4 posts tagged “car troubles”
Ok, technically I love working with computers as long as the hardware does what it’s supposed to do.
I had run out of hard drive space on my data drive (I have a drive that is dedicated to nothing but my data – photos, spreadsheets, email, source code, etc). That drive is backed up on a very regular basis to an external hard drive and then occasionally that data is taken off site in case a meteor hits my house. If the meteor is big enough to take out my house and my offsite data location, then I have bigger problems than some lost data.
But I digress.
The data drive was 99.4% full when I finally ordered a new drive. Since the drive was a lot bigger than I needed I decided to make it a new video drive, so I copied the video drive’s projects to the new hard drive, the data drive to the video drive and then removed the data drive.
BOOM!
That’s exactly when the whole thing went south.
Four hours later I figure out that the plugs for the new SATA drives suck rocks through bent straws. Once I pushed it firmly back in everything started working.
I hate computers.
I love computers.
It’s complicated.
In other news, we had our yearly portraits done. I took all the ones that don’t have me in them, Paul did the ones with the three of us and my daughter Michelle took the ones of me.
Fun, fun. Now I want a set of studio lights for my own basement. I have a massive Home Theatre room (17x24) that would double nicely as a studio. The floor in the middle-right of the room has to be empty most of the time since that’s where the 144” TV screen lives. (that’s not a typo, by the way – my screen is 12 feet across).
We were hoping to light the 30’ Blue Spruce in my front yard this weekend. We have to bring in a boom truck to do the top part and the truck wasn’t available. It may have to wait until this summer now :-( Oh well. At least we own all the lights now… we have 1200 LED lights that stretch 500’ to wrap around the tree. I’m hoping it lights up the yard!
My car’s battery died this weekend. Really inconvenient considering the PC fiasco too.
I hope you’re not looking for anything deep today.
Michelle is pleased with where she is in school now. Her final projects are due in about three weeks and she’s on top of all of them. She’s finally realizing that when you put effort in you get results out. Yaaaa!
Sherry has just over 2500 minutes left in her season. It’s sad that we know that. The weather is supposed to turn miserable next week. She’s really happy that she’s done this week.
I’m thankful that I have a computer to break. I love working with technology, not only is it my job, it’s also my hobby and brings me a lot of joy.
I’m thankful that I have a car to break down. Life is so much easier with a car. I have a buddy that’s between cars now and it’s just a pain in the butt to get anything done.
I’m thankful that the weather is turning nasty *after* Sherry is done for the season. Whew.
Ok, gotta run.
So faith based schools are a hot topic right now. Should the government help fund faith based schools (like the Catholic or Christian schools)?
I think so, under a couple of conditions. The teachers need to be qualified to teach the children that they are trusted with and the ciriculum needs to be the same as the public schools.
By putting a child into a faith based school you are doing a couple of things - you're teaching them a set of moral values and you're making one more space in a public school.
Of course I can see how this would be likened to private health care... hmmm. Should people that have more money get a better education than those that don't? Should wealthy people get better health care than those who aren't?
The answer, of course, depends on whether you are wealthy or not.
I'm not voting Liberal this time because of McGuinty's famous promise not to raise taxes. He even signed a legal document with the Canadian Taxpayers Association saying he wouldn't. That really ticked me off.
I would consider myself a small-c conservative. I think every government should spend less than they make, should strive to do as much as they can with as little waste as possible and should be responsible for the money that I'm forced to give them in the form of taxes.
I really enjoyed having Paul Martin as the Canadian Finance minister. He sucked at Prime Minister, but he was a great Finance Minister.
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Michelle had a fight with Michael (the uncle that spearheaded the effort to get her a car for her 16th birthday) over the car last night. She was loud enough after the fight to wake me just as I was drifting off.
I had a terrible night's sleep last night and I'm in a nasty mood today.
I really hate that car.
Ok, so I seem to be stuck on this whole car thing. Michelle really really really stresses me out over this.
She refuses to share 'her' car and I'm paying for the whole thing (which stresses my budget - Sherry and I typically go through about $150 a month in gas, Michelle has been going through an additional $200 a month).
Something has to change.
Michelle and all (and I mean all) of her friends have jobs - so we're going to offload (like a good politician) all of the car
expenses on to them. If they can't each kick in $10 per week for gas then they've been abusing my generousity (and Michelle's willingness to drive them - she's the only one that has access to a car).
So, they'll be responsible for gas and maintenance of the Cabbie - Michelle will be required to drive Sherry into work in the mornings in exchange for us insuring the car (which she actually can't afford - no matter how many of her friends have jobs). Sherry and I will make do with one car until Michelle goes to College this time next year.
Michelle gets so dramatic (Drama Queen Academy Award level) when we talk to her about her car. And it's really stressful. Sherry misses all of that drama because Michelle is at work by the time Sherry gets home and we're in bed by the time Michelle gets home.
I need it to stop
In slightly more mundane, but happier, news I'm back down to my all-time lowest weight (I now weight around 190 - down from an all time high of 220). My goal is 185 (I'm 6'2") and it looks like it's in reach now. I'm also back to 3 miles a day which I complete in about 25 minutes on the treadmill. I get the advantage of comfortable weather and I get to watch a movie while I run. Pretty cool.
Michelle's car was in the shop to have the brakes done and it was gone all weekend - which really stressed Michelle out. Apparently the only fun thing she has in her life is her car and being without it is like not being able to breathe.
The linkage also needs to be replaced - it's a standard and 2nd gear doesn't work at all and 1st gear is starting to get sticky. The linkage is (apparently) not hard to change, but you need to know what you're doing. The guy that was supposed to do it was scheduled to do it this past Friday but couldn't make it. Now he wants to do it today or tomorrow, but Michelle NEEEEEEDDDS the car for school. So, she'd rather do without 1st and 2nd gear (which would destroy the clutch) than do without her car for one more day so the linkage can get fixed.
It's her car.
I'm actually starting to regret that birthday gift. It should have been given to her as a graduation present... although I don't know how she's going to be able to afford the car when she's at college - tuition and books was all that I was able to manage and the prices are a lot more expensive now than when I was in school.
Here's a paint job that we had toyed with getting on her car...
I may not make it to her grade 12 graduation - this stress is weighing very heavily on me.
I had to take my plates away from her once already (I can't take the car, it's hers -- but the plates are mine). That was an eye opener, but apparently she's forgotten the lesson. Bummer.
Ok, gotta run.
