What have you done today?

[Calandale]

Cool. Mail order 15 yr olds?

[DirtDawg]

I'm a little OD'ed on Life.

Life itself?

Glad someone got the reference.

You can pretty much count on me
getting one, as long as it's not from
Imaginos.

I saw them a few years ago at a pissy smelling dive in Louisville. I was saddened to see one of my favorites reduced to that state, but their popularity had diminished a great deal, by that time. They were spectacular, in performance, but the venue was puke-worthy. They actually did "Imaginos" as a cohesive opera, complete with a change of costuming and stage set-up, the way it was written, instead of the way Columbia hacked it up and re-arranged it into a regular album. It was really good. To me the biggest problem with "Imaginos" is the ridiculous, tinny, low-res, back-alley studio sound the record company produced for it. I have always been more impressed with their live sound, but capturing that on disk, for playback through a boombox is impossible.

[Litigious]

Stood in line, waited in a chair, sniffed the body odor of about forty five people, listened to over a dozen babies crying, watched a new mom overburp a baby and wear the results, smelled that, caught a cancerous old woman who had fallen asleep and was toppling out of her chair (I didn't want to hear her cry, too), stood in a shorter line, paid the pretty lady (enjoyed that part) and was rewarded a renewed car registration. I'm a little OD'ed on Life.

... and extremely disgusted with the working pace of people employed by the state.





(I can't believe the fucking typos I made)

That is almost exactly what I did yesterday, but I had to get my car inspected first.

It took me over an hour and I had a six year old autie, having a rough day, in-tow. She was making several people laugh by intelligently questioning the complexity of the process. She severely ripped apart the whole stand-in-line-for-your-chance-to-tell-them-you-will-sit-in-a-chair-and-wait routine, in a very cute, but impatient way. Entertaining her questions was really the only thing that saved me.

I did it while my daughter was in school, thank goodness.  We take a number at the car registration place, then we can sit in a chair or whatever, but we have to listen closely for our number or they will skip over us.

What is that renewed car registration thing? 

We pay tax every year for our cars. The license tag, that indentifies every legal car, expires every year and must be "registered" again. It cost me one hundred fifty seven dollars for my two cars. It decreases every year as the car ages. New cars are very expensive to register in Indiana.

Renewing the registration is relatively simple compared to buying a car and get it registered to you for the first time. It's all very legal.

We have car tax as well (of course), but we don't have to go to some office to get a renewed tag; we get it by mail, after car inspection. The tag itself costs nothing. And buying a new car is also a very simple process in Sweden. And it even seems that our car inspection is simpler than yours; nowadays they send out a time for inspection automatically, and if you aren't satisfied with it, you can simply change it on phone or even easier on the internet.

Hm, I've discovered one thing that actually is simpler in Sweden than in the US. 

You mean other than sex with fifteen year olds? Normally I mail them in also, but this time was odd.
Indiana does not have a required vehicle inspection prior to registration. However, if you are stopped for a traffic vioaltion, the officer will do a purfunctory inspection of your vehicle and likely add other violations to the charges he stopped you for.

New cars are inspection free for two or three years in Sweden. Then you have to inspect them once every year. Cars older than 25 years (or 30, I'm not sure if they've changed the law) don't need an inspection and just a nominally tax, if you drive less than 1000 Swedish miles (about 6000 English miles) a year with them.

[Calandale]

I saw them a few years ago at a pissy smelling dive in Louisville. I was saddened to see one of my favorites reduced to that state, but their popularity had diminished a great deal, by that time. They were spectacular, in performance, but the venue was puke-worthy. They actually did "Imaginos" as a cohesive opera, complete with a change of costuming and stage set-up, the way it was written, instead of the way Columbia hacked it up and re-arranged it into a regular album. It was really good. To me the biggest problem with "Imaginos" is the ridiculous, tinny, low-res, back-alley studio sound the record company produced for it. I have always been more impressed with their live sound, but capturing that on disk, for playback through a boombox is impossible.

Was this before the break-up? I saw Brain Surgeons a couple of
times, in dives in Buffalo. It was pretty fucking sad. Still, it was
good to hear the old songs. Always managed to miss them while
they were still together.

[DirtDawg]

No, Albert Bouchard was there, but Joe Bouchard was gone. Bloom and Roeser were near their peaks. It was a great show. I can't remember if Lanier was with them then or not. There were many personell changes, during that period, but I have seen them so many times (more than thirty) it gets confusing to remember which show was whch. Lasers were long gone, though.

[Calandale]

Don't suppose you ever made it
to The Chance, in Poughkeepsie?

[DirtDawg]

Don't suppose you ever made it
to The Chance, in Poughkeepsie?

No, I have not, but "The Chance" and about a thousand other places are on My Life's To Do List, if you know what I mean. I do not do well in the parts of New York that I have seen, though.

[Calandale]

Used to be my folk's favorite club.
Though my mom liked some
of the places in the city, she
didn't get to go to them often.

[McGiver]

what is this car inspection.

in california we have to get a smog inspection every other year.

[Litigious]

what is this car inspection.

in california we have to get a smog inspection every other year.

They check out the car for rust on crucial parts, how well the breaks work, if all lights work correctly and if the exhaust fumes contain too much carbonmonoxide, carbohydrogens, etc.

[DirtDawg]

what is this car inspection.

in california we have to get a smog inspection every other year.

They check out the car for rust on crucial parts, how well the breaks work, if all lights work correctly and if the exhaust fumes contain too much carbonmonoxide, carbohydrogens, etc.

Many states do a similar inspection, but others, like Indiana, don't bother. However, new cars must meet the new exhaust emmissions specifications (not sure the specifics) and real new cars are not a problem.

If you build your own car, like some of my hotrodder "friends" do, it will have to be tested and certified privately, before it can have a title issued or be licensed to take the streets. The only way around that is to use major parts previously titled from an older car. That is fine for someone restoring a classic, but if you are building a "T" bucket from scratch, you must be certified to current federal emissions standards.

[Litigious]

According to Scrap, I could get 39 more horsepowers for my Volvo 850 simply by re-programming the fuel injection chip with a PC. My father knows a guy who can do these kind of things; he's even been allowed to drive some of the King's old veteran cars, but my father is afraid that I will get in trouble with the authorities. That's the problem with the Swedish mentality in a nut shell ; my father wasn't afraid to dare those scums who tried to rob him, but he has too much respect for authorities. 

With 39 more horsepowers, I would have 183 horsepowers (DIN) in a 12 year old 5 cylinder Volvo with a 2.5 liter 10 valve engine. That wouldn't be bad. 

[DirtDawg]

How about economy? Do it, anyway, if it gets you better mileage. It probably will.

[Litigious]

How about economy? Do it, anyway, if it gets you better mileage. It probably will.

It'll get me better speed anyway. It now makes 200 kmph, but with 39 extra horsepowers it would maybe make 230-240 kmph. 

[DirtDawg]

How about economy? Do it, anyway, if it gets you better mileage. It probably will.

It'll get me better speed anyway. It now makes 200 kmph, but with 39 extra horsepowers it would maybe make 230-240 kmph. 

Mr. Speedy McBugs-in-his-teeth should know about that, for sure.