Monday, May 29, 2006

Memorial day 2006

The Memorial Day weekend is just about over, and I have a few thoughts about it.

Hopefully this finds everyone safe and sound after pigging out on much barbecued food 'n tasty drinks.

Hopefully we've all stopped to reflect on the sacrifices made by ordinary Americans to keep the US a free country. I know I have.

Hopefully the Iraqi insurgents will soon taste defeat, and we can all rejoice in another country being free from the heavy thumb of tyranny.

Hopefully, this will cause more countries to become free.

Hopefully, my nieces and nephews will never have to serve our country during an armed conflict.

Hopefully, nobody else's nieces and nephew will either.

Hopefully, I won't have to go to another friend's funeral.

Hopefully, they won't be attending mine.


I'll probably write more stuff later, but for now, it's frickin' gorgeous outside. I'm gonna head out and enjoy it.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Thoughts on various issues in the PartsGuy's life.

In the comments to an earlier post, one of my readers suggested a selloff of my diecast collection, then I'd have money for the down payment on a house, and the jetski I wanted.

First off, the jetski.

That's no longer an issue, as your humble PartsGuy this week found and purchased a Tigershark Barracuda. I figured I'd need a cosigner, but nope, they had no problems writing a check for it. W00t!!

Now it just needs to warm up so I can hit the water and have some fun. Can't wait.

As to the house issue, I HAVE been giving this a TON of consideration as of late. I'm doing fairly well in my job, I'm putting away bucks every month, etc. One of, if not the main sticking points is: Do I REALLY want to spend the rest of my life here?

The town I live in DOES have its problems, but that's ANY town, city, etc. The winters suck, but I usually have enough other things that can be done inside, so I'm not cooped up going berserk. Well, mostly, anyway. Most of my family is here, as in my nieces and 2 of my 3 nephews, and the thought of being far away from them is not one I like.

Another argument for it is that I'm paying $X for rent now, why not apply that amount to something that I'D own, and would be building equity in?

I'm about 1/2way convinced as it sits. I have a friend who lives in a small town 20 or so miles south of here, and EVERY time I go there, I just sit, inhale the fresh, pine scented air, and wonder why in God's green earth do I live in the city?

Quite an interesting problem, yes? I'm not too sure of the solution at this point. If I were to decide to up and leave, I have to find a way to weasel out of my lease, and then boogie, most likely losing my security deposit. OR, if the place I was living in was mine, then I could rent it out for enough to make the mortgage payments, OR sell outright and take whatever equity I'd earned and split. I'm also losing out on the tax advantages of owning a home as well as not being able to modify the dwelling to my liking. Plus, I'd have a garage of my very own to store my toys in!

Hmm. I shall have to consult with my advisors before I make a decision.

As ever, time will tell.

I will keep you posted.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Another reason Bobby Bonds sucks ass.

From SI.com:

"PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Carlos Oliveras has a home run ball specially marked to assure authenticity. It just doesn't have Barry Bonds' autograph as the slugger refused to sign the ball."

Ok, already I'm thinking, "jeesh, what a jackass."

"He said he is a Bonds fan and would probably keep the ball. He hoped it would have Bonds' signature. Bonds said no when he was asked at his news conference if he would sign the ball if a fan wanted an autograph. Moments later, when an official asked if there were any more questions, Oliveras piped up: "Will you sign my ball?"


Bonds smirked and said nothing.(my emphasis)

Ok, here's my take. Bonds is nothing more than a 'roid chugging goon, whose run at the Babe's record, to me, is TOTALLY meaningless, and shouldn't even be kept track of.

To me, refusing to sign this guy's ball is just another chapter in the Bobby Bonds Is A Complete Douchebag story.

Oliveras joins the service, and most likely takes risks on his job that would make Bonds sweat in his Gucci loafers, and for a LOT less pay a year than the Giants give Bonds a year in per diem money. Signing the ball would have taken, what, a MINUTE out of Bonds' day?? SCREW him, Mark McGuire, and all the rest of those chemically enhanced assholes. They can all get cancer and die, and I wouldn't be able to give 1/1,000,000,000,000th of a damn about any of them.

So, as far as I'm concerned , Bobby Bonds is a douchebag.

End of Rant.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Things on the PartsGuy's mind.

Country Music: Can't stand 99.999999% of it, which is just garbage(coincedentally, just like Top 40 music these days) All you hear on the radio these days is manufactured garbage, with lyrics about the most asinine things. It's one of the reasons I listen to a lot of instrumental stuff.

Little known fact: Most country artists don't write their own material. Look at the band members' names, then look at the songwriter(s) names. More often than not, they ain't the same person. Often, the band doesn't even PLAY on their own albums. THAT is grade A bull.

If you're old enough to remember the days when MTV (another joke in itself) actually played music videos, then you possibly remember C+C music factory. Seems some people got in a wee bit of an uproar because the woman in the video, and the one who did the singing were 2 different people. The one doing the singing was a rather large lady, while the one in the video wasn't. Imagine that. Their videos were just as BS as their "music".

Needless to say, I was quite happy when they went by the wayside. Music 'Factory' indeed. Like a good song can be bolted together like a damn car!!!! I laughed when they split up. One hit wonders.


Any one of my readers feel like cuttin' the PartsGuy a check for about, oh, $3k?? If you do, I'll be more than happy to send you a picture of me riding the Seadoo your generous contribution would buy.

Golly gee willikers, what a gorgeous 'ski. The worst part is, it's EXACTLY the one I wanted, in the EXACT color scheme. AHHHHHH!!!!

S'okay. The guy selling it is a buddy of mine who sells 'em on the side, and he's got his eyes open for a cheap ski for your favorite PartsGuy. Of course, if'n you WANTED to send a check, it wouldn't get turned down...


Well, enoug of that for one night.

I discovered a cool magazine I HAVE to tell you guys about. It's called Dirt Sports, and it covers all sorts of racing vehicles that DON'T have NASCAR on the sides (there's a rant for another day). Your humble PartsGuy is a sucker for offroad racing, and if there's one on during one of my VERY rare TV watching episodes, I'm watchin it.

www.dirtsportsmag.com

Check it out.

My r/c vehicle collection grew with the addition of a Traxxas Rustler stadium truck. I'll have pics of it sooner or later. I once bought a road car, while it's fun to wail around on the street, there's just something to be said for going into the dirt and throwing rooster tails all over the place. Dirt is where it's at, people. W00t!!! I always seem to feel so much better after a nice session of roostin' and slidin'. I need to do it more often, as the weather will allow.


That's enough for one night, methinks. I'm off to bed.