Well: I had an adventure driving home this evening. The rear driver's wheel came off. Never had this experience before. Fortunately, I was driving 30 mph and just coasted and ground and scraped my way into a parking lot. Took a while to find the wheel. I would have been on a highway in 3 minutes doing about 70 mph if I hadn't had the good luck to lose the wheel when I did. Also: the flying wheel didn't hit any oncoming traffic. So: tonight I'm feeling like a pretty lucky guy. (always been more of a cup-half-full kind of person). Just a reminder of how close we can be to that big pile of nasty stuff, and that big big fan just waiting to wreak havoc.

I'm just glad you're alright. Do you have any idea why it happened?

WOW! Scary stuff JR. Glad you are okay. But sorry you are going to incur a repair bill and the inconvenience of no wheels for a spell.
Reminds me about 20 years ago I was driving down the highway in my jeep with the top off. Out of no-where this big truck tire - wheel and all came bouncing over the jersey barrier. It hit about 30 feet in front of me and bounced and I drove under it doing about 60 mph. I doubt I would have survived a direct hit. It looked almost 4' in diameter. I just hope I still have enough lives left to make it through the next 40 years.

Glad you're still with us Brain. On the Federal job application, it's correct that you can't falsify answers. However, qualifications are somewhat subjective depending on how you interpret the question. If you are asked if you are highly qualified you will be required to defend your answer if you are interviewed. They can agree or disagree; it's a matter of opinion. On the other hand, you can't say that you held a job when you didn't, are a U.S. citizen when you are not, or hold a Ph.D. when you don't. Whenever possible interpret the question in a way that accentuates the positive for you.

Sometimes life just comes at you randomly. I knew a gal who was driving down the highway when the car in front of her drove over a metal fence post (the kind for barbed wire). It was tumbling when it went under her car and somehow punched through the floorboard and then through her at an angle I would rather not describe. The amazing thing is she lived. I also knew of a guy who got pierced through the head by one of those hubcap spikes that somehow got loose and flew through his windshield. He didn't live. Some people are too terrified to drive on highways. I kind of don't blame them. We get conditioned to the insanity of it all.

I am never driving again. Those stories are terrifying.

Glad you're ok Jackrussell! I am worried for you!

ScamArtistFriend has disappeared from the radar. We are investigating what recourse we might have, including through PayPal as that is how we all sent her money. We will probably get the police to do a welfare check as she literally just dropped off the face of the planet. I don't think she's on a plane to the Bahamas with her ill gotten gains, but it's not crazy to think she might be unwell, have had a breakdown or some such.

I'm glad you're ok too Jack :)

D

Vet: I confess that it was me who changed over the wheels a month ago, moving the winter tires and rims into storage and putting on the summer tires, on their rims. I've done this for years, no problems. Lesson learned. I now respect the pneumatic force that garages use to install wheels.
TL: good move to check in on the scam artist friend. Probably needs some help, especially after finding out that she was busted by her network. You continue to be pretty compassionate.

Beatles fan, Dee?
Embedded in my memory: after the 'and in the end...' quote you posted, I hear a pause, then Paul strumming and singing "Her majesty's a pretty nice girl, but she doesn't have a lot to say.." Music sinks in, like that. He wants to tell her that he loves her a lot, but he's gotta get a belly full of wine. "Her majesty's a pretty nice girl and some day I'm going to make her mine, oh yeah, some day I'm gonna make her mine". Now, of course, he is Sir Paul, so I guess he did, in fact, embrace the monarchy.

Now I'm thinking I'll get the wrench out and tighten some bolts. Good to know we've survived...

Yeah I am a Beatles fan JR - nice message too tho :)

D

I am not sure how to respond to this. I have had a new neighbour in our block of flats for about six months. We have become friendly because we both have cats. It's pretty clear there is no romantic interest on either side - we just like cats. Today I find out he was in jail for armed robbery and grevious bodily harm, and his brother is a few years out of jail after a 10 year sentence for attempted murder. He told me these things like "please pass the salt". I had been going to give him my spare keys and ask him to feed my cat while I'm away tonight and tomorrow night, but now I won't. I would prefer to keep him on the periphery and not invite him closer into my world by giving him access to my home. What would you do, or what would you advise your sister to do in my situation? He was 19 when he went to jail and he's mid 30's now and it sounds like that was his only jail experience and he's been working jobs in construction then. He also said once he was a heroin addict as a teenager. He still smokes pot. I have no idea if he's an addict. I don't feel any alarm bells going. I like to keep neighbours at a bit of a distance for privacy reasons especially because our block is so small we are all in each others pockets. We pretty much talk about the cats every day and I play with them a lot.

That's pretty much how I would play it TL?

D

I'd advise distance, TL. Polite but firm. Way too complicated history there. And worrisome that it was so casually brought forward. Like a boundary that he was inviting you to allow him to cross.

Predators and con men are great actors TL. Don't let him any closer and just keep it casual and friendly. Judging from his family history there is a culture of crime in the DNA.

I'm in agreement with the others TL - keep this relationship at 'how's your cat'.

It was a cold night here. Just under 40 when I looked at the thing outside the window when I got up. The mulch pile is almost gone - today's the day.
Little mini-projects in between. I established a border around a lilac plant yesterday that the missus planted a couple years ago against my wishes.
Three levels, sand and digging were involved. And picking up the blocks from lowes. Looks to be a fabulous weekend. A bit on the cool side but otherwise not a cloud in the sky.

My public service announcement: It is just as dangerous to over torque wheel lugs as it is to leave them too loose. Loose lugs will wiggle free in a short period of time. Over tightened lugs will stress the hub - also affect the break rotor/drum - and the studs will "stretch". This can cause a catastrophic failure in time. Going down the highway six months later and hit a bump and they just shear.
That's why they call it a torque wrench. Those air guns are set to a certain torque. They don't drive the lug mercilessly into the hub.
I know my jeep requires 95 ft-lb of torque for the lugs.

I have one neighbor I would trust with my keys - barely. I've been victimized too many times, so I lock everything. Call me paranoid. Many criminals (and a lot of people in general) are opportunistic. I'm all for denying them the opportunity. It's kind of sad, but it's my reality. It's more about my wife and dogs' safety than my stuff. We had a rash of home invasions here. I don't have a gun. Pretty much everyone else here does. I think our house has been spared so far (knock on wood) because we're a B & B and there are always people around. My job also helps me interact in a positive way with a lot of the local gangbangers, so I think that helps, too.

No locks on our doors. I guess we live in a rural bubble that could burst at any time. Chainsaw and gallon can of gas stolen from garage a few years back. Otherwise: unmolested since the fall of '77. Used to leave the keys in the cars, too. But changed that after buying, well, kind of new ones. Not many hand guns in our area. That I know of. The whole idea of home invasions scares (and angers) me. Hope all are enjoying this weekend. Spring here, and thrusting forth bigtime. Picked asparagus from an old patch most days this week, just enough for dinner. Life seems good, (when your wheels don't fall off).

Spent most of the day outside yesterday working on landscape.
Wife is adamant about planting tomatoes and peppers (at least) before we go away for 16 days. She is confident it's going to rain while we're gone.
I have three days to get stuff done, decide/pack for trip, figure out parking at jfk airport - plus the dishwasher is officially on the buy list now. So I have to find a deal on a dishwasher the next couple days while they are "on sale".

We have gone away for a weekend and left garage door open with lots of goodies to take. Never a problem here. That's one good thing about this small little town. Cops always patrol the streets and very little crime. I'm halfway - 9 miles - between two 'cities' that are loaded with crime. One is a top ranking contender nationally for crime.