Perpetual Ruminations

Friday

Here I thought I was going to get in here this afternoon and get this written, then work on some writing and maybe even submit a couple of items for the anthology. Instead I'm up later than I should be and just getting in here now. Sometimes it just works out that way, and there just isn't anything that can be done about it. Today was one of them times. Even so, I am now running behind on sleep, going to get a short night again tonight, and already my attempt to try and get to bed on time is shot for this week.

But, what can I do to change it? I planned things out as best as possible, but other things come up and there goes the plan. One thing that messed me up was the van breaking down. We had it in, thought it was fixed, and then found it still doing the same thing. Back into the shop, repaired again, and now we are back to two vehicles. Less miles, which means less money for gas, and I don't have to spend as much time running back and forth. See, with only one vehicle, Rhonda rides in with me in the morning, then returns home. She works the shift after mine, so she comes in later, and then I get to drive back home. Then, when she gets done, I have to drive back in to pick her up. This not only uses a lot more gas, but it takes up more of both of our time. Also, it's difficult for me to start something when I know I will have to stop to run into town.

Even worse, once I go pick her up and drive her back home, it's time to eat dinner. Only we haven't started it yet since we are not going to be home. So once we get back, it's time to start dinner, then eat, and by this time, it's my bed time. Of course, I can't sleep after eating dinner, so we stay up a little while and let the food settle. This of course puts us behind schedule for getting to bed, and getting our activities done.

But, with two vehicles, I drive myself in and then drive home after my shift. I don't have to run back in so I can work on my activities, and even start some dinner when Rhonda is about done with work. We had planned on eating leftovers so we don't eat so late, so dinner isn't anything big, not much time needed, and really doesn't mess up the sleep schedule, if it works out the way it's suppose to.

Only the van not only acted up again, it got even worse. So, back to one vehicle, and the van is back in the shop. This time, it's change out the item that seems to be causing the problem, and it's not cheap. But if it fixes the van and we have two vehicles again, it's worth it. This morning Rhonda rode in with me, then came home. When she came back in for work, I got to come home. But I did have to stop and pick an item up first. Then, it was time to come home and once I got here I had a light lunch and set about getting ready to write. But, I needed to check my e-mail and send my e-report first.

I got the e-report written and sent, then checked my mail and seen I had an answer to a problem at work with another guard. So, I replied to the e-mail, then called the other guard and talked to him. Once that was done, I was free to do what I wanted. I thought about logging in and working on writing a little, but it was already after two, and I had to keep an eye on the clock so I wouldn't be late picking Rhonda. Also, I needed to leave early so I could stop and inquire about the van.

So, I logged into a couple of other sites, then got things ready to go and headed out. The van was done, so I left the Jimmy there and drove the van in to get Rhonda. It worked great, and ran better then ever. Soon enough I was pulling into the parking lot and  drove around looking for a place to park. The idle slowed and soon enough it was running like crap again. Only, it wasn't quite the same as it was. I shut it off and went in, waited for Rhonda, then we left. Only the van barely kept running. I had to limp it off the road into a parking lot and it seemed like we still didn't have a second vehicle.

I got out and looked, but there was nothing. I did unplug the idle speed sensor, and it ran worse. When I plugged it back in, it ran fine. I also noticed a vacuum line that was in very bad shape. So, since I was at Runnings Farm and Fleet, I went in, bout the hose, and replaced it in the parking lot. When I restarted the van, it ran fine and has run good all the way home. It idles fine and seems to be fixed, but we won't know until we drive it a while and see if it still acts up, or if it was a combination of the EGR and the idle sensor. Of course, I may need to replace that, too.

Eventually we made it home, but we did need to stop and pick up a few things first. Since this gave us more opportunity to try out the van, it was a good idea, and we soon had our shopping done, and not long after, we were home and fixing dinner. Only, with all the messing around, I barely got home by my bedtime, and now I'm up way past it. Hopefully the van works good tomorrow and I can maybe sneak in a nap.