Wow...two posts in a week...what next?

I am spending a LOT of time lately...

...fixing things.


Such is the life of a poor suburban Squire. The latest project was fixing the 13" TV/VCR combo that had started eating tapes. Found the culprit right away: a broken shuttle that had become disconnected from its armature. It was held on with a plastic peg that was molded into the piece and broke off. I heated a twopenny nail and melted a hole clean thru where the peg was. I then found an appropriate sized screw in the parts jar and used it to re-attach the shuttle. It works...but this fix probably won't last. It will allow the kids to watch their VHS videos, as long as they don't forget to shut it off afterward. The machine will probably break again if it is left unattended and tries to re-wind a VHS tape. If it does break...I may not be able to kludge it back together again.

My bike.

I'm actually riding my ATB to work. It has issues. The Maxxis "semi-slick" tires are not nearly as robust as advertised...I may switch back to generic knobbies. My roadie is out with TWO flats...yes, the front is flat again after I laid THREE new patches on it. The back is flat for no apparent reason I can find. I need two new tubes, two new tires, and sealant...and I'm broke again.

I mentioned issues with the ATB? The super-keen custom frame went to the landfill last year, as I had no way to replace that pressed-in bottom bracket. The Raleigh basher frame I put the parts on isn't quite wide enough to accomodate an 8-speed cassette...so the wheel sits slightly off-center. I had to off-center the brakes, as well. This has the predictable result of the wheel coming out of the dropouts if there is too much pressure on the chain. The tire snubs up against the left hand wheelstay, and the bike stops moving...and I fall off. This happened saturday when I tried to stand up to climb the short slope out of the local mall parking lot...most embarrassing.

What else? The shifters don't work. The brakes rub. I've already had one flat (today, from a broken bottle). It's annoying. I need to lay those parts on a frame that can actually accept them. Mebbe build on that big green ATB frame that Dave F gave me. I can build a "super junker" on that frame (what else would you call a dept. store bike with 24 speed gearing?), then build a decent 18-speed ATB on the Raleigh frame.

I definitely need to make a landfill run. We still have yard waste, and some scrap steel (mostly bike parts) as well as a couple of carpets to go.

We finished moving all the "toyroom" stuff downstairs into what was Granpa's TV room. Colin has his own room now and he was really impressed with it when he came home from camp today. He had a great time at camp and was easily one of the most outgoing kids there. I love my son. I'm glad he's back.

I did get the window on the car fixed. Next will probably be to overhaul the brakes. If it ain't one thing...it's two things. Also, some minor interior stuff needs attention. DS seatbelt needs to be replaced, and the front-seat console needs a new latch on the cover. I don't know why I'm going to the trouble of keeping the car in good condition...L tells me she is determined to drive that sucker into the ground. I think we should trade it in for a '00 or '01 model sometime in the next three years. Some other cavalier or sunfire 4 door with the same type of engine. Problem is: there aren't too many of them left out there that don't have engine issues...you know, just like OURS had!

I fixed up the flower beds...again, I don't know why I bothered: there's no flowers in them and probably won't be any time this year. I still have to paint the deck rail and stairs. Barry K at work recommends renting a paint gun from Home Depot. I like this idea.

I spent part of Saturday and half of Sunday hanging blinds and curtains. We now have blinds on the DS windows to discourage burglary. L believes if they can't SEE our stuff, they won't have any motivation to break in and steal it. I don't have the heart to tell her that isn't quite the way it works. Well, at least the room stays cooler with the blinds in place. The window in Colin's new room got a similar treatment; save that I custom-trimmed the blinds to fit the inside of the window. This was necessary because we used a simple telescoping rod to hang the IKEA curtains L got for the boy's room.

I am now so proficient in installing vinyl blinds I feel I could offer my services professionally.

Wow...is it "that time of the month" already?

What a day I had today...

Ever had one of those days that features a perfect dovetailing of misfortune AND serendipity? You are left hanging in the middle wondering "what next?"

Lessee...

Woke up late. Slept thru the #1 alarm and was awakened by the Not To Be Ignored #2 alarm. Spent 20 mins on the pot enjoying severe cramps and rampant trots. Showered just after 5:30 and still somehow managed to make my departure window at 5:50. Sky was dark and foreboding, so I wore my shell and used the cover for the A.W.S. Was still dry at the time tho'.

My rear tire popped halfway down 84th.

I didn't even try to pump it back up this time. I confirmed that there were no holes in the tire, and walked quickly back to the Shell at 112 & 84th. I used the hi-pressure air hose to confirm what I already suspected: that slit someone put in the tube stem with an X-acto knife had finally worked its way thru and the valve stem had delaminated from the tube nipple. Air was rushing out just as fast as the hose pumped it in...

...things like that just make ya wanna BEAT on someone, ya know??

Nyway, I swapped the (sealant-treated) tube for the spare, and rode back home. Took the car to work (6:31 departure) and arrived in sufficient time to clock in at 7AM precisely.

I ran out of patches yesterday while trying to fix all the holes in the treated front tube...had to call on Greg K at 10:30 PM to borrow some more! Note about slime sealant: you still have to patch the holes...you just don't have to patch them right away. Note II: holes in sealant-treated tubes tend to accumulate over time. Arrgh...to spend all that effort shoring up the front tire and then have the back one let go on me. That valve stem cut nonsense is the WORST sort of tire sabotage you can pull on a bike...worse even than slashing the sidewall (and I've had that happen as well). It renders the tube USELESS...sealant-treated or not. Also, it's SNEAKY. The tire won't lose pressure all at once, and the damage is such that most cyclists (even savvy DIY wrenches like me) won't notice it at first. This is the second tube I've lost to this vandalism...and on a different wheel, as well.

--Some of the wrenches in the audience will claim the slit in the valve stem came from abrasion against the hole the stem passes through in the wheel rim. Wrong: first, the slit was cut at an angle; second, the slit was a few mm above the base of the stem...abrasions occur further down; third, this has happened on two separate wheels. One wheel can have burrs near the hole where the valve passes through; but wheel #2 doesn't...I made certain.

Anyway...I got to work on time. IT RAINED THE REST OF THE DAY. Ever feel like life is trying to tell you something? Tomorrow or Friday I've got to try to fix the window on the car, and I need it to not be raining when I do.

I may ride tomorrow...rain or no. I need to develop some more cohones when it comes to braving the elements.

Work was weird too...lots of hassle, yet things automagically seemed to work out anyway.

Laurie has decided, in usual Laurie style, on a unilateral move into Granpa's (former) suite downstairs. We CANNOT actually move any of his stuff out of the house (yet). So we're moving it into the back corner of the downstairs TV room. About where the "office" I've been dreaming of would have been if we were going with the "landlord" plan. Apparently we aren't going to be renting out the suite any time soon. The kid's toyroom is moving into the downstairs TV room and Colin will be moving into the former toy room (actually our third upstairs BR). My computer is already moved downstairs and I am enjoying an internet connection that DOESN'T pass thru a flaky wireless dongle with poor signal pickup. I need to ask Keith if connecting directly to the modem is a good idea, or if I should hook up the router and connect thru that. We'll see...

This is gonna be soooo embarrassing if Granpa actually makes a miracle recovery and gets sent back home for a while...

I think this is post number 98 or 99...not sure which.

Ok, mea culpa.

Some of you out there with Google Earth have used the measurement function to point out that my commute by bicycle is NOT, in fact, 10+ miles...but closer to 8.5 miles.

Sad but true.

The route by car is about 17.5 km (10 miles+), depending on which variation you take, but my route by bike (with considerable refining over the past couple of years) is a lot shorter.

Hey, as the crow flies, work is only about 5 and a half miles away from here...but bikes don't fly, unfortunately.

Lotsa stuff coming up, many decisions to be made.

L finally got her mom to admit that it is unlikely that Granpa, even should a miracle occur and he moves back into his head, will EVER use the machine tools in the shop again.

I don't want to keep storing them.

I don't use most of them.

Nick (his son) is only interested in what tools he can hock for cash (or so I am told), as he himself already has a workshop full of tools.

So...what to do with a full workshop? What to do with a basement suite full of furniture and assorted household goods? Granpa is getting 1st class medical care at the Home...he may be around for a number of years yet...but unless and until he regains his mind, he won't be coming back here...and probably not even then.

L likes the idea of renting out the suite and making some extra ca$h off of it. She does not like the idea of having to store all of Granpa's stuff until he's dead. The practical upshot of all this is that 1.) Getting the suite ready for a tenant is going to mean clearing out a lot of Granpa's stuff to make room. 2.) We don't have anywhere to store said stuff except the suite itself...unless we get permission from Trude to actually get rid of it.

I would love to use the shop...but it's wayyyy to crowded in there with another man's bric-brac and unfinished projects...It is all I can do just to get some work area cleared in the garage.

I have managed to figure out how we can arrange a private entryway for the suite...

Ok, this is what the layout downtstairs looks like now:






This is what I propose to do to make a private entryway for the suite:


The "office" idea is not set in stone, but I sure would like a place to keep the computer. The kids would probably inherit Granpa's, since I can't imagine anyone wanting it. It's kinda outmoded...
Anyway, this plan calls for our access to the Laundry to go through the entryway. The Suite has it's own (locking) door, so this is not really an issue. It's basically the same situation as two apartments sharing a common hallway to the laundry room. Each has a locking door, and they share a common access hallway to the outside. The "emergency exit" out of the suite is thru the garage (not shown in the drawing). We would probably keep the door locked off, and put an emergency key box next to the door in case someone had to get out of the suite but could not use the entryway.

Today, I'm going to tell you all about my commute:

First I start from:49 09' 14.67" N x 122 54' 27.95" W...

Then I ride thru the schoolyard and past the church out onto 84th avenue, here:



I head west on 84th, to where it curves 'round and meets Nordel Way. I then ride down the Nordel Way Hill:
Quite the thrill ride, huh? But not nearly so much fun having to ride back UP this sucker during the afternoon heat. It's the bane of my existence...

Oh, and there's this really interesting hairpin turn at the bottom that takes you underneath the Nordel Way hill. The trail runs paralell to some railway tracks (out of frame to the left) before turning west underneath Nordel...

From there, I head across the Planet Ice Sports Centre parking lot and onto...

THE ALEX FRASER BRIDGE.

Sorry...It's not really that big a deal. The slope isn't even that steep, it's just really, really, really, reallyreallyreally long...

Boy, that's a long way up, eh?

Quite the view from up top, eh?

Annnd the view just keeps on going...

...and going...

...and going...

Eventually, I reach the other side of the bridge...so I take a break for a couple of minutes until I reach the bottom...

Then, a quick dash across Annacis Island and over the channel on the other side of the Island...

...nice view, huh?

Here is where I dice with death on those mornings when I'm running late. I hop over the concrete barrier and ride DOWN THE ON RAMP onto Westminster Hwy. Oncoming traffic has very little visibility of the top of the ramp, so I have to time my descent carefully and start down when there's a break in traffic...

If I DON'T feel like living dangerously, I'll ride down the bike ramp, past yet another hairpin turn at the bottom, and head west on the dike road. This leads me out onto Westminster hwy about 1.5 km further west...here:

BTW, this corner smells really good during the summer...

A beautiful clear morning sky, as seen from the side of the Westminster hwy. My destination is that white blur on the horizon:

Here we are. Mine is the red bike. The yellow one was abandoned there about two months ago.

Total elapsed time: @ 45 mins.

Distance: 17.6 km (10 miles +)

I know, I know...I'm cutting my "one per month" deadline a little close here.

What be up?

Lessee...I'm currently suffering from "a touch of concussion". A 150lb box fell on my head at work. I had no immediate effects then, but MAN is my head feeling funky now! I also discovered the static grounding on the new Hyster clamp truck(s) HBC has acquired is somewhat less than 100% effective. My fingers are STILL tingling...

All in all, minor misfortunes aside, it was a most productive day. Our lead hand Grant G prooved he can be quite a disturber when he came by the container Michael and I were working on to claim than Sunni and Satnam were "kicking you guys @sses!". Uh-huh. Guess who finished their container FIRST? Yep...we did.

Sunni is a good driver. He's not accustomed to driving the clamp the way we use them in Xdock - yet. I figure it will take him a couple of days to get up to speed. As for me...well, I pretty much have the new machine in hand; but I still have to focus rather intently on what I'm doing. The Hyster control system isn't as precise as the Raymond, so it takes a little more "fiddling" to get the truck where you want it. The control also requires a pretty light touch: any inadvertent hand movement on the throttle can result in the machine and/or load doing something unintentional...and possibly unfortunate. (ie: the lift control is activated using the X-axis and the throttle is activated on the Y-axis of the stick. Do Not get the two confused.)

My Father In Law Bob.

He's awesome.

Give ya the shirt off his back.

Remember how I mentioned previously that Bob had noted that our tub needed to be re-caulked? He was right about that; and I got it done in a timely manner, thanks to his warning. He also helped me move about a TON of junk (much of it Granpa's) out of our garage and shop. We have now achieved the Impossible Dream of every Canadian homeowner: we can actually park our car in the garage. No, it's actually true! I may have to post pictures...

One of the last things Bob did as we wrapped up the garage clean-up was to check out the north shop wall. This is the wall directly below the join between the garage roof and the deck. This is where all the water was coming down from the leaky garage roof; before we had Brad and Classic Wood Restorations replace the garage roof as part of the deck repair job. At the time, Brad pointed out that there was probably enough water infiltration to cause the wood to rot, and he warned us that we shouldn't wait too long to check the wall for damage.

Well, we finally did.

We found dry rot...lots of it.

I start hyperventilating when I see stuff like that. I thought for certain that we were going to have to call Brad again and drop a couple of Gs on getting that wall torn out and replaced.

Bob and I got it done for about 50$. Took two days. I now know that I could have undertaken this project myself...but it would have taken ME forever to finish. Bob doesn't like to putz around with a project. He prefers to get things done. He also has a lot of really GREAT toys...

Nailing up all that framing would have taken a lot longer...so we didn't use any nails. Bob owns all of the following:

-A compressor (portable).

-A wire brad nail gun.

-A heavy staple gun.

-A light staple gun.

-A high torque screw gun.

Boy oh BOY! Did all that save a lot of time! We found that about 4ft of the beam supporting the deck and the garage roof had rotted away. The beam was cobbled together by the house's original owner, Mr Fred Biollo. Fred used a 12' 2x8" plank for the facing of the beam on the garage side...and 2x8 scraps nailed to the face plank with 4" framing spikes on the shop side. Those scrap pieces were what rotted (thanks to Fred's masterful job of roofing the garage), and Bob and I found five joists across the deck which were sagging because the joist ends had NO support. We cut out the rotted sections of the beam, and replaced them with fresh 2x8" plank. The wall header was 3 2x4" s, which we replaced with a section of 2x6". A single 2x4" header and two 2x4" bases formed the top and bottom of the new wall. All the framing is held together with 2 1/2" deck screws. The joists were re-hung with new hangers and 2" deck screws. I did the joist hangers myself just to save Bob the trouble. I had only one good #2 roberts bit...so I had to be carefull: I started each screw with the ratcheting driver...sunk it almost all the way with the drill...and tightened each with a 1/4" ratchet wrench. 50 screws...took me only 90 minutes. I WISH Bob had left me that screw gun...and some extra bits.

I snorted a lot of dust during the two days of that reno project.

It bit me on the ass come Monday.

I had some minor sinus and throat irritation on Monday.

It progressed to sinus infection, cough and mild bronchitis on Tuesday.

Today is ear infection and laryngitis on top of the previous.

I'm still going to work tomorrow...why? Because I have the week of May 7th off. Call me crazy, but I would feel...stupid...taking sick days 1 week before a paid vacation. I'm fully medicated at the moment, and coping adequately. However, I'll still bail out of work and come home if I start getting feverish. I should be so lucky...

I yam zee worlllld travellair!!!

I've been having fun with Google Earth...

Oh, the places I've seen and the things I've BEEN...

...wait, that didn't come out right.

I've discovered a few little "gems" while exploring the possibilities...did you know, for instance, that there is a giant postage stamp painted on the roof of the Canada Post building in DT Vancouver? Did you know that the Google campus near Palo Alto CA has a pool with a google logo painted on the bottom? Did you know that the images collected from CFB Cold Lake, AB were taken during an airshow last summer? Did you know that some of the footage taken of DT Vancouver was taken while the Molson Indy was on (hint, look for the yellow-and-purple striped tents near BC place stadium)? Did you know that footage of DT Montreal was also taken while the Molson Indy was in town (look for the same tents near the Expo 67 site)? Did you know that you can see the "Ararat Anomaly" on Mt. Ararat in Turkey? It's supposedly a possible resting place of Noah's ark!

There are several Crop Circles in England and elsewhere throughout europe and north america that show up beautifully on Google Earth. There is even a utility file you can download and open (with Google Earth) from the Wikipedia article on crop circles that will show you most of them. The mysterious "landing strip" lines near Nazca, Peru are also visible using google earth. The mysterious Great Pyramid at Giza is still just as mysterious when viewed from the geosat images. Teotihuacan, Mexico...Machu Picchu, Peru...Santorini...The Eiffel Tower...The Millenium Dome...The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

And my house...

Footage for my neighborhood has not been updated since at least last year. The empty lots on 84th ave now all have houses on them. The 4-way intersection at 116th and 82nd is now a traffic circle. Other places: the olympic site in Torino is still under construction in the geosat images Google is using...weeks after the olympics have ended.

As I am not using Google Earth Plus...I have a few complaints about the detail level available for some areas. Or perhaps that's just the level of detail available currently. You cannot see the Confederation Bridge in PEI. You wouldn't even be able to tell where it was if you had the roadways layer turned off. Ditto for the Taj Mahal; the search tool points you to an indistinct blob of green in the middle of nowhere in northern india. Half of the Panama Canal locks are so blurred you couldn't tell WHAT they were...if the other half were not clearly visible.

But hey, it's still fun...

I will be biking to work tomorrow, as Laurie has a dental appt. at 10 am. She'll probably just have the standard check-up and cleaning. I myself need to see a Dentist soon...that hurting tooth which I thought was abcessed may actually only be impacted: it's growing...and I can feel it abrading against the upper teeth when I flex my jaw side-to-side. Cavity or no...that tooth is probably going to have to come out. Dr. Carol Shpak of the Ladner dental clinic already mentioned (years ago) that extracting that tooth might mean fracturing the jawbone, as some bone loss has occurred. Dr. Shpak also saddled me with a 400$ piece of plastic that actually made my crooked teeth worse. I have suffered MUCH at the hands of the Dental "Profession".

Gonna be cold and rainy tomorrow. Joy. Need to get all my gear back together and get everything prepped for an early departure...

Work, work, work...

...and lots of it.

Got a little ambitious these past few days. Father-in-law Bob loaned both himself and his truck to the cause on Thursday. We moved (literally) a TON of stuff out of the garage; with more still to come! The upside is that we can now PARK THE CAR in our garage. We can even get in and out of the car! (on the driver's side). Grandpa would be shocked by just how MUCH stuff we managed to trash. We even tossed that grotty old electric mower! (after I tried -unsucessfully- to re-wire it) So much of Granpa's excess STUFF went and the shop looks a little bare for it. I know that Nick was counting on inheriting most if not all of the shop tools; so we left those. Nick won't be disappointed...all the expensive toys are still there. We've got another TON of metal plate scrap and bar stock to toss as well. Bob has persuaded me that I should try selling the copper and brass pipe and stock to a metal recycler.

The 5HP Mower won't start...so I bought a lightweight (and fuel efficient) 4.5 B&S from Zellers (paid too much...:( ). The new mower is a combo mulcher/rear bagger and does a fine job of both the front and back lawn; save that it uses .75l fuel to the 5HP's 2.5l of fuel for the back yard. It's WAY easier to push around than the "Lead Sled". Mowing the lawn was just the capper to the day. L and I were out back pruning, trimming and cutting back. Good news: one of the transplanted cedar bushes has revived since last year. Bad news: I didn't get the blackberry brambles taken care of in time; and where we had three canes, there are now over a dozen rooted runners back there. Guess I'll just have to keep cutting them down.

Speaking of cutting down: Bob and I found a LOT of wood rot on the north wall of the shop. Bob recommended taking down the panelling and cutting out the rotten wood. The post by the shop door, and the post on the other end, are still supporting the garage roof...for now. Need to get that all fixed and may even be calling someone for an estimate. I wonder if Dad would help?

I know Grandpa isnt' dead yet...but a part of me kind of wishes he would pass on. He's NOT having any fun right now. He's not in his right mind...and is lucid enough at times to know he hasn't got his full faculties. He's upset, occaisionally disoriented and angry (at times) that he isn't being allowed to do what he wants. His former life here with us held a few simple pleasures...and he's being denied ALL of them. He wants to come home...but he can't take care of himself and WE certainly have no way to take care of him. There have been several...incedents...at the care facility and he has spent some time under heavy sedation at SMH. I hate to sound ghoulish; but I hope he doesn't hang around too much longer...he really isn't enjoying life right now. He's fully in the clutches of the Medical Profession; may heaven help him!

I'm on vacation...

Wanna know why I'm on vacation?

My ex-boss, Len Lemieux (he of the shakes), decided that we just CAN'T have more than two machine operators off work in the same week. Ergo, the other TEN PEOPLE in the dept who are all senior to me have managed to book off some time between June 1st and Sept 1st. Not so yours truly. I figured Spring Break might be the next best thing if I wanted to spend some Quality Time with the wife and kids. We've gone on a couple of day-trips so far, but nothing too extravegant. Saw "Doogal" with the kids and the wife saw "Brokeback Mountain". I still want to see Ultraviolet (it's Ultra-Violent!!!), as I am currently suffering from Eye Candy Withdrawl.

Speaking of suffering...

I have a small abcess in a front tooth. Naturally, with teeth like ten miles of bad road, the inflammation in question is in a location I cannot see, let alone reach. I've tried chewing gum, dental yarn, tylenol, and finally Cepacol lavage. The discomfort is under control, but it was a rough couple of days while I figured out how to deal. My pursuit of Dental Hygiene has never been particularily vigorous, but lately I've become a fanatic...It's either that, or having to go through an extraction that would likely break my lower jaw (snaggle-teeth are no fun, especially impacted ones). Contrary to popular wisdom, cavities don't happen because there is bacteria on your teeth...Cavities happen when the bacteria break down the tooth enamel faster than your body can repair it. Teeth are the only bones in your body that grow constantly. Also, like other bones, material is leached away and replaced more-or-less constantly. This process slows down when you are older; which is why bones become brittle and teeth can get loose and fall out when you get real old. Anyway: keep those pearly whites clean kids, even if they're crooked...or, I should say: especially if they're crooked.

Speaking of keeping things clean:

Laurie has reduced her demands on me to three:

-The Stairs
-The Baseboards
-The Garage

So, I'm cleaning the garage currently...'cause I can't do anything about the other two until I clear some space to work in. Problem: most of the debris in the workshop is Granpa's. I have managed to toss the scrap metal we have added to the pile, but the shop is still a mess...I really need to swap around: store Granpa's scooters and stuff in the shop, with only occaisional forays inside to use the saw and other woodworking tools; and use the Garage for MY needs: automechanics, computers and bikes...

Ya know...that just might work.

The shop could also use a little work. The ceiling is still a mess -- we should perhaps have told the guys at classic wood restorations to go ahead and restore the shop ceiling while they were doing the deck, but I guess we didn't think of it at the time. I have no idea if there is even any material to repair the celing with...must check later. There is something dead hidden in all that mess, if the mild stink, and cloud of blue-bottle flies are any indication. There was a rat in there last year...and we think that perhaps it expired, and the carcass is feeding all those hungry lil' flies in there. I just KNOW I'm gonna find some dessicated nasty when we finally get around to shipping all of Granpa's tools and scraps out of there.

Granpa himself is all set up at the care facility in South Delta. We are fairly resigned to the idea that he won't be returning to live with us...but we won't be moving any of his property out of the house, garage, or shop until he's actually deceased.

KWY showed me a venture that has him frankly quite excited. More on that later, as events warrant.

Blogger pooched.

They lost the draft of a draft post I was working on last night.

Now, I'm a spontaneous sort of writer. I either get it right the first time, or I need endless revisions and re-writes to get down what I want to say. I only write when I'm "inspired".

...or ticked off.

Losing a bit of writing to the electronic ether is annoying. I don't lay the blame entirely on the good folks at Blogger.com; they're doing their best, I suppose.

On the other hand...that post was kind of dumb. It was to have been a blow-by-blow description of how our Beagle, abby, caught a mouse in the living room...

...oh yeah, we have mice...

We've got sonic repellers installed on the west side of the house, next to the garage. No mice seen there since. On the east side of the house, however, is abundant evidence of a rodent problem. We set traps, we laid bait. No luck.

Since Granpa has now vacated the downstairs suite (only temporary, we hope), there has been no forage to speak of downstairs. Thus, the mice are now venturing upstairs.

Abby can hear them.

She flushed one out from beside the fireplace early one morning last week. The mouse beat a hasty retreat down the stairs and bolted into a mouse hole under the front door landing. A few days ago, abby flushed out another one that ran from the fireplace to hide underneath the love seat. Laurie...FREAKED. Had no idea my wife was capable of such hysterics. Abby, for her part, was very excited and hung about the love seat trying to persuade the mouse to come out and play.

I moved the loveseat aside.

The mouse, paralysed with fear, sat quivering in the midst of the dust bunnies and other junk we had under that couch. Abby leapt upon the opportunity and trapped the mouse between her front paws. She then picked the mouse up gently in her mouth, trotted over to the middle of the room, and settled down to give her new "chew toy" a thorough going-over.

She was a little disappointed when I picked up her captive by the tail and carried it away. After all, I couldn't just let her rip the mouse apart...that would have been SO messy! I got a small perverse thrill from showing the specimen to Laurie, who was by this time cowering in her bedroom on the opposite side of the house. The mouse was eventually disposed of in a steel rubbish can next to the elementary school ballfield. Said rodent will probably end up as a midnight snack for one of the barn owls that frequent our neighborhood at night.

Abby was quite pleased with herself for the next few days. We even let her patrol the downstairs suite a few times. Laurie bought some new and tastier poison bait, and so once again the dog is not allowed downstairs. We haven't seen any more mice upstairs...this week.

Speaking of this week...

Paul came by for a visit on his way down to California to vist his folks for Spring Break. I sponged off him mercilessly, and generally abused our friendship as only former university pals can. He's still single, but not terribly upset about it. His life is fairly full anyway. Without spouse and kids he has much more room in his life for...things. He bought a TRUCK!!!
Anyways, it was good to see him again, and we had a pleasant time over the last couple of days.

It's pathetic to admit this; but the only time I ever "go out" without either L or the kids is when Paul drops by.

Speaking of going out...

The rear wheel on my bike has gone out of true. I can't find an obvious problem; such as a broken spoke. I think it may just be because the bike is a clapped-out hunk of junk and I am one heavy hombre'. The wheels had a LOT of rust on them when I first restored the bike. It would not surprise me if there were some structural weakness there. I really ought to finish off that ATB...

Only 9 more posts (after this one) before we hit the "magic 100".

Lessee: updates.

Our Benevolent Canadian Government will be providing for Granpa. That is to say, he probably won't have to withdraw whatever portion of his estate is currently bound up in our house, as there are provincially-sponsored facilities that will provide care for basically the cost of what he draws as a pensioner. I hope he makes a full recovery...I know it won't be a particularily quick recovery; but let's hope he gains back enough to move back into our place. I may just be playing the cockeyed optimist there...according to L; even if he recovers as much as he is able, it may not be enough for him to ever live on his own again. Getting old sucks.

Colin went on his very first roadtrip. We took our bikes over to Grandma Sanderson's on Sunday last and he showed off his "hot wheels spin racers"; what he bought with his birthday money. He was fine, if a little rusty...he hasn't ridden since last fall. Still needs to work on his braking, as he plowed into the hedge next to our driveway. He was unhurt. It could have been worse; he could have hit the garage door instead.

That boy ain't right. He's a space cadet, just like his pa...

According to the expert L took Colin to see on Monday, Colin is Autistic. This means that he will never, ever succeed in a typical school environment, and may not be able to function in society. Personally, I think it's all a load of bushwah. The Doctor may be suffering from the Hammer syndrome: "When all you have is a hammer, it is amazing to find how much all your problems look like nails". It is possible Herr Doctor can't diagnose anything but trouble. I believe there's nothing wrong with Colin that a little Montessori Method couldn't cure...I will need to read up on it.

Work:

I am the new "dock bitch".

Pardon my lingua franca...I have been re-assigned as a dock driver by our new dept. head, Stan Carter.

Yay Stan. Sometime, I'll get around to telling him about departmental transfers, and how they affect our performance numbers. Xdock stats should be pretty good, but Central Stock numbers are going to go down like the Titanic. After all, Central is donating 7.5 hours labor to the Xdock per day, all courtesy of yours truly; who may have been re-assigned, but I'd bet anything Stan hasn't yet re-domiciled my hours to the Xdock dept.! I SHOULD be taking care to swipe in and out of the Xdock on a daily basis...but I can't be bothered. Stan did say that the re-assignment was "for a little while". I took him at his word, but we're going to have to discuss it when he's got a spare moment tomorrow.

Marv Walling was the orginal DB...but he's been off the last few days sick. I've been having fun, as it's only been two days and the inevitable errors I've made / am going to make, haven't caught up with me yet. I guess I'm getting the job done...at least I haven't heard any complaints. Stan isn't one for subtlety, so if I was coming up short I'm pretty sure he would let me know.

In a few days....we get to find out if the company has been sold. I give it another 4 to 6 weeks after that until I find out whether or not I'm going to be changing jobs. Yet another crisis looms.

Speaking of crises...

My mom seems to have sparked one by going to see Granpa in Delta Hospital. L has taken this as a personal affront, and now wishes to rip out my Mother's windpipe and beat her over the head with the wet end. Nothing for me to do except ride out L's tantrum and remind Mom that no good deed goes un-punished. L was in a heated fury as she gossiped with her mom about the "incedent"; and even threatened to phone my Mom to chew her out...

...yah, like L has the guts to do that...;)

And my Mom would sit and take it? NOT!

Cue the ominous thunder...

Some changes in our situation may be forthcoming shortly.

It started with HBC getting a hostile takeover bid from an american financier who has done some impressive things in the retail industry in the US. Specifically, Mr. Zucker of Target, inc. - now of the Maple Leaf Heritage Investment Trust.

HBC declared Mr. Zucker's latest bid for the company's outstanding shares "acceptable". This after an earlier offer (unsolicited) was rejected.

Work at 507 proceeds as usual...but we've all got in the back of our minds that the company will be changing hands in a few weeks, and that could possibly mean that some or all of us will be looking for new jobs.

To make matters interesting in the meantime: HBC corporate in Toronto has finally loosed the purse strings and purchased a fleet of new lift trucks for 507. This after we were jonesing for them for about the past three years. I don't know the reason for the sudden spending spree...but I'm grateful.

HBC will also be building a new Distribution Centre in Calgary. 'Bout time, too... It is NOT cost effective to ship priority perishables to Calgary from Toronto via Vancouver. 'Tis like Storkcraft Cribs all over again...Not one to be considered profligate, HBC has also stated that the new centre in Calgary will also house the Fields head office. We've been waiting for Fields to move out for what, 13 years??

So there's the job situation; now, on to the home situation.

Granpa had a stroke.

Actually, the trouble may have started a few weeks ago with a mild cardiac episode. This came, coincidentally, a week or two after a new medication was added into his daily mix. But, of course, NONE of these tragic events can be blamed on incompetent doctoring, no sir...

Anyway, long about Sunday he sprung a minor internal leak in the ol' Cerebellum. This produced additional symptoms of nausea, drowsiness and dizziness. He figured he just had a bout of flu on his hands.

On Tuesday morning, his vision suddenly went...

He panicked, lost his english and tried to explain (in Dutch) what was happening to him. Laurie had the car because I decided to have a "ride to work for the heck of it because the weather's nice" day. She drove Granpa to hospital. Several tests and re-assesments later, he is in a private room in Delta Hospital; waiting for his eyesight and faculties to come back.

What bodes for our future? What if, for instance, his eyesight and faculties don't come back??

He may need to stay in an extended-care facility.

He can't afford it on his savings.

He may have to remove the equity he has invested in our house.

We would have to re-mortgage our house. This would almost certainly result in our paying DOUBLE the monthly payment we have now. We can't afford that.

Nothing causes family stress like money trouble. Trudy has suggested that if Granpa vacated the house to live in a "rest home", this would give us an opportunity to rent out the basement suite and we could then pay off our mortgage that way. L has responded that she doesn't want to play landlord.

There are some practical considerations, as well: we would need to install a walkway, and a door into the garage (or install a keylock switch on the garage door). Also, the suite needs another exit, in order to meet city code and bylaws. A practical solution to the "back door problem" as I call it; would be to put up dividing walls between the "living room" and "laundry room" downstairs. This would enable someone to enter the suite from the back door of the house, without going into the laundry room or living room downstairs - as long as the doors are kept under lock-and-key.

Noticing things...

My eyesight is getting a tad weaker...but I seem to notice more.

It just takes a little longer.

Remember how the mouse on this PC was acting up? It finally froze up permanently and I was getting ready to take it apart.

I take apart things that break...I don't always fix them, or even put them back together again...but taking broken things apart is just my nature. Holdover from childish curiosity, I suppose.

I noticed that there was something sitting over top of the LED that functions as the mouse's motion detector.

A dog hair.

I have no idea HOW a dog hair got inside the mouse case, much less how the very tip of said hair came to rest against the centre of the LED. The upshot was that the mouse sensors told it that it was in motion, even when it wasn't. Took some doing to get the hair out of there too; it was pretty firmly wedged in between the two halves of the case.

Bike update.

Black Beauty is NOT a Klein. It has a pressed in BB like a Klein...but the specs are a little different. Also, Klein frames have a stylized logo stamped into the seatstays.

Still haven't thought of a way to get that BB out of there.

I have started to overhaul one of the bike wrecks Bob got for me. The bearing cone on the BB is so rusted as to be unusable; worse, it's FUSED to the frame, I may have to cut it out with a hacksaw.

Did a little cobbling on my Brogans. Tacks in the heel were coming up thru the insole and hurting my foot. A little work with a centre punch and hammer solved the problem. Now I need to shine them and clean all the DOG HAIR out of the insides.

Gave myself a haircut tonight: #2 comb all around and #3 around the ears, sides and back.

I look good.

WORK...

Still on those ever-dragging BLINDS. I really need a full-size High Reach to put these suckers away...and I really can't get access to one. I am trying to get all the blinds off Xdock by Friday and it doesn't seem like I am going to make that deadline. I am supposed to bring 10$ to work for Leia's baby shower (she's due in two weeks!). I can probably manage it, but mebbe not until Thursday.

Well, I feel like a total Nu-bee...

You find the most innnnteresting trivia on the 'net.

You can also embarrass yourself if you don't do your homework.

Over a year ago, my F.I.L. Bob Dallman found a high-end (but trashed) ATB that had been fished out of a ditch in Port Moody. It had a lightweight alloy frame and a black epoxy-coat finish. The frame geometry was unfamiliar to me. It looked a little like a Norco, but not any model Norco I am familiar with. It also had oil-damped Rockshox; which were broken. I fitted a spring-shock fork to it with an adapter, and put my best parts-box assortment on it.

It...Was...A...SWEET...Ride.

But, alas, a long-term relationship was not to be...

About 2 months after I started riding it (during the winter season), my Black Beauty developed shifting problems.

Yes...this was the ORIGINAL Black Beauty. The now-stripped frame is still hanging under our deck. I could not bring myself to get rid of it.

The shifting problem came about becuase the sealed bottom bracket bearings (say that three times fast) had worn considerably, and the chainrings were quite "wobbly" as a result. I took Black Beauty off the road for awhile, and eventually got around to attempting a fix of the problem. I removed the seals on the BB (BB means "bottom bracket" in this instance), only to find...no way to remove the bearings and crankshaft. As far as I could tell, they were "pressed" into place...See the archived entry here:

http://www.brianarcweblog.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_brianarcweblog_archive.html

You want the second entry...the one that begins; "Happy February".

Anyway...I described the problem to the Gentleman at my LBS. He had no idea what I was talking about; I go to him because he is a patient man who doesn't mind that I act like an expert. I was a little disappointed that he couldn't help me with this problem. I did promise to bring the stripped frame to him, but I never did get around to it.

Anyway... moving right along, I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KLEIN-pressed-sealed-bearing-B-B-TOOL-for-bike-bicycle_W0QQitemZ7211246145QQcategoryZ27953QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

On Ebay.

The tool comes with a "proprietary sealed BB"; which just happens to be the exact bottom bracket that is currently fitted to Black Beauty.


It's a Klein.


I posted a couple of "attention Lower Mainland Riders" messages to a couple of newsgroups, asking if anyone could help me find a LBS in the lower mainland that still carried this tool, and could help me fix this frame.

And then...AFTER I posted...

I did a web search for "Klein Bicycle Dealers".

I got pointed to www.kleinbikes.com. The local dealer is Cap's Bicycle South Shore, which is 6 blocks from my house...

Sheesh!

That Cap's location is my other Local Bicycle Shop. Only took me 11MONTHS to figure this one out. I shall be contacting them next week. Further bulletins as events unfold. I may also snag a couple of fenders for the Beauty, once I get her all together again. As much as I enjoy riding my Hybrid Roadie, the Beauty was Bulletproof; especially in the winter season. I may see if I can get Cap's to retrofit a newer model cartridge type BB on the Klein (I wonder what model Klein the Black Beauty is?), so I can do the next BB overhaul myself.

For Donovan:

As previously discussed; one "bitch" entry about my car...

Actually, I don't have much to complain about...

Currently, the cavalier is running quite well. I have done some checking and I find that we have had the car for 20 months now (we had the DieNasty for 10) and we have had to send it to a shop for repair exactly...zero times.

There are times when the "allotropic" approach to diagnosis and repair of a motor vehicle just doesn't work. Particularily with an older, high mileage vehicle. The Cavalier was running poorly, idling roughly, and the fuel flow was very lean; which led to the engine running a little on the "hot" side.

Do I have to say again how USELESS Haynes Manuals are? Well, I'm going to anyway...

The first edition of any Haynes manual for any new car will be HOPELESS. Years later, after Haynes Publishing gets around to correcting all the poor editing, omissions, and errata of the earlier editions, they will finally publish the definitive home-mechanics manual for that particular car.

By which time, of course, the car is no longer being manufactured...

Haynes is in danger of becoming the #1 publisher of maintenance and repair manuals for OLD cars -- didn't Autobooks used to do that?? Before they went out of business??

Lemme give you some examples from this current automechanical adventure:

I turned first to the "symptoms" pages in the front of the book. I am looking for common causation in the several symptom lists there. They have, for instance, separate lists for "runs poorly", "stalls", "hesitates or loses power". I am looking for a common root problem to all three symptoms. This is the allotropic approach mentioned earlier. It is laziness to assume a complex set of symptoms has a single root cause, but that's modern medicine for ya...

What got me thinking "holistically" about the car's troubles is that there were two symptoms common to each list. Generic, but common:"vacuum leak" and "fuel system problem". Sounds REAL helpful, right? This is where it ocurred to me that there might be more than one problem in there.

So...where to start?

Well, a vacuum leak is the easiest place. Unlike earlier models, this Cav's vacuum devices plug into a common manifold. The manifold, in turn, plugs into a fitting on top of the throttle body. There are exactly THREE devices on the vacuum system that do not plug into the manifold; two of them are to one side of the manifold (one on each side).

The third one is behind the engine...

Owing as how the engine mount broke earlier, and the engine was leaning slightly inboard for a couple of days; I got the notion that anything back behind the engine had probably been subject to undue pressure and might be broken.

The widget behind the engine sits just above the ignition pack...and just below the manifold; it is impossible to see, but my arm is just skinny enough that I could feel my way to it from underneath the car. The end of the vacuum hose (which I couldn't actually see) was loose. I immediately panicked, and ran 'round like the proverbial headless mechanic. I tried to locate the part without knowing the part number and was told that "we don't stock them". This probably meant: "we don't want to be bothered tracking down the widget in question with only a vague description of it's title and function". This meant I had no way to obtain a replacement without having the original in hand to refer to.

SO: I decided to remove the intake manifold...arrg.

On the way, I also noticed the vacuum line for the PCV valve was cracked and leaking. I obtained a new one in the parking lot of Action Auto Wrecking. I WAS going to go in and ask the Guy Behind the Counter if I could go out in the yard and scrounge some hoses (I figured the coolant tank overflow hose was a good match for the PCV hose - plus the tank hose is about 2 feet long; plenty to spare!), when I spotted a piece of hose of the apropriate diameter just in front of where I had parked the car. I don't really like the GBC at Action, anyway...

I've done the manifold before, when I re-did the head gasket and upper-engine seals last year. Scraped my knuckles just as badly this time 'round too. I didn't have to purchase new seals, however; all the extra effort I spent last time dressing the mating surfaces on all the gaskets with permatex paid off. On the throttle body, for example, I was able to re-seal the gasket by re-coating the (still clean!) upper half with permatex black silicone. Both that gasket and the manifold gasket parted cleanly from the mating surface, and I didn't even have to re-dress the manifold. I love that stuff! Best way to ensure a tight engine, especially one with this many miles on it.

Anyway, I eventually reached the "evap vent sol vlv" widget and determined it's vacuum hose was toast. It was pretty late by the time I got there (what can I say? I got up at NOON); so back to the shop I went to scrounge. I found the old air line off Granpa's compressor tank (the one that I replaced after I broke the air nipple on it). The line was robust, and close enough to the proper diameter to make a good replacement. All it took was a little soak in boiling water to loosen 'er up. Did most of the re-assembly after sunset...sigh.

The car idled and ran fine...but.

There was still some hesitation.

I drove it to work the following tuesday. After work, the idle was TERRIBLE...and I couldn't seem to get it to steady out. I spent 10 minutes fiddling with the throttle speed to see if I could get it to a steadier idle at higher RPM. No dice...

Then I had one of those "what do I do now?" moments.

This one was scary: I suddenly got a strong urge to tap that little gold thing on the other side of the engine. I already had my Leatherman in hand, so I rapped sharply on the little vacuum gizmo a few times.

The engine immediately smoothed out.

Hmmm...guess I have to replace that.

But what is it, exactly?

Another look at the symptoms charts when I got home revealed that a rough idle could be caused by a "sticking EGR valve". Would have been REAL nice if Haynes had thought to include a picture of what one looks like. In fact, while I was taking off the manifold, I was trying to move aside a cable bundle that is attached at its far end to the AC compressor. I can reach the connection plug on the AC, but I can't see it. A picture of it in the manual sez; "AC compressor electrical connector (as indicated by arrow in 6.13)"...there's no arrow in the picture, and the picture itself is B +W and so indistinct as to be useless anyway. Typical.

Anyway, on the assumption that the widget was the EGR valve in question, I ventured to Lordco to find a replacement. The EGR valve is on top of the engine, so finding a part number "17090076" was really easy. They had a re-designed aftermarket part, with a kit of adapter "orifices" to fit it to a particular engine. I've now got over 50 differently-sized and individually numbererd metal washers in my hardware box. Funny how they all look very similar, but according to the enclosed chart, "#48" was my number. I got the replacement done all right, and the car is more-or-less back to normal. Now that the idling and power problems are out of the way (I hope), I can spend more time worrying about the way the transmission goes "clunk" when you put the car in gear...

Ok, here's what I had in the job jar:

-Fix the car
-Haul the trash to the landfill
-Fix the garage door
-Finish the joins in the floor
-Fix the Bathroom window

Which I did manage to get done. In addition, I also got the tub and bathroom counter re-caulked; on the advice of Father-in-law Bob, who noticed it needed doing (he was correct).

-Finish the Floor
-Finish the Stairs
-Install baseboard around the living room and hallway.

Which I didn't get done.

Win some, lose some. Still have to get it done, tho.

Laurie found a new lounger!

But someone else already bought it...

Not one to give up easily, she made some calls and tracked down precisely which Bay stores have a furniture department. We then made a quick trip the next day down to the Metrotown Bay store and found the same chair as a manager's special! After we got an eager salesman's attention, my sweetie subtly hinted that I should make myself scarce whilst she worked her magic...

They knocked over 250$ off a chair that had already been reduced to 399$

I am in awe of my wife's bargaining powers...

The new chair will be delivered Saturday.

I am going thru the same flu the kids had. No fun at all. Boy, am I ever FIGHTING this one! My body temp has been elevated for the last 3 days (not fever, immune response in overdrive). After the initial nausea and vomiting (I induced, couldn't wait to get it over with), and "etc"; I went on a liquid-only diet. Still on it, as the thought of solid food makes my tummy jumpy. Have also been sleeping a lot. Have lost a few pounds; also have been entertaining the notion that I should try the "slim-fast" plan...

Hmmmm.

Well, THAT was anti-climatic.

The engine mount replacement that I told my wife was gonna take "a few hours"...well, it took about 20 mins.

Sheesh!

The sheared bolt end came out EASY...with just a little finger pressure. Getting the coolant tank off was simple as well: I'd forgotten that I lost the body clips and had secured it with a couple of zip-ties. Once the tank was off, getting the mount disassembled and installing the new damper was EASY. I paid 20$ for the part, while expecting to pay 50$. I spent the rest of the money on gas, washer fluid, and a new filter for the furnace. Life is good.

As usual, a one last minute gaffe occured. I forgot to take the 2x4 and jack out from under the engine...no problem, slid right out with no damage at all...but MAN, how embarrasing! I'm getting forgetful in my middle-age.

Good News: I finally confirmed that the vibration in the car's engine compartment is from a loose engine mount.

Bad News: I ran over a chunk of concrete yesterday and the BUMP! sheared off one of the two bolts holding the engine to the mount.

Well, I had planned on replacing the mount next week anyway...

Kinda freeky: we've been driving the car as little as possible, the vibration from the engine is UNREAL and a little un-nerving. Will be glad when I get it all fixed up tomorrow. This marks the third straight year in a row I have been working on my car when there was snow outside. My Haynes manual is no help, there is no procedure listed for removing the engine mounts. I have not so much as even laid eyes on the lower mounts, just the upper one. I hope that is all that will need replacing and/or fixing.

I'm going to be winging it again. My plan is to head down to the local scrapyards and locate a 2.2l OHV Cav of the same vintage as ours, take apart its upper engine mount, note how it is constructed/assembled, then tote it home and jack the engine while I dismantle the broken one and replace it with an UNbroken one.

Hmmm. Wish me luck.

This thing is gettin' to be a pain in the @ss...

I just KNOW I got some little critter in there on the hard drive that's eating up lotsa CPU cycles. The optimouse cursor is acting like it's got the DT's.

I swapped to the roller mouse, that takes care of the cursor troubles...now if only my wireless connexion would stop choking in the clutch...geez, it's like I'm using DIALUP again...

We're going shopping for a tree...again.

Never mind that we have nowhere to PUT the @#$%^&*!!! thing, never mind the mess, the needles, the pine tar, cutting the @#$%^&**!!! base and fitting it into our @#$%^&*!!! Xmas tree holder, keeping the @#$%^&**!!! thing watered...

But I don't mean to go on about it...

I SO wanna get a fake tree. We need a new snow shovel too. This may be the first winter since I lived with my folks that we've actually NEEDED a snow shovel. I'm pricing out a fair one at Superstore for 20$. We can probably do better at Home Depot. Since we're going to be at Home Depot picking up the d@mn tree...

Speaking of Xmas decorations: check out this site

Remember that idea of using a Gaffer's pole and Gaffing hooks to hang the Xmas lights? Someone else had the same idea. They're for sale at my local Superstore. Gotta get me one of those!!

"Do unto others..."

"What goes around, comes around..."

"Karma: It can bite you on the..."

I did finally get the tires on the bike swapped. I also came to the realization that I need to re-build my ATB...NOW!

I rode to work yesterday and picked up a small clump of something on Annacis Island. After listening to it go "thwip, thwip, thwip" past the front fender for about ten minutes; it dawned on me that if this were only a wet leaf stuck to the front tire, it ought to have fallen off by now. With a sinking feeling, I pulled over to the curb on Greybar road and pulled off a small lump of mud with a bunch of twigs 'n thorns (and a leaf for decoration) sticking out of it. "Mother Nature's Caltrop" is how I would describe it; since one of the protruding bits had actually intruded on my front tire.

I watched the sealant ooze out of the puncture, and stop a few seconds later. The tire was still at ride-able pressure, so ride on it I did. Passed by a poor soul trudging eastward on Westminster Hwy, and noted that his rear wheel had flatted. I called out; "Tire sealant, dude! Live by it!!". I was just feeling so pleased with myself at that moment, I couldn't help it. Got to work on time, and regaled Mike L with the tale. I admit, I was feeling a little smug.

On the ride home, I picked up a goatweed thorn on the rear tire. (Goatweed: thistle with fibre-tailed thorns). Unlike most punctures I've picked up over the last 11 months, this one went in on a tangent, and promptly buried itself under the tread of the rear tire. It flatted out just as I reached the top of the Nordel hill. There was a LOT of sealant leaking out, but the hole was too big for the sealant to plug right away. That, plus the thorn itself was holding the hole open and I couldn't remove it! I pumped up the tire with my mini-pump, while rotating the tire to ensure that the sealant was over top of where the leak was. After ten minutes of pumping the tire, and waiting for the sealant to stop flowing; I left it and rode the rest of the way up Nordel. The tire lasted until I got onto 84th, about 4 blocks from home. By this time, I was running a little behind; I HAD to get the kids to their ice-skating lessons by 4:45, and my usual arrival time is between 4:oo and 4:30. I was cutting it close, so the time had come for a crisis decision: I jogged with the bike for the remaining 4 blocks to home. I got there at 4:38, and breathlessly opened the front door and barked; "Everybody into the car, NOW!".

We made it on time. Laurie was grateful. L's right knee is 'out of action' at the moment and she is not really 'up' for excursions with the kids. Coral has been helping out in the mornings and I have been picking up a little slack, as well (which reminds me: I have to go clean the kitchen after I finish here).

SO:

The rear wheel is now wearing the former front tire. There are at least two punctures in it that I know of, both sealed, and it holds pressure pretty well. While removing the old rear tire, I pulled a startling assortment of thorns, slivers, glass bits and metal shards out of the tire. I scrapped the tube. The tire may serve as an emergency spare; it is well worn, but intact. I hauled out my spare tube, and the old 'Vee Rubber' tire that used to be on the front; before I got the Panaracer tires last Xmas. The spare tube...had a HOLE in the valve stem!! A massive leak that only showed up after the tire was mounted on the wheel. Sigh.

I hauled out another serviceable tube, and after 'clearing' debris from the Vee tire (I forgot, the first time 'round), mounted it on the rim, and shot another 4 oz of sealant into the mounted tube. Best way to check for stuff embedded on the interior wall of a tire: run a sizeable wad of cotton batting around the inside. The cotton fibres will 'catch' on even the smallest shard and show you immediately where it is; making it easy to remove. The odds are 50-50 that there is something embedded in the average bicycle tire that hasn't caused a puncture - yet. This is why some riders will fix a flat, and remove what caused it, only to find the tire develops another hole after re-mounting even though they haven't yet resumed riding! Always check the tire interior for debris.

Boy, am I focussed on cycling, or what?

These exercises in High Pressure Containment have shown me one thing: the amount of CRAP on the roads here, coupled with the less-than-robust tread thickness on the roadie's tires, means I will need to switch to riding an ATB. Only problem is: I don't have an ATB right now...

I still haven't finished re-building Black Beauty.

My Father-in-Law Bob has donated another two bicycle corpses. I am going to build one into a suitable ride (complete with fenders!), and turn the other one over for profit...if I can. The extra ca$h will go into buying L's Xmas present; assuming I can't get an Ipod by signing up five friends for some REALLY GREAT ONLINE OFFERS!!!!

Nah, I don't know anyone I would want to inflict that on...

Speaking of inflicting myself: My Elder's Quorum lesson went rather well; I could have used more rehearsal, but I actually prepared more material than the time allowed. I could tell Bro. Quarento wanted to discuss things in more detail, but time was limited. As I have been made his Home Teacher (along with Brother-in-Law, Grant), we may have opportunity to re-visit the discussion.

I have no callings at church at present. I know they WANT to call me, but so far my schedule (L's schedule) doesn't allow any weekday night activities, and I don't feel comfortable teaching younger kids in Primary. Maybe they'll make me Elder's Quorum instructor...

My BoM reading is going well. I should be finished the book by the end of this month, ahead of Pres. Hinckley's challenge.

I've had a lot of anger lately. One of the reasons I was away from church "for a month of Sundays", is because I as going through a 'bad patch' and I needed the Lord's help to sort it out.
I'm mostly focussed on myself and my own problems right now (gee, what was my first clue?), and I just needed to "look up, and calm down". I need to stir around a little more; find some ways to help others for a change. I will have ample opportunity next month to serve my FAMILY...I already have the job jar all set up and by the end of my two week vacation I will have started and mostly completed:

-the stairs
-the flooring
-the baseboards
-fixing the car
-cleaning the garage
-cleaning the yard and deck
-fixing the garage door
-hauling all our trash to the dump
(which I may have to do AGAIN after Xmas)

In addition to the above, I also have to find time to:

-re-build my ATB (I already mentioned it, I know!!)
-complete the upgrade on this computer.

BOY -- think of the sense of accomplishment if I actually get all that done.

Speaking of getting it done...

Colin is going out this week for more testing and prodding. He's having an ultrasound to test for urinary dysfunction. He's a bit of a bedwetter, and although we manage with plastic covers and a nightly 11PM "potty call", he still manages to go through a complete change of bedding every week.

Both Coral and Colin are doing better in school. Coral's reading level is within 80% of her grade, and she should be caught up by the end of the year. Colin has a full-time TA to help keep him focussed in class. I think Colin has been ruined by Video Games. He's all focus and NO attention span. If it ain't over in one 5 minute level, he's not interested.

Coral herself will be heading out to the UBC Dental Medicine Centre for another adjustment to her braces. L managed to get her enrolled in a Study the university is conducting on new Orthodontic procedures. We are saving SO much money on these braces. Between our medical coverage, and subsidies from the University, we have paid about 300$ for 3000$ worth of top-notch orthodontic work. I wish I could afford this kind of care for my OWN teeth.

Coral has started Square and Round dancing again. Bob is retired now and so spends more time working for (and with) the club. Apparently, his recent recruiting efforts have paid off; enrollment in the club is up this year after a mild slump the previous two years.

I'm too busy earning a living to make any money...

Put up the Xmas lights today. The kids helped. I mean, actually helped, it was something of a pleasant surprise. We decided that 8 years of service from the previous lights was a pretty good return and since Canuck Tire seems determined to sell off their last remaining stocks of "non-LED" outdoor lights CHEAP; new lights were in order. Besides, I got tired of patching together a working string from the ones we had.

I came up with a number of BRILLIANT ideas for how to hang and store and arrange those lights. All of these brainstorms had one thing in common: me NOT climbing a 20ft extension ladder up to our slimy, moldy eaves to hang a bunch of !#$%^&*!! lights that I'm going to have to take back DOWN again in January!!! The winning idea was to zip-tie each 9ft string of lights on a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe and use gaffer hooks screwed to the pipe to hang each section from the eaves. All it would require is a standard ladder and a LONG gaffing pole. I could store the sections in the garage rafters. I priced out the parts and the whole project is do-able for under 30$. Sigh. Maybe next year.

I am doing a little more bike work lately. I haven't EVEN begun to start promoting Tech Corps. Kwy has been working himself ragged getting the Core website up and running. We haven't got clients beating down the doors, either. I have managed to get most of my tools together for PC work, but haven't even finished the upgrade on this machine yet! I have also been looking at completing my bicycle toolset, and it turns out that I need only a few more items until I have everything I need to start my own shop...except my own shop. I really need to clean the garage.

I really need a lot more time. I'm working overtime at work almost every chance I get except Sundays and holidays (although I did work thanksgiving). I'm getting tired...and sore.

I will be teaching Elder's Quorum on sunday. I can hardly wait. I will either succeed brilliantly, or fail miserably. Watch this space for further bulletins. I've had members of the bishoprick call me repeatedly at home (I'm never here). I don't know what they want as I haven't BEEN to church in a month of Sundays!!! L is sodding off to Wash. state this sunday for a square dance association meeting (that was to have been last week), so I get to take Colin to church with me. Joy. I don't know if I'm still a Sunday School teacher or not, I haven't been there for 4 weeks so I presume by now they've replaced me with someone more reliable. I may do a reprise of my famous Golf Ball lesson for the kids...if I'm still their teacher. Perhaps Colin and I should arrive early to church on Sunday.

I wrote to "ask the Mechanic" about our noisy Cavalier. Haven't got a reply back yet, but I'm sure one is forthcoming. I may also post at freeautoadvice.com. I still have my old account there, but I haven't posted anything new since we sold the tracker! I hope the problem is not too expensive, and fixable...but I think our finances should be prepared to take a hit anyway.

I get two weeks off at the beginning of December. L already has big plans for me. That will be when I fix the !$$%^&*! car if I am, in fact, able to fix it myself. I also need to repair the garage door. L wants me to FINALLY finish the joins in the flooring, finish the stairs, and put baseboard and trim all OVER the upstairs. Sounds like a big job, right? You have NO idea...

And yet...think of the sense of accomplishment if I actually DO get it all done. What WILL I have to keep me going next year???

Oh, and we need new furniture. Especially a new lounger for my busy, busy wife. The one she has is falling to pieces. Literally. I would say it's from over-use, but not out loud where she could hear me...

Laurie's been telling me for some time that all the sick days I'm taking will catch up on me...

So I called my sweetie today and said; "Hon, do you remember how you said that I would get in trouble for all those days off I have taken?" "uh-huh" says Laurie, sounding mildly un-impressed.

"Well,"I continued; "today, they GAVE ME AN AWARD!".

She chuckled.

I got a gen-eww-wine HBC Logistics nalgene water bottle and a certificate congratulating me for 3 months perfect attendance...apparently I have had no absences for July, August and September of this year.

How the heck did THAT happen???

It certainly wasn't intentional...I mean, the recognition is nice, but I wasn't actually looking for any.

I am still riding my bike, and keeping it in good repair is becoming an increasing chore. The bike was "old" to begin with, now it is becoming truly decrepit. If it weren't for the supply of fresh corpses I get from neighbors, family and fortuitous circumstance; I would not be able to keep the clapped-out hunk 'o junk rolling. Currently, it needs a new chain, which I have; and also a new freewheel, which is currently soaking in lamp oil down in the shop.

Lamp oil?

An accidental discovery...lamp oil is a heavy oil, so it makes a good lube for freewheels; but it's also volatile, which means it contains light fractions that give it good penetration in metal and the ability to dissolve tar and residue inside the freewheel. I've resurrected two or three freewheels which were "shot", and got months more service out of them from this treatment. You get a small plastic bowl, with a bottom diameter smaller than the large cog on the cassette; this will leave a 1/2" or so space between the bottom of the bowl and the bottom of the freewheel. Pour in enough lamp oil to completely cover the cassette, and leave it overnight. Next morning, you will find a well-lubed cassette, and a small layer of dark sludge on the bottom of the bowl.

My Harem:

I have a harem of bicycles. I need to decide which of my lovlies I must part with...mainly 'cause it's getting REAL crowded under the deck out back and I don't even have enough room for the KIDS bikes!!!

Ouch...

ouchouchouchouch...

Spent two days this past week on the couch wallowing in self-pity...

...which was a bad move.

I should have selected a more supportive surface. Me lower back is all stiffed up again and was quite painful for a day or two. Icy Hot and Tylenol are keeping me going.

I'm going to ride the bike tomorrow, as L needs the car and I need to get my ass in gear before I start to blimp out again.

Bob managed to nick a couple of bikes for me that the city confiscated and held for a couple of homeless transients who were camped out at False Creek last spring. I feel so proud to own these bikes...

...first of all, they were owned by poor people who got (and are still getting) bumped from pillar to post. Add in the fact that they were probably stolen from someone else before their time among the great unwashed...

One is an original condition Schwinn World Sport - circa 1974. If I were to restore this to "mint and rideable" condition, I could probably get someone to drop a few dollar$ on it. It still has its original tires, for pity's sake! The only thing wrong with it is that it's previous owner-of-no-fixed -address didn't take care of it...and the city left it out in the rain for six months.

The second one is a mid-price ATB from a LBS (too nice to be a Dept. Store machine) with much the same issues: neglect, then more neglect as it was left to the elements by the city of Vancouver. I'm kinda glad Bob "rescued" these for me. I think I shall restore the Schwinn, then see if I can Ebay it. The ATB I will also make roadworthy, and then probably give it away to someone who needs it.

I am in a bit of a quandry about what to do with the 25$ the church group commitee paid me for fixing lionel's bike. It may well be time to start my own "mad money" account at the Royal. I have no complaint about Laurie's managing of our money (we may yet get our Visa card paid down...), but it would be nice to have a little "walkin' around money" of my own that I...well, don't have to ask permission to spend. I will have plenty of ca$h coming in if and when I decide to get serious about being a bike-mechanic-to-the-masses (I work cheap); and this venture with KWY could yet pay off if only I got a little more serious about it. I see...I see...lots o' money, if I can just balance earning a living long enough to go out and MAKE some money.

Quotes by Brianarc:

"Philosophy is the Opiate of the Intelligentsia"

"A car officially achieves Junker status when you have to attach pieces of other cars to it in order to hold it together and/or make it run"

"Buckley's Mixture will not cure your cold, merely throttle it into submission"

"Ralph Nader jokes are unsafe at any screed"

"Conceit is baseless, Arrogance is when you can back it up"

Q: how do you know when the bottom bracket on your bicycle is about to seize up?

A: when your 40 minute commute gradually becomes 55 minutes...

The Scouts (some of the same lads Dan and I took to Saltspring last summer) did a trip down the Kettle Valley. Lionel G had purchased a fully suspended Dept. Store wanna-be-hucker for the trip. The bottom bracket began to seize up on him a few days into the trip. Kerry Newton led the trip, and as he is a professional --AUTO-- mechanic; he took along an almost complete toolkit.

What he lacked were some small but vital specialty tools for servicing newer MTB bikes...

I give Kerry credit for trying; however, hitting a crankarm with a hammer is not the recommended method for removal. The cranks got pretty banged up, and both crankarm bolts got stripped.

When the Scouts got back from the trip, Kerry contacted me and asked if I would be willing to try to repair the damage (both from the original fault and also repair attempts without the correct tools). I agreed to have a look at it, and warned Kerry that I might not have the correct tool if the bike was equipped with a cartridge-type bottom bracket. I am familiar with the procedure, but as none of my bikes have a cartridge BB, I don't have the tool in my toolbox. Kerry told me that he could cover both the tool and the repair if I could do it. I thought about it for a day or so, then Lionel contacted me on Sunday and I agreed. He brought the bike over. I think the reason he didn't just take the bike back to the store was because there was some damage to a shifter (outer shell broke off), and of course the hammer-marks on the cranks.

I got the cranks off no problem, but there was no way to get the cartridge BB out without a splined ISIS removal tool. I got a nice 1/2 drive IceToolz socket from Cap's on Tuesday...but I was so BUSY that day that I didn't actually get to the repair until about 9PM. I got the BB apart, and found...no lube whatsoever. Manufacturing error. The bearings were completely dry, and quite cooked to boot. The races had been reduced to shards of rusted metal and dust. I was quite lucky (and surprised) to find no damage to the bearing cones and the crank itself.

SO...

First order of business was assembling a working set of raced bearings. I found the necessary in my parts bin; and BOY am I grateful I spent that hour or so last spring sorting all the loose bearings in the parts cabinet! Finding two sets of clean bearings was no problem...

Got the BB packed with moly grease, installed the bearings and seals, then installed the cones and torqued the whole assembly up to spec. Now came the hard part: installing the new crank bolts in the damaged threads of the crank. I got the LH side in OK, but the RH side of the crankshaft was too badly damaged to fit the bolt. The bolt WOULD NOT go in without cross-threading. I only had the one bolt, and if it wouldn't go in then I was going to be spending another day on this job; purchasing a new crankshaft and re-re-assembling the bike.

I had one of those "now what do I do?" moments.

And the answer came...the "still small voice"...

SSV: "You need to chase out those threads with something".

Me: "Like what?"

SSV: "How about a tap from Granpa's tap and die set?"

Me: "Oh, ok...where is it?"

SSV: "Over there in the corner, underneath the socket set and wrenches."

Please bear in mind that I've NEVER used a tap and die set before. Granpa's set comes in a big blue metal tray with a latching lid. It is about 24 by 32 inches, and easily holds about 50 taps and dies, all packed in foam. It takes up so much space on the shelf that he stacked the other tools on top of it...

So I opened up the set and peered inside...having absolutely NO clue what I'm looking for. It was almost as if someone had taken hold of my hand because I found myself reaching inside the tray/box without realizing it.

Me: "Which one?" - as my hand is almost guided to a particular spot in the box.

SSV: "That one..."

Me: "This one here?"

SSV: "No, the one just to the left of your hand"

Me: "That one?"

SSV: "Yes..."

I located the proper chuck, and after verifying the tap was about the same diameter as the bolt shaft and had the same t.p.i. (like I would know!), I set it into the crankshaft.

I think back now of ALL the ways this could have gone wrong for me...sheesh!

The tap went straight in.

I began to turn the chuck...one...two...three turns...

And the SSV says very abruptly "stop!". I stopped. "Now, chase it with the bolt". I removed the tap, and a 2cm piece of damaged thread, from the hole; and held my breath as I threaded the bolt into the crankshaft.

It went in straight! I socked it up almost to full length, but was advised "that's far enough", and removed the bolt again. One or two threads on the bolt end were a little shiny, but not enough damage to render the bolt un-usable. Put the other crankarm back on, tightened both, Job Complete...

Now, the point of the Q&A at the beginning of this entry...

By the time I finished Lionel's bike, it was almost 10:30; but I still had one MORE job to do...while the tools et al were still out on the bench.

My commute time has been steadily growing over the past two months, especially since I rode the bike in the rain. My bottom bracket was sticking - badly. Got it popped apart and sure enough, one whole set of bearings had fallen apart and several parts of the crankshaft were REAL shiny on that side as they had been scraped clean by bits of crushed bearing and broken bearing race. I had a couple of new wrecks in the shop, and a suitable replacement crankshaft was among the parts I got off those wrecks. Suitable, yes...but shorter.

Shorter?

After assembling and re-packing the BB on my bike, I realised that shorter crankshaft is a better fit. The longer length one allowed me to put a little too much torque on the cranks and chainrings...which is why they're almost falling apart right now...sigh. The extra torque was also probably helpful in destroying the previous set of bearings.

So: rode yesterday and today. Trip time is back down to 45 mins. Yes!

Only now I noticed the front wheel is starting to grind a little...and the tires need to be swapped.

Sigh...maybe I should take this Saturday off...

I re-read the tag end of that previous post. I sound like such a cynical jerk, don't I? The Nawlins Deesasster. What a circus. Funding being diverted, pumps failing, levees breaching, disease-ridden floodwaters in the streets, forced evacuations, lootings, shootings, raping and pillaging and general mayhem...oh my.

I'll say it again...never should have built a city there in the first place.

FEMA - you got some 'splainin to do!!!

I read a story in F&SF a few years back called "Gas Man". A near-future setting where most of the Gulf Coast and Florida are under water, gangs of pirates roam the seas, fighting over the few remaining low-lying islands, and our "hero" the Gas Man - a salvage diver for hire, sumping out old Truck Stop fuel tanks for the precious gasoline contained therein...

Interesting premise, given current trends in storm intensity, and gas prices. The bad news with this premise, of course, is the Malthusian die-off that reduces the population of the Gulf Coast and Florida by about 99%. Mark my words people, it's gonna get mean out there...we're already well on our way.

On to happier things. KWY got the Tech Corps site up and (mostly) running. Go to www.tech-core.com to see more. Will need to ramp up efforts to recruit more (part time, initially) techs and get some advertising out to the neighborhood. Esp. for our virus-and-spyware cleaning services. What we're really looking for are careless, clueless, net-newbies will lot$ of Ca$h...
I am REALLY hoping and praying that this venture takes off. KWY is going to be putting a LOT of work into this and it may be a good thing he is taking a LOA from his present day job to pursue this dream. He's gonna need every spare moment he can get.

As for my dreams, they're on hold for the moment. Typokillers.com is available, but I don't know any webmasters who can build me a site ('cept KWY) and I don't know the first thing about DIY website building. I understand it can be done, but I've never done it...

In other activities; my two-wheel passion is cooling somewhat, with the coming of Autumn. I still have to get the Townie Cruiser I'm building for Trudy finished. It is functionally finished as is now, but I need to install a stand, basket, rack and fenders to really "deck it out". Might throw in a Lock, as well. Dave Fulton gifted me the big Raleigh ATB frame from his garage, and now it looks like I can re-build black beauty on the new frame. Freddy Fender needs a BB overhaul as well. All these bikes to do, and no desire to do 'em! Sometimes I regret working so much overtime at the DC. I'm sure some of that regret will fade when I see my next paycheque, however...

I'm home sick...allergies plus exposure to one of the kids' friends who had bronchitis already. Plus I haven't slept really well lately.

Time to update the 'blog.

What's going on in the world lately?

Hmmm.

Gas Prices.

The Iraq war.

Camp Casey.

New Orleans may be gone...



Let's start;

Gas is getting REAL expensive. Yet one contrarian wag I heard on NPR claims that in terms adjusted for inflation, we're spending just as much as we did in 1985. Which means, of course, that we're trying to buy the same commodity at the same price with dollars that are worth only 50% of what they were worth 20 years ago. Further, the 'rise' of the Canadian dollarette against the US greenback is NOT an indicator of strong growth in the canuck economy, but rather shows simply that the US dollar is devaluing faster than ours.

I am considering building a moped. I have seen chinese-made chain drive motors on ebay. I have seen friction drive "mosquitos" on places like www.bikemotor.com. Having seen the ease with which both designs could be adapted to a large-wheeled ATB, I have resolved to BUILD a large wheeled ATB, obtain a used 4 stroke weed whacker motor, and kludge up the mounting for either a chain drive (use a RH crank with chainrings on the LH side? Or retr0fit a separate sprocket on the LH side of the rear wheel?) or a friction drive. The friction drive seems to be the easier of the two, but requires MUCH more hardware. A chain drive setup would require a CV clutch to ensure that it could be disconnected so as to not interfere with the 'normal' operation of the bike.

Lessee, where were we? Vietnam, wasn't it?

Nah, that was 1968...

Many, many brave and fearless souls have come forward to Speak the Truth about the US administration, its lies, its wars, its avoidance of the Facts...to wit:

The US military forces are spread thin.

Conscription will NOT be tolerated by the American People.

The US is losing the war in Iraq. A war, some of the blunter and braver pundits have opined, that the US should never have started in the first place.

The hypocrisy of it all leaves me cynical.

Thus far, none of the brave speakers of Truth have mentioned the fact that all this and more was said BEFORE the war started. None of those messengers of doom 'n gloom were listened to at the time, and their input is conspicuously absent now. In fact, to quote a Certain Fox News Commentator, they were told at the time to; "SHUT UP!!!!".

"We are less secure now...". No Kidding!!!

The degeneration of the Greatest Democracy on Earth into a Fascist Police State has been only a minor annoyance 'till now. I am going to need a passport, apparently, to visit the LDS temple in Seattle. The worlds Longest Continuous Open Border just got Closed. Manifest Destiny, anyone??

Ah well, I guess I can hop a bus to Cardston or Edmonton.

Speaking of getting on the bus.

Camp Casey.

Few have mentioned the irony that the US is still free enough to allow this little campout/media circus. Yes, she has rallied the antiwar elements in the media and public opinion. Yes, her continued presence and speaking out has proved a small embarrassment to the Administration.

Let's look at the flip side, shall we? If the US pulls out of Iraq now, with the job not even half done...all that blood and maiming will have been for NOTHING. US boys 'n girls will have died (once again) for the US government's lies and posturing. It's both too early and far too late to pull out now, so say the experts. Too early because things are still a mess. There's precious little drinking water, electrical service is out much of the time, and there is little medical infrastructure up and running currently. Too late because the US might have been able to Get Out of Dodge after they found Saddam; if anyone at all in the War Party were inclined to do so, or to listen to those on the ground who were recommending finding an Exit, and quickly. Perhaps Pres. Bush has a Men in White Hats complex. The US are the good guys; they have to GET the bad guys and afterward, leave town nice and peaceful like (with nothing but the number of caskets at the local undertakers parlor out of order).

Of course, it isn't going to happen.

The US WILL stay the course. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do...Bush & co. are hoping that if they leave US forces twisting in the desert wind long enough, somehow some good will come of it. In the meantime, they can blame the lack of troop morale on the whiners in the press, the public, other nations, etc.(we all know troop morale has nothin' to do with being stuck on the ass end of the world, separated from home and family, run around by an administration that keeps changing the rules about going home - apparently with NO end in sight to it all...) There will be a final assessing of blame, of course, but I won't be putting any money on the whiners being found as the main cause for the War in Iraq being a complete disaster. There will be a reckoning.

Speaking of reckoning days:

New Orleans...is it gone yet? The sheer hubris of building a city there in the first place...and then the Extraordinary Measures taken to ensure the city's existence. Dire warnings have sounded for YEARS about What Might Happen If...yeah, if only anyone were listening.

As for me; don't really know, don't really care...

It's like the Tower at Pisa. Everyone knows it will fall one day. But we all prefer to pretend that day won't happen anytime when we will actually be around to SEE it.