"Fool If You Think It's Over" by Chris Rea

Note: As of today (6-Sept-2020) I have 83 "draft" blog posts.  ("Draft" meaning posts I've started but haven't finished, so they aren't published yet.)  I want to add comments about the song.  Tell what is happening in my life, etc.  Add pictures of what is going on.  But at this point There is just no way I'm ever going to catch up.  The evidence is that I can't even keep up.  So I'm just going to publish these posts with a link to the song (hopefully one that is unlikely to disappear).  Maybe if a miracle occurs someday I'll be able to add comments / photos to them.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSui9_IBgao

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3myI0IJmTlQ

"Spiderwebs" by No Doubt

I had 5o go buy a tap to clean out the threads so the banjo bolt would screw in

Woohoo!!!  The left side is complete!!

I'm so excited!!  I completed the drum brake to disc brake conversion on the driver's side of CeCe today!

I remember when my daughter was first living with me that she took an segment of this song and put it on our answering machine for the greeting.  The audio quality was so bad it was difficult to even tell what it was.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo

"You're So Mean to Me" by Coco Montoya

KRCL's The Blue Devil's Blues Revue CD

Of course it is my "Dead Name" in the credits

I dug out some CD's to play while working on my car.  I played a part in the creation of this CD, I used to go with my friends Rob and Connie and run the UHF transmitter that sent the audio for the Blue Devils Blues Review program over to the KRCL studios for broadcast.  It was around 30 years ago.

I'm finishing this post like three and a half weeks after I started it.  I've just felt so overwhelmed by everything.  First it turned out that this song by Coco Montoya did not appear on YouTube anywhere I could find.  I considered posting a different song, but it felt like that ruined the meaning of this post.  So I decided to make my own video on YouTube for it.

Then Google changed the interface for Blogger... I have no idea what they were thinking.  I suppose they wanted to change it to the current interface style.  But I think it's HORRIBLE!!!!  It's ugly, less concise and far more cumbersome to use.  It just threw me for a loop, when I was trying to deal with all this other stuff.  I just didn't have the fortitude (?) to make a video and deal with that nasty interface.

I did find a way to revert back and use the old Blogger interface, which I'm so thankful for!!  I hope they leave it available, I'm dreading the thought of a time when I have to use that NASTY new interface!

Anyway, here is the video I made for this song, from on the CD.  I introduced the CD for a minute at the beginning of the video, there is a link to start at the radio introduction of the Blue Devils Blues Review and where the music starts.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG8D-kL1DHk
YouTube (radio intro): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG8D-kL1DHk&t=90s
YouTube (music): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG8D-kL1DHk&t=119s

The wind made a mess last night

The rotor is finally on!  I love that I have red dust boots!

And I really *LOVE* that I have red calipers!!

"Saved by Zero" by The Fixx

Track listing of the KRP on air cassette I found

I made a track listing of the cassette I found that was an on air recording of KRP a short lived New Wave station on November 1st, 1987.  (See yesterday's post)

I was going to post another song from the cassette today and I was thinking maybe "Secret Separation" by The Fixx.  But when I checked to see if I've posted it before, I noticed that I've never posted "Saved by Zero".  I was like WTF?  How can that possibly be!!  That was one of the first songs I heard on MTV that really drew me to it.  It was just an epic, quintessential song and video for me.  So I've decided I should post it for today!

Interesting that the extended version has additional lyrics.

YouTube (Vevo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOiZP8FS5Ww
YouTube (audio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euBzxXFEuA4
YouTube (Topic-extended): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-4iqBhU6Qk

---

Good to see the red grease poking through the ball joint

And I love that I found red dust boots for the ball joints

New tie rod end, new spindle and caliper bracket installed and torqued

The bolts that hold the caliper bracket to the spindle are supposed to be torqued to 95 foot pounds.  I could never get the torque wrench to click indication it was at 95 ft. lbs.  I put the assembly on the ground and tried to hold it still with my feet while I wrenched o  the bolts.  Couldn't do it.  I had SueZQ come and help me and we still couldn't get there.

Finally it occurred to me that if I attached the spindle to the car, the car would hold it steady for me.  I did so and it was cake!

"Current Stand" by Kids In the Kitchen

Mystery Tape turned out to be a recording of KRP from 11/1/1987

I have been digging through this bankers box in the garage that has all these miscellaneous cassettes, to find tapes to listen to while I'm driving SueZQ's truck.  This mystery tape turned out to be a gold nugget for me!!  It's an on air recording of the short lived New Wave station, KRP.  From things the deejay said and an ad for a concert, I'm fairly certain the tape was recorded on November 1st, 1987.

Here is a list of the New Wave stations as I remember them:

• Super 107 - I don't remember this, but one of my friends said it was the first
• KCGL - it was in a building in Bountiful, Utah on Orchard Drive, near the hospital
• KRP - rented time in the evening on the station that was WKRP during the day
• KJQ - on a backstreet off of 12th Street in Ogden, Utah - in the beginning just at night
• X96 - KJQ was bought out (?) and became a Christian radio station, so everybody (?) left and started X96 which was more Alternative
• KJQN - Owned by the same people as X96, to be a New Wave station.  Focus groups messed this up, wasn't the same music as the original KJQ. 
• KCQN - Chet Tapp and I and some of the DJ's from the old stations, started this Internet radio station after I lost my job because of MS in 2011.  We first went on the (Internet) air on October 1st, 2011.  Chet still kids me that it was the longest 2 weeks of my life.
• 103.1 The Wave - KCQN finally became a real, over the air, terrestrial radio station on October 1st, 2016.

103.1 The Wave:  https://www.1031thewave.com/

I'm making a track listing of the cassette now.  It's just so cool to me to hear almost 33 years later, not only the music, but the ads for places that are long gone.

Also this song has a distinct memory for me: I gave this album to my brother, Brad, for Christmas one year.  I had gotten a new video camera for Christmas that year so we had the family Christmas party at his house and somewhere I have video from that party with kids opening presents while this song played in the background.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zQW4xkCw8

YouTube (U.S. version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuqpneyrWVA

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wojHa2-4APg

YouTube (MTV): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9zdgZlLZcI

---

The "Ultra Sharp Lines" tape tore off a chunk of the brown paint, sigh!!  :(

I'm pretty sure grease is not supposed to be this stiff ;)

I finally got around to changing the plug on my battery charger

The 12 volt battery in our old Prius was bad, so I finally just left my battery charger in the trunk, connected to the battery all the time.  One time I forgot to unplug it (one time? hahaha) and it pulled the cord out of the back and, unbeknownst to me, it dragged on the ground and filed down the "Hot" pin on the plug.  It also broke the ground pin off completely.  So towards the end the arc every time I plugged it in burned the pin.  I could just smell the ozone whenever I plugged the battery charger in.

"You Sexy Thing" by Zella Day

I think this instrument cluster is going to be pretty dammed sexy too!!

I made this mock up in the GIMP (GNU Image editor) to kinda what I want the instrument cluster to look like.  Those are the actual gauges I have, I just made the rainbox panel in the photo editor.  And can I say I wasted WAY TOO MUCH F'ING time doing it!

The dust boot kept catching on fire while I was heating up the A-arm

I was so nervous about that boot being on fire, it was a much bigger fire at times than in these pictures.  Anyway, I was so  nervous I went and got the fire extinguisher that I bought for Lili when she was in the Pride Parade a few years ago.

Finally got the old spindle off

I was so EXCITED when I found RED boots to replace the old ones!!

Oh yeah, you sexy thing!!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhRXOOc_p-0

"You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate

You Sexy Thing!!!

Talia told me the other night that CeCe is the sexiest thing she's seen!  I was like YEAH, she is a sexy thing!!

http://taliakeys.com

I almost always wear a dress, even when I'm working on the car.  I figure I wore pants WAY TOO MUCH in my life.  I need to be me every minute I can.  So I wear a dress or skirt almost all the time!

#Transgender

However, it would be too risky to wear my favorite dresses to work on the car.  I was running out of dresses that I would be okay if some accident were to happen and I ruined the dress,  So I went into  Saver's the yesterday and picked up a few more dresses (Seniors get 30% off on Tuesdays!).

This dress is certainly NOT a dress to work on the car in, being white and all.  But it was so pretty I just had to get it.  It was only like $6 or something like that with the senior discount.

I have been freezing a lot lately, even when it's 75 degrees.  MS is just so FUN!!!

Anyway, since Talia said that about CeCe being the sexiest thing, I totally get that.  She IS a SEXY THING!!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUY9Y9RFiHY
YouTube (extended): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yA82CFvisw

"Don't Bother Me" by The Beatles

SueZQ took these last night

It felt so good last night, to FINALLY start on the disc brake stuff

Last night I FINALLY started assembling the stuff to convert CeCe to disc brakes!!

Today I masked her to paint the green, orange and brown on the strip between

The front is almost there...

I just have TOO MUCH going on :/   I had so many photos yesterday that I saved a few for today.

SueZQ was playing this song this morning.  So I guess don't bother me, I've got all this stuff to do...

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k03IQbaTcxc

"Double Shot of My Baby's Love" by Swingin' Medallions

The Ammeter I ordered on Amazon and was supposed to be delivered May 6-8

From the expanded tracking it appeared to be stuck in an infinite loop in St. Louis

It finally  arrived today

Along with the other gauges I bought (see my post from last Friday), I bought a VDO ammeter.  Equis doesn't appear to make one.  There aren't may places that make amp meters anymore.  Which is understandable, they really aren't that useful, with a voltmeter is easier to see what the condition of the battery condition is.  However since CeCe had an Charge / Discharge gauge (ammeter) before I decided to still have one.  I guess my OCD kicked in and I didn't want to just short the wires from the old gauge together.

Off topic: I'm certain that my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is significantly improved since I've been on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).  My brain absolutely functions better on Estrogen.

#HRT
#HormoneReplacementTherapy
#Transgender

Anyway, so I bought this VDO Ammeter and hooked it in the place where the old "Discharge / Charge" gauge was connected.  And no matter what I did the needle NEVER moved off ZERO (actually I feel like the needle was always slightly to the left of the "0".  I was like WTF?!?!?

Finally after fooling around for quite a while I finally got out my old VOM (Volt-Ohm-Meter) and connected it in series with the VDO ammeter.  Turned on the headlights and Voila, the VOM read around 8 amps.  The needle on the VDO gauge didn't move.

#VOM
#VoltOhmMeter

So then I took the gauge back to O'Reilly, explained it was defective and they ordered a replacement.  When it came in, I got it, wired it in and it behaved exactly the same as the one I returned.  I was really like WTF then.

I contacted VDO's Tech Support and they suggested trying the same things I already tried, with the same results.

I searched O'Reilly's website for a different ammeter, but all the other ones were 60-0-60.  Which I consider even more stupid than having the 30-0-30 ammeter.  Under normal  circumstances you would barely see the needle move.

---

Okay, I have to  tell a side story here: decades ago we had installed Airplane Landing Lights on my brother Brad's Corvair van.  I was driving it home from Univac late one night.  Back then 2200 West from 700 North to 2300 North was almost all just fields (unlike all the buildings there are now) and it was pitch black that night.  So I flipped on those airplane landing lights and it like pegged that ammeter.

#CorvairVan
#AirplaneLandingLights

---

Anyway, I tried the AutoZone website and it was the same, only 60-0-60 Amp Gauges.  So I found this other gauge on Amazon and ordered it.  I almost NEVER care when my packages arrive.  I'm normally like whatever.  But this time I went out and checked the mail several times every day, to see if it had arrived yet.  So it  is ironic that this package ended up with all the freaking problems.  I don't think I understand exactly how it finally got delivered.  It was weird that UPS was involved at some point when it was shipped via USPS.

Anyway, as soon as I got it, I wired it in series with the VDO gauge to see how they compared:

Headlights on Bright, Heater on Full - Amazon ammeter shows 16 amps, VDO shows zero

Ran the battery down for a few minutes, then started car.  Amazon gauge = 8 amps, VDO = zero

Anyway, this morning I was mixing up a batch of rice and beans to have a burrito for breakfast.  I decided since we use the rice and beans mixture up so fast I told SueZQ that I was going to make a double batch.  She said what is that song and I knew immediately that she was referring to this song.  But I couldn't remember who the artist was, so she had to look up who sang it.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk4Rj9WXjko
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57s89xrC93o
YouTube (Topic): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUNw1bsRpEs
YouTube (45 RPM): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDEmmLDyHZc

"Does Your Mother Know" by Abba

I just *LOVE* the way my hair looks now it's black

I got three more of the colors painted today

And the Switch Plate... are you detecting a theme??

I put on my new striped bikini today and (I wonder if I have a thing for stripes? Do you think?)  I intended to lay in the sun for a few minutes.  But the cushion for the lounge chair was covered in those stupid fucking seed!!  I tried to  wash it off, but it still seemed kinda gross.  So I decided I would wash CeCe in my bikini.  It was fun!!  I loved it!!

SueZQ came home and commented "It's just like in one of those Hot Rod magazines.  Yeah... except they would have beautiful swimsuit models and not this old woman.  But I do feel beautiful with my hair so nice and BLACK!!!

It was Mother's Day today!  A couple of friends messaged me Mother's Day wishes.  Which is okay.  I don't really identify as my children's mother, because I'm their Father.  So I still  celebrate Father's Day with my kids.  I figure it this way: some fathers are WOMEN and some mothers are MEN!!

#Transgender

One of my lovely transgender friends sent me one of those stupid forward this to 14 people and send it back to me things on Facebook Messenger (twice) today.  This homie don't play dat!!  The sentiment was nice but I just don't dig that pass it along thing.

Plus it talked about MY mother and that brought up my sadness that my mom never got to see or meet me as Rachel.  That is kind of heartbreaking for me.  Sometimes I even cry about it.

This trans friend is a lovely human being but seems to have a talent for sending me things that are upsetting to me.   Like one should not assume all our values are the same because we are both transgender??

First it was a meme that Atheists don't know shit about God.  I don't know that I'm an Atheist per se.  I am VERY anti-Christian religions!  They are absolutely misogynistic, which is absolutely wrong, Wrong, WRONG!!!  I do know for sure there is a power, force in the Universe.  I just don't think of it as God.  If you want to call it God, I'm okay with that.  I think of it more as MAGIC.

But I took offense at the meme she sent.  If you believe in God that's fine, but don't say shit about people who chose not to.  WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHAT WE BELIEVE.  That is one of the things that I find ANNOYING about religious folks, they think they must lay their shit on everybody else!  <Angry Emoticon Here>

Then there was a "news" video promoting the conspiracy theory that the Chinese genetically engineered the Covid-19 virus.  This has been denounced by all sorts of experts that it could NOT have been genetically engineered.

Argh!  I'm just frustrated again.  I just don't need this shit!!!

---

Anyway, to answer Abba's question, my mother didn't know me as Rachel, a woman.  :(

But it's a fun song anyway, I love it!!!

YouTube (Vevo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkL7Fkigfn8

"Arrow Through Me" by Paul McCartney & Wings

Finally got this ball joint loose, had to apply lots of heat again

Note my trusty Shecock and the Rock Princess lighter!  I just love lighting up with it!!

https://www.shecock.band/

https://shecock.bandcamp.com/

This heat exchanger has so many sharp edges to slice up my hands

I decided to remove it before working on the grill

I decided to remove the grill and paint the strip of body between the grill and the bumper.  But the heat exchanger for the air conditioner has so many sharp edges to accidentally cut my hands on, I decided to remove it first.  There is no A/C compressor so the A/C wouldn't work anyway.  Unlikely it would work after 52 years anyway.

The grill and headlight bezels are out of the way now.

Now I can finish the Pride Flag on the front

Found somebody's old oil rag in the corner by the battery

I know when I'm working on the car I'm usually not wearing heels :(
But at least they are RED!  :)

Last but not least - finishing up  the switch plate

One of my very favorite Paul McCartney songs!  When I was creating my post on Wednesday about Trump's visit to the mask factory and the songs about dying that played in the background, I thought about Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" that was played.  But I already posted it on 17-July-2013 in my old "Scott's" blog before I stopped trying to pretend I was a man.

#Transgender

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzA-ZuGGJzk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zcYw3f2k44

"She Fades Away" by Alphaville

The lawn mower wouldn't run today.  Digging that old grass out was gross.

Making progress on painting the Switch Plate

Getting ready to break loose that lower ball joint

No success yet.  Damn these are a pain in the ass... or hands at the case may be

Cutting out the holes for the gauges

These are going to be so... SEXY!!

This is one of my favorite Alphaville songs...

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmC4j-JN0hE
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RgrttqY91w

Too weird bra for me!!

I saw this weird bra thing on Twitter or Instagram and was curious.  It took so long to arrive I had forgotten all about it.  I put it on and it completely weirded me out!  Creepy!!  I decided I'm fine with bras that are about the same as my grandmother wore (not as pointy LOL!!).

In point of fact I remember trying on my grandmother's bras  :D

#Transgender

"Color My World" by Petula Clark

CeCe color's my world and cheer's me up every time I see her!!!

I've started painting the switch plate out of CeCe

I've decided to go with the same Philly Pride flag on the dashboard of CeCe.  I started painting the switch plate today and I plan to do the same with the instrument cluster.

I had to get an impact wrench to break loose the bolts holding the wheel assembly together

I found that 52 years worth of rust on those bolts, there was NO WAY I was going to break them loose by hand.  SueZQ suggested Harbor Freight and I got one much cheaper than other places I checked.  And it is incredible.  One pull on that trigger and those bolts were DONE!!!

Anyway, SueZQ was playing this song today and I thought that is what brings joy to my world is having so much color!!!  Seriously I believe that CeCe has healed me.  I feel better than I've felt in maybe years!  I think this song is very appropriate for me!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFdmTfB2tRE