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I'm Frugal - Part 2...Money vs....

RningOnFumes — Sat, 14 May 2011 07:41:00 GMT

..the environment.

The people who don't know me was well as some of my most close confidants might construe what I do to be environmentally friendly. If you know me, then you know my main motivation is money. The friends will see what I do and then figure how how it relates to cost savings.

Now on the face of the things I do, it looks like I'm being a good person in the environmental sense (did I say that right?). Bullshit, it saves money it just happens to look good. In this PC, do it for the environment, make an American feel bad for being who he is, lets not offend anyone, the gov'ment knows how to spend your money better world, I'm saying I did it because it just made sense. I don't say anything because people will think what they will and I don't care that they didn't realize that "it was the money, stupid."

I turn off the lights when I leave the room because it's cheaper on the bill. The A/C isn't on because it's 80 degrees and I don't feel like paying for the 10 degree difference. Cans and bottles get recycled because I want my damn 5 cents back. Your cans and bottles get recycled by me because I want your 5 cents in my pocket. I drive 55 not because Carter was right (which he may have been on this part)...but because it saves me gas at the pump. I can go on...

What I am saying is that there doesn't need to be such a division. Many daily concerns are actually common to both sides of the aisle. For this post, I'll just stick to the environment. Whether you're doing it for the future children of China or India or to stay off of foreign oil, it's the same damn difference. **China or India because those of us here in America who advocate doing things for the future children tend not to be the ones who have children or have very few children. **

Either side is so busy spiting (-ing ending for spite?) one another that they don't see the commonality?

So yes, I do things which are good for the environment because it saves me money and what is wrong with that?

I'm frugal

RningOnFumes — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:45:57 GMT

...not cheap.

Cheap is exactly what it is, cheap. Cheap goods break easily, cheap hardware malfunction faster, cheap whores have more STDs. I don't do Cheap. Now frugal on the other hand, I am totally into.

My interpretation of frugal is the conscientious use of money for goods. Where one who is cheap values the price, one who is frugal will value the quality and has the patience to wait until the price comes down. Frugality allows me to buy something for top dollar if it is really needed. Frugality also allows me to to spend on the cheapest item possible if there is no comparable substitution which may have more quality.

To be continued....

Toyota Recall...

RningOnFumes — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:57:06 GMT

The floor mats were just a gimmick, the people of TN know it but the thing about the sticking pedals, now that is something substantial and has many meanings or consequences if you would like.

Once upon a time, I had a Camry 2007 LE V6. April the year 2007, she took one for the team and saved my life in a roll over. I had been merging from one freeway to another. I made my way towards the inner lanes too soon and was too fast for the traffic in that lane. Instead of braking, I decided to merge back into my orginal lane (the outside) and found I was too fast for the current lane also. This time I braked but was too fast so I adjusted to the right once again. Now between that point until the end of the crash has always left me puzzeled. That fuzzy time took about 5-10 seconds and I can mostly remember preparing my body for the inevitable tumble(s). I can remember braking but looking back, I wonder why I didn't slow down.

Camries for the year 2007 are listed in the recall for the accelerator pedal.

I think these recalls will be just a small blot on Toyota's timeline. This recall marks a definitive time where it, the company shifts back into it's older world view of Quality and Modesty (vs.. Let's be the biggest automaker in the world). Well, this will turn positive if it takes the initive to not allow embers to turn into a large fire.

The short memory people (yes most of the population) will shy away from Toyotas for a bit of time. GM is being cut throat about this and have been using the debacle in their advertisements and I don't fault them for it. It would have been nice to see some gentlemenly restraint from GM but I guess they feel the need to cash out on current events. I don't see much from Ford or Dodge (yet) and the Japanese makers have not taken advantage of their foe's crisis. Why bring this up? I think it's the perfect time to "go" Toyota products or stocks.

The same dealors who think they don't need to work at selling Toyotas are humbled, the very folks who have short memories who are owners might be tempted to unload their vehicles for a different product, and there should be a noticible across the board depreciation of prices (in my opinion) even for the cars not affected by the recalls because all of Toyota is affected--opinon based on observation of "fickle buyers" and the general public.
I'm sure this also affects the loyal Toyota owner who has noticed a great decline in quality and and craftsmanship in Toyota's products and is the final "straw" on the camel's back for them.

This will be either a very big deal or a small thing, it is all on Toyota to write its current history.

Do you know what the word is??

RningOnFumes — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:04:44 GMT

SURFIN' BIRD
(Frazier - White - Harris - Wilson)
THE TRASHMEN (GARRETT 4002, 1963)

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a...

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody's talking about the bird!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird...

Surfin' bird
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb... [retching noises]... aaah!

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-oom-oom-oom
Oom-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-a-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Well don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
[repeat to fade]

Cliffs notes version:
A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow

Seriously, was this a whole song about fiving someone the finger or related to giving someone the finger?

I have no Vagina...

RningOnFumes — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:23:09 GMT

...so a particular friend likes to promise to help me work on the car only to back out in the last minute.

I don't like passing judgement on people and I do like to give them many..yes very many chances especially if they are inner circle or borderline inner circle friends to me. It is because of this wide gerth before I give judgement that I make myself stick to any discision I make about any one person. It could be a very broad deficiency or just pin-point difficulty among very many other good attributes, in any case, it is that part which I will avoid in any interactions with the person. Lastly, I will test to see if they are better with that the difficulty every so often, if they aren't, then it is the status-quo with them.

Back to the friend for which I have tried to ask many times to help. "Hey, call me if you need any help"... "Yah, sure, give me a call that day."......."Oh, ya, I have to move things..just got a new place." On a different occasion and for a different reason, mind you, he called me first to ask what I would be doing for my BD. Because I feared the following scenerio, I didn't think to call him. "So you have anyplans for the BD?".."Yah, give me a call!"...response to my call on my BD: **sounds busy** "Oh ya...it's today? I'm sorry man, I've invited people over for food. Call me later to see what's up." Normally this is okay, but I'm not the party type, but I am the grubbing type===GIVE ME FOOD!-- then to bed or anything other than clubbing, I'm too damn old for that dancing shit.

On to the meaning of this particular rant and what I conclude about this person.. flaky. He holds himself to such a high regard I expected more from him but no, he's just another jerk with a head so large, and so up the anal canal that it's difficult for him to extracate from his ass without painful surgery. You, my 1.5 (0.5 possibly for a cat or other pet) readers know exactly the type I described to the "T". I am very picky with my friends and because I am so picky, I have a few very close friends. He on the other hand....has very few friends because of who he is.

So I will start to avoid this person and I don't think it will even be noticible to him and that is alright to me. Though I said I have a very small set of very close friends, I have many levels of friend ship I hold with many more people in general and this person will keep edging his way towards the outside.

And when or if he ever asks, he will get the simple truth being flaki-ness. Yes, I do love telling people the truth, my friends know not to ask me things they know already and think it might hurt them but that will be a different blog...

Awkard interior fuse box location....

RningOnFumes — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 08:55:44 GMT

Original Date: May 1, 2009

So I have my very first complaint about my sedan.

For as long as I can remember, I have appreciated the way the Toyota engineers thought out almost every single placement of things on their cars. I must say I was spoiled with having a Camry 1996 for a few years. It was a very thought out car. If you took a moment to think about where everything was on that car, you appreciated the engineers.

Mind you the Gen 3 Camry was what scared the shit out of Ford and possibly the other domestics. I firmly believe it is why Ford over thought the latter 1990s Taurus ( the egged shaped one). Ford's over thinking was a direct result of being lackadaisical with being at the top of the midsize cars in the early 1990s. They felt they needed to over compensate and it bit them in the butt. History rewarded Toyota with countless years of number 1 sales in the coming years after the Gen3 camry.

Back to the Yaris, why is the interior fuse box placed upside down under the main "electric box"--for lack of a better word; that main electric conduit you can see when you take out the coin box. I realize that it might be a cost saving feature but they could not face the fuse box towards the driver? This is where the low profile fuses comes in: they're tiny! Being so small, (technical description: low profile mini fuses) you need to take extra time to put them in. So combine small fuses with an out of the way fuse box and a small work space and what do you get? A 5 minute job that ends up taking 20 minutes if you are not a world class gymnast with the attributes of flexibility associated with many years of training.

Yes, I was contorted like one could not have imagined.

Lastly, for some odd reason, AutoZone carries these "low profile mini fuses" and not Kragen-- letting you know so you won't need to drop by the dealer and buy dealer prices. And they only come in variety "emergency replacement" packets.

That is all.

Umbrella

RningOnFumes — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:52:22 GMT