Life of Jake Update Thing (Not dead, despite other people's best efforts)

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
11/13/2019 at 09:00 • Filed to: None

So I just realized it’s been months since my last post so here’s a bullet points of the ups and downs of the last little while:

Got a new job

I’m now a systems administrator and web specialist at a managed IT firm, meaning we do contract IT work for dozens of businesses in the Wichita area. I’m enjoying it.

Fixed my bike

Went on a website that custom-makes jet kits for you based on your bike and mods, figured out the proper jet sizes (two larger than stock on the main, one larger than stock on the pilot, and two shims, if I remember correctly). The bike ran flawlessly. Finally pulled like it should on the highway. This picture was taken 20 minutes after fixing the bike and roughly 10 minutes before the following

Wrecked my bike

So, uh, ~ the lawyers~ don’t want me posting specifics. Dude ran a red light. I got the short end of the “not hitting crossover SUVs” stick. Bike is gone. I am not, but I’ve had better times.

Modified my car

The NC got some yellow-dot RX8 take off sway bars. Massive handling improvement. It also got the (shockingly clean) brake fluid changed out for Motul DOT6 and some Motorcraft trans fluid. Would really like to do Koni Sport shocks and Progress springs but that’s a lot of $$$. Tax return, possibly?

Re-started my Youtube channel

Aiming for weekly uploads but... that’s not going so well since the accident. Expect car stuff and maybe computer stuff.

Check it out at:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Got a... thing?

This isn’t officially mine yet since I absolutely have nowhere to put it but I got a free project car to kick the channel off. The least desirable Z car ever, a 280ZX 2+2 without a Nissan engine in the bay. Something else will go in. It will get hacked up. It will be... content? Think R otsun but with far more trailer park . I’m thinking of calling it Datsun Oxide.

Fostered a thing

On the left is our cat Jiwon. On the right is our foster kitten Lemony . Its owners aren’t able to have it at the moment so it’s come to live in our apartment zoo for a while.

Fixed a bike

Fixed this 2004 V-Star 650 for my bosses friend. It stopped running on the side of the highway after running out of gas and new gas didn’t fix it so obviously the solution is to let it sit for 3-4 years. The carb on this was glued solid with how much grossness was in it. It got:

Ultrasonic carb clean

Rebuilt with a rebuild kit

Front tire

All new fuel lines

All new fuel line clamps

New fuel filter

New fuel pump

Oil change/filter

Some fasteners drilled out because Yamaha is the most garbage motorcycle manufacturer I’ve ever come across and this is by a long shot the worst bike I’ve ever worked on or ridden. The fasteners weren’t the least of my issues with this thing... literally everything about it is designed to be hostile to work on.

Even more annoying is how well it worked after I did all that to it. No 2nd or 3rd attempts to fix it. It just worked. Absolute bullshit. No project I’ve ever owned has been that easy.

Buying a house

Ye this is a fun one. Hopefully signing a contract this week, then I’ll have a garage to do things in.

Went on a road trip

Went with some friends to Arkansas to drive the roads there. Was a very good time. Not pictured: heavily modded white NC, Z3M coupe, BRZ on RE71Rs.

Bonus cat pictures

DISCUSSION (26)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:02

“So, uh, ~ the lawyers~ don’t want me posting specifics. Dude ran a red light. I got the short end of the “not hitting crossover SUVs” stick. Bike is gone. I am not, but I’ve had better times.”

Username continues to check out.

Congrats on the house. Colour me super jealous.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:11

Glad you’re still with us! And congrats on the house. My advice to all new home owners is... Don’t move into your house right away. Instead, move into your nearest Home Depot, Lowes, or other hardware store because for the first 6 months of home ownership you will spend more time in there than your actual house.

vondon302 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:19

Black cat is best cat.

dumpsterfire! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:24

that’s a lifetime for some people crammed in a few months. glad you didn’t become a permanent hood ornament

Nibby > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:26

DEVOPS

TheRealBicycleBuck > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:30

I’m glad you made it with all of your parts intact. RIP bike.

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 09:55

Congrats on the house. Unfortunately my financial life is so grim that I can’t see myself having money for the deposit anytime soon.

Hopefully the wife will be approved on her job interview on the 21st and we can change the scenario...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Snuze: Needs another Swede
11/13/2019 at 10:04

M wife actually works at Lowe's so I'll be putting that family discount to full use. Luckily most of what the place needs is a bunch of DIY stuff.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/13/2019 at 10:09

You think I'd buy a *good* house? Hahahahahahahahahahaha

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 10:10

I would send the ZX to the crusher and not even blink walking away.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 10:11

Genius!

Be forewarned, especially given your screen name, you will have at least one relatively major problem within the first 6 months. For us it was the water heater failing about 2~3 months after we moved in. My dad helped me replace it and it’s been all good since then.

W e bought our house “move in ready” , the previous owner “freshened up” before it went on the market. It’s not perfect, it was done very cheaply, but it’s totally serviceable and we can take our time and change things as we go, no big rush to do anything major.

The Achilles heel on our place was the yard. Fortunately yard work, while labor intensive, isn’t too expensive, so it’s just been a big time sink. But I’m very much a low maintenance yard kind of person, no elaborate flower beds or anything, so in the long run the effort is worth it because it will make it much easier to maintain in the future.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Snuze: Needs another Swede
11/13/2019 at 10:25

I got a pretty comprehensive inspection on the place. The bones are good. Needs some spit and polish.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
11/13/2019 at 10:26

Thats what it deserves tbh. Tho shockingly the rust is pretty much entirely constrained to the rocker panels. The structure is all fine. It’s like my XJS that had no rot anywhere but the missing floor pan.

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 10:26

*spoiler alert* All houses are shit.

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 10:28

Glad you’re still with us. Sorry about the bike, but congrats on the new money pits.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 10:41

That’s good. We also got a great inspection, and the water heater was brought to our attention, so we weren’t totally blindsided , we were just hopping to get more than 2 months out of it. My dad is a contractor so he came down and went through the house with me in addition to the inspection and didn’t catch much the inspector didn’t already find, so I figured we did well.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 14:19

I still like any of the Z cars! Glad to hear things are well other than the bike thing...

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 14:30

Well. It’s been most eventful for you, hasn’t it? I don’t know how you remember all of that. ^_^

Thanks for the NC update, as well. Still don’t know how I missed that acquisition.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
11/13/2019 at 15:22

I didn’t remember all that. I went into google photos, scrolled back to the maserati, and then downloaded a picture from every significant event since then, lol

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
11/13/2019 at 15:22

I love how frumpy it is. It’ll be nice to have an absolute beater project pile of garbage that doesn’t have to do double duty as a daily driver like my jag did.

MM54 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 17:55

Sounds like, other than the bike thing (glad you’re relatively okay), things are going well - good to hear!

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/13/2019 at 23:29

Glad your still with us. Nice kitties, we used to have a black cat. He was a love muffin and my wife misses him very much.

How’s the wife? I loved the pictures of you two from a while back .

My 85 XJ6 is still going strong by the way.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/14/2019 at 02:59

congrats on the job.

good to hear you are ok after the crash

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
11/14/2019 at 11:01

Wife’s doing alright. Workin at Lowe’s.

Make sure to keep your HVAC drains cleared out on that Jag

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/14/2019 at 21:38

Funny you should mention that, I was having a terrible time with them actually. Early in the summer I noticed to my horror the passengers may was soaking wet. This was where I had a new floor pan put in at great expense last year. I took the carpets out and carried a towel until I could figure it.

After driving about an hour there would be about 2 cups of water sloshing around over there. I couldn’t figure it out because I could see water dripping from the drain tube. Finally I did stuff a wire up it. I also found a vent hose had broken off the heater box behind the passenger knee panel, so I got that sorta stuck back on. Been dry ever since. Just gotta fix the drain for the right gas cap recess, it fills up with water whenever I wash it.

DutchieDC2R > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
11/15/2019 at 07:26

I missed the update, but glad to hear youre doing good.

So....from the looks of it...no major changes? ...:P