| Author | Message | ||
     86129squids |
Awesome news, Homie Crust!  After I type this, gotta hang a vinyl backsplash behind the fridge (defrosted the freezer in it earlier), then fix the gear drive on my lawnmower, cut the grass, and then run the tiller in the garden. IF I have the time! My sweetie is making a killer batch of 'sketti sauce right now- stripped the meat off the hambone, made the dawgies happy! Keep us posted, buddy, eat well and get some REST!!! | ||
| Alfau |
Is it in the fallout zone form the eminent North Korean attack? You could always dig a Hole! | ||
| Crusty |
The word is not eminent, it's imminent. And since the house is more than 27 miles from Pyongyang, I'm not worried about their bombs. Their delivery systems are just a touch inadequate. Oh; and Alf; you are definitely welcome to come by and visit once I finally take possession. You're part of this Badweb community, so my invitation to all of Badweb includes you. I bet that in person, you're really a good guy. Just like nearly everybody else I've met from this forum. (Message edited by Crusty on April 27, 2017) | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm with Crusty... Alf's welcome at my place too. Alf, if you're interested in fallout, check out This Website and you'll be able to plot the fallout patterns based on yield and wind patterns. | ||
| Crusty |
Under House Arrest I’m sitting here at my brother David’s house; just marking time. Tomorrow, the electricity gets turned on, and on Tuesday, the Inspector comes and does his thing, but today is a slack day, as was yesterday. When I rode down here last week, I thought it was only going to be for a couple of days; but everything has started moving along at super speed, and now, if the inspection proves satisfactory, the house will be mine within a few weeks. That’s a good thing. I talked with Don, yesterday and he’s ready to come down here as soon as the papers get passed, or signed, or the gas gets passed, or whatever the final event is that makes the house mine. Anyhow, once I have water flowing, I can move in. It’s kind of scary; but it’s also a dream coming true. So why would I title this Snippet Under House Arrest? Because I can’t really do anything until Tuesday morning. I haven’t been able to do anything for a few days. I don’t have enough time to go back to Hudson, but there’s nothing I can do here. I can’t go into the house yet; well, I can, but only if I’m accompanied by the realtor. That means that I can’t even start cleaning yet. David’s working this weekend, so all I can do is sit here and watch movies. That’s OK, but I’m restless. I haven’t been able to do much since Thursday morning. Then again, I just had a conversation with David; I’ve done one hell of a lot this past week. I’ve only been slack for a couple of days. Yesterday and today. My life has been so busy that a day off feels like an week of inactivity. Wow. I really need to step back and breathe. Which is what I’m doing, but it feels like I’m in a jail cell. That’s just nuts, ain’t it? And, the way things are going, I’ll have to do the fork seals as soon as I get back to Hudson. It would not surprise me if I had to turn right around and come back and close a day or two after I get back. Everything else was supposed to take longer and it’s been zipping by; while they say the closing will be within three weeks, it could be sooner. Boy, life sure is traveling at the speed of insanity, but I’m loving it. | ||
| Ourdee |
I feel ya brother. Waiting to retire and move to my house in Indiana was like house arrest. Now I am on parole. It has been raining every day. | ||
| Tootal |
Raining and raining! I'm under house arrest too! I was supposed to be putting the head on the race motor today and getting it running for Mid Ohio at the end of May. But NO!!! The rain has decided once more to enter my basement. I've been sucking water for an hour now. 60 gallons of it and it's still running in. So welcome to home ownership Crusty! Sometimes it's a bitch!  | ||
| 04buell |
Crusty. Well darn! So glad you have a house but we never did get you to drink our coffee yet. Just because you have Home Central now doesn't mean you still can't tramp to Illinois for a visit. It's a bit wet here right now but didn't Orphan Annie say "The sun will come out tomorrow......" Many Congrats. Jerry and Carol | ||
| Crusty |
What a Day! I’m one big step closer to being a home owner. The Inspector came by at 9:00 and did his thing. He found a few things that weren’t ideal, but nothing that was a deal breaker. We found out why the water pipes failed the Pressure Test; the pipe for the toilet was broken in the bathroom. That will be an easy fix. Everything looked pretty good, overall. There’s still a shitload of work in front of me, but I’m pretty pumped up about it, and I’m looking forward to getting into it. It’s probably going to be about two or three weeks before we pass papers. Amy will let me know when that’s going to happen, so I have at least two more rides to Cincy from Massachusetts ahead of me. One to pass papers, get the gas and water turned on and fix the plumbing and clean the place while it’s still empty. Then, back to Mass. to rent a truck and load up all my possessions and make the move. Moving to an unfamiliar city is a little bit scary, but it’s not the first time I’ve done it and I’m sure I’ll like living there once I learn my way around. Right now, I’m in Youngstown, Ohio. This is as far as I want to ride today. I only got about five hours of sleep last night, and I was on High Alert the whole time the Inspector was at the house. I set out from David’s house almost exactly at Noon, but the temperature has been dropping steadily and the winds have been ferocious. When it started raining on me, I decided it was time to put up for tonight. I had hoped to make it to State College, PA for tonight, but that’s not going to happen. I’m beat. A hot shower and early to bed is in order. I’ll add one more layer for tomorrow’s ride, and hopefully, I’ll make it home before sunset. Once I get back to Hudson, I have to do the fork seals. I’ll try the seal Mate first and if it doesn’t cure the leak (and I don’t think it will, to be honest), then, I’ll have to pull the legs and get them over to the shop. Or maybe take Jim up on his offer and ride down to his place and do the job in his garage. I also need to swing by the Barber shop and get a haircut. I’m looking pretty rough in that department. I’m planning to have a Housewarming Party just as soon as I get the place clean enough. You are all invited. If you’re reading this, you’re invited. The carpeting in the living and Dining rooms is well padded and there’s room for a number of people to throw down their sleeping bags. I think we can fit at least half a dozen bikes in the garage, and if anyone wants to pitch a tent, the back yard can accommodate quite a few. David is into Mazda Miatas, and he has a route planned out that he used for the club he used to belong to. It would probably be just as much fun on bikes as it was for the cars. I plan to get a charcoal grill soon after I move, and I’ll make sure I have enough meat to feed an army of hungry carnivores. That will tentatively be in late June or early July. Well, I’m off to soak my head under a hot shower. I’m still having trouble believing it’s really happening to me. I really do have a very fortunate life! | ||
| Ourdee |
Marking late June or early July on the calendar. | ||
| 86129squids |
Pending the inevitable, INCOMING. You should get to know your neighbors ASAP, tell them to relax and join us.  | ||
| Crusty |
Interstates Well; my life has been busy, but I still love to travel by Motorcycle. Yesterday, I did almost 600 miles; that’s a little more than I care to do in a day, but it’s not excessive. Even with the cold temperatures, rain showers and the bumper to bumper crawl of rush hour traffic around Hartford (made worse by an accident), I can’t think of a better way to see the country. Some people badmouth the Interstates; they think they’re boring. I like the Interstate System. Yesterday, I covered almost 600 miles; it would have taken months to cover that distance 150 years ago. I did it in less than 12 hours. In a couple of weeks, I’m going to have to make the same trip again to pass papers on my new home. There are other things I enjoy about riding the Interstates. When I’m on a particularly twisty road like the Tail of the Dragon, or Wolf Pen Gap, and I’m enjoying it at a “Brisk” pace, all my attention is focused on the road. I once rode past an Elk standing on the side of the road in Pennsylvania and never saw it. Everybody else in the group I was riding with was talking about it when we stopped. On the Interstate, I can take time to observe my surroundings. I can see that hawk perched on the tree, the bear in the swamp or that monstrous bulldozer reshaping a large chunk of land. I have the luxury of checking out the beautiful scenery on the side of I-80 as it rolls through the Allegheny mountains. I can enjoy the giant coffee pot sign for Sapp Brothers Truck Stop. (some day, I’m going to stop there and get a cup of coffee and a piece of pie). When I set out on my homeless ramble a couple of years ago, I intentionally avoided the Interstates. I wanted to stay on secondary roads and see the Country. That worked really well. I discovered a lot of things that I never would have seen and experienced if I stayed on the Interstates. But I wasn’t in any hurry, either. I was wanting to experience this country more closely, and I did. If I’d stayed on the Interstates, I never would have eaten that magnificent burger at the Marysvale Diner or seen a “Flying Boxcar” up close, gotten to experience Carhenge, or even met up with Linda in Florida (it took a couple of days for my eyes to uncross after that night). There are other negative sides to riding the Interstates. I get pretty annoyed by those idiots who use the Passing Lane as a Travel Lane. They travel at their own idea of what’s appropriate and refuse to move over to let someone pass. They fit the classic definition of Road Hogs. And I also hate getting stuck behind a convoy of Elephant Racing Semis. It bugs the sh*t out of me to be forced to go 50 MPH in a 70 MPH zone because some jackass decided that his rig was faster than the rig that was breaking the air so that his rig was 1/2 a mile an hour faster. Once he pulls out to pass, both rigs have the same horsepower and are capable of doing the same speed within 1/10 MPH. It’s bad enough when there are only two trucks involved, but get a convoy of a dozen or so, and I’m looking at a frustrating ride for a while. The good news, though is that once I do make my way through, there’s usually another Elephant racer who has pulled out behind me who holds the cars back and I get a relatively empty road to comfortably cruise on for a while. This is not meant as an attack on Truck Drivers; I have good friends who drive trucks. My sister’s husband Steve used to Drive before he started his construction company, Mr. Grumpy and Stormtruck 2 are Drivers and Pwnzer is also involved in Logistics (though I don’t think he’s a Driver) They are all my friends, and I doubt that if I was a Professional Driver, I could do any better. At any rate, Interstates can be quite enjoyable; as can be secondary roads and really twisty roads. They all get you from point A to Point B. Some get you there faster, but they all have their advantages. It all depends on why you’re on them. | ||
| Etennuly |
I understand and agree with your Interstate travel. In a way I felt safer on a dirt race track, flying bumper to bumper at race speeds, simply because every driver has the same plan. On Interstates with the exception of off and on ramps the plan is the basically same for all, most want to run 10 mph over and go from point A to B with minimal interruptions. On secondary roads individual driver plans are the norm, cross roads, intersections all contain wild variations on A to B travel. I also feel that I can be more relaxed on Interstates, more so on or in a vehicle that has the power and handling to put me in control of my situation. If you cannot comprehend that try driving it in a slow heavy big truck or a motorhome pulling a trailer where any transitions you make are at the mercy of those who can go faster quicker. Congrats Crusty !! I hope the new home transition goes smoothly! | ||
| Crusty |
Sinko Da Mayo Yesterday, it poured. A heavy, steady, soaking rain to help all the flooding rivers and full to capacity reservoirs. Last year, they were screaming drought around here. I wonder if they still are? Anyhow; I decided to just stay in and hole up. However, by late morning I was pretty restless, so I went out to the garage with my Seal Mate. It arrived while I was in Cincinnati, and I wanted to give it a try. I figured it would take maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Ha. Harley puts these useless chrome caps over the dust seals on the lower legs, and trying to get them off was a royal pain in the ass. I wound up having to get the Roadster up on a Cinder Block, then removing both the front fender and wheel so I could get something appropriate to use as a punch to drive the cap upward. I had to improvise because all my tools, except what I carry on the bike, are 20 miles away in storage in Fitchburg. (For the record, I used a 1/2 inch deep socket with an extension, and a 2 pound hammer that belongs to my landlord.) Once I got the cap lifted, it was a piece of cake to use the Seal Mate. It’s just a thin sheet of plastic with a kind of hook shape on one end. I watched the video on their site before I went out to make sure I didn’t miss any tricks. I did everything the way the video described, and when I pumped the forks, no oil leaked out. The fork leg was dry. I pumped the forks a half dozen times, and the legs stayed dry. This means one of two things; either the Seal Mate worked, or I pumped out all the fork oil on my trip to Cincinnati. I think the Seal Mate worked; I had washed the bike at the quarter car wash in Fitchburg on Wednesday, and there was a good bit of oil on the forks when I got home. I’ll be out on the bike today running errands, so I’ll check it when I get home. I really didn’t expect it to work, but it would be nice if it did. I’m getting into the Moving mindset. I’ve been on U-Haul’s website checking the price of a truck and deciding which truck I want. I’m thinking about how many plastic storage tubs I need to buy for the stuff I have here in Hudson; what should I keep and what to leave behind. I wonder if I could find somebody who’d be willing to transport Bill’s ’78 Sportster to Cincy, or will a 16 foot truck be big enough for both bikes plus all my tools, clothes, kitchen stuff and other belongings? Badwebbers were talking about doing another Crusty Relay to move me to Cincinnati. I have too much stuff to put in a trailer. I realize that if I don’t accept some help, I’m depriving them of the chance to help, but this isn’t like when the Roadster died. I honestly don’t know what they could do; though I’m probably underestimating their resourcefulness. The only thing I can come up with is to invite them all to the Housewarming party, and to try to pay it forward when the opportunity arises. The rain has stopped. I need to head out and get my errands done. Intellicast is predicting rain showers from noon on. That means that it’ll pour on me while I’m out on the bike and it’ll dry out once I’m back inside and my errands are done. That’s OK; it’ll be a warm rain. | ||
| Ourdee |
Look at Penske too. I have had good luck with them. I rented their largest with just a ramp on the back. It had a small diesel. I spent $100 on fuel for 350 to 400 miles. Check engine light was on the whole time but the gages were reading OK. | ||
| Damnut |
John if you need some boxes let me know, I can get them from work. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Crusty said "or will a 16 foot truck be big enough for both bikes plus all my tools, clothes, kitchen stuff and other belongings?" Moving trucks are much like buying a computer, you can never get enough moving truck/PC or Server memory. Get as big as you can afford. | ||
| 86129squids |
Get ready for a big-aiss yard sale, throw junk to the curb, THEN pack the difference. I wonder if our truck driving pros here have any idearrs? All I've got is a crappy but healthy old Nissan Hardbody pickup... Moving is a beeatch, but when you FINALLY get settled in, with stuff going where you want it, it's a great feeling. | ||
| Crusty |
I just want to say that the Seal Mate fixed my fork seal leak. I thought that it wouldn't, but I figured it was worth a shot. Well, it worked beautifully. I rode about 80 miles today over some pretty bad city streets and the forks are clean and dry. I'm impressed. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Based on Crusty's endorsement and successful trial of the Seal Mate, I'll be ordering one myself. I'm just catching up on the last few posts, so on the subject of elephant racers I'll just say they piss me of as much if not more than anybody. I spent a good number of years driving truck and I hated watching other drivers behave that way. I used my CB mostly for letting them know how I felt about it. It was suggested here that you should get the biggest truck you can afford, and I'll second that motion. If you come up short on space, there's naught you can do about it at the last minute. | ||
| Crusty |
Very Interesting… In a couple of hours, I have to be at UMass Memorial Medical Center (try and say that with a mouth full of Marshmallow Fluff!) for a Cystoscopy. It’s necessary, but I hate having it done. And Yes, I know it feels a lot better than Bladder Cancer would feel like; but it still sucks. Usually, they schedule me for the late afternoon and when it’s done, I go home and rest to recover from it. This visit, however is at 10:30 and I have a few errands that I need to do afterwards. Well; if I’m too “uncomfortable”, I can always put them off until tomorrow. In spite of this morning’s upcoming Procedure, I’m in a pretty good mood. Amy (the Realtor) called me last night to let me know that we’re Passing Papers on the 26th at 9:30 AM. In 2 1/2 weeks, I’m going to be a Homeowner again! I’ve already called Don, and he’s going to come down then so we can get the plumbing sorted. Once I’ve got running water, I can start cleaning. I’m going to need to buy a bunch of LED bulbs, as well as Pine-Sol, Formula 409, sponges, mop, broom, etc., and I want to rent a rug shampooer and clean the carpet. I want to get everything clean before I move all my stuff from Massachusetts. It’s a lot easier to clean when the house is empty. In an Ideal world, this would also be the time to strip the wallpaper and paint, but I don’t think the budget will allow that until the following month. I really don’t like a room that’s painted pink on the upper half of the wall while the lower half has wallpaper, but I can live with it for a month. I’ve lived in places with far worse decor. The part that I really like is that it will be MY HOME! I’ll be able to set it up however I want and on my own schedule. If I want to run to the bathroom at 2:00 AM bare assed, I can. If I want to put pictures of motorcycles on the walls, there’s nobody to stop me. (it will be done tastefully, but I love motorcycles, and I see no reason why I shouldn’t put them in my home). I’m excited. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m really looking forward to it. Now, I have to go shower and get ready to go have a camera pushed through places where Nature never intended cameras to go. (Message edited by Crusty on May 09, 2017) | ||
| Damnut |
John, see if there is an equivalent of MassSave in Ohio. They will come into your house and give you an energy evaluation of your home. They will replace all of your bulbs with energy efficient ones and give your house a good once over, for free. For cleaners, head over to your local dollar store and buy all you stuff there. Oh and I wasn't kidding about the snowblower. I have one that you can have, just needs a little tickering. I think it may need a spark plug. | ||
| Damnut |
Something like this, not sure who is your power provider in Cincy but I know that National Grid does the free energy audits here in MA. https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/home-ene rgy-house-call | ||
| Crusty |
Life vs Other Plans There’s a saying, Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. I’ve heard it many times over the years, and I’ve used it myself quite a few times. However, even though it’s been said a lot, it’s still true. This morning, Life decided to show me that I was making too many other plans. While I was allocating time to make this or that improvement to the house, I wasn’t planning on needing to have a procedure during the middle of moving. I’ve had so many negative cystoscopies since the cancer was eliminated that I just expected the same result today. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The cancer is returning, so I have to have a Procedure in June. After that, I’ll be able to move to Cincinnati, but the hospital here will set me up with a hospital and a Urologist there so I can get treatments. The good news is that Bladder Cancer is one of the most easily treatable cancers. Since I went through this a couple of years ago, I know what to expect. I’m going to have to rearrange my moving itinerary a bit to accommodate the procedure and recovery time, but I think everything’s going to be OK. I’ll just be moving all my stuff a couple of weeks later than I’d thought. When I saw the cancer on the screen this morning, I was instantly depressed; however, I did the Next Right Thing. The scheduling person came into the exam room (after I was dressed) and we got everything arranged. We didn’t set the pre-op exam date, she has to work that out with the hospital proper then she’ll call me and let me know exactly when that’ll be. Roughly, it’s about a week before the Procedure which is scheduled for June 21. So, I’m heading down to Cincy on the 22nd of this month, arriving on the 23rd so I can have the Credit Union wire transfer the money for the house. Then, on the 26th, we Pass Papers at 9:30 AM. On the afternoon of the 26th, the gas and water get turned on & inspected by the gas company and the City water Dept. Don will arrive either that afternoon or the next morning, and we’ll get everything working properly. Then I spend a few days cleaning. I’ll come back to Massachusetts for the pre-Op and procedure and stick around for a few days after to recover. Then I’ll rent the truck, fill it with my stuff and make the move. I should be living in the house by July first. At least that’s the way it looks right now. | ||
| Oldfartnbuell |
Crusty, Sorry about the setback but keep your chin up! A friend of mine in Phx has been going thru the very same thing as you for two years and he is doing great. He and girl friend just returned from a week cruise to the Bahamas. Enjoy ur new home! Tonto | ||
| Court |
Crusty: Some guys get all the luck . . . just as you were looking for a bit of a "gap" between closing and moving in, to allow you time to clean . . . in steps medical science, in concert with that male model bod of yours and provides the bits and pieces of a solution. Just remember what I have lectured my mutant offspring . . .if you need help ASK. We're all rootin' for you and don't think there is a motorcyclist alive who doesn't envy what you've done the last few years. Everyone has the dream . . . few have the guts. We're here for you ! This is exciting. Court (Message edited by Court on May 09, 2017) | ||
| Two_seasons |
Crusty said: "I should be living in the house by July first." Some of the best fireworks,Cincinnati, along the Ohio River... | ||
| Crusty |
...in concert with that male model bod of yours ... Uh, Court? Have you been taking hallucinogenic drugs? | ||
| Damnut |
John...... if you need ANYTHING, let me know. I'm in Lowell everyday M-F and can swing by to lend a hand if needed, not a big deal. | ||
| Crusty |
I don't know; maybe we should do some BBQ one of these days. Either before I head to Cincy to close, or after I come back for the procedure (but before it happens)? I'm in relatively good shape, (other than the cancer) as long as you think round is a good shape. My positive attitude took a hit this morning, but after talking with my daughter, it's now back to where it should be. You know; maybe a trip to the Dinosaur would be a good thing. I haven't been to any of their locations in a while. HooDoo Brown's and Big Ws both have really good Q, but there's something about the Dinosaur that no place else has. |
