DODGE OMNI!!!!

 HA!!! I have to use code words to describe what I think I have so I don't get banned or censored from our T@#H OVERLORDS!... THANKS to the 'Real Music Observer' on 'DA TUBE' for using 'DODGE OMNI'! Sorry but filming and editing this has not been fun. I have a head ache and a sore throat, the chills and my whole body aches! Basically I feel like poopy! BUT I will just deal with it and keep on keeping on, although I might need to take a nap.... 

Not gonna lie to ya.....

  I'm kinda depressed, IF you HATE reading please do not go any further because I am going to write/type until I feel better! OKIE DOKIE!!!! First off, I always get depressed around this time because I remember what Christmas USE to be!!! KRIPES! Looking back, I really could care less about the gifts. I just loved being at 120 Plum St.in B-TOWN A.K.A Bolivar, NY.... for one of my Grandma Cawley's parties! The house was full of family and people NOT with us today.... A highlight was ALWAYS playing NFL draft with my uncles and cousins, I sure do miss it! 

https://youtu.be/OiCLcXgetVo

 Not making things better for me is: as most of you know, I have a little part time job delivering pizza. Well about a month ago, Nov 4th to be exact, I was about to go into work and I got a text from the owner saying not to come in. He stated that his insurance company will NOT cover his business or drivers!!! My 'spider senses' started to tickle that something was kinda shady about the whole deal..... He has, and does, deal with some shady stuff and trust me! It WILL bite him in the end. I have seen it happen a million times! FYI kids, it is called KARMA!!! ANYWAYS I have been just hanging around casa de McBride and BORED out of my mind, DARE I SAY, GOING BAT $HIT CRAZY!!!! I need to do something! I know that $ is NOT a problem but since 4/27/73, I have ALWAYS let stuff add up that cause me to stress! With me just sitting around doing nothing but thinking, I am getting depressed!

JUST A COUPLE MORE THINGS AND I WILL BE DONE!!

 I have an old friend that I have done a TON of stuff with over the years. I have been very close to his family as well and they have done A LOT for me over the years. I know he comes down to see his mom for Christmas. We really are not that close anymore, I kinda blame his divorce for this, I shot him an email stating that he can come over if he wants to but it's no biggy if he doesn't. He replied saying cool but then asked, 'you vaccinated' Now I could have pulled an Aaron Rodgers and played a Jedi mind trick saying 'I've been immunized' or an Antonio Brown and lied and said YES but instead I refused to answer! I rank it up there with, How much money do you make? Who did you vote for? Stuff like that. NONE OF YOUR D@MN BUSINESS! For the record, I think this whole thing is a JOKE! Save your breath! I REALLY don't care what you think. I am a expert in MY opinion. 

 UGH! I shouldn't care too much BUT the Bills are PI$$ING me off too. I think they thought just beating the crap out of the Chiefs was all they needed to do and everything else would fall into place BUT it does NOT work that way. I kinda compare it to the 89 season, YES I remember stuff from the past. They were the 'cat's meow' in 88 and EVERYONE was talking them up! WELL 89 was a let down and they lost to the Browns in the first round of the playoffs! 

 I am trying to stop drinking so much coffee. I was having two or three big cups of it a day! TOO MUCH and I was getting head aches. Dealing with caffeine withdraws suck too and is not helping me with my depression. 

 I know just talking ALWAYS makes me feel better. KRIPES, I am gonna tell you something that I think just a few people knew. I just told my friends in MN. so I think it is OKIE DOKIE to tell you too. When all the crap happened in WI., I went and saw a DR. because all the guys at work were worried about me, The dr. prescribed PAXIL and a few sessions with a therapist /counselor. To this day, I feel that just talking to someone was much better than any drug they put me on....  

SON OF A!!!

 And in the 'I could care two $&it$ about this' category, I am going to use you as my 'emotional tampon', You are going to 'absorb' my issue. OKIE DOKIE!!!!
 I like to listen to music while I edit videos on my computer, I just use my 'APPLE TV' and hit the 'shuffle' on all the songs I have purchased over the years. Well I will be jamming to a song I downloaded and BOOM the next song is that I didn't even download. You see U2 and apple made a deal in 2014 to have EVERY person who has an Apple product download the new U2 album whether they wanted it or not. https://www.eonline.com/news/1071481/remember-when-apple-forced-a-u2-album-on-us-all


 Now I am NOT mad at U2 because the music industry has changed SO much that you CAN'T just drop a new album and have it become a hit. They were thinking 'outside the box' and I am not mad at Apple! I'm just mad at myself for NOT taking this matter seriously and remove it for good! FYI- I should have done this in 2014...
https://buy.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/offerOptOut?at=10l6Xd&ct=kbr9s9m38h0023dg01g90

OKIE DOKIE! My "whining time' is done, carry on!

RailRoads

I just posted a video about an RR bell that I and my friends 'borrowed' in 92 from an old abandoned RR crossing!!!!!

And while doing this, I felt nostalgic and Jack, my nephew and I went hiking on those tracks and got some old rusty RR spike. In part two I am going to show Jack how to clean them up........

Another You Tube video! 'POP'S VICE'!

 If I recall, my grandpa, my dad's dad, gave this to him back in the 60s. I did a 'half@$$ed' attempt to restore it back when I was a teenager but now I am going to do it right this time. Check it out if ya want, If not then that's OKIE DOKIE to! FREE WILL!!!!!!

 

 I forgot I have my step grandfather's pipe vice too! Same old story of doing a 'half@$$ed' job on that thing as well. BUT after watching someone restore the same one on YOU TUBE I decided to clean it up and look like the day Russ bought it, probably in the 30s. As you may know, I LOOOOOOOOVE history and I 'Googled' 'Trimont Tool MFG.' and learned all about it...

trip-pa-looza 2019

 I haven't done one of these in a few years. Being most people on this God's green earth have the attention span of a freakin' gnat, I made a SHORT video of it and posted it on You Tube.

TODD-PA-LOOZA 2019!

This is my old friend Todd!1.

 He and his girl Elouise are very good to me and come down and help cut up trees and are just groovy people! It's a WIN/WIN situation because he gets to use his Stihl chainsaw and I get some crappy trees taken out! I say this because they are getting married this month and I am very blessed they are in my life...

 This is a busy month for me:

• Going up to Todd and Elouise wedding.
• Going up to Duke for my annual check up, FYI- I ALWAYS get nervous.
• Taking a trip:

          1. Seeing my old radio buddy Kenny in West Virginia.
          2. Heading to Pittsburgh to see a Pirate's game with an old friend! MIKE C. IN DA HOUSE
          3. Driving over to Mansfield, OH to see my cousin Chris.
          4. Heading up to Erie to hang out with Kaye and her kids.
          5. From there, I am heading to Bolivar, NY to see my relatives.
          6. Having 'tasta-pa-looza 2019' at casa de Wilson.
          7. Going up to Buffalo and having lunch with Scott C.   
          8. Having a 'yummy in my tummy' Burton Burger with Marci
          9. AND finally going to install a back splash for my cousin Joe and his wife Amanda.

Should be a good time! Talk to you next month and remember "If you choose not to decide, you STILL have made a choice, FREE WILL" Free Will by Rush 1980. Oh and don't forget that I will be posting one, possibly two, videos in the near future.


1. He went to Virginia Tech and he became friends with Mike Boike, my good friend. So he and I became good friends even though the first time I met him, I thought he was a TOOL! HA!!! Let me explain, Boike brought him down for July 4th which we ALWAYS spent at Boike's Lake house on Lake Wylie. Todd showed up with a HUGE white boy afro, like the one John McEnroe had and a wet suit and thought he was the 'S#!T'. 

YOU TUBE

    I have been debating doing this for a while. HECK! My major in college was 'Electric media and broadcasting production' so I KNEW how to do this stuff. Now granted, things have CHANGED A LOT in 20+ years 1. BUT I am fairly confident in my abilities BUT be kind! It's my first video in YEARS! I know I NEED a new computer because editing takes a TON of memory that my old computer just does NOT have. KRIPES it took me three freakin' days just to edit it! ANYWAYS, my first one is of 'modifying' a tap handle for my brother's neighbor, Greg, who has a keg-o-rator. He is a cool guy even though he NEVER remembers my name, HA! Anyways, here it is ENJOY!

1. I graduated from Appalachian State University in 1997.

The day was......

 April 2nd, how do I know that???? It freakin' snowed that day!!! GOOD LORD! And it was cold at casa de McBride. I went to turn up my thermostat and (low and behold) the batteries were dead. I went and put some new ones in it but it STILL didn't work. SON OF A! I guess the life cycle of the thing was NOT over 14 years (I installed when I first moved in, and folks, that was in 2005!

 Well it's new to me, Mike my brother, gave it to me years ago, and I assume it's 'TOP NOTCH'.....He NEVER buys cheap crap, unlike his younger brother (ME).

 WHOA!!!! I just 'googled' it and I was right! The cheapest I could find one was for $150! SWEEEEEEET! I've said it before and I will say it again, I LOOOOOOOVE being his 'GOOD WILL'!!!!!

 I can promise that I will NOT need it for the next 6 months, but you are saying," But Andy you will need it for your AC during the summer." No I won't, you see my AC went out YEARS ago and I never got a new one. I just went to Walmart and bought a cheap window unit that I use when I sleep. CHEAP I KNOW!



 Talk to you next month and "if you want to kiss the sky, you better learn how to kneel, ON YOUR KNEES BOY!"

THE GUIDE TO BEING.....

A MAN!

 Some, well most, think I am a SIMPLE MAN and if I can still do it myself, DANG NABBIT, I will! This is a guide for my nephews so they are not like the 'punks' I work with that don't even know how to wipe their own @SS if there mom or dad were not there to do it for them..... PLUS girls, not 'burn your bras' ones, love a guy that knows how to actually do stuff.1 NOW I am not talking about building a freakin' house or anything, just simple stuff that will make your life easier. 

CARS:

• KNOW how to do required maintenance on one. It will save you $ and you will know it was done RIGHT. PLUS it will run for a VERY long time.
• Oil change 
• AIR FILTER change 

• 1. HECK! That is 1/2 of a freakin' tune up, Does anyone even know what that is anymore?
• Change the transmission fluid
• Rotate tires 
• change a tire 2.
• Plug a tire. 3.
• If you have questions on doing anything. Just you tube it or look it up in the actual owner's manual, usually in the glove compartment.
• AND LABEL the filters with something so you know the date and mileage it was changed at.
• LEARN and embrace a manual transmission. Not many people these days know how to drive one AND you need to know in case you have to drive one if it's your only option in a sticky situation. HECK, I was fortunate to learn how to drive one (on other people's cars) at the fine car wash establishment of S.T.P (here is a link to an blog entry detailing all the 'fun' I and my friends had at this place. 

Mike C., Joe W. and I in 1992

• ALWAYS have an emergency kit (part I and part II) in the trunk of your car BECAUSE trust me, you will need to use it one day! 

MUSIC:

• KNOW the difference between Sinatra and other crooners. 

TOOLS:

          

• Know the distance between wood studs. So you know where to hang stuff WITHOUT it falling on someone. As the great 'Tommy Boy' said "That will leave a mark".

OUTDOOR:

• Now your parents might not appreciate this 4 BUT I know that you will be at a keg/field party or two in your teen years and if you want to impress the ladies instantly,

                 1. Know how to build a fire. FYI- GIRLS LOOOOOOVE to be warm.......

 

                 2. Know how to pour a beer from a keg WITHOUT a ton of foam. 5 
                 3. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, FIRST you need to know how to tap one.

  

 These are just a few thing I can think of 'right off the bat'. If you have anymore questions, just ask. 85% of the time I, your 45 year old uncle who has so far lived a good life, will know the answer. Take care and I will talk to you next month and remember that you just can't fix 'stupid'.

1.Let's just admit that 95% of the stuff guys do is to get some 'action'. This may not be P.C but it's TRUE!

2. 3. If you do these things for a lady, she will THINK you are a GOD!

4.  Do NOT get mad at me for this because I can guarantee they would simple 'google' How do you tap a keg?

5. Thanks to Todd and Dave for teaching me this at one of Dave's parties in 87. Oh and FYI- YOUR DAD partied right along side of me!

It's FINALLY done! Can I get an "AMEN" from the congregation???

 SORRY FOR THE DELAY (LIKE anyone noticed) but it freakin wouldn't stop raining AT LEAST three times a week! Been working on this for a few months, AS YOU KNOW!

 The reason that it has taken me FOREVER to do it (started in September and it has been 'touch and go' until now) is because mother nature has NOT been kind to me. It has rained SOOOOOOOO often and I hate working out in the mud. KRIPES! My idea of fun is NOT slipping and sliding holding big rocks and usually falling in it.

This is my working conditions. FYI- MUD SUUUUUUUCKS!

• First up, I had a load of rip rap rock delivered.

Not too sure if the driver was a guy or a girl but
 IT was cool.

• So with that, I did a little section at a time. I 'modified' the ditch with dams I made out of broken up concrete and the rip rap in between each one.

 And here it is in all of it's glory. ENJOY because, sure as heck, I will now it's done!

 Now I have my limitations but I usually can do 'handy man' stuff. Thanks to these guys, I am able to do things around the house and so an old work friend of mine asked me to put up some back splash for her. Now it's NOT perfect and I ALWAYS think that it's NOT (I am not the only one that feels this way, my cousin Chris battles the same demon) but Julie and her husband are VERY happy with it and that's all that matters.

 AND with the help from my neighbor Jimmy, fix a valve so I can have water again! Indoor plumbing RUUUUULES , FYI- You don't realize how good it is until you don't have it for a day or two!!!!!!

A valve that shuts off the water in your house

 The valve was broke and leaking so I dug it up and Jimmy and I simply replaced it, the new valve just screws on the pipes, and it was that easy.


 Talk to ya next month and remember to put things in perspective. Stress is NOT having the clerk at Starbucks screw up your order, it's being an 18 year old ABOUT to storm for beaches of Normandy knowin' damn well that the chances of living are slim to none.

NOTHING SPECIAL!

 I didn't do too much this month due nothing but LAZINESS! Heck most days I would sit chair with my cozy fire and some snacks in my backroom watching you tube videos. No rhyme or reason, from a guy working on a 3 wheeler, remember them?, how to clean out an old gas tank, a guy cutting huge pieces of wood with his saw mill, the Mt Saint Helen's eruption, Queen concert from 19811. and the football life of Eric Dickerson. Pretty random stuff. Here are a few highlights and thoughts from the month of January 2019

• Had my nephews (Jack, Charlie and Nicholas) over for a sleepover...

          1. I fed them CRAP like pizza and ice cream.
          2. Watched some football and saw Charlie's Seahawks LOSE! UGH Charlie-arlie,
              I was pulling for them because I dislike the Cowboys.

• Started organizing and rearranging my work shop and had a few "OH SNAP, I forgot I had this" moments.

• I am reading this book and I am amazed that certain people thought this was a great idea in 1969. "Hey guys, I've got a great idea! Let's put on a free concert for over 300k people and change the venue a few weeks before the show and here is my greatest idea, we can have the Hells Angels do the security! Oh and we can just pay them with a truck of beer! Sounds like a great idea huh!?!?!"
• UGH! The hallmark channel. I loath this channel but my parents LOVE it. Now I know what hell is like, having to watch this ALL DAY!  Here is a break down for EVERY crappy movie on this God forsaken channel:

          1. Guy or gal brings the new boo to their small town.

          2. The new BOO is TOO good or just doesn't fit in for the simple people in the town.

          3. Guy or gal falls back in love with their boo from the past and FROM the town.

          4. Guy or gal kicks new boo to the curb and realizes that their old boo was ALWAYS 'the   
              one'.2.

• I did something that I have NEVER done but wanted to a few times, I just flat out quit a job, the one at Lowes, no notice or anything. I just said "I QUIT" after this joker pi$$ed me off. HA! It felt good but icky at the same time. 3.
• With that little nugget of info, I have plenty of times on my hand to get the ditch done. COME HELL OR HIGH WATER it will be and we all will be better people because of it. WOO HOO!

Just a few more feet (LIKE 100 more) to go and it will be done.

 I will talk to ya next month when I PROMISE the front ditch will be done! Until then fly below the radar and ALWAYS remember that YOU not Trump, Nancy Pelosi or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez control your life. YOU do and no one else! Have a great month.

1. And kids, this was BEFORE they had auto tune so YOU had no choice but to sing in the right key.

2. This usually happens in the town gazebo.

3. I'm NOT mad about it, well I am sad I will not see certain people anymore, and it's the nature of the beast. The best example of this is in football. A NEW head coach is hired and the first thing they do is CLEAN HOUSE and discard the employees from the former regime. The ones that do stay are made uncomfortable so they will be upset with it all and quit. The new regime wants THEIR people that they think can do it better. I have seen it 100 times and I should have seen it coming when I met her (NEW MANAGER) in the fall.

LIFE CHANGERS!

 HEY KIDS!!! I just wanted to show you the two items that have 'changed my life'........ Yeah OK so I MIGHT be exaggerating that last statement BUT they are pretty SWEET! 

• First up is the 'squatty potty'.....

         So as you might know, I am really cheap so I built one out of spare wood I had around and I painted it and added a Flowmaster and S.T.P sticker. INSERT POTTY JOKE HERE!

This is what S.T.P stands for.

• I am a 'LITTLE' and religiously listen to the TK show PODCAST and one of the guests is Steve Sands. He was working for NBC during their Olympic coverage in South Korea. He called in to the show and for the first 20 minutes all he talked about was the toilet in his hotel. So I 'googled'  Korean toilet seat AND this is what I got. Oh and in case you were wondering, I saved up my tip money until I had $219..... Sure I got the money but with ANYTHING I want, I enjoy actually saving up for it. I like the feeling of the whole process. Call me old fashion but it has worked for me since 1973.1
• I will spare you any pictures but I will give these instructions if you come by casa de McBRIDE and wanna experience what heaven is like. Oh and I keep them right next to the 'throne' in case you need to review them.

 And now for ya "GOOD LORD, is he still working on that?" Ditch update.....

Have a great 2019 and I will talk to ya next month....

1.That was the year I was born.

MERRY EFFIN' CHRISTMAS!!!!

 Or whatever you celebrate...

 Because I like MOST of you, I'm here to give you some knowledge about finance, computers, cars and a few things in between so YOU can have a net worth of $1 MILLION DOLLARS like me! HA!!!!!! KIDDING OR AM I!?!??!!? You decide..........

The majority of stuff I am about to give you is FREE and info that I think will help you out! WOO HOO!!!

FINANCE:

• www.mint.com/ It's a great way to MANAGE your finances. It downloads all of your bank and loan accounts. 

• www.everydollar.com Dave Ramsey's team has one as well, BUT you have to pay to have your bank download your transactions. Until it's FREE, I will not use that feature BUT I used it to set up a budget. FYI- BUDGET is NOT a foul word and setting up one is NOT rocket science.

• www.feex.com/ So with ANY investment you have, 401K and stuff like that, there is a FEE the company running it charges you. This site runs the #'s for you and tells you what the total fee will be when you retire! Sure it asks you for the log in to your investment BUT IT IS TOTALLY LEGIT!!!! KRIPES if Clark Howard mentioned it then I am soooooooooo cool with it!

• www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free  I can't speak for you BUT, I hate paying taxes! If I have to do it, why not for FREE!!! That's right kids, you can file your taxes for FREE instead of paying for Turbo Tax or something.

• www.creditkarma.com/ https://secure.creditsesame.com/signup1 These give your credit score ###### NOW IT'S NOT YOUR TRUE FICO SCORE BUT IT'S CLOSE AND GIVES YOU A 'BALL PARK' FIGURE!##### 

• www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action Why go do this?????? BECAUSE!!

• www.clarkhoward.com/ and www.daveramsey.com/home/ -THESE two are my 'GO TO GUYS' when I have ANY financial question, WORDS can't describe what I have learned from them!!!!!! They rock like KISS at the Thomas and Mack Center at Las Vegas in 88!!!! I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS THERE AND 'Rock 'N' Rolled All Night and Partied Every Day'!!!!!!
• https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/- THIS is one of the only ways you can protect yourself if your ID is stolen. It's not 'STEEL CLAD' but it's worth doing because if someone that has stolen your I.D tries to apply for more credit then they will get rejected because your 'credit' has been frozen and only YOU have the codes to thaw it....So in conclusion, DON'T believe all the crap companies like LifeLock and others try to sell ya (they work like this, they monitor your credit AFTER it's been stolen! This is the ONLY way to protect yourself!!!! BE PROACTIVE!!!   
• https://investor.vanguard.com/ -OH AND THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT so settle down! More than likely WE, anyone under 50, will NOT have social security or it will look completely different when it's our time to retire. IT'S SIMPLE MATH!!! This is a good way to prevent being on the 'Alpo retirement plan' (That is when you can't afford 'people food' and you have to eat dog food to survive. They make it as easy as a prom date to set up an I.R.A and their customer services reps are knowledgeable and NOT a freakin' call center in India! They can also help you set up a 529 plan. Watch out because I am about to get on my soap box!!!!! Being an expert on MY opinion, I think it's YOUR duty as a parent to save for your child's education. You need to start right when you find out you're 'knocked up'!!! Don't be that mom/dad that has to expose your child to student loans because YOU weren't prepared and you have to look your child in the eye and say 'I'm sorry' when they are 23 and have over $30+ in student loans they have to pay back.
  
•  Speaking of kids, If you have a 'special needs' one then you can do this!! It's basically a 529 plan but instead of using for higher education, you can use the money for future needs.... http://blog.aarp.org/2014/12/22/new-529-plan-created-for-people-with-disabilities/
•  www.missingmoney.com/Main/StateSites.cfm, http://unclaimed.org/ Almost ALL 50 states participate in this... Any $ that is owned to YOU has to be given back to YOU! Use these site to find any $ that MIGHT be owed to you and the state HAS to give it to you. 

COMPUTER:

• http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage -This is a FREE anti-virus program for your home computer. It's all you need TRUST ME ON THIS! I have been using it for YEARS and I have had no problems ever!!!

• www.newegg.com/ - NOT FREE but D@MN good to have so you are NOT 'up a creek' if your computer dies..... You'll be glad you backed up your pictures from your 'experience' at Mardi Gras 99!!!! 

• www.openoffice.org/ -So you're all set to pay a lot of $ for Microsoft Office? WELL!!!! This looks a little different BUT is basically the same thing and it's A LOT cheaper then Microsoft Office!!! IT'S FREE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, and Google Docs is cool too! Happy now Karen? 
• www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html -This FREE program scans your computer and fixes 'issues' that are making your computer run slow.....

NOT A HIPPY but energy stuff is ALWAYS on my mind:

• http://www.arcadiapower.com/how_it_works -Not 100% sure how it all works BUT I think it's worth it for you to at least check it out. so you can do your little part in being a earth loving HIPPY!
  

AUTO:

• www.recalls.gov/ Don't be that guy/gal that has possible 'issues' with your car because you weren't aware of a recall that was issued by your auto maker months ago! Register your email and they will send you a notice if there is a recall on your car!

• www.scangauge.com/products/scangaugee/ Sure it costs money BUT it's worth it!!!! You will recoup it by driving smarter...... I have had it for almost ten years and it ROCKS!!!! It plugs into your OBDII connection (the computer on your car). KRIPES! It's all they do when you take your car to a mechanic.... They plug in to it to see what's wrong with it.  

MISC (STICKING IT TO 'DA MAN'!!):

• www.antennaweb.org/ It's ALL good if you think of me as a NERD, I'm cool with it, but I know about TV and radio stuff (HELLO! I'm a 'TV and radio production' degree holder from ASU, YEAP I went to college, SHOCKER HUH? ALL stations in the USA are mandated by the FCC to broadcast in HDTV! I know the reason they did this but I will spare you that info, all you need to know is that you can get a 'CRAZY' amount of channels (network TV, NOT ESPN and stuff) just with an antenna! ********** AGAIN! NETWORK TV NOT CABLE STATIONS************* BUT don't fret because you can ask Shonteea, a former coworker of mine, about some reality show and she will give you detailed events of each episode (THANK GOD FOR MY iTouch! But seriously, Almost all of the network (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX) plus all the cable channels, ESPN, CNN, BRAVO, ALL have the shows on their web sites so you can download and watch them and this will help you put it on your TV instead of the screen on your computer.

• www.republicwireless.com- One of those contracts that most companies make you sign are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO '20th century'. Republic is a contract FREE phone service that RULES. It runs off of WIFI but if there isn't WIFI then it runs off the Sprint network. I, ANDY McBRIDE, HAVE NEVER HAD 'ISSUES' WITH NOT GETTING OR SENDING A CALL!! I pay $10 bucks a month for it and I am not sure what their business model is BUT I do love saving money and their customer service is 2nd to NONE!!!! I am one happy camper!!!!

There are other sites but I can't think of them right now but I hoped these helped ya out a little. MERRY CHRISTMAS KIDS and I hope Santa gave you everything you asked for this year.

 OH and if this is not enough info for ya, check out this guy's links CLICK HERE 

 P.S. I wrote this to all of my coworkers AFTER 'THE MAN' laid off most of the people in our department AKA 'BLACK WEDNESDAY'(Feb. 2016). AHHHHH The JOY of working for corporate America: "OKIE DOKIE! The past week has REALLY put things in 'perspective' so I decided to write, as my former co worker Shonteea would say, the little 'ANDY BEEEEEEEEEOTCHIN' investment guide'. I want to get this out because I want y'all to know this if they decide that we are not needed anymore. This will be short and sweet but I think you'll get the gist of it so you are NOT on the 'Alpo retirement plan' (You are soooooooooo broke when you retire that you have to eat dog food because you can't afford 'people food'). FIRST OFF, I think it's pretty cool that you ask me for financial advice, contrary to popular belief, I like helping people BUT I DO have my limits! Just ask my former cube mate!!!! ALRIGHT, enough of the warm and fuzzy cr@p, let's get down to business. 

- ALWAYS remember that the turtle beats the rabbit EVERY TIME. Apply this phrase to your investing. You are NOT looking to make the 'quick buck' in the next week, month or year because there is a really good chance you will loose it just as quick.

- K.I.S (keep it simple and yes DULL! Boring mutual funds= less risk. Single stocks= A LOT of
  RISK. Look at mutual funds that have been around for at least 10 or more years and average a
  good track record.

- DO NOT use the news as your financial adviser, the news is all about DOOM and GLOOM!
  KRIPES, their motto is 'IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS'!  

- Look at what your 401k is in once in a while, I'll be the first to tell ya that I am bad at this. I just
  looked at mine today and when I was helping some other people out a few months ago, for the
  first time in years. BAD ME!!!

     1. You can adjust your funds that you are in manually or you can keep them in one of the
         'target market' funds (just figure out when you want to retire, the year, and put your money
         in that. It's like 'auto pilot' for your money. It's personal choice....).
     2. Well Fargo matches up to 6%, so set your contribution to at least that and ALWAYS add to
          it no matter what. 'Catholic Kate' AKA my mom (NO I don't call her that to her face) instilled
          in me to ALWAYS contribute to it. She also did a fabulous job with the whole 'Catholic guilt'
          thing!!!
     3. There are some GREAT references that they offer us that explain the 401k
         plan A LOT better than I do. Just log in to your account and on the top of the page
         there is a tab called 'Planning and Education' then click 'Education Resources Center' and
         read to your little heart's content . Also just search '401k' on the internet.  

 I could go on and on about this but I won't because I know you will roll your eyes at me and say "OK!
 I get it old man!' "

OH and I worked on another section of the ditch.

 Have a great 2019 and remember "always forgive BUT NEVER forget" Wil Zues ! FYI! I have been blogging since 2005, this will be my 14th freakin' year! GOOD LORD!

BONUS ENTRY!

 I was shopping at my FAVORITE store (BIG LOTS) and the empty store next to it had a huge sign saying "FUTURE HOME OF HARBOR FREIGHT". That right there is a WIN/WIN situation!  Now this is a store I love to go to. Sure they sell CRAP but if you looking for something that will get the job done BUT may not last too long after that and for a great price, HARBOR FREIGHT is for you......

 I have a couple more thoughts I want to share:

• Harbor Freight has taken the crown of "tools I really don't need" from a store Boike and I LOOOOOOOVED in the early 90s. It was called Northern Hydraulics but now it is called just Northern Tool. They use to sell CRAP too for REALLY cheap but I am not sure they do anymore!
• My mother LOATHES going there, she says it smells, OH WELL! But dad and I love going there. HECK! We just go and look around at all the 'junk' they sell and we might buy something.
• ALDI, BOJANGLES, BIG LOTS AND NOW HARBOR FREIGHT! All in a 5 mile radius of casa de McBride! WOO HOO! I NEVER have to leave L-TOWN again!*

 THERE, I just wanted to get that off my chest and can I get a "HALLELUJAH" from the congregation??????

  Also I want to give a 'SHOUT OUT' to my sister in law who threw a pretty DOLCE (That's Spanish for 'SWEET') Thanksgiving party. FIRST OFF! She has some REALLY hot FRIENDS and the food/ atmosphere ROCKED! KUDOS to you young lady!

 And some sad news from the R.A news desk St. Cloud, MN corespondent Dan Brill. The guy who we and all AMERICA called a WEIRDO because of the stuff he did to his house.

 Died of an apparent "heart attack" while enjoying his time in Thailand..... So what is the over/under that hairless Asian boy and a mountain of "nose candy" on the night stand were involved?

 OH YEAH! I did another section of the ditch....

* Except when I go to worship statues of the Virgin Mary! That's what Catholics do right?  At least that is what those silly Protestants think!  ANYWAYS, The church is 12 miles away and OUT of my 5 mile radius.

TICKING AWAY! The thorn in my side part III

 Where does it go? Enough of me whining like a politician (THEY ALL DO IT and it doesn't matter what side of the aisle they are on. ANYWAYS! Here is what I did this month:

• Slept
• Ate
• Worked my two jobs (Lowes and Papa Johns)
• Watched some 'tool porn'. NERDY I KNOW BUT!!
• Dealt with the kids I work with (am I crazy or are all kids just stupid?) HA! I bet $100 that some one said that about me when I was a kid.
• Worked on the ditch from HELL!

The one side of the driveway (smallest section) is done.

• My old friend Todd and his girlfriend (Elouise) came down and we, Todd actually cut them, took out the LAST two NATAS (SATAN backwards) pine trees at casa de McBride. 

Todd showing those pine trees who was boss!
Him and his chain saw dang nabbit!

 So as of now, there is only ONE crappy tree left (cedar) on my property and his days are numbered! I will cut him down soon enough and when I do, it will be a joyous day here at casa de McBride.

 That's all I have for you this month, take care and remember to "ALWAYS wear a rain jacket if you think it's gonna rain........"1




1. I use to do the announcements at my high school back in 1992 and I said this one day at the end. One of the nuns was told what it meant and she was none too pleased! She REALLY let me have it and if I recall, I was given detention for it.  

"YOU'RE LIKE A HURRICANE COMIN'." The thorn in my side part II

 AHHHHHHH Cheesy 'HAIR band' music!! FYI- If loving 80's HAIR bands is wrong, I DON'T want to be right..

 But seriously, I was NOT able to do too much on the ditch this month due to it raining like 10+ inches and working at Lowes for at least 8 hours a day! Seriously, if they offer OT, I'm gonna take it. ALSO the ground was so wet I could not do anything outside without looking like this.

 All of this was due to Hurricane Florence. Now granted, there is a 'silver lining' in this, We DID need the rain. WOO HOO!! My yard is GREEN again!

I had a load of rip rap rock dumped in my front yard.

 So with that said, I started 'modifying' the ditch by getting a load of rip rap rock that I will put between the dams I made out of broken up concrete. I will also 'modify' them to make them more efficient. This was all I could do before the facet was left on for a VERY long time.

 Not much I know, SORRY!

 OHHHHHH SNAP!!! It was a very uneventful month UNTIL my neighbor Jimmy brought home this FINE PIECE of MACHINERY! 

Those nasty tree stumps were NO match!

 He took out of the tree stumps I had on the side of the house! I was as happy as this fat kid eating 6 bags of his favorite potato chips!

 Have a great month and remember that "no matter how hot it gets, sooner or later, there will be a cool breeze comin' in." Sonny Crockett 1986. 

UGH! The thorn in my side! PART I

 If you have EVER read my posts since I bought this house in 2005, you would know that the ditch in my front yard has ALWAYS been a thorn in my side. No matter what I do, it looks like this when it rains REALLY hard.

 Sorry for the kink in you neck but when I took this video I just got a new phone and I didn't know how to use it correctly, that is why half of it is sideways.

 Here is one that will not cause you any physical damage to your neck.

 I am currently 'modifying' it BUT because I LOATH debt, I am doing a little at a time. Basically, when I have the extra cash to do something I will. That is why this will be an ongoing project for a few months.

 This entry is about the new drainage ditch I built to replace the area I rigged up when I first moved in, and that was in 2005 folks........

 I 'modified' a runoff ditch I previously made with a drainage pipe I dug in the ground. I just dug it up and made a ditch out of old broken up concrete that was given to me by the road crew when they redid my street years ago.

 To the 4 people that read this, I am sorry for the delay but I can only do so much outside before I have to come in to A/C. It is super HOT out there! GEEZ!!!

 This is an on going project for the next few month.



R.I.P Bandit!

I guess this is a car themed post....

GET IT NOW? Driveway and garage floor.... Things that are used primarily for an automobile.

 After work, I usually eat a bowl of ice cream 1 , play on my computer for a bit then, during the summer when it's hot, I chill out on the front porch swing eating pretzels and pondering life. While doing this, I looked at my driveway and thought, "Gee, I really should clean that." So I pressure washed it. NOW it's a long driveway so I did a section each day. PLUS, it's SUPER humid outside so I can only do so much before I need to go into the shade and rest.

 I also had some extra EPOXY floor paint so I decided to paint the floor in the garage. As the late great Gary S. taught me years ago, PREP is the key to ANY paint job. So I pressure washed and scrubbed the floor with degreaser.

 I stressed the word EPOXY because I SOOOOOOOOOO remember in the early 90's my dad, uncle Doug and I painting the garage floor at our old house. POPS decided to mix up ALL of the paint just lying around. NOW it didn't matter what kind it was, it ALL went into a 5 gallon bucket to be mixed and then put on the floor. Gee I sometimes wonder where I get my 'cheapness' and 'jerry rigging' traits from?

AND NOW FOR:

 Sometimes after work, I need to get some gas. I usually go to the station right next to where I work. The clerk is a very 'unique' individual. I am pretty sure he is a drag queen. he has the plucked eye brows, platinum blond hair and here is the dead give away that he is one, his fingernails are painted! I giggle every time I have to give him my money. NOW, I am not being a prune, HELL, do what you want as long as it doesn't hurt me then I am 'KOOL AND THE GANG' with it.

 Anyways, have a great month and for all the people thinking that EVERYBODY else makes your life good or bad, "Stop looking out, start looking in, BE your own best friend." Van Halen (Mine All Mine) 1988.........

1. It consists of three knock off brands I get at Aldi, "Moose tracks", 'Chocolate chip cookie dough' and 'Peanut butter s'mores' topped with chocolate syrup and in the Buffalo Bills pint glass that was BORROWED from the Amherst Al House many moons ago.

A hot cup of JOE!

 Wanna know why it's a 'cup of Joe'? There ya go!!! GOD BLESS THE INTERNET! It's not just for porn anymore! HA! Anyways, as most of you know, I like coffee but NOT PHU PHU crap like Starbucks or anything like that. I prefer CHEAP coffee... SO I decided to make my Keurig even more efficient, in truth, I was sick of always having to fill it with a bottle of water. I 'T'ed off my water line from my refrigerator added a line of filtered water directly to it. As my uncle Jim would say "I'm a fart smeller" I MEAN "smart feller". It's not pretty BUT it does what I want AND you can't even see it with the refrigerator in place.

I also got a new dish drying rack, I MEAN, dish washer. It's one of those "scratch and dent" ones. I got it at Lowes for $100 bucks! WOO HOO!

Could you even tell it had a dent if I didn't point it out to ya?

 I had to do some 'modifications' to the water line that supplies it SO I had to get under my sink

and do some soldering. Trust me kids, it's not that hard to do. HA! And it's so quiet that I didn't think it worked. BUT it shows those dishes who is boss!



 Oh and the world cup 2018 is going on! This is what I and most of the U.S.A think of soccer.

  AND NOW!

 DUDES! I have been watching a GREAT documentary on Netflix... Y'all, you think we live in crazy times now? WHATEVER! The late 60s were REALLY nuts!


Have a great month and to quote Don Ohlmeyer "The answer to ALL your questions is MONEY"! ...