Changing the oil in my Honda Rebel, Amsoil, and Toy Recals for 2008. . . What?

I passed the 1000 mile mark on my motorcycle last week. I guess it is time to go change my oil. And since my bike only takes 1.6 - 1.8 quarts of oil I did not want to pay $30 to change it.

Actually, changing oil is really easy. You just have to know where the drain bolts on your engine block are, have a drain pan, and then you just need a funnel and a torque wrench(a lot of people don't even use a torque wrench and just tighten to feel).

If you feel like tackling your own vehicle, you can generally find information on the web and even videos on YouTube that will show you step by step. My motorcycle video is found here(part 1) and here(part2).

Lastly, and pretty much most importantly, is the oil that you put back in. My recommendation, and recommended by the majority of blogs and people that I can find, is Amsoil. You can get this oil for your car and your motorcycle. They have a number of customer purchase options from dealer to retail account which I will post about later. Wish me luck on my first oil change for my bike.

Lastly, due to the holiday season coming up, I found the link below that can help those worried about the toys that they have purchased for their kids. It is not an exhaustive list, I would recommend you visit the manufacturer's website to be sure, however the following link has some of the big toy recalls of this year.

Biggest Toy Recalls of 2008

Halloween How to . . .

More Halloween goodness from the Instructables website. I found another good DIY/How To article about an easy to make a living Severed Hand.


- More cool how to projects

Also, Goldie's Bubbling Halloween Cauldron looks interesting but it is simple enough that it could be easily modified to incorporate it into a lot of other applications. This one appears pretty simple to create and has a descent effect.


- More cool how to projects

And finally for today, here is a good DIY Freezer Paper Skeleton Costume. Check out the link for the details. This is showing on a child but could easily be modified for an adult if necessary.

Halloween fever . . .

Well, we started getting out the Halloween decorations this year and I have to say that this is my favorite holiday of the year. You get to dress up and get free candy. No other holiday has every given me more excitement or enjoyment, and that includes Christmas (thanks for the socks each year Mom.)

I regularly peruse the do it your self blogs and sites and find a lot of very cool costumes (see previous posts) and other Halloween decorations. I already posted some good costumes so here are some sweet Halloween decorations.

Creepy Crawling Skeleton - This walk-thru is a bit more in depth than a 5th grader or probably even an 8th grader could complete without assistance. However, the end result is creepy and even without movement would be cool looking. [Creepy Crawling Skeleton]


For those of you that want to create the whole experience and are up to the challenge, try your hand at this working drawbridge with sound. I would be curious in how it could be modded to work with a front door or even someone's haunted house. The ideas are sound and the step by step walk-thru is easy to follow. [Working Drawbridge]


For the younger crowd or for those of us that just like a bit easier project, FamilyFun.com has a large selection of do it yourself crafts that are easy and as the name says fun for the family. My favorite is the CandleEyebra that is very simple but would be cool if you had a large quantity of them and you could do it to different sized glasses for other effects.

For a huge list of items visit the Monsterlist of Halloween Projects. This site has a lot of good ideas and projects.

Go crazy as this is the time of the year where spooks and goblins run amok. You know everyone loves seeing the house that went over the top with Halloween decorations each year.


Oh and Mom I like socks. There is nothing wrong with socks.

Awesome Halloween Costumes: Part 2

I am truly amazed by the human ability to invent things. Just looking for do it yourself Halloween costumes came up with more information than I could read in a week. After perusing this information looking for the diamonds in the rough, I have whittled it down to a few of the good ones.

It took me a minute to realize what this was, but it would be a cool project. The mask is not shown but I included the link below.

How to build an Ironman Arc Reactor.
How to build an Ironman Mask.













The previous project too easy for you? Try this complete make your own realistic werewolf costume.

How to build a realistic werewolf costume.
















The blog zzilch has a post about how they used to make their own costumes with a few very good links to easy and harder costumes.

Homemade Halloween Costumes on zzilch

Awesome Halloween Costumes Part 1

Although I could (and should) probably come up with a better story/caption for this picture, in reality I just came across it in a do it yourself moustache hat that would be a pretty cool start for a Halloween costume. Feel free to post any caption in the comments that you think would better fit this picture. I think I will see what other do it yourself Halloween costumes I can turn up.

For the original article click here.