Seeking, seizing the Kingdom

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, puppies and carpetbombs, I am proud to announce that I have technically knocked-out my motorcycle repair project!  After a grueling day and hard-learned lessons, I was able to piece the bike back together without any extra (or missing) pieces!

In addition, I started her up, and it seems that everything I was repairing is now fixed.  I didn’t get to ride her yet because the valve cover is one bolt short (read previous post), but by Thursday or Friday, I should be ready to ride!  The Sons of Zadok shall soon ride free!

If you’re ever installing a new valve cover gasket, and you get the urge to tighten that bolt just a tad
more, ignore it, fight it, just don’t break the bolt like I did! Read the rest of this entry »

Soon, very soon.  I got the valve cover off finally after it warmed up a bit, and I was able to hit it hard enough with a rubber mallet.  The hardened gasket is cemented to one surface or the other, it is taking *forever* to scrape it off using gasket remover, a putty knife, and a razor blade.  Read the rest of this entry »

Joy is working today, so when I got up, I attempted to make breakfast. I thought I’d make a couple “brown-and-serve” sausage. Read the rest of this entry »

I took Joy to BK for lunch on Thursday, and for some reason I saw that triple whopper, and just had to try it.  It was big, juicy, juicy and greasy. Read the rest of this entry »

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I may bring a stopwatch to church next week and see what happens…

Slashdot | Daylight Saving Change Saved No Power

I knew it… I just knew it.

“Carpetbomb” has been an endearing nickname for the feline who owns the house we live in, or so she would tell you. Her name is Chopin (pronounced “Show-pan”, like the classical composer), she is a priss, a princess, she likes to have full access to all parts of the house at all times, and whines because this open-door policy does not extend outside as well.

I call her carpetbomb because she will sit on the carpet, her feet hidden under her, and at night she places herself right in the normal path of travel to get a glass of water. I’ve tripped over her many times. This has happened in plain daylight too, with her walking in front of me, and she’ll just stop, like she expects me to follow her lead, and loud and despondent when I run into her. Do cats pick this stuff up in school or something?

She’s been working on new ways to torment me lately. Earlier this week, she barfed all over my guitar amp, apparently as she was standing on it. The slop made its way all over the knobs, the grill, and finally to the floor. By the time I found it, it was already dried on. Cleaning my amp was not what I wanted to do with that hour.

Yesterday (Sunday), I woke up to take Joy to work. I dressed, put on my shoes, and went downstairs to get my keys. Coming back to head upstairs, I noticed two very large piles of mostly-digested sludge on the carpet. I then noticed that I had stepped in it on the way to get my keys. Needless to say, this cat is not on my good list right now. I’m threatening to number her days here.

Now that it’s rainy. My bike won’t be finished until the weekend sometime.

It’s been getting nicer in terms of weather the past couple weeks. It wasn’t long ago we were buried in feet of snow. I had intended on working on my motorcycle early while it was still cold. Now the weather is nice, and I’m stuck with my bike in pieces! She ran rough last season and and knew the next step was to clean and inspect the carbs. I have a 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650 I bought from a friend in northern MN. I’m not a very mechanical person, but figured this would be a good way to start learning about small engines. Read the rest of this entry »