New Music: Kacey Musgraves

If your ears are functioning, you've probably heard about her already.  On the off chance you haven't, go have a listen of Merry Go 'Round over at Youtube.  While that's only the single – probably the first of several – off her album "Same Trailer, Different Park," the rest of the album keeps up with it.  If you like that one song, you won't be disappointed by the others.  Or you can dig around over at  Youtube for most of the rest, just to make sure before you buy.

Yes it's country.  I'm qualified to commentate: Exhibit 1.  Exhibit 2.  Get over it.  If that concept is still giving you fits, go listen to The Replacements.  They're still on my iPod too.

Cars: Don't try this at home kids.

Seriously, don't try this at home.  Er rather, do try this at home, just get it right.  The guy kind of rants but he's right on point with a handful of basic car service and maintenance items everyone should know.  Go watch, four and a half minutes spent now will save you untold hours and dollars later.

New Truck

Well, at least for me it's new.  It is very well used in fact, perhaps to the point of being abused.  The picture looks a hell of a lot better than the reality.

But the price was right and the need for some kind of hauler was great after last year's demise of the Saturn wagon.

The particulars: F150, 1997, 4.6L V8, toodamnmanymiles, no visible leaks, fluids all looked clean, no obvious problems on the test drive, $ << BlueBook.  It was that last parameter that finally triggered the deal.  Other lesser items: nice bed liner, decent stereo, cloth interior, non-functional AC, and at least two bad tires.

It'll do.

Next up: trip to the tag office and inspection station this week, followed by a visit to the tire and mechanic shop.  Wire in a CB next (no I'm not kidding) and it'll be good to go.

Mustang mods done for now.

Installed the strut tower brace yesterday.  Carefully torqued it down to the specified 25 to 27 ft-lbs, took it for a short test ride, and torqued one more time just to be sure.  The bolts/nuts seemed to have some kind of built in torque limiters.  Try as I might to slightly over-torque them, the wrench stubbornly indicated something just over 25 ft-lbs.  Interesting.

So... was it worth it?  Yeah, the brace tightened up the steering noticeably, though "noticeably" is a very subjective term.  In hard cornering the car doesn't wallow like it used to.  It's still not as precise as the 325i, but then few things are.  Let me put it like this: pushing the Mustang through corners hard enough to break the rear end loose was formerly a front end control limited process, but now there's enough handling to slide through corners like a maniac.  About as good as it's likely to get in a muscle car.

SR (here re-branded as ACME) makes a fine product.  Sometimes the results are even survivable.

Friday Randomosity

If history is any guide to how these things usually go...

Now in a completely unrelated note: It was hard fought, but in the end the Insufferables were again victorious at the Ugly Pirate's trivia night.

April edition of the Fourth Ward Cleaver is up.

OK, off to work momentarily.  Which brings to mind today's xkcd:

That's all for now folks.

Possible Dark Matter Signature Detected

Details over at Space-dot-com.  Now that would be something.  Time, and confirming experiments will tell.

Ah no thanks, just ate.

The Cicadas Are Coming  ...Hungry? over at Discovery News.
Tastes like asparagus?  Really?  Well more power to 'em.