sandt38

Glad to hear that.

Just keep in mind, it is likely she is sympathetic, but people who don't suffer from our ailments simply cannot understand what we are going through. I felt the same way when I had cancer, and my clusters. It seemed like people around me were indifferent. But in retrospect I realized that it wasn't indifference, it was really that they never dealt with it from a first person point of view, and simply couldn't understand the pain. That is a plus. Always remember that no matter what you are dealing with, there is always something to be optimistic about. When I had cancer and was still doubtful about survival, I saw a commercial about kids with terminal cancer. These kids would never be able to grow up and live any of the things that healthy people can. Depressing? Yeah. But I still had a lot to be thankful for. Nonsense. It may feel that way, but you are not giving up, and there is nothing you have done to put yourself in this situation. If it was something that was self inflicted, because of a poor choice you made in life perhaps (such as slamming heroin and becoming an addict), humiliation might be the best way to describe how you feel. It was not a choice, it is simply your burden to bear in life. How you choose to deal with what life has thrown your way could really pin down if you should be feeling humiliation or triumph. Well wishes are going your way, bud. Stay strong.

I miss that about being up north. I loved riding snowmobiles as a kid. But honestly, I get more of a kick riding my quad. It isn't quite so cold. Matt, I have arthritis in my knees, hands and back, so I feel your pain. Fortunately for me it is not RA, though, because I know that hurts like a motherfucker. I am also fortunate that it came on slowly, so I got used to the pain as it built. Best of luck with the diagnosis, and hopefully the treatments selected are beneficial.

Then how are you typing?

I just wanted to repost that.

And FWIW, my scanner uses Vag-Com, which is an amazing VW/Audi software. Many dealers in the US offer Vag-Com to their service technicians as it offers expanded functionality and information. But it's soft spot is that it does not offer security system diagnosis. Other then that I can go in and code all computers and gain all other access to their software. My Scanner really kicks ass for VW/Audi shit.

Sales figures Not worldwide... Yeah, but I live and work in the US. Our industry in the States is completely different from the rest of the world. I don't mean just sales figures either. OBDII is unique to the US, and so are many other forced safety and emissions products. Our diagnosis and repair are worlds apart from anywhere else in the world. I agree that diesel sales have been a failure here, but for that I blame the fucking dipshit liberals and their stupid policies. Big government, over regulation, and of course scare tactics are the reason. Fucking sucks too, because I really wanted a Q7 V12 Diesel You can actually blame the late 70s early 80s GM 350 Diesel for that. While the 350 Olds motor was fantastic, and had tons of meat, it simply had too many issues to swap a gasoline designed motor into a diesel. It really highlighted all the issues with with a diesel... in a big way. I think that the American public has had a hard time eliminating that from their minds. I have no issue with diesels, but they have been a total failure in the US. Bear in mind, most cracks are viruses. If it is from a safe source, I am not uncomfortable with a virus pop up as a crack is, essentially a virus. If you want safe access, I have a few. I am an ass man, and that is like heaven to me... except in heaven my tongue would be up her asshole. It is a 30 day trial. Standards are actually tighter here. You can thank CA for that. From my experience, German cars are way more stringent. They have to meet specific US guidelines, but the Germans are over-engineered. Yes, legally they do not have such stringent standards as we do (with regards to tailpipe emissions), but the Euros are really more tight assed then we are. While Julian is right to a certain extent, he is also leaving out a certain bit of info that is important. OBDII standards are also available in Europe, but it is not mandated. Since many manufacturers have been forced to adopt these standards, it is far less expensive to use these standards on cars in the US, as well as cars in Europe. It makes no sense (nor is it cost effective) to design a computer controlled system using two diagnostic philosophies. I have become familiar with their diagnostic strategies, and they do definitely tend to do things in a different manner then the US/Asian manufacturers, and they do it in an extremely awkward way. They love to force all manufacturer specific data into a default mode... but they are forced to provide the actual info on ODBII generic. I paid $1300 for Euro specific info on my scanner, and yet their reported info is a lie. The free OBDII generic info is a better indicator of how the system is actually functioning, but without the manufacturer specific information I cannot perform many functions required for diagnosis.

Sales figures Not worldwide... Yeah, but I live and work in the US. Our industry in the States is completely different from the rest of the world. I don't mean just sales figures either. OBDII is unique to the US, and so are many other forced safety and emissions products. Our diagnosis and repair are worlds apart from anywhere else in the world.

Sales figures Yes. We did discuss the twin turbo GDI system. They got away from their troublesome MAF sensors. On the twin turbo system they use 3 IAT/MAP sensors. Yeah, that makes sense. One on the inlet pipe (before the compressor) one after the intercooler in the pressure pipe, and one in the intake manifold. It allows them to determine if there are leaks in the system. SO now they have reverted to an old speed density system, but I believe I get the "why". It really limits what can be done in the aftermarket with regards to performance mods. They use a VVT system on the intake camshaft. They do suffer the carbon fouling we see on all the others (aside from Toyota, who uses port fuel injectors that spray on the intake valves and help keep them clean), but the camshafts are not getting galled like the VW/Audi. Most of the other manufacturers are using roller lifters instead of solid lifters. This wouldn't be a big issue if motor oil still had the zinc in it that they should have. Yeah, but we are not diesel or common rail mechanics. To us, high pressure systems are the 72PSI multiport injection on the GM Vortecs. A big issue is that while I go to every school I possibly can to stay on the top of my field, most guys won't spend an hour in a classroom in a year. As sad as that is, it is the truth. 95% of mechanics are getting left behind by the technologies that are being developed today. They are nuts and bolts guys, and nuts and bolts are fading away. These guys are going to jump in and start tearing a valve cover off without knowing what they are getting into, and they will get hurt.

OMFG. I had a class on GDI (gasoline direct injection) over the last couple nights. This is supposed to be the next big thing in the automotive industry. Since diesel, hydrogen powered, high volt systems, battery powered cars and hybrid cars have been utter failures they decided to try a different route. From a diagnostic standpoint these cars are total nightmares. Some run on standard port fuel and GDI injection systems determining which system is at fault looks like a cluster fuck. From a mechanical repair standpoint it is frightening. Running at 1600-2400PSI the danger to the technician is downright scary. The possibility of having a liquid amputation or having a poison shot directly into the bloodstream are things we don't want to deal with. Not only that, but the new tooling required for testing pressures, R&R of injectors, and cleaning of the carbon deposits that are prevalent in these systems is outrageous. A paying customer will bear tremendous burdens for simple repairs. A simple valve cover gasket job will add a ton of labor because of the requirement of the removal of the high pressure pump and associated components is time consuming and very precision work. Also the added cost of the required replacement of the high pressure fuel lines (they MUST be replaced with each R&R of the component) is gonna kick a wallet's ass. Carbon fouling is proving to be the big issue with these systems. Intake valve fouling, tumble valve fouling and cylinder fouling is, at this point, uncontrollable. Buildup is causing misfires and lack of power concerns. It is not uncommon for a car with under 30K to have massive fouling that is giving the service technician several hours of R&R for cleaning. Intake R&R and scrub downs are the easy ones, but many Audis are having to actually have the heads removed to clean the fouling. Camshaft lobes are being destroyed by the high pressure pump (which is mechanical and driven off a camshaft lobe), requiring camshaft replacement. VW/Audi seem to be the biggest manufacturer with issues. Right now the manufacturers using these systems are GM, Hyundai, VW/Audi and Toyota. Be wary of these cars as the costs of maintenance and repair is huge... and the do break early and often. The class was extensive, so if anyone has any questions I should be able to answer them if you are interested. The instructor is also a good friend of mine, and an owner of a mobile diagnostic business with a lot of hands on. I can call him for any info on input I cannot provide.

Doesn't hurt to go and ask. As long as they don't come out of a yellow bus. if they are blonde they might be 5th year seniors though.

It's ihop masturbation.

I try to shorten my workouts with compounds. I actually hit everything in each workout, even as short as they are. 45 degree bent over rows really hit almost every muscle group and it is totally exhausting.

Hey Neal, that steam show I was talkin about is this weekend... http://www.edervillenc.com/ Hopefully I will be able to make it out there for it.

Oh and I used to use BSN NO Xplode for my pre. It gave me a lot more energy (I am popping L Arginine for that now, 2 in the AM, 2 at lunch and 2 about 30-45 minutes before workout), but I never saw a better recovery, and I really crashed hard at about 30 minutes into my workout. I was exhausted afterwards. The initial boost was fucking awesome though, I have to say that. I tried it during my workout and really felt I was pissing away good money, and sleep was hard to come by if it carried through the workout.

Are you fatiguing mid-workout? Are you taking anything pre-work out, or did you say that before and I missed it? Really looking for faster recovery. I am more used to heavy lifts, few reps, and longer breaks. On max lift and close to max lifts I would take 4 to 5 minute breaks. But I am trying to keep my breaks to under 2 minutes. Looking for quicker recovery rates at heavier lifts. But BCCA seems to be the typical call Nothing wrong in using what actually works. If your not taking creatine you might also try that. I've read where people started taking it for a few weeks, and were able to pull out a few more reps across their workout then before. I would try the bcaa first as I think it's more direct to what your asking about. Creatine definitely works really well. Aside from growth hormone, Anabolic drugs, and insulin it is really one of the only real winners. And you won't go to jail for it. If you are iver 35 you could maybe get an RX for the real stuff lol. I am well over 35, and I do use testi boosters. They made a huge difference in reduction of belly fat, and energy. FWIW I have found M-Drive to work best and HighT is fairly worthless. Not interested in cycles. I used to cycle as a teen a few times before football season. But it makes me really fucking mean. I am naturally a mean fella, so adding to that with roids is not what i want to be doing at my age, and with how much I like to drink bourbon

Looking for quicker recovery rates at heavier lifts. But BCCA seems to be the typical call Honestly, I just don't have the time for longer/more frequent workouts. I do a lot of side work and spend a lot of time in schools and training and even getting in 3 a week workouts is difficult if not impossible. This week I had to push my monday to Sunday because of schools Monday and Tuesday, and I am hoping my side job Wednesday will afford me time in the evening to lift before bed.

We are retiring outside of the US. Our investments have provided us with the money we need to get the hell out of dodge. It is Italy, for us. The Tuscan countryside offers nice low cost living, a beautiful setting, and a slow pace that makes me smile... And the Italian women are beautiful, and not much is as sexy as hearing them speak Italian or broken English I will send my address to you all when I get there. Only rule is no politics. You're on Neal. I don't know much about Italian politics anyways Italian politics = when the friggin' Pope says jump, people ask "how high?" Actually it is usually wrought with underage hookers and senior citizen leaders. Google Berlusconi and Karima El Mahroug. The Pope steers clear of the crooked politicians in Italy. Aside from our current administration there has never been so many crooks in charge of a country since Ancient Rome.

Damn, it is the season again, isn't it? I drive by 2 large and well known haunts on my way to work every day. X-treme Fear (their website is awful, it locks down a lot of computers so i will not link it here) and the Woods of Terror. The WOT is awesome. Anyways, best of luck this year. Hope you scare some sexy little chick out of her panties

We are retiring outside of the US. Our investments have provided us with the money we need to get the hell out of dodge. It is Italy, for us. The Tuscan countryside offers nice low cost living, a beautiful setting, and a slow pace that makes me smile... And the Italian women are beautiful, and not much is as sexy as hearing them speak Italian or broken English I will send my address to you all when I get there. Only rule is no politics. You're on Neal. I don't know much about Italian politics anyways

OK lifting junkies. I have been lifting for a couple months again, and seeing great results. Not my first time to this rodeo, I have been lifting on and off longer than most CA enthusiasts have been alive. I am doing a 2 day 5X5 (day 1; squat, bench, 45 degree rows/ day 3; squat, military, 45 degree rows) to failure with 3X8s each workout day of inverted forearm curls, and a 3X5/1X3/1X8-12 on day 5 (Squat, Bench, 45 degree rows) and a 3X8-12 of inverted forearms, and forearm curls. I also do 6 days of planks, 3 times a day, 2 reps. I have to be careful with core workouts because of all my abdominal surgeries from the cancer, which is why my ab work is so skinny. I have cut my rest times to ~2 minutes, and my workout times I keep between 25 and 40 minutes. During the day I eat tuna and eggs for breakfast, at lunch I usually have a PBJ (have to get some carbs in) and for dinner I load with proteins (meats) and occasionally starches, but that is only 3 times a week. I ingest no sugars, aside from my PBJ and my daily intake of bourbon. Yes, ketosis is part of the goal. I drink a gallon of water a day, minimum, and 2-3 cups of black coffee. After workout I am downing 104 grams of whey. My daily caloric intake is roughly 17oo calories, and my current weight is 205# (down from 225) and I am 6'1". I think I will be comfortable around 200#, and I am targeting anywhere from 200 and 210 as long as I stay in good shape. I don't want to be bony, and I don't want too much bulk anymore. I have always been a bulker, I just cannot cut well. So I decided to cut my caloric intake (typically I intake 3-4500 calories a day when lifting for mass) and have more explosive, fast paced workouts. I am definitely losing weight and starting to show more than usual, but I feel like I need to add an intra-workout supplement. I am used to bulking fast, and I know it is because of my big caloric intake, but I feel there is something I can add to help, and the 32Oz of water I drink during my workout seems like it is lacking something. What would you lifters suggest?

My bad, I did stop at the section that said the US voted against the arms treaty. In fairness, you also have to consider how Mitt's policies would have affected things over the same conditions. For example (off the top of my head), under Mitt GM would have went belly up. Under Obama, they survived the decline and IIRC actually did pretty well this year. Again, I'll simply point out that disliking how Obama has handled things doesn't inherently make Mitt a better option. Just because Obama hasn't been stellar doesn't mean Mitt would have been or will be better. Of course, if your a Republican then you're going to argue that it will be better, if you're a Democrat you're going to argue that it'll be worse. I tend to focus as much or more on public policy issues as I do economic. That's the main reason I can't envision supporting Romney. On top of everything else; he's Mormon. Being an atheist I'm obviously not a fan of religion, but IMO it takes a special sort of crazy to believe in Mormonism. And I generally disagree with the public policy decisions Rep's make as a result of their faith to start with, much less having an excessively crazy variety of Rep in office. I agree he is a social nutjob in many regards, but like Dem, I just don't see that as a huge issue. Congress and the Supreme Court have more of a say in our private lives then the president does. FWIW I am a financial and political conservative, and more of a social liberal. Frankly both parties disgust me. Neither stands behind the true ideals that their party was founded on. They pander to the masses. I think Rush Limbaugh is the biggest piece of proof on that whole deal. From his drug addiction hypocrisy that was forgiven by his blind followers, to his agreement with Bush on the Terry Schaivo incident (what could be more liberal then federal government invasion of our personal life?), he is the epitome of what is wrong with the blind party follower. I do tend to look at the big issues facing the nation today. Military issues, the economy, and federal government invasion into our personal lives, are really a big deal to me. The federal government has just a couple big roles to fill, and when they step outside those roles we need they need to get rid of them. Unfortunately, there comes a time when we need to decide who is invading our personal lives and personal spaces, and deciding how far, or from what angle, we want to allow them into our lives. I highlighted a few of my biggest concerns above. I am not particularly happy that my success is being threatened, and the laziness of so many others is being rewarded because of my hard work. I find it difficult to pay income taxes on my money 1.3 times, as I currently have to. It will piss me off big time if I get taxed twice. How is it fair to me to pay 2 times on money I earned, and more than 50% of Americans are not only paying no taxes, but they are receiving tax benefits and social programs that I am funding? These people are actually bringing home more money in entitlements and tax breaks then my wife does, and she has a degree and has to pay for their laziness... And all that is the simple truth.

We are retiring outside of the US. Our investments have provided us with the money we need to get the hell out of dodge. It is Italy, for us. The Tuscan countryside offers nice low cost living, a beautiful setting, and a slow pace that makes me smile... And the Italian women are beautiful, and not much is as sexy as hearing them speak Italian or broken English

I hope so. Not saying Obama has been great, but Mitt scares me. Not liking Obama doesn't inherently make Mitt a better option. It's the lesser of the 2 evils....but then again, that's all politics is. If either side were "right", we wouldn't need to have debates Doing it the Reagan way didn't work the first 4 or 5 times we tried it, why try for a sixth? Really? Can you tell me what Obama is doing that is working? Raising taxes on the rich as per the Obama plan will yield an astounding $1.6 trillion over 10 years... This figure is roughly equal to the amount of deficit the Obama administration has accumulated annually. How is that "working"? Obama has had the dubious distinction of having the highest average unemployment rate over the course of his term since the Great depression. I know, he inherited a bad economy, but so did Regan. Regan never blamed Carter for handing him the highest inflation rates since the depression, the highest interest rates since the depression (he was handed off an average of 20% on typical mortgage interest rates), and some of the highest unemployment rates since the Depression (only beaten by the 12% of Ford's administration). Regan took hold of the economy and reduced everything within his term. Are you aware that black unemployment is at it's highest rates in decades? Are you aware that the rate of permanently disabled (ie those receiving lifetime SS benefits) has tripled during the Obama administration (further coloring the actual unemployment rates)? Taxing the wealthy, particularly the cap gains, is a detriment to the nation's employment. The wealthy provide income for start up businesses, and expansion of businesses. I will have a hard time investing my money anymore if I know that I stand to be taxed at a far greater rate then I can expect as a typical yield. They are already taxed on this income once, as income tax, and also a second time, as cap gains. How is it fair that they are taxed twice? How is it fair that over 50% of all Americans are not only untaxed, but also receive tax benefits for not contributing to the tax base (you might know this as earned income credit or child care credits, and other such low income hand outs). How is the cutting of the military budget a plus? Don't you think that the security of our nation is at least as important as getting free healthcare? I am not a big proponent of sticking our nose into foreign issues, believe it or not. But similarly I am not a proponent of giving countries who don't want us there money and military in aid... You know like the 1.6 billion in aid we give to Egypt each year (thank God the Repubs blocked the recently proposed 450 million in aid offered by Obama after the attacks on our embassy). I can go on, but these few little eggs get to me. No, I am not a fan of Mitt. But how anyone can honestly believe that what Obama has done is worth a second chance is bewildering to me.

What do you mean "IF"? He will win. I hope so. Not saying Obama has been great, but Mitt scares me. Not liking Obama doesn't inherently make Mitt a better option. It's the lesser of the 2 evils....but then again, that's all politics is. If either side were "right", we wouldn't need to have debates Feel free to look at whatever source you would like to. It is common knowledge that the UN resolution is being considered and it is desired by the Obama administration. I just clicked on the first link. I'm confused. You say Obama desires an Arms Treaty, then post 2 links that show the US voted against the treaty ? Did you really read either article? After going back and reading them, wiki stated just what the original article stated, and the times said nothing of why the US voted against it... So how is this confusing?