Busy, busy, busy…

Lots to get done at work- we’ve hired a replacement for a staff member, I’ve been training her, and lots of machine maintenance to catch up on.

On the home front, very little going on. I’m currently gathering information on parts to complete a headlight upgrade on the Ford truck. I intend to install relays, larger wires, headlight lamp sockets, fuses and new headlights. The headlamps will likely be Cibie H4 conversion units, but I’ve got to upgrade the wire and power the new lamps with relays so as not to melt the headlight switch/ dimmer switch/ stock wiring.

I purchased an upgrade kit from a fellow who is very informed about the subject, but I’ll use it on the Nissan since the relays and fuse holders aren’t waterproof, and it came with Hella lamp sockets that will probably work fine-I’m just not happy with the way they connect. I’m going to use these sockets instead- they’re ceramic (won’t melt) and I can get them with the terminals uncrimped/ unsoldered so that I can use the GXL wire I want to use, in the colors I want to use. I’m working with an industrial supply house to buy the parts exactly as I want them, and it’s taken a little longer than I’d like, but I’m confident that I’ll get what I’m looking for.

I’ll also take the wire looms apart and install the new wire into them, re-wrapping all the wires with new loom wrap. I expect this will be a fun project, albeit one done in winter. I’ll have update posts as the project progresses, and a “how to” post when it’s complete.

I’m also dieting-starving myself is more like it-in an attempt to get my blood sugars to a reasonable level. My blood glucose levels were up in the 250-275 range, and they’ve come back down to 145-170 rage. I’m by no means done, but I’ll get to the 110-115 range eventually. I was pretty discouraged about it, but after just two weeks of dieting, I’m having success.

Reblogged from ZeroGov: An Open Letter to Glenn Beck on His Adored Police State

You’ve become the police apologist that every lover of freedom and liberty in America dreads. Frankly, this is morally monstrous on your part because you’re rationalizing the very worst aspect of any government on Earth throughout history; the notion that you must take a bat or worst to anyone who dares to defy or disobey the state and its armed functionaries in ensuring all statist edicts are obeyed no matter how asinine, immoral or ineffective. You endorse the initiation of force against innocents. It’s much like cheer-leading the Cheka in the USSR. “We need to address a few bad apples on both sides of the line.”

Original here.

I’m no fan of the Oligarchy’s fanboys- Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, et.al. They spout “conservatism”, but speak out of both sides of their mouths. I suggest you stop listening to them.

H/T to Bill Buppert for allowing me to use his post.

Excellent blogpost on free speech

Read the whole thing. Money quote is at the end.

Let’s go back to 451, which I found myself re-reading recently. It begins with Guy Montag burning a house that contained books. Why? How did it come to be that fireman burned books instead of putting out fires as they always had?

The fireman have been doing it for so long they have no idea. Most of them have never even read a book. Except one fireman—Captain Beatty—who has been around long enough to remember what life was like before. As Montag begins to doubt his profession—going as far as to hide a book in his house—he is subjected to a speech from Beatty. In it Beatty explains that it wasn’t the government that decided that books were a threat. It was his fellow citizens.

This post isn’t very comfortable to read

The revelation that our generals expect Americans solders to allow screaming young boys to be sodomized and not stop it is simply the latest manifestation of the utter moral bankruptcy infecting the senior ranks of the U.S. military.

The problems with America’s military—which has now failed to win three wars in a row against backward fanatics whom the nineteenth-century Brits would have handily dispatched to hell in time for tea—are not merely budgetary. You can’t buy real leaders, leaders with strategic competence and moral courage. Aging equipment, while a problem, is nothing compared to the incompetence and moral cowardice of our military’s senior leaders.

Please read the rest, here.

Boys and sticks

Simcha Fischer writes:

Boys who are never allowed to be wild are boys who never learn how to control that wildness. Boys who are not allowed to whack and be whacked with sticks never learn what fighting is like. What’s so bad about that? Well, they may end up hitting someone weak, with no idea how much it hurts to be hit. Or they may end up standing by while the strong go after the weak – and have no idea that it’s their job to put a stop to it.

Either way, the weak suffer. The whole world suffers.

From Patheos, here. It’s well worth the read

Muddy Mountain exploration- this time it was a success!

I rode the Rokon onto Pitchpine ridge on Sunday, and finally found the structure I saw on Google earth. It’s a large wood pile of boards left over from the production of large timbers:

Had to go to the woodpile...

The other side of the woodpile...

There’s a foundation, I presume for an engine or saw:

The foundation...

Another view of the foundation.

And lots of old junk laying around- a fuel tank for a car, and an old running board:

The running board that isn't any more.

I left the area, and took another road out. Next to the road, I came upon a tree with a “Bearing Tree” placard:

Bearing tree placard

Under the tree was a brass cap:

Brass cap

I took the road along a fence separating BLM from private land, and came to a place where two fences met-and found yet another brass cap:

Brass cap

And then rode the bike up the south face of Muddy mountain, coming out to the road just above the dogleg in the road. The bike worked well, although my back was a bit sore from the ride. It was more than worth it.

Now if I can just find the other structure that is on Google Earth. But that’s for another weekend.

Muddy Mountain exploration, fail.

I camped on Muddy Mountain again this weekend (last weekend, too) intending to ride the Rokon out to Pitchpine canyon and follow a road to an old sawmill.

Despite my efforts to find it, I’d evidentially ridden right by it. I didn’t take my map, so I had no reference but a buddy’s description. It wasn’t enough. I’ve found it on Google Earth, as well as the map, so I’m going to try to find it next weekend, which is Labor Day weekend. I’ll even take a map.

Any excuse to go camping.

Regarding my trip last weekend, I camped in the same spot as this weekend, but the temperature when I awoke on Saturday morning was 27° F and I was playing the part of a sissy that day. In addition, the regulator on the propane bottle failed (diaphragm split), so I repaired it with a spare. I wasn’t exactly itching to ride the bike.

Summer camping weekend

I drove up to Muddy Mountain this weekend and rode the Rokon out to a cabin on the south side of the mountain to get some photos of this old cabin:

The South cabin

I used my 1997 Rokon, bought new in 1998:

Parked after a long ride

It seems to me that the Rokon is a motorcycle conceived, designed, and built by Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius. It sure as sugar wouldn’t catch the roadrunner.

It was a long ride, but really fun. I’d found the cabin many years ago while driving the two track in my pickup, and regretted not stopping ever since. I’m glad I took the time to finally go back. I’m hoping to return this weekend to check out an old sawmill near it. If I do, I’ll keep y’all posted.