"Go for Launch" to bake the headlights

Discovery Space Bound
The Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off today bound for the International Space Station with the Japanese made Kibo lab on board. I documented the last shuttle launch back in February, and again, NASA did not disappoint. For some reason these launches captivate me. The pure power that these machines poses is crazy! I just wish it would have been last weekend, RAC and I would have motored over and watched!

Discovery has quiet the payload on board, including Kibo. Kibo is the largest module to go up in the shuttle and is a huge 32,000 pound science lab. It fills the entire cargo bay of the shuttle, leaving room for very little. What little they could bring on board is some plumbing parts for the faulty toilet on the station. Does NASA have protocols on plumbers crack in space? Anyways, Buzz Lightyear also made the trip up as a part of a children's science awareness project. Pretty cool. So Check out the awesome spectacle that is the shuttle launch. Only 10 more remain before they head to the bone yard. Bummer!

Discovery Launch


Back on 250 until gooey and golden brown...
Tonight, after the launch I got busy doing another modification on Calie, the MINI Cooper. I decided to do what they, on the MINI forums call a "Joey Mod" and I decided, what they hay, I might as well try it right? The Joey Mod essentially blacks out a headlight, giving it a really different and unique look. So I checked out the DIY forums and found a simple how to and I decided that I was going to do this mod.

Little did I know that in the course of the evening I would be backing my headlights in my oven. Yes, my oven. Seriously its not as bad as it sounds. The epoxy that they seal the the plastic lens onto the main body of the light is really gooey at higher temps. I tried using the sun as my heat but it just didn't get it loose enough. So, back at 250 degrees F for about 5 minutes, pry gently with a screwdriver and you get the clear lens off. Now all I have to do is mask the reflector and paint in the morning. Check back later for the completion of this mod...oh and MMA is on CBS...lets go Kimbo Slice!

Boring Day...

Nothing exciting at all that I want to write about....I apologize. Cheers!

Terrorist Alert! Terrorist Alert!

Rachel Ray is a TERRORIST!
Rachel Ray is famous for her EVOO which many people thought stood for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Little did you know, that while on her show, she was sending out coded messages to sleeper terrorists cells. Attacks were to commence based off of key phrases, such as 'yummy' or 'delicious' and of course her phrase for Jihad is 'EVOO baby.'

She even dresses like a terrorist as the picture shows. Clearly we need to get this women off of the air...like now, before any more poor little olives have to be squished. Hit the link to get the real story. Is this seriously how low this nation has become...its a SCARF. I have to go yell!

Chuggles comin back...

I picked up the ladies again today because Kmewalt was heading out to Sacramento, California to do a little house hunting. So I get the ladies for the rest of the week, weekend, and a couple of days next week! It should be fun, maybe they can help me work on Calie this weekend too! Other than that, it was hot here during our 'easy' run, which wasn't so easy in the heat, or maybe I was pushing the pace to much. Anyways, happy Hump Day!

The Phoenix has Landed

Newest "Alien" on Mars
NASA's latest mission to Mars, dubbed Phoenix, had a successful landing on Sunday. I was too busy blogging about the Indy 500 and Memorial day so this comes today :-). The mission of Phoenix is to study the frozen polar regions on Mars in hopes of finding the presence of water and other "life" sustaining compounds that the craft might be able to "dig" up.

Phoenix is dubbed such after the mythical bird that arises from its own ashes, like Fawkes in Harry Potter :-) Phoenix is comprised of parts from other missions to Mars that was scrapped, hence being born out of the ashes. It is equipped with a digging robotic arm that will allow Phoenix to scrape up material and deposit it inside itself for chemical analysis. Like the two rovers on Mars currently, this mission is slated for 90 days. If you use the backdrop of the mars rovers, you'll be reading about Phoenix for the next couple of years...at least we hope!

Its highly unlikely though due to its location in the polar regions where the sun light is low, especially during the winter. It is likely the cold will sap the power out of the batteries much sooner than the crippling dust would. Fun stuff. Shuttle launch scheduled for this weekend...woot!

Memorial Day

Somber Remembrance
This post is dedicated to those men and women who are serving, or have served, our country in times of conflict to defend our way of life. Thank You! May we think more of today as a day of thanks than that of a day of BBQ's, swimming, and relaxation. Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made in order for us to enjoy our freedoms and the life that we have.

Indianapolis 500

Ah, the Indy 500...that Memorial Day weekend tradition at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. RAC and I headed over to K&A Wags for a little BBQ they were throwing while watching the race. K made some home made Mac-n-Cheese plus some AMAZING cheese cake bits. Oh, and there was a race. Check out A Wags blog over at The Furious Wedge for a great recap of the race and the BBQ.

Scott Dixon ended up winning the race, unfortunately I did not have him in the race pool. I think it was rigged as the host of the BBQ had him. I won't complain to loudly though, I was the reason why RAC and I were late to the race:-)

Closing thought of the day: "Um...nothing like dumping milk on your head after winning a race!"

Cheers