Friday, April 10, 2015

A to Z: I is for Inspection

We go through this with every vehicle, every year.

Inspection stickers.

Newly Inspected!

Happiness, i often say, is a new inspection sticker.  This is especially true with us, since all of our cars are used cars.  There have been times when it was questionable whether we would pass, and a couple of times where we sported a failed sticker for a few days waiting for a part to come in.

Since they set traps around here for sticker checks, it's important to keep on top of this, too.  The police have one officer looking at your sticker and your tag, and if he sees either are expired he radios the description of your vehicle to the other officers waiting a block or so up who will pull you over for the paperwork.

Just over a week ago, i noticed that it was time for Jalopy's oil change, so i brought her to Kevin and Lenny.

Her inspection sticker was still good for another month, but i told Lenny, and he agreed, that we might as well inspect her early, before any more of those pesky dash lights could come on!

He laughed, but he knows the Jalopy, so they did the oil change, replaced a burned out bulb, and inspected her.

It's great knowing i don't have to worry about Jalopy for another year where that is concerned!


Today is

American Family Pet Expo -- Costa Mesa, CA, US (includes displays on any type of domesticated pet you can imagine, as put on by the World Pet Association; through Sunday) 

ASPCA Day/Humane Day -- anniversary of founding in 1866

Birthday of Cybele -- Ancient Roman Calendar (great mother goddess)

Commodore Perry Day

Dogwood Festival -- Atlanta, GA, US (fine art, and beautiful trees; through Sunday)

Dust the Ceiling Fan Day -- before it gets hot and you have to turn it on and find out you forgot how dusty it gets up there the hard way

Encourage a Young Writer Day -- can't find out who started this, but it sounds like a great idea

Fast and Prayer Day -- Liberia

Feast of Bau -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (date approximate, around the same time of year the Romans honored Cybele)

Feast of Ezekiel the Prophet -- Roman Catholic 

Feast of the Rivers and Seas -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar (mother of Ea[Earth]; date approximate, around the same time of year the Romans honored Cybele)

Founder's Day -- Salvation Army (birth anniversary of the founder, William Booth)

Frances Perkins Day -- US (birth anniversary of the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position)

Golfer's Day -- anniversary of founding of the Professional Golfers' Association of America in 1916

Holiday in Dixie -- Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana, US (ten days celebrating the Louisiana Purchase and what it meant to the US; at least, that's the formal excuse for a really fun party!)

Iroquois Thunder Ceremony -- Iroquois Native Americans (week long ceremonial thanksgiving for the rain, which brings new growth in spring; date approximate, but most tribes celebrate in mid-April)

National Cinnamon Crescent Day

National Farm Animals Day -- UShttp://www.farmanimalsday.com/


National Pie Championships and Great American Pie Festival -- Orlando, FL, US (two days of celebrating the best pies anywhere!)

National Siblings Day -- US (information here)

Ozark UFO Conference -- Eureka Springs, Arkansas, US (experts -?- from around the world meet to exchange the latest info on UFOs; through Sunday)

Poteet Strawberry Festival -- Poteet, TX, US (one of Texas' oldest and largest festivals; through Sunday)

Safety Pin Day -- patented this day in 1849 by Walter Hunt

St. Macarius of Antioch's Day (Patron of plague victims; Ghent, Belgium)

Student Government Day -- US (encouraging kids to learn about how government works by learning to govern themselves) 2nd Friday if the 1st is Good Friday



Birthdays Today:

Haley Joel Osment, 1988
Mandy Moore, 1984
Ryan Merriman, 1983
Liz McClarnon, 1981
Shemekia Copeland, 1979
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, 1957
Peter MacNicol, 1954
Steven Seagal, 1952
Paul Edward Theroux, 1941
Joe Don Meredith, 1938
John Madden, 1936
Omar Sharif, 1932
Dolores Huerta, 1930
Max Von Sydow, 1929
Chuck Connors, 1921
Robert Burns Woodward, 1917
Harry Morgan, 1915
Frances Perkins, 1880
Joseph Pulitzer, 1847
William Booth, 1829
James Bowie, 1796
Commodore Matthew Perry, 1794
Hugo Grotius, 1583(O.S. date)
Cybele, Roman goddess (traditional, year unknown)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Entertainer"(Play), 1957
House of Wax(Film), 1951 Note:  first full color 3D film from a major studio
The Great Gatsby(Publication date), 1925
Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift/A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45(Brahms' Requiem), 1868


Today in History:

Halley's Comet and Earth experienced their closest approach to one another when their separating distance equalled 0.0342 AU (3.2 million miles), 837
the lama Deshin Shekpa visits the Ming Dynasty capital at Nanjing. He is awarded with the title Great Treasure Prince of Dharma, 1407
The Charter of the Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America, 1606
The first law regulating copyright is issued in Great Britain, 1710
The Mount Tambora volcano in Indonesia begins its peak eruption period that lasts until July 15, 1815
The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town Messolonghi start leaving the town after a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive, 1826
The NY "Tribune" begins publishing under editor Horace Greeley, 1841
The safety pin is patented by Walter Hunt of NYC, who sells the rights for only $100, 1849
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh, 1866
The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska, 1874
The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, 1912
Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos, 1919
Warner Brothers debuts the first 3-D movie, "House of Wax," 1953
Adolf Eichmann is put on trial as a war criminal in Israel, 1961
In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People's Republic of China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a weeklong visit, 1971
A 7.0 earthquake kills 1/5 of population of Iranian province of Fars, 1972
H J Heinz, Van Camp Seafood & Bumble Bee Seafood say they would not buy tuna caught in nets that also trap dolphins, 1989
A rare tropical storm develops in the Southern Hemisphere near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites, 1991
President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces he will suspend the constitution and assume all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis, 2009

10 comments:

  1. How interesting, you put your sticker on the front windshield in Louisiana. Here in Georgia, it goes on the corner of the tag on the back of the car. Makes more sense the way you do it!
    Hey! I didn't have time to blog yesterday but I read your post from your kitties. Please let me them know that they are sweet...and very good writers! :-)

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  2. It is good to have mechanics as friends.

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  3. as our vehicles age, i'm always holding my breath, too.

    texas just changed to a one-sticker, two-step process. they now require the inspection done before you can register your vehicle, but they put you in the system w/o a sticker so when you register you get the sticker that covers both things, now.

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  4. Yep, you do it differently. They won't give you current tags if you don't pass the inspection here. So the cops will pull you over and impound your vehicle. California wants every dime they can get out of your pocket and they are doing a mighty fine job in getting every dime you have.

    Have a fabulous day. :)

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  5. I agree with Tabor heheh!

    Have a stickertastic weekend :-)

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  6. It's good to know Jalopy is hanging in there and will probably pass inspection in a month. Good luck, and have a great week!

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  7. Jalopy is in the clear! I don't know police traps. I was once caught in a speed trap. Nobody's fault buy my own.

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  8. We only need go thru that every other year in Jersey, five years for a new car, and he inspection is not as onerous as it used to be austerity and all.

    I think you gave me an idea for a post...thanks.

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  9. In Oregon those DEQ (Dept. of Environmental Quality) stickers are attached the the license plates. If your car is old and reallt pollutes, you're exempt, but new cars that don't pollute all need a sticker. Its a rip-off!

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  10. we have to relicense our car every year in California....it's a pain and $$expensive too.

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