Musings

It's been a while. Lots of work, injuries, some really hot weather, but no blogging.

Had my left knee torn meniscus trimmed last Wednesday. Stiff now, but getting better. Will get the right one done next month.

The doc who fixed the broken right fibula wants to see me next week for a final time. I've been walking fine for four weeks now on the right side.

Had the advance mechanism come undone on myXS650 on the way to work - the nut that holds it on the camshaft came loose and the drive pin flew out. Engine died. Had to call my son for a trailer ride back home - and the dang bike fell off the side stand and broke both left signals and the clutch lever. Stood it back up - and a passing truck blew it over the other way - three signals broken total.

All the parts for the advance mechanism were in the camshaft side cover, so that went back together with little trouble. Lots of red Locktite was applied to threads and torque was applied per the factory manual. the left front signal was recoverable with a new lens. I got two aftermarket rear signals that look like the originals and a clutch lever for $60 at the local dealer. Replaced the left exhaust gasket while I had the bike in the garage. Running and sounding great again - just in time for torrential rains.

Got the floors finished in the other two upstairs bedrooms and in the hall - all that's left is my son's walk-in closet and final trim on the stairs.

Split the last of the wood behind the house and stacked it.

Trimmed suckers off our tree-lined drive. Filled the burn pit.

Buffed out the paintwork on my Focus at last. Looking pretty good for 150K miles.

Got a transfer - possible promotion - at work. Fingers crossed I go direct here - I'm tired of being a contractor.

On other subjects:

Beloit has had eight murders in the past couple months. The newspapers keep bemoaning "gun violence" and are just now starting to face the issue of actual human culpability for this violence.

Our jug-eared "leader" is getting us back into another Iraqi war. At least the "religion of peace and love" is doing a great job of demonstrating to the world exactly what their definitions of "peace" and "love" are. A very positive sign is that some Islamic leaders are beginning to speak out against the "Caliphate" and their barbarism. I know it's likely futile to think anything will actually change, but the hope is there.

The "caliphate" has openly declared war on the US. Since our "leaders" have done such a bang-up job at border security, especially on the south, ISIS probably has brought in the fixin's for another 9-11 atrocity. Chicago has been mentioned. A certain very small degree of pity will be felt here for Rham-It-To-Em Emanuel and the Demonrat Machine if a bomb goes off downtown. Much more for any innocents injured or killed. Chicago is my home town, and many good memories remain of the days before the Demonrats mutated from plain gangsters and grifters into full-blown Communists.

Chicago has a dozen or more police-on-black shootings a week, and double or triple black-on-black shootings in the same time - but the MSM spends all their time on one very questionable incident outside of St. Louis. Chicago's own "Reverend" Jesse Jackass has not had one word to say about the carnage in Chicago, but is instantly on a plane to Ferguson to rile up class hatred.

Ill-Annoys continues to attempt to ban guns for law-abiding citizens, at taxpayer's expense for the legal bills in cases they keep losing - and since the passage of the concealed carry law, crime has DECLINED on the city - as anyone with a brain could have predicted.