Have they had practices yet? How's he doing?

S0me^Dwe11ars^may^remember^my^specia1^c0ffee^cup
I^just^spi11ed^sugared^c0ffee^int0^my^keyb0ard

Then^whi1e^turning^the^keyb0ard^upside^d0wn^t0^drain,
^I^kn0cked^the^cup^0ver^again^and^spi11ed^the^
rest^0f^the^c0ffee^0nt0^my^m0use^and^br0ke^the^cup

The^m0use^seems^t0^be^w0rking^again
Maybe^the^keys^0n^the^right^side^wi11^start^w0rking
again^t0mmar0w

1^:sniff:^f0r^my^10st^c0ffee
2^:sniff::sniff:^f0r^my^specia1^cup

He knows his lines when we practice at home, at least. (And he always makes me read past his last line to the end of the scene, because he has a stage direction to smile and wave, and he wants to be sure to practice that part too. :)) But the memorization's the easy part. We'll see...

Lamp I spilled coffee (just a couple of drops) onto my keyboard and at first it wouldn't stop peeing (well, they do say coffee is a diuretic!). Then it wouldn't pee at all.
I gave up and got a new one.

I've read that you can put a keyboard into the dishwasher on the top rack and it can clean them without harming them. I've never tried it though. Sounds totally wrong.

I AM sorry about ur coffee cup.

I had a great coffee cup that one of the older ladies in the farm market gave me one summer to take back to college.

I didn't find out until years later, at my last job, that it was Bybee pottery, kind of a big deal. I had carried my cup o' over to the bookstore and the lady says 'is that bybee?' and I'm all like "I don't know. What?" and we turned it over and it had this insignia on the bottom. Well, we didn't turn it over we held it up and looked underneath.

Attachment 43916


When they renovated the suite one of the workers knocked it off the shelf and broke it to pieces. Poor kid, he left me a note and everything. But there was nothing to be done. It was sentimental to me because of who gave it to me, but these things happen.

This guy did it.

It was cheaper to buy a new keyboard than a dishwasher ... :right:

All the crumbs that get in my keyboard would probably gum up the dishwasher.

I have washed keyboards out - I usually use the spray attachment on the sink, and warm water - NO SOAP! .. and then leave em somewhere warm - top of the fridge fer instance to dry out for a few days to a week.

I've got about a 75% success rate with them surviving the procedure.

There's a reason I won't buy a fancy ergonomic $150 keyboard.

Years of forbidding the children to have food or drink at the computer, means I'm the only one who's dumped a full coffee or a can of coke into the keyboard.

The opitical mouse seems to be working fine.
But that was a $50+ cup of coffee (including a new cup)
Of course, it will take years to attain the same patina.

With nothing to lose now, I'll try the old keyboard in the dishwasher,
and maybe we'll end up with a full-sized keyboard on the iPad

Today I have to try to finish fixing my wife's car and put it back together. She drives a 1996 Toyota Avalon and it's hovering at 280,000 miles. It began making a noise, kind of a grinding grown that was there until you hit the accelerator and revved it such a when you speed up or get out on the highway. Then it would subside but come back once the engine was at a steady rpm. It is a transverse engine and it sounded like the noise was on the passenger side where the belts are.

After listening to it while idling in the driveway I felt it might be the water pump or one of the big pulleys for the timing belt. We are way overdue for a timing belt change and since the water pump is only replaceable when the belt is removed I am doing replacing it as well which is what Toyota suggests. I suspect it is the water pump bearing making the noise as the shaft might get repositioned to not make the noise when you accelerate and water is forced harder through the impeller blades, sort of refloating the shaft to a centered position and not pushing the bearing off center.

I had to drain out all of the coolant, remove lots of stuff including the air plenum, engine mounts and brackets and today I need to break free the nut holding the big pulley on to the crankshaft. I need to insure that everything is perfectly lined up for cylinder 1 at top dead center or the timing could get off. I ordered the necessary parts, timing belt kit, water pump and several gaskets and they are all here.

So, I am uneasy because I always doubt my skills even though I did the timing belt a few years ago (supposed to be every 90,000 miles but this is only the second time) and I have successfully rebuilt a few engines in my youth. I just worry I will screw it up, something will go wrong or worse yet I will get it done and the noise will still be there meaning it is something else. And the last thing we need is for the car to just not be repairable (something worse or I fuck up), we just don't have room for a new car payment what with the kitchen redo and other things. I will have let my wife down or at least that what my Leo ego will think.

So why am I doing it? Well, having a shop do it would be $600-$800 as for them it's almost an all day job and they mark up parts. I took the car apart last week and ordered the parts, then I cut my thumb so I've waited for it to heel up mostly so I can use it. And the parts I have purchased only cost about $160 so far. I am also changing out the valve cover gaskets as they get old and brittle and let oil seep out.

Can't put it off any longer, it's like a tax return or getting in your thesis on time. :right:

Good luck Chris! You know what you are doing, and that's why you are nervous. Sometimes it's better to be ignorant about the possible problems.

As long as you get #1 at TDC, the worst that could happen is a leaky gasket or something simple that you'd have to redo, along with checking for children within earshot.

Like you said, the noise could be something else. The only other thing might be the alternator, but I'd bet on the water pump too. Besides, what you're doing needs doing anyway so all's good.

Oh, have you checked the radiator fan? Pullers, sometimes when they get worn, start to rub the fins and could slide back under acceleration. Just a thought if this doesn't solve it.

On a regular engine that might be true but for a transverse the fan units are up by the radiator in front and electrically controlled. And the noise is definitely coming from the area facing the right wheel where the belts and pulleys are, it seemed in the center area which could negate it being the alternator which is towards the front.

The issue for me is not so much my ability but working on an older car with a very dirty engine, brittle connections and other plastic parts that break or crumble.

Today I removed the spark plugs as I planned on changing them as well and it is easier to turn over the engine with them out but ran into a glitch. The spark plugs are recessed down little tubes in the center of the cylinder heads and the center rear spark plug cable came off ok but left a little rubber boot way down inside decided to stay on the spark plug making it impossible to remove the plug. So for about an hour I worked by feel (you can't see into the tube as it faces the firewall) with a large hemostat, I figured it was a long and narrow version of a needle nose and I managed to pull bits of the rubber off. Then I resorted to a dental tool with a long curved point and picked out bits of rubber for another hour until the last of it came out. Finally removed the spark plug. It is amazing how many tools I have collected and especially unusual ones like the medical and dental tools

Then it was the valve covers, the front is easy but once again the rear presents all kinds of issue as the wiring harness and an AC line are up against it. Finally got it out.

Now playing with finding TDC for #1 which is on the rear head. I also have to jam something into the ring gear via a transmission access panel to jam the crank in place to break free the crank pulley nut which is supposed to be torqued to 159 ft lbs. I did this once before but can't remember what I did. The Toyoto work book says to use a special tool to hold the pulley in place, I may go to the auto part store and see if they rent out a tool like that.

I am remembering how I swore I would never do this kind of job again. What made me forget that? :eyebrow:

I was speaking of an electric fan mounted to the radiator. When they get worn they can develop longitudinal movement that will make them rub under different vehicle dynamics, depending of whether it's a puller or pusher.

Your ear says right front, so that's the logical place to start. They make a boot puller tool that can save a lot of aggravation, as it hooks around the plug and pulls the boot from the far end. It keeps from chewing up a lot of rubber bits that can drop into the cylinder when the plug comes out. Like the dental equipment, it's handy for a shitload of other things also.

Thanks! I didn't quite understand what you meant.

Biggest problem I'm having now is breaking free the bolt for the crank pulley. The pulley has 2 metric threaded hole on either side of the bolt and the Toyota shop manual says to use Special Tool blabidy bla which is like a long handled wrench with a Y shaped yoke at the front and gets bolted to the pulley and then you use a breaker bar and a 22mm socket to break loose the big bolt. The Haynes manual say to jamb a pry bar into the ring gear via a removable plate on the side of the bell housing or put a socket on one of the bolts on the side of the flywheel, probably one for the torque converter. If I go that route I will need my son to help me tomorrow, it's a 2 person job.

I tried to fabricate a tool out of 1/8 aluminum flat bar stock I had in the shop, drilled two hole for the bolt and between them for the socket. It looked nifty and I tightened it up with some high strength metric engine bolts I had. Bent the bolts right off as soon as I pulled on the breaker bar so I quit. Wish I could remember how I did it last time, I must have jammed the flywheel in place.

On the upside, Toyota was able to order 3 of the plastic connectors that cracked, the ones that attach to the ignition coils and they were only $8 each.

Being able to get those connectors is a big help.
If it were a stick with a hefty flywheel, jamming with a pry bar would be easy, but the flex plate for an automatic is pretty flimsy. You have to make sure you're not bending it, so a prop between the ring gear and the ground would probably be safest.

So that whole school performance thing? Turns out that, despite asking the kids to memorize their lines, the plan was always to have copies of the script in everyone's hands. They just gave the speaking parts to the most fluent readers, duh.

So yeah, he read his part just fine. No viral YouTube fodder here.

Was using the scripts so nobody gets embarrassed forgetting their lines, or give them something to focus on so they didn't wander?

It was a fun sponge PC move. God forbid there are any cute moments when some undiagnosed Tourette's kid blurts out ASSWIPE during the nativity play.

Sorry. I'm cranky this morning.

Nah, it takes a lot of embarrass a 7 year old, they don't give a damn. The scripts saved the whole production from falling apart, to be honest. Even with them, there were at least 3 or 4 times when everyone just stood there silently for up to 30 seconds, until the kid who had the next line suddenly realized what was going on. (Not my kid of course, because we'd actually made sure he had memorized his lines. :)) The whole thing was just sort of slow and painful.

Think of it as part of the hazing ritual for the parents, Clod.

Exams starting tomorrow ... just put the final touches on my take-home (due tomorrow), then one each day from Mon-Wed. Clinics in between, unfortunately. But! No matter how it goes, Wed evening I'll be done.

You know we're calling you Dr 100%, don't you?

Oh sure, no pressure. :worried:

Just projecting from recent results, it's the best guide to future results.

Having the living room floor ripped up for the fourth time.
First time, about this time last year - fit lovely, solid wood floor in dream room
Second time - some buckling due to mystery water ingress
Third time - more buckling. Water ingress traced. Hopefully dealt with.
Fourth time - replacing solid wood floor with engineered wood (less likely to buckle if water problems recur).
And no, since you ask, this wasn't covered by insurance.

Clod - I coached Tiger extensively for the Harvest Festival and the Christmas play (although he only had two lines in that.) I was a little annoyed because he has a great memory and suffers absolutely no stage fright. Mum learned the lines with him - he was word perfect before most of the class and no tears there.

But I was... not admonished, but it was mentioned that perhaps it wasn't fair for him to get extra help regarding the performance.
WHAT?!
We were working on sound projection and intonation.
During sessions set aside for just this type of assistance. In fact we worked mostly at the beginning or the end of sessions, as a warm-up or cool down. The dinner ladies (who loved him anyway for being a handsome lad and very precise in his eating habits) used to mouth his lines along with him because we often practised in the hall as they were setting up lunch. It was a grand echoing space and great for creating a joyful noise.

I mean, honestly, it's not like it was an audition piece, or a scholarship place. Yes, he was effectively parroting the way I said the words, but it's still part of learning. Oh and he wouldn't take direction from Mum. Very stubborn. Well, no, not really of course. Just an aspie boy who assigns specific roles to the different people in his life. But Mum did not feel any jealousy, and if Mrs Olney wanted it to be said a certain way then that was the way Tiger was going to say it.

Bloody hell I miss my job.

Oh Lord, yes. Both my kids are devilish about people, especially me and Mr. Clod, sticking to our assigned roles.

That sux limey. Stuff like that is so irritating. firstly because it happens, and secondly because of the added expenses. I'd be spitting chips in your place.

There's plenty of wood chips here to spit!

Sent by thought transference

hahaha...I was thinking chips of teeth from grinding them together. ;)

What will they do when they meet a Jack of All Trades?

Sorry Limes, I was all about missing Tiger and in consequence missed your post.

It's horrible.
You've made your house so beautiful and this little problem (LARGE problem) just doesn't want to be resolved.

I feel your pain.

If I believed in luck, or in people getting what they deserve, this will be the very last time you will have to worry about it. And it will be beautiful.

PS - are you sure the house is not built on an ancient Native American graveyard? You know, the lost tribe that discovered Arran and then all died from hypothermia?

Gah, that's bad, Limey. Can feel the pain. I had that A/C unit of mine going down third time since last year due to unknown problem. And every time they charged me hefty sum. Wasn't covered by insurance either.

There comes that time in life when old folks have to downsize.... We're in that process.

We are planning to put our house on the market, and there is so much to do.
Tomorrow the people are coming to refinish the living rm, dining rm and kitchen floors.
Today we are emptying out the rooms of furniture, and finding
all the lost children, $, toys, buttons, dust-puppies, dog hair, etc.
In the morning, we'll put both dogs in the car and leave for 2 nights at my daughters house.

When we get back, we meet with the real estate agents so they
can tell us how much (less) our house is worth now in this economy.

We have taken 2 pickup-truck loads of "stuff" to Goodwill,
and the trash pick up this past week was extraordinary.

I've already painted the upstairs bedrooms, bath, and hallway,
and plan to do the downstairs rooms while they are still empty
and the furniture is out on the front porch.

If my wife and I can still stand one another after all this, :boxers:
we'll be looking for our next (smaller) place to live. :lovers:

that sounds wrenching and exciting at the same time. good thread choice.

And good luck to you and Mrs LL.

Wow Lamplighter. If I remember correctly, your house is beautiful. It must be difficult to leave it.

Good luck Lamp, you've made it this far it'll be cool.

Good luck with both the selling and the buying. Moving is tough. But change can be good.

As the actress said to the bishop.

I'm dragging this morning.

Around midnight last night, after having trouble falling asleep because I was too warm, I discovered that the air conditioner was just blowing warm air on us, and that's why I had been a little warm all evening. Fuck. So I went downstairs and opened the kitchen window above the outside condenser to listen. It wasn't running. I went to the thermostat and turned off the AC, and then turned it back on. I heard a click out at the condenser as I turned it back on. The AC was trying to turn on, but wasn't able to. I turned it off again. So I went down in the basement and checked the circuit breaker. It hadn't been tripped. But I flipped the breaker off and back on anyway. But I was tired and wasn't interested in trouble shooting any more, so I opened the windows and went to bed. It was a lot cooler outside than inside anyway, so it was better.

I kept thinking about what might be wrong, and it was a while before I fell asleep.

This morning, I tried turning the AC on, and the condenser came right on. Yeah! It works, but I don't know what had been wrong with it, so that's got me a tad apprehensive.

Then I grabbed an apple to take with my lunch, and there was water in the crisper drawer, and on the floor of the fridge. Dammit! This old house. The drain line was probably plugged, and I was already late for work.

That's when my wife told me that my son had played a prank by punching a hole in the base of a can of soda, draining the soda, and filling the can with water. Apparently duct tape isn't water proof and the water leaked out of the can and inside the fridge. The little fucker. I left for work after giving him instructions to get a sponge and to mop out the fridge. At least the fridge isn't broken.

In the end, everything appears to be fine. So I shouldn't complain, but ain't nobody got time for that.

He's a little fucker, no doubt. But I have to admit, if the prank had worked, it would have been kind of funny to see a family member open up a can of soda to find only water. I'm sure cleaning up the fridge will give him time to reflect on what sort of sealant would be more waterproof, for next time. :)

And it made me realize why he was asking me last night if I ever drink soda. I mostly don't, and the only reason we had any on hand was that it was purchased for a party that was canceled because of bad weather. He's the only one drinking the soda. So he was disappointed that nobody was falling for his prank. I feel a little sorry for him.

8:49 AM 9:11 AM You didn't even have time to plot an appropriate revenge, you pussy. :lol2:

Well, if he's the only one who drinks soda, a revenge plan seems obvious. Wait a few weeks, buy some soda, make a hole in the can... :devil:

Water? beetroot juice? Cat's piss?

Beeswax will seal it nicely.

You guys are evil. ;)

Okay, what's making me very nervous ... I'm in the middle of three intense weeks of courses, did a crazy travel one last week that just about did me in (almost didn't successfully complete the drive home ...); and now spending 9 hours/day in lectures for International Health/Tropical Diseases. I have to finish a 12-page project for last week's course and email it by tomorrow night. I have to pull together a proposal for a paper for the Int'l Health course by tomorrow night, to hand in Friday morning. And write the paper by next Friday, when I also have a 2-hour exam on the course.

I've just started tamoxifen and it's giving me nuclear hot flashes all fricking night. I got a Fitbit One and it recorded me as sleeping 5 1/2 hours last night (spent 7 1/2 hours in bed) with 17 awakenings. No wonder I'm tired.

I don't know if I'll pull this one off. So far I've done it, I've gone without enough sleep to get it done. I'll probably do that again and pull something out of my ass in time to satisfy the profs. But I'm seriously apprehensive, or stressed, or whatever. :thepain:

If you needed more sleep your body would take it upon itself to provide it. What is really fucking you up is worrying about not getting the amount of sleep you think you need. ;)

We have some blackberry vines on our property.

My wife sleeps on the window side.
Last night she had a dream where she heard a voice saying " FEED ME ! "

Little shop of horrors?

I did not finish weeding the front garden (north plot) before I started in on the margaritos.


I'm not actually apprehensive, on the contrary, quite relaxed, but it might prove to be a problem when I don't have the driveway cleared in time for the delivery of my recycled bricks scheduled for tomorrow.





also, I'm sneezing hard enough to alarm the dogs. I don't care about their baseless alarm, but the seemingly endless series of convulsions do make my back hurt.

I will address *my alarm* at the subject of this thread presently.

I am worrying to a ridiculous degree about starting my new supermarket job.
It might be because of the amount of training I have to undertake.
I've only had that level of training in two jobs; one when I was a school-leaver going to work in an office, and one when I was a waitress for a then-unfinished restaurant (I quit after two weeks.)

Tomorrow is my uniform fitting.
I will be paid.
I've already clocked up 3 hours training online, for which I will be paid.
Then I have a Welcome Meeting and Orientation and from 22 July (yes, paid) I'm technically on the payroll because there's more... OMG MUCH more.

Good news for the old bank balance (although I'm only going to work 20 hours when employed.)

Two of my training sessions are on Rotisserie.
Two things you can guarantee with me:
- Given the slightest opportunity I will wear the wrong shoes
- Given the slightest opportunity I will burn myself

They have a strict dress code.
So no dangerous shoes.
But I see ouchies coming.

Time to invest some of that paycheck in some burn gel, sounds like.

reminds me of one of murphy's laboratory laws, hot glass looks exactly like cold glass.

I'm sure the hot metal is masquerading in the same way. Be careful, but be prepared to be burned. Know where the ice is.

Other than that, HOW EXCITING!!

I have my post-chemo PET/CT scan on Thursday. It will show whether my 'hot' area from last fall has resolved with chemo, and presumably (hopefully) demonstrate that no other 'hot' areas exist. I plan to grab the radiologist and sweet-talk him/her into a quick read, so that I don't have to wait until my August 12 appointment with a new oncologist. My original one has departed for the Elysian Fields of the Cleveland Clinic.

If the scan's positive I'll ditch tamoxifen quicker than dirt, because it has destroyed my sleep for the past two months. One night of eight solid hours of sleep ... that would be my Make a Wish if I were young enough.

If it's negative I'll set my sights on the moon and stars. Maybe the moon to start. When you aren't sure of your fuel levels, it's prudent to plan for a stop at the Moon before re-plotting your course for the stars.

Or take beans along and make gas on the way. ;)
Hope you get a good read.