"Keep a Journal: How else are you going to get a good look at who you were?"

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Ever read a post and realized your focus is becoming a little narrow?

Jeez, it seems that all I ever write about lately is our car troubles.

What ELSE has been happening in my life, wot?

Well, I am the Choir president of the Delta Ward Choir. Such as it is. We will have to start calling on congregation members to sing in the choir as an assignment! Our numbers are FEW. But we sound pretty good. I just wish we sounded pretty good with more voices!

My new hybrid bike is a success! To-work time is down to 45 minutes! (never thought I'd see the day) I have managed to get my return trip down to just over an hour!

BUT

The gearing is all wrong. The skinny 5 speed hub is too narrow for the 3 chainring set up front, I get the chain riding all over the place in top gear. Next gear down is ok, but the cadence required to maintain a decent cruising speed is a little higher than I'm accustomed to. I don't think I can make any of the thicker 6 gear hubs I have work, partly because they're all from 26" wheels and partly because I don't think I can get the @#$%^&**! freewheel off the 27" wheel I have. It is Spring Cleaning/Trash Picking season around here, but so far I haven't found anything I don't already have two of, and I haven't found an appropriate 27" 6-gear wheel as a suitable replacement. Mr. Fulton doesn't have anything that isn't already attached to a working cycle.

I am writing again. A little creative exercise to loosen the scribing muscles, it'll never be published, of course.
Laurie is taking an interest in the kids' education. She has purchased exercise books (fun ones) for coral and jigsaw puzzles for colin. He quite enjoys doing the puzzles with mommy or daddy.

I am wearing glasses again for the first time since I was 10. In fact, I am supposed to be wearing them now;)

I am getting used to them, and even occasionally forget that they are there.
Well, the honeymoon with the new (to us) car is over...

sigh...

The coolant system appears to be backed up. The coolant probably hasn't been changed since the car was NEW, consequently, there are globs of glycerin with little rust-flecks and a nice rusty ring around the tank. My first fear was that there was oil in the coolant, but the globs are clear (glycerin), not black/brown (oil). Also, oil in the coolant usually leads eventually to coolant in the oil. We have no trace of coolant in the oil - yet.

So I'll be draining, flushing, and re-filling the engine coolant system soon. May also swamp out the tank to get rid of the accumulated gunk inside.

Hope the weather is good next Saturday, I'm supposed to be taking our Boy Scouts out for a quick drag around the Bay in White Rock. Hope I'm up to it, as well. My throat has been RAW since Sunday night. I managed to give Bronchitis a miss again this year, but my ears, sinuses and throat were all 'strepped out' and I am currently using pain relief and lozenges AND lavage to keep the discomfort down. I haven't been able to eat much since Monday. Sleep has been lousy, too. I would love to take the rest of the week off, but I have GOT to get out of this house! At least the Fever has subsided...


I will be taking the car to work tomorrow because: (1)I am too weak and sick to ride. (2)It will be raining tomorrow morning and I am a wimp...

Grant will be deciding the fate of his '97 Cavalier. His mechanic now claims that the rattling inside the engine is from a loose wrist pin. A loose conrod bearing would require only removing the oil pan and replacing the bearings, but a cylinder wrist pin is up higher in the engine and would require disassembly of the whole engine in order to remove the pistons so the fix could be applied. I don't think Grant has that kind of money on hand, I know I sure don't...

Nyway, it's about time for another Gargle and Spit...so I'll see ya next time!

Sunday, April 04, 2004

There be a CAR in our driveway!

A white 1996 chevy cavalier, to be exact. We got a good deal on a good 4-door with the Factory Options package.

Wife got me to leave work early on Thurs. afternoon ('cause the Die Nasty is DEAD) and get my Father to run me out to Westar Motors in Langley to get the deal done. At the price we got, that car was going to be GONE by the weekend, so we had to deal NOW. I may even put up pictures! This car should be with us for about 5 years, and with little effort or maintenance beyond the ordinary. All hail to bargain finding Wife and Forces of Truth and Goodness!

Got the Die Nasty parted out to Father in Law Bob on Saturday. Got corpse hauled away the same day. The die nasty is now, or soon shall be, a small cube of crushed scrap metal. yaaaaayyyyyy!

We got a clamp truck at work...gues who got tapped to drive it? Uh huh...

I am building a 'roadie' for the first time in YEARS. Has been good therapy.

Got Coral to start writing a journal.

Was conference today...will Read All About it in next month's Ensign.