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Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The "Glendora Garage"

Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
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Dan in Pasadena

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So the brother-in-law who has been with us months while I first recovered, left yesterday for Cambodia. No idea how long he'll be gone.

I've got the usual chores to do alone: mowing - easy peasy, edging - harder due to lack of range of motion, then any number of other chores. I need to make a list. High on the list is getting "stuff" put away. BIL tended to leave stuff all over the place and I wasn't in any position to make demands....so I just shut up....mostly.

I may be able to finally drive the '55 truck again after several months. It needs an oil change and I think it has a small power steering leak. Need to search for that. Don't know how it'll be getting on/off a creeper!
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Big trash cans to the street, good arm only - Check
Doggy cleanup - Check
Trashed an old ladder - Check (a long time coming)

Dad gave it to me 30+ years ago because he didn't trust it anymore (yeah, he loved me, ha ha!). I'd cleaned it up, tightened it a dozen times, even painted it a couple times. It was only good for me to fall on my newly repaired shoulder so I chopped it:

IMG_7376.jpegIMG_7377.jpeg
 

PugetDude

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Big trash cans to the street, good arm only - Check
Doggy cleanup - Check
Trashed an old ladder - Check (a long time coming)

Dad gave it to me 30+ years ago because he didn't trust it anymore (yeah, he loved me, ha ha!). I'd cleaned it up, tightened it a dozen times, even painted it a couple times. It was only good for me to fall on my newly repaired shoulder so I chopped it:

IMG_7376.jpegIMG_7377.jpeg
I had a ladder just like that once, think my neighbor stopped and bought it for $5.00 at a garage sale on the way to help me frame a lake cabin. We dubbed it "The Kevorkian Ladder" but it stayed around for the entire build and for a few years afterward. . Not sure what happened to it after I moved.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Best to mortally wound faulty ladders so they cannot maim again.
My exact thought. My brother in law who knows EVERYTHING (he says) told me to just put it into the trash can whole. I knew that meant someone else was likely going imitate ME and pull it out to use. I don't want to be responsible for someone getting hurt even if I don't know it happened.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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I have a whole story from a loong time ago when I was a Source Inspector for Bechtel. I'd sometimes call on Test Laboratories to witness tests for some projects.

I saw a whole pile of aluminum ladders standing in a corner and they'd all failed at the attachment of the lowest rung (wrung?) to the side of the ladder because they didn't have a knee brace like all of them have now. Turned out a Superior Court judge had taken a bad fall because that attachment point failed, got a brain injury and was never the same. He ended up winning millions because of it. This was well before the days of fiberglass ladder that are common now and cheap ladders had no reinforcements on their rung connection points.
Best to mortally wound faulty ladders so they cannot maim again.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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We've been "out of town" camping with friends. Actually we were less than 30 minutes away at a campground called Bonelli Bluffs. Very large camp sites, it's nicely maintained, mature trees, lots of grass and elevated above the adjacent to Puddingstone Lake and Brackett Field, the local small airport

I've made a long list of chores to get back to and now that my shoulder is getting better I am determined to get back to "using it" before I lose it! Immediate weekly chores then I really need to put stuff in order in the garage. Because I couldn't do much for a few months and the BIL was here to help he'd just put things anywhere in the garage and I couldn't ask him to do things MY way so I just went with it.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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I got the front and back lawns mowed & edged though the Trimmer front throw reel power I got from my now departed BIL's shed is just pulls too aggressively for my small lawn. It'd be a handful if I still had two reliably strong arms but with about 1-1/2 it's not manageable. I'll clean it up as best I can cosmetically, take a couple pictures and list it somewhere for a low price. Too bad because it'd be a kick *** mower for a large thick lawn like St. Augustine, Bermuda or Zoyia. I also deadheaded our roses and fed them, plus walked my dogs (really myself!) a mile too.

Only required one 800mg Motrin to counter the aches.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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I WAS going to shear the lantana hedges but had to defer that to the guy that does our huge ficus tree hedges in the back yard. My Milwauke Quik-Lok with hedger attachment is just too heavy to handle for long with this arm. I had to let it go way longer than I ordinarily would because of the bad arm. I didn't want to BIL to do it because he'd have mangled it. Have to admit the pro did it much nicer than I can. His is a gas powered hedge trimmer with the big flat plastic "arm" which I think he uses to make the cut very consistent, very smooth looking.

BEFORE: Waay out of control.
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AFTER: Yeah, better than I can do.
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larry4406

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I WAS going to shear the lantana hedges but had to defer that to the guy that does our huge ficus tree hedges in the back yard. My Milwauke Quik-Lok with hedger attachment is just too heavy to handle for long with this arm. I had to let it go way longer than I ordinarily would because of the bad arm. I didn't want to BIL to do it because he'd have mangled it. Have to admit the pro did it much nicer than I can. His is a gas powered hedge trimmer with the big flat plastic "arm" which I think he uses to make the cut very consistent, very smooth looking.

BEFORE: Waay out of control.
1776822050228.jpeg

AFTER: Yeah, better than I can do.
1776822135908.jpeg
WOW! Instant manicured hedge!
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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WOW! Instant manicured hedge!
Yup, I was watching him and there's no going back here & there to make it more smooth. The gas powered hedger is very powerful and cuts easily through the brush. One pass around the perimeter, one pass across the top, oner pass around the interior where the olive tree is - slow and steady and it was as it looks - perfect to me.

Makes me wonder about the cost of a pro level gas powered hedge shear tool?
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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I have a hedger attachment for my Stihl weed- whacker that will cut like that. It's pretty awesome, but a bit heavy. Just gives me a good excuse for frequent breaks.
I have the hedger attachment for my Milwaukee M18 Fuel Quik-Lok and it works really good. Has a very long arm for tall hedges but I suppose I'm not strong enough to hold it steady enough to get quite as smooth a cut. Oh well.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Bought this today. 2015 Audi TTS Roadster w/42,000 miles. Basically a brand new car - not a mark on it inside or out. It belonged to the husband of a friend. He died suddenly SIX YEARS AGO and his wife hasn't had the heart to sell it til now. It was on a battery maintainer in the garage. She drove it a few miles every couple weeks just to charge it. Put a new battery in it a couple months ago.

She was going to turn it in to Carvana but when we asked about it she offered it for the same price they offered her. Damn cheap and I told her it was too cheap but she said she'd feel better knowing who it was going to and that I'm a car guy like her husband was.

SWMBO was going to get it for herself. She had a silver one of the first Gen of TT's like 20 years ago but it was a hardtop and manual trans. She was commuting then so 1st gear, 2nd gear, back to 1st gear....she tired of it but had loved that car so this works. We decided to buy it 50-50 but mostly she will drive it....and she only rarely drives anyway. I smogged it today - passed easily. The tires are date coded 10 years old so new ones are coming. I'll have it fully serviced just because it sat so damn long but it runs great. Fun little "chick car".

PS: No, it won't take the place of the Fiat 500 "toad". This not flat OR dolly towable.
IMG_7437.jpeg
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Hopefully it won't need much for a while. It's basically a VW GTI under the skin. Also, it's the last year of the 2nd generation of these cars so USUALLY that means most of the glitches have been fixed - we'll see but as I said I doubt it gets driven 5,000 miles a year while we own it.
 

PugetDude

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Bought this today. 2015 Audi TTS Roadster w/42,000 miles. Basically a brand new car - not a mark on it inside or out. It belonged to the husband of a friend. He died suddenly SIX YEARS AGO and his wife hasn't had the heart to sell it til now. It was on a battery maintainer in the garage. She drove it a few miles every couple weeks just to charge it. Put a new battery in it a couple months ago.

She was going to turn it in to Carvana but when we asked about it she offered it for the same price they offered her. Damn cheap and I told her it was too cheap but she said she'd feel better knowing who it was going to and that I'm a car guy like her husband was.

SWMBO was going to get it for herself. She had a silver one of the first Gen of TT's like 20 years ago but it was a hardtop and manual trans. She was commuting then so 1st gear, 2nd gear, back to 1st gear....she tired of it but had loved that car so this works. We decided to buy it 50-50 but mostly she will drive it....and she only rarely drives anyway. I smogged it today - passed easily. The tires are date coded 10 years old so new ones are coming. I'll have it fully serviced just because it sat so damn long but it runs great. Fun little "chick car".

PS: No, it won't take the place of the Fiat 500 "toad". This not flat OR dolly towable.
IMG_7437.jpeg
She's going to look a lot better driving it than you, Dan. Just sayin' ...
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Spent 3-4 hours on the car today. The top was very dusty and it's supposed to rain so I wanted to shop vac the dirt off before it's mud. Vacc'd with brush attachment and got a lot. Switched to a wet terrycloth and got even more but even after 3-4 times scrubbings, it was till coming off so I decided to wash the whole car even tho it's gonna rain and used the hose spray head to semi-pressure wash it. I've never owned a convertible before so I wouldn't use my actual pressure washer. A LOT of dirty water came off and now the roof is black again!

Inspected the whole car in & out. Found only 1 touched up rock chip on the hood. Nothing otherwise. So cosmetically it's nearly new. Washed engine. Everything inside was nearly immaculate. Tires are BADLY checked and nearing bald. I ordered new from eBay - quite a bit cheaper than my usual cheap tire guy in downtown LA.
1777077186793.jpeg
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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My shoulder still limits how much weight I can lift but especially holding something even a fairly light weight out at arms length for more than just a few moments. So....

Had the guy that trimmed our small front yard hedge (Post #2491) here to trim our giant ficus tree hedges in the backyard. He has to use the tallest ladder he owns...maybe 14 ft(?).

I'm thinking we ought to have him do it more often than the 2x a year we have been. Also thinking may be time to considered topping it down where the top of his ladder is in these photos. That MIGHT be a problem with the neighbor or possibly leaving gaps/holes in the coverage. Anyway, here's in-process pics:
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Dan in Pasadena

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WARNING: Rant.
I ordered 4 new Goodyear tires from eBay for a much better price than I could get from even the hole-in-the-wall tire shop in L.A. I usually use. Ordered them Saturday, I was charged the full amount and I entered the address of the same shop as I use it for installation.

Today, 2 tires show up on my front porch. No paperwork, no one rang the bell, nothing. No notification email or anything advising WHY I only got two. Split shipment? Error? Who the hell knows.

eBay site is difficult to use, impossible to contact seller. There is an "Item No" an "Order No. and a "Tracking No. Had to open multiple screens to get them and clicking the track order prompt tells me they might arrive until May 1 and to click on "Purchases" to contact them then. I can find NO prompt for purchases.
Why does EVERY-EFF'ING-THING have to be a total pain in the ***?
 

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Dan in Pasadena

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On a different subject, took this little car out for lunch alone. Had not noticed that the front bottom of the body is so low it had scrubbed against something (a number of times!) and the paint is scraped away. Literally cannot see this except on hands & knees.

I hand sanded, primed and shot some Rustoleum silver I already had. I should have used a sander to make it smoother. It doesn't match - too bright - but it's so low on the body I'm not sure it's noticeable. The primer actually matched better but was flat of course. Maybe re-shoot it in primer and put gloss over it? Or go find an off the shelf silver that matches better - not sure it's worth it though.
 

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M.Brane

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We get all the race car, and TL tires from Tire Rack since they are a series sponsor, and my buddy has a lift, and tire machines a couple miles away. Tires for the trucks I get from America's Tire. Their road hazard policy, and watching the kids deal with those heavy SOBs makes it worth it.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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It's before 8am here and I'm wondering IF the remaining two tires will show up....and if they do will it be here at home or will they SOMEHOW be sent to the shop address I specifically entered for their delivery?!

I contacted the tire shop to let them know about this screw up and to call/text if they show up. I'd have them installed today but I have to go get tortured! 2nd in-hospital physical therapy. The exercises aren't bad but the "deep tissue massage" hurt a lot. Plus, on the subject of massages - "Keep you damn hands to yourself" is my motto....well, unless it's SWMBO or my grandchildren!
 

kaymccampbell

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It's before 8am here and I'm wondering IF the remaining two tires will show up....and if they do will it be here at home or will they SOMEHOW be sent to the shop address I specifically entered for their delivery?!

I contacted the tire shop to let them know about this screw up and to call/text if they show up. I'd have them installed today but I have to go get tortured! 2nd in-hospital physical therapy. The exercises aren't bad but the "deep tissue massage" hurt a lot. Plus, on the subject of massages - "Keep you damn hands to yourself" is my motto....well, unless it's SWMBO or my grandchildren!
I love massages, deep tissue or otherwise. The way I feel the next day is amazing.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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No effing way. Just the thought gives me the creeps.
Agreed. I know most people love massages and I don't THINK I am all that sensitive but it seems like a violation of some kind to have a stranger put their bare hands on me. It feels waay too intimate.

I have a"brother-in-law" who has been a lifelong salesman and a very nice guy but he seems to feel the need touch other people routinely. When he was last here before I'd had my shoulder done and it was very sore I had to go out of my way to position myself so he couldn't spontaneously put his arm around my shoulder. He'd been warned off but it is such an ingrained habit with him I had to stop him twice, then I just stayed out of his reach.
 

M.Brane

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The last massage I had was from a tiny little Asian girl. It felt great at the the time, but the next day I could hardly move. Don't know how she did that, but never again. I'll stretch things out myself.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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RE: Post 2503 above, the 2nd pair of tires were delivered today - still to my house, NOT the tire shop as requested. Comparing the two pairs I noticed no date code on the 2nd pair. I suspect it was ground off! Not kosher, maybe even illegal?

2 pics show what I'm talking about. The tires are obviously new, unused but I find this suspicious. I've filed a beef with eBay but it feels futile (and a PITA). eBay makes it tedious to contact them or the seller. You can't even give a neutral or negative review until 7 days after receipt. WTF? The obvious intent is so you will NOT enter a review at all. Tire guy says they're safe to install and I feel sure they are but it BUGS ME that they're screwing round. Despite the money saved, SCREW 'EM in the future. I'd rather have the peace of mind to know a seller is not trying to eff me over!
 

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kaymccampbell

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The last massage I had was from a tiny little Asian girl. It felt great at the the time, but the next day I could hardly move. Don't know how she did that, but never again. I'll stretch things out myself.
Did you drink a lot of water afterwards? In my long experience with massage, I've found that drinking a bottle prior, and then a bottle an hour for the next several hours helps vent the poisons released during massage. If you don't, the chemicals go right back into your muscles and hurt like hell. It works similarly for acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.
 

M.Brane

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Did you drink a lot of water afterwards? In my long experience with massage, I've found that drinking a bottle prior, and then a bottle an hour for the next several hours helps vent the poisons released during massage. If you don't, the chemicals go right back into your muscles and hurt like hell. It works similarly for acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.
Yup was hydrated. Not my first time, but definitely my last.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Got the new tires installed today and it took all day, ugh.
They wouldn't fit in the TT so I ended up taking them in my truck, then drive back to get the car. 50+ miles round trip. It's a tiny shop that doesn't open til late (10am) so that they stay open late for downtown LA corporate types. They were just starting on another customer so I had to wait over an hour to start. Had to use a different machine that's better for low profiles tires, yada yada. Traffic back in the 4 - 5 pm hour reminds me how glad I am that I don't commute anymore. BUT, it's a relief it's safe now.
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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SWMBO was going to drive my truck to SD this morning but it threw a CEL day 2 days ago. Some kind of crankcase ventilation clamp and Service said it's part of the PCV system so it could throw a "Reduced Power" code on a long drive. So instead I took the TT for an oil & filter change and re-"sync'ing" the new battery the prior owner put in a couple months ago to eliminate a few glitches it caused. Also replaced the trunk latch and some kind of convertible top strut arm that was keeping the top open/close cycle from working right. All done in a day.

She's going down to see our grand daughter play in a couple waterpolo games. San Diego today, tomorrow from SD north to Atascadero, then back to LA Monday or Tuesday. That'll be about 550 miles so it'll get a good test and SWMBO will get to see just how much the very firm ride works on her back!
IMG_7491.jpeg
 
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Dan in Pasadena

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Do any GJ'ers have one of these portable "turbine" hoists? Supposedly good up to 4000+ lbs. Interesting for a little car like the TT or the "toad" Fiat. BUT...... I don't see anything like a positive safety device feature on it.

It lifts 18" so there would be a temptation to get under the car but without something to prevent it crushing me I never would. I don't own jack stands that raise up to 18". If I did I wouldn't need this lifting device anyway, right?

IMG_7489.jpeg
 
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