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Comments
Cheers Pat.
I don't have any daughters so I can't identify! :P
I do think that perhaps there comes a time when sharing a house together can get uncomfortable!!!
When one of them moves out you can make the bottom bunk into a desk area.
The factory leather wasn't perforated either, and this is the only way I would have leather.
Cheers Pat.
A while ago she was asking about the timing belt and considered trading it in, but she serviced it and kept it, and so far that looks like a good decision, as she's happy and hasn't had any issues.
She beats on it pretty hard, too.
Not bad for a v1.0, that was the first year of that generation.
Funny side note - we've never had a single head gasket issue, the family fleet has included:
98 Forester (traded) mine
99 Outback (traded) cousin
01 Outback dad
02 Legacy (traded) wife
03 Forester sis
04 Legacy (totalled) bro
09 Forester wife
11 Forester bro
Impreza sales are up 150% for the year, that's more than double. :surprise:
And they still have supply problems.
Our band is thinking about buying a new (new to us, anyway) uniform/props/gear trailer. Looking for fund raising ideas above and beyond the human car wash, 2 craft sales, entertainment books, and ink cartridge recycling.
It takes a village to raise a marching band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzHB7vuVBIQ
Mid-Hudson Subaru is one of our business sponsors, because as you know it sure takes a lot of MONEY to run a National Class band program. While the car wasn't free, they were great in their support. We actually began the raffle with possibly unrealistic expectations on how fast we could sell the tickets, and the stubs we have actually advertise a 2012 Impreza! They loaned us a car to show off at multiple events, and then 'swapped' out the deal for a 2013 when we fell short on sales. We eventually cut back on the number of tickets available to raise the odds, and got it done. So in the end we made a decent amount, but it was a lot of work.
Today we honored the dealership GM in front of a full grandstand. You cannot buy that kind of good-will with mere advertising dollars. Good for everyone!
Last year we entered the 'Pepsi Challenge' and received a $50k grant that bought us new uniforms for the 140 kids.
I worked most of the day doing setup & breakdown, and in the field-side Snack Bar baking pretzels and assembling chicken sandwiches. The payback in exhausted but smiling faces? Priceless...
The whole trailer thing got started in the band camp parking lot - our 'neighbors' had a 50-foot semi trailer modified to 2 levels - instruments large and small, pit, battery, uniforms, props, it all fit. Trailer envy. All we'd need is a tractor & parent or grandparent with a CDL. Currently we use a old dragster trailer, a school-district 24-foot cargo truck, and food goes in a POV sometimes towing a U-Haul. The food operation is awesome in its own right, and deserves its own post in the near future.
Home competition this weekend (Sounds of Thunder), then Eugene & Everett the following weekends.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/cvmarchingband?fref=ts
The smallest band was 32 kids and the largest was 305. The host band has a tractor trailer as they travel quite a bit. The will be performing at the Fiesta Bowl in January. The 305 count band (Londonderry, NH) shows up in 7 buses and (2) 24' trucks.
Our town is performing at Disney World in April. We are trying to raise funds to help offset the cost. I think I might be driving the truck with all the gear for 100 kids down and back.
The town sprung for uniforms about 5 years ago. They are starting to show some wear. I believe the band director is going to ask for funding for new uniforms for next fall.
Our props this year are trees, 30 of them, made of sonotubes, pool noodles, expansion foam, and a lot of spray paint. Saturday afternoon, the wind chose to pick up just before our prelim performance. Trees tipped over. Not good.
A group of band kids in the bleachers see our predicament. Suddenly, 30+ kids, with permission of their director, flood the field and take positions behind each of our trees, keeping them upright for the duration of our performance.
A public shout-out and sincere thank you to the Clarkston, WA High School Marching Band. Above and beyond, ladies and gentlemen. You're a class act, and we promise to pay it forward someday.
We do the same and the bands always clap and honor each other. It's interesting the mix of kids in the band. We have varsity athletes, cheerleaders, theater kids, artistic kids, et al. Last year we had a football cheerleader perform during halftime. We've had bandies show up to games and perform in soccer uniforms. We've had football players come off the field at half time to perform although when they are varsity they can't.
A couple of weeks ago, the game was held at our facility. The visitors brought their band which is rare around here - our band travels to every game. They did their performance first which included a song our band was to perform. After the game our drum majors got together with the other band's major and the two bands came together to perform Eleanor Rigby:
BHS x 2
Last week I had the annual no drip oil rustproofing done. Don't know if this is available in the US. It is enviromentally friendly and works, I have used it on most of the cars I have owned.
Cheers Pat.
Ended up having it towed to the dealer (called Subaru Customer Care for the tow—that's a whole 'nuther story...). They gave me a base '12 Impreza 4-door. The only options were the CVT and the self-dimming interior mirror with the compass. No paddle shifters or cruise control; even so a pretty nice car. We've put ~ 100 miles on it and it's recording 35 mpg.
As to our Forester: Dealer had to order a new ignition switch, door locks and keys; as they're all part of a package and have to work together. Hope to get it back tomorrow or Tuesday.
Bob
Turns out they're in Texas, and I'm in Maryland. They said they would call me back once they located a towing service. A few minutes later I get that call—this time it's from Ontario, Canada, and they said they would be here in about an hour; remember I'm in Maryland. Sure enough, about an hour later they showed up. Forgot to ask the driver how it was like driving a Hino rollback @ 500 mph.
Speaking of Hino, that's a pretty nice Class 6 truck. It comes standard with a 6-speed Allison automatic and it had power windows. Hino is owned by Toyota. I rode with the driver for 20 or so miles to my dealer, as I had to get that loaner.
Bob
:surprise: :P
that's very clever.
Sign me up! That's pretty great.
Must be the chip in the key, weird.
Bob
In other news, I saw XV #1 on the road last night! I was shocked to see one on the highway (sold) already! It looks pretty good; much better proportioned than its Impreza sibling. That unit was stark white with black (or dark grey?) cladding. We're scheduled for a couple inches of snow (this stuff is going to be here until spring!) tonight, so it won't stay that way for long! :P
My final winter prep was putting the winter tires on the Forester yesterday. Imagine my surprise to find that my local Ford dealership cross-threaded one of the lug nuts last spring when I had a new set of summer tires installed there. I was pretty furious yesterday (luckily, they were closed!), but when I spoke to them this morning, they were quick to take in for a stud replacement, no questions asked.
Maybe this isn't as uncommon as it ought to be? Just reinforcement of my long-standing policy not to have a shop mount my wheels unless it is necessary. That's what I get for being impatient and swapping my wheels out last spring two weeks before my tires came in.
How so? Other than the cladding and minor front/rear fascia alterations (and of course the lift), it's the same as the Impreza Sport 5dr.
Cheers Pat.
In order to replace it both interior door panels have to come off, on the Mazda3 there is a full hard plastic panel below the trim panel, then the entire latch assembly had to replaced. 2 hours of labour was involved, I am glad it was a warranty repair and I was wasn't paying.
Remember not so long ago the so called door sensor was a spring operated pin switch located on the centre post that could be replaced in about 5 minutes.
Progress EH! I think not. :mad:
Cheers Pat.
Did you unbolt the Mazda seats and set them up in the den for the kids?
Now we have several manufacturers that have partially moved away from the venerable 12V car battery so they can use fewer relays for all the electronic gadgetry onboard, and everyone else is probably thinking about it.
My neighbour has one of those crappy smart cars and he is tied to the Mercedes dealer for just about everything, he cannot even get wiper blades aftermarket they have to be a dealer item.
Cheers Pat.
We have these 2 amazing ladies (sisters), both of whom have kids in the band/guard. They have an equally amazing group of volunteer parents that cook, prep, pre-package, re-package, store, organize, refrigerate etc. etc. enough food for (this trip) 6 meals over the weekend. All the food, roasters, coolers, disposable plates & cutlery, coolers, the whole 9 yards, goes into a truck & trailer or box truck. And it all fits
En route: lunch on the road, dinner after we arrive at our host school. Competition day: sack breakfast, lunch in the stadium parking lot, dinner back at the host school. Homeward bound: another sack breakfast, and finally a fast-food lunch about halfway home.
All this for 150+ performers, a dozen parent chaperones, and band & guard staff. Logistically amazing. Unprecedented dedication. Priceless volunteerism. Jenna & Heidi rock. :shades:
http://omb.uoregon.edu/OregonAthleticBands/Festival_of_Bands.html
Last Saturday we completed down on Long Island (Walt Whitman High School), and in the mix were two other National Class bands. We beat the NJ band, but lost to Norwalk High (CT). Musically we were better, but their drill was sharper and their Color Guard absolutely rocked. We'll be meeting up with them in two weeks at DOME, as they petitioned to participate in the NYSFBC again. Imagine the top band in NY being from CT? Oh the pain.....
Alas, we won't be there to defend our title - they moved that competition forward a week, and it conflicts with our fall craft sale - our #1 music program fund raiser.
If you Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/cvmarchingband?fref=ts
Lesson learned. Again.
Happily, they didn't raise any fuss at all about replacing that stud. I dropped it off, they fixed it, and I picked it up that afternoon. Net cost: $0.
Bob
As an Chartered Loss Adjuster (Claims Assessor to you folk) I have a professional interest in this one. My wife unkindly claims that Loss Adjusters are like Undertakers; revelling in the misfortune of others!
It is definitely not an experience that I would recommend and I do hope that all who can be somewhere well inland, have already got there. I am thinking of all of you.
Best of luck
Graham
This weekend was the NY State Field Band Conference championships at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. One year ago this weekend we had to first dig out from the freak early winter storm that dropped 18" of wet snow on us. What is it with major weather events and the BIG BAND WEEKEND?
Anyhow, Arlington took 4th place in NY State. It was a good, clean show - probably the best the kids could do with the material they had to work with, but it just wasn't enough. Two of the bands were outstanding, but the band that nudged them out of 3rd (in my humble opinion) shouldn't have. But so it goes.
We drove home today, taking the long way in an attempt to outflank the storm rather than head into it in NY's 'southern tier'. The last 60 miles was pretty hairy with driving rain and deep puddles on the road. But the lights at home are still (99.5% of the time) on, and the internet is still up.
Our gang did it again... 89.35, high music, high visual, high general effect, and the Puget Sound Festival of Bands Sweepstakes. So proud of these young men & women. A great way to finish the season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDWvJRmO6R8&feature=player_detailpage#t=20s
At least she drives a Forester so she can run over the small debris okay if she has to get out. :shades:
We all know that the judges have a strict criteria for evaluating a show, and we just don't always understand why something scores very good verses great. But as regular attendees, we also know that some shows are strong crowd-pleasers, and some shows just leave you hanging for where are the climax spots, and just where are you supposed to clap? On the whole it may be very good but just fall short of WOW? Somehow, that was our show this year. It took me a long time to warm up to it, but it just never sent me over the top.
At one of the shows earlier in the circuit I was up near the booth and could actually hear one of the judges dictating his comments. He didn't seem to get it either, and as a result, wasn't catching some of the nuances. Make sense?
School is closed again tomorrow, and work, well, we'll see what the place looks like a dawn.
The heavy rains just started again!
Agreed on the crowd pleasing element - I haven't had much opportunity to watch a lot of other band's performances this year, but I can compare our 2011 show (Machine) to our 2012 (Cloaked). Last year was a crowd pleaser for sure - upbeat music, dancing band members, and remember the smokestacks? Easy to engage the crowd. Cloaked music was much more technical and difficult, the show more visually complex. The judges obviously 'got it' and appreciated it, but the crowd response, while always positive, didn't seem as enthusiastic. Subjective observation, but personally, the music didn't grab me until the last couple weeks. Now I can't wait til the DVD comes out - hit 'play' and turn it up
Judging, despite the strict criteria, is still subjective. We are, after all, human. But they're experts in their field, and you have to have faith that they're doing their jobs as they are supposed to.
Very proud of my kids, and the whole band & guard (as if you couldn't tell).
Glad to have had a small part in their success. CVMB Rocks.
The unusual silence of Juice and other frequent posters is a concern. I hope that is restricted to recovering systems or absence of power supplies/lelecoms!
Loss Adjusters tend to refer to disasters, counter intuitively; a good storm is one giving lots of new work. On that scale, Sandy is definitely a Good Storm!
Hope all are safe
Cheers
Graham