Minor Win thread - Life is good!

Benign. Best call I have taken in a long time and turns the page on two very long weeks. 

A bike that was stolen from my house almost 2 years ago showed up on marketplace for sale. It was easy to spot because I did the frame set to show what I could do powder coating and used it to get some jobs doing custom powder work. After years of it being wall art my son gathered parts to put it together. There were a few things I didn't agree with on color of the accessories but he was invested in the  project and I let him choose.

So, how did I know it was my bike? Here it is, exactly how it was stolen in his ad.

I set up a time to see it today and as soon as he pulled it out of his house I told him the story of it being mine and stolen. I showed him pictures of it during the build up on my phone. I told him I didn't expect the person selling it now was the person who stole it that long ago so I didn't bring the cops. I just would like my bike back.

He said he bought it from a thrift store that is a couple miles from my house a few months ago. He was curious what kind of bike it was. Its a DK. He paid less for it than what the Profile seat costs. He was happy to give back, said he had a bike stolen as a kid and it pissed him off.

Win #1: For the first time in like 5 months I've gone through and cleared out my email inbox. I'm really bad about keeping up on it, but I went through and cleared it out over the last few days taking time to try and unsubscribe from crap that I don't have any idea of why I was getting it or that I just didn't have any interest in any more. Hopefully I can do a better job of keeping on top of it so it doesn't get so bad again (was up to like 7k before I started).

Win #2: A large part of why I pulled the trigger on the 3D printer earlier this year was because I wanted to be able to make LEGO parts in colors that they don't currently make them in (largely to be able to have an actual stainless-looking LEGO DeLorean). Unfortunately the stock nozzle the printer came with wasn't small enough to get the tolerances right when printing them, and I kept busy printing lots of other interesting things out. A week or so I finally bit the bullet and changed out the nozzle and then had to try and get everything configured back to where I could print things consistently. Then I had to work on tweaking the CAD file that someone created to generate most of the basic parts so that when I printed them out they fit properly with real LEGO. And I finally have that pretty much down as well. It's still occasionally a fight to print some things (printing parts that have the little like 3mm studs is the worst) without the print messing up, it's a massive improvement. Now I just need some non-crappy silver filament...

M2Pilot said:

I got an email from Nicole yesterday letting me know that I've won the VIP package for 2  for the Hiilton Head Concours that Classic Motorsport  was giving away.

Dude.

You are astounding.

Duke said:

M2Pilot said:

I got an email from Nicole yesterday letting me know that I've won the VIP package for 2  for the Hiilton Head Concours that Classic Motorsport  was giving away.

Dude.

You are astounding.

when i saw M2's post the other day i was like "is that the sweepstakes guy?"

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Duke said:

M2Pilot said:

I got an email from Nicole yesterday letting me know that I've won the VIP package for 2  for the Hiilton Head Concours that Classic Motorsport  was giving away.

Dude.

You are astounding.

when i saw M2's post the other day i was like "is that the sweepstakes guy?"

Yep, somebody has to win them.

The interior paint on the new shop wrapped up a little earlier today!

Not sure when they're sending the cleanup crew for the aftermath and scaffolding pickup, but it's painted! Plumbers are coming tomorrow to finish up the shop sink. It's mostly back to me to do window and door interior trim, hang lights, build railing for the mezzanine, finish wiring... But I can actually start bringing back odds and ends from the storage unit!

I am drinking a beer and playing a game of halo tonight guilt free - kiddos bedroom move is complete, wife's office is now complete as is mine, and living room drywall and trim/molding is done. Next week I'll be back to cars, but for tonight I'm happy to relax in a house that's put together again.

In the neighborhood. New fuel line and it works. #freeporchplow!

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

In the neighborhood. New fuel line and it works. #freeporchplow!

You have eclipsed my $10 "parts only" thrift shop leaf blower which, no surprise, also needed only a fuel line to run like the proverbial striped ape.

My weekend has included some fairly major minor wins so far.  Actually, all of Saturday was a series of fairly major minor wins, all involving a three-year-old child and his rapid progress as a budding car guy.

The first: It's potty training time, and I've been openly bribing the kid to use the toilet - a technique I highly recommend, incidentally - with the understanding that whatever he earns throughout the week can be spent on Hot Wheels cars that Saturday.  We went out early yesterday, and I immediately found a bright orange Muira.  While he browsed, I started idly thumbing through the Matchbox section and found a Capri, then an absolutely captivating MGB GT, and to top it off, a red AW11.  He already has an older MB AW11, but this one is a red '85, like Daddy's.  I had to.

I skipped the Capri, though (where am I going to find parts for that?) and the Muira.  Good lord, a Lamborghini?  I'm not made of money.  He picked an ambulance to spend his potty training money on.

Minor win the second: the kid got to surprise his Star Wars loving mommy with a Matchbox landspeeder.  She was absolutely delighted.  Fellers, when you find a woman with expectations as low as mine, you marry her.

Minor win the third: we hit a yard sale after our shopping trip and bought a build-it-yourself school bus kit (link) to put together on a rainy day.  Well, he didn't want to wait for a rainy day.  He wanted to build it NOW.  So we did.  He got frustrated, he had big feelings, but damned if we didn't get it done, and damned if it doesn't launch clear across the coffee table with the included rubber-band-powered launcher (also a kit).  I don't remember the last time he was that excited about something.  We were both very proud of our accomplishments.  Lots of smiles, lots of hugs, lots of happy playtime.

Minor win the third: later yesterday, I fired up a Skid Factory video on YouTube.  My car-crazy little buddy looks up at the screen, sees this thing scrolling by...

...and announces, completely unprompted, and with all the confidence of a man who knows damn good and well what he's talking about, "that's a Camaro."

Yeah, buddy.  It sure is.

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

In the neighborhood. New fuel line and it works. #freeporchplow!

My minor win for today is that I live somewhere that I'll never need one of those.

20 minutes from this:

To this

M2Pilot said:

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

In the neighborhood. New fuel line and it works. #freeporchplow!

My minor win for today is that I live somewhere that I'll never need one of those.

It's worth it! 

In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) 

It is.

I did my first soldering project after learning that you need more flux than is in flux core solder.  It went so easy it felt like cheating.

Brisket cooked in the sous vide for about two and a half days and then re-rubbed and finished in the oven for 150 minutes.  Collard greens simmered on the stove for about an hour.  Beans from a can doctored up the way mom always did.

I love being able to cook.

The ReconKid transportational appliance is all set and ready to go. New oil, new plates, and a bit of TLC. $900 beater never looked so good.

I appear to have dropped the E36 M3wrench at work.  Everything has gone extremely smoothly with no gotchas.  As a bonus, managed to successfully diagnose a Toyota small leak evap problem that wasn't a leak anywhere in the system.  (Toyota evap systems are proof that Japanese engineers have a twisted sense of humor)

And then I get home and see this in my Youtube feed.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Was the problem with the VSV, the VSV, the VSV or the VSV? Or the VSV that controls the VSV?

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

The vacuum pump was getting weak and unable to pull the tank down enough to satisfy the overnight test.  Sold as a unified failure module (canister assembly) which I am fine with as it eliminates all sorts of variables.

Not FAILED, mind you.  Just weak enough to set a '456, because it could not reach whatever vacuum spec inside of 15 minutes.

Bonus: the car had 1/4 tank, if it was going to be marginal, this would be the time.

Bonus bonus:  All of the subframe bolts/nuts came out, and went back in, and I could squeeze the canister out and in without having to lower the exhaust.  That probably would not have come out and gone back in.

Going to be a beautiful day and a good weekend here. I also got all of my Gamestop shares transferred so that I actually own them. Still watching and waiting on that one :)

Went to the u-pull to snip a Ford trailer brake controller pigtail to put on der Scheißwagen.  The Ford plug is way more common and less expensive than the Mercedes one, plus my brake controller is already wired up with a Ford pigtail, so all I'd have to do is move it over.

For $17 plus the $3 to walk the yard, I got the pigtail still attached to a pretty decent brake controller!  If it works, it's a better controller than I've already got.

Talked to unemployment. Looks like my appeal is still being prossesd. It's not over yet. The lady at that recoupment department was very helpful. Even if they ask for the full amount, it still gives me time to build up cash.

Let us not forget, there is hope.

I didn't have too much ready to cook besides a frozen dinner last night. Found this long forgotten pack of spaghetti in the back of the pantry. Cooked it with hours to spare.

I just bought tickets to my first NBA game to go with the trip that involves my first NFL game too