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Exploring Rap Snacks Ramen: A Dollar Tree Find

During a recent visit to the Dollar Tree, my attention was drawn to Rap Snacks Ramen featuring E-40 on the packaging. While I may not consider myself a devoted E-40 (or Boosie) fan, their names and music are familiar to me. Intrigued by this pop culture connection, I decided to give these Rap Snacks Ramen a try. (I had chatgpt rewrite my words… and that’s what I got. Yuk.)

These things tasted like regular cup noodles ramen. Salty. Not special. Not too bad either, but nowadays everyone wants fancy ramen.

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Kenmore Refrigerator Handle Broke Off

This is a general complaint. The refrigerator is branded Kenmore, but I think it is made by LG or Whirlpool, and it works well, except the handle is attached with a bit of plastic, That plastic bit eventually breaks.

The “fix” is to buy a new handle, usually on Ebay or a parts store, and screw it on.

So I did that, but it took a while.

In the meantime, I found that super glue works really well. I used super glue on the mating surfaces, and epoxy over the seam, and the repair lasted over two years. Eventually, it broke, and I replaced the handle. It took all of five minutes and required only an allen wrench for the set screw, and a phillips head screwdriver.

If they just made it thicker, or made it from steel, this wouldn’t be happening. It’s absurd to put a 5 year handle on a fridge that’s going to last 20+ years. (If you haven’t guessed the next hack – it’s to epoxy in a metal strap, or carbon fiber material to reinforce the handle after it’s broken.)

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Super Tech Fix a Flat Walmart

This is the Walmart store brand fix a flat.

The stuff works, but also sucks. The can broke on me, and started leaking when I was using it, and lost pressure partway through. I had a second can, and used that, but it also broke. I had to finish inflating the tire by hand.

The product worked, but overall, not effective.

The more popular brand “Fix a Flat” works a lot better. I used it before, and the can inflated the tire completely.

Now I have this flat fixer stuff. Not sure what to do with it. I might cut open the cans and unload the fluid into some bicycle tires, and see what happens.

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Delta Foundations 4 in. Centerset Single Handle Bathroom Faucet

Review and end results after the one I installed was destroyed.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-Foundations-4-in-Centerset-Single-Handle-Bathroom-Faucet-in-Polished-Chrome-B510LF-PPU-12/323441964

I think the product is at the link above, but I’m not certain. I do know it was the low end Delta product. I bought it to replace a midrange Moen that, while acceptable, tended to wear out quickly, and require replacement cartridges, which were getting expensive. I found that Delta lasted longer, so I went with this alternative.

Continue reading Delta Foundations 4 in. Centerset Single Handle Bathroom Faucet
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Ridiculously Good Book Deals

I’m selling some books cheap, at $2 each, and with combined shipping, plus a buy-2-get-1-free deal.

Check the store!

For AAPI Heritage Month, check out the new Asian and Asian American category.

There are some specifically weird, good deals, detailed below.

The Enchanted Land, selling for a lot less than on Amazon and Alibris. I guess this is a relative rare book.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre, at market, but with the deal, it’s a bit cheaper.

A 3 book lot about Tai Chi.

A 3 book lot about Plato.

A 3 book lot of The Good Cook. This is a great set of cookbooks. The Good Cook was an unusually good set that explained a lot of French technique.

A Robert Doisneau photo book.

The Book of Hygge. Price dropped to $2. I have a bunch of $2 books for sale. If you get three, and add in shipping, it’s around $8 total for three books.

The Sunset Western Garden Book.

A 2 book lot about mixing drinks.

A 3 book lot about social media and storytelling.

A Semiotexte book, Animal Shelter.

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AAPI Heritage Month

It’s May again, and the AAPI theme game is on.

Here’s my ebay store category: Asian and Asian Americans

Other stores with a category:

mister puppy

That’s it. If you have a store with an AAPI category, comment, and I’ll hoist it into this listing.

Another way to find books is to search for “Classics of Asian American Literature“.

You can also search for strings like “Japanese American” or “Vietnamese American” and get results.

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Al Martinez, Ashes in the Rain

I scout books all over Los Angeles, so I find books about Los Angeles all the time. I stumbled on Ashes in the Rain in Glendale, and it immediately took me back over 30 years, to college, in Berkeley, reading the newspaper at the student co-op.

Though we were in the SF Bay Area, the house subscribed to the Los Angeles Times. The best columnist at the Times was a Bay Area native, Al Martinez.

For an hour or so, I’d read the Times, and remember Los Angeles, my home city.

On different days, the paper featured writers a bit older than I, some who were there a while, and others who were going to be lifers: Patt Morrison, Bob Bracamontes, and Robin Abcarian, and Al Martinez. This is no knock on the hard hitting writers – I just liked the ones with the soft edges, though I didn’t dare admit it at the time.

I asked ChatGPT to write a paragraph about Martinez in the style of Al Martinez. The result:

Al Martinez was an American journalist and columnist known for his humorous and poignant writing style. In his columns, he often shared personal stories and observations, and his writing was characterized by its warmth and humanity.

I remember the day I met Al Martinez like it was yesterday. He was sitting at a bar in downtown Los Angeles, sipping a martini and scribbling notes on a napkin. I introduced myself, and before I knew it, we were deep in conversation about life, love, and everything in between. Al had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world, and his stories had a way of capturing the essence of the human experience. Whether he was writing about the trials and tribulations of being a parent or the joys of falling in love, Al’s writing was always heartfelt and honest. He had a gift for finding the beauty in the everyday, and his words had the power to move people in ways they never expected. Al may be gone, but his legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched with his writing.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2740826-ashes-in-the-rain

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0117-al-martinez-mailbag-20150117-story.html

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-al-martinez-bard-everyones-songs-20150113-story.html