The rains...

THE RAINS!!!

I finally got the deck rail painted, but I still need one more good weekend to re-seal the cracks in the part of the deck surface that is also the shop roof. If not, we're gonna have to tear out the shop ceiling in spring and NO part of that will be fun... I should also look into putting some sort of toe moulding between the shop roof section and the backdoor balcony to keep the seam around that step from getting chewed up. I am probably gonna need some more fibreglas seam tape before I'm thru.

The Die Nasty is running...just fine, thank you. Mileage is pretty decent too; now that the EC and engine management systems are operating within normal parameters...Bob sez he located the Probe that Toyo replaced, "on the exhaust manifold, behind the engine". Uh huh...I suppose this means that he will be able to help me repalce it MYSELF in two years or so, when I presume it will need replacing.

I'm still biking to work. I may do the year-round thing this year. I have adequate wet/cold weather gear and I have lost enough weight that it all fits me now. I could use a pair of waterproof shoes or boots...

I still don't have my trip time down to the 45 mins I figured I would have to make consistently before I could do the trip both ways. My current record stands at 48 mins, down from previous record of 51. I am thinking that IF I can do a consistent 40-45 min run (FLY up the Alex Fraser Bridge, baby!), I should be able to get home in an hour or so. This is acceptable.

I may (MAY, mind you) join the critical mass ride on the 26th. If the weather is good that Friday, it will likely be the LAST CM ride attended by the 'fair weather' contingent. I just can't see that many people showing up for October, unless mebbe a LOT of crazy people decide to go in costume!

Work is proceeding apace. We have established procedures to streamline the workflow; now if only we could get everyone on the same page in USING them. I may have a sticking point with my vacation time next year. It's my tenth year anniversary with Zeller's, but the vacation year starts in January and my anniversary isn't until the end of February. Will they make me wait another year for my 4 week vacation allotment? I have to confess I'm not terribly concerned either way; I've never been able to fill more than two weeks anyway!

I am still struggling my struggles, but at least some things in life are going right...Colin's feet are finally healing properly. Coral still struggles at school, but she has caught the reading bug and I think she will turn out to be a good reader, with some diligent work by her Mom and Myself. Of course, I would be happier if she didn't prefer 'gross out' books like "Captain Underpants" and "The day my Butt went Psycho". Laurie is trying to get her into "The Secrets of Droon" series, but so far Laurie seems to like it much more than Coral.

Laurie herself has caught the Geneology bug and is going like a house afire on her family's ancestors. She is focussing on the NA ancestors for now. The relatives in Holland will come later, I think. It certainly has given Her and my Mom a lot to talk about. It has also given Her and Her Mom a lot to talk about...

Danielle has expressed a moderate interest in the church. L privately opined that it may be because Danni is ready to settle down and start a Family, if only she could find a GOOD man who was ready RIGHT NOW to do so. Hey, it worked for Laurie... Personally, I think a visit to the Surrey Stake Singles' Branch would be a real eye-opener for Dan...ya just never know what y'all are missin'...

Jeff Marciel gave a talk today on the "six fallacies in sharing the Gospel", and I was a little dismayed to find that at least two of them were holding me back in telling my friends and co-workers about the Gospel and the Church. I also have to get a substitute for Jo Wheeler's class, as she is out for a while with a "long term" illness. Nothing fatal, but she won't be getting out to church for a few weeks, at least. This along with the home teaching thing, which I should talk to John Merriman about actually doing together - as he is, after all, my companion. I don't know how regular John's schedule will be now that he is an official member of Delta Cities Official Police Services. (D-COPS). Hope we can do more for our Home Teaching people than talk about them. I think the Uys are tired of the companion-of-the-month. I shouldn't be too hard on John; it took me a YEAR before I actually went out and DID any home teaching.

I did, however, get the Ward Sunday Schools materials inventoried, and got the order form to the Librarian on what we will need for next year. I hope we get a LOT of new members...I ordered a DOZEN Gospel Essential manuals, and I'm pretty sure Bro. Marciel will have ordered some as well. Other than all the G.E. manuals being gone, we're in pretty good shape. I wish I knew more about doing my calling...I have yet to meet with my councillor!

Don Holburn left me his girlfriend's bike to fix up...and I STILL haven't done it! It's been a friggin' WEEK! I think I kept putting it off because a tune-up is, comparitively speaking, a fairly short and simple job; I can't have THAT many other activities in my life that I can't spare time from, can I? I WILL get it done this week.