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Showing posts from November, 2014

The Nissan Leaf Gets a New Rear Axle

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Well, I finally have a salvage title for the 2013 Nissan LEAF (Actually I dont have the title yet, but I think they mail it to me. We are far from settled with the insurance company for sure. It has been six months since Angie was rear ended. The following chart shows a very sad and disturbing trend. Insurance companies aren't paying out. It should be criminal. I went shopping for a new rear axle so I can get the car driving again. The rear ended axle was so bent, the car couldn't move. The new one with no connecting bits was over a thousand dollars. The cheapest used ones I could find on ebay were over 500 dollars. I finally scored at a local used parts place for 95 dollars (removed) and with associated bits such as bearings, bushings, parts of the brakes. It took me a concentrated day with cancelled and moved meetings to get the axle replaced and the car running again. The accomplishment felt good. I am now configuring the car with tractor tires and other modifications t...
Anthony Powell's movie from Antarctica premieres on the big screens today in many US cities. It is debuting in Atlanta on Dec 12th. We will go see it, of course. Anthony is/was a colleague of mine on the Ice. We shared the same job. We did not work together in the same shop at the same time, but the same job different times. The movie trailer hit some nerves to be sure. It will all be very familiar to me. I will be able to name the mountains in the film, know what it is like to ride in all of those specific helos, and know the warmth of Big Red (the issued red parka) Movie Website The Youtube original short Youtube short
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We had a nice relaxing weekend even though it was a bit rainy and cold. I was in Columbus Ohio for a day or so. I drove by the restaurant I worked at many many years ago. The building is now a Pawn Shop. Being there in winter reminded me what it was like, cold. One of the neighbors houses burned the other day. The news said the resident barely escaped. I snapped the pic of the truck tires at a traffic light. I dont think the driver knew he had a flat even though he was carrying 6 large rooftop HVAC units. I didn't have the opportunity to warn him.
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Angie and I flew down to Florida for the day last Saturday. Visited with my Sister and Mom. We had the opportunity to visit the Galeon, San Pelayo from Spain. Much like visiting a cool rare plane. It is an artifact of travel! There is much going on as always. Angie and I also met with Jay Hakes an expert energy/information expert. I read his most recent book coming back from Europe last week. He is a refreshing voice saying that good policy requires thought. Also, we took a stand-up comedy class. We learned and laughed at the same time! We lit our first fire in the fireplace this week in Duluth. Nevertheless, the first fire of the year in Duluth is a lot different than that first fire in Berkshire. Plans for Ohio currently.
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We have a new kitty named Grace. Current animal count, 1 kitten.
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I am back from Bavaria. The pretzels (and other food) are good to be sure! I contested my real estate tax increase for the house in Duluth and I got an overall reduction. It pays to engage on these matters.