Someone get that man a fig leaf!
This has been The Tomfoolery Report.
Odds & Ends
10 years ago
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Tomfoolery Report v. 1 n. 4 - David Bowie
This Tomfoolery Report really needs no introduction. May I present David Bowie as he appears in the childrens movie Labrynth:
Someone get that man a fig leaf!
This has been The Tomfoolery Report.
Someone get that man a fig leaf!
This has been The Tomfoolery Report.
The Tomfoolery Report v. 1 n. 3 -Tastes Just Like Chicken They Say!
This TFR is a two-parter
1) At our motel restaurant at Capitol Reef National Park, I ordered a 3 piece chicken meal. The joke was on us when our food arrived 50 minutes later cold as ice. That was when the real tomfoolery happened. May I present to you, one piece of my 3 piece chicken meal. Yes my friends, the joke was on me- "What? We've only got two pieces of chicken left? We need three! Quick, grab that rat and a sharp knife!"
2) This picture comes to us straight from a KFC in Japan, it was taken by my brother in law who got these tasty morsels in his bucket of Colonel's goodness. This is a picture of a picture, so I apologize for the low image quality. On the top of the picture, you have a chicken spine, and below that, you have a fried chicken brain. I don't know if this is better or worse than the infamous battered and fried chicken head from McDonalds, but its enough to make me swear off The Colonel forever.
1) At our motel restaurant at Capitol Reef National Park, I ordered a 3 piece chicken meal. The joke was on us when our food arrived 50 minutes later cold as ice. That was when the real tomfoolery happened. May I present to you, one piece of my 3 piece chicken meal. Yes my friends, the joke was on me- "What? We've only got two pieces of chicken left? We need three! Quick, grab that rat and a sharp knife!"
2) This picture comes to us straight from a KFC in Japan, it was taken by my brother in law who got these tasty morsels in his bucket of Colonel's goodness. This is a picture of a picture, so I apologize for the low image quality. On the top of the picture, you have a chicken spine, and below that, you have a fried chicken brain. I don't know if this is better or worse than the infamous battered and fried chicken head from McDonalds, but its enough to make me swear off The Colonel forever.
What was your name again?
Here are a couple photos from a going away party at my work. This employee was so valued they even made a large banner for her! I can only hope my contributions are as recognized and valued as Rosie's...er Roise's...
Wait a minute, lets take a closer look at Rosie's sign...
Whoopsy.
Wait a minute, lets take a closer look at Rosie's sign...
Whoopsy.
The Tomfoolery Report v. 1 n. 2 - Flush 'n' Wait
May I present The Tomfoolery Report "Number 2" (Har har har):
As a responsible cell phone owner, I had no choice but to snap a photo of this unisex restroom at The University of Utah.
I'm not sure if the person who thought a chair was needed in here was more of a "team player" or if it was in response to overly strenuous activity. Hey, sometimes you need to take a breather!
Either way, hat's off for making this unisex restroom comfortable for the next person in line!
As a responsible cell phone owner, I had no choice but to snap a photo of this unisex restroom at The University of Utah.
I'm not sure if the person who thought a chair was needed in here was more of a "team player" or if it was in response to overly strenuous activity. Hey, sometimes you need to take a breather!
Either way, hat's off for making this unisex restroom comfortable for the next person in line!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Tomfoolery Report v. 1 n. 1 - Curb Hopper
Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Tomfoolery Report!
On November 24th 2008, I witnessed some outright tomfoolery:
Notice the conspicuous white line on the ground leading to the car... Evidently this guy had a little too much of grandpa's cough syrup before driving this morning. On his way into the parking area, he swung WAY too wide on his right turn, hopped the curb, drove across the grass island, and took out a chunk of the concrete curb. Whoopsy.
After he got the piece of curb lodged underneath his car, he kept on driving... "What's that noise?? Its a funny squeaky sound..." After his attempt to drive his high-centered car off the curb chunk did nothing but leave a sweet white line on the asphalt, he got out and gave the piece of curb a good swift kick... Lets think this through mathematically....
(2,000 lb. car/1 curb chunk) + 1 drunk man kick = FAIL.
So, he just walked off and left it until he'd sobered up a little.
Later in the day I came outside to find his car gone. I'm sure he had to jack his car up to get the concrete out from under there, its a shame I didn't get to witness that. However, he was nice enough to leave the chunk of curb in the parking area for someone else to hit.
This has been The Tomfoolery Report.
On November 24th 2008, I witnessed some outright tomfoolery:
Notice the conspicuous white line on the ground leading to the car... Evidently this guy had a little too much of grandpa's cough syrup before driving this morning. On his way into the parking area, he swung WAY too wide on his right turn, hopped the curb, drove across the grass island, and took out a chunk of the concrete curb. Whoopsy.
After he got the piece of curb lodged underneath his car, he kept on driving... "What's that noise?? Its a funny squeaky sound..." After his attempt to drive his high-centered car off the curb chunk did nothing but leave a sweet white line on the asphalt, he got out and gave the piece of curb a good swift kick... Lets think this through mathematically....
(2,000 lb. car/1 curb chunk) + 1 drunk man kick = FAIL.
So, he just walked off and left it until he'd sobered up a little.
Later in the day I came outside to find his car gone. I'm sure he had to jack his car up to get the concrete out from under there, its a shame I didn't get to witness that. However, he was nice enough to leave the chunk of curb in the parking area for someone else to hit. This has been The Tomfoolery Report.
The Tomfoolery Report
Well I think I've finally come up with something to do with this blog that will hopefully be entertaining for all (as do all my great ideas, this one came to me while I was sitting on the toilet).... The Tomfoolery Report. I don't know if the TFR will be the purpose of this blog, but I will headline them all so they are easy to find no matter what I wind up posting. Next up: The Tomfoolery Report volume I number I!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Oil and filter change on a 2008 2.3 Liter Mazda 3
I recently had the seemingly simple, yet ridiculously complicated task of changing the oil and filter in a 2008 Mazda 3. Mazda has done everything they can to make the average Do-It-Yourselfer take the drive of shame over to the neighborhood Jiffy Lube. Heaven only knows the embarrassment a DIY Weekend Warrior feels when pulling into Jiffy Lube. Thankfully for all the quitters, Jiffy's got a full supply of lube and oil drums to bend you over... and if you won't take my word for it, watch and learn.
With the OEM Mazda 3 2.3 liter, you don't replace a traditional oil filter, just the innards of a plastic reusable filter...and said innards cost more than buying a whole can filter...amazing.
I found a great guide online, so I won't re-invent what is in there, I'll just link you and get you on your way. However, before you check out the guide, below are a few things to keep in mind that I learned the hard way, hope these tips help! (The link to the guide is at the bottom of the post).
-The oil filter is a pain to change out, so the Mazda dealership is probably NOT changing your filter, and most likely, neither will Jiffy Lube (see above video link). My Mazda 3 has 18,000 dealer-serviced miles on it, and it is impossible to remove the encased oil filter without getting oil on the outside of the casing. My casing was totally CLEAN, so I can only suppose that it has never been touched by the dealership. 18,000 miles on one filter. Thanks Legacy Mazda, the worst dealership of all time. FYI- there is a 6 mm hex bolt on the filter casing that you will read about in the linked article. When you take the bolt out, oil runs across the bottom of the filter casing, so if you have your car dealer-serviced, it may pay to take a look at the bottom of the filter case (see article below for pics, etc) and see if there is oil residue on it. If there is not, it is likely your filter is NOT being changed. If you have Jiffy Lube service your Mazda 3, I can guarantee they are not changing it.
-You'll want the car up on jack stands so you have enough room to get under the car to leverage the drain plug and oil filter casings loose. My first attempt at changing the oil failed because the dealership had used an air gun to tighten the drain plug and I didn't have room to leverage the bolt free, so make sure you have room to use your muscles. :)
-Have an oil filter removal tool handy. My second attempt at the oil change was a failure because the factory had tightened the filter casing so tight that it could not be removed without a filter strap. These things only need to be "hand tight". Evidently Mr. Incredible got a job over at the Mazda 3 factory.
-The center bolt of the engine shroud you have to remove may not come out. I hadn't read about this anywhere, but on my 2008, the front center bolt holding the engine shroud to the car had an unsecured nut on it, so the bolt would just spin and not remove without considerable effort. Easiest way to deal with this: remove all the other bolts, pull the drivers-side front corner of the shroud loose from the plastic insert that holds it against the car, then swing the shroud out of the way so that the front edge of the shroud now runs front-to-back and the drivers-side edge of the shroud is running side to side in front of the car. Basically just turn the shroud 90 degrees.
-One of my next projects will be replacing the factory replace-the-internals-only oil filter with the adapter that allows you to put on a normal "can style" oil filter. I'm told the can filter we all know and love is what's used on the 2.0 liter Mazda 3's. I looked around on Google and found the kit for around $50, but since I haven't actually purchased from the site yet, I don't want to endorse it. I plan on switching out the ridiculous OEM filter system during my next oil change.
I think the tutorial covers the rest of it. Mazda has outdone themselves by taking a simple oil change and turning it into a full Saturday project. Good luck!
Here is the guide (http://robert.aitchison.org/tiki-page.php?pageName=Mazda3+DIY+Oil+Change)
With the OEM Mazda 3 2.3 liter, you don't replace a traditional oil filter, just the innards of a plastic reusable filter...and said innards cost more than buying a whole can filter...amazing.
I found a great guide online, so I won't re-invent what is in there, I'll just link you and get you on your way. However, before you check out the guide, below are a few things to keep in mind that I learned the hard way, hope these tips help! (The link to the guide is at the bottom of the post).
-The oil filter is a pain to change out, so the Mazda dealership is probably NOT changing your filter, and most likely, neither will Jiffy Lube (see above video link). My Mazda 3 has 18,000 dealer-serviced miles on it, and it is impossible to remove the encased oil filter without getting oil on the outside of the casing. My casing was totally CLEAN, so I can only suppose that it has never been touched by the dealership. 18,000 miles on one filter. Thanks Legacy Mazda, the worst dealership of all time. FYI- there is a 6 mm hex bolt on the filter casing that you will read about in the linked article. When you take the bolt out, oil runs across the bottom of the filter casing, so if you have your car dealer-serviced, it may pay to take a look at the bottom of the filter case (see article below for pics, etc) and see if there is oil residue on it. If there is not, it is likely your filter is NOT being changed. If you have Jiffy Lube service your Mazda 3, I can guarantee they are not changing it.
-You'll want the car up on jack stands so you have enough room to get under the car to leverage the drain plug and oil filter casings loose. My first attempt at changing the oil failed because the dealership had used an air gun to tighten the drain plug and I didn't have room to leverage the bolt free, so make sure you have room to use your muscles. :)
-Have an oil filter removal tool handy. My second attempt at the oil change was a failure because the factory had tightened the filter casing so tight that it could not be removed without a filter strap. These things only need to be "hand tight". Evidently Mr. Incredible got a job over at the Mazda 3 factory.
-The center bolt of the engine shroud you have to remove may not come out. I hadn't read about this anywhere, but on my 2008, the front center bolt holding the engine shroud to the car had an unsecured nut on it, so the bolt would just spin and not remove without considerable effort. Easiest way to deal with this: remove all the other bolts, pull the drivers-side front corner of the shroud loose from the plastic insert that holds it against the car, then swing the shroud out of the way so that the front edge of the shroud now runs front-to-back and the drivers-side edge of the shroud is running side to side in front of the car. Basically just turn the shroud 90 degrees.
-One of my next projects will be replacing the factory replace-the-internals-only oil filter with the adapter that allows you to put on a normal "can style" oil filter. I'm told the can filter we all know and love is what's used on the 2.0 liter Mazda 3's. I looked around on Google and found the kit for around $50, but since I haven't actually purchased from the site yet, I don't want to endorse it. I plan on switching out the ridiculous OEM filter system during my next oil change.
I think the tutorial covers the rest of it. Mazda has outdone themselves by taking a simple oil change and turning it into a full Saturday project. Good luck!
Here is the guide (http://robert.aitchison.org/tiki-page.php?pageName=Mazda3+DIY+Oil+Change)
Purpose of my blog
I've recently decided to take a renewed interest in my blog, and have been trying to think of what to write about so that my blog isn't just another pointless use of hard disk overflowing with information that even a friend or relative can't stomach to read through.
The best I can come up with is to post information on projects I do, and things I buy. Granted it is not the most original idea, and maybe I won't always post about those things, but I am in hopes that when I post, someone can either learn from a mistake I make in the process of a project, or get a second opinion on a game, album, or something along those lines. Sometimes Google doesn't have information I'm looking for, so when I figure it out myself I'll post it here and save someone else the struggle. Anyhow, that's the plan, we'll see how it goes!
The best I can come up with is to post information on projects I do, and things I buy. Granted it is not the most original idea, and maybe I won't always post about those things, but I am in hopes that when I post, someone can either learn from a mistake I make in the process of a project, or get a second opinion on a game, album, or something along those lines. Sometimes Google doesn't have information I'm looking for, so when I figure it out myself I'll post it here and save someone else the struggle. Anyhow, that's the plan, we'll see how it goes!
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