You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

I really really really try no to let stupid drivers get to me. Honestly I have made a mistake or two. But really, woman in the brown Ford flex behind me this morning, get off my ass. I don’t car how late you are for work, one centimeter closer and you are in my back seat.

And your putting on your makeup while tailgating me? Really?

I have a large vehicle and I know its hard to see the car in front of me that is slowing me down (to the speed limit by the way) but waiting until you are in a no passing zone then choosing to pass was a particularly brilliant move. Finding out you had to pass me, and the car in font of me was a nice bonus huh?

Why don’t you put down your mascara and just freaking drive like a normal person would ya?

Fish On

Paul D and I went fishing at 4mile lake for a couple of hours. We
caught a couple but the strong cold wind was helping the fish more
than us. I cought this reasonable sized pike and got this quick shot
before letting him go.

Best MacGyver Fix Ever

I
Have
No
Words

Thanks to People Of Walmart for this one.

My friend Mike's 1949 Cadillac

My friend Mike's (Mike C) 1949 Cadillac is probably the nicest car I have ever had the privilege to see.

My freind Mike's 1949 Caddilac is probabally the

Franklin Mint

Ok so I am sitting at home watching James Bond (Man with the Golden Gun... yea for the classics) The only way a get away with that it the girl is out with friends. Suddenly and with out warning on comes and Franklin Mint commercial.

Full of golden quotes like an older gentleman saying " once my neighbor tried to sell me a shoebox full of old old baseball cards... I did not buy it " all sad faced.

And an older woman saying," my husband talked me out of buying a painting at a yard sale. Later I saw a similar one selling for a lot of money"

Also hinting at claims that some coins have already increased in value 400%

Are you serious? Franklin Mint? WTF. First of all what was it that old mans lost shoe box? It could have been a turd for all we know. Or the severed had of the neighbors missing wife. Maybe you should be damn happy you did not get that box. Using that old lady and shady stats? Now that is just not right.

I have no more words for how bad this commercials was, and I have to go anyway James is about to jump a creek with an AMC Matador.

Ha Ha Ha Ha....

Ha Ha Ha Ha...

Because Drinking is fun!

(PS the more drunk you are the less you care about buying bogus batteries)

Find this one * here*

What? Corporate america is deceiving america?

Say it isn't so?

Apparently if you take apart a energizer "D" rechargeable battery yo find a much smaller battery wrapped in a plastic shell.

Read about it *here*

Granted I did not verify this myself, but I would not be surprised.

Say what you want about vacation.

Say what you want about vacation but somtimes it's good to be home.

The Big House Unleashed

Nothing reeks of excess like the new Big house renovations. God bless them. Not to be dissuaded by the troubled economy the have just priced out the new luxury suites.... Needless to say I won't be getting one this year anyway. This from clickondetroit.com:

For $55,000 to $85,000 per season and at least a three-year commitment, well-heeled fans will have 16 comfortable seats in a 15-foot-wide by 28-foot deep box that comes with two TVs, granite countertops and sapele wood cabinets.

Sent from my iPhone

On our way out of town. Red Mesa Grill

Said to say were leaving so soon but stopped for lunch at Red Mesa.

Dinner at Phil's

Dinner at Phil's turned out to be an unexpected treat. Aparently a
local legend Phil puts out gormet food at fair prices.

Grapes

Today we went out on the penusulia to several wineries. We had a good
time and got to try a lot of different kinds and learned a lot about
making wine.

Downtown Traverse City

At dusk. I could not help but admire the sun going down.

Lumber jack

We stopped for dinner at the Lumber Jack resturant in West Branch

Vacation

We are going up north for a couple of days, but before I can leave. I have to wrap some things up at the office.

So Here I am, early trying to crank some things out so I can get away for a couple of days.

Tonight I will be blogging from a secret vacation get away but for now there is work to do and preparations to be made.

Lowes on a cold dark day.

It was cold and dark and I had to get s few things at Lowes. I can't
ever leave that place for less than100 bucks. Today was no exception.

Flowers from The Farmers Market

Summer is marching on so we are trying to enjoy the farmers market
while we still can.

The Giant Maples

The Giant Maples...That flank the house like two ancient guardians seem to reach to the sky as if the power of moral men have no meaning. I love our house and I love out neighborhood but I can not help but swell with pride when I see the two majestic giants that allow us to live on the parcel that they have seen fit to guard over these many years.

AAAAHHHHHH.....

Thanks for *Gizmodo* for this one.

Suddenly, I realized....

Suddenly I realized, with the ferocity and impact of a train wreck....

I would be A LOT happier if if did not have to work for a living.

Somtimes Twitter Pays off

So for a long time, I resisted Twitter but sometimes it pays off.
From:
Rich Rodriguez

UM_CoachRod

with the following caption:

View of the new Al Glick Field House from our coach's balcony. Go Blue!

Go Blue indeed!

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I.Hate.Plumbing

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I.Hate.Plumbing

But with a new fridge comes new ice maker, and a need to have a water connection. I was going to be damned if I was going to pay for that after paying for the fridge we already cant afford.

So I bought the kit, and this saddle valve shit is kinda cool. Its basically a valve that fits over your water line and SELF TAPS by screwing into the side of the pipe, and supplies the water to any thing that basically needs a small supply of water.

So it got hooked up, it is working and everyone is happy.

I still hate plumbing but today, I might just hate it a little less.

Another Day Another Lesson

Dear ...

Mass Mail advertisers.
Just because my name is Hispanic looking, stop sending me adds for (direct TV/prepaid Visa cards/insurance/pre-paid legal/anything else) ENTIRELY IN SPANISH. That's racial profiling douche-bags, and slightly offensive. Now excuse me, I have to go make tortillas and beans for dinner. I have to get up and get ready to go to work early in front of Home Depot.

Really, it's more of a suggestion.

Than a rule. Washington street parking structure.

Out To Dinner At Dusk

As the shadows were starting to grow long we went downtown for a
Birthday dinner at her favorite resturant The Earl.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Sweetie.

I lent my Phone to Tanner today

It came back with weird pictures, like this one...
What the hell was she doing downtown at 1:20?
Frankly I have no freaking idea. Sometimes I wish she could talk.

Race Weekend

Because Michigan Ave is pretty much the only way to get from the freeway to Michigan International Speedway, we always get a steady stream of race fans on race day. Many of them have motor homes of various condition and here you see one trying to negotiate a parking lot of a local breakfast places in town.

It takes a special kind of fan base to buy and refurbish an old school bus to follow your favorite drivers across country.

Kudos to you, die hard race fan, kudos to you.

Somehow I found myself shopping

Everything was a blur...I'm pretty sure I've been drugged.

Its almost Saturday....and its almost fall.

As summer starts to wain into fall, there is a certain anticipation in the air.

For some its the smell of freshman nerves and redbull. For me, its the realization that in just few short weeks it will be football season here in Ann Arbor. This is no normal year, not by a long shot. This is a year is a make a break year for Rodriguez and crew.

Put all the recruiting, all the hype all the negative feelings from last year aside and I can actually say I cant remember being more excited about a season.

Its fall and hope springs eternal, an few key wins can make it a miracle season and a few losses can make it season of dread. I fell like a man with a pile of money riding on one single hand at the blackjack table.

Go Blue!

Once, I was the weird one in the Neighborhood

But now I have seen it all. What you have here is a picture of my neighbor, mowing his lawn. No you cant see him, because its freaking night. Thats right, he was out there mowing the lawn with what I can only describe as some kind of light strapped to the top of his walk behind mower. Yes one of those faint lights is him, mowing his lawn. This is a guy that has a very reputable job and maybe this is problem ... he has no time for conventional mowing thinking...no sir. He is a lawn chopping avant garde of SE Michigan.

I am going to have to think up some really f*d up thing to do to top this. I am thinking.... llama farming.

Cool Gear - new Corvette concept

Chevrolet's new corvette stringray concepts.

You can see way more *here* at jalopnik.com

Is It Just Me?

Or is a national add for a certain beer company make this happy pair look a little to much like a happy couple.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, but its a BEER commercial, not a wine spritzer spot.

Its all over the interweb and seems to be a weird spot, and an unfortunate place for a sill image. If you hit the add its does not nearly look so, lets just say metro, as this photo.
I mean they could have looked at the girls ass walking away, right?

What ever you do...

Dont take a Benadryl Caplet when sitting behind a warm desk. No matter how much you are sneezing.

Must
make
sleepy
time,
now..

It is not my Trash Man, but I that defeted myself.

(Waking to the sound of the Trash truck pulling away, I realize I had yet again been bested)

You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That's, that's part of life.
But,you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is Trash collection.
Because in either game
life or Trash collection
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half Minute too late
you don't quite make it.
One half second too slow
and you don't quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the Trash collection game
every minute, every second.

Currently I am addicted to....

Free iPhone app wild west pinball. Say what u wil about other phones
but until they have an app store like apple they will just suck.

Sign of the Times

It is official... this vampire thing has gone way way way to far.

Found *here* on uncrate.

I swear someone

Thinks this shit up just to make my life more complicated then it has
to be. Really? Make one form into 5 e-steps. Take simple to find information and scatter it across cryptic and far flung networks. Seriously? Someone gets paid for this? What kind of sadistic bastard thinks this shit up. I have thought about it, it would be hard to make stuff this difficult. Someone could look into this. Anyone? Bueller?

The DMV

Recently I have learned I have to go to the DMV.

Weather you call it the DMV, The Secretary of State, The licensing bureau , lets face it nothing sucks more than the bureaucratic nightmare of any Governmental body designed to regulate, well anything for that matter.

The one and only time this place if fun is when you first get a drivers license and you can taste the freedom in the sweaty little hands of the underpaid, disgruntled government employee staring across from you behind two feet of Formica and a wall of frustration.

After the initial thrill is gone, it becomes a dreaded event up there with doctors visits and tax audits. For me I would rather avoid it all together, but I suppose it has to be done for every one, every once in a while. If only I could send someone to do it for me….. Naaah, my photo is bad enough when they take a picture of me.

More Lip, Less Hip

I thought the bacon lip balm was the pinnacle of lip protection... that was before I found the Cheetos flavored lip goodness!

Leave it to the Giz to find this one but it gets better:

It is made by Lotta Luv, a New York-based company that makes lip balm of dozens of wonderful flavors, from Twinkies and Gummy Bears, to Snapple and Jelly Belly, going through Dr Pepper and Bubble Yum. Absolute geee-neee-usss.

Storms raged through last night

At our house house we were lucky , where winds knocked down few branches. Many locations had hail, strong winds, rain and damage as much more sizable trees fell here in SE Michigan.

I am getting several calls for people need help/guidance through the claims process.

Kitty on the Prowl

My new mobile blog correspondent (AKA the girl who had the day off) sent me this picture of the cat sleeping in this vacuum cleaner box.

I always wondered what she does while we are away from home.

Shop update: Double File Cabint Project

Sometimes I get distracted and a project gets put on the back burner for a while. This is the case here where I am finally getting back around to: the double filing cabinet the that girl has been wanting for a while. Here you can see it starting to come into its final form.

A quick bite for breakfast

Before we go over to the rental to finish what we started.
Summer has finnaly arrived following yesterdays rain like an unwanted
stray dog. With temps promising to be well into the 90s It's unwanted
indeed.

Painting the night fantastic

Tonight we spent some time painting at the rental, aka quality time together. To cheap to hire someone to do it and to dumb to know better.

It was stressed even more by the time I was delayed at work.

Actually we started out crabby and ended up in a better mood. Funny how things work out.

Unexpected Work

I hate it when things don't go as planned and I really hate it when I get called into work unexpectedly.

Today I Woke

To a steady rain that lent it's cool depresing mood to what ever it
touched. Regretfully I realize I can't stay in bed all day and
begrudingly force myself to rise in seach of coffee.

Saline Summerfest

Tonight is the start of summerfest so we walked arround people
watching. The girl is on call so it's good to stay close to home.

I'm both excited and scared for the future

But concepts like this really freak me out.

Some of the work

That had to be done was replacing this handrail that seems simple but
was decepitvly complicated.