The Thread of Randomness. . .

[davintosh]

Wow, $1.88 for diesel!

It's 1.31 here. Euros though. Per liter. Which comes to about 5.21 a gallon. And gas is even more expensive.

[Karl Grau]

Near me and Darin's freeway exit today. Rain and wind causes tree to fall on brand new X3.

[davintosh]

Making grilled cheese sammiches are way better served with sharp cheddar vs. Slice "cheese".

For an even better GC sammich, try sprinkling the buttered sides with a little garlic salt and/or Italian seasoning. Yum!

My favorite grilled sandwich of all time though is grilled PB&J. Just like a grilled cheese, except with peanut butter & jelly instead of cheese. Amazing

[tig]

Near me and Darin's freeway exit today. Rain and wind causes tree to fall on brand new X3.

Rain and wind? Did you guys move?

[Mike W.]

Parked the E36 in the garage last night to do the Vanos today. Cold and rainy, I opened up the garage door to warm it up since it was warmer outside than in the garage. And the car got wet. It was enough colder than outside where it was just slightly warmer and 100% humidity that it started condensing on the car. Everywhere. So I grumbled and went back inside a few minutes later, pricing propane heaters now.

Yes I'm a cold weather wimp, always have been, always will be.

[1st 5er]

[Karl Grau]

Working today and since it's doubletime, I'm taking a lot of pictures of Ban Island

If I had known the weather was going to be this nice I wouldn't have volunteered.

[a]

Double time on such a winter's day. One Sunday Dino and I sat down in a nice new engine room to service a job that never occurred. I enjoyed working with Dino. He was a great guy. Raised 2 sons, had a great grand child at the time of his passing in 2013. He was 85. Now I work as little OT as I can. I worked my butt off instead por nada. blowing snow. 2 passes of the drive way and parking. Pass one ,yesterday was in steady 25 mph winds. Dressed in a shell and layers. Dressed just right and didn't sweat. Today, it was 10' cooler 22F when I started pass 2 this morning. It took a little time to get the engine going. It is a Harbor Freight 99$ Chonda. that I re-powered the 40 yr old Ariens 24" snow blower. 4 yrs ago. I had trouble with wet wires grounding out, the gas was old and the bodged chute control broke. I devised a work around and sent my son for more gas. So that storm , a true near blizzard dropped about a foot of dry snow. The snow blower works well. all things considered. It is the best of 3 identical machines with the identical trouble. I couldn't keep the effen engines going. Then I saw an add for a OPE repair shop that was doing the re-power. It looked pretty easy so I bought this awesome little 6.5 HP Chonda. Its been pretty reliable, I have a spare belt and shear bolts. The augur gears are good and lubed. The engine uses no oil. I've been wondering about replacing the friction disc, So far so good. Every yr, since I started blowing snow, I've honed my technique. This yr, I've gotten down to 1 hr 45 mins. I started with an 8 HP 28". It was a beast and only lasted a winter. A 24" is easier to handle. Plus the Chonda is lighter. starts easier ( except for today) is quieter, smoother and uses less gas.

[tig]

I helped some oriental dude buy this 1985 300SD today.

[1st 5er]

Go Eric.

[e28Sean]

I helped some oriental dude buy this 1985 300SD today.

Ooooooh... ...I'll be in my room.

[Mike W.]

Pickles. I like 'em. Even though I don't much like cucumbers. I used to think pickling was just soaking them in vinegar, but noooo, it turns out they're fermented, just like a beverage I'm fond of. Same thing with Sauerkraut. So... I guess I just like things fermented.

[davintosh]

Pickles. I like 'em. Even though I don't much like cucumbers. I used to think pickling was just soaking them in vinegar, but noooo, it turns out they're fermented, just like a beverage I'm fond of. Same thing with Sauerkraut. So... I guess I just like things fermented.

Dill or sweet? I can't stomach sweet pickles, and was surprised & disappointed to find out that dill pickles are a rare item in this part of Deutschland. Even the so-called "Burger Gurken" slices are limp and definitely do not taste like the good old dill pickles in the US. I've been told that dill-style pickles are more of a thing in the eastern part of the country, but unfortunately they don't market them this far west.

[Brian in TN]

Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That's why I shit on company tiiiime!

[Mike W.]

Pickles. I like 'em. Even though I don't much like cucumbers. I used to think pickling was just soaking them in vinegar, but noooo, it turns out they're fermented, just like a beverage I'm fond of. Same thing with Sauerkraut. So... I guess I just like things fermented.

Dill or sweet? I can't stomach sweet pickles, and was surprised & disappointed to find out that dill pickles are a rare item in this part of Deutschland. Even the so-called "Burger Gurken" slices are limp and definitely do not taste like the good old dill pickles in the US. I've been told that dill-style pickles are more of a thing in the eastern part of the country, but unfortunately they don't market them this far west.

Definitely dill. I liked the little sweet gurkens when I was a kid, and I might sample one now if it was on a sampling platter, but it's the dills I like.

Surprised dills aren't there. How about sauerkraut, is it common?

[John in VA]

I've been told that dill-style pickles are more of a thing in the eastern part of the country, but unfortunately they don't market them this far west.

No Polski Wyrob or Polish dills available?

[davintosh]

Surprised dills aren't there. How about sauerkraut, is it common?

Not very.

I've been told that dill-style pickles are more of a thing in the eastern part of the country, but unfortunately they don't market them this far west.

No Polski Wyrob or Polish dills available?

Nope. Poland is way to the east. We're about 20 minutes from the Rhine and the French border.

[a]

The weekend nail in my travel mug drained the handle of Gosling I bought 2 yrs ago. Not a Dark and Stormy. More of a Fair to Partly Cloudy. Musing is it recreational alcohol abuse or is it medicinal? I do feel much better than the aches that woke me up .

[a]

I helped some oriental dude buy this 1985 300SD today.

The coupe? I always wanted to tear out the diesel and put a real engine in it. Mercedes made some decent I-6s and V 8s.

[Mike W.]

I helped some oriental dude buy this 1985 300SD today.

The coupe? I always wanted to tear out the diesel and put a real engine in it. Mercedes made some decent I-6s and V 8s.

Yeah but none of them came over here for a long time. The 4.5 V8 cars couldn't keep up with M30s. But that interior may be worth the price alone, it's gorgeous. And it seems unlikely but it looks like it's a manual! One can only hope for the Oriental dudes sake.

[davintosh]

Yeah but none of them came over here for a long time. The 4.5 V8 cars couldn't keep up with M30s. But that interior may be worth the price alone, it's gorgeous. And it seems unlikely but it looks like it's a manual! One can only hope for the Oriental dudes sake.

Not a manual, but still a nice car from what I've seen of it in the FS ad. And the price he paid for it? Wow. I'll let Eric fill you in with the details.

It'll look good with the Rials on it, but I think I like the Merc bottlecaps better.

[tig]

Yeah but none of them came over here for a long time. The 4.5 V8 cars couldn't keep up with M30s. But that interior may be worth the price alone, it's gorgeous. And it seems unlikely but it looks like it's a manual! One can only hope for the Oriental dudes sake.

Not a manual, but still a nice car from what I've seen of it in the FS ad. And the price he paid for it? Wow. I'll let Eric fill you in with the details.

It'll look good with the Rials on it, but I think I like the Merc bottlecaps better.

It's a 300SD 4-door sedan. Automatic. I picked it up for him yesterday. I'll let him post more pics. What a car.

[tig]

2D RUN

https://youtu.be/BgC9ktMMbYE

[Mike W.]

You know you've been driving BMWs a long time when you look at a remote thermometer from inside the house, see 35F, and wonder why the chimes haven't gone off yet.

[waynet1]

I felt this was well worth sharing somewhere.

http://www.sailahead.org/about-us.php

how 2016 affected me

sailahead 1In the winter of 2013 I started, with my younger brother Sean, a Long Island based nonprofit called SailAhead. SailAhead is an organization that takes veterans suffering from PTSD and/or depression sailing as a form of therapy. I was 16 years old at the time. This year I will be 20, and this is how 2016 was such a moving year for me. Don’t worry, it’s not about politics at all. (Phew!)

Before I begin, let me tell you a bit more about SailAhead. First off, what do we do really? We introduce the therapeutic powers sailing has to offer whether it be cruising calmly and happily, or racing like intense maniacs in short or long distance races. So yea, SailAhead has been basically consuming all of my free time. Don’t get the wrong idea, we don’t just put wounded veterans on our boats and take them for a joy ride, we actually teach them how to navigate and sail with the goal that they teach other fellow veterans.

Being a civilian that I am, I can only connect so much with veterans when we sail. Our goal is to teach veterans to sail sufficiently so they can in turn, teach other fellow veterans to sail. Of course, because of the veteran-to-veteran contact instead of civilian-to-veteran contact, the bond they create will be infinitely more profound than if it was just me, because they can relate more with each other’s struggles and experiences. The bond veterans create through sailing is a large factor that contributes to the therapy we try to provide.

Aside from PTSD awareness and networking events we organize with our partners, SailAhead has five core teams/programs that work in conjunction and are designed to get veterans of different interests, needs, and abilities, involved on the water. So after countless hours behind the computer, on the phone or on the water, I am proud to say that we are responsible for taking 1,000 veterans to the water in just 3 years! If you are interested in what we do more specifically then I invite you to visit our website at http://www.sailahead.org for more info on our programs and events.

Finally, I will tell you why 2016 was such an immensely moving year for SailAhead and myself. Upon reading the rest of this article, I wish you feel just as motivated as I did after realizing my new reality. It shook me, it motivated me, and I am pushing myself forward in positive ways for the sake of our veterans and humanity.

sailahead 2So like I said, 2016 was a very moving year for SailAhead because 219 new members, identified as our mates, have joined our ranks. These 219 mates have at least two things in common. One, they were once soldiers, and two, they each took their own lives.

According to the VA, at least 22 veterans commit suicide daily in the United States. The “22 a day” reality is what inspired Sean and I to create SailAhead, so with the permission of the families of these 219 veterans, we had the nametags of these veterans duplicated. These name tags come along with us when we sail with PTSD suffering veterans and we are honored to carry the spirits of our 219 mates every time we set sail. Because of the nametags, I designed a “219” flag which has become our banner. When this flag is up, you know our mates are on board sailing with us.

At least 22 a day means 220 veterans every ten days which is the size of a USMC size company lost. So why 219 as opposed to 220? This is because the one missing in that equation is the life saved. The lives SailAhead are trying to save. The flagship of our fleet flies a white flag with the number 219 in black in the center. In addition to the 219 mates that it represents, the number 2 on the flag symbolizes how SailAhead was started by two brothers, and the 19 represents the age of

Michael Blanco, a Long Island local US marine who was only 19 when he took his life on Monday, February 15th, 2010. The black of the numbers and white of the flag symbolize the fight SailAhead is in, like in a storm at sea, when the water is turned white by the frothy swells as they rise and crash, and the sky’s turned black by the ominous menacing clouds overhead, trying their best to sink and derail those who sail beneath them. But we don’t sink. And we continue to sail, sail ahead…

sailahead 3The camaraderie and intensity that racing and sailing has to offer is why in 2017, SailAhead appointed a Green Beret Special Forces Veteran in charge of the SailAhead (offshore) racing team, and is why we are currently looking for our own race boat. If you know anyone looking to sell or possibly donating a ‘j105’ type racer/cruiser (or any boat like a j105), please send them our way or contact us! You can contact us through our website. Thank you for reading!

-Kilian Duclay

[Xenocide]

Why is the BOM cost so high?


Not sure, but we should definitely shop some of the components.

[tig]

Why is the BOM cost so high?


Not sure, but we should definitely shop some of the components.

Getting proficient with 3D CAD is on my short list of things to get proficient with.

[ElGuappo]

We are sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and try again.

[a]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLTFQsFswM Is this still funny? Turns Solfeggio is a legit form of music not usually done by gorillas.

[Mike W.]

We are sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and try again.

then this foot came through the line

Bob Dylan