway went kart racing. Josh invited a friend who's from England and we talked about the motorcycle races on the Isle of Man off the west coast of Scotland. They have an annual Time Trial race that's considered the TT of the year. I told him I'd like to see it live some day. This is as close as I'll get, but it got my heart pumping. I'm guessing you, too, will have an "oh my" reaction at one point.
Isle of Man TT video
You undoubtedly heard that the Post Office is cutting back the quantity and quality of its service while it raises the cost of stamps. Such is life. I heard they figure the volume of mail processed by the USPS, which has already dropped dramatically, will fall another 50% over the next ten years.
I don't care that a first class piece will take two days instead of one. But they're saying magazines will take 5-8 days for delivery. At that point my subscription to TIME looks more like HISTORY MAGAZINE. It may be time to get it on my iPad.
This afternoon I read an article from last week's TIME about the latest iteration of romance novels. They're called Yellow Ribbon novels because the current fad is steamy stories that feature firefighters, cops and returned vets, especially Navy Seals. The full-page picture at the beginning of the article is of a photo shoot for a novel's cover involving some guy who's supposed to be one of those firefighters who jump from planes into a forest fire. His uniform shirt is open and he is ripped! He has to be taking pills or injections of something to have muscles and definition like that. Yikes!
It didn't help that I read that just before heading to the gym for my workout. Why bother??
Then I thought more about it. I'm going to the Sun City gym, where I am that guy! It's not about what you look like, it's what you look like compared to the people around you.
Stand next to squishy old people and it's all good.
I got an email today from a person I don't know who takes issue with an article I wrote. "Takes issue" puts it mildly. Think: flamed.
I need to write a response; it's the courteous thing to do. But if it weren't for his pretty harsh tone I wouldn't know for sure what he's saying. He's not very good at communicating in written form. I'm OK with him disagreeing but because I can't make sense of much of what he writes I'm not sure what to say in response. Maybe I'll just say, "Thank you for your comments...blah, blah, blah," since any back and forth on the issue is pointless. He's clearly convinced of the error of my ways.
2 comments:
A) If you want to buy a fully-restored show-quality 1972 240Z Datsun orange with black vinyl roof, contact MMM.
B) By the looks of things, participating in the Bike Race in Scotland should be a bucket list item because there's a good chance you'll end up in a bucket before reaching the end. Ouch...
If you ever plan a trip to the Isle of Man, COUNT ME IN!!!
Mike H.
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