The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. can't have
So Ford is complaining that they can't bring a good fuel efficient car to the US because of the barrier diesel presents. You know what, if you advertise a car that gets 65 mpg, the public isn't going to care what it runs on. When it comes to cars, America is just slightly retarded.
I took possession of my new to me Rossi Model 62 .22 pump action rifle yesterday after jumping through a few hoops. I showed up at Ammo Bros a little after 6pm to pick up my gun after the 10 day waiting period. In California the law states that all sales and transfers of firearms must be accompanied by a cable/trigger lock with a receipt from the last 30 days or proof you have a safe. Fine I'll buy a $5 cable lock, but the guy helping me noticed the chamber wouldn't accept a cable so I'd need a trigger lock. They didn't have any so it was off to Turner's to buy their last trigger lock (rung up at $30, but it had an old $20 sticker on it which they honored) and hurry back to Ammo Bros before they closed.
So they check off that I have the trigger lock and receipt and hand me my gun. So now I have an unopened trigger lock and no lawful requirement that it actually be used. This is just one of California's wacky gun laws. They should pass a law saying all scooter/motorcycle sales (even private party sales) be accompanied with proof of ownership of a helmet, but then you don't actually have to wear one while riding. I don't see why I shouldn't return the trigger lock and reclaim my $22.
Off to Seattle tonight for a nice little vacation. I hit my one year with the county last week so I can actually use my vacation. Also, my promotion went throught last week so I'm now an Application Developer I.
I got my rack and pannier bag installed last week and ended up riding to work today. The bag I got works great, more than enough room for a change of clothes, shoes and lunch. Felt a little weird walking into the building in shorts and sandals. My team lead comes in later than me and leaves earlier so I'm changing in her office. I kept a quick pace coming in and got a little sweatier than I wanted so I'll just have to take my time. I'll post a picture of my complete commuter setup.
I'll probably end up really liking a bike commute. At 6:40am the streets are pretty quiet and peaceful which makes for a nice relaxing start. I'll be forced to bring my lunch more often so I need to start exploring lunches more exciting than PB&J.
Turned 24 yesterday and celebrated with inexpensive dinner and dessert at Chick-fil-A by the slightly mediocre movie The Bank Job at home. Dinner with the family tonight, Dave and Buster's on Saturday for Kurtis, trip to Dana Point on Sunday, and then Vegas Monday through Wednesday for more mourning of the end of Kurtis's bachelor status.
I wasn't planning on getting much in the way of birthday presents, but I'm getting myself something that I just couldn't resist. Saw an older Rossi Model 62 .22 pump action rifle for sale on Calguns.net and the price was good. It's a remake of the classic Winchester Model 62, but those cost 3-4 times as much. The seller was local so we're meeting at Ammo Bros tomorrow morning. Should be fun and cheap to shoot, more details to follow.
Bunch of us guys went up to Burro Canyon to go shooting for Charles's Bachelor Party. We had a good turn out and ended up with quite the arsenal:
Fun was had by all and we burned through most of our ammo. I shot everything except the black powder guns, but stuck to my .22 and .357 for most of the day. Probably shot 400-500 rounds of .22 and 100-150 of .357 and .38 special.
A .22 pistol is high on my list right now and I still want a Marlin 1894C lever action rifle in .357. I know I sound like a gun nut, but those are the only other guns I want except maybe a shotgun and a 1911. Pics of all the shooting fun is up in the gallery:
July is a huge reminder about just how much money we spend on automobile transportation. The planets seem to align when insurance and registration for both of us come in at about the same time. This year I got the added joy of renewing my drivers license and smogging the RSX for the first time (I kid you not it took about 3 minutes for them to test it). All that on top of two car payments is a nice little sum of money vanishing in a short period of time. The monthly cost might not seem bad, but it all adds up to a significant portion of our income.
I'm one step closer to my bike commute though. I bought locks, rear rack and trunk bag last night which means I might be ready to make the switch in a couple weeks. The Topeak rack and bag are pretty sweet since they have a slide on mechanism for easy installation and removal. Ordered from Tree Fort Bikes which had everything I wanted at very competitive prices. Still contemplating if I want to put fenders on.
Time flies when you're married and having fun. One year anniversary was yesterday and we had a nice dinner at Walt's Wharf in Seal Beach. The artichoke and Alaskan Halibut was delicious.
Yesterday, a group of us went down to the beach to surf and relax. I'm not big on surfing or laying on the sand waiting to inevitably get burned so I decided to ride down and meet everyone. I started out at the Wallace ranch and got on the San Gabriel River Trail at Imperial Hwy. The trail ends at the beach in Seal Beach so I made my way over to PCH for a hop over to Sunset Beach and rode through the parking lot to end up at the north end of Bolsa Chica. 20 miles total, 1:50 of actual pedal time with a few breaks along the way at Liberty Park, El Dorado and Seal Beach.
It was probably the best workout I've had in 3 years and I'm not even sore today. If I had gone surfing or attempted to run a couple miles I'd be feeling the pain today. Cycling is probably my best bet to get in shape right now. I'm also pondering an attempt at the 100 Pushup Challenge.
We (Yosts, Wallaces, Jason, Luna, Sarah and me) had our inaugural bike ride tonight. Met at the Park's and rode up to Blizzberry. Good times were had. Picked up some glowsticks and stuck to side streets to avoid the Po-Po and our illegal rides (no lights). I Google Mapped our route and it was about 6.2 miles roundtrip from the Park's. Good times, must do it again!
Two big problems have developed in my life: gas prices suck and I haven't had any significant exercise in about 5 years. The former makes my wallet lighter and the latter has made me heavier. The solution to both of these problems is a good old fashioned bicycle. We went over to Pat's 605 Cyclery to pick out a beach cruiser for Sarah and I asked about what would work for starting a bike commute. I was pointed towards the Trek "hybrid" bikes that where close to my budget.
I had done some research on bikes and knew the major differences between road bikes and mountain bikes, but didn't know a whole lot about hybrids. Hybrid bikes are just that, a hybrid of the two that combine the skinnier, smooth tires and gearing of a road bike with the frame and seating position of a mountain bike.
I grew up riding fairly generic street bikes and rode mountain bikes a couple times up in Mammoth, but besides that my bike experience was pretty limited. I was looking at the Trek 7.2 FX and went in for a spin around the parking lot and I was sold almost immediately. I'm pretty out of shape and it was fun just riding around in circles.
Sarah's beach cruiser was ready to go home and I couldn't let her ride alone so I went ahead and bought it right there. Good thing I did because the next bike they would have ordered was going to cost $70 more because of price increases for rubber and all the components getting passed to the consumer. At $480 after tax it wasn't cheap, but I see it as an investment that will reduce my gas bill and help me get into shape. Instead of driving Saturday morning, we road 8.5 miles around town so the savings have already began.
I'll post more on all of this, but this will definitely bring some big changes in my life.
Quick specs
And Sarah's beach cruiser
