I've been following along via JayG for a few months now as the Elio Motors motorcycle/car continues its development process. A two-seat tandem vehicle that features a 60 hp 3-cylinder engine powering the 3 wheeled vehicle (which is what technically makes it a motorcycle). 80+ highway mpg (45+ city) out of an 8 gallon tank. Fully enclosed cabin with A/C, power windows/locks, 3 air bags, 15" rims ... a lot of features for a $6800.00 price tag.
I just now put $500.00 down on my all in order for the first actual new vehicle I've ever bought.
Claimed delivery window is 4th quarter 2014 so I can hope for a birthday present. The factory is an hour or so east of here (it's actually closer than the nearest planned dealership is) so I will definitely be exercising the factory pick up delivery option. Texas doesn't require a helmet and is one of the many states that doesn't require a motorcycle endorsement (for this particular vehicle type) on the driving license too.
Haven't really settled on the basic options yet, but I'm leaning towards the silver and black paint job with the 5-speed manual transmission. I'm also more than likely going to use the company's "credit card financing" method instead of the more traditional methods. Basically, you buy gas at triple the pump price and everything over the actual fuel purchase amount is applied to your remaining balance in lieu of a regular loan payment.
Come on Jay, get on the list with me and share the anticipation frustration. :)
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
A Bump In The Road To Wellville
This past Sunday afternoon at about 4:30 I started feeling pain in my left hip. Within an hour, I was almost in tears. On Monday, I went to the Doc-in-a-box where I was irradiated and given codeine for pain.
This resulted in a man in great pain who was also high. Not there fault, it was all they could do.
Other than get me an appointment with an Orthopedic specialist for the following day. Whimpered my way there on the Tuesday expecting a "hip shot" (injection into the hip region) of cortisone and whatnot to resolve the pain and begin therapy.
When you go to an expert, you don't get to tell him what he finds wrong with you. IOW, there's nothing medically wrong with my hip, thus no hip shot for pain relief, but I did get a much bigger bottle of codeine and an appointment for an MRI the following day.
That same afternoon I did get in to see my usual Doctor and he was able to look over everyones notes and accumulated work (x-rays and the like) and he thinks that, along with some arthritis developing in my lower back and pelvic region - not surprising in a man of 60 years, some hopefully still-minor damage has occurred to a disc in my L-spine or that possibly something else has pinched the nerve running down into my left leg.
Wednesday, I went to get the MRI. I've had one before for my knees. Surprising to me, a spine scan is less complicated than one of the knee; only took about 20 minutes, even with the do-over toward the end when I had to move or wet myself. Something else I discovered - when in a building that contains an active MRI machine, don't bother texting anyone. Your message(s) will eventually go through, but the (increasingly irritated) replies will all appear on your phone in a cascade of bloops and beeps once you get into the more usually constructed portion of the building, like reception say. I wasn't taking notes at the time, but either the electronic symphony coming out of my pocket or the sight of me madly choking down drugs while whimpering my way toward the water fountain will likely get you looked at in a concerned fashion by everyone else too.
Just saying.
The ortho guy won't be back in town 'till next week, so I get to spend the next several days looking at the clock to see if my morally ill-prepared self control is stronger than the pain-addled rest of me (the label says "every 6 hours", which so far means my life still has unfulfilled aspirations as of yet) along with ice packs wedged dangerously close to the groinal region, resulting in sporadic (not to mention hasty) inspections for testicular frost damage.
So, I'm never not in pain and I'm too high to do much of anything more demanding than move the blue ice pack somewhere a little less close to my urinary tract. I failed to mention that I did get a course of steroids to keep track of along with all the rest. I'd forgotten how steroids make one urinate so much more frequently. Levitating up out of bed from yet-another nap with one leg in agony and the other in cramp is not an experience I can recommend. Note to self: just drink more water, you're too high to know if you're thirsty or not anyway.
I am told that there are good non-surgical therapies these days even if it turns out to be a ruptured disc in my spine. I resolutely refuse to speculate, mostly because doing so requires too much mental horsepower. I'll know more next Tuesday.
This resulted in a man in great pain who was also high. Not there fault, it was all they could do.
Other than get me an appointment with an Orthopedic specialist for the following day. Whimpered my way there on the Tuesday expecting a "hip shot" (injection into the hip region) of cortisone and whatnot to resolve the pain and begin therapy.
When you go to an expert, you don't get to tell him what he finds wrong with you. IOW, there's nothing medically wrong with my hip, thus no hip shot for pain relief, but I did get a much bigger bottle of codeine and an appointment for an MRI the following day.
That same afternoon I did get in to see my usual Doctor and he was able to look over everyones notes and accumulated work (x-rays and the like) and he thinks that, along with some arthritis developing in my lower back and pelvic region - not surprising in a man of 60 years, some hopefully still-minor damage has occurred to a disc in my L-spine or that possibly something else has pinched the nerve running down into my left leg.
Wednesday, I went to get the MRI. I've had one before for my knees. Surprising to me, a spine scan is less complicated than one of the knee; only took about 20 minutes, even with the do-over toward the end when I had to move or wet myself. Something else I discovered - when in a building that contains an active MRI machine, don't bother texting anyone. Your message(s) will eventually go through, but the (increasingly irritated) replies will all appear on your phone in a cascade of bloops and beeps once you get into the more usually constructed portion of the building, like reception say. I wasn't taking notes at the time, but either the electronic symphony coming out of my pocket or the sight of me madly choking down drugs while whimpering my way toward the water fountain will likely get you looked at in a concerned fashion by everyone else too.
Just saying.
The ortho guy won't be back in town 'till next week, so I get to spend the next several days looking at the clock to see if my morally ill-prepared self control is stronger than the pain-addled rest of me (the label says "every 6 hours", which so far means my life still has unfulfilled aspirations as of yet) along with ice packs wedged dangerously close to the groinal region, resulting in sporadic (not to mention hasty) inspections for testicular frost damage.
So, I'm never not in pain and I'm too high to do much of anything more demanding than move the blue ice pack somewhere a little less close to my urinary tract. I failed to mention that I did get a course of steroids to keep track of along with all the rest. I'd forgotten how steroids make one urinate so much more frequently. Levitating up out of bed from yet-another nap with one leg in agony and the other in cramp is not an experience I can recommend. Note to self: just drink more water, you're too high to know if you're thirsty or not anyway.
I am told that there are good non-surgical therapies these days even if it turns out to be a ruptured disc in my spine. I resolutely refuse to speculate, mostly because doing so requires too much mental horsepower. I'll know more next Tuesday.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Fun Show Today
Going to the local gun show today. Not really expecting to see much of anything I'm really interested in actually buying, but we'll see. This ain't the Indy 1500.
Would like to find a new Kel Tec PMR30. Won't pay more than MSRP for one and would hope to dicker a deal for a gun and three spare magazines for ~ $500 Obamabux (plus the Governor's gratuity, of course - place wouldn't function without that).
I've gone over the Lucky Gunner ammo price list to use as a buying guide reference. The ammo shortage is basically over, but we'll see just how far down the retail chain that message has gotten. Some .22 (LR and WMR), .223, .308, .45acp and 9mm are all on the look-for list, but only if I can't get it delivered to my front door for the same price instead. That's my version of the "immediate gratification" value of an ammo purchase (or most any other these days). Me and Jeff Bezos have a relationship don'tcha know?
Maybe I'll find something to inspire a follow-up post.
Would like to find a new Kel Tec PMR30. Won't pay more than MSRP for one and would hope to dicker a deal for a gun and three spare magazines for ~ $500 Obamabux (plus the Governor's gratuity, of course - place wouldn't function without that).
I've gone over the Lucky Gunner ammo price list to use as a buying guide reference. The ammo shortage is basically over, but we'll see just how far down the retail chain that message has gotten. Some .22 (LR and WMR), .223, .308, .45acp and 9mm are all on the look-for list, but only if I can't get it delivered to my front door for the same price instead. That's my version of the "immediate gratification" value of an ammo purchase (or most any other these days). Me and Jeff Bezos have a relationship don'tcha know?
Maybe I'll find something to inspire a follow-up post.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Me, Me, Me, Me, Me
Just back from the local hospital's ENT specialist; Ive had a "scratchy sounding voice" for a couple years or more. Frankly, I just kinda assumed it was a by-product effect of having quit smoking a few years ago, but figured it was worth a look. Literally.
Laryngoscopy lets the MD do a direct visual exam of the larynx while you use it (the letter "e" was popular for some reason). I am pleased to announce that there is no sign of anything looking remotely cancerous, so there's that. Me being me, of course, there actually is something gone adrift though.
If you follow the wiki-link above you'll see an illustration of the human throat/larynx on the R/H sidebar. The parts labeled cartilage are what the muscles of the throat use to regulate the vocal cords (I'm probably saying this badly, but that's the gist of what I remember the Doc saying). In my throat, one side of the cartilage is bent in a "U" shape such that it covers the upper aspect of one side of my vocal cords. The Doc thinks I may not be using that side of the voice box at all.
The last time I took a shot (fist, I think, but it could have been an unbroken beer bottle) to that part of my throat was in the mid-ish 80's, so I have my doubts the two are all that related. Whatever the cause, there definitely is something out of kilter in my vocal regions (which oddly offers little comfort - or balance - to my nether regions).
The nearest laryngology medical specialist is a fellow in Dallas, so I'll be getting to know him just as soon as I confirm that the health insurance will pick up most of the tab. I already know the hotel stay will be on my own dime, I need to learn more about our policy as regards out-of-region specialists and the like.
So, crappy voice is due to physical deformity and not cancer. It's always something, you know? The view from here may still be kinda crappy, but so far I've gotta say 2014 is looking up.
Well, down really, but you know what I mean. :)
Laryngoscopy lets the MD do a direct visual exam of the larynx while you use it (the letter "e" was popular for some reason). I am pleased to announce that there is no sign of anything looking remotely cancerous, so there's that. Me being me, of course, there actually is something gone adrift though.
If you follow the wiki-link above you'll see an illustration of the human throat/larynx on the R/H sidebar. The parts labeled cartilage are what the muscles of the throat use to regulate the vocal cords (I'm probably saying this badly, but that's the gist of what I remember the Doc saying). In my throat, one side of the cartilage is bent in a "U" shape such that it covers the upper aspect of one side of my vocal cords. The Doc thinks I may not be using that side of the voice box at all.
The last time I took a shot (fist, I think, but it could have been an unbroken beer bottle) to that part of my throat was in the mid-ish 80's, so I have my doubts the two are all that related. Whatever the cause, there definitely is something out of kilter in my vocal regions (which oddly offers little comfort - or balance - to my nether regions).
The nearest laryngology medical specialist is a fellow in Dallas, so I'll be getting to know him just as soon as I confirm that the health insurance will pick up most of the tab. I already know the hotel stay will be on my own dime, I need to learn more about our policy as regards out-of-region specialists and the like.
So, crappy voice is due to physical deformity and not cancer. It's always something, you know? The view from here may still be kinda crappy, but so far I've gotta say 2014 is looking up.
Well, down really, but you know what I mean. :)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year
It being after midnight here in East Texas (and no sirens to be heard either for a change), I wanted to note how good this past year has been for me personally and to say how much I'm looking forward to this year's promise. I know that the concern for Obamacare and his administration's financial shenanigans are all the rage, but I choose to focus on things more close to home and heart.
Best wishes to all who stop by these pages in the coming year and I hope you find your way back to reality real soon now.
Best wishes to all who stop by these pages in the coming year and I hope you find your way back to reality real soon now.
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