Funkengroovin Wednesday - Handle With Care

This is the dog, from my "Dog On A Car" photos. This dog owns this corner! If it's not on a car around the corner, it's sitting here, in the shade, where the official garbage sweeping ladies gather to sit and drink tea. It's actually a sweet looking (and acting) dog, but it's wild and I wouldn't want to tangle with it.  I don't have a rabies shot, and I really hadn't planned on getting one either, but the paranoids around here think: "you need a rabies vaccine! you need wash your veges in clorox!"  (I bet that makes my lettuce taste like "ass in a glass" to quote Number One Son); and I forget and really don't care to remember the rest of the totally insane recommendations on how to survive Cairo (especially coming from people who've never been expats anywhere else).  It's getting near the 90's here, and perhaps a bit too hot for our dog to lay its buns down on top of a hot piece of metal, so today it's ass in the grass.

Speaking of buns, (in reference to my wonderful, Number One Son, who gave me the Bonnaroo Cold) I would like to add that about two days after coming down with the cold, I started feeling totally bummy. I was smacked sideways by Ramses' Revenge, King Tut's Trots, Cleopatra's Craps - you decide which phrase is most apropos, but when it comes out, it's all the same. In Azerbaijan we used to call it "The Baku Belly," which lasted two weeks (not less, not more - exactly two weeks). Subsequently, most of the photos I've caught here, were just recent, within the past (actually, just less than a) week.  I'm hoping, since I am feeling better, to get out and catch up on a few cars I had initially mentioned before my trip back to the States (hint: the tricked out bug with front light wipers).



Nice Tan Bug near KIMO, but a bit banged up.



Let me not forget to mention, what a pain in the ass, but from another angle, Blogger / Safari has gotten (exact origin unknown).  I think I've mentioned my recent problems with Blogger and Safari previously (a couple of times.)
First, for some unknown reason Safari became totally incompatible with Blogger during a Blogger update. So I downloaded Firefox, which gave me innumerable editing accessories I didn't have with Safari. The type of accessories that in Safari, require you to write your own HTML, which is tedious, and takes up all sorts of thinking and time wasting. So, I downloaded Safari 3 beta, which appeared to be just like Firefox. But, later, while trying to download photos, Safari 3 beta froze up, at which point I had to revert back to Firefox. You may say, "soooo what!" Well, all my tracking devices use my Safari cookies to exclude my computer from tracking. When you use another software program it registers as a new computer, thereby totally fucking up my tracking stats! So, for those of you, besides myself, who look at my stats, the ones for Cairo are skewed - just like my mind, at this point.











Purple Bug which looks like someone either keyed it extensively or it's been traveling through hard country. Lots of chipped paint on this thing. Do those teeny, weeny little fog lights work?



I had considered making Firefox my dedicated Blogger software. That would entail re-submitting all the new cookies from Firefox, for tracking, reading, etc., my blog. Duh. Not so easy, especially after I downloaded the Safari 3 beta and thought it worked. Call me stupid. 
In addition, I have to keep remembering to change the dates for my posts. Blogger saves the date you initially start your draft, and if you're not attentive, or maybe trying to "game" the system, i.e. pretending to put up a post on a date before you actually posted your entry, then they make it quite easy for the cheater in us. I have actually checked Technorati regarding a few dubious blog dates, since I personally thought I was loosing my mind, or that senility was starting to set in, or just to satisfy my suspicions. Since I draft my blogs, sometimes almost a week in advance, I keep my eyes out for that date (and time) religiously. I've found that a lot of things related to Blogger, either with Safari or Firefox, need to be handled with care, just like all of our old VW's.  I may talk like a truck driver, but I do try to be honest about it all.








Delivery van near Residence Hotel. They get daily deliveries, so I've had pretty good luck catching a variety of VW Delivery Vans here, at various times of the day. It's possible that I caught this van from a different angle, once before.
























Orange and white VW Bay Window Bus. This Bus looks like it's been keyed too. Looks like we have a few key using graffiti artists in our midst.








A blog about turning a gas guzzling bus into a vegan.
My Sustainable Summer Road Trip

We call our 1982 Volkswagen Vanagon a "volksvegan" because it is a diesel that my boyfriend modified to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO).

It has been quite a process getting her roadworthy, but after installing a new turbo engine, a second tank and system for the grease, and replacing parts on our old bus bit by bit (including installing the all-important hemp/organic cotton pop-top canvas), we are finally ready to hit the road for the ultimate test of this experimental sustainable fuel.

You can also read about their trip here.


The German Car Blog is showcasing a VW Multivan for the price of 130.00 Euros. Um, that's $177,423.00.  Are you kidding me!  If you're interested you better rush out to order one right this minute, as quantities are limited (and god only knows how much they'll be charging for VW Vanagons next week)!  Seems like prices are skyrocketing.  


To sum it all up:

Reputations changeable, situations tolerable

The Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care

Funkengroovin Wednesday

From Connecticut to Cairo: Connecticut
First, let me thank Number One Son for giving me the Bonnaroo Cold, or what-ever it is. Something like the Hajj Flu, it's a virus that spreads among many thousands who are in very close in proximity to each other. Whether it be walking around the Kabaa, or sharing who knows what they share at Bonnaroo (I hate to think), it's basically the same thing, and it has knocked me on my ass! Apologies to all those flying on the planes with me when I was possibly contagious.   (It's not like I'm carrying T.B. or anything like that - knock on wood.) Aand, as if, I've never been coughed on....


Even though we took our Van up to Bob's in West Springfield (and the Audi too), both times I forgot to take my camera. Call me an idiot. On Tuesday June 26, the day I was flying out Bob, had Bug #53 and a Baha Buggy in the lot! Go ahead, shoot me! I did catch a Maroon Vanagon down the road from my house and a couple of greetings in Cairo, though one's just the back end. I need to get with the program, but I'm afraid I was suffering from exhaustion, too. Check out the spelling from the handwritten sign on the rear end of the bug.


Cairo:
































Transporting goods in Cairo - possibly in a taxi. (Is that a flat screen TV?)
















Playing with photos: When the Boss Man first got his Nikon Cool-Pix back in Abu Dhabi, it came with a negative scanning accessory. No one ever used it. Then, out of boredom, in Baku, Azerbaijan one summer, Number One Son began experimenting and here lies a sample. Photo on the left: Original; Photo on the right: Experiment.  Kinda cool.




Boss Man just sent me an item for sale from GoWesty. A 1987 Vanagon Full Camper Syncro - #881 . I'm not their sales agent, so don't get me wrong here.  

  

Check it out.  Who's gonna keep this thing in immaculate condition? (I hope they have a maid), or is it just a "show piece" for an ex - hippie wannabe?  And, if it's so great and to his specs, why the hell is he selling it? Let me think - maybe, 'cause it's too nice to actually use?  

(From GoWesty) Description:

Luis wants a bright red Syncro Westy. Problem is, no such thing exists. So, he had us build him this all new, totally custom Syncro Westy. We started with a rust free, collision free, dark gray 1987 2WD Westfalia GL Camper. We took it COMPLETELY apart, had it painted bright red, and converted it to ALL NEW 4WD running gear, and the rest is history. It is getting one of our all new 2.5 liter power plants, decoupler, front and rear lockers, 16" wheels, custom geared transaxle, Recaro leather/cloth seats, all new interior panels re-done in Recaro leather/cloth combination to match the front seats, and, and, and.... Well you get the picture, just dream it up, and this one will have it!

.

..For the low, low price of $67,769.43 (009,027 miles)

Did you say, "overpriced!"  No shit Sherlock!


I confess - I'm a member of the Bob Dylan Fan Club and I get to order my tickets before they go on sale to the public. Bob and the band were playing in Northampton, MA., not too far from our place. But it was the night I was leaving to return to Cairo. Since it was close to Number One Son's birthday, I got him some tickets. I've never seen Bob in a live concert and maybe, one of these days, I'll get the chance, Inshallah (God Willing). This is one of my favorite Bob Dylan videos, it has an old time feel to it, I think because everyone in the band is moving to their own beat, but then totally in sync.

Bob Dylan - Cold Irons Bound

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Special Bonnaroo Edition

Everybody has an opinion!

Earlier today after publishing my blog, I got phone calls and e-mails telling me what I should and should not put on my blog. After consulting with my attorney, who not only wanted me to revise my blog, but also decided that he could dictate to me what to publish, I did some editing. I can take constructive criticism, but personally, I think it's censorship! A bunch of hooey! Btw, I cut the legal eagle off, with respect to their critique. Let me add that one of these nosey people actually deleted a whole blog I had written, when they were reading it on my computer. I have no clue what they did. All they said was, "I don't know what happened! I didn't do anything!"


So, to all those who think mi blog es su blog - go get your own fucking blog!

Here's a cropped version of one of the photos I removed and I've added more of the scenes at Bonnaroo, at the insistence of the above mentioned buttinskies, with Sting and the Police and the lead guitarist from Fountains of Wayne smoking, having his hair blown by an electrical fan (as opposed to a fan from the audience), and (it's said) drinking a beer during the concert, though not visible in the photo (gee, that's soo cool, maan).


A big thank-you to Number One Son for all the photos for this week's Funkengroovin' Wednesday! I have to give him credit. I've looked at his photos of the campsite, over and over again, and it looks pretty damn cool. The Spaghettios, not something I would personally go with, but still pretty smart. He says the food is expensive - let's face it - it's probably a big rip-off (they take away your $2.00 propane canisters, and sell them, in the grounds, for $7.00) but probably an enjoyable one. Being able to get by on Spaghettios for four days, no bath and using pretty crappy port-o-potties has to be strain and somewhat of a learning experience. Bonnaroo is a business, and as in all businesses, they're out to make a buck. 'Nough said. (I don't want anymore calls from the censorship committee.)


The last photo of the sunset over the campgrounds is really nice and if you look closely to the right you can see an orange VW Bus.

Loading Up (cropped):

Funkengroovin Wednesday

This is what happens when you start digitizing old photos. You find the strangest things, including an aunt standing by a VW Bug sometime around 1980. This was taken with a Canon half frame camera with a rotary lens. For those of you who've never heard of this, for each frame you get one photo with a 35 mm camera, which gets you two with the half frame camera. It's virtually a two for one fest. It's called a Canon Dial 35 and was 28 mm, which I received from my godfather, who worked for Canon Camera in Chicago. I understand it's quite a collector's item. Unfortunately, because the negatives are smaller, they don't produce quality photos, but really, do we rate our memories on quality? Isn't it just nice to get these old photos developed and find the surprises.

Vrrrooom! Whahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gift does it take to build a car?
Ever wonder how a car is made? Today we visit a manufacturing plant to learn the first steps. Part 1 of two.

Belvidere, Ill. - By the time you finish reading this article, seven more Dodge Calibers will be built at the Chrysler Assembly Plant in Belvidere. That's one completed every 42 seconds. Not bad considering that just 19 hours earlier, each car was little more than steel and roughly 1,800 different parts.

A slide show explains the whole process.


Now for some photos from Bonaroo , taken by Number One Son:














Loading up the Van:

























On The Road:




























Setting Up Camp:

Number One Son went to Bonnaroo with several friends. They put large orange circles on the car windshields to show that they have been searched. No glass, no propane, no alcohol for underage visitors, etc. The young man, Cody, in the tent next to Number One Son's contingent apparently went to sleep in his tent. This would be Thursday. Friday someone came around looking for water. Number One Son said they were depleting theirs rapidly due to the heat and couldn't help the guy. So he went to Cody's tent, unzipped it and found the young man flailing his arms and blue lips. Medics were called and Cody was pronounced dead at the hospital. Here's a news article.

Dinner: Warming-up cans of Spaghettios.

In case you're wondering what's up with the windshield wipers, well they broke. The driver's side wiper just out and out, broke. It needs a new arm. Number One Son, set the passenger side wiper to cover the whole windshield, so it's propped up in an odd way in order to make it work.
Good thinking Number One Son!





















Other Vans at Bonnaroo:

















































The End

Funkengroovin Wednesday

Two cars from the 60's (we think): A Bay Window VW Bus and look ma - no rooftop carrier! And a Mercedes, we suspect is from the same era. Anyone know better, please let us know.

VW's Home Town Finds Ways to Cope With Globalization

For most of its history, Wolfsburg has prospered greatly from globalization. The city was founded in 1938 on Adolf Hitler's orders with a mission to manufacture an affordable "people's car." Although Wolfsburg was bombed heavily during the war, it soon revived and Volkswagen churned out millions of Beetles, exporting them to every continent except Antarctica.







That record has bred confidence among some longtime employees that Volkswagen will never abandon Wolfsburg, no matter how unstable the global auto industry becomes.
Wilhelm Blum, 56, a Volkswagen employee who develops transmission and gear designs, shrugged off the recent experiences of U.S. auto companies. Ford and General Motors have posted billions of dollars in losses in recent years, while Chrysler, part of a conglomerate with Germany's Daimler group, was sold last month to a hedge fund.
"VW was here before the war and it will still be here 100 years from now," Blum said while drinking beers with friends at a bar outside Volkswagen's sprawling factory in the center of Wolfsburg. "That's different from Chrysler. Chrysler's dead. It just doesn't know it yet."
"We cannot blame globalization for all our economic problems," Busse said. "And we can't forget how much we benefited from globalization in the years after the Second World War."
Meantime, civic leaders in Wolfsburg are stepping up efforts to diversify the local economy, just in case.
The city has built a new sports stadium and a $100 million science museum to attract tourists. It's also created a public-private partnership with Volkswagen to nurture businesses, many of them unrelated to the auto industry. The partnership, known as Wolfsburg AG, has even recruited Chinese firms that serve as suppliers to Volkswagen, offering cultural exchanges and Chinese language courses to the locals.








"We have local people who tell us we're bringing in the competition to their home," said Henning Eckel, one of Wolfsburg AG's board members. "But it's necessary. They're coming anyway, and we need to be prepared."

533,000 Miles and It Runs Like a Top , By JOSEPH SIANO, Published: June 3, 2007

Owners of vehicles that have reached 200,000, 400,000 and even 500,000 miles all seem to have pet strategies to extend the lives of their cars.
“The commonality I’ve seen among people who drive cars 300,000 or more miles is that they do their own service on the car,” he said. “That way, you know the oil has been changed and it’s changed right.”
Automobile repair experts said that while using the right oil and changing it frequently were vital for a car to last that long, little things also help. Michael Florence, a co-author of “The Everything Car Care Book” (Adams Media), said that owners should heed service recommendations and other tips found in their car’s owner’s manual.
“Any part of the car that’s supported by lubrication or has fluid in it should be carefully maintained,” said Mr. Florence, an auto mechanic who lives in Flemingsburg, Ky. “Like the brake system. The fluid should be changed every two years because it helps stop corrosion.”
Mr. Faeth, who has the Mercedes with 400,000 miles on it, takes oil changes very seriously. He recommended that owners who want their cars to last should get a chemical analysis of their used engine oil. The analysis could turn up metal particles and show areas of excessive wear. That knowledge helps determine the optimum grade and formulation of the oil the car needs.
Mr. Faeth uses the Oil Analysis Company (youroil.net) of Chester, Va. “Originally, I had hoped to keep it until I got a million miles on it,” Mr. Faeth said about his Mercedes, but he isn’t sure the body will last. “So I’m hoping for one million kilometers.” That would be 620,000 miles.

This Sunday is the final episode of the Sopranos. A show we have not been able to watch here in Cairo, but a family member is taping it for us. I will be back in the States, just in time to see the finale. Boss Man and I have been reading spoilers and updates to figure out what's up and what might happen. I'll miss everyone in the family, but I'll just end up watching it, over and over again on DVD. I have heard that this past season has had some of the best episodes. I'm waiting with baited breath for the DVD!

So in tribute to a great show, here's Slash playing a solo of the Godfather Theme:


I was thinking about putting Funkengroovin Wednesday on hiatus for a week, until Number One Son returns from Bonnaroo with our '87 Camper Van and photos of all the other VW Vans he spots. But then I went to dinner at Max's, in Maadi Gedida, and found a few VW Bugs that were pretty interesting, so I'll post them and whatever else I find, before I leave Cairo in next week's Funkengroovin Wednesday. Check out the New York Times article, 533,000 Miles and It Runs Like A Top, that I linked above - that has got to have a clue to it about how the Egyptians keep these old cars running. After what I've seen (and not been able to take pictures of because the camera I'm using has such a lag and totally piss poor flash) I think "Pimp My Ride" would be a number 1 hit show here.

Btw, only 3 days till I get my new camera and turn in my Nikon D70 for repair. No more crappy photos!!!!

No Climbing

A few more pictures from Number 1 Son's Visit. Here a sign at the Giza Pyramids. It's pretty much self explanatory:



When we first moved to Abu Dhabi, many of the locals and Sub-Continent drivers would ignore red lights and stop signs, saying, "those are for westerners only." Well in Cairo there are no stop signs or signals anywhere! This scene is typical of Cairo traffic.



And here, an alternate form of transportation around Giza:


And, the stable area behind the Giza Pyramids:




Update on my Nikon D70:
I called the local dealer here, who coincidentally is located in Giza. They cannot repair my camera. So, Vagabondblogger has decided to try and ship the Nikon to Number 1 Son, giving him (and his selfish self) the camera, which he told his sister he, "fell in love with during his visit," (and desperately desires to have for Bonnaroo this June.) I am going to buy a Nikon D40 (well, it's actually a very nice birthday present) since the reviews I've read are outstanding, it's lightweight (just what I need) and from what I have heard, magapixels are all hype. It's a cheaper version (but not hmm that cheap), and in the U.S., comes with a great lightweight lens, as well. Vagabondblogger is disappointed in this turn of events, but thinks it will work out for everyone. So for now, new photos will be taken with Vagabondblogger Boss Man's Sony Coolpix 885.

Here's a great site for cameras, which is where I found a lot of useful information, further links, and comparisons from someone who uses a variety of cameras and knows their pros and cons: KenRockwell.com.