Zinc! Wha..?

If you put metal in water, water's gonna eat that metal.  This is a problem for boaters, so they solve that problem through a thing called sacrificial anodes, which are made of zinc.  Zinc attracts electrolysis more than any other metal, so just place those anodes around your important metal stuff, and the anode will get eaten first.  Problem solved... as long as you replace your zincs on a regular basis.

Here's a photo of a sacrificial zinc after it's been in fresh water for a couple years, and a new one on the left.  The brand name is "Martyr." Perfect.

"Thank God I still live in a world of telephones, car batteries, handguns, and many things made of zinc." Simpsons, episode 8F16

So

Not a fan of starting a sentence with "So..."  People really need to stop doing that.  I think it's done as a way to take ownership of the conversation when you've been asked a question.

Example:

"What about the idea of having the City perform background checks on the company's employees?"
"So... Uber doesn't love that idea."

Starting off with "so" implies that you had said something already, and any fifth-grader could parse this a million different ways, but the main thing I take away from our discussion is that you are not a confident speaker.

Check Engine

It's getting to be about time for some new wheels.  My current ride was built in 1999. Still runs okay but the clock is running out. Unfortunately, I can't find anything that interests me at all.  If I had to get a car tomorrow I really don't know what I'd do.

This truck from 1987 currently appeals to me most.  It's not just the retro appeal of it; it's also the fact that it will never need a new ABS modulator, spark knock sensor, EGR valve, mass airflow sensor, or whatever other government-mandated point of failure auto makers have spent the past 28 years dreaming up in the interest of squeezing about 8% more fuel economy out of the engine.

And when the day comes that you need to replace any of the 4,000 sensors stuck in and around your modern vehicle, the cost of the repair will completely negate any fuel savings you may have accumulated.

Getting It All Wrong

I know it is wrong to attempt to climb a tree with a running chainsaw in your hand, but you can do it if you plan it out and have spent a decent amount of time in trees throughout your life.  But man, that sure hurt when my foot stayed in the tree while the rest of me tried to go to the ground.  I got all upside down and junk.  The toe of one foot got caught on something and wouldn't release when I went to step down.  Things stretched well beyond their normal operating range.

The saw wasn't an issue though.

Not Wind

This is just a follow-up to that last post about how many damn apples we have on our tree.

Okay, thanks.

Apples

I hate my apple tree.  For seven days out of the year, it's covered in delicate white apple blossoms; a beautiful bouquet from Mother Nature, welcoming you to the warm season.

Then it grows somewhere on the order of 2,000 useless, horrible apples which fall to the ground and demand that I pick them up and drive them to the dump.  This process lasts about a month.