Not Necessarily Interesting News

I’m in the market for a used Range Rover Classic to compliment my Defender 90. I want to use it as a beater/back-up/tow vehicle for the D-90. I’m looking for and ’89-90 preferably in Texas as it’s not worth paying around $750 shipping for a car that’s going to cost around $2K.

I found one on eBay that didn’t quite meet my criteria but was close. I really want at least an ’89 as they went from a 3.5liter to the bigger 3.9liter engine which is the same as my Defender’s and I already know how to work on that. I don’t mind a little body damage as I’ll beat it around anyways. Running isn’t a huge deal as long as it’s been running recently. Color doesn’t matter. Etc. Vehicles in that condition sell for around $2K, give or take. In the person’s auction they bitch about having to pay eBay fees again because someone backed out of an earlier one.

It closed last night without selling again because his price is way to high for a car that:

• Doesn’t run
• Has body damage
• Has possible frame rust as is common of Land Rovers from that era
• Has a less desirable 3.5l engine
• Has 150,000 miles on it

I sent him a nicely worded offer for $1,000 cash and that I’d pick it up in 3 days if he agreed. It’d save him relisting fees and such. Yeah, I low-balled a bit expecting a counter-offer around $1,500. Here is what I got back.

—————-
Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 09:44:20 -0500
From: idiotcarseller@houston.rr.com
Subject: Re: Question from eBay Member
To: me@nnin.net
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106

YOU ARE A STUPIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD IDIOTIC MORONNNNNNNNNNNNNN WITH THIS OFFER.ONLY MEET IF YOU WANT YOUR ASSSSSSSSSSSSS KICKED FOR BEING SUCH AN IDIOT.
—————–

Nice.
I reported him to eBay for the threat as they’ll drop your account in a heartbeat for threats of bodily harm. I wanted to report him to the grammar police too. I mean WTF is up with all the extra letters? Also, how tough is it to just say ‘No, thanks’? The dude needs some anger management classes.

So, if you know of an ’89-90 Range Rover Classic for sale near you let me know. I really would like to get my summer project in the garage so it’ll be ready for fall wheeling season.

Okay, I support your right to pollute your body with smoke. Fine, go right ahead. I’d be a bad libertarian if I didn’t support your right to do with your body as you like. I also think that it should be a business owners’ decision on whether to allow smoking in their bar. It’s their bar and business, they should be able to determine what clientelle they want. I personally hate the smell of smoke in my clothes and rarely go to bars because of it.

My problem with smokers is that they all seem to think littering is okay. I have yet to encounter a smoker who seems to know what their ashtray is for. If you’re a smoker and claim you don’t do that I say you’re a liar or so far the exception to the rule it doesn’t count. Click on the picture above. This is just one intersection near my home. They all look like that. See what I mean?

‘Oh, it’s just one little butt. It won’t make a difference.’ Look at what the roads look like when several thousand smokers all say that. I’m sick of seeing your shit on the side of the road. Stop it! Use your Gawd-damned ashtray. Eat the butt if you don’t have one. Cleaning out your ashtray may be no fun but it’s even worse subjecting us to your trash.

‘The rain will wash it away.’ Bullshit. That much trash is going nowhere when it’s under an overpass like that. Anyways, where do you think those storm drains lead? To the magic cigarette butt fairy? They end up in our rivers and lakes where my family and I swim. It’s always nice to go swimming in a ashtray.

When your smoking starts to affect me, then I have a problem. Seeing this shit on the side of the road and in our lakes pisses me off.

In closing, Use your fucking ashtray, you assholes!

This past weekend I went to my first Land Rover Rally, SCARR 2. I missed last year because the accident happened just before I was to go and I sure couldn’t go in a jacked-up truck.

I woke up early on Friday morning for the 5 hour drive to Barnwell. I had to be to the rest area on the north side of Austin by 7:30 to meet up with the crew from San Antonio. They showed up on time short one Land Rover. Brett had to go by the Ausitn dealer to get something looked at. The 5 of us hit the road around 8:30.

On the other side of Waco we pulled off for gas, as we slowed down I noticed by temp gauge red-lining. Dang. Fluid looked a bit low so we topped it off and let it cool down. Everything looked fine, so off we went. We got in to Barnwell around 1pm. We took an hour or so to sweat-up set-up camp and then hit the trails.
First up was Greenlanes. A fairly easy 3 diamond course we all made it through with no problem. We did a couple more runs and I started overheating again. Topped off the fluid out on the trail, again. I then split from the group and headed into town to try to find a place to flush the radiator on a Friday evening. I found a guy who did it for me after I tempted him with a few extra bucks to stay late. He was nice enough to let me drink a couple of his beers while he finished it up for me. If you’re in Gilmer and need a quick repair, go see Randy. He’s on the outskirts north of town on the other road that doesn’t lead to Barnwell across from a minimart. I had no problem with overheating the rest of the weekend.

I got back before dark just as the guys got back from their runs. We ate some dinner then headed out for a night run. We picked what looked to be a decent 3 diamond trail, The Polititian. We should have known by the name alone that it was a liar. On the last pitch of the trail Ed bent a rear radius arm nearly 90 degrees. We heard the tire rubbing on the slider but he made it to the top of the hill. After some field repairs we got it to where we could tow it without doing more damage and I towed him back in to camp with my D-90. In camp he got it back mostly straight and was ready for the morning.

In the morning I split with the group and went on a guided run. The trail leader got some nice pin-striping going down Clyde’s Ravine. After seeing that, most folks decided the bypass was the way to go. I followed him through, shunning the bypass, with no problems. At the end of our run we got to wait for about 45 minutes while two broken trucks were removed from the trail ahead of us.

After lunch I linked back up with the San Antonio guys for some afternoon runs. Coming up out of Greenlanes into camp there’s a challenging little pitch. I powered through it without much problem with Max in his little 88 right behind. I went to watch Adam in his H&H Rangie give it a shot as I knew he might have a spot of problem. About halfway up the hill I hear a pop like a rifle shot. Adam powered it to the top of the hill to clapping of the on-lookers. I walked around his truck hoping to see a blown tire but saw what I didn’t want to see, his right-rear corner was sunk to the bump stops and the left-rear was slowly lowering. He’d blown an airspring. He limped into camp on the bumpstops. Jack came by in his Tomcat and said he could fix it. After some wrestling it was back in place and aired up, just in time for the evening raffle.

At the raffle I won a heater vent scoop for my Defender. Isaw it and knew what it was so grabbed it. My heater blower is dead and this will at least give me some ram-air action for heat in the winter. Brett a.k.a “BQ” won a DVD copy of Bill Burke’s Bypass Basics. Someone else won an Optima Redtop.

Time for the evening runs again. The 5 of us went out and did Pipeline and Solihull back up Pipeline with ‘BQ’ in the lead. Along the way we picked up a few people. We then headed toward the back of the park. Somehow I ended up in the front. Someone near the back told us some good trails so I headed towards those. Once they’d say it’s a decent trail I’d go without question. On one trail I shot over the edge and started down hill. Oops, looks like I started in second gear instead of first on a rather steep pitch. Bounce, bounce, bounce. All I’m seeing is sky, tree, sky, rock, rock, tree, sky, rock. I make it to the bottom in one piece somehow. My not questioning the trail and this little run earns me the nickname “Trigger”. We hit a few more trails then stop for a quick bladder break at the top of a hill. Truck after truck continue to crest the hill. I was pulling a train of about 20 Rovers it seems. On the way down the next trail I ran into a group of guys in Toyotas headed up. I got out to talk to them and said I’ve got like 20 trucks behind me. They were cool and decided backing up was easier on them than us. We made it back to camp in one piece.

Most guys passed out in their tents after the long day while a few hung around the bonfire.

In the morning we decided not to risk breaking our trucks an hour before driving them home so we packed camp and made a leisurely drive home. My truck started the overheating bit again and did so a couple times on the way back. I made it home after spliting up with the guys north of Austin.

I had a great time and look forward to next year. Maybe next year I’ll head up Thursday night so I can get a full day of wheeling in on Friday.

Today was the employee car show at work. I got the Defender all cleaned up and ready to go. Got there early this morning to get myself setup in my assigned spot. I brought along the ramps so I could flex the suspension just a bit. That little bit of showmanship is what makes people stop and take notice of the car. I got lots of questions about it and people seemed to like the little RC model of it I had on the ground. People voted on their favorite cars and at the end of the day I won a spiffy trophy for Best in Class. Yeah, it’s got a stinking Jeep on it but who am I to complain?

That makes two Best in Class awards for my Defender 90 in the last year. This and the one at the Texas All British Car Day last year. I’m on a roll here.

I was on the phone with Cingular trying to fix our perpetually screwed up cellphone bill a bit ago and stopped talking in the middle of the conversation. I stood up to open my blinds to get a bit of light and watched one of the starlings that nest in our eves come screaming to the ground and starting flapping all over. I watched the bird flipping out for a few seconds and realized it had a snake in its mouth. It was bashing it on a tree root trying to kill it. It looked to be about a 10″ garter snake.

I was brought back to reality by the operator, ‘Sir? are you still there?’. ‘Yeah, I’m still here. I’m just watching a bird beat the hell out of a snake outside my window.’ The girl on the other end about freaked out. You could tell by her voice and accent that she was very ‘urban’. She’d probably never seen a snake in her life. That I could be so blasé about it stunned her. She said ‘well, I guess you _are_ in Texas.’ I told her yes. She then asked if I see a lot of snakes outside my window. I told her ‘No, but it’s not a big deal either.’

I wonder what she’d do if she ever saw a real snake. Oh, and the starling won the battle and promptly dissected the snake and fed it to her babies in the nest.

I picked up my new shades after work today and they are perfect. I had been wearing clipons that matched my glasses for the past 2-3 years and my Wayfarers had been relegated to being my ‘boat glasses’. Now with the new prescription I can wear them all the time again. I really missed wearing these things. When I was picking them up the guy at the store commented ‘Wow. These are old school Wayfarers. They don’t make ’em like this any more. They’ve changed the lenses.’ I looked around and it looks like they aren’t made anymore. If I want to replace them I’ll have to hit eBay’s ‘vintage’ section. I’m ‘old school cool’.

Saturday evening I was walking out of my bedroom and took off my glasses to rub my eyes(damn allergies) and an arm popped of my glasses. Great. Just what I need now.

I was just forced to change contract companies at work and the new thieves decide that paying every two weeks with a two week delay is just dandy. When you’re used to a weekly check with a 3 day delay this really screws your budget. I won’t get another paycheck for a whole month. No change in job, a slight raise in pay, and a royal raping while waiting for a paycheck. I hope they enjoy the $.32 in interest they make while sitting on my money. Bastards.

So, Sunday morning we head to the mall to find me some new specs. I hadn’t gotten a new pair in nearly 3 years so I had to get an exam first. Doc said that with my old glasses I was still seeing 20/20. Without my glasses I’m 20/400, or legally blind. We next looked over the frames they had next door and I found a pair I liked. Then I looked at the price. Ow. They were some really nice Marchon Airlocks. A frameless style in titanium. No hinges to break. Just really thin, really strong titanium arms that you bend to fold and put away. They were lighter than any glasses I’d ever had or seen. The wife said it almost looks like I’m not wearing any at all. It feels that way too. I asked about them and they girl said that they couldn’t do them in house in an hour because the lenses needed to be drilled. Crap. I really liked them. We looked around for a while and went back to that pair again. I really needed glasses right away. I decided to go ahead and order them plus some replacement lenses for my favorite pair of Rayban Wayfarers. Yeah, they’re old school but I’ve worn that style since around ’87 and I like the feel and style. The current pair I have I’ve had since around 1992, after I ran over my first pair with my truck, so they do last.

Since I wasn’t getting glasses in an hour, because I decided to wait a wek for the new ones, I went home and with some ingenuity and epoxy I was able to fix my old glasses, at least temporarily. And I did the job well enough that you can’t even tell. None of that white medical tape on this nerd’s glasses.