"Sir? Are you aware that you're leaking coolant at an alarming rate?" - Futurama: "Planet of Robots" episode.
The Cavalier is loosing coolant. It needed to be fixed anyway, because I bodged the thermostat replacement and I STILL can't get the radiator fan to switch on...the car was running REAL hot this summer.
So I worked some overtime and took the car to Toyo motors. They replaced the thermostat, tested the system for leaks and got the rad fan working again. They also overcharged us by about 20$; but hey, it's only money! I appreciate that they have loaner vehicles available for their loyal customers...
I have set up Parental Controls on our system. The kids are surfing more often and are sometimes unsupervised...I feel better knowing the "bad stuff" is blocked out. I have yet to explore all the possibilities of Norton Internet Security.
We need to do some serious clean up around here. The old rug from the kids room is quietly moldering on the back deck (smells bloody awful), and we still have some scrap metal and bits of garden stuff and generic trash hanging around the garage to go. In addition, I need some sort of bin or something to keep my bike parts in. I would really like to set up some sort of shed or something out back to replace the old rotting shed back there, and have someplace to put some of the garden equipment we don't seem to have room enough to store anywhere right now.
It's still a little too early to sink into a seasonal depression, but that IS how I feel; I gots the blahs...
I need to start a new project, or finish some existing ones...
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
I have a new Internet Addiction...
Backgammon.
Thus far, I have only been trying my luck with the other NuB's down at MSNzone...but I think I am ready for the Real World.
I am going to start playing on FIBS...I hope I don't embarrass myself.
As a reality check, I went to see Dad yesterday...because his is the only objective opinion I trust. His conclusion: I am both skilled AND lucky. We played a 3 match, followed by a 5 game tourney, and I won both. We had a final game for fun, in which he built a seven pip blockade (looked like I was in real trouble there), just to see if he could do it. A fortuitous boxcars roll got me out of that bind before it was too late, and I managed to win the game by 3 pips.
Dad's pretty good, he's just a little out of practise.
My play ettiquette is horrible, ie: I don't have any. I am far too talkative, far too helpful, and far too distracted in face-to-face play. I may have to stick to online play -- it's easier to stay focussed.
But no - repeat NO - wagering...that way lies madness.
However, I can dream of winning a prize tournament someday, eh?
Last Tuesday, I turfed at the foot of Wiltshire St. That same little curb I've been safely hopping for the last 6 months stopped my front wheel dead when I missed the hop (guess I was going too slow), and the rest of the bike kept going, me along with it. I wound up facefirst in the cedar chip-lined trailhead with the bike frame wrapped around my butt and the handlebars poking painfully in my left thigh. I had to laugh, it was the most postcard-perfect endo I've ever seen; if I had had an audience, I'm sure there would have been applause.
I've been annoying residents on that cul-de-sac for weeks now. Ever since I built the hybrid and started riding it daily. Reason? I didn't get the brake alignment quite right and they SCREAMED at high speed. Every morning that street awoke at 5:55 am to the sound of the two wheel screaming symphony. I just finished redoing the brakes the previous week, so the noise problems were finally silenced. Still, the residents of Wiltshire Close would probably claim my ungainly accident was nothing more than poetic justice.
On the other hand, I had a pretty soft landing; if you're going to do a faceplant, that's the place to do it.
However, the drama doesn't stop there...
I arrived at work, a little dirtier than usual...and was assigned a container of 150lb dinette sets. Previously, this would have been the ultimate drudge work, but since we got the clamp trucks on the dock we can go through oversized loads like these at a pretty good clip...
One drawback: you still have to clear the first few feet of the load by hand, so the clamp paddles have enough room to get a purchase on the load. After chucking about 8 of these 150lb monsters (two man job for us non-kryptonians), I discovered that my left wrist was REALLY SORE...I called our first aider over and he and I repaired to the dispensary for some ice and a tensor wrap. Thus fortified, I continued the load with the clamp truck and all seemed to be well. We finished the load in time for the 10 AM break and I went to breakfast...
When I got back up from eating the wrist hurt to move, in any direction...and was starting to swell under the tensor bandage.
I left work early, and our first aider offered to send me to Richmond General for an assesment. I said no, and got a ride home from L (left the bike at work). Went to the clinic straightaway and saw Dr. Teskey. His assesment: ice & ibuprofen for 3 days, and come back if necessary. To be thorough, he sent out for some Xrays.
So I informed work that I would be off the rest of the week, and work informed me that WCB no longer covers accidents during travel to/from work. Only travel away from and back to the workplace on company time...
Darn.
I may not get paid for those three days...
The wrist feels better, for some reason I am now getting a buzz from wriggling my fingers; I think I may have to get one of those squeezy-ball thingies...I've got a clean bill of health from the clinic, but I'm going to go easy on the arm for the next couple of weeks just the same.
The worst time was Sunday...
About 8 years ago, I had outpatient surgery at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster to remove some necrotic tissue from my right knee. An intra-muscular blood clot had caused massive infection around the joint and the leg had swelled to the size of a party balloon. This made walking, much less working, quite difficult; the attendant fever and constant pain were no picnic either. Did I mention that I used to carry loss-of-income insurance and I had cancelled the coverage the week before? I lost 10 days to that injury...
Anyway, my point is...I KNOW what intra-muscular and deep tissue infection feels like. My left hip, with a bruise the size of my fist where the bars hit, had developed such a condition. I was taking ibuprofen, which will relieve the symptoms but not the cause (if the cause is a circulatory blockage of some kind), and I needed to take ASA, which helps both cause and symptoms. Problem was: you can't mix ibuprofen with ASA. So I waited several hours 'till the ibuprofen wore off and took a quad dose of ASA before bed (now THAT was an uncomfortable night), and another quad dose after midnight. Got up the next morning and the pain was gone...even the bruising had gone down. So I'm feeling lucky...
By the following Tuesday (yesterday) the wrist was mobile enough to drive with ( and bike with, lucky me!) and our HR intern and I discussed restrictions on my duties. So far, heavy lifting is still out, but I can do everything else. Got my forms back and visited the doctor today. Now there is just the matter of getting paid; do I have to trade in some vacation days??
I sold Blue Meanie, the old Schwinn, to a professional ticket scalper who's in town visiting from Montreal. Harry offered 30$ down ( I was looking for 50$) and two tickets to Storyeum. The tickets have yet to materialize. Rather than arguing the deal, (I went all the way downtown to deliver the bike) I walked away. The back tube has a valve problem that will let the tire down in 24hrs or less, but that's HIS problem now...
Backgammon.
Thus far, I have only been trying my luck with the other NuB's down at MSNzone...but I think I am ready for the Real World.
I am going to start playing on FIBS...I hope I don't embarrass myself.
As a reality check, I went to see Dad yesterday...because his is the only objective opinion I trust. His conclusion: I am both skilled AND lucky. We played a 3 match, followed by a 5 game tourney, and I won both. We had a final game for fun, in which he built a seven pip blockade (looked like I was in real trouble there), just to see if he could do it. A fortuitous boxcars roll got me out of that bind before it was too late, and I managed to win the game by 3 pips.
Dad's pretty good, he's just a little out of practise.
My play ettiquette is horrible, ie: I don't have any. I am far too talkative, far too helpful, and far too distracted in face-to-face play. I may have to stick to online play -- it's easier to stay focussed.
But no - repeat NO - wagering...that way lies madness.
However, I can dream of winning a prize tournament someday, eh?
Last Tuesday, I turfed at the foot of Wiltshire St. That same little curb I've been safely hopping for the last 6 months stopped my front wheel dead when I missed the hop (guess I was going too slow), and the rest of the bike kept going, me along with it. I wound up facefirst in the cedar chip-lined trailhead with the bike frame wrapped around my butt and the handlebars poking painfully in my left thigh. I had to laugh, it was the most postcard-perfect endo I've ever seen; if I had had an audience, I'm sure there would have been applause.
I've been annoying residents on that cul-de-sac for weeks now. Ever since I built the hybrid and started riding it daily. Reason? I didn't get the brake alignment quite right and they SCREAMED at high speed. Every morning that street awoke at 5:55 am to the sound of the two wheel screaming symphony. I just finished redoing the brakes the previous week, so the noise problems were finally silenced. Still, the residents of Wiltshire Close would probably claim my ungainly accident was nothing more than poetic justice.
On the other hand, I had a pretty soft landing; if you're going to do a faceplant, that's the place to do it.
However, the drama doesn't stop there...
I arrived at work, a little dirtier than usual...and was assigned a container of 150lb dinette sets. Previously, this would have been the ultimate drudge work, but since we got the clamp trucks on the dock we can go through oversized loads like these at a pretty good clip...
One drawback: you still have to clear the first few feet of the load by hand, so the clamp paddles have enough room to get a purchase on the load. After chucking about 8 of these 150lb monsters (two man job for us non-kryptonians), I discovered that my left wrist was REALLY SORE...I called our first aider over and he and I repaired to the dispensary for some ice and a tensor wrap. Thus fortified, I continued the load with the clamp truck and all seemed to be well. We finished the load in time for the 10 AM break and I went to breakfast...
When I got back up from eating the wrist hurt to move, in any direction...and was starting to swell under the tensor bandage.
I left work early, and our first aider offered to send me to Richmond General for an assesment. I said no, and got a ride home from L (left the bike at work). Went to the clinic straightaway and saw Dr. Teskey. His assesment: ice & ibuprofen for 3 days, and come back if necessary. To be thorough, he sent out for some Xrays.
So I informed work that I would be off the rest of the week, and work informed me that WCB no longer covers accidents during travel to/from work. Only travel away from and back to the workplace on company time...
Darn.
I may not get paid for those three days...
The wrist feels better, for some reason I am now getting a buzz from wriggling my fingers; I think I may have to get one of those squeezy-ball thingies...I've got a clean bill of health from the clinic, but I'm going to go easy on the arm for the next couple of weeks just the same.
The worst time was Sunday...
About 8 years ago, I had outpatient surgery at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster to remove some necrotic tissue from my right knee. An intra-muscular blood clot had caused massive infection around the joint and the leg had swelled to the size of a party balloon. This made walking, much less working, quite difficult; the attendant fever and constant pain were no picnic either. Did I mention that I used to carry loss-of-income insurance and I had cancelled the coverage the week before? I lost 10 days to that injury...
Anyway, my point is...I KNOW what intra-muscular and deep tissue infection feels like. My left hip, with a bruise the size of my fist where the bars hit, had developed such a condition. I was taking ibuprofen, which will relieve the symptoms but not the cause (if the cause is a circulatory blockage of some kind), and I needed to take ASA, which helps both cause and symptoms. Problem was: you can't mix ibuprofen with ASA. So I waited several hours 'till the ibuprofen wore off and took a quad dose of ASA before bed (now THAT was an uncomfortable night), and another quad dose after midnight. Got up the next morning and the pain was gone...even the bruising had gone down. So I'm feeling lucky...
By the following Tuesday (yesterday) the wrist was mobile enough to drive with ( and bike with, lucky me!) and our HR intern and I discussed restrictions on my duties. So far, heavy lifting is still out, but I can do everything else. Got my forms back and visited the doctor today. Now there is just the matter of getting paid; do I have to trade in some vacation days??
I sold Blue Meanie, the old Schwinn, to a professional ticket scalper who's in town visiting from Montreal. Harry offered 30$ down ( I was looking for 50$) and two tickets to Storyeum. The tickets have yet to materialize. Rather than arguing the deal, (I went all the way downtown to deliver the bike) I walked away. The back tube has a valve problem that will let the tire down in 24hrs or less, but that's HIS problem now...