PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

@ABA180
@Blackout14
@HomerTaco
@js312
@Plain Jane Taco , Here's another story that relates to those damned standardized tests, but has more to do with growing up with Asperger's...
@newb13
@SOSHeloPilot ,
I thought this story might interest you guys too...

This incident occurred in 2003, when I was in 8th grade. I attended 8th grade at Liberty Middle School, and of note is the fact that the school was brand spanking new at the time. I held the distinct honor of being in the inaugural first batch of students, and in the first graduating class! The entire exterior of the building was brick, and when construction was officially completed, they had some leftover bricks. They decided to glue black plaques, with "Liberty Middle School-2002" engraved on them in gold lettering, and sell them to anybody who was interested for like $25 to raise money for the school district (not that Fairfax County Public Schools needed any money; it was and still is one of highest-rated school districts in the country, in one of the wealthiest areas in the country). They were selling these bricks at an open house either right before or not long after school started, and needless to say, I wanted my own literal piece of history. My dad bought me a genuine leftover brick from Liberty Middle School and I still have it! The black plaque is coming off after almost 15 years, but the glue has held up so far. Right now the LMS brick is packed away in a box in the basement, along with a bunch of other mementos I threw in boxes and crammed into the Tacoma when we moved to the new house. I think I know where it is and I'll post a picture later tonight if I find the damn thing...

The population of the DC suburbs was growing rapidly at the time, and Fairfax County was no different. They decided to build a new middle school to accommodate the children of these new residents, I believe they first broke ground in 2000 or 2001, and we moved into our house in June or July 2002.

Liberty Middle School was so new in the summer of 2002 that not only was it still under construction, it had not even been named yet! Everyone, including future students, had a say. They were holding a contest to come up with a name, and I forget exactly how "Liberty Middle School" was chosen.

By the time my mom took me to there to enroll me, I'm pretty sure they had stuff like plumbing and air-conditioning hooked up and fully operational, but the building was still not quite ready to be open to the general public. As such, all official business and other administrative stuff was being done in a portable building on the campus...

I remember that day quite well. We were in the middle of a heatwave, and it was actually over 100°F that day. I am not talking 90-95°F with a heat index that made it feel like it was over 100°F. It was legitimately about 105°F. Thankfully we'd had the A/C in the 2000 GMC Safari charged before we left Whidbey Island and it was working sufficiently. Pretty pathetic that the A/C had to be recharged every year in a van that was at the time only 2 years old with maybe 26K miles on the odometer...

Anyway...

I was officially enrolled at Liberty Middle School in a portable building just steps away from the actual school building...

Here's the main topic of this story:

In the spring of 2003, we had to take SOLs. Students were allowed to do stuff like draw or read if they finished early. Talking, cell phones, and portable audio devices were not allowed. Since I took my tests in a smaller room with only a few students, I think the teachers made an exception to the "no talking" rule, and I even seem to remember a couple guys playing a game of Yu-Gi-Oh (Like this post if you remember Yu-Gi-Oh cards!).

Since at least 4th grade, my favorite method of passing time had been drawing cars and trucks. With only a piece of loose-leaf paper and a pencil, I could crank out highly-detailed drawings that would have made Harley Earl or Brooks Stevens proud. On one particular day during the 2003 middle school SOL testing week, I started sketching an early 1980s custom van; In layperson's terms, a stereotypical "Shaggin' Wagon." Even though I consider myself to be a GM guy, I like the overall styling of the 1981-1993 Dodge Ram vans (especially the front end) better than the 1971-1996 Chevrolet and GMC G-series vans. I appreciate and respect the 1975-1991 Ford Econoline/E-series vans as well, but I don't like the styling as much as the Dodge or GM vans. There also seem to be far fewer Dodge and Ford vans older than 1992 on the road these days, compared to Chevy and GMC vans of the same era. Don't get me wrong, I love the Ford and GM vans (Especially the GM vans), but the 1981-1993 Dodge vans are my favorite in terms of styling.

My parents had finally caved to my demands and bought me Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) as a birthday present earlier that year, and for some reason, one vehicle I particularly liked in that game was the Burrito, especially a variant called the "Gang Burrito" (Pictures of both below; The "gang" Burrito is the dark red/gray van with the mural on the side). Both the regular Burrito and the "gang" variant were based on typical customized 1970s-1980s cargo vans, and my drawing most closely resembled the "gang" version...




I drew vehicles (Especially 4x4 trucks and SUVs, and the occasional van) all the time, but I remember this specific drawing of a van quite well because I put a little extra work into it. I considered this drawing to be "extra special." Just like the "Gang Burrito" in what was at the time my favorite video game, the van I drew had lowered suspension, foglights on the roof, a rear spoiler, and side exhaust pipes. This wasn't quite enough for me, though...

I added foglights and a grille guard to the front bumper, and "turbine" wheels. I even drew the top of the dash, the steering wheel, the column shifter, and the front seats. It was an impressive drawing...

I was already almost done with this high-detailed van drawing when one of the teachers suddenly announced that all "scratch paper" would have to be handed in along with the tests. This unfortunately included my beautifully sketched tribute to the 1970s scene. I did not throw a fit, but I was not happy. My argument was "It's a just a drawing of a van." Their argument was it was a statewide rule, some anti-cheating security measure. I argued once again that it was a picture of a van and nothing more, I considered it my property, and they did not have my permission to take it. That van drawing was mine. Sadly, this was and still is the logic of many people with Asperger's. I have matured quite a bit in the 14 years since that fateful day, but deep down I haven't changed all that much...

Instead of a 14-year old boy with a drawing, I am a 28-year old man with a driver's license and a real vehicle. My truck. My Tacoma. Mine. Like I said, I have matured greatly since 8th grade, but I have this extremely black-and-white view of the world that is typical of many people with Asperger's. In my eyes, the Tacoma is mine. It was a gift from my dad, purchased with money my dad legally earned. I have a clear Pennsylvania Certificate of Title to that Tacoma in my name. I pay the insurance every month, as well as for routine maintenance and all of the fancy add-ons (stereo, rain guards, etc)...

When I say "Don't touch my truck or I'll kick your ass," I don't mean it literally, but I have gotten into heated showdowns with people over "touching my truck." These incidents have included politely telling drunk people not to lean against my Tacoma outside the bar where I work, all the way up to cussing out the drunk old man who hit my Tacoma with his Mercedes E320 in October 2015. In just over two years, I had three fender benders that weren't my fault, and I immediately F-bombed the at-fault party right out of the gate...

I am slowly but surely working to improve this immature attitude. My new course action is telling myself stuff like "It's just a truck," "I have really good insurance," "If my truck gets totaled in an accident but I walk away without a scratch, then that means my truck did it's job," "I probably will not encounter anything in my day-to-day life that isn't covered under my insurance policy," and God forbid, "If my truck gets totaled then it means I can use the insurance money to buy a Tacoma with 4-wheel drive AND a manual transmission!"

Regardless, there will always be times when my attachment to my Tacoma will be comparable to a 3-year old with a Tonka truck, and society will be like the stereotypical playground bully who is trying to take away what is rightfully mine...

 

@ABA180
@blackout14
@HomerTaco
@js312
@Plain Jane Taco
@newb13
@SOSHeloPilot

Going back to the saga of the "Vice City Van" sketch, here's what ended up happening...

I decided almost immediately that the school system had taken enough from me that year, and there was no way in hell they were going to take that drawing!

I came up with what seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. If I remember correctly, I quickly drew a "body double" of sorts...

That is, a virtually identical drawing of a custom van, but without the amount of work and attention to detail I'd put into the original. I then neatly folded the original drawing and put it in my pocket when nobody was looking, and put the "mockup" in it's place.

I then claimed I had to use the bathroom and they let me leave. My real plan was to stash the drawing in my locker and take it home with me at the end of the day. My biggest mistake was making a big show of throwing the "mockup" in the garbage and saying something like "If I can't have this drawing, the school district sure isn't going to get it." If I'd just left the "mockup" on my desk and gone to the bathroom without saying anything, I probably would have gotten away with it!

The other problem with my plan was that my locker was all the way on the other side of the building, but if I remember correctly I'd only stated that I need to use the bathroom. I didn't say whether it was one or two, and quite frankly it was none of their business, but if they asked me what took so long I decided to just tell them I'd been taking a dump. I would then follow up with some wise-ass remark like "I'm pretty sure you don't want to know the specifics, but if you absolutely insist I'd be happy to tell you!"

I may have actually had to use the bathroom, but there were bathrooms closer to the classroom. I'm pretty sure I took a leak in the boys' room right next to my locker, though. I unlocked my locker, placed the drawing inside, locked it back up, and headed back to class. Initially, I was absolutely sure I'd gotten away with it. Nobody seemed to notice or even really care, or so I thought...

Unfortunately, one teacher who my classmates and I didn't really like (pretty sure the feeling was mutual in my case) did realize that something was up. She was a 50-something widowed black woman who I remember only as a "Dr. Halsey." I do not remember Dr. Halsey's official job; just that she was not a traditional teacher, but rather a therapist or psychologist of some sort. She was nice, as long as you did everything her way. I forget exactly what happened between myself and Dr. Halsey, but almost from the beginning we did not see eye-to-eye and regularly clashed. My opinion, in layperson's terms, was this; she was just an incredibly bitter woman who was past her prime and needed to retire. I can sympathize with the fact that her husband died way too early though. That would be hard on anybody, and I think it had quite a bit to do with her demeanor when dealing with me.

What do you think Dr. Halsey did...?

Later on that day, she pulled me out of art class and took me into the hallway to talk with me privately, one-on-one. She didn't waste time and immediately asked, point blank, "Did you put that drawing in your locker?"

Literally as I was writing this, it suddenly occurred to me that even 15 years ago, schools were equipped security cameras (I've got another story about that too). My theory as of a few minutes ago is that Dr. Halsey went to the camera room and had the security people review footage of the specific time when I'd claimed to be using the bathroom, saw me walking all the way to the other end of the building, and stashing what appeared to be a piece of paper in my locker. There's no other way...

She knew full well what I had done, but wanted to give me a chance to fess up and make things easier on myself...

In that situation, it was impossible for me to lie while maintaining my composure, so I just immediately confessed. Dr. Halsey then walked with me to my locker and watched while I removed the drawing and handed it to her. I did not get in any trouble, but I was very upset and had what could only be described as a meltdown. I actually started crying, and two of the special ed teachers who I actually liked took me into one of their offices to calm down. These two special ed teachers were very nice and pretty much sided with me, but politely explained that their hands were basically tied by the bureaucracy, and my drawing was now basically property of the Commonwealth of Virginia. They even gave me a few sheets of paper and let me draw a new van for a while. I calmed down after a relatively short period of time, and went back to class.

Everyone I've told this story pretty much agrees with me, but basically says that "rules are rules." I've said it before and I'll say it again...

I HATE BUREAUCRACY!

 

@ABA180
@Blackout14
@ChadsPride
@HomerTaco
@js312
@Plain Jane Taco
@newb13
@SOSHeloPilot

Here is another story, not directly having anything to do with the fact that I have Asperger's...

Rather, this story is about just plain bad luck; A certain entity (a public school, a police department, the bank I use) decides to put a new policy or regulation into action. Normally a model student; a law-abiding citizen; an all-around great guy; I slip up just one time and end up getting caught up in the system. In my younger days, it often resulted in more detentions than I care to remember. On one occasion, the subject of this specific story, it resulted in me being almost thirty minutes late to class. When I was in my twenties, it resulted in no less than three encounters with police. The most recent of those encounters resulted in my first (and hopefully last) speeding ticket.

Every single one of these incidents, going back to middle school, was the result of me deciding to do something without "doing my homework first."

March 2013: If I'd read recent news articles prior to walking around taking pictures in Doylestown Borough, I would have known about the rash of daytime home burglaries on the same street (4 in less than a month; January-February 2013), I would have known that residents were on edge and had been told by the chief of police to call 911 if they saw someone they didn't recognize, and I would have known about the woman who was stopped by police on her property while getting her mail. Chances are I would have steered clear of that section of town, and I would not have ended up getting interrogated by 4 cops by the side of the road for like twenty minutes.

March 2017: If I'd simply Googled "DUI checkpoints" prior to going to work on Saint Patrick's Day, I would have known about one such checkpoint on Route 611 and taken a longer route home to avoid the hassle. But I didn't. I initially thought it was a car accident or something, but by the time I realized it was a DUI checkpoint, it was too late to turn around without attracting the attention of the police. A relaxing 12-minute drive home after a long day at work, turned into an incredibly stressful 40-minute ordeal. FYI, as a barback who had worked the late shift, I was probably one of the few people driving home from a bar on St. Pat's who had any business behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. I'd had a couple of Monster Energy drinks, but absolutely no alcohol. I was sober and had nothing to hide. Now I have an app on my phone that tells me about DUI checkpoints ahead of time, thus giving me a chance to try and avoid them. I have gotten hammered and taken an Uber home so many times I've lost count, and not once has my driver ever encountered a DUI checkpoint or been pulled over...

 

@ABA180
@Blackout14
@ChadsPride
@HomerTaco
@js312
@Plain Jane Taco
@newb13
@SOSHeloPilot

Let's rewind to about 2003-2004. I'm pretty sure this happened in 10th grade, which would have actually been 2004-2005. I would consider myself to have been a good student in high school. Among other things, I was NEVER late. My mom woke me up five days a week and made sure she dropped me off before class started. I was always on time, so while I don't remember exactly why I was late that particular day, I can 100% guarantee two things...

1. Whatever caused me (technically mom, since she was driving) to be late was very insignificant, because I don't remember what it was.
2. Since my mom always made sure I got to school on time, I'm pretty sure whatever occurred was WAYYY out of my control, and hers as well...

So, my mom dropped me off in front of the school, and I expected absolutely no problems with regards to my teacher. All of my teachers loved me, I was generally a very good student, and they would be very understanding about why I was late. My problem, however, was not with any of my teachers. Quite a few other kids had been late that day, and as soon as I walked in the front door I was greeted by school security and ushered into the cafeteria along with a few other kids who had walked in about the same time as me...

School security had intercepted what seemed like close to one hundred students (if not more) who'd walked into school late and corralled them all in the cafeteria. Nobody seemed to know what the hell was going on...

Every possible way out of the cafeteria were guarded, and none of the security goons would give me a straight answer about what was going on. They would tell me to "just sit down," or "just wait." You know, the usual runaround...

They had no problem with students talking among themselves, so I started asking around. Most students were just as clueless as I was. I vaguely remember one student (don't remember if it was a boy or girl) telling me that had been this late to school before and had never encountered anything like this...

I started talking to this girl who was just as clueless as I was, and we correctly concluded that the school was cracking down on chronically late students.

My frustration turned to a bit of anger when I saw a 12th grader named Andy, a special needs student with Down Syndrome who I actually considered something of a friend, being shepherded into the cafeteria by one of the security guys. I turned to the girl I'd been talking to, pointed to Andy, and said to her "See that guy over there?"

She's like "Yeah?"

I proceeded to tell her how Andy had Down Syndrome, and how he often walked to school from his parents' house because he lived so close, but that as a result of his disability he couldn't exactly move fast.

The girl of course sided with me and said something like "That's not right" or "That's so unfair." Damn right!

Once they were satisfied they'd rounded up enough tardy students, they called up the students table-by-table and had a table of students form a line at another table, where each student signed their name to a list. I signed my name, went on my way, and made it to class without incident. Unsurprisingly, my teacher was very understanding and I did not face any disciplinary action.

I was never that late to school again so I don't know what would have happened if my name came up on that list more than once, but theory is that security would start giving out detentions if the student was late three or more times in a certain amount of time, and the student would face further disciplinary action if it became chronic...

Rounding up a bunch of unsuspecting tardy students, most of whom were probably late through absolutely no fault of their own, and making them even later to class...

Can someone please explain me to why this is a good idea, even in the slightest...? Anyone? Anyone? I gladly welcome your opinion...

 

@Plain Jane Taco

Would it be possible to get a shirt like the one in your avatar picture that says "I like big boobs and Taco trucks"?

I know it doesn't rhyme like "butts" and "trucks," but I am more of a boob man than an ass man.

 

@Plain Jane Taco

A lot of Tacoma owners on TW seem to like Ford F150 Raptors. I own a Tacoma that I absolutely love, I am really more of a Chevy/GMC guy when it comes to full-size American pickup trucks, and I WANT A RAPTOR!

That said, here are two of my favorite things in one picture...

An Asian woman and a Ford F150 SVT Raptor!





Yes, these pictures were taken in China. The article where I originally found the photos is from December 2012, so it can only be assumed that the pictures are from 2012 as well. The article says that the model, Mei Meilong, is from Beijing, and was 25 years old and single at the time. That would mean she was born in 1986-1987, and would be about 30 years old now...

Would I want to be with this woman, even if just for a night? The Pope is Catholic, isn't he?

This is a US-spec Raptor that was exported out of the States and imported into China. According to the article, it costs about US$105,000-$160,000 to bring one into China!

 

Know idea. I found the pic on Google

 

@ABA180
@Blackout14
@ChadsPride
@HomerTaco
@js312
@newb13
@Plain Jane Taco

Here's a more lighthearted story...

My dad loves to run. He started out with 5K races, then moved up to half-marathons. In November 2016, he ran full marathon and swore he'd never do it again. I think he meant it...

Anyway, back in August 2012, we spent a week at my Grandma's lakehouse in Maine. The town in which my Grandma's house is located was trying to raise money to buy a new ambulance at the time, and one of the ways they did that was holding an annual 5K run. My dad of course entered...

As part of his gift package for entering, my dad got a white T-shirt that featured a large color image of a typical ambulance being chased by runners...

I took one look at the shirt when my dad put it on for the first time (prior to the run) and, referring to the featureless black figures chasing the the ambulance, said "Oh, those must be lawyers."

The whole room (my parents and grandparents, anyway) erupted in laughter, and I thought my Grandma was going to die laughing...

 

My friend detailed my truck 2 days before I drove out to Carlisle. While en route to Carlisle, I discovered that this little rubber coin holder insert thing was missing...

I don't know where it went and neither does my friend who detailed the truck...

Is this something that the dealer would have in stock?

 

Suck it up in a vacuum? Otherwise, maybe Harry's U-Pull It?

 

I took it out of the truck along with the cup holders before my friend got started...

Are you telling me the dealer doesn't sell these?

 

well I would look under the seat.
That's wher I found mines....

 

a tape measure fits perfectly in that spot as well!

 

I wouldn't see why a dealer wouldn't be able to source that piece for you. I just mentioned Harry's to save some cash and who doesn't like roaming the junk yard? Lol.

 

A dealer isn't going to just have that on the shelf.....but they can order it of course.

 

Ask Gunny from Camelback Toyota in this thread. It'll be a buck or two less than your local dealer:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gunny-is-back.476544/page-20#post-15729052

 

Just cut a piece of rubber if really want that filled.

 

Where's is Harry's?