|
Post by azbatx on Jun 1, 2008 18:15:56 GMT -5
I won't have as much money as I usually do to spend at a con but I will find something to get. Hopefully Erik Larsen won't mind doing another free sketch for me. I am trying to sell some more stuff on Ebay to make some money for it. I usually focus on 2-3 different series to pick issues up for. Last year i worked on Spectre, Hitman and Resurrection Man. I'll try to finish them I think.
|
|
|
Post by cfs on Jun 2, 2008 10:29:11 GMT -5
Well, its cool either way. But, I hope you decide to go. It depends upon how many auctions I win over the next few days as well as how tired I am the days before the show.
|
|
|
Post by Brother J on Jun 2, 2008 19:01:54 GMT -5
Anyone else going? C, you going to show thyself this time? brotherj, you down with the sickness? Since I wont be rushed this time I am going to try and do the best I can with my money. I can't afford it right now, sadly. It would be a neat road trip, but I'd hate to think how much the gas would cost for such a trip.
|
|
|
Post by cfs on Jun 3, 2008 19:08:38 GMT -5
I can afford the trip. I'm just not sure if I want to spend all that time on the road or put the wear and tear on my only vehicle. When I had a second vehicle I didn't mind taking long trips. I knew I had something reliable if something happened and car repairs were necessary.
cfs
|
|
|
Post by G on Jun 6, 2008 4:57:42 GMT -5
Well, I finally finished off the month of May on the last possible day. I cannot believe I actually finished. I had 2 events cripple me in May. One, I had to write new guidelines for Fiscal Year 2008 for the place I work at and present them to managers twice which is a pain in my ass because last year it was done as a team and presented. This year my personal manager gave it to me as a personal project. So, I had to do it by myself. Two, I took a weeks vacation two weeks ago due mostly to burn out. I spent the time putting in a couple applications out there. When I came back the day after Memorial Day which was the previous Tuesday, I had 28% of my monthly required work done. Ive been working non-stop since then. I was able to finish my work at the required time of closing last night on the 5th. Since Im going to Charlotte in 2 weeks and taking yet another weeks vacation, I didnt want to hear any shit about I took a vacation and couldnt get my work done. I am burnt out once again, but Im glad I accomplished my monthly requirements. Generally I have a hard time completing them with a full month to work with. This month I missed 6 work days including Holiday. Im all set to start thinking of Charlotte in 2 weeks now with a clear conscience. And maybe after getting a real good nights sleep I can start getting some more posts to my board. Thanks for helping out during my mostly away absence!
|
|
|
Post by G on Jun 6, 2008 5:14:46 GMT -5
I can afford the trip. I'm just not sure if I want to spend all that time on the road or put the wear and tear on my only vehicle. When I had a second vehicle I didn't mind taking long trips. I knew I had something reliable if something happened and car repairs were necessary. cfs I understand that. Before I went to Charlotte last year the last time I had been to the convention before that was 1996. In 1999 me and a friend of mine ATTEMPTED to go again. I say attempted because we had almost made it to Charlotte. We were about 40 miles away when we stopped at a small town to get a drink. My friend had purchased a new (to him) SUV (back when gas was cheap). When we left. We made it to a stop light. When the light turned green, the vehicle didnt want to move. He some how got it to move but it sounded funny. The next block we caught another light. When the light turned green, the vehicle would not move at all. As traffic piled up angrily behind us, we tried to get out and push it to no avail. The rear wheels would not turn. A few minutes later the police were there to see what the problem was. 15 minutes later me and my friend were in his vehicle on the back of a flatbed truck going through town to the local car repair facility. Once we got there they raised his vehicle and tried turning the wheels which wouldnt budge. Im not sure what the part is called, but there was a drainage hole for like a rear axle gear housing. They undid the plug and bits of metal starting falling out of it. His rear end gear was destroyed. They quoted him some outrageous figure to get it fixed. He didnt have the money. Reluctantly, he sold his vehicle to the repair facility for $100 within the hr. He had a moment of holding back tears as he had just sold his newly purchased SUV which he thought was cool. The new problem was we were over 200 miles away from home with no car. I was able to call my family and an uncle of mine agreed to come drive and pick us up. He was over 4 hrs away. Meanwhile, we had no place to stay and it started raining. Since we had only the most exact and crude directions for my Uncle, we couldnt leave when it became close to time for him to be there. We was at the dealership under a small ledge (they had since closed because it was now evening).We were actually getting wet because there was no good cover and we didnt dare leave. We didnt have cell phones back then (well, we didnt). About an hr late, my uncle arrived and made me drive back in pouring night-time rain through some amazingly country backsides. In the wee hours of the morning we made it home. I paid my Uncle $100 for his troubles and also all the gas and food seemed to be up to me too. Charlotte 1999 was a nightmare. We had such high hopes of a good time. Instead we had a miserable time and my friend lost his vehicle. I actually felt pretty sorry for him. He had just bought it like 2 weeks before and was in the showing off process. Im sure he could have probably had it towed home at a high expense and had it repaired for less than what they quoted him. But he declined and sold it on the spot. I was out like $150 and didnt have a single comic book. The weekend was a wash out and they next day I went to work tired and grumpy. It was 8 years before I made it to Charlotte again.
|
|
|
Post by cfs on Jun 6, 2008 17:55:36 GMT -5
I had the freeze plugs rust through on my first used car within 6 months of buying it. The water drained out of the engine and everything overheated. Over the next few years of owning it, it was leaking every fluid imaginable. I learned to hate that car and the smell of antifreeze. Eventually one day the warped and defective radiator cap exploded off the radiator. I accidentally bumped it when I was squeezing the rubber overflow tube to see if fluid was moving through it. I heard the pressure seal break on the cap, I thought "oh shit, that's not good." I backed away. The cap exploded--yes exploded. The cap shot over my shoulder about 15 or 20 feet. The superheated water went straight into my face. The doctor said it was a miracle that I closed my eyes in time. I touched the skin on my forehead and it stuck to my finger just like the skin coming off a boiled tomato. It was the most agonizing unrelentless pain you could ever imagine. I had deep second degree burns. I rushed into the house and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables to press against my face. I called my family and within 15 minutes there were 5 vehicles in my driveway to take me to the hospital. The pain continued to get worse. After a couple of hours the doctor saw me and had my face dressed up with a white cream that has silver in it. I looked like a mummy I had so much gauze on my face. The nurses who are used to most everything were horrified for me with very sad looks on their face. The doctor gave me a prescription for two weeks worth of the cream in addition to the samples. I went back a couple of days later and the nurses were still talking about me. A couple of nurses stepped away from their post to come see how I was doing. I was in the follow up clinic around the corner from the Emergency room. The weird part is that after the doctor cuts off all the bandages, he was stunned. He said I had healed faster than anyone he'd ever seen before. He told me I didn't need to use the two week prescription he'd given me. He said "just stay out of the sun". I had no scars. He said my healing was a miracle.
Well... the point of my story is.....I never intend on buying a used car from anyone ever again. I always buy new. You never know what a previous owner did to a vehicle. A two year old car should never have freeze plugs that rust out. The dealership extended the warranty that wasn't even setup to cover it. I didn't have to pay for anything, other than all the years worth of endless repairs from the hoses and gaskets cooking until they were brittle on the engine block.
Also, I can smell antifreeze leaking from cars 30 feet away even if it's just a tidbit of steam coming out. I want all these cars with defective cooling systems fixed. I will stop complete strangers and tell them their radiator is leaking. Some will doubt me at first until they lift the hood and find out I'm right.
cfs
|
|
|
Post by G on Jun 7, 2008 9:54:24 GMT -5
What a wild story C....
I bought my very 1st new car last year. My wife also purchased her car new before I got with her. There is a certain security of buying your own car new. At least you know what it has been through.
|
|