Wow, it's been a crazy week.
Helped the Retro Rebels crew pack the van for Download on the Tuesday afternoon. It's a brand new van, as big as you get in that model, and we had it totally stuffed. It was literally like a big jigsaw puzzle fitting it all in, and there was no space left anywhere in it!
So, we traveled down on the Wed, setting off at 5am, and arrived about 2pm. Thursday was busy as there were no bands on yet, so it was pretty hard going in the sun and heat for us poor pale-skinned Scots. Met the lovely Tsui and her partner in crime, but sadly by the time I got done on the stall I only caught the tail-end of her fan-dance finale on the MySpace stage. Fared better on the Friday night and managed to see all the Renegade Burlesque girls perform, they were definately the best of the acts in the evening entertainment due to their prescence and variation in their acts. Got to meet the very hot and cute-sounding Jezabel and her stage assistant (who's name I either forget or didn't ask, whoops) on the Saturday at the stall as they searched for an umbrella to combat the intense sun! Even indiginous Englanders found the sun hard going it seems!! 
Saturday night I managed to hook up with the deadly ladies backstage which was good fun. Didn't really get the chance for any proper conversation or laughs though, I know what it's like when you're trying to focus on getting ready and on your act so I tried not to intrude too much!
Band-wise, due to the stall being steadily busy and needing a minimum of two people on it, I only got to catch my friend Marty's band ColonOpenbracket (they were great, ace to see some Aberdeen talent on a big stage at a festival even if their music isn't really my thing), about 40mins of Metallica, the whole of Lordi and most of Sick of it All. Metallica were tired I thought, no real spark anymore and the new tune I heard was very average. On my way back up the hill to go back to the stall, some meathead wouldn't move to let me past, so I shoved past anyway in annoyance, to which he turned and punched me in the back between the shoulderblades. So I swung round and caught him a cracker square in the nose that sent the tosser flying backwards and I headed on up the hill cursing him like hell and nursing a sore back and hand. Why do metalheads have to be such assholes sometimes? Moving a few inches momentarily to let someone leave costs nothing, and there is no need to try and show how hard you think you are!!
Lordi were very good as usual, I'd never go buy their stuff, but they know how to entertain and put on a cool show, which many big bands don't. Sick of it All were the total fuckin business for me though, they alone made being at Download worthwhile. Great set, real energy and charisma as always, and huuuuuuuuuuuuge circle pit down the front. BADASS! 
Unfortunately, I had news from my parents on the Saturday that the wife of my neighbour back home had taken seriously ill on the Friday night and been rushed to hospital. Sadly she passed away on the Sat morning. She'd battled the effects of ME for years. I worked on their farm from about the age of 7 up until I left home to come down here to Uni, so they're like my 2nd parents really... I still do the farmwork on Xmas day for them so they can enjoy a day relaxing with their family and not think about the animals. The funeral was to be Tuesday afternoon, and we arrived back mid afternoon on the Monday. My car was already 700 miles overdue its cambelt change, and it's a 500 mile round trip back home, plus I'm going to Stirling tomorrow to get my arms tattooed. If a cambelt breaks, it's generally hasta la vista for the engine, biiiiiig bang stylee. So, I decided I'd have to thrash and do it before I traveled up north. It all came apart ok, but then as I went to put it back together with the new belt I discovered I'd lost one of two bolts that hold the tensioner unit on!!
ANY other bolt would not have mattered, but this one was critical. I'd put all the rest in the spark plug cover, but for some unknown reason I put these two in my back pocket. The one with the hole in the bottom! I searched and searched everywhere I'd been, but couldn't find it. So that fucked me for attending the funeral, something I'm still totally bummed and guilty about...
So, yesterday morning I get the bus into town and a bus up to the Volvo dealer, and they have no bolts in stock. ARGH. I phone my best mate Alan who I do the carbon fibre with, and he has one so picks me up and drops me at the bus-stop with it. I get home and thrash on with trying to get it back together. Each time I wind the engine over a couple of turns by hand none of the timing marks line up properly, which they should! So I have it all apart and back together about 3 times with no success, and then the new bolt decides to shear off in the engine!! I go fucking ape (my neighbours must love me for that! 
), jump around, throw stuff, etc. Then I decide to go stand on my lawn to try and calm down some, and what do I spy sitting there as bonnie as you like in the grass.... Yes, the MOTHERFUCKINCUNTINBASTARDBOLT. I was SO pissed and at the same time overjoyed! Weird feeling. I truely don't remember going anywhere near my lawn when I was taking the car apart Monday afternoon, not a bit. I reckon it was the pixies, or those bloody gnomes. Luckily I'd put the bolt from Alan in the lower hole which you can about get to through behind the wheelarch with the front wheel off the car. When I took the tensioner back off there was about 4mm sticking out which I managed to get the locking pliers onto and managed to screw the remains back out. PHEW. From there I had the whole lot together and apart another three times, each time I'd turn the engine over and the timing marks would be one tooth on the belt off and I'd turn the camshaft pulleys round one and try again. I was almost convinced they'd given me the wrong belt or something, but i'd checked the numbers on old and new when I began, plus if I cranked it round again they'd still be a tooth out and not more. I gave it one last go and triple checked everything as I did it, and thank the heavens I finally got everything to line up!! From there it took me about 20mins to put everything back on the car, turned the key and away it went. Had a very noisy lifter though, but I figured this was from me messing with the cams so much. Took it for a very gentle drive after it warmed a little and the noise cleared no problem. PHEW. At least I don't have to do that again for another 70,000 miles....
More ranting when I can show you all the results of my tattoo session. Very excited 
UPDATE :
WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Helped the Retro Rebels crew pack the van for Download on the Tuesday afternoon. It's a brand new van, as big as you get in that model, and we had it totally stuffed. It was literally like a big jigsaw puzzle fitting it all in, and there was no space left anywhere in it!
So, we traveled down on the Wed, setting off at 5am, and arrived about 2pm. Thursday was busy as there were no bands on yet, so it was pretty hard going in the sun and heat for us poor pale-skinned Scots. Met the lovely Tsui and her partner in crime, but sadly by the time I got done on the stall I only caught the tail-end of her fan-dance finale on the MySpace stage. Fared better on the Friday night and managed to see all the Renegade Burlesque girls perform, they were definately the best of the acts in the evening entertainment due to their prescence and variation in their acts. Got to meet the very hot and cute-sounding Jezabel and her stage assistant (who's name I either forget or didn't ask, whoops) on the Saturday at the stall as they searched for an umbrella to combat the intense sun! Even indiginous Englanders found the sun hard going it seems!! Saturday night I managed to hook up with the deadly ladies backstage which was good fun. Didn't really get the chance for any proper conversation or laughs though, I know what it's like when you're trying to focus on getting ready and on your act so I tried not to intrude too much!Band-wise, due to the stall being steadily busy and needing a minimum of two people on it, I only got to catch my friend Marty's band ColonOpenbracket (they were great, ace to see some Aberdeen talent on a big stage at a festival even if their music isn't really my thing), about 40mins of Metallica, the whole of Lordi and most of Sick of it All. Metallica were tired I thought, no real spark anymore and the new tune I heard was very average. On my way back up the hill to go back to the stall, some meathead wouldn't move to let me past, so I shoved past anyway in annoyance, to which he turned and punched me in the back between the shoulderblades. So I swung round and caught him a cracker square in the nose that sent the tosser flying backwards and I headed on up the hill cursing him like hell and nursing a sore back and hand. Why do metalheads have to be such assholes sometimes? Moving a few inches momentarily to let someone leave costs nothing, and there is no need to try and show how hard you think you are!!
Lordi were very good as usual, I'd never go buy their stuff, but they know how to entertain and put on a cool show, which many big bands don't. Sick of it All were the total fuckin business for me though, they alone made being at Download worthwhile. Great set, real energy and charisma as always, and huuuuuuuuuuuuge circle pit down the front. BADASS! Unfortunately, I had news from my parents on the Saturday that the wife of my neighbour back home had taken seriously ill on the Friday night and been rushed to hospital. Sadly she passed away on the Sat morning. She'd battled the effects of ME for years. I worked on their farm from about the age of 7 up until I left home to come down here to Uni, so they're like my 2nd parents really... I still do the farmwork on Xmas day for them so they can enjoy a day relaxing with their family and not think about the animals. The funeral was to be Tuesday afternoon, and we arrived back mid afternoon on the Monday. My car was already 700 miles overdue its cambelt change, and it's a 500 mile round trip back home, plus I'm going to Stirling tomorrow to get my arms tattooed. If a cambelt breaks, it's generally hasta la vista for the engine, biiiiiig bang stylee. So, I decided I'd have to thrash and do it before I traveled up north. It all came apart ok, but then as I went to put it back together with the new belt I discovered I'd lost one of two bolts that hold the tensioner unit on!!
ANY other bolt would not have mattered, but this one was critical. I'd put all the rest in the spark plug cover, but for some unknown reason I put these two in my back pocket. The one with the hole in the bottom! I searched and searched everywhere I'd been, but couldn't find it. So that fucked me for attending the funeral, something I'm still totally bummed and guilty about...So, yesterday morning I get the bus into town and a bus up to the Volvo dealer, and they have no bolts in stock. ARGH. I phone my best mate Alan who I do the carbon fibre with, and he has one so picks me up and drops me at the bus-stop with it. I get home and thrash on with trying to get it back together. Each time I wind the engine over a couple of turns by hand none of the timing marks line up properly, which they should! So I have it all apart and back together about 3 times with no success, and then the new bolt decides to shear off in the engine!!
I go fucking ape (my neighbours must love me for that! ), jump around, throw stuff, etc. Then I decide to go stand on my lawn to try and calm down some, and what do I spy sitting there as bonnie as you like in the grass.... Yes, the MOTHERFUCKINCUNTINBASTARDBOLT. I was SO pissed and at the same time overjoyed! Weird feeling. I truely don't remember going anywhere near my lawn when I was taking the car apart Monday afternoon, not a bit. I reckon it was the pixies, or those bloody gnomes. Luckily I'd put the bolt from Alan in the lower hole which you can about get to through behind the wheelarch with the front wheel off the car. When I took the tensioner back off there was about 4mm sticking out which I managed to get the locking pliers onto and managed to screw the remains back out. PHEW. From there I had the whole lot together and apart another three times, each time I'd turn the engine over and the timing marks would be one tooth on the belt off and I'd turn the camshaft pulleys round one and try again. I was almost convinced they'd given me the wrong belt or something, but i'd checked the numbers on old and new when I began, plus if I cranked it round again they'd still be a tooth out and not more. I gave it one last go and triple checked everything as I did it, and thank the heavens I finally got everything to line up!! From there it took me about 20mins to put everything back on the car, turned the key and away it went. Had a very noisy lifter though, but I figured this was from me messing with the cams so much. Took it for a very gentle drive after it warmed a little and the noise cleared no problem. PHEW. At least I don't have to do that again for another 70,000 miles....More ranting when I can show you all the results of my tattoo session. Very excited
UPDATE :
WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
VIEW 12 of 12 COMMENTS
and yeah they shouldve done a survey thing for the people who actually use this site before they updated it and made it ghey
xxx