Sunday Shorts

• After getting the wrong size shoes for Daughter recently, I did better with the bike upgrade:

 

• She's getting used to using the handbrakes.
• About three weeks ago, a guy in a large pickup backed into my car at work, smashing out one of the tail lamp assemblies.
• Fortunately, he was an honest person, and came into our office to find the owner of the car.
• Also fortunately, the damage was limited to the crunched lamp housing, and a slight scratch on the plastic bumper below it.  No metal damage apparent.
• He gave me his insurance information, but asked if I would be OK with him paying for the damage directly, rather than filing a claim.  I agreed that I would check to make sure there wasn't any hidden breakage, and try to work out a solution we could both live with.
• I figured it would be a good opportunity to check out RockAuto.com, which #1 son has been telling me about.
• Son was correct, the delivered price of the TYC (aftermarket mfr.) assembly was about $66.00 - half what AutoZone or O'Reilly showed, for the same manufacturer item.  I also bought a can of touch up paint (that really matched) at AutoZone for about $7.
• All told, the repair cost $73, and I forwarded the information to "Eddie".  He was tickled, responded thanking me for my kindness.  I actually was equally tickled, since the same thing happened to my SUV, also at work, last year, but no one claimed responsibility.
• Call it the Golden Rule, call it Karma if you wish - it's refreshing that there are still honest, responsible people in this jacked up world.  
• Prolific easy-listening/pop lyricist, and Burt Bacharach collaborator, Hal David has died at 91.
• I'll never fall in love again.
• Sure - Promises, promises.
• Saginaw sighting:

• Yeah, it's a Rebel, not enough bike for the open road, but would be fun for tooling around town.

• Yes, that's an eagle graphic on the tank.  For those not knowledgeable about such things, Eagles = very good.
• Auto follies/RockAuto story #2: I had Friday off, took #1 son to lunch (who was kind enough to replace the fuel filter on my car - I thought it required one of those special split collar QD tools to remove the hoses - I have a set, but couldn't find them - but it didn't, just a finger pinch,  - still, it was easier to access and remove the band clamp from the oil change pit than it would've been on my driveway).  Afterward, I asked him to check the car's front suspension on the rack.  Ball joints and tie-rod ends were within spec, but he recommended new struts.
• When I got home, I went to RockAuto, and ordered some Gabriel Ultra XD's that had been private labeled, and were on closeout for half the price of their Monroe equivalents.  My order was time stamped at 3:33p Friday.  As cheap as I am, I just opted for standard delivery. 
• At 5:00p, I got an email that my order had shipped.
• 10:31a on Saturday, I was talking to my neighbors when a FedEx truck arrived, and handed a large box to my Daughter.  I couldn't believe it, but it was my strut order.  Wow.
• #2 son is getting settled in at College Station.  I told him Daughter and I saw a guy at World Market the other night with a Keep College Station Normal shirt (first I'd seen, though I obviously recognized the reference) - he says they're everywhere at A&M.
• The Rev. Sun Yung Moon has died at 92, just a week after Neil Armstrong.  I didn't know any of his songs.