Final Posting

Well, its been a good run, but my class is now over for which we had to do these blogs.

For those of you that have read all my blogs, thanks for following and pushing through all my really long postings.

To wrap up my previous exhaust postings, I now have 2 mufflers, 2 catalytic converters, 2 exhaust tips, 2 oxygen sensor bungs, 2 header flanges, and 2 header flange gaskets. Still coming are 2 tailpipes and a 14 foot section of 16 gauge 2.5 inch T304 stainless steel pipe. I have an appointment at Race Fab, a shop across the street from Nutbush City Limits, on January 12, 2010. Once it is all said and done, I will be close to $1,200 ($400 for installation alone).

Once again, thanks for reading.

End of this blog at this time.

SNOW!!!!!

Finally, we have snow.

It's about time. We went all through November and the first week of December without it. I really would have liked it for deer hunting, but oh well.

I love the snow. I specially love driving in it. My truck is 4wd, but I still like 2wd because you can slide around corners and I have 4wd available if I can't get enough traction. The hardest part is starting from a stop. Historically though rear-wheel drive vehicles are more accident prone and less safe in snow than front-wheel drive. You definitely have to know what you are doing and know your vehicle. I've driven through snow that was over a foot deep before. It is a lot of fun, but the snow gets packed up under the cab and in the wheel wells.

Big storms like this are perfect for having fun in the snow because the plows don't salt or sand anywhere except for the major intersections. This way, you can play around all day and never get dirty. You just get snow everywhere on and under your vehicle.

I'm glad we finally had a storm. I like having a white Christmas.

The only time I don't like driving in snow is when it is near freezing because the plows dump literally tons of salt on the roads. I HATE SALT!!! Salt rusts out our vehicles. I'd rather they never salted; just use sand. Our roads would last longer and so would our cars. My other pet peeve is when the plows don't even plow. They just sand or salt. I mean, come on! Sanding/salting doesn't do any good if it can't get down to the bottom of the snow.

I recently bought a snowblower too. I got it from an old lady in Eau Claire that has had it for 13 years. It looks and runs really good. It is 8hp with a 26in cut, 6 speeds forward and 2 reverse (but it is faster and easier just to pull it backwards), a headlight (which actually helps more than you think in the dark), and electric start. I'm not a big fan of the electric start, but this one had it on it and I thought it would make it so my mom could use it. I just use the pull-start.

Tuesday night I went out and snowblowed twice. On Wednesday I was up a 6:10. It took me almost an hour to get the driveway (one car) clear and my truck out (parked along side the one-car garage). I told my mom I would take her to work. It was a good thing I did. The plow had been by, but it only made one pass down the middle of the street. My truck got out with no problem, but my mom's car would never have made it. The roads were fairly good on the way (to Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse). They were snow covered and packed down, but it was plowed at least once and there was no slop around. Traffic moved along at 25mph. I took 7th St versus 3rd or 2nd because I wanted to avoid traffic rather than having better roads. I wasn't worried at all about making it to the hospital. I dropped my mom off and headed back home.

When I got home, I spent another hour clearing the rest of the driveway. Tonight (Thursday), I am going to finish cleaning things up. I like to plan ahead and keep space clear for the snow to come otherwise it will just be in one great big pile 6 feet tall. The only problem I have at home is my mom doesn't shovel in the morning so the snow gets packed down on the driveway and then I can't get it cleared. Luckily (I guess), it is going to be really cold. The cold helps to get the snow off easier. Also, I run out of room for the snow really quickly because I have to shovel everything in one direction due to wind.

Hope everyone has fun in the snow and stays safe. Oh, and watch out for idiot drivers!

Exhaust Work

Well I talked to Exhaust Plus in West Salem and they said that they won't be able to make the 90 degree bend that comes off my headers. My headers end and then a second piece of pipe makes a 90 degree instantly. They said they can't bend anything like that and that they can only do 2.25 inch pipe, not 2.5 inch.

I talked to a good friend of mine that works at a place called Race Fab. It is right next to Nutbush City Limits (about a mile away from Dairy Queen). He said a guy there does extreme custom work. Apparently he does hot rods that will become show vehicles. This means that everything is a really tight fit and has to look seamless. He also said that the guy buys pre-bent sections and cuts them to whatever angle is needed. It also turns out that a guy my dad works with, who currently has a show car at this guys shop for the exhaust, recommended him also. He too said to buy pre-bent sections of pipe.

I measure last night and I think I'm going to need 2 90 degree bends and 1 45 degree bend. Along with that, I'll need roughly 14ft of additional straight stainless steel tubing. A 14ft piece will cost me $140. Basically I'll need 3 sections that are 2ft long and 2 sections that are 4ft long with 2 slight bends in them. They need to step up about 1.5 inches. The pipes will look like a Z that is extremely stretched out. Hopefully the guy can make these simple bends.

As for the tailpipes, I can buy both of them pre-bent. The only thing is that they come straight out the back underneath the bumper. I want them to come out behind the rear wheels in the corners of the bumper at a 45 degree. Hopefully the guy can bend these to the desired angle. I'm also worried about the pipes clearing my spare tire, shocks, and hitch. The company says they should clear the spare tire as long as it is the stock size, which it is.

I just ordered a few parts of the system last night

Here are my costs so far:

MagnaFlow 99006HM 2.5inch inlet/outlet StainlessSteel Catalytic converter - $82.25 x2
MagnaFlow 11226 2.5inch inlet/outlet StainlessSteel Muffler - $68.03 x2
MagnaFlow 35143 2.5inch inlet/3.5inch outlet StainlessSteel Exhaust Tip - $34.06 x2

All from Amazon.com. Total so far: $368.68.

Holidays + More Working on Vehicles

Well, Black Friday has come once again. I've gone to Best Buy for 3 years. This year I'm not going there. I don't really need anything there. Instead, I'm going to Sears. I'm looking to get some shelving units for $40 each and a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder for $25. I use the grinder when I'm working on my truck. It works great when you put a sanding disc on it to get the paint and rust off. Sears opens at 4am so I'll be up by 3am and hopefully in line by 3:15am. After Sears, I'm getting my butt home. I don't feel like dealing with all the traffic and crowded stores. Also, I want to go back to bed.

This time of year, everyone starts picking out their Christmas presents. Last year, and the first Christmas I had my truck, my mom and dad helped pay for my toneau cover. What they didn't pay for, I did. I got it early because I wanted it before snow fall to keep the snow out of the bed of my truck. Boy am I glad I got it.

This year I want to put a new exhaust system on my truck. When I bought it, the owners had put aftermarket headers and exhaust on it. Unfortunately after only somewhere around 45,000 miles (pretty pathetic if you ask me), it is falling apart. Last Saturday I towed a 6,000 pound car/trailer combo back from Milwaukee. That made me realize how badly I need a new exhaust.

I want a fully stainless steel exhaust system basically because I do quite a bit of short trips and I never want to have to redo it again (hopefully). Going stainless also means more money. A typical system is made out of aluminized steel. Aluminized steel is made out of normal steel and is then coated with aluminum. This is supposed to resist rusting, but as soon as any of the aluminum gets scratched off or dinged, it starts to rust there. The only advantage that I see to this route is that it is cheaper and every part needed for a system is readily available.

I'm running into problems because of my headers. There are 3 different types that I know of. There are stock, which come on the vehicle, shorty, which have the outlet in the same location as the stock ones but have individual pipes for each cylinder, and then there are long, which have individual pipes for each cylinder and are a lot longer than the others. ((If this is confusing just Google 'shorty headers' and 'long tube headers' to see a picture of them)) Well, it turns out mine are considered either mid-length or long tube. This means that I cannot use a direct-fit part. This part goes from the headers and includes the catalytic converters and then stops. Some guys are saying I can't use it and that I should just have a custom set made. However, this means more money.

I already have mufflers, tailpipes, and tips picked out. All I need to do is figure out this problem and find somewhere that sells stainless steel 2.5 inch tubing for custom making the other parts I need.

I know of a shop in Coon Valley and in West Salem that people have told me do custom work and do a good job. I'm taking my truck to West Salem Monday after school to get a price quote and ask a few questions.

We'll see what they say. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Working on Vehicles (continued)

I haven't done that much work on vehicles, it's just that when I do it is usually something big or important.

On my previous truck, a 1994 Chevy S10 2.2L 4cyl 5spd that I had for 15 months, I replaced the clutch. Now, this wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do, but luckily it was rear-wheel drive so the engine and transmission weren't crammed in. I drove the truck to Melrose, WI (about 20 minutes away from West Salem) on a cold, rainy night. My friend followed me in his truck. I normally take a route that has a steep hill with a lot of twists on it. I didn't want to go this way because my clutch was slipping fairly good and I didn't want to loose my momentum. I chose an alternate route that I had taken only once before. It still had a hill, but it was more gradual and the corners where not sharp at all. I kept the engine revving pretty good up the hill. I stayed in 3rd gear and kept it at over 3,000 rpm. When I reached the top, a sudden turn came out of no where. I didn't lift off the gas too much. Since the road was wet, the back end slid out from behind me a little bit. Finally I reach the guys garage.

I drove the front of the truck up on ramps that you usually use for changing oil and put the back end up on jack stands (we only had 2 jack stands). In order to remove the transmission, the drive shaft had to come out first. That was easy. Then a cross member supporting the back end of the transmission had to come out. The nut that held the transmission to the cross member was rusted in place (after 12 years of MN and WI winter roads). I had to take a grinder and grind it off being careful not to grind away the threads on the bolt. Finally I got that done. Next we had to unbolt the tranny from the engine. There were about 10 bolts holding it on. The real hard ones were the ones on top of the tranny because we had a hard time getting to them. We also had to take the shifter off to get it to drop through the hole in the floor. We finally go the tranny out. Getting the clutch out was easy. All we had to do was unbolt the pressure plate (a bunch of really strong springs that keep the clutch engaged) and remove it and the clutch.

The clutch I had bought came with the clutch disc and a new pressure plate. We could see that the old pressure plate had gotten fairly hot because there were blue spots on it. So we bolted up the new pressure plate and clutch. Now we only had to lift the tranny back up, bolt it back in, put the cross member back in, and finally reconnect the drive shaft. All this sounds simple and straight forward, but the entire project took two nights of work (probably 8 to 9 hours maybe).

So after 180,000 miles, I guess I got my money's worth out of the original clutch.

Here's a video that shows how a clutch works and some of the parts I replaced.

Working on Vehicles

Everyone hates it when something breaks or wears out on their car. The most common things are brakes and bearings. Well, I've never had to replace brakes because they are worn out, but I did replace them because I could.

This weekend, I replaced the rear axle on my truck. There was nothing wrong with the original one that came from the factory. It only had 109,000 miles and was 11 years old. The reason I replaced it was because it was what is known as an "open differential". What this means is that if one wheel is on ice and the other is on dry pavement, the wheel on the ice will get all the power because it has the least amount of resistance to it. This is the downfall of most differentials. The one I put in the truck came out of a stock 1995 Chevrolet K1500 truck (just so you know, it was the exact same truck as mine, just 3 years older). The difference is that this one is what is called a "locking differential". What this means is that when one wheel spins 100rpm (revolutions per minute) faster than the other, it causes a mechanism inside to engage and lock the two wheels together; giving the wheel with traction power. Had my truck been a 2-wheel-drive, this would have been more important since I wouldn't have had the extra help of 4-wheel-drive to help me. So basically now instead of having 1 wheel spinning in 2wd, I will have 2 spinning. In 4wd, instead of having 1 wheel in front and 1 wheel in back spinning, at least 3 wheels will spin at the same speed giving power to 1 or 2 wheels that actually have traction. What would have happened before the swap was all the power would have been sent to 1 front wheel and 1 back wheel that had no traction. Making me go nowhere.

After unbolting the shocks, leaf springs, brake lines, drive shaft, and disconnecting the parking brake, it was time to put in the "new" axle. It went in just fine. The only problem was that in order to hook the parking brake back up, we had to completely disassemble the drum brakes. [For future reference, drum brakes are a pain in the butt. Stick with disc brakes.] Since we had to completely disassemble them, I decided to replace all the springs (there's like 8 per drum), the wheel cylinders (when you push on the brake peddle, hydraulic fluid is pushed to the wheel cylinders which convert the fluid pressure into physical force that pushes the shoes (what brake pads are called for drum brakes) out and into contact with the drum (instead of a disc)), and the pads even though the old ones looked OK; they just need to be cleaned up. The most difficult part was connecting the parking brake back up again and getting all the springs (they may be small, but they sure are strong) hooked back to where they need to be. There are 2 pins that hold 2 of the springs to keep tension on them. Apparently the kit I bought was for multiple vehicles. It had two different length pins. We realized this quickly after the one spcing didn't come close to fitting right.

So $150 for the axle, $75 in parts, waiting 8 months, and about 10 hours of work later, it is finally in. I was so happy and excited.

I originally intended to do this earlier in the year, but I was too busy between my senior year in high school and work. A buddy and I had planned to do burnouts the last day of school. His car had a posi rear end (basically the same thing, just can't handle as much power as a locking rear end) and I was going to have the locking rear end, but I never swapped it out. So he had both wheels spinning and I was a one-wheel-wonder. Not any more suckers!

Here's a video that better explains what happens in the rear differential.

Changing Mind

Don't you just hate people that can't make up their minds on whether or not to do something or what they are going to do or what to buy? Well, sometimes that's the way my dad is.

There's the time that I was about to buy my first truck that would be registered in my name. I found one in Rochester on a Sunday. I called the dealer on Monday and asked about the truck. It was a few hundred bucks more than what I was intending to spend, but for the extra money, it had what I wanted (the only thing that was bad about the truck is that the sides of the bed were scratched up from lifting things over the sides). I talked with my dad on the phone and explained to him the details about the truck. He told me to call the dealer back and make an offer and that getting the money wouldn't be a problem. So the next day, Tuesday, I called back the dealer and made an offer. He didn't like it and countered it (split the difference). I told my dad. For some ungodly reason, my dad had the completely opposite opinion he had the day before. He said I was rushing into it and that I needed to think about it more. So, he basically broke my heart, slammed on the brakes, and told me to call back the dealer and stop the whole deal. I WANTED TO KILL HIM! It was the most agonizing thing I have ever gone through. I had money saved up, was paying for EVERYTHING myself, and new what I was getting into. I had been looking for a truck for 8 months by this time. I even made a binder of all the trucks I had found. Almost all were too much, too far away, or had too high of miles. Well, finally 2 months later (10 months of looking), I found the perfect truck. Ironically, it was in Rochester too. Luckily by now my dad knew I was serious and didn't try too hard to stop me. I think the reason he went with it was because it only had 98,000 miles on it (which was really, really low considering it was 10 years old and in my price range; and no, there wasn't anything majorly wrong with it). The buying process of this truck took 3 hours of phone calls and then waiting 5 days until the weekend to go test drive it. I was just in time. As I was finishing the deal, another guy called the seller. God was I happy. (Just so you know, this is the truck that is pictured in my first posting)

Sorry, but you need a little more background on this one. When my mom bought me my first truck [in her name] (only because I was living with her, needed money for what I wanted because she didn't have extra money, and 3 weeks after buying the truck, I got a job), I didn't tell my dad that I was even looking. I didn't want him to say "why do you need a truck?" or some stupid question like that and try to stop me. So, I drove the truck home for 3.5 hours with not cruise, CD player, or A/C (which I didn't care about). I think it was 2 or 3 days later that I showed up to my dad's house after work (it was dark out) and told him I needed to show him something. He came out and saw the truck. He asked me why I didn't tell him before hand. I said "because I didn't know what you'd say and I didn't want you to say no." (When my dad bought a new van, he spent 3 or 4 months comparing options, prices, and deals. He believes in thoroughly researching, as do I, but when I make up my mind on something, I mean it.)

So basically I did a big thing without telling him. I also never told him about building my first computer until I got parts for Christmas, or about going to West Virginia to get a motorcycle with my mom's boy fried, or about getting my motorcycle license (the only reason I told him before actually getting it was because my safety course fell on a weekend that I was with him), or about my first motorcycle. So after all this, I thought it was best to tell him that I wanted a nicer truck.

Late

Have you ever known someone who is always late no matter what the occasion or time of day? Well, unfortunately, I do. And let me tell you, it is really, really annoying! Sometimes I can't stand it. They'll tell someone to meet them somewhere at, let say, 5:00 when the person won't show up until 5:15 or maybe even 5:30.

Now, in my book, that is a little disrespectful. When someone tells you or agrees to meet you somewhere at a specified time, BE THERE! Sometimes, when the time has to do with something extremely important, I almost lie about the time and tell the person 15 to 20 minutes earlier than they need to meet me. I hate relying on someone else's timing to make an event work out.

For instance, I went on a trip to Disney World in high school for band. I was in a group with 3 other guys. I said I was going to check out a booth near by while they were on a ride and that I would meet them by a prominent land mark. Well, they felt it was unnecessary to wait any longer for me and left. I soon began to panic. I knew exactly how to get out of the park and where the bus was. What I didn't want to do was leave the other 3 guys alone and loose them. Well, they didn't see it that way. After waiting for 15 minutes longer than I thought it would take them to finish the ride, I ran out of the park and towards the bus. When I got there, my teacher was standing outside the bus. All she said to me was get on. When I stepped on, everyone gave me crap for being late. Then, I was the 3 guys that left me. Needless to say, I was royally pissed at them by this time. When we got to the next park, our teacher asked what happened. One of the 3 guys explained their side and then I explained my side. After this, I didn't trust anyone the least bit.

Then there is someone I know that no matter what, he is always late. Whether it is 5 minutes or 20 minutes, it doesn't matter. After a while, it gets really annoying. At least when it is something important, he is close to being on time. You would think that after a while I would get use to it and maybe tell him to arrive earlier than needed, but no. I still don't. Maybe I should.

Like I said before, these blogs are a way for me to "release my anger" without killing or harming someone. And unfortunately this posting was about a negative aspect in my life and usually the negative things stick with you more than the good things. Thanks for bearing with me.

Windows 7

As most of you know, the latest version of Microsoft Windows, Windows 7, came out on Thursday, October 22. To those with Windows Vista, it is a welcome relief. When Vista first came out, everyone thought it was so great but then, compatibility issues came up and before you knew it Microsoft had come out with Service Pack 1 in less than 6 months of release. From the start, people liked how Vista looked, however, it was power and resources hungry. The requirements meant that you basically had to buy a new PC with Vista on it in order for it to be compatible. Then there were all those pesky security warning messages that popped up whenever you tried to launch an installation. Let's not forget that Microsoft had to be greedy and come out with 4 versions!

Now, Microsoft appears to be getting away from Vista as fast as they can. Microsoft wants to pretend that Vista never happened. Basically, Microsoft took the few good parts of Vista and got rid of the rest. Windows 7 supposedly boots up faster, is much more capable, doesn't have so many security warnings, and supports peripherals much better.

If you go to Microsoft.com, you are assaulted with Windows 7 and how amazing it is. In one of my classes, we watched a video from Microsoft's launch party they had. I have to admit, it was pretty cool. If I find that video, I'll try to post it on here. They said that if your laptop is on a workgroup at home, you'll use your file sharing and printer settings at home, and if you are on a domain at work, you won't share files as freely and use printers at work. Finally they are trying to make things easier. Also, they showed controlling 7 TVs, a digital photo frame, a home theater system, and an X-Box with one laptop. Needless to say this part became an advertisement for companies that were making products to be compatible with Windows 7. Honestly, you really need to check it out.

If you want Windows 7, you can go to win741.com and buy the Home Premium (as a download) for $29.99 plus $13 for a DVD copy to be mailed to you if you are a student. Click on the "Buy" box and then the "BUY NOW $29.99" white logo. You'll be asked to enter in you university/college email. You will receive an email. Follow the link they send you. Underneath the picture of the Windows 7 box, there is a yellow area that says you can also get Windows 7 Professional for the same $29.99 plus $13. No matter what you think you need, get the Professional version. There is not that big of a difference, but for the same price, what the heck.

I'll be looking forward to using Windows 7. Whenever I find the video I mentioned earlier, I'll try to post a link to it.

Age & Memories

Today is my dog's (her name is Kobi) 9th birthday.

I can still remember going to get her. It was February 14, Valentine's Day. My mom, brother, and I went to a man's house in I think Onalaska/Holmen area. My mom had found this guy giving away puppies through someone at work or something; I have no idea. We got there and there were two dogs left. A chocolate lab and a black lab. He said that the town was getting after him since he already had 3 other dogs. We got there and the little puppies were out playing in the front yard in the snow. Well, to make a somewhat unclear story short, we ended up taking the black lab mixed with a Brittney Spaniel.

I can still remember the ride home.

My brother and I sat in the back seat of my mom's car and the puppy sat on the floor between us on the hump in the middle of the floor. I don't think she knew what was going on. We had to go to PetCo to get a small kennel for in the house because this was our first dog. We picked up a kennel and headed home. We setup the kennel and played with Kobi for a little bit. After a little while we put her in the kennel. At this point, she could fit across the kennel (about 2 feet). She laid there on her side, paws stretched out and quietly crying to herself. She was scared half to death. She had no idea what to do. "Where's mommy?" she thought. "Where am I?"

We ended up having to almost drag her out of the kennel to take her outside for the night. The next morning, she was yipping to get out. We took her outside and it seemed like she didn't know what to do. A big, old yellow lab and its owner were walking by and came up our driveway. The yellow lab "relieved" itself on the snow bank. Kobi proceeded to sniff the new yellow spot of snow. The owner said maybe it would give Kobi the idea of "relieving" herself.

Spring came along and Kobi got spayed. I remember this quite a bit because she had to wear a plastic cone on her head so she didn't lick or chew the stitches out. She hated it. One morning, I came down stairs and she had pulled off the cone, chewed on it, sat on it, and "relieved" herself on it. She most definitely never wanted to wear it again.








When we first took her to the vet, my mom asked them how long before she "settled" down. The vet nonchalantly stated "I'd give her 7 years." This was mostly due to the fact that she was part Brittney Spaniel which are apparently very energetic dogs. Well, that came true. She never did start to even show signs of slowing until after she was 7.

She use to always love to go to gramma's house. She had a big, fenced-in back yard where Kobi could run free. Whenever you get out of the car, she always climbs into the driver's seat. She'll either lay down or sit there staring out the window until you come back.

She got away from my dad a few times. She ran around the house a few times and one time she ran a block down the street. My dad jumped in the van, drove down the street with the side sliding door open, stopped, and Kobi jumped in. My dad never did have much luck with her. My dad was originally against having a dog, but I think she grew on her. After 2 or 3 years, my dad started taking her with him when he ran errands.

She always could pull my mom wherever she wanted to go. My mom never could hold her back. She has fallen on ice and in the snow a couple of times with her. She wasn't too happy about that.

When I got my first vehicle, I wanted a truck. I wanted a manual transmission (that's were you push in a clutch peddle with your left foot and shift with you right hand; for those that don't know), which was easiest to find in a compact truck and fairly cheap, and I wanted to be able to take Kobi with me. The only problem was that Kobi liked to stand on the wheel wells so if I turned to fast, she might have been thrown out of the truck.

Looking back on 9 years, I have a lot of memories with her. My gramma has always said "you'd miss her if she were gone tomorrow." I never thought that would be so true. A dog is more than an animal. A dog is a companion. A dog is there for you no matter how bad a day you had and they always listen to your whatever you have to say.

I have more memories than can ever be written down. I just hope that when I'm 80 (hopefully), I can remember my first dog. Kobi.

Co-Workers

Thanks to all who have been reading my blogs. At least some people actually see this stuff. However, I don't think I will be able to always keep this on a good note or have deep meaning behind the things I write. So don't be surprised when things go from extremely good and nice to angry and cruel (or something along those lines).

I've been at the same work place for two years now (I work in a kitchen, just so you know). I know that that is not that long, but it is when it is your first job and have been there since junior year of high school (thinking of it that way makes it sound longer). I was never really interested in working in a kitchen to become a cook, but it was a job, payed the bills, and worked out great for being in school. I originally started as a dish washer with four cooks and the head chef. I stayed a dish washer for about a year and then became the salad/cold-side cook. Boy am I glad I switched. Now I make things dirty and don't have to clean them. Granted the work load of the dish washer has become much lighter that when I first started, but I still don't miss it one bit.

From the time I started until now, I've seen three of the original cooks, one dish washer, and the head chef leave. Then we went through four dish washers and are on the fifth (one didn't even last a week; never showed up after his first day), have replaced one cook twice and are on the third, one cook was replaced and the same guy has been there for about a year and nine months. Where I am now (salad/cold-side), the first replacement left to go to school (on good terms) and the second guy got fired because he ticked off the restaurant manager and just about everyone else. I started on the cold-side working with the second guy, but he was getting in my way and ticked me off so I was more than glad to see him go (oddly though he was going to WWTC to become a chef) so basically I do the work that two people once did more efficiently, better, and cheaper.

One of the guys that quit a couple of months after I started ended up coming back. He's one guy that I'm glad that he came back. When I started as a dish washer, he was the salad/cold-side cook and he was pretty good at it. So whenever he helps me out for a big party or whatever is going on, we get stuff done really freakin' fast. We also give each other a hard time basically all the time too. Also, the head chef came back. I'm really glad about that too because he is a really nice guy and a really good friend.

The real reason for this posting is to talk about the current dish washer. Recently he got a job at another restaurant working in the morning/early afternoon (he's not in school and basically wanted to make more money). The head chef said it was alright as long as it didn't affect his schedule here (where I work). Well, the fact of having two jobs became relevant last Friday. Friday is our busiest day by far and nobody, I mean nobody hardly ever gets off.

It started out really good for me. I was all ready and had backups of what might run out of. I knew it was too good to be true. The head chef told me he got a text message form the dish washer saying someone called in sick at his other job and that he might have to cover for them. The head chef responded saying that he didn't care what was going on and that he was scheduled to work with us way before this ever came up and told him he better get to work no later than 6pm (we start serving dinner at 5:30). The dish washer never responded and never showed up. I was pissed off majorly. Not only did I have to work my station, but I also had to wash dishes whenever I was free (which that Friday happened to be our busiest one in a long time so I was never free).

The dish washer never talked to the head chef all weekend. He showed up on Tuesday for his normal work schedule. The head chef chewed him out. He was told to apologize to everyone in the kitchen (four cooks including myself). He apologized to two (not me and another guy). The head chef asked me Thursday if he apologized to me and I said no. I said I would have told him that his apology was unaccepted and to get the heck away from me (in other words that are not appropriate for blogging). The head chef figured I would have said that and actually wanted me to tell him that (show him how angry everyone was at him).

That is one thing that ticks me off more than anything: people not showing up for what they were scheduled or said they would do. When people don't show up, it makes life ten times worse for everyone else.

Needless to say, the head chef has already hired someone new (problems with the dish washer have been on going for about a year and a half now). I've been wanting him gone since he said he was "taking the winter off to do what he wanted" (we are really slow December thru March so I was going to get all the hours possible and that I wanted anyway; the original plan was to never let him come back in April but I guess he basically came crawling back saying he couldn't find another job). Now I can't wait until he is gone.

(Sorry, kind of my more serious / angry side, but oh well.)

The Little Things In Life

I'm sure everyone has noticed how little things can mean so much to a person. For instance, perhaps just getting someone's mail for them or helping carry groceries brings the most joy to them. For most people, raking their leaves and shoveling their driveway is something they will never forget.

For my grandma, it was cleaning out her rain gutters on her house. As far as she can remember, its been four years since it was done. Well, the gutter was pulled away from the house and sagging in an eight foot section and there were weeds and small trees growing in it. But probably the most humiliating thing for her was people walking by and saying, "gonna harvest the crops before winter?" or "people always said people in [blank] always grew their trees higher." To her, it was embarrassing. So Tuesday night, I went down with a ladder and started cleaning them out. Unfortunately, I only got one side of the house done before it got dark. I never called and told her ahead of time that I was coming and it turned out she was at one of her sister's house playing cards with her. Well, she called home to have my grandpa pick her up. She came home and said I should have called her before I came and I said, "well grandma, I didn't want to interrupt your busy social life." She got a kick out of it. I plan on going down Friday morning and finishing the rest of them.

In high school, my math teacher broke or fractured his ankle and had a big, clunky boot on so he couldn't go outside and shovel snow. (You have to understand that most students didn't like him because he liked to yell, but he only yelled to get his point across. I always liked him and talked to him about things outside of class that were troublesome in my life. To me he was more of a friend that anything else.) It happened to be a snow-day that day for school and I was shoveling our driveway and thought to my self my teacher could probably use a hand. So I went over and started shoveling his small driveway (probably twenty-five feet long by eight feet wide). I saw tracks through the snow that looked like his tire tracks so I thought he was gone. It turned out his wife had left to go to the store and he was home alone. I was almost done with the driveway when he poked his head out the door and told me I'd better come in before I leave. So I did as he asked and when I got inside, he said to me "so were you shoveling and thought of poor-old Mr.[blank]?" I said ya and he said how glad he was I came over because now he didn't have to worry about his wife being out there shoveling the wet, heavy snow. We sat and talked for probably a good hour and then I left. My teacher proceeded to tell all of his math classes how Matt had come over and shoveled his driveway (I found out about this because an underclassman told me he was telling everyone).

After doing these things, you get a feeling of great accomplishment. To me, it never seems to matter the size of the task, but how much it means to the other person. I guess the moral of the story is to go out of your way once in a while to do something nice for another person, whether you know them or not. I usually never think about how much time it took, rather how thankful and happy that person is.

Sickness

Does anyone really like to be sick? Think about it. You miss school. When you miss school, you don't get to learn what the rest of the class did and if you missed a test, you have to make more time to make it up. And for most teachers, they take points off for missing and only allow you to miss so many classes. When one person in a class gets sick, certain people get paranoid about getting sick; especially when a "pandemic" is occurring. Some people carry around sanitizer and even disinfectant wipes to wipe off keyboards, desks and mice. Then later in life, you miss work which means you miss out on pay, then you can't buy what you want or go where you want. Things really start to add up fast. But when you really think about it, most of the time, it's just a common cold. Everyone gets them. They come and go. Nothing to worry about, except being miserable for about a week.

But can you imagine having a life-threatening illness or even cancer? I don't think anyone ever wants to think about these possibilities. Nobody would ever wish such a terrible thing onto another person. We all wish there was some "magic cure" for everything. However, this is not reality. In reality, people suffer and the majority with die because of their illness or cancer. For those that do win the battle, their life is changed forever.

Sometime after I was born, my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. For those that don't know what the thyroid gland does or where it is, it is located in your neck and helps regulate your body temperature. Her thyroid was removed and she underwent treatment. I am unsure what kind of treatment it was, but it worked. Well, needless to say, mom won her battle with cancer and today lives a completely normal life. The only thing that is different now from before is that ever since her thyroid was removed, she has to take a supplement pill every morning. For as long as I can remember, she's always been the cold one in the winter.

One way to look at this is I never had to watch her suffer, but on the other, I was never there for her. There is not a day that goes by that I am not thankful that she is here with me. I'm not sure, and quite frankly never want to think about, what life would be like without her. All that I know is one should never give up hope. Don't ever think that this is the end or there's nothing else worth living for. Because the more you think about it, the more reasons you'll find to live.

Maintenance

Do you ever think about how many things that a person owns that requires maintenance? Think about it. There's a car, a house, all the appliances in a house, computers, motorcycles, ATVs, bicycles, boats, airplanes; you name it, and it typically requires maintenance.

Probably the first thing everyone owns that needs maintenance is a car. First it's an oil change which typically costs $25 if you have someone else do it for you. Then it's brake pads and shoes, and if it is bad enough, rotors and drums. About 50,000 miles later, if they were new when you bought the car, tires. Tires can get expensive. If you have a common rim size, say 16 inch and not low-profile, tires are relatively inexpensive. But if you get into low-profile, larger rim sizes, and truck tires, then the price goes up. Typically when the price for the tire goes up, so does the labor cost. Finally, the most expensive repair, not including body work, is the engine and transmission. I know someone that had a transmission go out and ended up spending $1,500 on a rebuilt one. A rebuilt transmission means that the transmission is used, but the inside components have been replaced and usually means it is a little cheaper.

A house is a whole other story. You have the structure to maintain; siding, the roof, electrical, plumbing, and windows, along with everything in it; appliances, flooring, carpeting, furniture, and everything else that makes a house a home. Appliances die, roofs age and become leaky, windows start to be less efficient and leak air out, plumbing rusts and starts to leak, and furnaces and air conditioners fail. Then there is the interior. Furniture becomes "outdated" and worn down, walls are repainted to co-ordinate with the new furniture, carpet becomes broken down and ragged, and hardwood floors show their age and need to be refinished.

Everything adds up. Usually when you let things go, you end up paying more than you would have if you had done "preventative maintenance." My outlook is that if you think or something looks like it should be repaired, repair it. Don't wait until it is too late. I look at it like this: I can either buy what I need when it is on sale before the old item breaks or I can buy what I need when I need it and spend more money.

I like to be prepared and research products before I buy them. Waiting until I need something means that I am rushed through the research phase and might not get what I want and need, and may end up spending more.

Always check multiple places (stores and websites) and multiple brands. You can narrow it down to a handful of brands, but don't think that you have to buy top-of-the-line. You'll probably be paying for the name more than the quality in the product.

I wrote about this because a family member is having problems with their oil in the engine and I have to figure out what is wrong.

Me

Well, nobody really knows me, so I guess that's a good place to start.

I was born in La Crosse and went to high school here. In high school I was in charge of all the audio/video equipment for all four years. I had to setup for meetings, concerts, movies, plays, and just about any other thing you could think of. This meant that I had to give up quite a bit of my free time. I never really thought about going to any other college because I was intrigued by the style at WTC. I wanted the hands on thing, not my head in a book all the time thing.

I work evenings at a restaurant. I probably work too much for a student, but I gotta pay the bills somehow plus work slows down in the winter.

I built my own computer in the eighth grade (P4 3.0GHz, 4GB memory, 500GB and 160GB WesternDigital SATA hard drives, ATI Radeon X700 256MB, DVD+/-RW Dual Layer). Today it still serves as my best computer.

I own a 1998 Chevy K1500 Silverado (Z71, 350cu in., ext. cab, 4x4). I bought it on my eighteenth birthday. I put a complete sound system in it (Kenwood Excelon). I ran all new speaker wiring, built a custom center console to house the amp and a 10inch sub woofer. My favorite part about it is that the head unit can read music off of a USB thumb drive. It was really nice in my old truck because it had a manual transmission and I didn't have a free hand to change the CD. The reason I put a system in my truck was because I liked to listen to music with a lot of bass to it and my brother always yells at me to turn down the bass. In my truck, no one can yell at me (as long as I'm not stopped next to someone, then I turn it down to be polite).

I also own a 1984 Honda Nighthawk S CB700SC. It's a really fun bike. I like it because there is no weight on my wrists like a sport bike, but it handles like one. Plus the bike gets three times the gas mileage the truck does so eventually it will pay for itself. You probably won't see too many of them around. I only know of four others in La Crosse.

Lately I've been interested in 5.1 surround sound. I bought a receiver off eBay, a DVD player, center speaker and surround speakers from Amazon, was given two floor standing speakers that sound great, and bought a 32inch CRT TV from a friend. Its not a fancy system at all. The surround (rear) speakers are actually bookshelf speakers which don't have a lot of bass, but they don't really need a lot of it. The floor standing speakers (front) are probably ten years old and have amazing bass. The TV doesn't have HDMI or high-definition, just one component input and it weights 175 pounds. I just like things to sound balanced . Call me whatever you want, but I hate it when things don't sound good.

Well, I guess that's enough rambling on for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

1998 Chevy K1500 Silverado