Running Bear's June 2024 Coffee Shop

[migalyto]

Speaking of cognitively stupid things, the Pirates' catcher needs a checkup from the neck up!

Talk about sleeping at the wheel!

 

[kbkchooch]

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's, stepdads, and father figures out there!

My father's day present, time in the basement! Replaced 2 turnouts , ran feeders to the 1 yard, and actually pulled one of my brass lokeys out for a little limbering up. They do stiffen up over time but this one has recovered. Speaking of brass I sent 3 of the off to a fried who does brass repairs for a hobby/retirement business for some extensive reworking, gearboxes, motors and valve gear work. I may not see them for a month or more, but I'm still laying tracks, so now is a good time for that. Paint and decoders I can do, gearboxes especially on articulated steam is a big nope. I'd rather pay someone.

Cooking out later today on the grill, burgers, dogs, tater salad and corn on the cob, and some cold brews!

I do have a ton of catching up to do, but it appears that things have been going along in my absence.

Willie, I have peeked in from time to time and I was quite distressed to see the damage. It's hard to believe the damage a twister can do. We had one hit about 3 miles from here last week, just an EF1, almost a EF2, mainly just tree and roof damage but still scary.

Sherril, You must have butt dialed me last week, because the voice mail message I got was about 3 minutes of muffled indistinguishable sounds. I would have answered but I was at work, and when I played it back later I did get a good chuckle. I would have called you back right then and there but duty called. Later when I remembered, it was 11:30 at night. See I can't remember crap either!!

L8ter

 

[migalyto]

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's, stepdads, and father figures out there!

My father's day present, time in the basement! Replaced 2 turnouts , ran feeders to the 1 yard, and actually pulled one of my brass lokeys out for a little limbering up. They do stiffen up over time but this one has recovered. Speaking of brass I sent 3 of the off to a fried who does brass repairs for a hobby/retirement business for some extensive reworking, gearboxes, motors and valve gear work. I may not see them for a month or more, but I'm still laying tracks, so now is a good time for that. Paint and decoders I can do, gearboxes especially on articulated steam is a big nope. I'd rather pay someone.

Cooking out later today on the grill, burgers, dogs, tater salad and corn on the cob, and some cold brews!

I do have a ton of catching up to do, but it appears that things have been going along in my absence.

Willie, I have peeked in from time to time and I was quite distressed to see the damage. It's hard to believe the damage a twister can do. We had one hit about 3 miles from here last week, just an EF1, almost a EF2, mainly just tree and roof damage but still scary.

Sherril, You must have butt dialed me last week, because the voice mail message I got was about 3 minutes of muffled indistinguishable sounds. I would have answered but I was at work, and when I played it back later I did get a good chuckle. I would have called you back right then and there but duty called. Later when I remembered, it was 11:30 at night. See I can't remember crap either!!

L8ter

Good to see you back on Karl.

 

[santafewillie]

Karl - Great to see you return to the Coffee Shop, we had begun to miss you.

 

[troyphoto]

Sherril, You must have butt dialed me last week, because the voice mail message I got was about 3 minutes of muffled indistinguishable sounds. I would have answered but I was at work, and when I played it back later I did get a good chuckle. I would have called you back right then and there but duty called. Later when I remembered, it was 11:30 at night. See I can't remember crap either!!

L8ter

Be thankful it was indistinguishable... if it was a true "butt" dial, you might not want to know.

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeps, and those who knew it was Fredo all along...

It's Troy again.

I was beginning to worry that I ranked lower than my wife with the daughter unit (i do, but that's because I'm just dad)... Wife got a box of chocolates from the kid on Mother's day (delivered two days early because of long distance).

Today I found nothing on the porch. OK... got a text about lunch time. that's the normal communication device for her, so points there!

Finally about 4ish another text... was I going to be home? She just ordered dessert for me tonight via door dash. (Yes, you can send door dash to someone else, in another city).

I sat in the kitchen watching the back gate where the deliveries come in... then she texted this pic with "Is this even your front door?" wondering if the driver got the correct address.

Yep... that's us. What did I get?

Well, leave the gun, and take the cannolis! Poor Paulie.

See... she's a good kid.

 

[bnsf971]

It comes down to the same thing. Parts are poor quality for a reason, and that reason is profits. That price point you're writing about is just a fancy way to say it. According to "common expectations", one of my cars is obsolete. All that means is that someone decided to call it obsolete, and that's it, no more. I run it because it's cheaper to run it than newest cars. The reason it's cheaper to run it is because i can do most of the maintenance on it myself.
You wrote companies will not say it "we need to make sure it will last only 5 years"-that is obvious. No company or bussiness will quote it. If you do an actual budget comparing running old reliable vehicle to a new one, the older vehicle will come out on top, both in costs and economy. Of course the companies will try to sell new vehicles, it's bussiness. But what i mean an "actual budget": taking into account drilling and mining raw materials to have for an actuall build of a new car. Problem is most people are sheep and they do not think deeper where all the materials come from. Most think groceries come from the store, and cars come from dealerships.
As for parts, you are incorrect. Why? Because as someone who maintains vehicles, i know for a fact that older and most of the time, original parts on vehicles are simply better quality, no if, ands, ot buts about it. I have run for well over 100K miles with original parts in older vehicles and when it came time to replace those parts, the replacements are almost universally of less quality.

I read an article a couple of weeks ago that showed the average national age of our vehicles is the oldest it's ever been. Initial cost, as well as high maintenance costs of new vehicles were some of the primary reasons given.

 

[troyphoto]

In other news, wife finally admitted after 30 years of marriage, that her meatloaf recipe is fairly bland.

We've been eating at a few places with good meatloaf. I get a steak, she gets the meatloaf and usually gets three meals out of it. I get one out of my 6oz and taters.

So, I'm under orders to find a good and flavourful meatloaf recipe that would work good on the grill. Put some smoke flavor on it, and well as livening up the "generic" meatloaf from her mother and grandmother's recipe boxes.

What's your favorite way to spice up the meatloaf?

 

[migalyto]

What's your favorite way to spice up the meatloaf?

My wife’s meatloaf is probably the typical standard ingredients, but she covers the top with bacon and brown sugar, and let’s that flavor go through it while baking. Probably would be a little better on the grill. Never thought of doing it that way

It makes great sandwiches for lunch the next day!

 

[Boris]

It looks great but very long.

9" long - 65 HO scale ft, 68" over coupler faces... Placed in service beginning in 1967, which fits my timeline.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

I read an article a couple of weeks ago that showed the average national age of our vehicles is the oldest it's ever been. Initial cost, as well as high maintenance costs of new vehicles were some of the primary reasons given.

I've heard about that also. And this will continue because of what i've written about; crap being put out from factories and people slowly realising it's just too expensive and too unreliable. Farmers in midwest have the same problems; new tractors so infested with electronic nonsense in the name of (false) economy and climate saving. They are buying back older tractors and rebuilding them so they can do their job.

 

[bnsf971]

I've heard about that also. And this will continue because of what i've written about; crap being put out from factories and people slowly realising it's just too expensive and too unreliable. Farmers in midwest have the same problems; new tractors so infested with electronic nonsense in the name of (false) economy and climate saving. They are buying back older tractors and rebuilding them so they can do their job.

John Deere is leading the charge against right to repair, with specialized software and electronics that are unrepairable without going back to the dealer, and paying through the nose.

 

[migalyto]

A pretty cool short video of the Flying Scotsman!

 

[chadbag]

Which ones? I'm tuned into the BBC and The Guardian. I avoid anything connected to Rupert Murdock.

Well if you only read leftist news you only see the leftist bias.

I read MSNBC, ABC, CNN, and Fox, as well as NYT and WaPo. But all of them are met with skepticism because all are biased in their so-called reporting. All are pretty much just propaganda when it comes to anything at all tangential to political reporting or national / international news. I was reading an article yesterday from ABC about firearms. The person who wrote the article had ZERO subject matter intelligence and knowledge and had no clue what he was trying to explain. And the words used were, intentionally or not, very biased against firearms ownership. The very words used pushed the agenda.

I don't specifically seek out anything. I run into stories from all across the spectrum. Some of the French stuff is pretty good but I usually find stuff from news aggregation sites or commentary posts that link to the original.

But with regards to Biden, even video from the left biased show, probably unintentionally, a clear cognitive deficit. It's hard to avoid when he reads the teleprompter hints and instructions out loud, admits that his handlers want him to be the first off the stage, etc. After all, after 170 years in the Senate, political office before and VP and now President after that, he's been there a long time and it becomes pretty clear. Even Democrats admit privately, per supposed leaks, concern with his ability to function, and foreign press (written and video) regularly comments on it.

Anyway, I won't say more about it as it will stray into political speech (vs just commentary on the mental state of someone who happens to be a politician).

 

[chadbag]

It comes down to the same thing. Parts are poor quality for a reason, and that reason is profits. That price point you're writing about is just a fancy way to say it. According to "common expectations", one of my cars is obsolete. All that means is that someone decided to call it obsolete, and that's it, no more. I run it because it's cheaper to run it than newest cars. The reason it's cheaper to run it is because i can do most of the maintenance on it myself.
You wrote companies will not say it "we need to make sure it will last only 5 years"-that is obvious. No company or bussiness will quote it. If you do an actual budget comparing running old reliable vehicle to a new one, the older vehicle will come out on top, both in costs and economy. Of course the companies will try to sell new vehicles, it's bussiness. But what i mean an "actual budget": taking into account drilling and mining raw materials to have for an actuall build of a new car. Problem is most people are sheep and they do not think deeper where all the materials come from. Most think groceries come from the store, and cars come from dealerships.
As for parts, you are incorrect. Why? Because as someone who maintains vehicles, i know for a fact that older and most of the time, original parts on vehicles are simply better quality, no if, ands, or buts about it. I have run for well over 100K miles with original parts in older vehicles and when it came time to replace those parts, the replacements are almost universally of less quality.

It's not the same thing. One side claims it is done on purpose to make your car obsolete so that you'll have to buy another. The other side says that to be able to make an affordable car you have to find parts that fit the cost profile you need to meet that target. Totally different intention and mode of operation. Even if a similar result occurs.

However, the subject doesn't apply to cars. The average age of a car in the US is about 12.5 years. That's average which means a lot are older (as well as a lot younger as new cars are continually sold). https://www.statista.com/statistics...rs old, the,next era of automotive technology.

Of course they're trying to make a profit. That's the whole point of business. Car companies don't usually make huge profits. According to the following the average car operating margin (profit on a dollar of sales after costs etc) is a hair over 10%. But that is skewed by a few luxury brands. Most of the big names are at or under 10%. That's not a lot. (I don't see a date on this link s not sure when the data was sourced)

Top automakers by operating margin

companiesmarketcap.com

It's hard to make a buck in the car industry. Most places are unionized and have very high labor overhead. They are also very capital intensive. Manufacturing facilities and processes are expensive and cars take a lot of raw materials. And then the transportation and sale process is expensive as is warranty service. Watching costs and cutting costs where ever possible is important in the industry. especially as one as competitive as the automotive industry.

 

[chadbag]

As for parts, you are incorrect. Why? Because as someone who maintains vehicles, i know for a fact that older and most of the time, original parts on vehicles are simply better quality, no if, ands, or buts about it. I have run for well over 100K miles with original parts in older vehicles and when it came time to replace those parts, the replacements are almost universally of less quality.

How does this make me incorrect? Older cars were much simpler and far less reliant on technology. Modern parts cost more because they are higher tech and more complicated. While I am in no way a wrencher, I've tried to do my own maintenance over the last 35 years where ever it was possible for me as a laymen. Things like miniaturizing relays and moving them to a single board of embedded relays makes things a lot more expensive and "fragile."

And the costs to make parts goes up. Especially folr older cars where the market is not as great. A lot of parts are sourced over seas because the're less expensive. That also often means lesser quality.

 

[chadbag]

What's your favorite way to spice up the meatloaf?

garlic

sriracha or other hot sauce

A1

MSG

A little Chinese black bean chili sauce mixed in

Chipotle BBQ sauce and shredded cheese mixed in.

Beef and italian sausage mixed together.


Not all of the above at the same time, of course, though a small amount of MSG probably works with any of those. Use your imagination of the flavors you prefer and try adding a small amount to the meat mixture before cooking it.

 

[chadbag]

House update. Didn't get all that much done this past week as teh day-job was stressful though did get some done during the week.

Between last week end and this weekend my daughter and wife (with a little help from me on using normal cabinet door as a drawer front with special upgrade kit) got more drawers made. The dark blue ones have a protective film but I think its mostly clear as the cabinets themselves in the island have Navy blue fronts. The light blue ones are white with protective film.



I don't know if I posted it previously but in the master bathroom I had previously put up a tall cabinet and then put the "ledger board" on the wall and cabinet side that will support the floating vanity top. I got the other cabinet on the other wall in the master bath up and the "ledger boards" cut but not put up as it turns out my help on getting the bamboo sheets cut into vanity tops will be next week. Excuse the weird perspective on this. It was hard to get a good angle due to stuff in the way so this is shot between the legs of ladder at 0.5 wide angle setting). The space between the wall on the left and the cabinet is actually 5 ft, But due to the camera settings it looks like 2-3 ft. especially as the cabinet itself is 2'



My neighbor, who is going to help me cut the bamboo sheets into the vanity tops, said he would come over and we could start yesterday, but some family issues came up and by the time he came over, and we had gone around and measured stuff and made a plan of attack, he decided that instead of a few evenings of a few hours each it would be best to just attack it next Saturday (he is out this week on business). So hopefully we'll get them all cut next weekend. That gives me time to get this "ledger board", get one installed in our small toilet room in the front of the house, and also finish getting the pantry cabinets installed, where another top will be used. I have the cabinets built but no cutouts for water or electrical coming from the wall and not yet installed. After 60-90 minutes of looking things over, making measurements, finding the sinks and getting the templates, and discussing it all, it was getting later and so we agreed to meet next Saturday.

Once I saw that we were doing the vanity tops and the pantry counter tops next week, I moved on to trying to finish the dual refrigerator nooks in the kitchen. It was late but I got the right side plate attached and some 2x4 supports up. Last weekend I had gotten the left plate up, the cabinet rails up, and this week when my nephew and his dad retrieved his paint sprayer for a job they're doing, I had them help me with the left nook upper cabinets (they're too heavy for me alone) so now we're at this point:



O'll put another side plat against the 2x4, giving about a 2.5" gap between refrigerator nooks (so that the doors still work etc) and then I'll get a neighbor to help me put the last two cabinets up just like the ones you see, and then get the final plate up on the side so that there are bot9h refrigferator nooks ready. The appliance guy is ready when I am to get those installed as well as the oven and steam oven and finish the cook top. (The cook top is in and works but all the actual things that fasten it to the counter top are not in place).

I've been trying to get the driveway done. A few weeks go my helper home building company our family friends run called the city and found out we need a "right of way construction" permit to move the water meter and water line to the city location. We need to move it about 12' down the street out of the way of the driveway. Where I am at we have the street curb, about 4' of "park strip', and then the sidewalk, and then your front yard. The water meter and hookup is in that 4' wide strip between the curb and sidewalk and is a "public right of way". My friend asked if I would apply for the permit so I said I would get it and try. I downloaded it but most of it was technical stuff I couldn't answer. I told them so but it took a week and me contacting them again for them to tell me to fill out what I could and forward it to them and they'd get the actual contractor (who is a guy they work with on all their own home building) to fill out the rest. That took a few days and once I got it back I sent it to the city. A week later I had not even gotten an acknowledgement from the city so I called them and they said they had it and had put it in the pile to work on. The next day (this past Friday) they came out and physically looked at what we were doing and called me to tell me that the contractor needed to submit his plan for traffic control, signage for closing the sidewalk, etc. I called the contractor guy and he said they don't close the street or sidewalk and that was all garbage and that he had spoken to them the day before about it already and would call them back to talk to them. So the saga of a driveway I've been trying to get started since March is just that. An ongoing saga. (I had texted the guys in teh helper company who are my guides back in March but never heard back. Frustrating).

The guys doing the geothermal field in back gt the 4 vertical shafts done last February and were supposedly waiting for some parts for the horizontal bits to tie it into the house. Back in April I asked about it as I said that it would soon be A/C season and I needed it done so that we could cool the house. They told me it would be done before A/C season. Well, we're now in A/C season. A couple weeks ago I contacted them again to follow up that it was now A/C season. He said it would be done the 22nd. I've seen neither hide nor hair of them so will contact them again tomorrow to remind them that the 22nd is this coming weekend. They've been working a very lagr 200-300 shaft geothermal project for a new high school about 8-9 mies north of me which is their major focus but luckily I'm not far away so they can easily take a few days to come do mine. Last Fall when I was trying to get them to come they were up in the Logan area for 6-8 weeks trying to get a field for a new house drilled where the geology of teh land was just not cooperating. I think they took a big loss on that one as their costs for time and material (they have special drilling mud they use and the land was just drinking it up for lunch) must have been huge for a one week job to take 6-8 weeks. We'll see. This whole thing is getting old.

 

[Bill Tidler Jr.]

Good morning!
It's 78° in Tipton.

Have a cup on me!

 

[traiNscale]

howdi people

well iam back at work (damn..)

- 11 am (CEST)
- around 20 celcius (this week we could achive around 30 celcius the first time this year)
- Airport ZRH up and running (calm before the summer wave)
- atm iam working trough all my mails i got (holy molly there are a lot haha)

picture of today: