Date:         Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:41:32 -0800
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Friday - banigng your head and other irrelevant babbling
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              reply-type=original

On the first ship I was on in the Navy, there was this red battle lantern
mounted in the overhead just inside the aft door to the mess deck, right in
the middle. This thing was an inverted glass dome about 3/8s of an inch
thick that hung down about six inches, so if you were 6'1" or taller you
were guaranteed to smack yourself in the head with this damn thing if you
forgot about it. You'd be sitting there eating and hear a 'thunk' and some
guy exploding and cursing and generally... well, cussing like a sailor. Wait
a few minutes, here's another guy, ...'thunk'.
For those of you who have never been on a working ship, the doors are ovals
and the tops are often six inches or better from the overhead, which is
often low in the first place. Space is at a premium. If you're tall, you
often have to duck your head to get through a door. So in this case, you're
not only moving forward but up after you pass through the door... 'thunk'.
It was hell on your neck, never mind your forehead.
It was especially fun when we had to go to GQ or some other emergency drill-
then you're in a big damn hurry on top of being completely distracted...
'thunk'. During my time on that ship two guys that I know of knocked
themselves completely unconscious on that thing, and they still refused to
move it. The officer in charge of the responsible division was only about
5'4"

And Joy, don't worry 'bout 'ole Stan. While he's secretly pleased that
you're proving Wilder's First Law of Vanagonomics, he's a little irked that
you're spending all that money proving him right instead of paying him to
ceramic-coat everything from your toenails to yer... er, Matilda's tailpipe.
: )

I guess one good thing about living in SoCal- it's Fryeday here for a little
later than it is most everywhere else!

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joy Hecht" <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 8:14 PM
Subject: Re: Friday - banigng your head and other irrelevant babbling


>I don't accidentally honk the horn much. Only once in a while, when I'm
> experimentally squishing the stuff over it to see how much give it has.
> But
> I bang my head all the time on the roof of my van.  Like every time I try
> to
> reach something in the back, every time I stand up and turn around, every
> time I try to get into my rear cupboard, etc. etc.
>
> Sometimes I just want to jump up and down and burst into tears and throw a
> temper tantrum, I'm SOOOOO sick of hitting my head in my van.  But of
> course
> if I did that, I'd hit my head again jumping up and down, and probably
> break
> the skylight to boot.
>
> AAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
>
> But now I'm looking at six weeks of living indoors, in New York, with my
> mom
> (which will certainly make me want to bang my head!) and then hopefully if
> all works out six weeks of gainful consulting work.  After all that I'll
> be
> so glad to get back to my van that I might not even mind hitting my head
> all
> the time!  Besides, by then it should be warm enough to pop the top
> without
> freezing, so maybe I won't even hit my head so much...
>
> Good thing it's Friday here, this all seems mighty irrelevant!  But hey,
> I'm
> gonna miss my regular panicked requests for technical assistance, while
> Matilda is parked in my friend's backyard and I'm living indoors!  So I
> have
> to send nonsense and drivel instead.  (yeah, I know, you all will be glad
> not to get any more requests for a while!)
>
> Oh, and in case anyone cares, I ended up getting the Hankook tires.  So
> far
> so good - but the only driving I've done was from the Shell station that
> mounted them back to my driveway where I've been camping for a week, so
> who
> knows?  Tomorrow I drive to New Jersey (from Virginia), I guess that will
> put them to the test.  Everyone please keep your fingers crossed for NO
> SNOW!
>
> By the way, you guys are great!  And you're the reason I keep driving
> Matilda instead of getting a more reliable vehicle - despite Stan Wilder
> classing me with Larry as the folks finding VW repair places all over the
> country.  If it weren't for my constant need for repairs I'd never have
> met
> half the great folks I've met in my travels, and I wouldn't be having half
> as much fun.  I met someone driving a nice reliable warm well-laid-out
> never-hit-your-head Chrysler high-top in Arizona, and he was envious that
> I
> had the Vanagon community to hang out with.  I wouldn't miss it for the
> world!  Not even for a reliable vehicle!
>
>
>
> Joy
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> Joy Hecht
> and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
>
> For musings about life and the vanadventures:
> http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
>
> ****************************************************************
> :::-----Original Message-----
> :::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
> :::Of Aaron Pearson
> :::Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 11:25 AM
> :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> :::Subject: Re: Friday
> :::
> :::"The first few times that happened to me I was banging my head..."
> :::
> :::sometimes i accidentaly honk the horn when i'm banging my head on the
> :::steering wheel.
> :::
> :::
> :::aaron
> :::'87 syncro gl
> :::
> :::
> :::-----Original Message-----
> :::From: jimt [mailto:camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO]
> :::Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 9:18 AM
> :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> :::Subject: Re: Friday
> :::
> :::
> :::On 1/28/05 1:55 AM, "Jeffrey Schwaia" <jeff@VANAGONPARTS.COM> wrote:
> :::
> :::>
> :::> Does anyone else accidentally honk their horn when starting their
> :::> Vanagon because a loose key gets into the space between the steering
> :::> wheel and the horn pickup?  Seems like this happens to me once or
> :::> twice a week.
> :::
> :::The first few times that happened to me I was banging my head trying to
> :::figure out what was happening.  Now it is rare because I have gotten
> :::into the habit of holding my keys in the hand rather than hanging loose
> :::when I put the ignition key in.
> :::
> :::****************************************
> :::jimt
> :::Planned insanity is best.
> :::Remember that sanity is optional.
> :::http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info) http://www.westydriver.com