SOLVED

Solution: Found moister in the ecu compartment, dried it out, started up fine.



"My poor Volvo 850 just didn't want to wake up today.

Made me miss a doctor's appointment, and halted a trip to the fabric store.

I am fairly mechanically inclined, and can fix whatever. I just wanted to ask before I started on anything. As this would seem to be more of a trial and error problem on my side. A mechanic may just know exactly what to do without removing half the engine.

Bottom line, car will not turn over.

Here is the video with the sound it's making.

http://youtu.be/ysZi3Aoiaj4

What I know so far.
Fuel - check
Battery - check
Spark/wires - Good as far as I can tell, wires fairly new.
Belts - check
Fuses- check
Vacuum - Fittings/hoses checked, no visible problems.

What I think?

I have a feeling it is electrical, or a bad fuel pump. I am more than a little rusty. So, I will leave it to people a tad more in the know.

Other notes.
-The idle air pump remained running after the car was off.

-There has been lots of rain, and moister may have found itself in some areas, as the seals are old.

-Car ran fine 2 days ago.

-OBD 1 computer has no error codes, OBD II not checked.


If you have any ideas, I am all ears.

Thank you."

28 years old.

I still have all my hair, and a size 32 waist line. Not that I am that vain, it's just I am the only male in my family to accomplish that.

So, you go girl.... you go.

What are my big plans?

I slept in today. I turned off my phone. I refused to check facebook.

I think I may get 1 or 2 fancy top shelf beers (as opposed to 24 bottom shelf beers). Order a pizza, and catch up on Mad Men.

Oh, and Mad Men is a good show... eventually. It takes a good 6 or 7 episodes to warm up. Not to mention their set design was not up to par for a Mid Century Modern freak such as myself at first. They eventually got some funding, did some research, and bought some decent furniture.

I still get to work today. Awesome, as always. I had to remake a head that I was not satisfied with. I got to tell you, the new one is really cool, and is really starting to take shape. If all goes well, could very well be posted tonight.

That would be an awesome present.

Happy birthday.. um.. me.

-Jeff

As I have mentioned before, I burn through content fairly fast. I have now been through almost every Star Trek series in under 2 months. I have digged deep into musics I never knew existed. On top of that I think I also managed to watch our Lion King, and Lilo and Stitch, and Groundhog day VHS tapes to the point where I know the entire dialogue line for line.

That being said, I have become more critical than ever about what I watch/ listen to, and how stimulating it really is. To be honest, what most of us see and hear is utter crap... There, I said it..

Okay, perhaps a little harsh..

So, to prove I am not a total cynical, out of touch, pseudo-intellectual; I offer something really worth checking out.

http://youtu.be/OcSxL8GUn-g

The James Burke "Connections" series is absolutely stunning. It really gives a much more compelling, and complete view of the world around us, that so many of ourselves have become jaded, or apathetic about.

Take 45 minutes of your time, and check out the first episode.

Do you ever work like a really long shift or something, and you are really hungry, because you forget to eat when you should? Then you got the the fridge knowing full well that you neglected to go to the store earlier today, and you are going to make that futile attempt to look for something at least somewhat edible. And, of course, it is all your damn fault for not managing to get your ass out the door by at least 10PM.

This is not uncommon.

Waffles, however, are uncommon.
This time when I went to once again look for something that dose not exist I found frozen waffles. The really nice Kashi 7 grain ones at that.

Yes, that was the most exciting thing that has happened to me this weekend... and week... uh.. month.

Let me get back to work, that's enough excitement for one journal.

Burned though another generations worth of music in a 2 week period.

So, any old school anything would rock. I do have to admit, the more obscure the better. As the obvious choices are dwindling.

If you have a groove shark, share me a playlist.

Thanks!

-Jeff

 Recently I have had the displeasure to deal with rumors, speculation, and harsh spiteful criticism. I would elaborate, but I think that would only derail the greater point I intend to make. 

My normal attitude is to simply ignore it. Keep working, and let my action speak louder than words. Now most of the time this is a very healthy way to deal with the issue. I stand by that. As you can see this kind of journal is indeed a rarity. 

So, why now did I elect to change my resolve?

Though I may have "thick skin" and can take my fair share of abuse, I do know that I am not the only one in the equation here. Many friends, and even customers are subjected to this kind of behavior as well. Now, I can't be there to defend myself at rumor, mistake, or situation that could instill doubt, or insecurity. At one point this would be acceptable, even expected. Simply let the situation take its course, and let the person(s) decide what they think of me, or my practices. This is my stance, and it saddens me that I cannot uphold it to it's entirety.
 I do think that the frequency, and now vagueness of the implications has shifted my role as a leader. Part of my job is to insure that I keep lines of communication open. I have a responsibly to my customers, my friends, and the public to insure that they are not lead astray by blind speculation, or misinformation (via "telephone). The only issue is to not be dogmatic myself. Any input I my give may be subjective, and thus could be discredited quickly to those unwilling to yield my point of view. This would only continue this cycle of the "sewing circle".

This leads me to the only solution to the greater issue... I ask that people simply remain objective, and consider some of the greater implications of any of the aforementioned topics. All you have to do is ask yourself a few questions about where you are hearing your information from, and you may start to see a few patterns. 

Here are some examples. 

Dose the individual telling you something have anything to gain by giving you this information? Though it is sad to say so, every now and then I hear of fursuit makers criticizing other fursuit makers. The conflict of interest here is very clear. Even if there is partial truth or whole in the matter, the bottom line remains. The individual could profit from this action. 

Gains can also stretch into the emotional realm. Dose the individual have a past with the other person that would render them biased, or likely to take sides outside of the subject matter? This can be a contextual issue, as for the most part friendships, and other personal relationships have little to do with business. If somebody is a total jerk in a relationship, dose that automatically make them bad at what they do for a living? The answer is clearly no. Another issue here is that an emotionally compromised individual is far less likely to defuse a situation. They may even attempt to agitate the conflict, by masking their own grievances as sympathy for the situation. However, the conflict of interest is easy to see. What can be particularly troublesome with this issue is the fact that an emotional relationship gone bad, can not only affect the livelihood of one person, but the livelihood of those working with, or under that one person.   

Dose the individual giving you information have a tendency to start "drama"? Repeat offenders are anther easy to see issue. Credibility, or objective information is hard to come by when one is looking to generate a response. I think that explanation beyond this is not necessary. 

Double standards. Dose the individual giving you information side with someone criticized in the past for the same action, yet is unyielding in the very same issue towards another party? Yet again, I do not feel I need to explain this any further.

Have you simply asked the criticized person about the issue? In the past I have dealt with many issues that could have been very easily solved by a simple conversation. I can't help but wonder how many people in the past heard something, perhaps untrue, that snowballed into a much harder problem to fix.

What about truth in the matter that goes beyond the rumor mill? 

Rumors, more often than not can refer to some truth. That being said, it dose work both ways. Not all rumors are based on truth. History has many examples of blind speculation, or rumor making for political gain, all the way to spite.

Evidence, whatever it is, would seem to paint a very clear picture. Screenshots, txts, emails, chatlogs.. you name it. The real question leads me to something called the "Straw man" argument. The Straw man in this definition is referring to "quoting out of context"

. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, here is an example pulled from the Wiki I encourage you too look up.

" As a straw man argument, which is frequently found in politics, it involves quoting an opponent out of context in order to misrepresent their position (typically to make it seem more simplistic or extreme) in order to make it easier to refute."

Simple example in action.

Tommy is at the bar with Betty. Betty just arrived from the salon. Betty Asks Tommy "I didn't like my old hairstyle, what do you think of my new haircut?" Tommy tell's Betty "your hair looks great today, as usual; yesterday your hair looked kinda' funny"

Betty now tells Fran that Tommy said "yesterday your hair looked kinda funny".

Betty and Fran now are upset at Tommy for not liking Betty's hair.

In context this Tommy had only answered the question first asked by Betty. A fairly agreeable reply was giving by Tommy. When Betty relays the conversation to Fran, only part of Tommy's reply is given. Keep in mind Betty was there first hand, and was witness to this. The evidence given by Betty is very convincing.. but out of context..

Without a full understanding of the context the "evidence" can take a very different turn. Even with photos, or txt logs.

Emotions, emotions, emotions.

In closing..
Emotions play a very strong role in all of this.
Manipulation, weather innocent and fun, or full blown slander can be effectively debunked by removing emotion from the subject matter. Simply remove yourself from the situation, and think about it from the outside looking in. If you become polarized early on, you may find yourself in a group mentality situation. The truth of a situation is rarely polarized to a simple right or wrong. We as people have an infinite spectrum of truths, and emotions. Any combination in the wrong sequence can lead to suffering to not only yourself, but to the world around you.

In the end, it is up to you to decide what you chose to take as fact, or speculation.
It is very easy to go along with a popular notion, or idea. Seldom do people like to be singled out by standing up for logic, or rational thinking. I don't ask that you agree with me, I only ask that you to consider other perspectives than the ones offered to you on a silver platter.

I leave you with this simple, yet powerful quote.

Ralph Nader, Sr.
"Well Ralph(Jr.) what did you learn at school today? Did you learn how to believe, or did you learn how to think?"

-Jeff

Hey you,

So, you going to Megaplex. I am going to Megaplex.

If you live in Central Florida I assume you are going to Megaplex, so you don't have to tell. I mean, you can if you want, but I figure you are already going.

Anyone from outside the sunshine state I am going to see over there at the Megaplex"?

Still undecided.

I kinda regret asking for suggestions, because now I have too many choices. I guess it's a good problem to have... but still.

Thanks to everyone who helped out!

=Jeff

Looking for older folk songs. Nothing really past the 1970's.

I have plenty of Paul Simon, Phil Ochs, Johnny Cash, etc, etc.

Have you heard anything a little less mainstream? Older country, Old bluegrass (nothing past the 60's), or old folk music. American preferably, as old Celtic music is fun, but I am not looking for it.

Anything would be helpful. I am having trouble finding more than the popular stuff.

It's a tall order, as most fuzzies I have met tend not to listen to old country western music.

Thanks!

-Jeff

http://youtu.be/NDYAXKM828U

Once again I found this ancient hymn echoing in my head for the better part of a week. It's like being stuck in a Micheal's craft store 24/7...

Play at your own risk.

http://youtu.be/h2YGn5HRY_A

Working on move pacing. You will see me repeat myself a few times with a few bigger moves here. That is after the last video where I started to see that keeping rhythm with fast big moves are harder to time than I thought. At least strung together. My dime stops are a tad lax. Pacing my moves themselves is another thing I need to work on. This was more practice than anything, so it is somewhat expected.

I tend to get "too busy" when dancing. I think that has more to do with wanting to look cool on camera, as when practicing in the mirror I seem to slow down quite a bit. You can tell that I am very aware of the camera.. as I tend to look at the camera way too much. So, that determined look on my face is really just that. But, even though there is a reason, I do have to work on that.

Another thing I noticed here is that I tend to start out well, but within the first minute of dancing I tend to fizzle out.

What I observed in a technical perspective.
-Glides where exceedingly messy, but I do attribute that to the new shoes.
-Chest isolation is getting better, but I need to pop more.
-Pacing is still going to be an issue for a little while.
-Lack of "feel" with the song. I do tend to not dance to one song long enough to get used to it, so to me I look like I am just winging it (because I am) I need to start learning songs.

In the next video I will try to slow dawn a bit more. Though I was repetitive for the sake of practicing here in the next video I will try to spice it up a little more. I am a tad camera shy, so I do forget what moves to do when the red light comes on. If I am going to dance in public I have to get used to being watched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg5XRZCwzo0 <-more energy
http://youtu.be/PN0hJEo9klI <-better angle, cleaner moves

Waiting on my food to cook, I set up a camera today to start ironing out some dance moves, and playing around with a cool song a found. The above video was the result.

The song is still fairly fresh, so I am popping in some wrong places, and some of the new isolations are a tad sloppy, but still.. this is the first time I have seen myself dance out of suit.

I figure I will start recording myself more often. Another problem is relaying on the mirror to see what moves I need work on. So, this is a good way to dance anytime without a mirror, and then work on it.

Shake yo' Groove thang' ya'll

If you have ever lived in central Florida then you already know what I am going to say by the title alone.

If not, let me fill you in on some of the less attractive attributes of my state in the summer.

Unlike up north, every house in Florida is fairly well adapt to deal with heat. Every house I have been in has had some form of AC, the majority being large central units.

These units draw a tremendous amount of current, and during peak hours can overload the grid.

So, here I sit in the dark.

This early in the summer I am quickly becoming aware of how much I depend on electricity to do my job. With several brown outs already, it has become somewhat of a rude awakening. I have what is know as a "Technology trap".


Two days ago I lost nearly 3 hours of work just because of this. I am still dealing with some post AC things, and this was not very helpful.

I will let you know when I get my hamster powered generators up and running.

-Jeff

Back for AC.

Wow, what a trip. Of course I was so excited to see everyone. I would start dropping names, but with my memory I know I would by typing apology letters for weeks.

The dance comp was nerve racking. You have no idea how crazy it has become. I used to just show up at the last second, and we where lucky to have a full 10 suiters in the competition. This year was the first year I had to work for it. I was so honored just to be in the competition. To think that in just a few years we would have to actively turn people away, good people at that. Everyone who made it was a good dancer (not to mention plenty who didn't make it). Needless to say I have been practicing harder than ever before, as I know it is not going to get any easier any time soon. I just hope an man now in his late 20's can keep up to maybe win once :P

Though I did have my share of fun I am finding more and more that these trips are not really vacations anymore, they are business trips.
Repairs, meetings, delivery, dtd making, question answering, and quotes all done at the con. I think many people would think that is a bad thing, or a strain on my con. I disagree with that sentiment. I like being present, and accessible as much as I can. I under no circumstances perfect at it. I know there where more than a few ties I just got pulled one way or another, and coordination of even simple suit pickup is compounded exponentially at a con. In the end I know it's a mixed bag.

That being said I realize I do need real time away from my work. I was thinking of a few ideas.

I would like to plan a road trip to personally see the standing works of Frank Lloyd Wright (and the works other noteworthy architects in the same vein of design) Starting in Miami, up to Lakeland ("Child of the sun" at Florida Southern) Make my way up to "Falling water" then make a few more stops before I end in Palm Springs. I may hit a few renowned Tiki Bars on the way.
Anyone down?

This is of course when I am back ahead of schedule.

On that note.

I am starting to get back ahead of schedule with the suit work. Currently I am still a tad behind, but with a few suits shipped the suits after should be months ahead of time. That makes me very happy, as I was slowly going crazy working alone for those few months.

One last thing.

I DO NOT TAKE QUOTES OVER FAs NOTE SYSTEM!
I am not on FA often enough, and with as badly organized things are with notes in the past I don't even know what I have read and what I have not. So please, emails only.

TTYS!

-Jeff

Expect no activity for the next 24 hours.

I woke up from hibernation briefly to relieve myself, and to post this short message.

That is all.

I am looking to see how the monkey did. If you recorded the dance contest this year, or know anyone who did, please please please let me see them.

-

6 fursuits to debut in 5 days, or less.

I have to say, things have been going better than I expected, but that's not saying too much.

First, my room.

My room has become some manner of house-wide landfill. Sprawling all four corners, nothing is sacred in the impromptu repository for lax housekeeping, and boxes stacked 8 hands high of finished projects. I sleep in an uninhabited cleared flat, fearing the presumable avalanche of fur and foam.

My house.

My house has an average of 20 people visiting at any given time. Leaving a trail of misplaced nick-knacks, dirty dishes, and food wrappers. Cleaning after them has become futile. After AC I may simply seal the doors and windows, call it a loss, and refurnish another home.

My social life.

....

My eating habits.

Man was not designed to live off of coffee, b vitamins, and frozen pizza. I miss vegetables, and meals that do not require instructions.

My sleeping habits.

If I try really hard I think I can remember what the sun looks like. I do know it still appears during the "day" as the moon seldom heats my house to 95 degrees with radiant light that penetrates my closed eyelids.

My sanity.

Well, I guess you can't miss what you never had.

In closing I would like to add that the people that where childishly optimistic enough to share this month in my presents have been wonderful, and a joy to work with. However, if they are reading this that means they are not sewing. So, I say to them "GET BACK TO WORK"

AC is a no go unless I get more money(I would not be opposed to taking a gift). I could go, but I would rather save a little bit to go towards savings, and maybe try a con outside my usual.

Have fun, and watch your submissions page to see our next batch of suits!

TTYS

-Jeff

So the AC rush is in full swing around here. It's crazy busy.

I couldn't be happier to have some full time help for the first time in quite a long time. I gotta tell you I am working with some amazingly talented people that I hope I here to stay.

Current lineup is

 loathsomevermin and  2x2l

Working alone was becoming quite a drag. I never thought I would have the time to get 4 suits in a month done. So, coming back from a slight delay in suits it's just awesome to be back ahead of schedule. After AC we could be 3 to 4 months ahead of schedule within a month and a half. It's the kind of news we like to post. That also means that when we take on commissions right now the wait time will be back to a few months.

It's all thanks to my partners.

Now for some bad news.

So, this fur shortage... I had such a formidable back stock of fur that I arrogantly laughed off the possibility of running out. So when I tried to place a normal order thinking I would have more than enough time.... well.. turned out I was wrong. The fur has still not arrived, and I have no earthly idea when to expect it.

So, if you are a maker, and you are reading this, I am up for some trades.
I do have a few furs in stock here that are out of stock that I am more than willing to trade.


I have plenty of 3inch fox fur in palomino, red, and black, but need white. I also need grey frost.

I have almost every DF plush, but I need beige. I do have camel.

If you have any of the furs I need, please feel free to hit me up.

I hope to make it to AC, but I have lots of work to do, and it may be to stressful to squeeze it in this year.


In any case, I hope you have fun at AC, and I hope I can make it out.

TTYS
-Jeff

AC rush is here again.

So, that means lots of time in the shop, and less time in the office.

I like to be 24 hours or less with all messages, but currently quotes, and general fursuit inquiry may take longer.

I really hate that, i try to be Johnny on the spot as much as I can....

I really need to consider a secretary..

So, if you recently tried to get a hold of me, and have not heard back.. Rest assured I have your email, and will be getting back to you soon. Just not nearly as fast as I am used to.

This would be a good time to call over emailing me. So feel free to get in touch that way if you would like instant gratification

Thank you very much!

-Jeff

I just wanted let ya'll know that  failferret is taking commissions for a graduation present fundraising effort.

He dose grade A work, and you should check out his gallery if you are bored, and are looking for a commission.

As I said it is going toward a little graduation present for a friend. He has a quick turnaraound, and though I cannot speak for him I would say it's a safe bet that you could pick up your finished art at Elliot's.

-Jeff

Wow, I woke up today and felt awesome.

I think what really really made my back as bad as it did was inactivity.

Truth is I recently went off my ADD meds. Now that I do not have 2 jobs, and seeing as they just cost me money, and really didn't do too much in retrospect I dropped them, and fired my doctor. There is a story there too, but quite frankly it really boils down to my doctor being judgmental, and working under the assumption that i was some kind of drug addict. If you know me personally you know that is the farthest thing from the truth. I guess long hair, and somewhat artistic outward appearance means drug addict. That being said.. yeah.. Off the mids, fired the doctor.

Anyway, long story short, ADD drugs have a withdrawal period. I could not fight the urge to sleep, and lay down. So, I did, and my back was horridly out of whack. Laying down was so so so painful, but I was so tired I could not even stand. So, you can see why it would be an issue to have both of those things going on at the same time. It made any chance of a quick recovery simply out of the question.

Sure enough, the last day or so I was up on my feet again doing stretches all day. Now I feel like 100% better. Night and day.

Back to work I go. Making pandas, and sabers, and all sorts of crazy things.

And thanks again from all the last people that wished me well. Made me feel like I am not that far gone. I really appreciate the kind words.

-Jeff

So, I really did it this time.

I threw out my back..... really... really bad.
So, if you are not fond of me, and you wanted to laugh at my misfortune, well, this would be a good time.

I have never felt more like an old man in my life.

And you know, the worst part, the very worst part of this is the fact that I was not doing anything cool at all when it happened. I wasn't fighting a bear, I wasn't bustin' a 540 over a fun box, I wasn't in a crazy car crash... no... I was pulling a lever on my pressure chamber, and twisted the wrong way... that was it. Just looked over my shoulder to respond to someone, and that was it.

So, I didn't want to admit it, and I didn;t want to even say anything. But sure enough, here I am 4 days later, smelling of "icy hot" and walking like an idiot. Can't even drive my car.

Eh, sometimes I can't seem to catch a break.

Anyway, I am letting you know I am out of commission for a few days. I am doing little work projects, but it is not a speedy as a fully limber Jeff would be.

Wish me luck (and send me your pain medications)

-Jeff

You may have noticed a slower pace than usual from me recently. Well, less posted work, at least.

In reality have been busier than ever. Though the changes I am working towards are not always easy to see.

Currently I am working on making new tools, and devices to create cooler things in costumes. I have been really doing tons of research in electronics, silicon casting, plastics... just everything I can get my little primate paws on.

Today for instance, I am making a vacuum degassing chamber. This is necessary for properly degassing epoxies. -30 mmHg is what is necessary for clear casting.

I also have a whole slew of new toys and trinkets for me depth, and realism. Like these bad boys.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5471190/

But.. these cool things do come at a cost.
I do have some help in the humdrum of bodies, and paws,ect.. but largely I am doing the bulk of the detail work. So, it seems I am starting to run into a problem of completion time VS. innovation. It's really a time management issue. As the cooler toys, tools, and materials we have available tend to come at a compromise.

I am starting to pick up stream again, and have like a lot of 5 (no really 5) suits debuting within the course of like 2 weeks. So, I feel good about that. I just thought I would make note of the situation in the interest of transparency.

Let me get back to tinkering..

Nifty.

I'm an idiot.

I bricked my poor little droid, and yes, it was all my fault. It has been broken for 2 or 3 days now, and I originally planned to fix it. That didn't quite pan out. I had to throw in the towel and except the fact that I broke something, and I ran out of spare time to fix it. I may call Asurion today, and have a new one on the way that wp;d be here on Monday.

Bottom line, I do not have a direct phone line for a few days, and I already know I had missed a few calls.

On the bright side once my old phone is up and running I ill have a new 40gig mp3 player :P