Category: Daily Life
Ramblings, often stream of conscious, journaling the events of my life.
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Sunday
Had high hopes of getting my desktop working again. Instead I spent the day stealing capacitors from one mother board to replace on another mother board and still failed to get a working machine. Now I’m trying to convert it to a Virtual Machine on my laptop.
I have a much longer list of things that didn’t get done instead of a list of things that did.
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Saturday
Went to client’s office with the intent of being there a couple of hours. Seven or so hours later…
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Evening Project
Friday evening was an important project. I replaced the brake calipers and master cylinder on one of our cars. Video for that didn’t go so well.
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Observations from the topless man
As a driver of a ragtop, ie. a convertible, particularly one which cannot raise its top, I’ve come to have conversations with most of the people working the corners of the Interstate exit ramps. I’ve learned a bit about the business side of their operation and had friendly conversations. However, as a father of 5, I never seem to have cash for them but they’re okay with that.
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It’s the little things we don’t miss
I just found my Jawbone bluetooth headset and didn’t even know I was missing it!
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Weekend Project – Brakes
Listen toward the end of the video for the cicadas. That’s a slight sampling of the cacophony we hear in our yard every evening.
n.b. The "discs" I refer to are actually called rotors.
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Too tired? Too busy? Muster the energy and time. Read a book to your child.
Take a moment and read this story in The New York Times. In short, a doctor tells of a 74 year old patient who couldn’t get his medicines correct.
Mr. M was a typical new patient: 74, with diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol. He had some prostate enlargement and back pain. His bag of pill bottles was depressingly bulky. I spilled the bottles out at our first visit, sorting them by disease. … Mr. M didn’t remember the names of all the medicines … Mr. M was clearly still confused about his medicines…
[Source, NYT, A Problem in Following Doctor’s Orders by DANIELLE OFRI, M.D.]
In the end, we learn that Mr. M is illiterate, unable to read either Spanish or English. The story would be similar to many other stories of illiteracy leaving us emphatic, but emotionally disconnected, had it not been for the last paragraph.
My kindergarten-age daughter is just beginning to read, and she is taken aback with delirious joy each time a few random letters suddenly form a word that matches real life. It’s a painstaking process for her, but as I watch her I think about how this skill has powerful ramifications for her health and longevity. It’s a gift, really, one that I’d long to transfer to Mr. M if I could.
[Source, NYT, A Problem in Following Doctor’s Orders by DANIELLE OFRI, M.D.]
I know that joy! My son has become quite the avid reader. He no longer wants to be the listener; he wants to be the one who reads aloud. And I too wish I could give that gift to Mr. M.
Remember, they are never too old to participate in reading with you; whether you are the listener or the reader, make time to sit with your child and a book.
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Evening Project – Personal air conditioner
I’ve been consulting on site for a client and their office gets rather hot in the afternoons. Fortunately they have a large ice machine. I decided I’d try making a cooler air conditioner.
So far the result is that the temperature definitely comes down. Now, will the ice melt too quickly?
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Knoxville Storm Blows Over Billboard
Hardee’s burgers may have too many calories for its billboard. The storms last night had winds strong enough to knock the billboard over.
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One of these two things is not as urgent as she thought
If I am in the men’s room playing Angry Birds and I can hear a woman having a conversation on her phone in the stall behind mine, either she is talking too loudly or the wall between the men’s room and the women’s room is too thin. Oh, her call is done aaaand flush. Bonus, three stars!
n.b Really people. Leave your cellphone at your desk and enjoy the
movementmoment.
