I love Gooski’s. It’s a relaxing hole in the wall with a killer jukebox and ridiculously awesome honey BBQ wings. It’s always cool to play a place you’re so comfortable in, so please come out to this one, hang out, & have a fun time with Ernie and the Berts as we rock out with the Dirty Charms & What Else?.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Pittsburgh’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011 …?
So, I’m checking out my WordPress stats (it’s like an addiction now), and I see this link:
blogger.cbslocal.com/most-valuable-blogger/score/27/1/
I clicked it, and it was asking for a login. Huh? I did a quick Google search and found this: Pittsburgh’s Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011
It reads…
After much deliberation and careful consideration of many nominees, CBS Pittsburgh has narrowed the field of Finalists down for this year’s MVB. Voting for finalists is open now through September 9th. Let your voice be heard – vote now!
I’m in the list! So, to whoever nominated me, thanks! You forgot to include “obviously insane” in the description:
The topics are enjoyable to read & are written in a way that is highly entertaining, while containing favorable opinions & insight.
Vote for me! Please?
I’m in the Dining/Entertainment category. They have a badge up there, and they say to use it, so I will. And, here’s where I’ll beg for your votes. It looks like you can vote once a day in each category. Apparently, you have from now to Sept. 9th to vote. So, please… be obnoxious with your voting! Vote daily for yours truly, and spread the word!
I have to warn you, if I win it’s just going to encourage more goofiness. Fast food joints will most likely not be amused.
Also… in all seriousness, I was looking through the other nominees. Use this as an opportunity to check out some other cool local blogs! I see Only In Pgh is up, & I love that blog. No one nominated Secret Agent L? None of the blogs listed on UrbanSpoon Pittsburgh are up against me in the dining category? There are a bunch of cool ones there!
Twitter has opened me up to the wonderful world of bloggers out there, both near & far.
You dropped this...
Check out the contest, vote for your favorites, and tell me in the comments below which blogs I should be following & why. (After you vote for me, of course.)
Thanks again to the nominator (whoever you are) and to any potential voters!
Suggested Reading…
Image by Walt Jabsco via Flickr
So recently I finished two books that my reader(s) might enjoy.
The first is Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg. It’s a great book, & gives you insight into Pegg’s fanboy roots, aspiring to be an actor, and some really funny stuff thrown in. Also, in a bit about how Revenge of the Sith should have ended… he couldn’t have been more spot-on. I won’t go into crazy detail as you can find many reviews online… but I have to say for fans of films like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul, and the new Star Trek… you need to see this. It also reminds me that I need to get my hands on some Spaced DVD’s. Also… where/when in the hell can I see Burke and Hare in the US?
"I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead"
The second amusing book is probably old, as I picked it up at a discount book store… It’s called The Internet is a Playground: Irreverent Correspondences of an Evil Online Genius, and it’s by David Thorne. You can tell from the title why it piqued my interest. If you’ve been around the internet long enough, you’ve seen the infamous spider. You should check out 27b/6 some time. It, like the book… is rather amusing. This brings to mind the now seemingly prehistoric Idiot Letters and Letters From a Nut series that I love, as well as Emails From An A**hole and Little Billy’s Letters. I won’t go into too much detail as again… there are enough online reviews. But, I would suggest checking this one out if you’re a fan of goofy email exchanges.
Those are my suggestions for you. What are your suggestions for me?
So, do you guys cater?
I recently had some correspondence with Panera Bread (The Great Panera Bread Swindle & Panera responds to my insanity, so I write back…), and I still have no reply to my last email. I assume they think I’m an idiot and will not continue any further correspondence. The experience reminded me of being bombarded with catering advertisements when I’m already at a restaurant. I called out a few other places, but Boston Market does the same thing with the catering barrage. I have a long history with them & letters, pre-dating my WordPress blogging days even.
At any rate, it struck me that they both seem to be fighting (or at least nagging) for catering business. If we’re already in the store, and signed up for your mailing lists… we probably know that you will cater if needed. How about focusing the catering advertising on local businesses around each location?
Or, I have a more interesting solution…
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 10, 2011
Subject: So, do you guys cater?
To: RCordova1@bost.com, isabella.contactus@panerabread.comCiao Colossal Catering Czars!
I can’t help but feel overwhelmed lately when I visit any of your fine establishments. I just go there to get a meal, but you have mercilessly force-fed your catering services to me and throngs of other customers in the form of signage on the wall, window-clings, pamphlets, menus, table signage, place-mats, tweets, & emails. I get it. I feel like I’m in a giant commercial every time I walk into one of your previously welcoming establishments. (Bob Evans is highly annoying with the take-out mantra too, but they’re not quite as relentless in their efforts.) I applaud your tenacity, Panera Bread and Boston Market. Despite your valiant and exasperating efforts, I have not yet used either of you to fill my catering needs. In fact, I don’t have any catering needs. I’m able to make a sandwich spread, some soup, a salad, & even prepare a holiday meal… all for less money than what you can offer, and it has the added bonus of being homemade.
Your incessant plugging of your catering service smacks of so much desperation, that it struck me with an idea. You’re both figuratively fighting for my dollar, why not an actual fight for my dollar? I’m not suggesting fisticuffs, although your frequency of mentioning catering services suggest that you may indeed jump right in. I’m suggesting you each prepare a meal for a party, and I will only pay the not-quite-fast-food chain that makes the best meal. Fight for my dollar! Sorry, I can’t really contain my excitement at the prospect of such a tournament. I bet we could get a reality TV show in on this. If not, I could certainly get someone with a digital camera, and we could post the contest & the results on YouTube. I’m sure it would go viral. Can you imagine the bragging rights?
The judges would be those in attendance to my party. You can certainly do your own background checks and interviews to ensure no partiality or preconceived bias. I can even leave myself out of the proceedings, as I find you both equally annoying with the catering propaganda. I could write up a review/summary at the end of the experience. The only thing you would have to lose is the cost of catering a small party… but the potential to gain respect and more advertising for your catering services. I’m enabling you, my friends. I can feel the hunger dwelling deep within you.
I can assure you of my impartiality, as I have hosted several Chili Cook-off events at my home, and have photos to prove it. I can provide you with copies of our ballots to show our proficiency in scoring food vs. food on several points. We would of course have to devise a system to compare the proverbial Boston Market apples to Panera Bread oranges, but you can trust my ingenuity on the matter, and can employ a crack team of analysts.
This would be epic, my friends. Imagine being a pioneer in this type of event! What would be next? Qdoba vs. the Honey Baked Ham Co.? The KFC bucket vs. your local grocery store’s prepared foods? If you don’t like my idea, I may sign you up for my mailing list under the guise of getting coupons for my awesome letter-writing and ingenious idea services… only to solicit and re-solicit this very idea ad nasueam. Using your own logic, you will have no choice but to comply!
Or, you could just have your CEO’s arrange a fist-fight in some parking lot, and I’ll literally give the winner a dollar.
Thank you for your time, I really hope that you give my idea serious consideration. I will be ready when you say yes to the event. We can work out the event and the details quite easily. I actually have a “Batman movie night” coming up, and it would be great to cater that. (Although, my wife may be making some Batman logo cookies… but we’ll make sure no one can vote for her catering services, she would most likely win hands-down with Batman cookies at a Batman movie party.)
May the best chain win!
-ERiC AiXeLsyD
Vaunted food contest professional.
Panera wrote back first…
Date: Wed, Aug 10, 2011
Subject: RE: Contact Us [Something not on this list] — MESSAGEID(288118)
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.comDear Waldo,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Panera Bread. We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with our catering advertising. The current promotion is simply one way to let our catering customers know that the option is available. We always strive to provide a wonderful meal, great service and a welcoming environment for our all our customers and hope that you will continue to enjoy Panera Bread. I will let our Marketing decision makers know how you feel, so that your opinion will be considered.
Thanks again for contacting us. We appreciate your business and value your comments.
Sincerely,
Isabella
Customer Comment Coordinator
Oh yeah, Waldo? With Google+ getting all crazy & stuff, I didn’t want to merge my “regular” Gmail address with the fake one, so I change the W(aL)D email name to Waldo Lunar. So, my email comes as Waldo Lunar, but I still signed it “Eric AiXeLsyD”.
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 11, 2011
Subject: Re: Contact Us [Something not on this list] — MESSAGEID(288118)
To: Isabella <isabella.contactus@panerabread.com>Thanks Isabella,
I’m glad that you understand my frustration at being pummeled with advertising, and that you’re willing to pass the sentiment along to the appropriate parties. I applaud you for your efforts, and the swiftness with which you replied! I’m on the fence with Panera bread due to this whole “holding the dressing” thing, and the “healthy” chicken noodle soup debacle. I mean, those homemade-looking noodles were awesome. The little square things lying sparsely in the greasy broth are sad little stabs into my heart. Perhaps I must move on to the broccoli soup.
Has anyone else written to you in regards to the barrage of advertising? More importantly — Is Panera interested in the catering “battle royale” that I proposed? If we can get Boston Market on board, I think this will be a stellar time. You were much more expeditious with your reply. I trust that you believe in your brand/product enough to put it to the test? I can try to get some TV people on board once I get confirmation from the principal parties. I’m sure you can see from my first email that I’ve already put much thought into the logistics. The prospect of it all has me quite excited.
Thank you once again for your time and diligent response. Have a great day, and I hope to hear from you again soon!
Hungry,
-ERiC AiXeLsyD
Vaunted food contest professional.
I sort of got a response from Boston Market…
From: <sbrooks1@bost.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 11, 2011
Subject: Boston Market suggestion response
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.comGood Afternoon
Thank you for submitting your suggestion to our catering department. We certainly appreciate the time you took to write and do value all customer feedback. Upon receipt of this information, I will create a report and forward your comments to the Market Leader for your region and our Marketing Department for consideration.
Again thank you for your feedback
Syrenia Brooks
Guest Contact Center Specialist
Huh? I smell a standard “please don’t bother us” email here. I still think my idea has merit, and I want a catering throw-down. Think I can push it any further? I’ll certainly try.
What the hell are the people upstairs doing?
Image by -ant! via Flickr
I’ve lived in the same apartment for many years. My wife has lived there with me for most of that time. I’ve seen several neighbors come & go from the apartment upstairs… but they all make noise. Not just “normal” people walking around noise, but crazy “what the hell are they doing up there?” kind of noise.
The latest tenants are very quiet to see them outside, but at home in their own domain, they are noise monsters.
This is a list of things that I’m absolutely sure they’re doing if I’m to guess by sound alone:
- Doing the laser-pointer game with a 3-legged, one-eyed cat.
- Dragging a sack full of rocks up the steps, making sure to hit every step on the way up.
- Sled-riding down the stairs, fully padded with pillows & a football helmet of course.
- A rodeo where they ride pigs or sheep instead of bulls.
- Relay races from the kitchen to the living room, & back. (With time-trials, of course.)
- Reenacting the scene from Temple of Doom where that dude rips out the other dude’s heart.
- Racket-ball with basketballs and cricket bats.
- Hammering nails directly in to the wall to make a built-in Plinko board to match the built-in cabinets.
- Homemade giant sticky wall-octopus races. (Maybe with real Octopuses?)
- Atlaspheres.
- Staircase percussion only marching band.
- Teaching clogging to a rhinoceros.
I’m sure there’s more going on. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes I’m hurt that we’re not invited to join in on the incredibly fun-sounding activities. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
It makes it interesting when this stuff occurs at 11:00pm, especially the stairwell activities… because their staircase goes right over top of our bed.
Anyone want to help me set up some cameras?
Related articles
- Will you please be quiet please? — But I am! (ask.metafilter.com)
- Something Upstairs (mrboyers.wordpress.com)
- Ask Casa: Advice on Noisy Upstairs Neighbors (casasugar.com)
- Shhhhh: How to Block Out Noise (wisebread.com)
SHOW REVIEW: Dethlehem / The Bloody Seamen / The Approach and the Execution
How cool is this flyer?
So, last night I broke my normal “school night” routine of hanging out at home (or at least getting home by a decent time) to check out a local show that I could not resist. If you’ve read the blog, I’m obviously a Dethlehem fan. In addition to those medieval fantasy knuckleheads, the Pirates that “crashed” their CD release party were on the bill; The Bloody Seamen (apparently known in some circles as The Flying Dutchmen). I’ve been wanting to check those cats out for a while, so this alone was a no-brainer. The other band was The Approach & The Execution. They’re out on tour from Cleveland, OH… but we won’t hold that against them. The place was Howler’s, and I know it well. Bengt is a hell of a sound-guy. I haven’t exercised my photography muscles in a while. All of the right ingredients added up to getting my lazy old musician behind out to a week-night show.
⚔☠⚔
☠ The Approach & The Execution ☠
These guys were up first, and they just ripped it all apart right out of the gate. I’m pretty sure there were 5,692 guitars on stage and their lead cat went through all of them… even knocking one from the stage to the floor at one point. There was screaming, there was “woah-ing”, there was shredding, there was thunderous drumming, there was harmonizing vocals, there was dueling leads, there was even muscle flexing choreography. The one highlight of the set for me is when the one dude on vocals & guitar was playing a show soulful lead… and the dude next to him was shredding circles around it. It was later in the set, and I hope that song’s on the CD that I picked up, The Blood March. These guys were incredibly tight, & played really well off of each other. Apparently they had some setbacks in the way of van trouble and had to have AAA & some friends bail ’em out. They had a vehicle-less trailer out front. Hopefully they make it to their next destination tonight, so they can melt the faces of the next group of new fans! (Interestingly, I popped the CD in on the way to work this morning… and heard keyboards & a chick vocalist… neither of which were at the live show. I’m only 3 songs in so far, but I wonder what’s up there?)
These dudes are hardcore. They show up in full pirate regalia, and don’t break character easily. I even got a “business scroll” from Captaine Blackguts when inquiring about obtaining some recorded material! For all I know, these cats really are pirates, and have a ship docked somewhere on the Allegheny river. (Although, the one guitar player Cheswick looks a lot like the guy from Deathmobile/The It’s Alive Show…) This is a band of buccaneers that knows how to work a room, and work it they did. They definitely put a gleaming sharp metal edge on some really catchy drinking songs, with fighting, fornicating, plundering, and treasure thrown in for good measure. They seemed to cross musical genres with some straight up rock and some more funky/groovy stuff. Any band with a guy named “pipes” that plays the accordion, what think was a fife or some kind of small flute, and the bagpipes alongside screaming guitars is cool in my book. These guys know what they’re doing. I bought a T-shirt because no CD’s exist yet. I had sort of hoped they’d bust into “Friggin’ in the Riggin’” or “Whiskey in the Jar“, but alas… they were more original than that. I will definitely be at more of these guys’ shows. I just hope they weren’t distracting us with awesome swashbuckling metal as the rest of their crew picked our pockets and stole our women.
☠ Dethlehem ☠
Have I told you how much I hate these guys? I mean, they have people that come out to their shows in costume. How cool is that? That’s fan dedication! Bovice and Hildor make seemingly effortless movements across the fret-board that put me under a musical spell. I wish I could unlock the secret to that power… or had the patience to practice like a madman. Davidicus is indeed a wizard with the low-end, weaving together the ridiculous guitars and Brom’s pulverizing rhythms while managing to still have a voice of his own. Lord Bonecrush commands your attention as he’s belting out tales of their conquests. He even let a guest get up to help belt out “Blood Forest”. Slaying orcs and harnessing dragons is hard work, but these guys have the time to do it, then to tell you about it. They follow a rich oral tradition as old as the first hunter coming back and telling how he captured his prey to provide dinner for all, and you’d better appreciate it. These warriors are going places. I expect a cartoon series, live action movie, a graphic novel that transitions into a monthly series, and some damn stickers, patches, and pins soon. I believe a side-quest with the Bloody Seamen is inevitable. I vote that it gets put out on vinyl as well as digital download.
⚔☠⚔
As stated above, I got some photos from the show. I have them up on Photobucket and will probably eventually have them all on Facebook too.
Photobucket:
Grid View | Slideshow
Facebook Photos:
The Approach & The Execution | The Bloody Seamen | Dethlehem
Here are some Photobucket highlights:
Related articles
- Epic Metal :: It’s not too late to join the quest! (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
☆★☆★ COLORING CONTEST! ☆★☆★ (via Ernie and the Berts)
Batman Movie Night
Batman - Mic Check
So, soon we’ll be having Batman movie night. Batman has always been my favorite comic book character. He’s smarter, he’s darker, he’s a crazy detective, he’s relentless, he’s not invincible. He’s most likely just as insane as the villains he helps take down. I like that.
I’ve been a comic book & especially Batman fan since I can remember. I’m sure it had to do with the 60’s TV show being rerun in my youth in addition to Super Friends and Batman popping up on Scooby Doo for whatever reason. As a kid, I remember digging the Hulk (even though I ran out of the room during the transformation scenes), Spider-Man, and especially the Greatest American Hero. I want to say I even used to play with my aunts’ Barbie-doll sized Batman & Robin action figures.
The Dark Knight Rises (a.k.a. Magnus Rex) has been filming in Pittsburgh. Anyone with an ounce of geek cred or anyone that lives in or around the ‘Burgh knows this. There are a bunch of photos, videos, & spoilers and crazy stuff all over the place if you do a quick Google search. I won’t bother re-posting/rehashing here. (Here’s a cool article about the day. …And another one here.)
I went to one of the open casting calls but wasn’t called… but it worked out better as the wife & I were both able to do some unpaid extra work thanks to BeInAMovie.com (peep their Facebook page for possible spoiler photos)! It was all in all a really long but incredibly fun day. It was cool to see a bit of the daily grind on a film that’s sure to be a blockbuster. When else will I get to say that I was an extra in a movie… let alone a BATMAN movie? Ha ha. That’s just awesome. Whether we make the cut or not, it’ll be an experience we’ll never forget.
In an email from BeInAMovie.com after the fact…
What gracious and appreciative people are the family that Warner Brothers are.
And they so appreciated each of your participation and how you came dressed for the scenes. And stayed through rain and heat and humidity.
AND Chris Nolan was awed by your acting ability when Bane and Mercenaries blew up the stadium and mayhem was everywhere.
In with all that, I’m just a fanboy at heart… so we arrive (again) at Batman movie night. The wife & I hosted a series of Star Wars movie nights that were a good time, a good excuse to get together, and a good excuse to nerd-out with a group of people… fellow fanboy geeks & newcomers alike. (On a side note… we never did get past the movies proper… we’ll perhaps have to revisit these to delve into the Ewok & Holiday Specials, Fanboys, then the cartoons & parodies.)
How awesome is this painting?
Whereas Star Wars is one man‘s singular vision (with a couple of ridiculous re-writes), Batman is an iconic character open to many valid interpretations. Some of the old Legends of the Dark Knight books would showcase this, as well as the recent Gotham Knight movie.
Batman & Jokers
This brings us to… the movies I’d like to show:
- Batman (1966)
- Batman (1989)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
Why not Batman Begins out of the Nolan series? I’d argue it’s all about Batman vs. the Joker here. Sure, some other villains clutter up the ’66 movie, and I ought to include something animated with Mark Hamill & Kevin Conroy… but 3 movies in one night is about all this attention span can handle. The Joker is as mad & random as Batman is cold & calculated. The characters play of off each other so well. In the comics anyway, Batman won’t kill. He won’t cross that one line to become a madman. (And after the early 40’s, he wouldn’t use guns either.)
I love all of these interpretations of both of the characters. The ultra-straight-laced Adam West & zany Cesar Romero are a great pair. They play off of each other well in the campy style of the old show. I remember being old enough to think “Mr. Mom is going to be Batman?” in the late 80’s, but Michael Keaton was a stellar Bruce Wayne/Batman. He played such an odd person, and it worked. I also remember thinking Jack Nicholson was too fat… the Joker in the comics & in novels was very tall & lanky. I was surprised on both counts. Nicholson plays a maniacal psychopath like no other. Christian Bale is gruff and guarded, and Heath Ledger has redefined the Joker for a whole new generation, effectively making Dark Knight a Joker movie, not a Batman one.
If these nights work out, perhaps we can delve into Return to the Batcave, some of the animated films, Batman Begins, & maybe even a Joel Shumacher film.
We’re looking at Sat. Aug. 27th for Batman movie night. Let me know if you’re interested! We even got Batman cookie cutters!
Vs. Cutting in Line (via Makya Mcbee Vs.)
Man stuff.
I have pretty much no mechanical ability. I know this. There are certainly things that I can do… like change the oil, but where we’re at now with on-street parking it’s not worth the minimal difference in price for the convenience. That’s about the extent of my ability though. I can change batteries, air filters, maybe an oil filter, and am now confident I could install an alternator… but that’s about it. I won’t do brakes.
Shouldn't there be a belt there?
This morning, on my way to work, I ‘m going down a side street in Mt. Lebanon and the battery light & Brake warning light both come on at the same time. I know this usually isn’t good. Two lights generally = “oh shit”. My power steering was gone. I checked that level, and the brake fluid level… both were in the good range. I had pulled over in front of a nice large house on a side street in Mt. Lebanon.
I called my wife to come get me, took her to work, & commandeered her car for the day… so I could figure out what was going on. In having no mechanical knowledge… I have “a guy” that I trust with all my auto repairs. Only problem being the auto place is where I grew up, not where I currently live. I called the guy to ask what the meaning of the battery charge & brake warning light combo could be. (My wife Googled it on her phone, but I wanted to confirm.) He was thinking alternator too… I thought I was going to have to learn to replace an alternator today. Towing the car to where I grew up and paying a professional to install an alternator weren’t in the budget this week.
After getting prices from several local auto places (& after posting on Facebook/Twitter and maybe Google+ asking for advice, and looking around online on how to install an alternator), I decided to go check my car out again before buying an alternator. Luckily… I noticed something was missing: a belt. I have no idea what it’s called… but it connects the alternator & power steering. (Which I found out after a 2nd call to my “guy” to confirm that all the symptoms would be the same.)
So, a belt seemed easier & cheaper than the alternator. Sadly, I have no idea where the first belt went. I traced my route several times… no belt on the road, or on the side of the road. Someone must have grabbed it minutes after I dropped it. I had to go on the advice of the helpful guys at Advanced Auto. I’ve had good experiences with them in the past… their pro-rated battery warranty is killer.
No fit good.
I go to Advanced Auto location one… and get the belt that’s recomended for my car. I never questioned if it was the belt I needed… I mean, their database wouldn’t be wrong, would it?
An interesting aside, that I will chuckle about until the end of time… The guy at Advanced Auto location1 tried to sell me a belt that was $18.99, but even thought the computer said there were 2 in stock… he couldn’t find them. So, he said there was one for $11.99. I asked if I should be worried about the difference in price… if it meant a great deal of difference in quality. He said “Well, yeah… but this is all we have. Basically, the cheap one is made overseas and the expensive one is made here.” That made me feel better. It’s a Subaru. I don’t care where the parts came from. They’re all probably from Japan or Mexico even though it was all assembled in Indiana. When I got the cheaper belt… and went to install it, it said “MADE IN U.S.A.” in big white letters. I literally laughed out loud. Can we get over this “other countries are inferior to us in making stuff” thing? It’s 2011. Advanced Auto ought to put a bullshit meter on that guy.
Well, the physical removal of the bolts, the belt cover, and loosening of the alternator was ridiculously simple. The belt wouldn’t quite go on. No biggie, I thought. There’s got to be something else I can loosen… or maybe I’m not thinking of something else. I called by uncle who’s a tinkerer and who has shown me how to replace a starter for some advice. I figured there’s some magic shoehorn kind of move where I can slip the belt on, no problem. After a chat, we assumed that I had done everything… I just needed a bigger belt. He even looked up the part number for me online. Armed with knowledge and confidence, I headed back to Advance Auto location one. I described my new dilemma, asked for & received the larger belt, and headed back to my ghetto Subaru broken down in a fancy neighborhood.
The new longer belt went on with little effort, and then… wouldn’t pull taught even when the alternator was lifted the while way up. My patience was being tested today. I called Advanced Auto… and asked… if there was a size in between the two sizes I had. I was told that there was, but that I probably didn’t want it. The guy told me to un-bolt the pulley from the power steering, and move it to make the smaller belt fit. I could tell that even if I got the smaller belt to fit, there wouldn’t be enough slack to lift the alternator off of the close by A/C belt. (I learned some new terms today.)
I went to Advanced Auto location #2, also thankfully close by… and asked for the in-between belt. I was again told that I probably wanted the smaller one again if the bigger one didn’t fit. I went through my explanation of why I wanted the middle size… and was advised to buy both the smaller and middle size (that all said made in the USA and were the cheaper brand by the way), and to really try to make the smaller one fit “because that’s what the computer says belongs on the car”. Good logic, but we’re past that.
For poops n’ giggles, I tried the smaller one… again… and ran into the same problem… again. I used the in-between size, and it fit perfectly. There’s enough room to loosen it if I need to, and there’s enough room to tighten it if I need to. It’d Goldilocks’ proverbial “just right”. Thanks to Advanced Auto’s awesome return policy, I was able to return/exchange all the belts I didn’t use. I returned the last one again to Advanced Auto location 2.
(Odd aside #2 – the longer belt was $1.07 cheaper than the shorter belt – but also “MADE IN U.S.A.”.)
That’s 4 trips to 2 different Advanced Autos to buy 3 different sized belts to find the 1 that fit.
So, what should have taken me about 5 minutes took all day. and probably half a tank of gas. At any rate, it’s done. $11-ish for a belt is cheaper than $129-ish for an alternator and me doing it = more savings.
If you have a 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback and need to replace the belt that goes from the Alternator to the Power Steering… and the prescribed 345K5 doesn’t fit. Try the 350K5 before you try the 355K5. I’m not arguing with Advanced Auto’s HAL 9000 or “made in ‘Merica” employees. I’m just sayin’.
Thanks to everyone who helped today… with comments, advice, and moral support… whether it was by phone or social networking. I really appreciate it and am glad I had so many people willing to help out! If you ever need auto advice, don’t call me. You can call me for cooking or PC advice… maybe even general electronic gadgetry.
World (and Lunar) Domination 