Colin - STAPUFT

Has this just been ongoing, or has it just started in this cold? Vehicles consume more fuel when it is cold. The air is denser and the engine requires more gas. I have noticed that my mileage is SUCK right now. Do check all that stuff that Cubs_Fan said too. Those are the first things to check.

That is bangin! Thanks for that bro!

Ahahahaha! "I be smackin my... HOOOES! thank you."

This works Very well in addition to everything else. We do this with ours as well. For having 3 Pits inside the house, it is amazing how few bathroom accidents we have. Thank you crate training.

Amen. That is why Cindy Sheehan pisses me off so much. I know she lost her son and that is a terrible thing- but he signed up for the military and knew what he was doing. He so loved his country that he was willing to and did give his life for it. She disrespects her son by doing what she does. So does this wad.

That is true- it couldn't really hurt, especially if you have the spare wire. If you do it though, it needs to be fused as well. It won't help your charging any, but it would make life a bit easier on your starter.

Just a heads up to anyone who has a Trailblazer or GM with the 4.2l straight 6 vortec: The wife's 2003 Trailblazer fan clutch had a cute "tick... tick... tick..." pretty much since we got it in 07. It had 115k on it then, but once it warmed up, the tick would go away. Well.... about a month or two ago the service engine light came on and I noticed a roaring sound when driving and a loss of power. So- duh, the fan clutch finally gave out. I popped the hood and checked and along with that- the entire fan, fan clutch and pulley assembly would "wabble" by about 1/8 of an inch. Great. The water pump bearings had gone bad. It seems that this is a VERY common problem with Trailblazers. I replaced it all with the help of my dad. Not much fun at all and not too cheap. 200 fan clutch, 60 for the water pump and 25 for the Gatorback (always go with these now)- and our time for exchange of $$ for mechanic labor. After lots of cussing and scrapes, we got the old assembly out and the new one in. I didn't really realize how loud the TB was before, but now with all the new stuff and with the quiet Gatorback belt, her TB is really really quiet now. Just wanted to give people a heads up in case there is anyone who has this same trouble. Just know that it will only get worse if you don't fix it, and yes it made a huge improvement. It is amazing what you get used to when something goes bad over a long period of time...

The wife and I have 3 Pits, all inside dogs, sleep in the bed- are all rescues. Each one has its own personality and way we have to deal with them. You are at an immediate disadvantage with training because he is already a year and a half old- but don't let that discourage you or stop you. It isn't like it can't be done, it will just be a bit slower than say if you got him as a puppy. Step ONE: Make sure you are the boss and that he knows you are the boss. "Alpha Roll" him: Roll him over on his back and get all of his feet off the ground where the only thing on the ground is his back, applying slight pressure to his chest. Lean over him applying pressure to his chest, but don't hurt him or put too much pressure on him. When you do this, make him be still. Keep him there until he tries to get up, and then make it quite clear to him that he doesn't get up when he wants to, but when you want him to. You will know when he gives up b/c he will quit resisting and he will turn his head away from you and look elsewhere. Then you can let him up. Do this often in every room and in every situation you are in until you establish that you are the Boss. Keep small treats handy for when you are training him. It is so easy to get angry when they seem to disobey you, but most of the time, they just don't know what you want. Negative reinforcement is bad, Especially with Pits. When they do something bad or you see something bad about to happen, simply take him out of the situation. Stop the bad habit immediately and put his mind on something else. Have him do little things that you know he will do- and then reward him with a treat. Always reward when the do good. Do your best to not loose your cool when they are bad. You can then build on his training with that. Be consistent. Pits (on the whole) are very smart dogs and they remember things. If you don't allow something one day, do the next, and then don't again on the 3rd day, the dog sees this as weakness or that you don't mean what you say. They then will assume that with everything you tell them to do. Stuff to check into: Cesar Millian's books and TV show: The Dog Whisperer. People think my wife and I are crazy the way we talk about our dogs and how we train and interact with them. But really- you aren't training the dog, you are training yourself. Dogs are already hardwired to be the way they are- so if you act as the Alpha and treat them as an Alpha would, as long as they know that- you will know how they will act. Therefore, it is you who are being trained more so than the dog. Pretty crazy stuff, but when I gave in to this way of working with our Pits, everything fell into line.

That's good! That whole thing could have gone so much more sideways on you.

Man! It is like you have one every year... sheesh! Happy Birthday Bro.

Bwaaaahahaha! Best Turkish knock-off Rambo ever. EVER!

That was great! It snowed about 3-4" or so here at the beginning of this year, and we got a vid of the 3 pits running around like fools.

They were worth the wait. Ill!

Nice truck Bill! Yeah.... Strange.

When you say the same thing over and over and over a different way it is called Propaganda. That is it. So, we are to spend our way out of debt.... Makes sense right? Any of you guys have a car payment, credit cards, house note??? When the f was the last time you could say "mmm... I so broke, I need to spend what I have and borrow even more... that will fix my problem!" ? Huh? Oh yeah, that happened before the last housing and economic bubble when people maxed out their credit cards and credit limits, then borrowed against their Overinflated priced houses to pay of consumer debt to do it again! Amen Forevbumpn! Obama doesn't care what will happen later. All he wants is to be the economic Savior right now. Even if this does destroy our economy. Anyone remember the "Lost Decade" that Japan had when they were sucking it up economically? They did exactly what the US is doing now... borrow from everyone, spend, spend. Their economy took 10+ years to come back from major unemployment and flatline. I have said it a million times- Why the hell is all this money going here and there to "Stimulate" the growth of jobs??? It comes out to some mad amount of $$$ per person. Let's just say it is $50k each or even each household. ....I would pay off my house and then rebuild it, build an addition, buy more stereo equipment, get a new car, have cash in the bank... but the Government knows best, I suppose. I don't need that kind of power over my own life- They Need It. This isn't about money- it is about power. It isn't the Government's money or credit they are using after all, It is OURS- the Taxpayers. BS.

Oh noes!! K-state! j/k man. Congrats. Accounting isn't easy either... at all. My mom was an accountant, btw.

Amen Brother! It is like a plague down here. Did you spot if they were latino? I have this theory you see... You fools don't go all Mississippi racist on me either... there are several latinos and latino families who live on my street and I have noticed a progression with their fake fender vents. They start with 3 or 4 and the longer they have the car, the more fake fender vents they have. ...kinda' like us and speakers!!!

Wow. That is impressive!

I have never gotten the whole sniping thing. eBay automatically raises your bid for you. If starting price on something is $20 and you bid first for $100, the price doesn't go to $100- it is $20. And likewise, if someone comes in afterward and bids $25, you are still the winner at $26. I don't have the time or care to watch every auction like that. I decide before I place my very first bid- the very Most I will pay for something. Then I place that bid and walk away. Pretty much like a silent auction. If I get it for cheaper, the that's really great. If I don't win it, then it cost too much. I work my finances on auctions as if I were to win every auction. That is all- I do it like it is a single bid silent auction and it works for me.

NO! Not Sears! Sears will give you the BIIIG Shaft. They make more money on their credit cards than they do their merchandise! That's no bull! Sears is evil. Hell- all of them are evil, but anybody but Sears. Yeah- for building credit reasons, go ahead with getting a CC, but cash is King! I have $0 debt and cash in the bank. It makes you sleep better at night too.

Adorable!! And great name by the way! You cover it from both angles.

We got a sprinkle of it down here in MS, but not enough to snow board on me thinks...

What ^ said for getting a credit card. My $.02 though: (and what everyone else has said too-) If the ONLY reason you are getting one is to HELP build your credit rating, then make sure you are NEVER late with a payment. Pay it all off every month. Just know that you are playing with fire when you use credit cards. Just so you know that I am not being hypocritical here, I did the same thing when I turned 18 or so. I now hate credit- because I see no sense in paying others interest when I can be making interest on my money. I don't do credit any more once I built my credit score up enough where I could get a home. The CC should be just a small part in your credit score building plan. Other things such as rent, phone, power, water, gas, etc... (with the same rules- pay in full, never late, etc...) will also build your credit rating. A credit score is nothing more than an "I love Debt" score. (www.daveramsey.com) To learn more about the specifics go here: http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducation/WhatsInYourScore.aspx Your credit score is based on these 5 things: Types of Credit (10%), New Credit (10%), Length of Credit (15%), Amount Owed (30%), & Payment History (35%). So- get a Credit Card, get bills in your name, don't do it all at once, keep in good standing as long as you do it, don't get too much credit for the amount of $ you make, and always pay on time or early. Then once your credit score is good and you get a good mortgage rate, cut that crap up and pay cash for everything and Bank on Yourself! That is how the rich get richer. ....like I said though- just my $.02

I like it as far as the sizes go. But for the "rear fill" you know you pretty much don't need rear fill for SQ unless you really want it. Don't let me talk you out of it b/c that is what "they" say- but it seems that NONE of the SQ winners have any type of rear fill. That component set looks ok, but it is so freakin' cheap for a 3 way! I would maybe buy it for the time being and listen to it to see if you like the sound of the 3 way. Fab everything up to fit those sizes and then when money allows, upgrade the speakers and crossover networks as you can. I have never been a fan of speakers that have cones/diaphragms that aren't made of more natural type materials- such as thick paper pulp, silk dome for tweets, etc....

That stuff is bad for you! It made my damn ears pop when I took a shot! LOL! I make fig wine.... but this year's won't be ready until about July or so. Good luck on your quest!