I made this recipe from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Lamb-Kebabs-with-Cumin-and-Cinnamon-103628Epicurious for family on Easter. I made once a couple years ago and liked it then. I think I liked it even more this time. It's been a crowd pleaser both times.
Grilled Lamb Kebabs with Cumin and Cinnamon
Bon Appétit | July 2000
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 3 1/2-pound sirloin half leg of lamb, bone removed, fat trimmed, meat cut into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
* 6 12-inch metal skewers
Preparation
Whisk oil, cumin, pepper, salt and cinnamon in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add lamb to dish and toss to coat well with oil mixture. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour or refrigerate 1 1/2 to 4 hours, tossing occasionally.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat) or preheat broiler. Thread lamb pieces onto skewers, dividing equally (about 5 pieces per skewer). Grill or broil lamb to desired doneness, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.
I marinate in a plastic bag which lets me really work the spices around on the meat. I also used slightly more of both cumin and cinnamon than called for in the recipe. I justify this because my spices might not be as fresh and pungent as the day they were purchased. The cinnamon is mostly subtle background in the proportions given, but occasionally you get unexpected bursts. I think that next time I'll use about 5:4 cumin to cinnamon.
2009-04-13
Successful launch
Before I left on travel, I had the opportunity to watch the successful launch of WGS SV2. (That's Wideband Global Satcom Space Vehicle 2.) Here's some material cribbed from ulalaunch.com
Cape Canaveral, Fla., (Updated April 3 - 10 p.m. EDT) - A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Air Force’s second Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite into orbit at 8:31 p.m. EDT, today. WGS-2 joins the service’s first WGS satellite, which also launched on an Atlas V Oct. 10, 2007. Today’s launch, along with WGS-1, took place from Space Launch Complex 41. The WGS system will significantly increase the communications capabilities for troops in the field.
“ULA congratulates the Air Force and our mission partners on the successful launch of WGS-2,” said James Bell, ULA WGS Mission Manager. “ULA is proud of its continuing role of providing reliable assured access to space for the Air Force’s critical missions. WGS is a force multiplier for our troops in the field who defend America’s freedom everyday.”
The WGS-2 mission is the second installment of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system. The WGS satellites are important elements of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capabilities to America’s troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. WGS enables more robust and flexible execution of Command and Control, Communications Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as battle management and combat support information functions. WGS-2 augments the existing service of the WGS-1 satellite by providing additional information broadcast capabilities.
This mission was launched by an Atlas V 421 configuration, which uses a 4-meter diameter payload fairing, two solid rocket motors, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage attached to a single common core booster powered by the RD-180 engine. This was the 15th launch in Atlas V program history. The 14 previous Atlas V launches included two missions for NASA, two for the United States Air Force, three for the National Reconnaissance Office and seven for commercial customers.
Formed in 2006, ULA combines the successful Atlas and Delta expendable launch vehicle programs offering cost-effective and reliable launch services to U.S. government customers, including the Department of Defense, NASA, the NRO, and commercial organizations.
Still slow
I'm still suffering from computer-related problems at home, so my posting rate is down even accounting for my out of town travel last week.
2009-04-11
I'm back from Maryland. I enjoyed crab cakes and scallops for dinner on different nights. It was complete culture shock in many ways, but on the way out I stopped at the National Wildlife Visitors Center off of the Balitmore-Washington Parkway. This is just a few miles from NASA Goddard and Fort Meade. They have a lot of conservation oriented exhibits that are targeted at short attention spans and the web site makes reference to a popular conservation tour that I missed. Of interest to me was that off in the corner I found a large poster for the Friends of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The Patuxent and Little Patuxent are local waterways so I was reminded of the nascent Friends / Amigos of the Dominguez Watershed. I didn't have time to explore much because I really wanted to head off to the National Cryptologic Museum, the exit for which is shared with the NSA. There were a lot of suspiciously clean cut attendees (overheard wife commenting to husband, "I bet you know all aout that.") as well as some cub scouts. The Cryptologic Museum has fun things from the history of crytography like a defunct CM-5 and a Cray YMP as well as an early Bombe. National Cash Register made the Bombe as an Enigma decoders. I remember seeing a CM-5 at NCAR in 1977 or thereabouts. The one at the museum is powered up in such a way that the trademark blinking red LEDs were still going.
2009-04-01
Story from a neighboring city
This articles is from the Daily Breeze. The emphasis (both in comments) and of the original text is mine.
Poppies are gold for Lawndale logo
COUNCIL: Bird-of-paradise flowers in one scene will give way in revised version.
By Sandy Mazza, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/03/2009 11:08:38 PM PST
A poppy will replace the bird of paradise flowers that have long been a fixture in a quarter of Lawndale's logo, city officials have decided.
Like the four chambers of the heart, Lawndale's city logo is divided into four pictorial scenes with a banner across the middle that reads, "Heart of the South Bay."
A sun in a blue sky, a night scene of a bushy Monterey pine tree, and a rolling ocean all illustrate the city's coastal geography and climate.
But the City Council isn't so pleased with the fourth picture - three golden bird-of-paradise flowers.
Led by Councilman Jim Osborne, a city historian who works as Gardena's parks superintendent, the City Council voted 3-2 Monday to change the flower in the logo to California poppies. (Good choice! Jim's a newer councilman in Lawndale.)
"I think most people who looked at this seal probably didn't even know it was a bird of paradise," Osborne said.
"A lot of people have no idea what it is. And I have nothing against the plant, per se. I've got one in my own yard."
Unlike the poppy, the South African bird of paradise is not native to the area, Osborne said. Poppies used to grow wild in Lawndale's fields and farmlands before it was crowded with houses, streets and businesses, he said. (In fact, Jim has some poppies in his yard which have self sowed since his grandmother's time. Interestingly, they are not the paler maritime variety, but the solid gold inland variety. )
Osborne said he hopes the new logo featuring the poppy will be rolled out in time for the city's 50th anniversary in December.
"It's just something for the future and to mark the date of the anniversary," he said.
Osborne acknowledged that the state already claims the poppy as its official flower, but he also noted that the bird of paradise is the official flower of the city of Los Angeles. Better to share a flower with the state than a nearby city, he said.
Councilman James Ramsey, no fan of the poppy, said he didn't want to tinker with the city logo adopted in 1969.
"The poppy is nothing more than a ground covering that basically doesn't bloom the entire year. The bird of paradise does," said Ramsey, who was first elected to the council in 1974.
"And I personally don't want to go with what the state of California does. (The poppy is) their flower, let them keep it. As far as Los Angeles, if they don't like what we're doing, than they can change theirs and we'll keep ours."
Mayor Harold Hofmann voted with Ramsey against changing the flower on the city's logo.
"I'm not an expert on flowers. I couldn't get a flower to grow if I had to," Hofmann said. "When you get old like me, you don't make changes." (Hoffman has been mayor for eons.)
Joe Madrid, a former (retired?) Lawndale public works employee, spoke Monday in favor of keeping the bird of paradise.
"I still say the bird of paradise is the prettiest plant around," Madrid said. "We put the flower all up and down Hawthorne Boulevard."
If something on the logo should go, he said, it's the Monterey pine. The trees were planted along the boulevard decades ago, but removed when the city covered the median with AstroTurf in the 1970s, he said. (So take that, poppy lovers! And by the way, if you act up again we'll put in more green-painted asphalt on the medians!)
City staff members ignited the debate when they asked the council to decide on one logo because several versions were in use. They wanted one picked to place on a gate at Charles B. Hopper Park, which is taking shape just west of Hawthorne Boulevard between 162nd and 163rd streets.
The change won't cost Lawndale any money because existing logos will not be replaced, officials said. When new city letterhead, vehicles and T-shirts are ordered, they'll contain the new design.
Poppies are gold for Lawndale logo
COUNCIL: Bird-of-paradise flowers in one scene will give way in revised version.
By Sandy Mazza, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/03/2009 11:08:38 PM PST
A poppy will replace the bird of paradise flowers that have long been a fixture in a quarter of Lawndale's logo, city officials have decided.
Like the four chambers of the heart, Lawndale's city logo is divided into four pictorial scenes with a banner across the middle that reads, "Heart of the South Bay."
A sun in a blue sky, a night scene of a bushy Monterey pine tree, and a rolling ocean all illustrate the city's coastal geography and climate.
But the City Council isn't so pleased with the fourth picture - three golden bird-of-paradise flowers.
Led by Councilman Jim Osborne, a city historian who works as Gardena's parks superintendent, the City Council voted 3-2 Monday to change the flower in the logo to California poppies. (Good choice! Jim's a newer councilman in Lawndale.)
"I think most people who looked at this seal probably didn't even know it was a bird of paradise," Osborne said.
"A lot of people have no idea what it is. And I have nothing against the plant, per se. I've got one in my own yard."
Unlike the poppy, the South African bird of paradise is not native to the area, Osborne said. Poppies used to grow wild in Lawndale's fields and farmlands before it was crowded with houses, streets and businesses, he said. (In fact, Jim has some poppies in his yard which have self sowed since his grandmother's time. Interestingly, they are not the paler maritime variety, but the solid gold inland variety. )
Osborne said he hopes the new logo featuring the poppy will be rolled out in time for the city's 50th anniversary in December.
"It's just something for the future and to mark the date of the anniversary," he said.
Osborne acknowledged that the state already claims the poppy as its official flower, but he also noted that the bird of paradise is the official flower of the city of Los Angeles. Better to share a flower with the state than a nearby city, he said.
Councilman James Ramsey, no fan of the poppy, said he didn't want to tinker with the city logo adopted in 1969.
"The poppy is nothing more than a ground covering that basically doesn't bloom the entire year. The bird of paradise does," said Ramsey, who was first elected to the council in 1974.
"And I personally don't want to go with what the state of California does. (The poppy is) their flower, let them keep it. As far as Los Angeles, if they don't like what we're doing, than they can change theirs and we'll keep ours."
Mayor Harold Hofmann voted with Ramsey against changing the flower on the city's logo.
"I'm not an expert on flowers. I couldn't get a flower to grow if I had to," Hofmann said. "When you get old like me, you don't make changes." (Hoffman has been mayor for eons.)
Joe Madrid, a former (retired?) Lawndale public works employee, spoke Monday in favor of keeping the bird of paradise.
"I still say the bird of paradise is the prettiest plant around," Madrid said. "We put the flower all up and down Hawthorne Boulevard."
If something on the logo should go, he said, it's the Monterey pine. The trees were planted along the boulevard decades ago, but removed when the city covered the median with AstroTurf in the 1970s, he said. (So take that, poppy lovers! And by the way, if you act up again we'll put in more green-painted asphalt on the medians!)
City staff members ignited the debate when they asked the council to decide on one logo because several versions were in use. They wanted one picked to place on a gate at Charles B. Hopper Park, which is taking shape just west of Hawthorne Boulevard between 162nd and 163rd streets.
The change won't cost Lawndale any money because existing logos will not be replaced, officials said. When new city letterhead, vehicles and T-shirts are ordered, they'll contain the new design.
Still waiting
From ulalaunch.com
(Updated April 1- 10 a.m. EDT) - The launch of the Air Force's Wideband Global SATCOM-2 satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for April 3 with a launch window of 8:31-9:33 p.m. EDT. The Launch Readiness Review for the mission will be held later today and the Atlas V is scheduled to rollout to the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., tomorrow at 9 a.m. EDT.
This is third Atlas V launch for the Air Force following the STP-1 and WGS-1 launches in 2007. The WGS SV-2 mission marks the 15th Atlas V launch in program history and is the fifth overall launch for ULA in 2009. WGS SV-2 is the second installment of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system. WGS is an important element of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capabilities to our troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. The first spacecraft alone is providing more capacity than the entire Defense Satellite Communications System constellation currently on orbit. This equates to 10 times the capacity of DSCS. A third WGS satellite will launch on a Delta IV later this year.2009-03-23
Heart rate monitors
Exercising while using a heart rate monitor can give you important health information.
There are several heart rate monitors at Bike Nashbar.
Of the non-cyclocomputer ones, Suuntu is the only one with download feature
Suunto T6 Fitness Computer $249.95
https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_201622_-1_17501__17501
This Sigma looks adequate for my needs
Sigma Sport PC14 Heart Rate Monitor $39.99
https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_122315_-1_17501__17501
I don't know what quality this is
Amazon has a wider selection including an intriguing GPS + chronograph + Hr monitor made by Garmin
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor $175.29
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-Receiver-Heart-Monitor/dp/B000CSWCQA/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237839976&sr=8-7
Polar is the industry leader, so far as I can tell. This basic HRM looks like it would meet my needs
Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monitor-Watch-Black/dp/B000F6BZC6/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1237841372&sr=1-13
There are several heart rate monitors at Bike Nashbar.
Of the non-cyclocomputer ones, Suuntu is the only one with download feature
Suunto T6 Fitness Computer $249.95
https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_201622_-1_17501__17501
This Sigma looks adequate for my needs
Sigma Sport PC14 Heart Rate Monitor $39.99
https://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_122315_-1_17501__17501
I don't know what quality this is
Amazon has a wider selection including an intriguing GPS + chronograph + Hr monitor made by Garmin
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor $175.29
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-Receiver-Heart-Monitor/dp/B000CSWCQA/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237839976&sr=8-7
Polar is the industry leader, so far as I can tell. This basic HRM looks like it would meet my needs
Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monitor-Watch-Black/dp/B000F6BZC6/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1237841372&sr=1-13
2009-03-20
Grow Your Own - film
Found at Kitchen Gardeners International Forums
"There was a full length film made in the UK back in 2007 called "Grow Your Own." It's a story of a common garden allotment community and how people were given spaces there to help them get over depression instead of prescription pills. One character in the film really made headway in his mental recovery after losing his wife, and another character really learned what it means to be in a close community with friends. It's a great fictional film that gives lots of laughs and tears. I highly recommend it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqPLDXmBmjg"
"There was a full length film made in the UK back in 2007 called "Grow Your Own." It's a story of a common garden allotment community and how people were given spaces there to help them get over depression instead of prescription pills. One character in the film really made headway in his mental recovery after losing his wife, and another character really learned what it means to be in a close community with friends. It's a great fictional film that gives lots of laughs and tears. I highly recommend it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqPLDXmBmjg"
2009-03-17
CNPS Spring Garden Tour
15th annual Spring Garden Tour at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. April 18, sponsored by the South Coast chapter of the CNPS. Dykzeul and landscape designer/consultant Tony Baker will lead the 2 1/2-hour tours and discuss plant material. Tickets are $20 for CNPS members, $25 for nonmembers, and space is limited. For reservations, call (310) 629-0500.
2009-03-16
2009-03-10
First CSA delivery
Last Friday was my first Community Supported Agriculture delivery at Madison school in Redondo Beach. Bad Mom invited me to participate. Her daughter attends the school and the PTA gets $5 for each box that they sell. My son's school just has an incessant stream of the standard fundraisers (I've donated or been responsible for collecting donations at his school to the tune of well over $100 this year, so I don't feel disloyal.) Cost for the CSA is $50 per month, with two boxes delivered during that time. That's $20 per box street value, which is probably about right based on prices at the farmer's market.
I jumped at the chance to try it out because I've not been able to get to the farmer's market recently, I wanted the challenge of a box of surprise organic fresh ingredients and perhaps some new vegetables, my previous efforts to find a CSA in the South Bay area demanded longer commutes and longer commitments without the ability to try it out first.
Lisa S., who is organizing the pickups, even sent an email to remind me the day of pickup:
I too was concerned that my veggies had suffered from being at room temperature most of the day but when I arrived the most susceptible ones, leafy greens, weren't wilted much at all.
We baked the potatoes that night and had a spinach salad with hot dressing. The spinach was particularly succulent.
I used some cilantro last night in a fresh fruit salsa = diced apples + cilantro + orange + peppers of some sort (I've used chipotle in the past but something else last night)
Strawberries were dipped in chocolate and eaten over two nights. Houston, Juli, and I shared a box last night. One of the two onions was roasted last night at dinner as well.
I like the culinary exercise of getting a box of something unexpected and then seeing how you can stitch it together.
We're not huge fans of radishes, so we've been slow to eat those. I'm thinking that they might go well diced in the fruit salsa. We had some thinly sliced with vinegar as a side dish and found that they are quite mild tasting - I don't know if I would bother with them if they were too harsh.
I jumped at the chance to try it out because I've not been able to get to the farmer's market recently, I wanted the challenge of a box of surprise organic fresh ingredients and perhaps some new vegetables, my previous efforts to find a CSA in the South Bay area demanded longer commutes and longer commitments without the ability to try it out first.
Lisa S., who is organizing the pickups, even sent an email to remind me the day of pickup:
Don’t forget to pick up your produce today! It is in Room 21 at CDC. It looks very nice this week- cilantro, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, apples, carrots, radishes, and strawberries. Please let me know what you think when you get it – our only worry is that the lettuce doesn’t wilt before you pick it up later in the day, so I’m eager to hear what you think when you see it. If you have any issues let me know – since this is our first delivery.
Thanks!
LisaI too was concerned that my veggies had suffered from being at room temperature most of the day but when I arrived the most susceptible ones, leafy greens, weren't wilted much at all.
We baked the potatoes that night and had a spinach salad with hot dressing. The spinach was particularly succulent.
I used some cilantro last night in a fresh fruit salsa = diced apples + cilantro + orange + peppers of some sort (I've used chipotle in the past but something else last night)
Strawberries were dipped in chocolate and eaten over two nights. Houston, Juli, and I shared a box last night. One of the two onions was roasted last night at dinner as well.
I like the culinary exercise of getting a box of something unexpected and then seeing how you can stitch it together.
We're not huge fans of radishes, so we've been slow to eat those. I'm thinking that they might go well diced in the fruit salsa. We had some thinly sliced with vinegar as a side dish and found that they are quite mild tasting - I don't know if I would bother with them if they were too harsh.
2009-03-09
Permeable pavement compared
Maribeth's comment got me poking around on the web and I found this - a summary sheet of permeable paving published in conjunction with the Garden/Garden project in Santa Monica. I've thought about this before, but it reminded me that I have a driveway to repave. It turns out that Ackerstone has reasonable prices and performance.
2009-03-04
Native Spaces
The TPF newsletter came today with its usual list of interesting classes. One of the class lecturers is Keegan Roehr, who runs Native Spaces, a California native garden design service. I'm pretty sure that I met Keegan on last year's TPF Native Plant tour.
The Native Spaces web site has nice photographs of various gardens under the projects link. I believe it is the two Venice projects ("Venice Front Yard" and "Backyard Retreat", which are actually the same home) that I visited last year.
The Native Spaces web site has nice photographs of various gardens under the projects link. I believe it is the two Venice projects ("Venice Front Yard" and "Backyard Retreat", which are actually the same home) that I visited last year.
2009-03-03
The Getaway Car and Me
From my archives. This was originally posted some time in early 2000 on a now-defunct web page.
Last updated 3/20/00
The Getaway Car and Me
In the face of divorce and looming financial uncertainty, I was about to try to cut expenses to the bone. Out with the storied, elegant, nimble, eye catching Alfa Romeos, and in with a solid brick of a car. Here's the GTV-6 and the Bertone GTV.
Addenda 2/00 -
She shifts well, in a relative manner of speaking, now that I've added yet another quart of Dexron III. Last night (2/24/00) I saturated the door hardware with lube and managed to get rid of the persistent creaking and popping that accompanied the opening or closing of the doors. I also patched some of the smaller rust holes with silicone RTV. That virtuous feeling that you're doing something good for the planet was also a bit in evidence night: I bridged the largest rust hole with a piece of plastic that I cut from a milk carton and laminated into place with more RTV. Ah, the virtues of recycling. The crack in the windshield didn't look big enough to let water in, so I ran a bead of RTV around the window trim up top of the windshield. Preventive maintenance is all in the definition, folks.
Correspondence
Most people find this pretty humorous. I guess if you don't, then my style of humor has completely passed you by. There was a vocal minority however that had a deeper reaction. One email I received read as follows:
...I know what you mean. I too had a "getaway" car (1978 Toyota Corolla, red with splashes of iron oxide and the occasional rust hole). I also had no insecurities of driving her around and being seen. Many coworkers steered clear of her and told me I should do the same, but that never happened. She remained in my stables until she faltered, like an injured race horse, and needed to be put down. It was a sad day and will always bring tears to me. She will never be forgotten.
Kevin Nuibe
Brent,
That was beautiful. I laughed. I even got a little misty....
Warren
...I suggest an early Saturday morning stop by the car wash for the $1.50 engine clean with the high pressure soap spray gun. Follow that plenty of lock ease and a casual late morning breakfast to build stamina and patience. And then carefully remove the housing. Be emotionally prepared to twist off a bolt head and then have to remove stuff to make room to get a drill and an easy-out set-up in there to remove it. I think if you're careful it could all go fine. Then again ... I let it go for a couple of years ...
Oh, another tip. Don't turn on the air conditioning. The clutch on the compressor is frozen. The belt will catch, jump the pulley, tear off the other belts, you'll loose power steering and the car will overheat in a few minutes 'cause the water pump won't be turning. Now how do I know this?...
Warren
Finally,
There's a fine line between France's Le Mans and Detroit's Le mon.
Congrats on the smog cert!
wayne
Final Note - Death of a Friend (2001)
My friend has seen me through some troubled times, but over the past year had become more and more troublesome. I finally had to say goodbye when his heart gave out. It happened rather quickly as these things go, and in the end I had mixed emotions about his departure. I did get $65.00 from him at the end of our relationship, but I had hoped that it would last just a while longer. Nonetheless, I think that he'll go on to better things, as I hope I do.
We got acquainted about a year and a half ago, and I helped him through some bad times as he helped me. But I could never fix his unsteady heart and he got severely ill in the past few months. I finally said goodbye for good last Saturday as the tow truck took him away. My friend was a 1979 Pontiac Lemans.
Last updated 3/20/00
The Getaway Car and Me
In the face of divorce and looming financial uncertainty, I was about to try to cut expenses to the bone. Out with the storied, elegant, nimble, eye catching Alfa Romeos, and in with a solid brick of a car. Here's the GTV-6 and the Bertone GTV.
This is the beginning of the story of the getaway (ghettoway to some people) car and me.
Last weekend (2/20/00) I was down in San Diego to pick up my new car. It's a sleek beauty, one of Detroit's finest. It's a 1979 Pontiac Le Mans, colored light blue. There's also medium blue, dark blue, primer, and rust which feature prominently in the color scheme. Actually, there are many other colors on it as well, but those are the dominant ones. Especially rust.
I took the train down from Fullerton station to pick her up. I had planned an odious trek of traveling to the station by public transit. I had researched how to do so, but it involved the Green Line light rail, several changes along the Orange County Transit Authority bus lines, and finally the Fullerton Metro Buses. If I hadn't found the prospect of the walk daunting due to a back injury, I would have walked the several miles from the end of the Metro Green Line. As it was, brother Neil and his longtime girlfriend Fereshteh came to the rescue and delivered me to the station with a mere two minutes to spare. Good going!
I was met at the Solana Beach station by Mr. David McKunkler, a successful businessman and computer programmer who had been the car's custodian for the past year. We traveled by luxury four wheel drive automobile to his home, high in the hills of Encintas. There my sleek new wheels awaited. Freshly washed by the previous evening's rain, inside and out, she poised - muscles tensed, ready to purr into action. What minor imperfections she had were sublimated to the rock steady tick tick tick of her 3.8L V6 - still humming along without a care in the world while two quarts low. We added those two quarts of oil, plus half a can of brake fluid, a gallon and a half of coolant, and a tank of gas. We vacuumed up the detritus of the past years, taking care not to disturb the blanket of protective iron oxide. Oh sure, we made a couple mistakes, such as vacuuming a protective coat of leaves from the rain gutter only to reveal the rust holes that they plugged, but my stalwart steed appreciated the attention anyway, and gradually lost her smell of mildew and decay. We glued the plastic hula girl back on the dash, and I was ready to go.
She had started life in New York and was driven out to grad school at UCSD in the early 90's by our friend Alex Young. There she served him well and she was richly rewarded by the moderate climate, which made her cancerous rust halt in its tracks. Alex eventually went to a post doc in Ohio and I guess he thought that the car wouldn't re-acclimate to snowy winters, because he sold it to yet another friend, one Warren McArthur. Warren rechristened it the getaway car, and put some money into it - new radiator, belts, assorted other stuff. It served him well too, though it must have been envious of the Volkswagon Synchro he eventually drove off into the sunset on. However, when the Volkswagon was on the skids (as it was several times) the getaway car rode to the rescue.
I passed through Warren's home town on my way home, the getaway car purring along the highway. Once up to speed, she likes to be kind of herded along the road. She drifts in her lane to the left and I bump the wheel to the right and she drifts back to center. Other drivers tend to honk when that happens, but I know it's just an expression of joy at seeing her back on the road. Her ride is Detroit smooth, and she steers effortlessly when at speed, more so after I put air in the tires.
I dropped by Warren's home, and we traded a pink slip for some cash - my remark was that I didn't know who was getting the better deal, him or me. I got some wheels that may save me money over the next year plus I got a rebate in form of loose change and spare parts to the tune maybe $20.00 or so, not to mention the hours of fun I could have puttering over the old car. Warren got $300.00 cash and the satisfaction of seeing the getaway car off to its new home, where it will be fully appreciated for what it is. Was that shine in his eye a tear of tristesse at the last sight of his car, or was it the gleam of a master negotiator in his finest hour? I'll assume the former, until the car proves me wrong.
I've been working out her minor troubles. Today (1/21/00), after a brisk ride to Long Beach and back to get warm, she passed smog with flying colors. I also added a quart of Dexron III to sooth her shifting - another quart ought to have her about back to normal. She doesn't defog the front window under normal use around town - she just doesn't get hot enough. Warren thinks the thermostat isn't working, but the housing is too rusted and I'd risk snapping a bolt off in the engine if I tried to replace it. I think I'll pay for that work. A hot engine is an efficient engine and at her rate of gas consumption, I need all the efficiency I can get.
This car is a statement. It's a statement about conserving our resources, preserving our past, and most importantly a statement about how secure you are. You see, only the most secure and humble of people can be seen in the car without shrinking down in shame. If you're not already secure and humble, then this car will make you that way.
Humbly yours,
BrentAddenda 2/00 -
She shifts well, in a relative manner of speaking, now that I've added yet another quart of Dexron III. Last night (2/24/00) I saturated the door hardware with lube and managed to get rid of the persistent creaking and popping that accompanied the opening or closing of the doors. I also patched some of the smaller rust holes with silicone RTV. That virtuous feeling that you're doing something good for the planet was also a bit in evidence night: I bridged the largest rust hole with a piece of plastic that I cut from a milk carton and laminated into place with more RTV. Ah, the virtues of recycling. The crack in the windshield didn't look big enough to let water in, so I ran a bead of RTV around the window trim up top of the windshield. Preventive maintenance is all in the definition, folks.
3/7/00 - While waiting for her to warm up this morning, out in front of the house, I noticed a thin fog of smoke in the interior. I was a bit alarmed at first, and then I decided to take it as a good sign. This decision wasn't reached arbitrarily, since I had her over to my new mechanic, Chester, to replace the thermostat the day before ($35.00. I provided the gasket and thermostat from the stash of parts that came with the car). Chester had found the original thermostat in place, but so rotten that it might as well have not even been there at all. She had never been a completely smoke free car, but it had previously been mostly confined to the outside. The way I figured it, the increased warmth was just melting more of the grime off the sides of the engine and onto the headers where it smoked a bit before falling off and moving into the food chain. Eventually it would work its way into the fish on my dinner plate. But I digress. While the doors were open to ventilate the smoke, I took the opportunity to use Windex to clean the mildew growing on the back window. This worked like a charm, and I recommend that everyone clean the mildew off their windows with Windex. I don't expect to see it back until the next time someone decides that the car can double as a terrarium.
3/10/00 - I put two new tires up front today. My friend Neil was out in the parking lot at work admiring my new car and pointed out that the front tires were showing the steel belts on the inside edge. I meandered over to Foster Tire where I had two front tires installed for about $78.00. A bit pricey for a car that is supposed to save me money. I asked Mr. Foster whether I needed an alignment. He told me that the front end was shot and that I should "just buy new tires and drive it slow."
3/20/00 - Experience has shown that the smoke problem from 3/7/00 doesn't go away, however I've figured out that if you are actually driving the car then the smoke dissipates enough so that you can't tell it's there. The only downside to this oil leak->smoke conversion machine is that once stopped the car becomes second cousin to the Exxon Valdez for the initial few minutes that it's parked as residual oil drips slowly off the engine. The car made a successful trip to Santa Barbara and back even though one of the valve stems is faulty and bled a rear tire down to about 23 psi (a problem corrected in SB). It only cost about $25.00 in gas to make the trip.
7/20/00 - She's still running well. Turns out the faulty valve stem I mentioned previously is due to the hubcaps getting loose and rotating around into the stem, cutting and bending it. The two remaining hubcaps get placed in the trunk for probably what remains of this car's life. It's about time for an
oil change and the fuel filter (a pinky fingertip-sized element) needs replacing. I've bought new tires for the rear wheels recently - another $78 and change. I've also decided that the car was designed by German engineers - the rear windows don't roll down.Correspondence
Most people find this pretty humorous. I guess if you don't, then my style of humor has completely passed you by. There was a vocal minority however that had a deeper reaction. One email I received read as follows:
...I know what you mean. I too had a "getaway" car (1978 Toyota Corolla, red with splashes of iron oxide and the occasional rust hole). I also had no insecurities of driving her around and being seen. Many coworkers steered clear of her and told me I should do the same, but that never happened. She remained in my stables until she faltered, like an injured race horse, and needed to be put down. It was a sad day and will always bring tears to me. She will never be forgotten.
Kevin Nuibe
Another read in part:
Brent,
That was beautiful. I laughed. I even got a little misty....
Warren
So those of you that thought it was just humor - realize that that it may not be merely humorous to all of us. Warren followed up a question I had raised in a later email regarding the thermostat:
...I suggest an early Saturday morning stop by the car wash for the $1.50 engine clean with the high pressure soap spray gun. Follow that plenty of lock ease and a casual late morning breakfast to build stamina and patience. And then carefully remove the housing. Be emotionally prepared to twist off a bolt head and then have to remove stuff to make room to get a drill and an easy-out set-up in there to remove it. I think if you're careful it could all go fine. Then again ... I let it go for a couple of years ...
Oh, another tip. Don't turn on the air conditioning. The clutch on the compressor is frozen. The belt will catch, jump the pulley, tear off the other belts, you'll loose power steering and the car will overheat in a few minutes 'cause the water pump won't be turning. Now how do I know this?...
Warren
Finally,
There's a fine line between France's Le Mans and Detroit's Le mon.
Congrats on the smog cert!
wayne
Final Note - Death of a Friend (2001)
My friend has seen me through some troubled times, but over the past year had become more and more troublesome. I finally had to say goodbye when his heart gave out. It happened rather quickly as these things go, and in the end I had mixed emotions about his departure. I did get $65.00 from him at the end of our relationship, but I had hoped that it would last just a while longer. Nonetheless, I think that he'll go on to better things, as I hope I do.
We got acquainted about a year and a half ago, and I helped him through some bad times as he helped me. But I could never fix his unsteady heart and he got severely ill in the past few months. I finally said goodbye for good last Saturday as the tow truck took him away. My friend was a 1979 Pontiac Lemans.
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