Pages

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Letter to a BMW Owner



Dear Mr. BMW Owner,

  As expected, we all know you bought that new BMW to be noticed.  As an incentive, I am sure the sales representative, at your local BMW dealership, informed you that part of the lofty price of the car, did include owning part of the road you drive on.  It is not clear whether it is a designated piece of real estate, or just the piece of terra firma your car resides on at any given second.  In any event, you were actually taken in by the dealer, in this assumption.

Unfortunately, the other day, the part of the road you wished to claim was indeed occupied.  <sigh> Yes, that was me in front of you in the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane, doing what I love to do, .....  The Legal Speed Limit. 

As a matter of fact, I did notice you.  I noticed you come up behind me, doing mach 2, in the construction zone. (I estimated your speed to be 120 ish, was I close?)  I noticed you ride my tail for several kilometers, impatiently wanting me to pull off the road to let you pass, so you could claim your BMW purchased turf further ahead or me. ALSO, I noticed you flapping your gums in an effort to get me to let you pass, using verbal commands, and hand gestures, last spoken by Adolf Hitler, in 1944. With my cruise control on, and, more than one person in the vehicle I was perfectly legal doing what I was doing.  It is unfortunate that you were alone in your car, as several people could have enjoyed your white knuckle ride with you.

At one point, I assumed you were in my back seat, and I did ask you to back off a bit. Unfortunately, you probably didn't hear me over the thumping sounds I erroneously thought were a piston knock in my vehicle, or a possum in the treads, causing the tires to be out of balance.  It was with much relief, and the doppler effect that I found the sound was actually made possible by the optional custom 356 decibel, 12 speaker super surround sound media  system all carefully tuned to your weight, and head size, by the German engineers at BMW.  Forgive me for that faux pas.  Rap music does that to my old ears.

Ah yes,  I also noticed your attempt to get my attention by flashing your highbeams at me and swerving dangerously close to the retaining wall, to get a beam of light into my side mirror, all while a few inches from my back bumper.  Lucky for me you were so close that my vehicle did indeed block the main light from your Xenon / Krypton mini suns.  As for the mirror, they are adjustable on my lowly vehicle.  I meerly moved the little switch and pointed it in a direction where I thought you could enjoy it as well.  Didn't intend for you to put those sunglasses on.

I had to assume you were in quite the hurry when you went over the solid line, and onto the bumper of the guy next to me, in an effort to pass me.  I must admit, I did catch the gentleman's eye in the Taurus next to me and, with a smile, we telepathically bonded.  I could read his thoughts of keeping pace with me in an effort to save gasoline, protect the baby seals, stop global warming and, in a group effort, help frustrate a moron in a BMW who preferred to think of his fine auto as a weapon rather than a commuting device. 

Through mental communication, the man in the Taurus, three inches off your front bumper, started to pull away from me, while I kept my cruise control set as a standard for all to copy, I thought the event was about to end. 

Just when you thought you had enough room to pass me, he slowed down.  Deliberately you ask? Absolutely.  His drop in speed wasn't due to traffic in front of him (there was none), this was actually due to traffic directly behind him.  Yup, you, Mr. BMW.  I have to confess, when he dropped back to where I was, I did notice a bigass grin on his face.  I smiled and continued to maintain my speed in a safe and orderly fashion. 

Now some,.... well, maybe most people would say that the slower traffic should be to the curb lane.  I agree.  That line of trucks that seemed to go on forever, were indeed slower than us, and they were, indeed, in the curb lane.  That left the middle lane and the HOV lane for the masses. We were going faster than those trucks. Besides, in the city slower traffic is not required to stay to the right unless it is posted.  This was not the case. 

It appears, the highway planning engineers had bequeathed me, my own piece of real estate as well.  I do believe they have a bit more pull than the realtors at BMW.  Since I was driving my bus, I had every right to be in that lane.  You on the other hand, were alone in your car.  Obviously, with all your closest of friends. The truth of the matter was, you were an Asshole.  I knew it, Mr. Taurus knew it, the passengers on the right side of my bus knew it, and now, hopefully YOU know it. 

As for those hair implants of yours?  They look like a corn field in southern Ontario from the air.  Wear a hat until they fill in, and the comb-over, I hope, will be temporary. . . 

My passengers thought the morning entertainment of Mr. Taurus speeding up and dropping back, just to piss you off, was funny..  I apologize for you seeing me laughing at that, when you pulled up next to me.  However, I found it amusing when your tirade looked like you were chewing a wad of bubble gum the size of a golf ball.  It reminded me of a cow chewing its cud. 

As for the hand gestures directed at Mr. Taurus?   Slow down, even the best practitioners of American Sign can't read THAT fast.  I wasn't sure if you were flipping him off, signaling a fire, or walking like an Egyptian. 

Thinking of you,

Yo Yo Mr. Bus Driver (the name is a story in itself)

PS.   There is a dent in your back left quarter panel you should know about.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Those Damned Bears

Bears in the Yard

 Brar Bear here is patiently waiting for me to leave before he makes his attack on my bird feeder.  For spite, the lil bastard is testing the integrity of my custom bird house.  Luckily, no one was home at the time.
Yup... All the time in the world. GET A JOB you freeloader. Note, he is just sitting there to piss me off. He knows full well that my wife won't let me shoot him with a rifle.

Here he is flipping me the paw.  AND... to add insult to insult, he is flashing me his nutsack.  I'll wait till he is big enough to be a rug, where my cats can pose nekkid.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Ahhhhh.....The Great Outdoors


This photo was taken on Sylvester Rd.. North east of Mission, BC.  As you can see, the local gun enthusiasts have made this into an impromptu target range. 

Monday, November 14, 2011

Submarine Update



 The roller system worked perfectly.  No sniping at all (that's that stupid step at the end of a board after the edge clears the first feed roller).  I took 1/16th inch cuts, alternating each side until both sides were clean.  This gives the optimum amount of wood.  I ended up with 2 1/6 inch thicknesses on the thinnest board.


Using my table saw as a flat surface, I glued two boards together.  Clamps!  Lots and Lots of Clamps!  Make sure you have the grain going in opposite directions or the board will warp.  I prefer white glue.  Keep it thin or you will end up with ridges you can't sand out.



This photograph gives you an idea as to how big this project will be.  I needed to make sure I didn't cut the wood stock too short.  Best to have it at the beginning, and trim it off as I discover I don't need it.  



Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Overdue Submarine

GERMAN TYPE XXI ELECTRO-BOOT (SUBMARINE)

BACKGROUND

For those who have heard the story about the purchasing of the plans, and the threat of world domination on my part, this is it, the German Type XXI Electro-boot model I threatened to build on my kitchen table, if I didn't get a house to build it in.  Denise abliged with quick purchase of the house.  However, due to other domestic projects it took over two years to finally get around to building the master model for this beast.  A great deal of preparation was needed before the start.  First, I had to build cabinets and work benches what were all on wheels, that were all on wheels for easy mobility.  Secondly, they all had to be the same height.  This was important since the garage is 13 x 23 ft and space is at a premium.  With all the cabinets the same height, I could move wood around on the machines while using the cabinets to help hold it level. Of course everything had to match, so I made everything with birch wood.

THE PROJECT

Why a submarine?  I spent years picking away at another project.  A 76 inch F-14 Tomcat.  Originally, it as going to be ducted fan powered.  It took several years to hand draw the plans for it.  Surprisingly, I started the plans before Top Gun became a hit movie.  I wasn't going to use the master model system, but rather the bulkhead and stringer system.  Half way through, model jet engines started to become available.  I started modifications but decided to leave the model behind when I moved to the west coast (Canada eh!).  I always had a fasination with subs, particularly the XXI.  It would be cheaper to make, cheaper to run, and cheaper to repair if it crash dived.  It would also be easier to operate. 

Exactly how big is this model?   Uhm, well, er, ok ....  its BIG.  Just under 8 ft long, 8 inches wide at the hull, and 10 inches high to the deck.  So, yeah.... its BIG.

Plans?  I thought I would have to draw my own plans until I discovered the 1/32 scale detailed set from Taubman Plans, a division of Loyalhanna Dockyard www.taubmanonline.com .   Fast delivery and great to work with, these plans are top notch.

THE STRATEGY

The strategy with the making of this model was not to make a working model from the start.  My game plan would be to build a master model for the purpose of building the mould(s), and then make the working model out of fiberglass.  This would allow me to get the detail correct from the start.  Then, if warranted, make one or several moulds for the end parts.  Since I know myself well, if I made more than one, I would end up making every one of them slightly different, with improvements along the way (Just ask me about Rev 16 Squirrel Proof, Bear Resistant Bird Feeders).

EXPERIENCE

In a word, NONE.  I have never made a sub model.  However,  with 20 years experience making master models for the auto industry, and toy industry, I am sure the principles are the same.   Besides, I have the internet and some world experts to draw information from. The Subcommittee,  www.subcommittee.com  will see a lot of me in the coming months.

GETTING STARTED

It took a while to find a supplier for the wood for this project.  Reimer Hardwoods of Abbotsford were my choice.  I opted for 8/8 kiln dried pine.  Clear, straight and few knots, it was inexpensive too.



The planer setup.  Since the boards were going to be heavy, I used rollers for in and out feeds.

    
See, not much room to work in there.  But the operation is smooth.

Just Like Those Damned Cats


After discovering water under our clothes washer, we decided to move it to see exactly where it was leaking from.  Denise took the opportunity to remove the carpet, then the flooring.  We found a grooved trench in the concrete with no real reason for its existance.  Denise took some Quikcrete concrete mix and filled it in. This stuff sets in minutes.  Within that time, one of the cats too the opportunity to lay a track of foot prints from one end to the other.  No one fessed up, no Quikcrete cement shoes were reported by any of the cats, they all played dumb when interrogated.   

Monday, October 31, 2011