what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[Ronstar]

Weather finally got warm enough for grilling outside. What a relief! My BGE and I missed each other terribly.

Yes what a relief! I grilled out tonight for the first time in more than 4 months

 

[Gumby]

We use our gas grill out on the porch all through the winter. It's a little cold running out there to put the meat on, but it's worth a little discomfort to have grilled food.

 

[sengsational]

Couldn't not go to Taco Mac... all tap beers are $0.35 all week! Two meals, six awesome beers picked from a tap lineup of 95 taps, appetizers and dessert for $28!!! But I think the deal is only in the NC part of the chain.

 

[Walt34]

Open 'er up!

Went for a two-hour motorcycle ride in the first decent weather we've had for quite a while. I meandered around on some state roads and then decided to head home for lunch back on I-81 from the Hagerstown, MD area. I saw that southbound traffic was coming to a standstill just before the WV line and took the next exit onto a southbound parallel state road from which I could sometimes see the interstate and noticed that both north and southbound sides were at a stop.

So I bypassed the event, which I later learned was a tragic double fatality, got back on southbound I-81, and found that I had three lanes of freshly-paved interstate practically to myself. Ignorant at the time of the reason for this I figured the police would be completely tied up with whatever the reason for the backups was, and was unable to overcome the urge to open the throttle and cruise on down the highway at 90-95 mph for abut five miles until traffic began to get back up to levels which made that unwise. But for a while it seemed a little "Twilight Zoneish" to have the whole interstate to myself.

Sure cleaned out the cobwebs on the bike though.

 

[Hermit]

Open 'er up!

Went for a two-hour motorcycle ride in the first decent weather we've had for quite a while. I meandered around on some state roads and then decided to head home for lunch back on I-81 from the Hagerstown, MD area. I saw that southbound traffic was coming to a standstill just before the WV line and took the next exit onto a southbound parallel state road from which I could sometimes see the interstate and noticed that both north and southbound sides were at a stop.

So I bypassed the event, which I later learned was a tragic double fatality, got back on southbound I-81, and found that I had three lanes of freshly-paved interstate practically to myself. Ignorant at the time of the reason for this I figured the police would be completely tied up with whatever the reason for the backups was, and was unable to overcome the urge to open the throttle and cruise on down the highway at 90-95 mph for abut five miles until traffic began to get back up to levels which made that unwise. But for a while it seemed a little "Twilight Zoneish" to have the whole interstate to myself.

Sure cleaned out the cobwebs on the bike though.

You are making it difficult to hold off on a motorcycle until I get my house built.

 

[RetiredAndFree]

Trying to figure out how to get everything I've laid out into my new backpack and not exceed 31' - the optimal poundage for my height/weight/gender.

On a slightly side note, if you had told me three years ago that I would get involved in backpacking after FIRE, I'd have laughed you out the door. And yet, here I stand all excited about our upcoming trip into the wilds. Crazy this FIRE thing!

 

[aja8888]

Went to Lowes and purchased my plywood and studs to build my new workbench. While I was there chatting with the help, the Manager asked me if I wanted a part time job there.

Since I still consult to oil and gas clients part time, and can make in one hour what I could in a full day or longer at Lowes, I politely declined.

It is nice to be wanted (I think)..... (maybe next year I'll reconsider)

 

[GT1 Doug]

Caught a 32 inch snook, two 28 inch snook and a 15 lb black drum on 8 lb test on a self guided trip to Shark River in the Everglades.

 

[MichaelB]

Yesterday I took DD and the two GKs to the airport for their return home after a 5 week long visit. We were happy to see them arrive, and just as happy to see them go.

 

[seraphim]

Sounds good, Walt. Cold and windy here, so we settled for a mall walk, yesterday. Today looks better...

 

[seraphim]

"On a slightly side note, if you had told me three years ago that I would get involved in backpacking after FIRE, I'd have laughed you out the door. And yet, here I stand all excited about our upcoming trip into the wilds. Crazy this FIRE thing! "

That's what we ER'd for...

 

[Bestwifeever]

Yesterday I took DD and the two GKs to the airport for their return home after a 5 week long visit. We were happy to see them arrive, and just as happy to see them go.

Five weeks! You and the missus need a nap and a drink, not necessarily in that order.

 

[Gumby]

I spent the earlier part of this evening doing battle with a squirrel.

It all started last week, when I came in the house and found a squirrel sitting on top of the valance over one of the windows. I opened the door and chased him around with a broom until he ran back outside. Then I performed a thorough inspection to see how he got in. Couldn't find any holes big enough for a squirrel. Did he maybe sneak in when I left the door open to bring in groceries? It was quite a mystery, but he was outside now, so I forgot about it.

So today I come home from w*rk and go down in the cellar, where I discover . . . a squirrel. I get a broom and chase him around. Lo and behold, he jumps in the air mixing flapper for the furnace and runs up the chimney!

I recollect that there is no screen or anything on the top of the chimney pipe, so I get some hardware cloth and the tin snips to make a screen. I get out the 20 foot extension ladder and go up on the roof, where I create and install a very nice squirrel screen. While I'm up there, the ladder blows over and I'm stuck on the roof in the 25 degree weather. I stand up there for 15 minutes while it gets dark, and the wife finally comes out looking for me. After another 10 minutes or so of her wrestling with the ladder (she has never used one), she gets it back in place and I finally come back down.

 

[NW-Bound]

Took my motorhome to the tire store to get free recall tires from Michelin.

My small class C drives so nice when not towing the toad. On the drive today, I "opened up" the throttle to keep up with traffic . Yes, I could keep up with them as the vehicle's tanks were all empty. Having 7.4L of power helps, but my son will claim that his Audi has the same horse power!

Well, I doubt that his has the torque nor the endurance to power this MH with a toad in tow, on long hill climbs typically encountered on the highways here out west.

 

[NW-Bound]

...While I'm up there, the ladder blows over and I'm stuck on the roof in the 25 degree weather...

Up at my high-country home, the wind is so strong and most importantly so gusty that it can blow the ladder over with me standing on it! And it can come all of a sudden.

I had to use ropes as guy wires for my ladder when I was doing exterior staining myself, as shown in an infamous photo posted a few years ago.

 

[aja8888]

Friend's Honda 80 motor scooter stopped dead in its tracks on a local road today. He pushed it home. He called me and I stopped over with some tools and pulled the cover off the clutch/drive pulley and found this:



Not much drive belt left at 17,150 miles (on a Honda 80 scooter). Apparently, periodic maintenance is not in his vocabulary.

 

[Hermit]

Friend's Honda 80 motor scooter stopped dead in its tracks on a local road today. He pushed it home. He called me and I stopped over with some tools and pulled the cover off the clutch/drive pulley and found this:

Not much drive belt left at 17,150 miles (on a Honda 80 scooter). Apparently, periodic maintenance is not in his vocabulary.

That's a lot of miles on one of those little scooters.

 

[aja8888]

That's a lot of miles on one of those little scooters.

Yes, and I am amazed that drive belt went the distance.

 

[NW-Bound]

Is it one of the bikes that use a belt in a continuously variable transmission? I have read about them, but have not had the chance to open one up to see.

 

[aja8888]

Is it one of the bikes that use a belt in a continuously variable transmission? I have read about them, but have not had the chance to open one up to see.

Yep and it has a 4 stroke air cooled engine. This one is a 2007 and is in overall nice shape for the miles (never been dropped, had some periodic maintenance, new tires):



This is it above.

 

[Walt34]

While I'm up there, the ladder blows over and I'm stuck on the roof in the 25 degree weather.

That's got to be a bad feeling. I'll make a note to myself to always have the cell phone with me when I go on the roof.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I spent the earlier part of this evening doing battle with a squirrel.

It all started last week, when I came in the house and found a squirrel sitting on top of the valance over one of the windows. I opened the door and chased him around with a broom until he ran back outside. Then I performed a thorough inspection to see how he got in. Couldn't find any holes big enough for a squirrel. Did he maybe sneak in when I left the door open to bring in groceries? It was quite a mystery, but he was outside now, so I forgot about it.

So today I come home from w*rk and go down in the cellar, where I discover . . . a squirrel. I get a broom and chase him around. Lo and behold, he jumps in the air mixing flapper for the furnace and runs up the chimney!

I recollect that there is no screen or anything on the top of the chimney pipe, so I get some hardware cloth and the tin snips to make a screen. I get out the 20 foot extension ladder and go up on the roof, where I create and install a very nice squirrel screen. While I'm up there, the ladder blows over and I'm stuck on the roof in the 25 degree weather. I stand up there for 15 minutes while it gets dark, and the wife finally comes out looking for me. After another 10 minutes or so of her wrestling with the ladder (she has never used one), she gets it back in place and I finally come back down.

And the squirrel enjoyed the show from a nearby tree.

Really funny story except for the part about the temperature and the wind and the dark.

 

[W2R]

That's got to be a bad feeling. I'll make a note to myself to always have the cell phone with me when I go on the roof.

Even better - - don't go on the roof for any reason at all after about age 20 or so. Hire someone with safety equipment and experience to do these things. It's not worth the risk of ending up with a broken bone, especially now that medical costs can be so much higher than they once were.

I don't know what it is about men over a certain age - - so many seem absolutely determined to spend a lot of time up on the roof. Maybe they feel closer to their supreme being up there.

Not me - - I have owned my present house for 12 years and have never once been tempted to go up on the roof for anything at all. Amazingly, the world hasn't ended yet, for some reason. I think the only thing that could get me up on the roof would be floodwaters over about eight feet deep and that hasn't ever happened on my block.

 

[Major Tom]

I don't know what it is about men over a certain age - - so many seem absolutely determined to spend a lot of time up on the roof. Maybe they feel closer to their supreme being up there.

When I owned a house, I used to love sitting on the roof and looking at the view. For me, it wasn't about feeling dominant, or anything like that, but it was part of my curiosity to know more about my house - and part of that was seeing it from all angles - the basement, the roof, any nook and cranny I could find. It was all part of "getting to know my house". Also, as I mentioned, the view from the roof was a unique view that I couldn't get from any other vantage point. When on the roof, I saw my neighborhood in a unique and (to me) interesting way.

 

[braumeister]

While I'm up there, the ladder blows over and I'm stuck on the roof in the 25 degree weather.

Had something similar happen about five or six years ago, but I was on the ladder at the time. No serious harm done (my childhood nickname wasn't "thick-headed Dutchman" for nothing), but ever since that time, I have made it a point to always have my phone in my pocket whenever I get on even a stepladder.