August Already?

Wow? It's August already - where did the summer go. I think I'll start using this as a 'What I Accomplished Blog' since I have no idea what I have accomplished over the past several months.

On the fun side we just got back from a short family trip to the lake - LittleGlasses at Texhoma. Thought it would be long since we were staying three nights but it ended quite fast. We even made it RAIN... something we do well when we go to the lake. At least we stayed in a nice three bedroom trailer instead of a tent.

The last few months have seen a few accomplishments I guess;

• The 88 Turbocoupe is up and running with working A/C and 21+ mpg even when I hammer on it all the time.
• I released another lego animation for the old Poodles song Toy Town People - Odd but fun little song.
• I have most of the outdoor plants on auto-pilot watering wise now so they actually may survive.
• I even have a small green patch of grass in front of the patio - I can handle mowing that little bit more often especially since Austin is mowing the rest ;-)
• We changed up the patio a bit moving the old A Frame swing to the 'forest' and buying a cafe table, chairs and a small fire pit. Haven't used the fire pit yet but maybe when it gets below 100 degrees for a change.
• We used our 25th Anniversary gift money to buy new vertical blinds and drapes for the house. Something Karen has wanted for some time now.

Sizzling summer fun - with 100+ for several days now it IS sizzling for sure.
-Stephen

Wow - Work - Plus a new-old car

Wow.. spent the whole weekend cleaning up cars. That's a lot of work. Washed both the old van and the F150, vacuumed them both out, waxed the truck, armor all'd both of them and more. That's the bi-annual cleaning I guess.

On the other side we picked up yet another vehicle to add to the mess. A beat up 1988 Turbo Coupe Thunderbird. I had a 1986 TC back in 1986 and loved that car. The 87/88 version came out and it was even cooler. I never could afford an 87/88 but drove the 86 for over 10 years until it was crunched in two accidents within three months, neither of which was my fault. Recently I noticed 87/88 TC's showing up on ebay and other places and one appeared in the local Craigslist so I thought I would check it out. It is much rougher than I wanted BUT it does have a pretty much unmolested engine/tranny which are the hardest parts to find. My son and I spent most of the day Saturday doing a complete clean up of the interior since it was quite dirty.

I had hoped for a driver that I could detail and eventually rebuild but this one is going to require much more work than that. First up is a freeze plug replacement BUT it's the plug between the block and the flywheel so I guess the whole engine/trans is coming out and being rebuilt which is way more up front than I planned.

In the mean time we did take it down the block and back slipping clutch and no boost included. At least the brakes worked well!

Fabulous Poodles - Mirror Star

This was one of my favorite music videos to animate a few years ago. Tony Demur came across it and commented:

Stephen

Really enjoyed your animation for my song "Mirror Star" and so glad there's still people out there who remember us!

All the best, Tony De Meur


I am actually working on a simple animation of Toy Town People.

Mirror Star - The Fabulous Poodles


The rest of my brickfilms can be found on YouTube

Time Management for a System Administrator

Since that actually is my title, I couldn't pass up a read for this book, Time Management for Systems Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli. So far it is really interesting in that it mixes Getting Things Done (GTD) concepts with the real world of constant demands and interruptions of being a Sys Admin.

Interestingly enough it appears I already have all the pieces; one calendar, help request system, log every request, and more, already in place. I just haven't connected the dots and run "The Cycle" that is used in the book. I've ready many time management books and see the common theme rise up again... the trick still is just DOING THEM.

Stupid Stuff Continues

Been burning some coding time at my old StupidSigns.com site lately. They site has been falling off visitor wise over the past year due to lack of attention. Tried CafePress for some calendars and the content was deemed 'inappropriate' soooo I made my own, popped a donate option up and linked to my own PDF versions. People can still get them for free but we'll see how many Stupid $Buck$ fly my way.... likely zero but we'll see. Was good to do some coding on my own sites for a change.
-Stephen

Where's there's Progress there's Pain

I guess that stands true with me. Although I DID get the floor pans installed in the 69 Mustang including fitted, welded and seam sealed, I have paid for that it with a literal pain the back.

Last week I wasn't sure if that was the problem after getting most of the driver side done and having to get straightened up last week. But after spending a couple days finishing up the drivers, installing the passengers side and fitting and installing the seat pans I was unable to hardly stand or walk on Tuesday morning. Ended up losing a day of work over it (not good - just more to do when I get back) and stuck in a chair and in bed with loads of pain meds to make it through. The Chiro once again fixed me up but it's still not very comfortable.

Maybe that is why I have been putting that off for so long??

Oh well.. hopefully time will heal. I did get to sit in the car with an old seat in it.. first time that has occurred in a very long time.

Something done...

Well after griping in the last post about where did the time go, I actually got something done the next day. I ended up getting the driver's side floor pan fitted in my 69 Mustang and started welding it up (ran out of CO2 gas) and did some fitting on the passenger side. The project has loomed over me for several months as I thought it was going to be very hard. It hasn't been easy but not that bad.

I also got the GoMo going with adjustments to the governor and throttle linkage and popped some mufflers on it for my (and the neighbors) ear's sake. Still not fast at about 18mph but working. The guys over at ATLMA thinks it has a coil problem which might explain why it doesn't run like it calculates out on paper.

Here's a link to the short video of it running.

2008?? - Where did '07 Go?

Wow.. new year.. same old stuff. Lots of finance type of work at work instead of working on critical IT problems. Not much motivation at home to get the Stang moving along. Same junky house and no motivation to clean it up right at least. So will 2008 be any different? Not unless I get things together. I do have some goals that I hope (need?) to get done this year so all it not hopeless.. there's just so many of them it seems overwhelming sometimes. For example just on a personal level:

2008 Goals...

• Mustang floor pan installed, sealed and interior installed
• Mustang trunk and rear valance fixed
• Mustang engine balanced, built, engine bay painted and engine and trans installed
• Rear disc brakes completed, springs replaced, and brakes working
• Wheels and tires on the car and get it back on the ground
• ... and the 192,432 other detail items that have to occur to get the car running again.

Other home front items?

• Tile the kitchen, bathroom, and utility area... never tiled before, should be interesting.
• Replace the roof.. think I'll pay someone to do this one.
• Completely clean and organize the house including the computer room, garage, and all closets (that should take all year)
• Paint the house.. well at least it is only trim
• Replace the garage doors (more painting... ugh)
• New vertical window blinds... mostly money
• Replace faucets and drains (hard water is a killer)
• Fix the various little things messed up around the house (porch light, patio lights, etc)
• .... there are plenty more

Yeah.. I know, these should be in my Getting Things Done (GTD) system right. Many are, seems that has made it seem even more overwhelming sometimes. I'm still searching for the best system(s) that work for me.

Oh yeah.. 2008 goal:

• Take down the Christmas decorations - I better get that one done before the next Christmas but no telling... :-)

- Stephen

Rat Rod Bikes?

Like I need another hobby or project but I'm somewhat fascinated by a bike site I recently ran across. The Rat Rod Bikes site is an interesting take on fun with bicycles and building. I've built bike choppers and have tried trials and still have a chopper to finish, but the rat idea looks like fun. In fact I've stooped low enough to purchase a few oldies off ebay to play with. These all at least appear to be in very nice completion state so it may be hard to rat one out or make too many changes. Time will tell.

The first one on the left is the most interesting one as it is supposed to be a Pre-WWII Schwinn with a baby carrier. I think it would be a fun resto project.










The next one is an 'English Bike' supposedly from the 40's or 50's with very tall seat stays and a two speed hub. Kind of interesting as is.











The next one is a 60's Ladies Ross with a three speed hub and all original as well. Seems kind of cool with everything still there.












The last one is a classic 1972 10 speed. I remember being 13 years old and wishing I had one of those fancy "10 speed" bikes back then. I did finally buy one but I have no idea what brand it was.

Progress... and work...

Short weekend and lots of work. A relative has been in the hospital and needed some work done on his van and truck so my cousin's husband and I put his van back together and changed the water pump on his pickup. Was kind of nice getting greasy again... it's been a while.

We have a Finance Director at work now so I really expect to get back to the Information Systems duties and out of finance which should equate to more energy at home and more Mustang work.

The patio cover is done and all the concrete poured so I just need to some guttering and that project is done.

I did get two post holes dug for another cover I am building between some storage sheds to keep the weather off some things. For some reason that was something I REALLY didn't want to do but it only took about 30 minutes... .

Off to another week.. this one much longer than last...
-Stephen