"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." - Will Rogers

(Click to enlarge)

Sally's trunk lid is "done." Yesterday I used a wool pad on my buffing machine with buffing compound to do the final. Unfortunately it didn't turn out like I want or think it could. I should have done more wet sanding to get rid of the orange peel that remains. The solution: go back to sanding and then do the buffing step again. That may run the risk of sanding through the paint to the primer. If that happens the solution is simple: add another coat or two of paint. That's relatively easy when compared to the normal spray application of paint, and cheap enough at $9 per quart of paint. I'm guessing the total for two more coats would be about 75 cents after it's cut 50/50 with mineral spirits.
I'll wait to do that, though. I'll get the truck back this afternoon which will give me a vehicle to drive when Pam needs the Blazer. That means Sally's rear bumper and tail lights can come off so I can do prep and paint on the rest of her rear end. (Yes, I'll be buffing Sally's butt.) I'll do that additional work on the deck lid when I get to the paint stage on the rest of the backside.
I'm still optimistic about the final product once I rework the trunk lid. Especially after talking to the guy at Industrial Finishes who sold me the buffing compound. He's not a fan of painting a car with Rustoleum but I don't expect him to be. He does agree it is a VERY cost effective way to get a 20/20 paint job (looks good at 20 feet or at 20 mph.). Red is just about the most expensive color of automotive paint because the solids used to make it red are the most expensive. The quart of Rustoleum I paid $9 for would cost me $200 for a top grade automotive paint. I may get the entire car painted out of this quart whereas spraying would require at least two quarts.
Yeah, I can live with 20/20 at this price differential, even if I can't get rid of all the orange peel.

My Tuesday night class is done for the summer - assuming they decide to start it back up in the fall. I think the outcomes of this first course will result in a resumption but I'll find out for sure at a meeting next Wednesday morning. Between now and then I'm going to develop a list of potential course offerings and a sketch of the content for each.

I also need to get a start on prep for my Brazil trip the end of August. I got an email from Joe the other day about getting him my handouts and presentation slides so he can get them translated into Portuguese. That trip will be upon me sooner than my brain currently thinks so I best not put that work off. I also need to renew my visa.

I've been baking cookies for my Tuesday night classes. Four weeks of class with two kinds of cookies for each, which means I had to expand my repertoire considerably. One of the gals who took the course and is also in my Sunday morning class offered to loan me her Great British Baking Show cookbook. Yes please!! Time to up my game.
Pam says I may not continue to bake every week if classes start back up in the fall. She thinks it adds too much to my plate (see what I did there?). But I enjoy learning to bake and this allows me to indulge that urge without putting on the weight of eating my own work product. So we'll see.
I can also only bake for our Wednesday morning staff meetings which, heretofore has just been taking any leftovers from Tuesday night. And there aren't usually leftovers, anyway.
It's been interesting that the most popular items have been the easiest to make, while the more time-consuming and labor intensive ones (e.g. Russian Tea Cakes) have not been gobbled up as quickly.

Got the truck back this afternoon. It drives just like it did on the way to Springfield, before the horrible noises from the back end. The guy said the pinion bearing was toast and this used differential was nice and tight so I'm optimistic that it will last as long as the truck itself.
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We're just back from our Thursday night pizza date at the Countryside Villa (dive joint with surprisingly good pizza). I won't be conscious for much longer.
Hit "Publish" and go into zombie mode until it's just late enough that I'm not humiliated to be going to bed that early.
G'night.