3/2/15

Wow, it looks like we’re only getting a rant a week out of me now.  Frerbruaryr only had five pages when I went to put it in the archive thingy.  Hmm, perhaps this thing has run its course.  Nah, I’ll keep putting something up, even if it is only once a week, until Spiderman stops posting them for me.  So, Saturday morning I went out and jump-started Scooby Two to go to the shop.  I had no problem getting up the hill in front of the house.  I had no problem on the freeway.  I had no problem on the surface streets twixt freeway and shop.  I had no problem with the shop’s parking lot… at first, but I’ll get to that in a bit.  I opened up the gate and pulled up to the shop door.  I stuck the nose of the car inside and grabbed the jet-engine heater thingy.  I fired it up and pointed it at the car… it may have knocked the chill off just a tad, but it was still far from warm.  I found the voltage regulator, thanks again to John for ordering it, and got cracking on the swap.  Battery out, old regulator out, old regulator disconnected, new regulator connected, new regulator in, and battery back in… grand total time: maybe thirty minutes.  As I finished up I sent John a text asking if he had left home yet.  If he hadn’t I was going to tell him to not bother as I was finished and would head home.  He replied back that he was five minutes away.  I shrugged and got in to start the car.  Turn the key and… click!  The battery was stone dead.  I got out and hooked up the jump box.  As soon as it connected, the “Hey fucktard!  You left the door open with the keys in the ignition!” buzzer began to… buzz.  As soon as I hit the “Engine Start” button on the charger, the buzzer got significantly louder.  I turned the key and it fired right up.  The gauge red 16 volts!  I jumped out and disconnected the charger and it dropped down to 14 volts.  I searched out John’s volt meter and checked it at the battery and alternator and found it to be charging right about where the gauge read.  I fingered it was fixed.  I put the meter away and was pulling the car out of the bay when John pulled up.  I went back for the meter and asked him to check the readings while I revved the engine.  It read 14 volts at idle and like 15 at 2,000 rpm.  The gauge read similarly.  We stood around and discussed what we were going to do and after half an hour or so, the car just died.  I got in and turned the key… click!  Dead as… a hammer.  I was going to say “Leonard Nimoy” but realized even I couldn’t be that crass this soon.  I still haven’t processed the fact of his passing… but it might be hitting me as we type.  My eyes are welling up a bit so I’m going back to the narrative.  We connected the charger again and I said, “I’m taking this thing to the house.”  John suggested we have lunch at Wasabi and call it a day from there.  I agreed and pulled the car out of the gate.  It was here that I made the big mistake of the day… I stopped and waited for John to close the gate.  When he was out and ready to go, I tried to take off.  Yeah, it was nothing but wheel spin.  I was stuck.  I shut it down and got out.  I said to John, “Maybe someone will steal it!” and then asked if I could bum a ride home.  We discussed the car a little during the drive and over lunch, Indian food at Maharaja, but I don’t think we came up with any concrete plans.  After lunch, he dropped me at my house and that was that.  Eventually I moved Fiona out from behind mom’s car so she could go to church Sunday, but it was decided that I would drive her there and pick her up.  This we did.  The rest of Saturday and most of Sunday were totally wasted in front of the TV.  As for gun news… well, I don’t remember what all I told y’all about the Tavor so I guess I’ll just tell you everything.  First off, I was looking at it the other day and decided that I really don’t like the look of the TSS muzzle brake.  I decided that I’d swap it out for a “Bird Cage” instead.  Now, the BC I like is the one which came with the Ruger 10/22 Takedown… so that is what I installed on the Tavor.  As for the 10/22 TD, I put the A2 flash hider BC which came with the Tavor on there.  As it turns out, it is just short enough that the 10/22 TD fits in the black cabinet without removing it like I always had to do with the other BC.  This made me quite the happy.  I may have mentioned finding a short rail to replace the Picatinny rail on top of the Tavor and the fact that it does not have to be removed to pull the barrel from the gun.  I bought and installed one of those as well.  Then, since the barrel is now “easily” removed, I bought the special tool required for removing the barrel.  I spent a few hours Saturday and Sunday, when not vegging out in front of the TV, disassembling and reassembling the Tavor!  It is quite nice being able to really get in there to clean the thing now.  Finally, I bought four more 40-round magazines for the Tavor so I could fill the pockets of the tactical case thingy for the gun… because I’m OCD about empty storage pockets, ok?  And with that, I think we’re all up to speed.  Maybe I’ll have more to say later in the week, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.  Toodles.