So I've written a few blogs about the automobile economy and I always stick up for Ford. I feel I should lay out a couple reasons why. So, without further dudes, here are some stats on my truck:
2003 Ford F150, V8, extended cab, long bed
-Purchased new October '02, 9 miles on the odometer (I added 5 in the test drive)
-This morning 163,500 miles, Six and a half years old
-Total money spent excluding standard maintenance: about $1,000
-Reposed: twice (each one bank error and me being lazy)
-Things jumped over: sand dunes, snow drifts
-Driven on beach: six years in a row
-trips to Florida: 4
-Trips to Vermont and points north: 4
-Most dogs hauled: 4
-Most people hauled: 6
-Boats hauled: 3
-Max Load hauled: 1 ton (twice the rated capacity)
-Number of times wrecked: 2
-Oil changes: 30+
-Sets of tires: 3
-Things the truck has done more times than I can count: gotten me home safely, never left me on the side of the road, helped numerous friends move, helped set up the March for the Animals, kept firewood in our stove, deterred thieves from breaking into my landlady's garage and looked tough in my driveway
There's a line in a Merle Haggard song that goes 'wish a Ford and a Chevy would still last 10 years, like they should'. He's right, they should.
Obviously I'm knocking on wood so hard right now I just punched a hole on my desk but I think everyone needs something this dependable in their driveways (and lives). With my luck I'll probably end up stranded on the side of the road today.
Oh yeah, please do not comment on how your Honda or Toyota has 200,000+ miles and all that shit because you know what, they have not worked nearly as hard as my truck has. I put it to the test for every one of those 163,000 miles. It was my lifeline when I was self employed and I beat the shit out of it.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Yuppy wanna be lifesaver idiots
So I'm driving up a busy road yesterday afternoon well before rush hour and I come upon some slow traffic. Turns out someone coming in the other direction plowed into a telephone pole and damn near knocked it over. There was carnage everywhere.
Wrecks happen, whatever. Here's what pissed me off. While I tried to turn around and get the hell out of there as fast as I could, a couple people had stopped and gotten out a mere 50 feet from this downed power line.
Boom! A tree fell on the line and there was this exlosion! Did this get these idiots back in their cars and out of the way? No! Fucking idiots thought it was a fireworks show or something.
Boom! Second explosion! I don't know about the rest of you but I'm getting the fuck out of here so the rescue workers (that were already on the scene) could do their work.
So listen dumbasses, get back in your Prius and let these people do their jobs. I don't think you or your mock turtleneck sweater are going to be much help. And wash the gray frost out of your hair. It doesn't make you look smart.
Wrecks happen, whatever. Here's what pissed me off. While I tried to turn around and get the hell out of there as fast as I could, a couple people had stopped and gotten out a mere 50 feet from this downed power line.
Boom! A tree fell on the line and there was this exlosion! Did this get these idiots back in their cars and out of the way? No! Fucking idiots thought it was a fireworks show or something.
Boom! Second explosion! I don't know about the rest of you but I'm getting the fuck out of here so the rescue workers (that were already on the scene) could do their work.
So listen dumbasses, get back in your Prius and let these people do their jobs. I don't think you or your mock turtleneck sweater are going to be much help. And wash the gray frost out of your hair. It doesn't make you look smart.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Fuck You, April
With apologies to Fuck You, Penguin please accept the following blog for your consideration.
Hey April, I was driving to work this morning and you know what I got hit with? Snow! It's fucking spring! Where was this shit in December and January when I wanted to go skiing?
May is way better then you April. You have nothing to offer. Opening Day? Sucks. Even cliches write you off; April showers bring May flowers. Ha! May pwn3d you.
I don't know from one day to the next whether to wear shorts or put on a fucking ski coat. This awesome tree in my yard just bloomed and now everything is probably gonna die. Thanks April, I've been waiting all year for that tree. Fucker.
Oh yeah, enough with the rain and wind already.
Hey April, I was driving to work this morning and you know what I got hit with? Snow! It's fucking spring! Where was this shit in December and January when I wanted to go skiing?
May is way better then you April. You have nothing to offer. Opening Day? Sucks. Even cliches write you off; April showers bring May flowers. Ha! May pwn3d you.
I don't know from one day to the next whether to wear shorts or put on a fucking ski coat. This awesome tree in my yard just bloomed and now everything is probably gonna die. Thanks April, I've been waiting all year for that tree. Fucker.
Oh yeah, enough with the rain and wind already.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Great Convenience Store Debate
As I was driving to work this morning I saw a brand new 7-11 and a sign for a new Royal Farms. That got me thinking about my favorite conv. stores so I figured I'd put it down in blog form. I will rate the stores on the following criteria: food, gas, locations. This will be limited to the Baltimore metro area so it will not include places like Circle K (which I've only been to twice). Here goes.
Food-
The most important criteria for any convenience store and a tough one to pick a winner. Most Royal Farms have really awesome fried chicken and halfway decent subs so they get a B+. 7-11 has the most horrific food imaginable but also has my most guilty food pleasure of all. The cheeseburger big bite. These things are nasty but sooooo good. I douse them w/ chili and liquid cheese for an extra dose of nasty. 7-11, you get a C-. Sheetz for many years was the one store I would never shut up about. I couldn't pass one without going in but they fell out of favor a few years ago because they started getting their heads up their own asses about how awesome they were. Anyway, they've since throttled back and are now in my top 2. Chili mac & cheese kicks ass along with their ridiculously good burgers and pork sandwiches. Sheetz receives an A-. Finally, my favorite. Wawa. They've gone from a simple little sub shop to having any convenience store delicacy you can imagine. Breaded & grilled chicken sandwiches, wraps, soup. Everything. Not to mention the best meatball subs you can get without going to an actual pizza joint. Wawa, I love you, you get an A+.
Gas-
I love all convenience store gas because most of them (with the exception of 7-11) buy their fuel from the cheapest broker and not a standard oil company. Royal Farms typically has the lowest prices depending on location. I guess there's a 3 way tie at the top for fuel with Wawa, Royal Farms and Sheetz. 7-11 is often tied in with Citgo and most locations don't even has gas. Fail.
Locations-
I think royal Farms is becoming a B-more landmark right behind Natty Boh and the O's. You can't go 2 miles in any direction without running into one. There's even a stretch on either Dundalk Ave or Ponka St. where there are 2 stores separated by only 1 block. I never really understood this. Anyway, there's probably more 7-11s but allot of them are in shitholes. I give the victory to Royal Farms. 7-11 second followed by Wawa and finally Sheetz.
In summation, I guess if there was an intersection that had all 4 stores mentioned above and I had my choice I would go to the Wawa.
Food-
The most important criteria for any convenience store and a tough one to pick a winner. Most Royal Farms have really awesome fried chicken and halfway decent subs so they get a B+. 7-11 has the most horrific food imaginable but also has my most guilty food pleasure of all. The cheeseburger big bite. These things are nasty but sooooo good. I douse them w/ chili and liquid cheese for an extra dose of nasty. 7-11, you get a C-. Sheetz for many years was the one store I would never shut up about. I couldn't pass one without going in but they fell out of favor a few years ago because they started getting their heads up their own asses about how awesome they were. Anyway, they've since throttled back and are now in my top 2. Chili mac & cheese kicks ass along with their ridiculously good burgers and pork sandwiches. Sheetz receives an A-. Finally, my favorite. Wawa. They've gone from a simple little sub shop to having any convenience store delicacy you can imagine. Breaded & grilled chicken sandwiches, wraps, soup. Everything. Not to mention the best meatball subs you can get without going to an actual pizza joint. Wawa, I love you, you get an A+.
Gas-
I love all convenience store gas because most of them (with the exception of 7-11) buy their fuel from the cheapest broker and not a standard oil company. Royal Farms typically has the lowest prices depending on location. I guess there's a 3 way tie at the top for fuel with Wawa, Royal Farms and Sheetz. 7-11 is often tied in with Citgo and most locations don't even has gas. Fail.
Locations-
I think royal Farms is becoming a B-more landmark right behind Natty Boh and the O's. You can't go 2 miles in any direction without running into one. There's even a stretch on either Dundalk Ave or Ponka St. where there are 2 stores separated by only 1 block. I never really understood this. Anyway, there's probably more 7-11s but allot of them are in shitholes. I give the victory to Royal Farms. 7-11 second followed by Wawa and finally Sheetz.
In summation, I guess if there was an intersection that had all 4 stores mentioned above and I had my choice I would go to the Wawa.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
You Other Websites Need to Step Up
When I was growing up one of my favorite publications was the Bargaineer which could be found in Harford and Cecil counties and was free at most grocery/convenience stores. I would eagerly anticipate the arrival of the next weeks edition and you could always teel because it would be in a different color than the previous weeks'. The Bargaineer had everything in it but was mostly useful for it's auto section. I'm not sure I ever actually purchased anything from the bargaineer with the exception of a cord of firewood or something.
Enter the new millenia. Enter Craigslist.
In my humble opinion craigslist is the most usefull site on the entire internet. I can still click on CNN to get news or whatever but where else can I go to find everything I would ever want? Every time!
Here's a list of things I've gotten off of c-list:
-My house - ok, so I rent but my house is pretty sweet and affordable
-My roommate - I was a little scared about creepy internet guy but it couldn't have worked out better
-My camera - nice camera, cheap
-My bedroom set - I had an idea of my perfect bedroom set and thought I was going to have to build it myself until I found EXACTLY what I was looking for
-My TV - It wasn't good enough that I got a 53" digital projection tv for $300 but the guy found it necessary to throw in the gorgeous Ikea entertainment center in for free
-Little Brothers Car - this hasn't panned out perfectly but it's not the site's fault
I've had good luck selling things on this site as well-
-My Bass and Amp - got exactly the money I was looking for
-Work stuff - I've had 5 sales off this site in the past 2 months
Here's a suggestion for those that may become bored at work; read the 'best of craigslist' entries. These posts are some of the funniest around. I just discovered the rants/raves section which is another hilarious way to get through a slow day at the office.
One thing I would never trust this site for; dating. No f'n way. Too creepy.
Enter the new millenia. Enter Craigslist.
In my humble opinion craigslist is the most usefull site on the entire internet. I can still click on CNN to get news or whatever but where else can I go to find everything I would ever want? Every time!
Here's a list of things I've gotten off of c-list:
-My house - ok, so I rent but my house is pretty sweet and affordable
-My roommate - I was a little scared about creepy internet guy but it couldn't have worked out better
-My camera - nice camera, cheap
-My bedroom set - I had an idea of my perfect bedroom set and thought I was going to have to build it myself until I found EXACTLY what I was looking for
-My TV - It wasn't good enough that I got a 53" digital projection tv for $300 but the guy found it necessary to throw in the gorgeous Ikea entertainment center in for free
-Little Brothers Car - this hasn't panned out perfectly but it's not the site's fault
I've had good luck selling things on this site as well-
-My Bass and Amp - got exactly the money I was looking for
-Work stuff - I've had 5 sales off this site in the past 2 months
Here's a suggestion for those that may become bored at work; read the 'best of craigslist' entries. These posts are some of the funniest around. I just discovered the rants/raves section which is another hilarious way to get through a slow day at the office.
One thing I would never trust this site for; dating. No f'n way. Too creepy.
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