"Who are you guys?" and more scrap stories

The last post really seemed to bring some readers out of the woodwork. Thank you all for reading, I appreciate it oodles! But- who are you guys? I think I've identified most of you by now through tedious deduction and case files, but there are a few of you whom I have only cold leads. I would never demand a full name from anyone, but if you could give me a name- even if its a first name, a fake name that sounds like your name, an inside joke- anything! I'd be a much happier person.

Not to say that I am not a happy person normally. I must say; as of late God has been spinning my story in positive ways I could not have imagined. Even reading Book the 13th in A Series Of Unfortunate Events didn't bring me down more then it intrigued me. In fact, in honor of this fact, I was seriously contemplating doing this post entireyly in the Sebald code. But that woold take to long, and there are probably better means for such ends as a codud messages.

So I had an awesome idea: I would make going through computer scrap into a party. A computer and other electronics destruction party- or CAOEHDP, I suppose. Anyway, I figured afficiency would go up since we could invent a sort of disassembly line, and I figured it would be a lot of fun, because, come on- who wouldn't vant to tear apart and smash computers with heavy tools? The idea of putting a sledegehammer through a screen alone has had strange effects on all my friends. I can understtand it.

I had this idea floating around my head for awhile, and I wanted to get moving on it before the snow ruined everything. Soo after I got the idea cleared with the parents, I sent out an email to my geek friends and told others that I forgot wherever I could. But I only gave them 2 days notice. Yeah, I don't kmow what I was thinking.

Anyway, some people wunted an update and wanted pictucres. Basically, I had a fun time, but it was just me and Anders. For awhile. Then we picked up N and that was fun too, but we only went through 3 monitors and a scanner.

On the way back home after picking up Noah, we passed the American legion building. Outside was a sign that said "Free yard sale". I had never heard of such a thing, but instantly I knew it was for me. I pulled into the nearest place I coulhd do a U-turn and checked it out. Apparently they decided that since thteir yard sale fundraising thing was over, everyone could just take what they wanted for free. Being in a scrap mood, I looked around. I saw a table saw. It would have been to heavy for me to get in the van probably. I saw a miicrowave. I took it. Microwaves are high in copper and low in fat. This one especially, because it was ventilmated which means there is a deceent size motor spinning the fans. w00t! While looading it I met a guy who has been in the scrap businness for 17 years. He was a colorful fellow full of merriment and boisterous swearing. He had seen this place and pulled in, but he had onlyy his car with him and so could take only smaller things. He did have his trusty crow bar with him, so he toook what he could. What he could was the cast aluminum in a propane grill. "Here, do you want the rest of this f___n grill? I'd take it myself man, but I've dun't have the f___n truck. But there's some aluminum here, this might be steel but it could be aluminum, got some wire here for the igniter- the fittings are all f___n brass. Here, take it!" It was a genrerous gift. I threw it in the back, too.

I carried in the microwave like a slain beast I brought to a facilhitate a table of plenty. I dropped it on the ground dramataically.

"What have you got there?" my dad asked, and I told him.
"Wait wait wait- before you take an axe to that thning see if it works."

The thing had no proper cord- just three wires coming out. It was apparently the type you install in your kitchen. I didn't think it would work, but I shrugged. Why not? I pulled the power cord out from a monitor and plugged the wires into it. The unit's clock came on.

Well, so far so good. After fiddling around with the menu, we got it to try and cook. The light turned on and it sounded like it was running. "How can we be sure?" someone asked. "Get some water" my dad said, "Get some popcorn!" others chimed in. I ran into the housse and grabbed some grapes. We threw them into the nuke and turned it on. They sparked and popped- it worked! We later proved that the motors worked too. This is all cool, but we don't need another microwave. And even though its outside dimensions are bigger, its pretty small inside. Does anyone out there want a microwave? If so then thats cool, I have an extra. But otherwise its going down. To much copper to just have it sit there, all intact like but not doing anything.

Oh- one more thing. Remember the table saw I saw? Well I planned on telling my dad about it to see if we should go get it later. But I forgot. Sunday I remembered, I think during our youth group thing- we all went to Macks Apples and made pies from picking to baking. It was a lot of fun. But on the way back home, dad asked me where I saw the table saw. We pulled in, and sure enough, it was still there. We decided to take the sucker home. That was a challenge. That sucker is HEAVY. Once we finally got it in the house though, we surveyed what we had found. On one hand, their is probably 70 pounds of steel on that thing and a good deal of copper in the massive motor, so if it didn't work, its no problem. But having a working table saw would be awesome. While plugging it in, we discovered the cable was badly damaged. We plugged it in and- nothing. After looking all over for the switch, we found it. The machine roared to a life. Dad and I started laughing the almost evil type of laugh when you get something very good that by all accounts you shouldn't have got. I turned the device off and quickly fetched a face shield and a scrap two by four. I spun the beast up once more and fed the board through. It cut like butter.

I'm pretty psyched about it. The blade is even in good condition! Soon, I hope to buy a cut-off blade to cut through the iron surrounding the copper wire in the transformers. Should make the work a lot easier.

Thanks for reading- and those of you who comment, remember to tell me who you are! :D