Thankfully, it's Friday. It has been a pretty exhausting week.
Among one of the highlights for today was picking up my car from the shop. For most of last week, my car had trouble starting. It would crank and crank and crank. And if I were lucky, it would finally catch and start. Since this was unusual behavior for my 2010 car, I brought it in to the dealership to have them take a look.
The good news is the car is still under warranty, so the service did not cost me anything. The bad news: they couldn't find the cause of the problem. I will have to admit, it's very annoying when the problem cannot be identified because there is that lingering doubt in the back of my head that thinks when will my car not start up again. But at least they were able to reproduce the slow crank when I brought the car in. After they had reproduced it and ran their tests, they couldn't find anything. Bizarre.
Needless to say, I was not too thrilled by the expert diagnosis. Interestingly enough though, the car starts like it had done prior to last week. Maybe my car just doesn't like the heat. I suppose my car is like me that way.
Aside from my car fiasco, I got to spend the night with my two daughters because Karen was invited to some makeup party at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine). For anyone curious, Karen doesn't wear makeup. Odd, right? So normally, the opportunity to spend time with the kids would be the highlight of the night. But not tonight.
Sadly no. My four month old (Bridget) was quite the fussy one tonight. There may have been a good stretch where I heard nothing but crying.
Anyway, the most exciting part of today was actually fixing the bath fan. Now, I suck at fixing bath fans. And when I mean "fix", I mean I did absolutely nothing. A couple of days ago, the bath fan stopped working. The light for the bath fan in our master bedroom was on one night because my aforementioned four month old was being fussy (trend?) and did not want to go to bed. In a completely dark room, that light was the furthest from Bridget that wouldn't illuminate the entire room.
Shortly after using the light from the bath fan, the light completely shut off. I attempted to flick the switch back on and the light would not come on. I then tested the switch for the fan and it too would not turn on. Exhausted, I told myself that I'd take a look at the issue this weekend.
But then it dawned on me today. The issue was probably a result of the GFCI outlet being tripped. Lo and behold, I took a look at the GFCI outlet and it indicated that there was a fault current. After resetting the outlet, I tried the bath fan and light. Voila! Genius. I love projects that don't require doing anything.
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
I Suck At Being A Library Trustee
Today, my reign of terror officially begins.
After being elected for the glamorous position of library trustee on Saturday, I stopped by the local town hall today to be sworn in. Now I suck at being a library trustee. Truth be told, I didn't even know I had to be sworn in because this entire political arena is all new to me. But I guess it makes sense that I would need to be sworn in. It is, after all, an elected position.
Anyway, the process to be sworn in did not take too long. I'll admit it. I almost flubbed the lines that I was to repeat during the process. Who knew there would be so many sentences to remember and repeat? But it's done. It's official. I'm a library trustee.
Interestingly enough, the next step in being an elected official is taking an ethics course online. I guess it is required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I find that somewhat ironic considering that there have been some elected officials who recently have been anything but ethical. These officials include the likes of Charlie Flaherty, Tom Finneran, and Sal DiMasi to name a few. Heck, throw in Dianne Wilkerson's name. And politicians wonder why they get a bad reputation.
Politics aside, running for an elected position has definitely been an interesting experience thus far. Hopefully I can make a difference. That's all I want to do. Granted, I'm limited to making a difference only with the library, but it's a difference nonetheless. I wonder if this is how all politicians get their start. They have dreams and aspirations of making a difference, only to become jaded with the "machine".
I suppose the only other noteworthy event of today is that I filled up the gas tank of my car. It's noteworthy only because it has been over a month since I last filled up the gas tank. I was pretty excited when I realized that it has been a month and a week since that happened. I'm so glad I work so close to home. Take that big oil companies!
After being elected for the glamorous position of library trustee on Saturday, I stopped by the local town hall today to be sworn in. Now I suck at being a library trustee. Truth be told, I didn't even know I had to be sworn in because this entire political arena is all new to me. But I guess it makes sense that I would need to be sworn in. It is, after all, an elected position.
Anyway, the process to be sworn in did not take too long. I'll admit it. I almost flubbed the lines that I was to repeat during the process. Who knew there would be so many sentences to remember and repeat? But it's done. It's official. I'm a library trustee.
Interestingly enough, the next step in being an elected official is taking an ethics course online. I guess it is required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I find that somewhat ironic considering that there have been some elected officials who recently have been anything but ethical. These officials include the likes of Charlie Flaherty, Tom Finneran, and Sal DiMasi to name a few. Heck, throw in Dianne Wilkerson's name. And politicians wonder why they get a bad reputation.
Politics aside, running for an elected position has definitely been an interesting experience thus far. Hopefully I can make a difference. That's all I want to do. Granted, I'm limited to making a difference only with the library, but it's a difference nonetheless. I wonder if this is how all politicians get their start. They have dreams and aspirations of making a difference, only to become jaded with the "machine".
I suppose the only other noteworthy event of today is that I filled up the gas tank of my car. It's noteworthy only because it has been over a month since I last filled up the gas tank. I was pretty excited when I realized that it has been a month and a week since that happened. I'm so glad I work so close to home. Take that big oil companies!
Monday, January 11, 2010
I Suck At Fixing The Car
Sunday was a rather ho-hum day.
My friend (Jen) had spent the night at our place. It's been a long while since Jen stayed over. In fact, I don't even remember the last time Jen did stay over. Needless to say, she got to have some alone time with Batista. (For anyone curious, we have an action figure of the WWE wrestler known as Batista in the other bedroom.)
After breakfast, while Karen and Jen went grocery shopping (and then when Karen headed off to a Lia Sophia party), I did what any person would do on a cold winter day with snow outside and the New England Patriots in a playoff game: I crawled around in our crawlspace. It's fun, I know. (In retrospect, I'm glad I did not watch the New England Patriots in the playoff game because I heard they were absolutely terrible.)
For quite some time now, the bathroom on our first floor has been in disarray. We had planned to remodel it well over a year ago. Unfortunately, I have never been motivated enough to continue to remodel the bathroom. After awhile, I simply lose the motivation because so many other things come up... like our broken treadmill... like our broken computer... etc. It gets frustrating after a while.
Eventually, Karen and I will have to start registering for baby things and all of that stuff. So my window of opportunity seems to be shrinking every day. And truly the only person that I can blame is myself because I think I can handle it all when in fact, I should probably ask for help. It's that fine line of being a burden/asking others for help that I don't like.
Anyway, there's no turning back now on the bathroom project, especially since I just cut out one of the drain pipes. And sadly, that's about the extent of the work I did while Karen was out.
When Karen returned from the party, we looked underneath our car. Sure enough, fluid was still leaking from underneath the car. (Earlier in the morning, I had noticed some fluid in our garage.) So we decided to bring the car in. It's too bad I suck at fixing the car.
Needless to say, Karen and I brought our car to the local Firestone in for repairs. The local Firestone kept the car overnight. Hopefully it won't be too bad to fix.
My friend (Jen) had spent the night at our place. It's been a long while since Jen stayed over. In fact, I don't even remember the last time Jen did stay over. Needless to say, she got to have some alone time with Batista. (For anyone curious, we have an action figure of the WWE wrestler known as Batista in the other bedroom.)
After breakfast, while Karen and Jen went grocery shopping (and then when Karen headed off to a Lia Sophia party), I did what any person would do on a cold winter day with snow outside and the New England Patriots in a playoff game: I crawled around in our crawlspace. It's fun, I know. (In retrospect, I'm glad I did not watch the New England Patriots in the playoff game because I heard they were absolutely terrible.)
For quite some time now, the bathroom on our first floor has been in disarray. We had planned to remodel it well over a year ago. Unfortunately, I have never been motivated enough to continue to remodel the bathroom. After awhile, I simply lose the motivation because so many other things come up... like our broken treadmill... like our broken computer... etc. It gets frustrating after a while.
Eventually, Karen and I will have to start registering for baby things and all of that stuff. So my window of opportunity seems to be shrinking every day. And truly the only person that I can blame is myself because I think I can handle it all when in fact, I should probably ask for help. It's that fine line of being a burden/asking others for help that I don't like.
Anyway, there's no turning back now on the bathroom project, especially since I just cut out one of the drain pipes. And sadly, that's about the extent of the work I did while Karen was out.
When Karen returned from the party, we looked underneath our car. Sure enough, fluid was still leaking from underneath the car. (Earlier in the morning, I had noticed some fluid in our garage.) So we decided to bring the car in. It's too bad I suck at fixing the car.
Needless to say, Karen and I brought our car to the local Firestone in for repairs. The local Firestone kept the car overnight. Hopefully it won't be too bad to fix.
Monday, November 17, 2008
I Suck At Getting An Oil Change
i think i have come to the realization that i am cursed. my friend (aimee) thinks that i am usually lucky. if only she knew how terribly mistaken she really is...
saturday was not exactly a great day. during the week, i remembered that it was time to bring our car in for an oil change. the car had definitely exceeded the customary 3000 mile mark from its last oil change. yes, i suck at getting an oil change.
so saturday morning, i brought the car in for an oil change. i generally bring the car in bright and early in the morning to the local firestone because i will have time afterwards to go about my normal day and do other things.
unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be on saturday. in what has become a common trend of late, the car needed a repair... not just any repair... a new timing belt and a rear brakes.
since my son (braden) passed away over two months ago, it seems like things have continued to be... well... rather disappointing: our oil tank had to be serviced because the furnace was not receiving the oil properly; the septic system control panel to our house malfunctioned and needed repair; our alarm system needed to be repaired to properly send signals to their monitoring center; and now... the car.
it probably would not be so bad if these repairs were not all within a two month span. after all, it makes things like planning for a headstone for braden, planning for the remembrance jewelry for braden, and planning a vacation during braden's original due date a little more difficult.
needless to say, saturday was not fun. in addition to the annoyance of having to repair the car, both karen and i would actually have to be without the car for a good portion of the day while the brakes get fixed. so unfortunately, karen and i could not go anywhere. it's amazing how not having a car can limit things.
anyway, it was very frustrating day.
saturday was not exactly a great day. during the week, i remembered that it was time to bring our car in for an oil change. the car had definitely exceeded the customary 3000 mile mark from its last oil change. yes, i suck at getting an oil change.
so saturday morning, i brought the car in for an oil change. i generally bring the car in bright and early in the morning to the local firestone because i will have time afterwards to go about my normal day and do other things.
unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be on saturday. in what has become a common trend of late, the car needed a repair... not just any repair... a new timing belt and a rear brakes.
since my son (braden) passed away over two months ago, it seems like things have continued to be... well... rather disappointing: our oil tank had to be serviced because the furnace was not receiving the oil properly; the septic system control panel to our house malfunctioned and needed repair; our alarm system needed to be repaired to properly send signals to their monitoring center; and now... the car.
it probably would not be so bad if these repairs were not all within a two month span. after all, it makes things like planning for a headstone for braden, planning for the remembrance jewelry for braden, and planning a vacation during braden's original due date a little more difficult.
needless to say, saturday was not fun. in addition to the annoyance of having to repair the car, both karen and i would actually have to be without the car for a good portion of the day while the brakes get fixed. so unfortunately, karen and i could not go anywhere. it's amazing how not having a car can limit things.
anyway, it was very frustrating day.
Monday, June 9, 2008
I Suck At Getting The Car Fixed
as i am on vacation this week, i decided to take the car in to get it fixed. according to the mechanic, the left outer tie rod was worn and needed to be replaced. apparently, a worn tie rod would cause the car to fail an inspection because it is a safety hazard. according to www.carjunky.com,
"The tie rod is part of the steering mechanism in a vehicle. A tie rod is a slender structural rod that is used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.
A tie rod consists of an inner and an outer end. The spokes on a bicycle's wheels are tie rods. As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces.
The tie rod transmits force from the steering center link or the rack gear to the steering knuckle. This will cause the wheel to turn. The outer tie rod end connects with an adjusting sleeve, which allows the length of the tie rod to be adjustable. This adjustment is used to set a vehicle's alignment angle...
It is advisable that your vehicle's steering and suspension systems are checked regularly, at least once a year along with a complete wheel alignment. A worn tie rod can cause wandering, erratic steering and also major tire wear.
If a tie rod is necessary then a wheel alignment will also be required because tie rod replacement will disturb the alignment setting.
As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces."
needless to say, i suck at getting the car fixed. after running some additional errands, i dropped the car off at the local firestone located in hingham. the mechanic had told me that the tie rod replacement and the realignment would take a few hours. rather than wait and waste most of the day at the local firestone, i was given a ride back to my house.
i was thinking that the ride home was a nice gesture and that i would then have all this additional time to work on some home improvement projects planned for today. well, a couple of hours later, i received a phone call that the car was ready to be picked up. i had just finished lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... yum) and thought nothing of it. after all, the local firestone was a little over 2.5 miles away. it would be no problem to walk that.
boy was i wrong. if the weather weren't in the 90s and there weren't any humidity, i may have been all right. the walk seemed to take forever in the beating sun. sweat started to pour out of every pore imaginable. the sweat was dripping down my forehead and stinging my eyes. it was awful. i must have looked like quite the sexy beast with my sweat drenched body walking down the main street. i didn't even have a water bottle or anything to rehydrate myself. i just wanted to die. (for the record, i never used to sweat. since getting old, i seem to sweat now. i don't know why this is the case.)
anyway, when i finally arrived at firestone, i must have been quite the sight. the mechanic even chuckled at me because i made a beeline straight to the water cooler. i must have guzzled a gallon of water before picking up the keys to my car. i suppose the only good thing that came from my walk to firestone is that i got to work on my tan... even though i hate getting a tan...
"The tie rod is part of the steering mechanism in a vehicle. A tie rod is a slender structural rod that is used as a tie and capable of carrying tensile loads only.
A tie rod consists of an inner and an outer end. The spokes on a bicycle's wheels are tie rods. As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces.
The tie rod transmits force from the steering center link or the rack gear to the steering knuckle. This will cause the wheel to turn. The outer tie rod end connects with an adjusting sleeve, which allows the length of the tie rod to be adjustable. This adjustment is used to set a vehicle's alignment angle...
It is advisable that your vehicle's steering and suspension systems are checked regularly, at least once a year along with a complete wheel alignment. A worn tie rod can cause wandering, erratic steering and also major tire wear.
If a tie rod is necessary then a wheel alignment will also be required because tie rod replacement will disturb the alignment setting.
As the ratio of its length to the radius of gyration of its cross section is normally quite large, it would likely buckle under the action of compressive forces."
needless to say, i suck at getting the car fixed. after running some additional errands, i dropped the car off at the local firestone located in hingham. the mechanic had told me that the tie rod replacement and the realignment would take a few hours. rather than wait and waste most of the day at the local firestone, i was given a ride back to my house.
i was thinking that the ride home was a nice gesture and that i would then have all this additional time to work on some home improvement projects planned for today. well, a couple of hours later, i received a phone call that the car was ready to be picked up. i had just finished lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... yum) and thought nothing of it. after all, the local firestone was a little over 2.5 miles away. it would be no problem to walk that.
boy was i wrong. if the weather weren't in the 90s and there weren't any humidity, i may have been all right. the walk seemed to take forever in the beating sun. sweat started to pour out of every pore imaginable. the sweat was dripping down my forehead and stinging my eyes. it was awful. i must have looked like quite the sexy beast with my sweat drenched body walking down the main street. i didn't even have a water bottle or anything to rehydrate myself. i just wanted to die. (for the record, i never used to sweat. since getting old, i seem to sweat now. i don't know why this is the case.)
anyway, when i finally arrived at firestone, i must have been quite the sight. the mechanic even chuckled at me because i made a beeline straight to the water cooler. i must have guzzled a gallon of water before picking up the keys to my car. i suppose the only good thing that came from my walk to firestone is that i got to work on my tan... even though i hate getting a tan...
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