Random Stuff

So last night was "Earf Hour" where we were supposed to kill all the lights and sit in the dark from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM EDT like savages, in order to save the planet and think about how our modern existence is harming it. FUCK THE FUCK OFF I say, as I turned on every fucking light in my house including in closets, basement, and attic to counter such virtue signalling bullshit. A prelude to what I refer to as "Pagan Dirt Worship Day" (Earf Day) on April 22nd, which actually makes it the Commie high holy day. FYI... Environazis are called "Watermelons;" green on the outside and COMMIE RED on the inside.

The view from the backyard. The front side was just as impressive with way more windows

Thanks to the uber-corrosive shit the Kommiecticut DOT uses on the roads every winter, I had to do a complete front brake overhaul on my Tundra.... AGAIN!! The inboard pistons of the right caliper froze and would not retract, causing my premium brake pads to munch up my premium slotted rotor. I got new pads, new calipers (always replace in pairs) and new rotors. Because of the economic policies of Brandon and the Demon-Craps, it cost me an extra $120 for inflated prices of auto parts. I was all set to do the brakes on my day off early last week. I jacked up the truck removed the wheels, and discovered THIS:

Right side

Left Side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw the 6 inch steel line that goes from the rubber hose to the caliper all bubbled up with rust. Experience has taught me that the flare nuts would be seized to the line and twist when I tried to loosen them, breaking the line and then needing emergency replacement as fluid poured out all over the floor. I ordered them from my local Toyota dealer along with the rubber hose for each side with new mounting clips. The rubber hoses were original to the truck making them about 17 years old. Again experience taught me to replace those before they failed, wrecking my new brake parts again. I had to wait a couple of days for the rubber hoses so I finally got it all done last Friday on a day off. The main brake lines on the frame are all still like new from 2018 because they came as part of the frame replacement Toyota did. My spousal unit was home as well so she helped me bleed the system. I was correct about those little steel lines, because both of them had the nuts seized to the lines and broke off when I tried to loosen them. Everything went together easy-peasy and the brakes are working perfectly again. I have a note on my garage whiteboard to re-torque the front wheels in about 500 miles. It's a required procedure if you have alloy wheels, and they must be hand torqued properly or the rotors can warp. Mine go to 97 ft/lbs.

And just for random cuteness, my 10 year old little poodle boy, Cash. He jumped up on the ottoman in front of me and was just staring. I was just watching Newsmax and drinking my morning coffee, I didn't call him up there.. He either wanted to go out or lick my face, I don't recall which, but those are why he usually does this.

 

Oops!

Sorry for the false alarm with the farewell post. I was doing a bunch of stuff at once, and apparently didn't pay close attention to the date I clicked on while updating the automatic post drop. It should have been May 17th. Good thing I spotted Irish's post about my blogger demise!

So to all my readers and my assigned FIBBIE agent, I AM STILL HERE!!!

But blogging has been light for me lately.... I have been working on getting my continuing education credits complete for my EMT renewal. With my work schedule, I am busy on my days off and not paying close attention to blogs or Twitter. Also I have been spending time working on my 17 year old Toyota Tundra that needs attention. First I had to reseal the exhaust system. This Friday will be a complete front brake overhaul thanks to the ultra corrosive crap the Kommiecticut DOT puts on the roads in the winter. It ruined another caliper that in turn wrecked premium brake pads and rotors. This time I am putting the extra money into replacing the rubber hoses and little S-bent steel line to the caliper. That little steel line is all bubbled up with rust, and I am sure as soon as I put a wrench to them they will break sending me scrambling for replacements. Next up is dealing with the rusted bed, a common problem with Indiana built trucks that end up in winter climates. The beds rust out at the four mounting points from the inside out because of improper (meaning non-existent) rustproofing on the inner channel of the cross-members. The plan is to first remove the cap to reduce weight this weekend until permanent repairs can be made in April. A buddy of mine has a mobile welding service. The bed will be removed and turned over making it easy to work on the underside. Those rust holes in the bed will be covered from underneath with 1/8" thick over sized steel plates, re-drilled for the mounting bolts, painted and sealed, and the bed dropped back on. That should last well until I replace the truck. Since Toyota put a new frame under it at the end of 2018, it is well worth doing because the drive train is running strong.

I have not yet gotten to shoot and then review my new Ruger PCC-9 thanks to the fucking morons at the USPS that lost my small package of parts for the muzzle brake. To be fair, it was my inexperience with threaded barrels that caused me to go too far and ruin the crush washer the muzzle brake came with. So, I ordered a half dozen more and a bottle of their high temperature thread locker. Obviously a small package that those idiots went and lost. The company said they would automatically resend the parcel if it stopped updating for 10 days, but I haven't gotten an email confirmation of that. I will call them later this morning.

Shit poasting on Twitter is a much easier and faster way to get under the libturds skin than blogging. I can hammer an anti-gun scumbag like little David "Camera" Hogg, Shannon Watts, or Kristen Song while returning from the hospital in the ambulance for example. Blogging for me requires time sitting in front of computer using a real keyboard, and is much easier to import media and format the pages. Rest assured, though... I ain't going anywhere!

Still Here

Miss me? I am still around, just have not had much time for the blogosphere. But I wanted to put something out for my readers.

I have one of these on lay-away awaiting my tax refund to hit my bank account.

Ruger PCC-9 with Kommiecticut approved stock and 10 round mag

I would much rather it had the AR style collapsible stock, but the tyrannical Commies in this state have declared it to be super-de-dooperly scary looking and dangerous therefore verbotten and it can't be sold here. The stock and receiver are only held together with two set screws, so it will eventually get one, tyrants be damned. It will also get five new contraband SR-9 17 round magazines from a trip to Kittery Trading Post or a gun shop somewhere in New Hampshire. I have a Mag-Pul M-LOK Hand Stop Kit (supposedly OK because it is not a vertical grip) and SIG Romeo 5 red dot with witness mount coming from Midway USA. I will also order the muzzle brake from M*Carbo which installs on the barrel threads easily. Since it is a muzzle brake and NOT a flash suppressor Kommiecticut has no issues with it (LOL even though anyone that knows firearms knows a muzzle brake suppresses muzzle flash!). 

This gun breaks down and goes back together easily and reliably so hidden in a non-descript back pack can be carried just about anywhere. Paired with my SR9c will make a formidable combination to anyone wishing to do me, my loved ones, or property harm. Once I get it put together and have it zeroed in, I will do a blog post review. I still have a post in draft mode from back in December for my Beretta Tomcat 3032 and DeSantis ankle holster waiting for the opportunity to test at the range.

On a side note, I requested my official firearms "list" from the state police firearms unit. You see, Kommiecticut has always attempted to maintain their own registration list of firearms purchased within the state. When I spoke to a woman at the agency, she told me that these lists are highly inaccurate. She also said I can add "missing" firearms to the list (HA! not bloody likely!) but none on the list in error can be removed without supporting paperwork. I won't go into detail about why I requested my list but I had reason to believe it was really fucked up, and she wasn't kidding. About half of my firearms are not listed. Half of those were private undocumented cash sales or gifts that they never would have known about anyway, but the others all went through FFL's since 1980. Even one of my recent handgun purchases from 2020 isn't on there. If I were to ever get wind of being red-flagged, you better believe there are a lot of firearms and their ammo that I will be keeping hidden away.

TDS Is Worse Than China Coof

Although I never agree with her politically, I do enjoy reading Comrade Misfit's blog Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, especially on Sunday mornings with her regular feature of Prop/Jet/Rotor Noise featuring military and sometimes rare aircraft in flight. I mean she is obviously a Pink Floyd fan, so....

But her post today cracks me up. The title is "Don't Let Them Live in Your Head Today" yet that is exactly what is going on with her and every other TDS sufferer. All the D/S/C propaganda media and Faux News wanted Nikki Haley to win, but there was and continues to be no way. I wish I could stomach an hour each of CNN and MSNBC to watch the meltdown post Iowa of Trump's historic win, but I am on shift for the FD and hunched over the toilet puking makes it hard to fulfill my duties.

As always, I wish Comrade Misfit well, and just imagine how much better the country would be if she and all the other TDS sufferers held the D/S/C's feet to the fire to follow The Constitution, actually improve the economy, close our borders, crack down on crime, etc. etc. instead of directing so much negative energy to one man and his supporters.

Been A Couple of Wild Weeks

I started composing this post on December 23rd, but have had so many interruptions between emergency calls, other things that have drawn my attention, and then the hustle and bustle of Christmas it is FINALLY finished.

 

I'm going to try to do this in chronological order of the photos. I know it has been a few weeks since I've put up a blog post, but don't worry... I have been trolling and shit-posting the hell out of #Libturds of all kinds on X (Twitter). Amazingly, I have not been suspended. Elon Musk has really reigned in the SJW censors they had on staff.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I found out my cousin Christopher was here in New England visiting his mom, family, and friends. He served in the Navy on the west coast and left with full retirement, only to be immediately hired by the DoD because of his expertise. He still works for DoD but lives in South Carolina. I text poked him when I came across this photo at my brother's house. I am just a little older than he is. This photo is from Easter 1965 and was taken at my Memere's house. He and I are in the foreground, me on the left and him on the right. From left to right was my Memere, his mother, my mother, my aunt Terese, my maternal grandmother (Nana) with my sister on her lap, and in the back my uncle Donald. I have no idea who was in the high chair. My cousin and I tried to get together over Thanksgiving weekend, but it never happened because I had to work. I broke his balls for sneaking up here without telling me. We'll try again over the summer.

 

 

 

On November 28th, snow bands off of Lake Erie made their way across PA and NY/NJ to my neck of the woods. They call it "mood snow." This didn't amount to much more than what's in the video.

Next, this is yet another fine example of shitty Duracell batteries as documented by me a year ago with this post. I thought I had purged them from everything I own.... guess not. On December 2nd I went to put away my brush fire gear for the season and this EverReady headlamp wasn't working. This is what I found when I opened it up. The batteries are dated 2027. Into the garbage it all went. The other day, I discovered yet another device with Duracell batteries that was just starting to leak, my Midland clock radio that is our severe weather alert. What tipped me off that there was an issue was the battery indicator was not at full as it was supposed to be. I dumped the batteries and was able to clean the battery compartment and terminals to save the device.

The headlamp battery compartment

 

I was in WalMart the other day to buy some spare EverReady Energizer batteries for stock. As I approached the battery display, a woman ahead of me grabbed a package of Duracell AA's and accidentally knocked several to the floor. As I helped her pick them up, I told her of my problems with Duracell and how we at the fire department have swapped them all out. Plus the Energizer's were a couple of dollars cheaper. She put the Duracell's back, grabbed the Energizer's, and thanked me.

On December 4th, my chicken flock got one of their favorite seasonal treats, the large pumpkin we buy to set out with the mums for fall decorating. Using a large knife, I score the skin in several places and smash it open on a large rock in the chicken yard. They attack it immediately and get a few days enjoyment out of it. All that's left are paper thin pieces of the skin.

On December 7th, my shift partner and I did a transport to Hartford Hospital just before lunch time. The decision was made to save our lunches back at the firehouse for the following day and stop at one of our favorite places. I always get their "Burnt Ends" with two sides, cornbread, and a drink. We were so hungry we ate most of it driving back from Hartford. I was in a food coma later that afternoon.

We had a couple of heavy wind and rain storms. The first one was while I was on duty Sunday the 10th and Monday the 11th. The western part of the state got the worst of it but we were double staffed at the FD just in case. We made sure all the apparatus was fueled, and all the saws were running good. I found three saws with skunky old gas in them and replaced with fresh 2-stroke mix. We got several inches of rain and the local river was near the top of its banks. Only one call for tree/wires down.

 

For the past 40 years we have had a live tree, cutting our own at a tree farm. $85 again this year, but it is full, lush and green. My wife finished up with the it and did a fantastic job as usual. She weaves the lights in and out from the trunk so the entire tree is lit, not just the outside. 1500-1700 lights on the tree this year, she lost count. She also decorates an artificial tree in the corner of the dining room. That tree belonged to my parents and is pretty good for a fake. It is a themed tree, decorated with only Santa ornaments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly a week later Sunday the 17th into Monday the 18th we got another wind and rain storm, which hit the eastern part of the state worse this time. I was not scheduled to work and decided I wanted the time off right before Christmas. If it wasn't right before Christmas, I would have grabbed at least one extra shift. We lost power at the house just before 9 AM and with the storm howling there was no chance a power crew was coming out to fix it. I reported it to Eversource and went outside to set up my generator. I got fucking soaked but at least we had electricity again. Because of the wind and rain still occurring, I set up the collapsible shelter I fabricated to protect the generator from the elements. I listened to my scanner as my department and all the surrounding ones got hammered with calls. EMS calls, flooded basements, trees and wires down, etc. Once the storm went by, things calmed down big time. Just after sundown, power crews were on my road. Normally we don't get power back until all the main feeds are repaired, but this time the main feeds sustained no damage. I looked at my meter around 7 PM and the display was lit. I called my neighbor to let him know power was back on because after I shut mine down I heard his still running. I brought everything into the garage to cool down so I could re-fuel and stow the equipment. The rain gauge showed 5 5/8" total. I dumped it at 5 inches and we got another 5/8" as the storm wound down. The flooding was way worse this time with the local river in the parking lot of the firehouse only about 30' away from the building.

3 1/2" at 07:00, this was at 09:00

 

Below is my latest mortgage statement. I could not imagine trying to buy a house right now thanks mostly to the economic disaster we live in now. We pay less per month than what people are paying for a 1-bedroom apartment in a nice complex. My daughter is now living in a 3-bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor in a multifamily house in the city of New Britain with a roommate and is paying $1500 per month. We have anywhere from $200K to $230K of equity depending on which market analysis you look at. Our house was built for us, moving in April 2005, and we paid about $277K. As you can see, the biggest chunk of my monthly payment (and unfortunately the one that fluctuates) is the escrow for taxes and insurance. For whatever reason, the monthly payment dropped $40 per month with the latest escrow analysis. We re-financed in early 2021 to get the 3.125% rate because every month Chase was inviting us to refinance. Of course, they wanted us to cash out a ton of equity but we just re-financed the balance, leaving the equity alone.

Redacted (OF COURSE) mortgage statement

 

Finally, our Christmas celebration was nice and quiet at home with my wife's brother who lives in a group home and stayed with us for a few days and my daughter. My wife's other brother and his family went to Florida to spend Christmas with The Old Man so we got together with them before they left. My brother and his gang went to Vegas for Christmas. It was nice to be home since the FD schedule is different now meaning I do not work all 5 days M-F. I was off for Thanksgiving and will be off for New Years.