Elise.
1969 Rambler American
Blue and White
6-cylinder
Three speed manual transmission
Shifter on the steering column.
"three on the tree" as the were known in the day.

Early on it became obvious that the car's heater didn't work well. During the second winter I was inspired to increase the insulation value of the doors by taking off the door panels,.. filling the space with styrofoam peanuts,.. and replacing the door panels. Honestly I think it helped. Unfortunately,.. the place I filled with peanuts was the very same place that the windows rolled down into during the summer...  No AC in a 69 American. So,.. as the weather got warmed I progressively crushed the peanuts to the point that the windows would go the whole way down. this left a whole sh*t load of tiny peanut pieces in the doors that were constantly being sucked out of the doors and littering the road behind me. It was like a blizzard in the rear view mirror well into summer.

Another interesting thing about the car was that the windshied wipers were powered by the vacuum produced by the engine. (Note: this was not nearly as stupid as the early VW's that used pressure from the spare tire to power the winshield washer fliud onto the windshield). Anyway,.. the wiper motor got old and weak. It was strong enough to pull the wipers back to starting posiiton from the fully extented position. but not strong enough to push the wipers to the extended... Solution. Tie a long shoe string to the wiper arm,.. use the string to pull the wipers up and then let the vacuum pull it back.

Toward the end of it's life all the inside handles (door and window) where broken off. So I had a pair of vice grips that I moved around to whatever shaft need to be turned. Usually it was on the driver's side door release so I could open the door. The car was in this start for so long that I (and all my friends) ceased to think there was anything unusual about the situation,...  Unfortunately,.. I am afraid I scared the living crap out of some poor guy I stopped to pick up hitchiking. (Hitchiking was still pretty common at the time)  When the guy opened the door and realized that there were no handles on the inside of the passenger door,.. he erm,.. shall we say,.. turned white and developed a sudden fondness for walking. Felt bad about that one.

Which is,.. of course,.. most everyone,.. erm,...
except for fri, Ms G and Liv,.. and well since they are
the only ones who ever stop by,...  erm,.. well,... erm,..
I guess it's not really mid-blog,. after all.

Started new job last Monday.
Long commute,..
big company,... 17,000+ employees
Man,.. is my cube crowded,...
Gonna get to do some cool stuff
if the commute doesn't get to me.

Apparently 9/16/2008 was my 5th year blogaversary thing.

I've had a lot of jobs less than that amount of time.

Happy blogaversary to me.
two days late,... like most thing I do.

Don't have anything to say.
But,...

I really,.. really ,.. want to say something.
If only I could figure out what it is.

Finished up the patio.
Just don't have any pictures yet.

went to move the wheel barrow full of stone.
Snapped a handle off.

Spent the afternoon installing new handles on the wb.
Real handles not the toothpick sized things that came with it.
Added an extra support across the bottom of the legs.
It actually feels like a real wb now

prolly have to do real work tomorrow.

Starting Monday, Sept, 22, 2008
DD will once again be gainfully employed.

Small cut in pay from previous.
But,.. 3 weeks vacation starting next year.
Excellent benefits.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!

Sssshhh!
It not official yet.

but,..
Tomorrow I will be accepting the job offer that I got late today.

Tie-dyes all round!!!
Happy Dance time.
Yes,.. twirling is allowed.

Thought this was fun from GreenishLady

Highlight those tasks that you have accomplished in your life. And then add a new task to the list of something memorable that you've done that isn't on the list yet.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's nappy
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of both the sun and moon
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states (3 down... 47 to go!)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day (hospitalized)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted a river
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read "The Iliad"
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
151. Organized a HUGE event!
152. Seen something you can't explain with science.
153. Had a book published.

and my addition...
154. Built your own guitar from pieces.

Yup it's a tele clone:

Ember arrived yesterday
(Shh,.. She thinks her name is star)
We like Ember,.. and M for short.

I haven't heard her bark yet.
She is very gentle.
She was nose to nose saying hello to the cat today.

Mrs DD was on a quest.
M was in a high kill shelter Saturday.
She has a home as of yesterday.

Welcome M.

Almost half done with the final leveling.



rest is mostly roughed in

The bit in front of the screen is sooooo much more messy

Sorry,...
bad day