let the 2010 shenanigans begin!


Although, I'm assuming most of us aren't working today unless of course you work for THIS guy...



http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/Misc/BillLumbergh.png

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/Misc/milton1.jpg

I don't have to work til Tuesday :D:

My wife gets in tomorrow.... yeah for sex.

would it be wrong to call in sick monday on the first working day of the year?

Hi everybody! I hope you have a fabulous year to come.


Welcome to the east coast Kane. I'm glad you are finally settled, and hopefully we'll see each other at the Dragon!

Oh and one last thing..... GO DUCKS!!

I'd love to RD - but I'm going back to the mid east in March.

I'm a fireman today. So many fires to put out....geez.

Wow first page you guys are working to much!

Good morning everyone. Happy new year and all that good stuff. Hopefully I strike it rich this year and all my dreams come true. :fingersx: the same goes out to all you rotary heads too. ;)

:fruit: might as well be on the first page of this thread

let the 2010 shenanigans begin!


Although, I'm assuming most of us aren't working today unless of course you work for THIS guy...



http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/Misc/BillLumbergh.png

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss191/emoassassin/office_space.jpg

Specifically what is this thread about? o.O

B@W = Bored @ work

yeah i know theres also the socal lounge

OMG I want to disembowel one of our field guys. With a plastic spoon. So freakin irritating.

So that end of the year 2009 project I was willingly working on while on vacation? Yeah, I finished it and launched it, and spent several days keeping tabs on questions surrounding it.

At the top of the broadcast email launching it there is 14 point, bold, red font stating
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, the old process will not be recognized as of January 1st 2010

Hard to miss.

Anyway, when I sent that, I got an immediate response from this guy from his blackberry complaining about the switch (which changes from zero work for him, to zero work for him. He literally just needs for forward the email to his guys, for whom it went from alot of work to hardly any), complaining that it is too much work. I CC his boss on my response repeating alot of what I stated in the broadcast email that he clearly didn't finish reading, to which he responds that he can't access it on his blackberry, so can't even look to see how much less work it is.

I respond back, and she shuts up for a few weeks about it.

Then this morning I get an email from my boss that this field guy sent my boss (also on vacation), asking a slew of questions that my boss can't answer, but I can, with 2 of the questions being: "When do we need to start using this?"

:wallbash:


Other questions he had were also :wallbash:, like "what does <this> question mean?", when it is a pretty question with a yes/no answer. Like "is this information verified? Yes/No". WTF.



And as I type this, he responds to my answers, asking yet another question that was addressed in the original email.

He is good at what he does, but what he doesn't do is a MASSIVE list. We aren't in the same reporting tree, so not much I can do about him.

sigh.

/vent

Specifically what is this thread about? o.O

Where the socal lounge is generally the hangout for social miscreants, this is the thread for the working professions (or not so working professionals, depending on who you are :) )

:lol:


It is often Busy @ Work as well as Bored @ Work

Ohhhhh okay, that works for me! :)

So this is where people make fun out of their boredom at work...I think I'm gonna be on here for quite a while...lol

Riwwp it people like that that just make you wanna go on a shooting frenzy! :uzi:

AHHHHHHHH, another fresh start! Good morning everyone!

...it continues....sigh.

It's probably a bad sign that I now want to start 2010 with a public hanging. Or stoning. Stoning works too.

I'd like to make an announcement.

As of today, January 4th 2010, 11:09am

there is officially such a thing as a

STUPID QUESTION






that is all.

:wallbash:

Stoning has more blood, I'd go with stoning....it'll satisfy your need for bloodshed moreso than the hanging...:D:

MIaORknS1Dk

RIWWP: Sounds like you have some Einstein's there :yesnod:

It's not that he is dumb. On the contrary, he is quite smart. He is just one of the most hypocritically laziest people I have ever run across. He hates doing work, and will go to massive lengths and effort to avoid doing anything, as ironic as it is.

His reaction when we upgraded our field ID system, and he noticed that his cell phone number was in tiny 7 point font on the back of the IDs of the people that directly report to him for verification of who they were if needed, was to complain that he didn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night.


I told him point blank, "if you don't want to be willing to verify that someone works for you every so often, maybe you shouldn't have any." (which would make his job roughly 20 times harder)






If it wasn't obvious yet, this guy has won a company performance award or passion award for 2 years running.

^ Ah, I see. He has the smart guy lazy syndrome. I have ran into a few of those in my days. :yesnod:

RIWWP: this guy sounds like he'd be fun to manage.
I have a guy on my team who is VERY similar to that. I'll assign a task to him and he'll spend more effort on telling my WHY it shouldn't be done or why it should be done differently then what it would have taken to just complete the task.

My answer to most of his rebuttals is simply, "because I said so."

RIWWP: this guy sounds like he'd be fun to stone

Fixed :)


Yeah. Sometimes I wish I did manage him, so I could use that. But the organization tree is not aligned for that. Our branches merge at the VP of the department, although the VP used to be his boss prior to promotion so there is always a chance :)

RIWWP- I hear you. I send out emails with huge bold font if something is being turned off or converted. I normally follow this format for headers on massive email lists:

Why did I get this email?

What do I have to do?

When do I have to do this?

I have questions, who do I ask? (I always have a Wiki page ready to go with FAQ's, etc.)

Depending on the topic or action I may switch up the headers but I normally spam it out to people 3-4 times and when people bitch I tell them to STFU and start reading their email (in nice business talk).

Boring day at work and have to head to school soon. Decided to spend some of my remaining time driving a customers car while hes not here...its my torque for the day
:fingersx:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/xl2oGel2x/Mobile%20Uploads/0104001601-1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/xl2oGel2x/Mobile%20Uploads/0104001600.jpg

RIWWP: this guy sounds like he'd be fun to manage.
I have a guy on my team who is VERY similar to that. I'll assign a task to him and he'll spend more effort on telling my WHY it shouldn't be done or why it should be done differently then what it would have taken to just complete the task.

My answer to most of his rebuttals is simply, "because I said so."

Thanx Jedi, we try so hard to be PC when dealing with business, but I think I'm going to use the direct approach on a project I'm dealing with. ;)

RIWWP- I hear you. I send out emails with huge bold font if something is being turned off or converted. I normally follow this format for headers on massive email lists:

Why did I get this email?

What do I have to do?

When do I have to do this?

I have questions, who do I ask? (I always have a Wiki page ready to go with FAQ's, etc.)

Depending on the topic or action I may switch up the headers but I normally spam it out to people 3-4 times and when people bitch I tell them to STFU and start reading their email (in nice business talk).


My husband has the same problem at work, but in a war zone he doesn't have to be PC. He will flat out tell someone to GTFO when he's had enough, be it a civilian, military or PM if they are in the wrong.
Most don't know he has 100% retention of everything he sees, hears or reads...still at 55.

Happy new B@W y'all!


May should be a fun month for me.

Just booked the time share in Salt Lake and will be staying for ~10 days in the first week of May.

Work conference this year (every May) will be held in Reno! That one is the last week of May.

Nice!!

Booking May trips in January makes January fun? ;) :lol:


Does sound nice though. That area of the country in spring is generally wonderful weather from my experience.




And just because I want to complain about RI again...anyone see any irony between these articles?
http://www.projo.com/news/content/how_benefits_compare_01-05-10_UJH0JDP_v9.3b41185.html
R.I. jobless benefits are generous (01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 5, 2010)

http://www.projo.com/news/content/unemployment_other_states_01-05-10_UJH0JE7_v8.3b41eaf.html
R.I. one of many states struggling to pay unemployed (01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 5, 2010)

http://www.projo.com/news/content/unemployment_tax_increase_01-05-10_UJH0J6Q_v16.3b3f07b.html
R.I. unemployment insurance tax climbs as debt deepens (01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 5, 2010)

The group recently ranked Rhode Island’s unemployment insurance tax system the worst of the 50 states.

Chasing business out, it's the RI way.

Go team!!


:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:


Hey, but at least the general assembly booked a special meeting a few months ago to clear up the important stuff. You know, death rights for gays, changing the name of the state and closing that pesky prostitution loophole. My personal favorite since it effectively ruins yet another revenue stream the state had at a time when it can least afford to lose revenue.

But what do I know, right?


I know I won't be buying property here, ever. NC by winter 2010.

RIWWP, as humorous as it sounds, I'm imaging that guy portraying a Wally from Dilbert and being awful good at getting through your skin. :lol:

would it be wrong to call in sick monday on the first working day of the year?
remind me never to ask this question. got a stomach bug sunday night and am still out sick with it. i never take sick days but started out the new year with two in a row. :sadwavey:

It's a simple math to see that the state's fiscal model can't work.

The more people that are on the state's payroll (including direct employees, unemployment, partial unemployment, etc...) the higher the taxes will have to be on the rest to pay for them, plus all the other costs of running the state, outside of the cost of corruption.

State employees may pay taxes, but they are a net drain on the system, because they certainly aren't paying more than they are being paid.

And the state is the single largest employer in RI.

The below numbers are pulled from a 2007 (pre crash) report, and I Haven't heard of a since government layoff, so...those numbers should be accurate, or low, if off.
(http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/pdf/sfdigest.pdf , alot of number in there)

Total work force in the state: 480,232
Government work force: 62,504 (13%)
Private work force: 417,728

Average Private income: $39,800
Average Government income: $53,550

Average unemployement: 13.1%
Estimated number unemployed presently: 54,722
Average unemployement income: $23,880

Total estimated individuals on government payroll: 119,226 (24.8%)
Total estimated workers NOT on government payroll: 361,134

So while there certainly are more numbers needed, the quick napkin math says that the 75.2% of the workforce that are not government employees are paying roughly $12,886 per year JUST to pay for the 24.8% that is on the government payroll. That is 32% of their income.

Then you need to add the cost of running the government outside of payroll, including the cost of corruption (inflated prices, under the table deals, etc...)

Then you need to add federal taxes




In the law enforcement world, we see businesses that have these kinds of financial models, and one of the primary methods of taking them down is to prove that the business model isn't sustainable without the presence of theft in some form or another. Whether stealing merchandise, identities, direct cash, utilities, or not paying taxes, they simply can not sustain themselves without the presence of theft. The only way they can possibly exist is as a money sink where they drain their starting cash until they are out of business.



You can draw some frustrating parallels between this state and a fence (for stolen goods)


Edit:
I didn't even mention the $4.8 million spent in 2008 for Workshare...which is basically partial unemployment, where the state picks up part of the hours if your hours are cut, and employers are liberally using that to mentally justify cutting hours. I'd shudder to see how much 2009 was.

RIWWP, as humorous as it sounds, I'm imaging that guy portraying a Wally from Dilbert and being awful good at getting through your skin. :lol:

yeah, good comparison there :)



remind me never to ask this question. got a stomach bug sunday night and am still out sick with it. i never take sick days but started out the new year with two in a row. :sadwavey:

:( hope you feel better.

nice. CT jinxed himself . . . :puke:


hope you feel better.


and somebody forget to send you the memo RIWWP. we no longer let bad businesses fail. we give them tax dollars to get them through the "bad times" so they can persist with their terrible business models.

Back at work... My new boss is proposing we abandon all the critical/important work we have to do now and spend the next 2 months creating a new system to replace one there's a whole other team assigned to creating and maintaining (and despite the fact that we don't own it, it works fine...). <3 big corporations.

any of you guys know of a program that can let me make phone calls using my comp?

I'm teaching a training class for the next 3 days so I won't be on here much. :sadwavey:
you kids stay out of trouble while I'm gone.

any of you guys know of a program that can let me make phone calls using my comp?

Skype, of course for a fee. Computer to computer calls are free aka chatting.

will skype allow me to make phone calls to a land line or cell phone?

can i haz my stapler?

will skype allow me to make phone calls to a land line or cell phone?

From what their website says, I will say yes.

www.skype.com (http://www.rx8club.com/www.skype.com)

cool thanks vlaze ill check it out

I believe you need to pay a small monthly fee to be able to accept/send phone calls to land lines and cellphones with Skype, I don't know of anything that will do it for free.

i believe you need to pay a small monthly fee to be able to accept/send phone calls to land lines and cellphones with skype, i don't know of anything that will do it for free.

skype, of course for a fee. Computer to computer calls are free aka chatting.

^_^

So I just spent 3 hours reverse engineering a 13 digit identification number pattern that someone in our company engineered to assign out, and no one knew who did it, but they could only provide the matching core 6 numbers that I needed to recreate the 13 digit number for.


For 208,000 records.


:wallbash:


At least I figured out how it was engineered and assigned, so I didn't have to go through them by hand. You would think they would keep records of this stuff.

Morning all! I'm 2hrs late drinking my coffee, meaning this day has been bad thus far.

back at work - the first of the new year thanks to that nasty stomach bug. still feels like a bad hangover only without the "benefit" of all the alcohol the day before.

So I have to share :)

About an hour ago, I hit an exit ramp from the highway at speed (winter tires, a bit less grip in the dry than summer), one of those 270 degree ramps, and there was a bit of dampness where a tree shades the ramp. Well I hit that at maybe 1-2mph faster than I had grip for, and I could instantly feel the tires loose traction. Well, I immediately noticed that it wasn't oversteer or understeer, and that DSC had not kicked in, and that's when it hit me that I was in a 4-wheel slide. I evenly lost traction to all 4 tires at the same time :lol:


First time that's happened to me. At first was trying to figure out why my DSC wasn't kicking it, but I guess in that circumstance, there isn't any deflection or rotational variance for it to realize that I am sliding.


Was an awesome feeling (no risk of crashing, lots of room to slide and I regained grip well before the edge of the pavement.

Morning working people!


RIWWP: Sounds like a lot of fun! :)

:suspect:

It's quiet in here.


too quiet . . .

:suspect:

where'd everybody go? :suspect:


T.G.I.F.F.

:fruit:
:fruit: :fruit:
:fruit: :fruit:
:fruit:
:fruit: :fruit: :fruit:
:fruit: :fruit: :fruit:
:fruit:
:fruit: :fruit: :fruit: :fruit: :fruit:

even with an unscheduled short week, i am soooo ready for the weekend. it's going to be hard to get back into a full 5-day work week next week since it's been a while.

I'm around, just too busy to post much :)

yeah, this week seems like it's taking FOR-EVER to end.
I'm ready to start my weekend, especially since we have a local meet tomorrow where we're hitting up some fun mountain roads for a 'fun' drive. :cool:

what are your plans?

Hanging out with DMC tonight for a bit, then got an appointment at a dealer 90 minutes away in the morning for my cat. Apparently a reasonable service manager, who doesn't have an issue with me just bringing that cat in with the midpipe on the car, since he apparently does alot of paid work on the car that this midpipe belongs to.

Don't know if they will agree to replace it or not yet, or if they pre-ordered one to keep me from having to drive back up again next week, but we will see.

good luck man!
If you two are hanging out, make sure you have an extra drink for me. :beer:

If they don't replace the cat, then you might just have to keep the midpipe.

That good news. It's better than the hassle the local clowns would run you through. Sad when Tasca is one of the better local stealerships . . .


Pool tonight, then had plans to see Avatar 3D. But the missus is pretty sick so those are already cancelled.

How 'bout you?

If they don't replace the cat then I have to buy a midpipe. Can't keep it. Although, since it's the BHR prototype, one of the original Magnificent Seven ( :) ), and I absolutely love it, there isn't much of a decision left ;)

dmc: bummer to hear the Missus isn't feeling well. Chicken soup with a little bit of dmc and she'll be all better! :naughty:

RIWWP: part of me wants them to deny your warranty claim just so you keep enjoying an awesome midpipe. ;)
Would be awesome if they get you a new cat AND you get a midpipe.

^ Shouldn't be an issue. The dealerships might try some shenanigans but it's not likely they'll try it over a dead cat that is backed to 100k by federal mandate.

Yeah. I'm getting a BHR midpipe as my first power-adder, but I'd be stupid to not take the free new cat under warranty, at least just to have.

Power adder mods are down my list though, starts with monitoring (and possibly tuning) mod, then reliability and cooling mods.

Stupid people. Hehe.


Sigh, one of those stories I wish I could share on here. But I don't think I can from a business perspective. :)

dmc: bummer to hear the Missus isn't feeling well. Chicken soup with a little bit of dmc and she'll be all better! :naughty:

Well, it is my birthday . . .

Ah! Happy Birthday!

thx . . . and lol - I just meant that refusal shouldn't be an option . . . :hahano:

birfday sex is mandatory. she can suck it up and do the deed.
(that came out wrong...)

Well, it is my birthday . . .

happy b-day :beer:

birfday sex is mandatory. she can suck it up and do the deed.
(that came out wrong...)

doesn't matter how it comes out as long as it goes in right.

hell, as long as it goes in at all.


:ylsuper:

happy b-day :beer:

thx. you should send me some skunky beer. :lol:

happy birthday man. :beer:

thx. you should send me some skunky beer. :lol:
it's still sitting there. i'll throw a sign on it that says "beer for DMC: touch it and die"

^awesome. any beer is good beer.

when you're a lush . . .

happy birthday man. :beer:
thx

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=150168&stc=1&d=1262981534

Abuse at your leisure.

^ that skunk's gonna steal my beer!

^ that skunk's gonna steal my beer!
can't it read the sign i put on the beer? damn skunks...

One moar howr....


Looking forward to a typical weekend boarding on the slopes in VT. Plan on sleeping in my winter beat on Sat night and waking up to finish it off on the slopes Sunday before heading home.

Going all out snowboard bum style. Don't feel like paying 80ish at a motel every weekend to use my season pass back to back on Sat and Sun when I can just crash in my car with a sleeping bag, in below zero weather.... Oh yEa

wimmenzz keep you warmerzz

^True that, but there ain't none to keep up with my lifestyle :lol:

TGIF. I'm ready to veg out. First weekend since being home for 3 weeks.

^ have fun. the holidays make for insane running around for a month straight, no?


Have a good weekend y'all!


I'm off to the waterin' hole.

finally bustin' outta this joint. have a good weekend.

<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7E82ozXyNjk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7E82ozXyNjk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>

Happy Birthday!

PS - I am back up to curling 135lbs for reps....my back seems to be doing ok again - YEAH!

That is all.

that's nothin'.
DMC does 165 for warm-ups.

wtb THIS.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/MIG-UIbyGemballa.jpg


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/MIG-UI-2.jpg



I’ve been holding a secret for a long time…A while back one of my friends (a member of the Galadari family) in Dubai told me about this project they were working on with Germany’s famous Porsche tuner Gemballa. The project shocked me because of just how insane it was. After seeing some early sketches of the project, I was convinced that it would turn out to be pretty wild!

Now many months later after painfully suppressing this secret, the pictures are here. The Gemballa Enzo project lives!

I’ve been given permission finally to release the pictures, but it seems that I might not be the first to leak them. Regardless I think I was one of the very first to know about this project many months ago, so I still feel its relevant to publish these here.

It should be known that the car is called the MIG-UI by Gemballa. It is named after Mustafa and Illyas Galadari with Mustafa’s name being first in this order because the base Enzo was his own personal car. The car is a limited edition model which has been produced for the “Illyas and Mustafa Galadari Group” of Dubai. The Illyas and Mustafa Galadari Group is Gemballa’s Middle East distributor. The details will be released at a future invitation only launch in Dubai. http://www.bespokeventures.com/blog/2009/12/21/the-secret-is-out-gemballa-ferrari-enzo-mig-ui/

Looking for some tips on sites here, if anyone can provide input or opinions, it would help.

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?p=3383371

Happy Birthday!

PS - I am back up to curling 135lbs for reps....my back seems to be doing ok again - YEAH!

That is all.

Thanks, and glad to hear you're feeling better.


Can't help with the laptop ordering, RIWWP. Most of my shopping lately has been Tiger Direct.


Jedi . . . the enzo is, was and always will be ugly. That thing is even more hideous . . .

way to rain on my parade, asshole! ;)

jedis gonna convert his 8 into that enzo

way to rain on my parade, asshole! ;)

When it rains, it pours. :)

I was gonna hold it to myself, but then DMC provided the first few rain drops, so hard to hold it in any more :) It's hideous Jedi. As a car.

Make it a speedboat or actually capable of space flight, and it's not too shaby.

way to rain on my parade, asshole! ;)

Sorry man. I know how much you love your parades . . . what with all the "Hello Kitty" and "Miley Cirus" floats.



Seriously, though - the enzo is hideous. And, just so we keep all the rain in one spot, so is the Veyron.

When it rains, it pours. :)

I was gonna hold it to myself, but then DMC provided the first few rain drops, so hard to hold it in any more :) It's hideous Jedi. As a car.

Make it a speedboat or actually capable of space flight, and it's not too shaby.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Wooh, the boss is buyin pizza for lunch... which usually means there's going to be a lot of work added to our plates :(

When it rains, it pours. :)

I was gonna hold it to myself, but then DMC provided the first few rain drops, so hard to hold it in any more :) It's hideous Jedi. As a car.

Make it a speedboat or actually capable of space flight, and it's not too shaby.

Sorry man. I know how much you love your parades . . . what with all the "Hello Kitty" and "Miley Cirus" floats.



Seriously, though - the enzo is hideous. And, just so we keep all the rain in one spot, so is the Veyron.



http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/Misc/NotPlayinnomore.jpg
(I'm not usually into the whole cat whack thing but I've been dying to use this one)

I gotta agree with them Jed, that front end looks like a speed boat.

lulz. Somebody get alfy in here to shop that and make jedi cry.

Working on my own, since Alfy is the one that started the original thread for that 'car' :)

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=150299&stc=1&d=1263237804

hahahahaaa


It needs to be flying the Jolly Roger, then it will be complete. Maybe an upside down dolphin that was just struck . . . :lol2:

oh plz gawd, not alfy!

wee!

Need some coffee because I'm falling asleep at work!

wake up!! :cussing:

Haven't been connected all day. Busy busy busy.

Had to leave work to stay awake :lol:

So, network engineers! (I know there are a few of you out there. :))

How simple, or difficult, is it to set up a remote network? (I know that's a loaded question)

So we have a nationwide team consisting of 8 people, where the nature of their work requires them to have laptops that operate outside of our Corporate network, to bypass firewalls, site blocking, not having admin privileges, not having to wait 6-9 months for software approval through IS to get equipment software installed, etc... It really does open up the flexibility of the job a ton.

That being said, transferring data between these laptops is rough. For example, if the guy in LA captures some information on the alternate laptop, the 'easiest' way to get that information to me to dig into or process, etc... is transferring it through his company laptop the network, through my company laptop, to my alternate laptop.

With brand new laptops running Windows 7 Pro, and the potential for one of our vendors to just host a server and bill us for it, how difficult would it be to set up a network between these 8 laptops where we can just connect in to the vendor's server for quick file transfers?

Do you both have VPN access to your network? If so then just upload the data to a server and have the other person download it. Or put the data on your companies external FTP server.

Nothing can connect to our company server, including through the VPN, that isn't a pre-authorized system by IT. These are outside of that. Heck, even our company laptops can be shut out completely if you don't stay on top of requesting updated certificates (every 3 months).

morning peeps

(skipped right over the network engineer question since it's probably over my head and it's too early in the morning to have a "wtf is he talking about" moment)

wtf is he talking about^

You guys need to start waking up with the rest of the world :) I am just finishing my lunch.

NO, i just woke up :fruit:

no way, I enjoy sleeping in.
I just rolled into the office and my assistant is making coffee. After that I'll be a bit more awake


btw: how was lunch?

Stale and unpleasant. It's way too early for this.

Jedi, just tell him to cut off the fenders and make an open-wheel 8 if his tires can't fit.

That's how the pro's roll.

wrong thread? :dunno:

No. :)

I watch Socal II through iSpy, but I don't want to keep seeing that little mark saying that I contributed any more :lol:

i knew you were spying :suspect:

How bout I just falcon punch Rev for wanting to pull his fenders. Every RX-8 I've ever seen with pulled fenders looks like ass. There's always waves in the fender and it looks terrible up close

orly

whatup y'all?

first time on for a few days. crazy busy monday and tuesday in NYC and still trying to catch up on email and vmail. had to come in here and see what's going on before i go postal. :ar:

oh, why helllloo thar Rev!

sup dmc, what's new & exciting?

2nd flu/virus in less than a month

W

T

H

that is all

^ some nasty shit going around lately.

somehow I've managed to not catch any of it despite the mrs. and the boy having 2 overlapping illnesses.


yikes . . .

dmc: did you get the flu shot? (or even the h1n1 shot?)
definitely some CRAZY stuff going around these days. GF got a really bad case of the flu (urgent care thought she had Swine) so she was on meds for about a week. (ended up being viral, not H1N1)

I thought I was screwed since I stayed at her place a few nights in a row taking care of her. I figured it was only a matter of time before I got it as well but (knock on wood), I've completely avoided it this year!
I should mention that this year is the first time I've gotten the flu shot and so far it seems to be working. :) Might consider getting it again next year

I just fired 14,000 rounds in two days... I never thought I would say this - but I am tired of shooting.

that's a shitload of ammo...

heysus that's a whole bunch of rounds . . .


no flu shot for me this year.

probably the same viral thing across the nation, honestly. nasty throat thing . . . infection, maybe? I'm not 100% sure but both of them had puss at the back of their throats. :puke:

honestly, I'm guessing a combinantion of dumb luck aided by the fact that I quit smoking are the only real reasons I have managed to not come down with symptoms.

how long since your last smoke?
grats btw on quitting.

almost friday....

My B@W story today is a Bitchin' at Work one, sponsored by the total incompetence of others (in government positions, surprise, surprise) . . .

I spoke with a potential client last Thursday and set up an on-site demo for today at 10.30 am. One week, and because I made the foolish mistake of assuming that a person can look at their calendar, schedule a meeting, and actually manage to handle that properly over one week, I didn't bother confirming . . .

You can see where this is going, I imagine.

So I drive the 2 hours to their office this morning only to find that they are out of the office.
All day.
And tomorrow.
And Monday.

Really? One fucking week ago you looked at your schedule and somehow didn't notice or remember that you had a long fucking weekend coming up?

Consider your proposal doubled. We'll just call it a retard fee.

how long since your last smoke?
grats btw on quitting.

Night before my b-day, last year. So a year and a week.

thx

dmc: what a bunch of retards!
definitely double their proposal, that's bullshit.

I once had a candidate show up to an interview A WEEK EARLY.
Even though I had nothing on my calendar for when he showed up, I pointed out the fact that he was early and told him to come back at the 'correct time and date'. :D:

lol.

The minions said, and I quote: "She'll be back in on Tuesday if you want to give her a call then."

Thankfully I'm strong enough that I could smile and nod without asking "Should call her bitch or *unt?"

Jeeze, where'd the rain come from? back to back days with 5-8hr meets running late into the night. I find myself going head to head against my under-informed boss about priorities too... and he never seems to have enough time for me to inform him... good times.

how long since your last smoke?
grats btw on quitting.

24hours for myself :) not quite as much time as dmc, but its start :p:

g'luck. all the support you should ever need is right in your sig.

exactly why its time.

Nothing like watching paint dry. :sleep:

w00t w00t!

my job just pulled me onto perm status! :rock:

i was supposed to be on assignment til March but they decided to end it early to bring me on full time! :rock:

so happy/relieved/excited/stoked. :fruit:

w00t w00t!

my job just pulled me onto perm status! :rock:

i was supposed to be on assignment til March but they decided to end it early to bring me on full time! :rock:

so happy/relieved/excited/stoked. :fruit:

grats man!

Congrats Atilla!

better than my situation. talking about a 15% paycut (5% a year over next 3 years) and 10 furlough days, 1 per pay period from feb until end of FY10. time for new employment...

Gratz Atilla!




Ugg the last several days have been hell, first with getting hit by a pretty nasty worm/virus that kept my computers offline for several days while I rooted it out, and then fighting with a project at work that I finally finished last night.


What else is going on out there in the world?

first day in the office this week so not much to report here.
It's been raining cats and dogs here in SoCal for the last few days, even had a Tornado spotted out in the water in H.B. yesterday.
Fortunately it didn't touch ground when it hit the shore but moved over us and brought lots of fun lightning / rain.

entertaining FB ad... since when did every father needing financial aid become a 40-something Charles Manson look-a-like?

:rofl:
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/caveneys-shit/dad-ad.jpg

lol. Jesus needs a loan, yo!



Grats on the jobbie Atilla!!

Thanks everybody! :rock:

on lunch right now - figured i'd stop by and lurk a lil' bit :suspect:

on another note - tho the rain is making me nervous because my car may end up floating down the street pretty soon :uhh: the turns by my work just became way more fun with slick pavement lol - SKIDPAD FTW! :rock: lol.

My car now officially scares the shit out of me.... I think I need to detune it some.

Hard to drive with my head pinned to the seat.

^:lol:

Tell ya what Kane, you can trade it straight up for my stock one any day!

My car now officially scares the shit out of me.... I think I need to detune it some.

Hard to drive with my head pinned to the seat.

you install your new ported BHR motor?

cav: yeah, he's breaking the engine in and now starting to hit boost.
turns out those BHR knuckle heads know how to build a decent motor...

congrats cav!

it's that time of year again....self assessments are due tomorrow...

so
bored
today

it's that time of year again....self assessments are due tomorrow...

Dear Management,

I am awesome.

-CTrx8

Dear Management,

I am awesome.

-CTrx8
give this man a raise!

so bored that I've been reduced to looking at bank robbery suspect pictures...

Let us know when you find your mug shot in there Jedi :suspect:

it has somewhow mysteriously been deleted. :suspect:

Dear Management,

I am awesome.

-CTrx8
i think i just might do that and see what my boss says. i'll have a real one as well but i'd like to see his reaction.

do it.

That would be some funny tihs.

Just did my end year review with the GL (group leader) today, doing well and bumped my salary up another 3k merit raise. Better than nadda.

congrats vlaze!

Our review system is a bit...off.

Our year is Sunday of the first week that has a Saturday in the new year (Dec 27th in this case), to the Saturday of the week before the above for the next year.

- We have until Feb to write our year end reviews
- Then our managers have until mid February to review them and agree/disagree.
- Compensation discussions are then scheduled from there through mid March
- Bonuses are paid mid March based on the final reviews
- Raises are implemented in April based on the final reviews
- Our new goals for the current year are due by May. :uhh:

So we have 8 months to act on those goals, with a 'mid year' due in August.


So...
Our review system is a bit...off.

Our review system is a bit...off.

Our year is Sunday of the first week that has a Saturday in the new year (Dec 27th in this case), to the Saturday of the week before the above for the next year.

- We have until Feb to write our year end reviews
- Then our managers have until mid February to review them and agree/disagree.
- Compensation discussions are then scheduled from there through mid March
- Bonuses are paid mid March based on the final reviews
- Raises are implemented in April based on the final reviews
- Our new goals for the current year are due by May. :uhh:

So we have 8 months to act on those goals, with a 'mid year' due in August.


So...
ours is similar but our fiscal year is feb-jan on a 4-5-4 calendar. we do our self reviews until end of jan, reviewed by managers feb, given mid-march, raises/bonus in april based on final reviews. goals are supposed to be mid-march with the final review but generally take until may to "finalize" (which just means it keeps getting put off b/c our review probably didn't happen yet but we know what our increase/bonus was without it).

Pretty upset at my wife right now.

Took a few minutes after I got home to review our financials, accounts and whatnot. Saw that we were still extending the net-gain of cash on hand that started a couple months ago, checked through the bills scheduled, made sure everything was in order, that I wasn't forgetting anything. Etc...

Commented on it to my wife, pleased response back.

I went to head upstairs, and noticed her credit card statement in the mail, unopened, so took a moment to check the balance. Last time I had was two months ago, roughly $1,200 that I was paying down to get rid of it. She said she never used it, so was curious to see where it was at from the automatic weekly check they get.

OMG sticker shock. :shocking:

$3,800 balance. $1,000 in the past 30 days in charges, with a previous balance of $2,800, which means $1,600 in charges the previous month.

Glancing down the charge list only 1 item is one I knew about or anything of significance. Almost all of them where at-the-whim purchases without thinking about anything. She said she only put gas on a few times (which she drives a Mazda5 with a round-trip commute of 4.7 miles), which I don't have an issue with, but WTF! Not to mention, I also noticed that the interest rate had climbed to 22.9%.

No wonder we were doing so well on the cash side.

Sigh.

(I took the card away from her...but the damage is done, and now to watch the cash levels closely to keep her from ravaging those)

She complains occasionally that she doesn't have spending money and that I control it too much. Next time she mentions that I've got a clear answer: "We had spending money. You spent it!" :anger::cussing:

She can't blame me for any of it. She has the only card. $250 a week in frivolous purchases. $400 a week the month before. Geez. Could we maybe put that into savings or towards your car loan instead?


:wallbash:

Welcome to married life brother....

sup guys, i'm back. i think. got a new job that has me on the webz a lot. so i have more time to stop by every now and then. good to see the old schoolers still here. i see some new faces too. whats been up? everyones car holding up? i got 90k on mine and i just changed out my radiator, clutch, coils, spark plugs and wires. runs just like it did when i first bought it. think my syncros are going out though.

Yeah I know. Been married 8 years. Thought I had curbed all that several years ago. Got married with combined debt of ~$40k, and paid that off in 5 years, and have only had my low balance credit card hers that was dropping, our mortgage, and 2 car loans for the past 3.

I should have kept my eye on her closer, but I'm not blaming anyone but her.

Just painful finding out she is trying to dump us back into that.

Lifestyles and lack of overall vision can screw you bro - been there; ALOT. My better half has 3 degree's and is going for number 4 - plus Masters and a PHD.... guess who is paying for it?


U got it - ME! Even though she has never made a dime in her chosen career field.

I think I would accept that better. Because at some level, she would be bettering herself.

There isn't a single purchase on the list that provides any benefit beyond 'right now'. That's what kills me more.

maybe ur not hitting her hard enough?










































just playin bro. sorry to hear. womenz, can't live with them, can't live without them.

T G I F


:smiley309:us4allswi


Time for some MW2 2-night :rl::uzi:

that's rough RIWWP.

random vent for the week: without going into any details that might get me into trouble, got a call from a woman yesterday b/c she was upset that a check she wrote us to make restitution for stealing caused her to bounce a bunch of her other checks. she wanted us to pay her for the overdraft fees caused b/c she wanted us to cash her check sooner (i cashed it as soon as i got it but it took a few weeks to clear). where do people come up with the guts to ask these things and then accuse me of stealing from her b/c it's costing her more money to cover those fees?

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/dmc27sinned/random%20nonsense/Norm.jpg


TGIF mofos!!


Any plans for the weekend?


None for me. I have $3.77 in my checking account so . . . yeah . . . it'll be movies on the tubies or DVR since there's still about 8 movies on there unwatched.

Gran Torino, The Univited, Shoot 'em up (I <3 Paul Giamatti)

plus a whole bunch of shows . . .

that's rough RIWWP.

random vent for the week: without going into any details that might get me into trouble, got a call from a woman yesterday b/c she was upset that a check she wrote us to make restitution for stealing caused her to bounce a bunch of her other checks. she wanted us to pay her for the overdraft fees caused b/c she wanted us to cash her check sooner (i cashed it as soon as i got it but it took a few weeks to clear). where do people come up with the guts to ask these things and then accuse me of stealing from her b/c it's costing her more money to cover those fees?

[Insert "Kill it with fire!!" pic here]

Gran Torino was awesome. Typical badass Eastwood attitude, old school style.

As for you CT, that's horseshit. She robs you guys, feels bad and gives payment then cries when she reaps her reward of what she did with it causing bounced checks and asked you to reimburse her for the whole problem that she initially, caused.

:rolleyes:

People these days do not know how to take responsibility for their actions nor raise up their kids with discipline to do it either. Wonder why it gets worst every year.

Whelp going to visit my brother and his family to help move some stuff around before going boarding on Sunday to the slopes. Feeling much better since I've gotten over 4, yes 4, different sick conditions in less than a month. Don't ask how or why, cause I don't know how it was possible.

I absolutley need to replace some things when the spring rolls around this year. Opinions on who has the best deals on the following items would be nice:

Coils - BHR?

Shocks - Tokico DSpec - cheapest I've found = Mazdatrix and they will always get first dibs at my $$$ anyway

Cabin Filter (aldehyde)

Mazmart for coils. Like 5 cents each cheaper than Rosenthal Mazda, a few bucks cheaper than other Race Roots. BHR doesn't carry OEM except on rare occasions, although their kit is an option. Mazmart didn't have OEM coils listed until he noticed I bought my last set from Rosenthal, I responded that he didn't list them, so he corrected it. Only cheaper prices I have seen is during specials or other sales.

Can't help you much on the rest.

morning peeps!

RIWWP: that's rough man.
I don't live with my GF so technially our finances are completely seperate but thta's definitely not the case as I pay for almost everything because she's always off buying randon 'stuff' that she absolutely doesn't need. :banghead:

CT: I would say I'm shocked at that story about the bounced check but I see nonsense like that ALL the time. It's ridiculous what people expect us to do for them when they can't properly manage their own finances.
Quick / funny story: I had a manager call me who had a customer in the branch that was livid about a situation. It turns out he closed out an account, had a cashier's check given to him, (he was most likely going to open an account elsewhere), he hung onto the check for almost two months before deciding to come BACK to us. He was demanding that we pay him the interest on what he would have earned had he not taken the funds out.
His justification: "Since I never deposited the funds, you still owe me interest"

WTF!
I very politely told him, "No."

dmc: if you're upgrading coils, BHR is the way to go. (though it is much pricier then OEM's)
don't forget to check out www.onlinemazdaparts.com , they usually have the cheapest prices on OEM parts and their shipping is always cheaper then Rosenthal.
I've always heard awesome stuff about Tokicos so you cant go wrong there. I debated between those or Konis and just went with Koni to try something different.
Tokicos are nice because the rears can be adjusted easier then the Koni's which require you to dismount the strut



Anyone have plans this weekend?
My weekend is quickly being monopolized with car stuff. :banghead:
Tomorrow = install AEM intake, BHR ignition, and test fit a Vertex Lang kit on a friends car. After that, I need to do a little work on my new daily driver.

Sunday = Compression testing another forum member's car. He says he's losing power so NgoRX8 and I are going to try and diagnose everything for him from coils to plugs to engine to Cat. Wish us luck...

My wife and I chatted last night, her because she recognized I was upset with her, and she hates leaving stuff like that to simmer. She blamed it on stress from stuff, I told her she was going to have to say "no" to someone that wanted her to plan something.

So guess what she picked? Saying no to her friend for their Disney Trip. :uhh:


...which I already canceled due to her financial indiscretion. "You already spent your Disney money".

...which I can't believe was a stress adder.


:wallbash:

Ah well. Hopefully it won't take a couple years to pay off.



Anyway, weekend:

I noticed something odd about my front left rotor a couple days ago. The pad isn't fully contacting the rotor surface, so I have a ring of rust on the rotor, though it's where the middle of the pad touches. I have the inner and outter edges touching. So gotta look at that, probably tonight since tomorrow I get a brand new cat put on, and will probably get some eyebrows over that. (Will already get enough when they see my rims don't match. Embarassing. Ah well, they are winter rims) I have a pair of brand new front rotors already, but 54k since they were last taken off, so..might be a challenge.

your wheels don't match?
I wanna see pics! might be some debris in the pad? OR.... the caliper bolt might be seizing. They do that... ask me how I know. :banghead:

Jedi you talking about the slider bolt? If so that thing is a PITA to fix. One of them seized up front and took a while with LOTS of effort to fix!

yup, that's the one. The front left slider bolt did it on my car, there was a TINY little tear on the rubber sleeve which probably allowed a bit of moisture in there and that was all she wrote.
It took 3 of us, vice grips, and lots of brute force to get the bolt out. I was praying to the rotary gods that the bolt didn't snap in half while I was trying to get it out.

Yeah, had a seized caliper on my P5 before the 8. I don't think it's seized. Because the pad isn't rubbing when the brakes are not engaged, and are clearly sweeping the rest of the rotor with force when brakes are applied. If it rains, I get that light rust on the rest of the rotor, a tap of the brakes clears the rest right off, but not this ring of it ~center of the pad. So I don't think it's seized. It isn't even just applying pressure to 1 side, since I have both the outer tip and inner edge making rotor contact. It's like the pad material across the center is shallower, or the rotor face itself is shallower. I'd expect it's the pad, rather than the rotor, though recognize it could be either. That would be alot of co-centric metal to remove with a very shallow dig in a full circle where you can't feel a dip gliding your fingers across. Possible, but not likely. More likely something got caught under the pad and stripped off a layer there.

Jedi:

At least you're working on the car. Mine is in the garage hibernating for the winter which while providing the best time to work on it with no time constraints I find myself slacking to do so. I usually get tired and slack off when back from work and in wintertime I board on the weekends. I at least made the effort to winterize it right beforehand and got a trickle battery charger to attach to the battery after pulling it outa the car.

I plan on cleaning up the engine bay and customizing somethings more, maybe get a new credit card and cancel the old ones with no interest for 9 months on purchases to get a new front bumper or a whole kit in advance and wheels perhaps. I usually do this when I forecast what I spend (I keep records in a setup via excel that shows what I spend per week, on what, and forecast what I would spend 6 months down the road to know how much I got). I do this so I can wind up paying off the card before the deal runs out and not owe them jack shit. I don't keep month to month balances on my card so they never get dime from me all the while I get cash back and discounts on crap online from their card benefits, kashing!

Have to say hearing what a lot of your wives do, I would no doubt go insane with how particular I am keeping track of finance. There's no way I would even get in a relationship with an incompatible person financially who doesn't do the same or at least keep our own money separate for whatever we want.

RIWWP: go bed the pads and see if that helps

vlaze:while hibernation is a great time to work on the car, isn't it just too damn cold to be out in the garage?? Kit? What kind?

Garage? What Garage? Real men do their car work in the snow!

:uhh:


Yeah, I've thought about doing a re-bed in. Finding enough traction has been difficult. Almost non-stop wet roads. Snow, ice, rain, snow melt runoff, and rain, and the few times it's dry, lots of salt and sand down. Makes it hella difficult to bed.

Hell, one half-mile section of 295 had so much salt or sand on it it felt like I was driving down a dirt road.

Providence is actually #4 or #5 in the major US city list by average total annual precipitation volume.


And yeah, I have 1 Mazda6 rim and 3 knockoff tuner rims. Kinda look like RPF1s...only not. Paid $40 for all 4, 1 was bent too bad to mount a rim on, and needed to get all 4 winter tires on, and a Mazda6 rim was the first one I found. Don't care about the looks too much for regular driving around. But embarassing to be seen by people who care :)

This is the last season with the 8 on winters hopefully. I really have my heart set on having a 'beater' for next winter. Namely an NA Miata. Cheap winter tires, still RWD for the fun, and when it's not winter, cheap autocross car :)

Well my apt is built part of the garage, as in downstairs and upstairs above it. Generally speaking it's enclosed fully but not heated. However, that being said it blocks the cold out and wind so it keeps things at least, 20 degrees warmer in there. So if it's (currently) 30ish, it feels anywhere from high 40ish to 50ish in there. Of course for you cali guys that's freezing depending on where you live in cali...but that's not bad. A sweater will do fine and I'll work on it.

I used to work on fabricating race cars in a wood heated shop back in the country side of NY where it was a lot more snow and colder than it is here. A lot of times it took a while to warm up so I'm used to it.

RIWWP: That's what I did, bought a POS 97 Pontiac sunfire that I wind up loving because I don't care what I run over or hit with that damn thing and runs good for a beater. Don't mind leaving trash in it either for snowboard trips, it's perfect :D:

Initially I was thinking of getting winter tires for the 8 since I never had a beater always owning trucks in the past and used them all year long. But the more I drove, and worked on the car modifying it the more I felt I couldn't betray it and didn't want rust getting on it from the salt on the road so I took about 1k and got a POS beater.

I agree. I just can't ever resolve my heart to ever willingly drive a car that I don't find fun. Which means my beater has to be fun. There are only a few options with RWD (RWD + snow = fun, no way around it), and of them, the Miata is the best option, when you combine non-winter use options, fun, still Mazda, similarities to the 8, etc... And it's tiny, so it could fit across the top of my driveway in the summer, room isn't as much of an issue with a car that small.


When I was under my 8 putting in the loaned midpipe, I was shocked by how LITTLE rust I saw. 53,000 miles, 1 Ohio winter, in the 3rd New England winter, and individual bolts had some rust on them, but large pieces and such didn't. Even most joints were completely clear of rust. Certainly not the rust bed that people talk about from salty winter driving.

I know rust is also found under the body panels and such, but all the stuff exposed to the road and moisture/salt is surprisingly rust free.

The first owner must have gotten it rust proofed or something I guess.


I would still prefer parking it for winter.

Actually when I looked under the bottom, Mazda used some sort of liner material to cover the body. I think this is standard although I could be wrong, it felt something similar to a thin rhino bedliner cover you spray in the bed of a truck. I bought mine used but I doubt it was the previous owner that did it based on records. I was surprised it was there but that will protect it far better than leaving it bare which is what I've seen with any American vehicle.

Just priced everything out through Mazdatrix and it came to $788 without the spark plugs because they have them listed at $30 each and I can get them through advance auto for $20 each.

That doesn't include shipping costs but I am pretty sure they'll take ~$25.00 of the above price b/c they are pretty good about price matching in the rare event they aren't the lowest cost.

So yeah, $485 for BHR versus the $140 for OEM is probably out of the question at this point. Maybe I can go for the BHR if Uncle Sam doesn't blow up my rectum this April.

you looking at the D-Specs? How much are those running these days?

Yes, and they account for $544 of that total.


D-Specs - $567 (544 + $23 for the adjuster cable)
Cabin Air Filter - $60
Coils - $160

But the filter is listed at $55 from several vendors and the Coils are $35 each from several vendors as well. So those 5 items make up the $25 I think Trix will knock off as a price match.

New and busy week.


I noticed something over the weekend though. There are ALOT of cat failure and flooded threads popping up. Like 8 since Friday alone. Almost all of them by people with less than 5 posts. Hit an average failure point for one of the years or something?

What were the years? If they were 2004-2005 I'm not too surprised.

Flooding issues probably due to new owners buying older 8s.

older 8's with original batteries and possibly the old starters.
combine that with cold weather and old coils and you get flooded cars which means damaged cats.

heck, weak coils alone can be devastating for a cat.


How was everyone's weekend?

Soresome. Helped brother's family move junk around for a side of the house they're going to use. Then following the next day boarded all day which works out your body big time. I was dead beat trying not to nod off on the 2-3 hr drive home last night.

Spent around 2 hours cleaning the car Saturday and another hour cleaning up the backyard. I'm a little sore as well.

soreness appears to be a common theme around here.
are we getting old or did we really work that hard this weekend? (Kane better not show up here talking about doing 35,827 push ups last night as a warm up to his swimming routine) ;)

New and busy week.


I noticed something over the weekend though. There are ALOT of cat failure and flooded threads popping up. Like 8 since Friday alone. Almost all of them by people with less than 5 posts. Hit an average failure point for one of the years or something?

Probably. I'm thinking mine may be heading for that list, too. Time for an oil change and I'll have to pull it and take a peek while it's up.

I watched a few movies this weekend, including Gran Torino which was awesome.

The other one I watched was Southland Tales. I'm still not quite sure WTF was going on . . .
It's listed as a comedy and it was funny but not OMG ROFL type funny. Maybe there was too much propaganda for me to take it all as tongue-in-cheek.

But, this little tid-bit may be the funniest thing I've seen in a while and it's from that movie:

<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B-uqmqWcC48&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B-uqmqWcC48&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>

I've got a brand new cat on. Spent 5 hours at the dealer. They had to test my 8 with the midpipe, put the dead cat on, test it again to verify that it's the culprit for warranty paperwork, then put the new cat on and test again. Ah well. $0.00 final bill was nice.

Was missing the BHR midpipe immediately though.

I have generally refrained from trying to make power claims on that pipe, but...
On the way to the dealer that morning, I spun the rear tires on a WOT 2nd to 3rd shift, (dry pavement, winter tires). Spun them enough to hear them spinning maybe half a second, and trigger traction control and cut power. I know I probably couldn't have with summer tires, but still. No chance at doing it with the stock cat on.

God that pipe is awesome :)


The tech came out to where I was waiting at one point, "I don't understand why you are getting rid of the test pipe. That thing boogies with it on!"

I blamed the owner of the midpipe.

Why is that poor pipe wasting away in a garage, anyway? I think it the RX-8 community would be best served if it remained in action through the winter to provide for multiple opinions on its function and form. In short, it should be passed to me for a similar testing issue - both on street and at the dealer if my cat looks like yours.

:D:

Why is that poor pipe wasting away in a garage, anyway? I think it the RX-8 community would be best served if it remained in action through the winter to provide for multiple opinions on its function and form. In short, it should be passed to me for a similar testing issue - both on street and at the dealer if my cat looks like yours.

:D:

I concur, it is the only logical choice.

soreness appears to be a common theme around here.
are we getting old or did we really work that hard this weekend? (Kane better not show up here talking about doing 35,827 push ups last night as a warm up to his swimming routine) ;)

LOLZ - I am on vacation! I think I'll start PT-ing again tomorrow after a nice 4 day break.

The BHR midpipe isn't available yet and it's the proto on RI's (greenblurs?), correct?

Yes, it is one of the first 7 prototypes, and it's on Zelse's 8. Well, sitting beside it at the moment.

that thread is way too long . . .

is it done - at least as far as heading for production. And cost?

soreness appears to be a common theme around here.
are we getting old or did we really work that hard this weekend? (Kane better not show up here talking about doing 35,827 push ups last night as a warm up to his swimming routine) ;)

Heh, I used to work out a lot for years with a dedicated muscle routine each week. After a motorcycle accident and some other factors I backed away from strength training and just do reps like pull ups, push ups, so forth.

Because of being away a bit in Dec due to vacation and what not just haven't gotten back into it.

that thread is way too long . . .

is it done - at least as far as heading for production. And cost?
Never fear, Jedi is here!
I just so happened to get a phone call from Ray yesterday and the topic of midpipes came up.

in summary: He's picking up the latest version of it today, it's getting installed on his car and he's going to go out and punish his car in the name of 'science'. At least one other midpipe is getting installed on a BHR member's car for testing at the track.

Ray wants these things out as soon as he can so they're hoping to put lots of miles on their cars soon with the hopes of releasing the pipe to the Pre-Order list people asap.
Price? don't know to be honest, I think it's a few bucks more then the Racing Beat pipe but then again, the RB price doesn't include shipping so :dunno:

Never fear, Jedi is here!
I just so happened to get a phone call from Ray yesterday and the topic of midpipes came up.

in summary: He's picking up the latest version of it today, it's getting installed on his car and he's going to go out and punish his car in the name of 'science'. At least one other midpipe is getting installed on a BHR member's car for testing at the track.

Ray wants these things out as soon as he can so they're hoping to put lots of miles on their cars soon with the hopes of releasing the pipe to the Pre-Order list people asap.
Price? don't know to be honest, I think it's a few bucks more then the Racing Beat pipe but then again, the RB price doesn't include shipping so :dunno:

Thx. Reading through that thread only to find that there is no production date or cost yet would have sucked. lol


and for lollers . . .

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r39/dmc27sinned/random%20nonsense/FAP-Dream-Job.jpg

The initial BHR prototypes had an issue with the 'silencer' weakening, cracking, and then pieces breaking off. This one had 1 piece break off already (Zelse doesn't daily drive his, only weekends and auto-x), and I developed a rattle with it that progressed until last week when I clearly heard a piece snap off and rattle it's way back through the pipe into my muffler just after starting up in the morning. Was at maybe 2,500 miles of driving at that point, 2 long trips and daily driving. Cold weather + hot exhaust probably accelerated the crack. No apparent change in tone or rasp, but I'm tone deaf so take it with a piece of salt.

That is the delay, and BHR spent some time working with the company that makes the exhaust parts for Speedsource, and the came up with something suitable for the street that will last from what they learned on the track. It isn't what the Speedsource 8s get, since it is a different environment etc...but it should hold up fine.
(I have being vague there, partly because I don't know enough to give quotes, and don't think I should be quoting anyone)


I'd willingly take the 'damaged' prototype :)

The final product is going to be that much better.

Thx. Reading through that thread only to find that there is no production date or cost yet would have sucked. lol


and for lollers . . .


yeah, I could see how reading that whole thread only to not be able to order a midpipe would be the equivelant of a bad case of blue balls.

oh, and I'm posting that pic in the SoCal lounge, they'll get a kick out of it.

Which? The mid pipe or blue balls?


Guess I should look...

^ the thought of fapping.

morning bitches.
how's the day going? Pretty un-eventful here so far (which I'm not complaining about) but we've got more rain in today's forecast so we'll see how that goes.

I haven't driven the 8 in over two weeks. :(

:rofl: :lol:

Just overheard a conversation from another cube:

So Lori just landed in Pittsburg and sent me an email, 'I'm here, but my suitcase is still in my car in Providence'

The individual in question is a bit ....air headed.

:rofl:

HAHA!!!
:lol2:

lulz.

nice work, dumas.

this "Lori" person isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed...
I hope she at least has the looks to compensate. ;)

Eh, not really. I mean, she IS blonde, but that is a source, not a compensation. Maybe a 6 or 7, depending on the person doing the viewing.


She is an analyst though, if that counts for something. You know, one of those people that thinks things through the whole way...

Eh, not really. I mean, she IS blonde, but that is a source, not a compensation. Maybe a 6 or 7, depending on the person doing the viewing.


She is an analyst though, if that counts for something. You know, one of those people that thinks things through the whole way...
Pics??

Oh hi guys!
Lol

Uh, no. I don't post pics of someone on the web unless they had a pretty good idea it was headed there (like from a meet or something), and definitely not of a co-worker that I don't really know.

That's firing material even if I personally didn't have a problem with it.

I wasn't being serious :)

It's been 2 months here since I drove the 8 myself Jedi. Winter hibernation mode isn't fun driving wise, but at least it provides opportunities to get work done on it before work the next day...

Last time I tried that I wound up taking the next day off at work since by the time all work was done and said to install the said item, it was found to be the wrong size and screwed me over... so I prefer as much time as provided to get a job done clean and right.

I'm swapping back to my worn summers for the next 2 weeks. A chance at flurries on Saturday, when I will be camped out in front of the TV for the 24hr Rolex anyway, but largely mid 40s for 2 weeks, no other precipitation. Wearing the hell out of my winter set.

sup everyone!

listening to zepplin and eating chicken tonkatsu :)

you guys should check out my new thread in the West section.
mark your calendars for those dates, its' going to be EPIC.

Too bad I'm on not in cali anymore. Looking forward to seeing what Ngo's car lays down.

Seeing I'm NA, on the east coast and this is still near end of snowboard season, ain't happening.

Too bad I'm on not in cali anymore. Looking forward to seeing what Ngo's car lays down.

did someone say Road Trip??? ;)
Yeah, Ngo's car has TONS of potential but he's dealing with a rather strange boost issue right now that he needs to get corrected before the dyno event. (see his most recent thread)

I really really really want to see what that car can throw down, he's got every possible upgrade on that car (excluding engine internals) so he should be able to push that car well over 300 whp without breaking much of a sweat.

I could use a road trip. It's been 31 days since my last one, and I'm getting antzy.

Although on the topic of turbos, we lost another one today. My best friend had his turbo melt down on him and he isn't prepared to deal with dumping more and more money and emotion into it any more. Said he was going to return the 8 to stock and sell it, picking up an Evo in the next couple days.

He said he will have posts up soon for everything, including an engine currently being built for him in Texas.

greddy turbo?

I haven't seen a post from him yet on it, so really don't want to spill what I know and jump the gun, start rumors and such.

Yikes,

Sorry to hear that RIWWP

Yeah, feel bummed because he is my best friend and I hate to see him having so much trouble, and because he bought his 8 after seeing mine and getting a ride.

that sucks RIWWP.
any chance of talking him out of it?

How long did he have the car for RIWWP? Mileage? And how long did he have the turbo?

I understand though. I felt that way with racing when I worked overnight hours to get it ready for the next night and fixing shit all the time to stay on top. Although it wasn't a break down like what he had, I understand the man hours, emotions, and effort to put into something like that and after something catastrophic like that to want to walk away.

The last race car I built took me all winter fabricating it, welding the frame up after designing it and created a mold to make my own custom fiberglass hood. Long story short, something broke during the main feature and threw me and the car right towards the wall barrel rolling. 1st race that year and already destroyed due to a fluke. I quit right after that (8 years racing) and spend the next 3 years on and off repairing it to just last summer so I could sell it. Just too much to keep up with it.

The 8 I can understand may be like that depending on when the engine gives, and how much you put into it which I likely will be putting quite a bit of effort with mods into. I've already gotten a SOHN omp on it, RB gauge pod with gauges and BHR ignition kit after less than 2 months of getting it. More on the way this winter although it's NA. Hoping it gets me to at least 80k miles or past that at the least. Not sure if I will get a SC or TC down the road to be honest, maybe an SC since from what I've read they seem to have less detonating problems but of course anytime you go outside of NA it's dwindling the life down on an engine which with a rotary is drastically averaging less than a piston engine.

My apologies for not answering the questions right now Vlaze. I'd prefer till he posts up what happened. It's all hearsay from me anyway right now :)

No problemo, I understand, just anxious :D:

About done filing my tax return. Just waiting on the materials numbers from the contractor that did our roof and siding, looking at fed/state combined ~$3,300 combing back.

I guess a bigger return is a side effect of getting raped on taxes throughout the year. I'd prefer to keep my money in the first place, but whatever.

Was interesting to note that my property tax did increase 2009 over 2008, without any notification. $600 annual increase, $2600 to $3200. I know some states are worst on that number but still. ~25% increase without telling anyone that I noticed.

I hate this state's way of handling money.


Anyway, the return is big enough I can completely pay off the small loan I got to cover the last of the roofing/siding job, plus have some extra. My summers are basically bald, and the extra is about the cost of a set of S Drives, so think I am going to do that. My bonus is going to pay off her car to get that monthly payment back sometime in March.

And yes, I have a few things planned for myself :)

Hymee USB Scanalyzer at a minimum, probably also the RE-Medy water pump and thermostat. If the bonus is high enough, adding BHR ignition upgrade to it, and if it is steller high (like my bonus was a few years ago, 23% or so of annual salary), then the BHR midpipe as well.

$413 a month drop in expenses means I will probably have most of this stuff at some point in 2010, later if not sooner, and an NA Miata probably around mid summer.


Anyway, feeling a bit better at the moment :)