Sunday, May 11, 2008
Ack! There's only six weeks left until we move! I can't believe the time is flying by so quickly. May is the busiest of months for us while June will be much more relaxed.Last Friday, Abby turned in her PhD thesis paper (all 120 pages of it!) which was one of the last huge obstacles remaining. On Monday the 19th, she'll do her defense of it which is where she will be asked questions about it by the three professors who make up her "committee". It's done in an open forum so family, friends and peers can attend. After that, she's done! Abby's Mom and grandfather will be in town that weekend which will make it fly right by.
The following weekend is the best weekend in racing! Memorial Day weekend has the Indianapolis 500, the Formula One Manaco Grand Prix and to cap the day off, the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600. There is a sports car race on Monday at our local track that we might go to, but as of yet haven't made plans to do so.
A week later, we'll be off to California to look for a place to live. We're having good luck finding places on the internet (thanks in part to Kim!). There are several apartments to look at and one town home.
Before I know it, we will be packing and pulling out of the driveway for the last time.
Posted by RJ at 9:48:00 AM.
Monday, May 05, 2008
I went on my last off-road trip here in the northeast. Check out some videos.
Look for me at 1:25.
How to roll a Wrangler
Some pictures can been seen here
Posted by RJ at 9:43:00 PM.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
I spent a large portion of today working on the 4Runner. I removed the roof rack (where the spare tire was mounted) and relocated the spare back underneath the rear of the truck. It turned out to be a pretty complicated process. First off, the spare tire is too large to fit underneath. I ended up having to take all the air out of the tire and ratchet strap the tire to squish one side of the tread in to make it fit. It barely fits! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the roof rack (anyone want it???).
The next project involved working inside. I've had a CB in the 4Runner for the past 6-8 months but never really mounted it permanently. I finally took the center console and a portion of the dash apart to route all the wires. While I had everything apart, I also installed my new ham radio. Because I've never had a ham radio before, I'm experimenting with install locations. I'll test it's current setup for the next couple of months.
Pictures:
Look Ma, no rack! It's like I have a new truck! No rattles and already the fuel mileage numbers are better on the highway.
Up top is an Alpine CDA-9883. Down below is a Yaesu FT-7800 dual band ham radio. It's currently zip tied to the Alpine. I would like to make some sort of a bracket and would also like to make a filler piece to fill the gaps on each side.
My Cobra WX75ST cb radio. When not in use, I can unplug it and pull it out of the center console. All the guts are buried underneath the console, out of sight.
Oh and Dave, I soldered all my connections.
Posted by RJ at 8:17:00 PM.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I want a Jeep again. It took a whole year for me to finally miss having a Jeep and now I want one again. A 2004-06 Jeep Wranlger Unlimited (non-Rubicon) with an automatic transmission and a soft top to be exact. Abby says I can start looking in September so potentially we can do one last Death Valley trip this year with the new Jeep before it gets too cold.
Oh yeah, it will get an Old Man Emu lift and 33x10.50-15 BFG All-Terrains. Okay, let the discussion begin.
MMMMMMMM...
Posted by RJ at 7:42:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Our Billy got married this last weekend. (Look! Billy is smiling!!!) It was a nice ceremony in the beautiful town of Port Townsend, WA. Congratulations to the Hinton's!
Posted by RJ at 10:12:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Monday, May 05, 2008
I went on my last off-road trip here in the northeast. Check out some videos.Look for me at 1:25.
How to roll a Wrangler
Some pictures can been seen here
Posted by RJ at 9:43:00 PM.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
I spent a large portion of today working on the 4Runner. I removed the roof rack (where the spare tire was mounted) and relocated the spare back underneath the rear of the truck. It turned out to be a pretty complicated process. First off, the spare tire is too large to fit underneath. I ended up having to take all the air out of the tire and ratchet strap the tire to squish one side of the tread in to make it fit. It barely fits! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the roof rack (anyone want it???).
The next project involved working inside. I've had a CB in the 4Runner for the past 6-8 months but never really mounted it permanently. I finally took the center console and a portion of the dash apart to route all the wires. While I had everything apart, I also installed my new ham radio. Because I've never had a ham radio before, I'm experimenting with install locations. I'll test it's current setup for the next couple of months.
Pictures:
Look Ma, no rack! It's like I have a new truck! No rattles and already the fuel mileage numbers are better on the highway.
Up top is an Alpine CDA-9883. Down below is a Yaesu FT-7800 dual band ham radio. It's currently zip tied to the Alpine. I would like to make some sort of a bracket and would also like to make a filler piece to fill the gaps on each side.
My Cobra WX75ST cb radio. When not in use, I can unplug it and pull it out of the center console. All the guts are buried underneath the console, out of sight.
Oh and Dave, I soldered all my connections.
Posted by RJ at 8:17:00 PM.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I want a Jeep again. It took a whole year for me to finally miss having a Jeep and now I want one again. A 2004-06 Jeep Wranlger Unlimited (non-Rubicon) with an automatic transmission and a soft top to be exact. Abby says I can start looking in September so potentially we can do one last Death Valley trip this year with the new Jeep before it gets too cold.
Oh yeah, it will get an Old Man Emu lift and 33x10.50-15 BFG All-Terrains. Okay, let the discussion begin.
MMMMMMMM...
Posted by RJ at 7:42:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Our Billy got married this last weekend. (Look! Billy is smiling!!!) It was a nice ceremony in the beautiful town of Port Townsend, WA. Congratulations to the Hinton's!
Posted by RJ at 10:12:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
I spent a large portion of today working on the 4Runner. I removed the roof rack (where the spare tire was mounted) and relocated the spare back underneath the rear of the truck. It turned out to be a pretty complicated process. First off, the spare tire is too large to fit underneath. I ended up having to take all the air out of the tire and ratchet strap the tire to squish one side of the tread in to make it fit. It barely fits! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the roof rack (anyone want it???).The next project involved working inside. I've had a CB in the 4Runner for the past 6-8 months but never really mounted it permanently. I finally took the center console and a portion of the dash apart to route all the wires. While I had everything apart, I also installed my new ham radio. Because I've never had a ham radio before, I'm experimenting with install locations. I'll test it's current setup for the next couple of months.
Pictures:
Look Ma, no rack! It's like I have a new truck! No rattles and already the fuel mileage numbers are better on the highway.
Up top is an Alpine CDA-9883. Down below is a Yaesu FT-7800 dual band ham radio. It's currently zip tied to the Alpine. I would like to make some sort of a bracket and would also like to make a filler piece to fill the gaps on each side.
My Cobra WX75ST cb radio. When not in use, I can unplug it and pull it out of the center console. All the guts are buried underneath the console, out of sight.
Oh and Dave, I soldered all my connections.
Posted by RJ at 8:17:00 PM.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I want a Jeep again. It took a whole year for me to finally miss having a Jeep and now I want one again. A 2004-06 Jeep Wranlger Unlimited (non-Rubicon) with an automatic transmission and a soft top to be exact. Abby says I can start looking in September so potentially we can do one last Death Valley trip this year with the new Jeep before it gets too cold.
Oh yeah, it will get an Old Man Emu lift and 33x10.50-15 BFG All-Terrains. Okay, let the discussion begin.
MMMMMMMM...
Posted by RJ at 7:42:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Our Billy got married this last weekend. (Look! Billy is smiling!!!) It was a nice ceremony in the beautiful town of Port Townsend, WA. Congratulations to the Hinton's!
Posted by RJ at 10:12:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I want a Jeep again. It took a whole year for me to finally miss having a Jeep and now I want one again. A 2004-06 Jeep Wranlger Unlimited (non-Rubicon) with an automatic transmission and a soft top to be exact. Abby says I can start looking in September so potentially we can do one last Death Valley trip this year with the new Jeep before it gets too cold.Oh yeah, it will get an Old Man Emu lift and 33x10.50-15 BFG All-Terrains. Okay, let the discussion begin.
MMMMMMMM...
Posted by RJ at 7:42:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Our Billy got married this last weekend. (Look! Billy is smiling!!!) It was a nice ceremony in the beautiful town of Port Townsend, WA. Congratulations to the Hinton's!
Posted by RJ at 10:12:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Our Billy got married this last weekend. (Look! Billy is smiling!!!) It was a nice ceremony in the beautiful town of Port Townsend, WA. Congratulations to the Hinton's!
Posted by RJ at 10:12:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Posted by RJ at 1:29:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.
On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I spoke to our moving company today. We are finalizing our plans for the move. I was told that it will take 7-13 days for our stuff to get to CA. Of course, we have to be there in 7 days just in case our stuff arrives. For some reason, there isn't a way to narrow that time frame down. Because of this, we are having to change our plans and will have to drive straight to CA. It looks like it will take 6 long days to complete the journey. We had planned on driving both cars, but just today have decided that we will install a tow bar (like what you see on cars towed by RV's) and flat-tow the Yaris to CA. We talking about leaving CT on June 25th and arriving in CA on June 30th. With our luck, it will take the full 13 days for our stuff to arrive.On a side note, we will be in CA to look for apartments June 4th-7th.
Posted by RJ at 8:48:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.
Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.
Posted by RJ at 8:00:00 PM.
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am gaining weight at a crazy rate. This morning I stepped on the scale and 185 lbs. flashed up at me. Last week, I was at 180 lbs. I have terrible eating habits right now and don't deny myself anything. I don't work out. I'm a mess.Two years ago, I weighed in at 160 lbs. I couldn't finish most meals. Today, at lunch, I ate macaroni and cheese, a banana, cookies and then followed all that up by having 2 cheeseburgers and an apple pie from McDonald's. Craziness!
I told Abby that I would start running again once we moved. I think I need to start sooner. As soon as it gets warmer, we will starting taking walks in the evening. I also have aspirations to get a mountain bike to take with me on my adventures to the desert. We'll see how this goes. I never thought I'd ever want to lose weight, but I'd like to drop about 10 pounds by the end of the summer.