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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| Kind of late again, but with good reason. It's my day off, and I had a full day. It started off fine, with sleeping in and getting caught up on some much needed sleep. I woke up around seven, went to the bathroom, then went back to bed for a few more hours. We had been up kind of late last night, getting to bed after one this morning, so it isn't like we slept for ten hours, but it was nice to sleep in. I'm not sure what time I got up, around ten or so, but thats just a guess. Then it was coffee. I have to have a cup of coffee to get me started in the morning, and we had ours out on the patio. It was a beautiful morning, and there was no sense in wasting it by sitting inside. In fact, we had several cups of coffee, watched the birds, and enjoyed some relaxing and good conversation. But all things come to an end, and so did our leisure morning. Around eleven or shortly after we had breakfast. Rhonda cooked up some oatmeal while I worked at taking the insoles out of my new shoes so I could put my lift in the left one and then replace the insoles that came with the shoes with the memory foam ones I bought. Next it was out to work on the van. I couldn't find anything obvious as to why the van would not start, so we tried a few different things. We had changed the low idle valve, and that's when it started not starting. Nice play on words with that sentence, huh? Anyway, I thought maybe I had forgot to hook something up, but no such luck. So, I pulled the air filter housing out, and the attaching hose. I looked at the wire harness and noticed a lump inside the tape. There should have been a sleeve over the wire, but it was only covering the lower half of the wire bundle, the rest was taped. Inside the tape, something was creating quite a bulge, so I began to unwrap the tape. I soon discovered two crimp on splices in the wire harness. Two wires had broke or been cut, and this is how they fixed it. I pulled on one of then, and the wire pulled out. It was corroded, and looked like it had not been tight for a long time. The rest were tight, and even soldered together, but the one wire was missed or something. What have happened, it was loose. These wires connected to the Mass Air Sensor, and it is this that tells the computer how much air and at what temperature, is entering the engine. The computer takes this information along with other readings and determines how much gas to deliver. This means, the lose, corroded wire may be the problem. So, I cut out one of the splices and started setting up to fix the wires. But, there was too much stuff in the way of my tools, so we decided to make a run to the dump. We loaded up the trash and all the junk from the garage in the back of the Jimmy, then drove into the landfill to deposit it. Soon enough we were on our way back home and then it was time to start work on the van. I took all the tape off, moved things out of the way, and soldered the broken wires back together. I then slid some heat shrink into place and sealed the splice. Next, I coated everything with some silicone, then slid another bigger piece of heat shrink over the entire repair area, heated it up and then wrapped the area with electrical tape. Once I had that done, I wrapped the entire wire bundle up good with black tape, then slid the protective sleeve over the bundle. After putting everything back together, we took it for a test drive. It had more pick up and power, and I run it up a bit high in speed. When it hit one hundred miles per hour I let it idle back down and then drove sensible the rest of the way into town. I had taken a back road in, but came home on the main highway. About forty five miles round trip, and it ran great. It seems we have discovered and corrected the problem. It's kind of funny and not funny at the same time. We had it in for repairs a couple of times, replaced a few things, and put a good two hundred dollars into the thing, likely closer to three, and nothing fixed the problems. Today, I pull the stuff out of the way and there it is, a couple dollar fix with the soldering gun and it's running like a dream. Oh well, there isn't much to say about the whole mess, and it was cheaper than taking it in to a high tech garage, they would have found the problem, in time, but how long would it have taken? I know it's a slow process to diagnose an electrical system and the mechanic likely would have replaced components before checking the wiring for breaks and bad connections. So, we did save a lot of money, but it took us a long time to discover the problem. Once the van was fixed and the test drive over, I worked on the rider for a bit, then mowed about half the yard. After getting the uncut part of the yard done it was time for dinner, then I logged in here and now I'm going to go take a shower and watch a spot of television before bed. |
| Monday comes to an end and I start my three days off. I need to make the most of them, since they are about to come to a close real soon. Unless we get a new person hired and trained in right away, it's going to be difficult to get much time off at all. This is the part I dislike about being a supervisor, the employees who just can't be open and honest, and don't give a damn about anything other than their own self. This is the situation that we are in, again. One person who is always needing time off, can't make it in for one reason or another, and who won't fill in for any of the others. It's been difficult, to say the least, but I tried to work with him on each occasion, have alter schedules, filled in, and even gone in so he can leave early. Each time I find it's a line of crap he's feeding me, and try as I may, I can't get him to understand. The biggest problem is, no sense of responsibility. He has none, and has no idea that he alone is responsible for his choices. He finds excuses for everything, and just doesn't care. When he needed to find a new vehicle, I offered him as many hours as he wanted. I knew he was looking for more income, and I had hours available, but he didn't want them. But, even when I hired him, he stated to me that he wanted to find a better job than the one he had at that time. He was working on a dairy, milking cows. He wanted to get a different job and told me he was quitting that job in two weeks. But, he never quit, he just needed me to adjust the schedule to fit his hours on the farm. I did. Next, he needed to take days off to fill in on the farm. Again, I worked with him. The part I just never understood, is why he said he wanted this job, was quitting the other because he didn't like it, and then put this job second to the other. But, he did eventually quit the farm job, so he could look for other work. I asked if he was looking for a full time job or a part time one. I wanted to know, so I could be prepared when he left, and hire another guard. But, he told me, to my face, that he did not intend to give up the security guard job, but was looking for a part time position that would work around his schedule. So, I took that as the truth, offered to adjust the schedule to fit as best I could, and then waited. Then he needed a week off, so again, I provided him the time off. I also discovered that if someone else had problems, this person would not come in to work for them. Less than a week ago I learned that this guard had found a new job. He wouldn't tell me to my face, or even call, but had to send a text. I had to arrange to talk to him to learn what was going on. He said he would be working weekdays but wanted to work as a security guard weekends. I asked him if he wanted every other weekend, or one day each weekend, what ever would work best. He answered, "I will work every weekend, if I can." So, I set about getting a new schedule set up, with him on just weekends. It meant jumbling everyone around, but we got it working. Not much time for me or my wife, but it worked and would do until we could get another person hired. Then, I found out another guard needs a bit of time off for some personal reasons. It was tough, but we found a way to make it work, and I told him today that Rhonda would go over the schedule with him to make sure everything would work out. It did. Now tonight, I get a text from the guard who took the new job and wanted to work weekends. He changed his mind and is not giving me two weeks notice. Of course, the coward couldn't call or tell me to my face, but sent a text to me after I got home. So, now we scramble again to redo the schedule yet again. This has been his history since I put him on, lies and excuses all along. I don't mind losing this person, for this reason, and because he isn't do the job very well anymore. But, I it's this crap of bending over backwards to give him every opportunity, trying my best to make things work for him, and just asking for some honesty in return. I am not a hard-ass with any of my people, and tend to be too easy going. But, I want them to be able to talk to me and be comfortable with it. Instead, I keep getting people like this kid who just don't get it. I do know the job he is taking, and the place he is going to work at. It isn't a very good place to work and has a high turn around. The pay is good, and their are benefits, after a three month period, but many workers don't last that long. I know they will not tolerate him not working do to weather, especially when the weather isn't that bad. I also know they won't patsy him and fluctuate his schedule, or let him leave early to babysit or what ever he needs to do. He is in for a wake up call, and may even show up looking for his old job. I doubt it, but anything is possible. I also know he doesn't start for two weeks, and they may very likely contact me for a reference. I will be honest, and when they ask if I would rehire this person, I will have to tell them the truth, "No." Imagine, pulling all this, then changing your mind, and messing up everyone you work with, then needing a good reference to get the new job. Not much for common sense, and if the job doesn't pan out, then what? Is he going to come and tell me he changed his mind again? Maybe, but I haven't. |
| Made it in a little earlier tonight, but still don't have much time before it's my bedtime. Even so, considering I worked until five thirty, stopped and shopped for some groceries, and then cooked up a light supper after I got home, I think I'm doing pretty good. It was pretty busy again at work, and I got a lot of time in on my feet. It was a good chance to try out my new shoes, and they are much better than the old ones. My old ones just weren't the best when I bought them, but that's what I get for not trying them on before purchasing them. See, what happened was this. I had bought a pair of Avias and like them a lot. They were light, supportive, and very comfortable. But, being on my feet so much, working on concrete and blacktop, and putting quite few miles on each day wore them out pretty fast. Once they were almost smooth from wear, they just didn't comfort my feet anymore, and I found myself slipping quite a bit. It was clear, I needed new shoes. Only last summer was a hectic mess with very little time to do anything other than work. But, I seen a pair of the same Avias shoes in Shopko one day, so I just grabbed my size and bought them. Normally I am very picky about my shoes, since I have a lot of problems with my feet if I don't get just the right shoe. But, since the pair I had just wore out were so good, I just figured the new pair would be just as good. Therefore, I didn't try them on, but just bought them and took them home. The next day I put them on before leaving for work, and they were not very comfortable at all. Again, I should have trusted my feet, they knew. But I again jumped to an assumption and figured my feet were sore from the previous day at work, being there for ten hours, and from my old shoes being so wore down. Now, the time on my feet and the old shoes was correct, but it wasn't why my feet were not comfortably in the new shoes. It was the shoes that were uncomfortable, and they never got any better. They didn't' get worse, but they didn't' get better, either. After work they were not in any condition to return, so I just kept them and wore them anyway. I did put a different insole in them, which helped, and it was soon cold out and I was wearing boots instead. But, with spring and the warmer temperatures, I soon found myself wearing these uncomfortable shoes again. It wasn't long and I had them wore out, since they had seen a lot of miles last fall. That left me open to buy some new footwear, and I looked at a few places, and I tried on a lot of shoes. I did try some more Avias, two different styles, one like my old ones, and then a regular training shoe, but they both were uncomfortable. I don't know what they changed, but they just did not feel good on my feet. This time I listened to my two feet, too. I had been on my feet for twelve hours on Friday, eleven on Saturday, then went shoe shopping. So, my feet were plenty sore and very sensitive. I had tried about every type of shoe I could fine, that was permitted at work, and wasn't having any luck. I had one more stop, Famous Footwear. As soon as I walked in, a guy asked me what I needed. Not those words, mind you, but the same message. So, I explained what I needed, what they had to provide, and he pointed me at some of the most likely shoes. Some of the kinds I had tried already at different stores, and I told him that. Then, he came to the Sketchers and told me they were a very good shoe. There was a style there that looked nice, would be very fitting for work, and looked like a good shoe, so I tried them on. As soon as my old shoes were off and into the new ones, they were happy. Still pretty sore, but happy. These shoes actually made my tired feet feel better. So, I looked at the price, and they were right in the same price range as most of the others I had looked at. I bought them and tried them at work today, and my feet are much happier. They are still tired and sore, but more from yesterday and Friday, today seemed to be a lot better. Tomorrow is another early day for me, but I get done around eleven, so only a little over six hours. Also, it won't be nearly as busy, so less time on my feet. Then, I have three days off before I have to work another long day, so my feet should be rested up and feeling good again. Then we will see how well these new shoes are. |
| I should be in bed, but instead I'm in here writing this entry. It's after nine, almost nine thirty my time, and I have been up since about three this morning. In fact, I have been up at three for the last two days and haven't gotten to bed until around ten. Not much sleep, but tomorrow will be better, I don't have to get up until five. Not that it's a big deal, I've kind of gotten used to this, but I'm still trying to change it and get more sleep. It just hasn't worked out this week. My reason for stating this is mostly a warning that I have no idea where this entry is going, and it may turn to a lot of gibberish as I type. Being very tired tends to do that. Also, there will likely be a lot of mistakes and typos. the main reason is my tiredness, the second is I don't have a back space button. My button wore out and fell off. There is a little nub sticking up, but it's not very easy to hit unless I take my fingers right off the keyboard. I guess the fact that it broke off from being wore out is a sign I need to work on my typing and stop making so many mistakes. It was a pretty nice day today, but kind of windy. The wind was cold, too, but it tapered off this afternoon and then it was real nice out. This added to the busy, crazy day at work, but it does help the day go by faster. Only, I was beat and that made it pass slow. Of course, it would have been even slower had I not been busy, and it would have been hell to try and stay awake, too. But, with the sunshine, most everyone was in a good mood. That always makes the day go by nicer, and it makes my job more pleasant. I also was able to work with Rhonda today, and that helps a lot. Not on because it's so damn busy and one person just could not keep up, but it's always enjoyable to work with her. It's enjoyable to do most anything with her, in my opinion, but then, I may be biased. I got done before her, so I went shoe shopping. Mine are wore out and they make me feet hurt, a lot. Especially on long days like yesterday and today. I mean, I literally put in half my work week in the last two days. It's funny, in a strange kind of a way, see today is my two year anniversary working this job and this career. When I started, I put in eighteen and twenty hours a week, one week being eighteen hours, the next being twenty hours. Now, I put in twenty two hours in over the last two days. Crazy! It's no wonder I'm beat. Anyway, my shoes are wore out, and that makes them hard on my feet, and that is hard on my back. So I went looking for shoes, and for over an hour I put my feet into items that made them feel even worse. Then, I tried a different brand than I've ever wore, and right from the start, they made my feet feel better. I'm sure that will make a big difference in how tired I get and how sore my feet get. Of course, having some back troubles, sore feet make the back hurt and that makes everything hurt. So, tomorrow is going to be a good test to see how good the shoes are, and how much better my feet with feel. tomorrow is a good day to try the new shoes out, too. I wore them a little today, and they did great, but that's not the same as wearing them at work. So tomorrow is the big test, but if they stat to cause problems, I could be in serious trouble. Only I work with Rhonda again tomorrow, and I only work a short shift. Six hours and I'm done. That's going to be nice. Also, we have two people on, so it won't be as hectic, and since it's Sunday, it won't, or shouldn't be as busy. Then, I work Monday morning and again, only six hours, then I'm off for the day, and have three days more to enjoy. Of course, the three days off each week are aobut done until we get another person hired, but that's a tale for another night. Now it's time for some ice cream and bed. |
| Getting in here a little earlier again tonight, which is kind of a surprise since Friday is my long day at work, and I usually end up pretty late. I started work at five and finished at five, twelve hours later. It wasn't a real busy day, but it was a bit of a screwed up day. It started fine, I was up on time and had actually slept quite well. I woke once for sure, maybe twice, but I don't remember. I know I slept hard and deep, something I seldom do anymore, unless I'm exhausted. The only thing that would have been better would have been a few more hours of sleep. It was kind of late by the time I got to bed, but that's kind of how it has been going. Despite only sleeping for about four hours, I woke to the alarm, and then snoozed for a little bit, snuggled to Rhonda until the second alarm went off. I had my morning cup of coffee and got ready for work, but by the time I got going it was a bit late heading out the door. I clocked in at four fifty nine, but should have been there about ten minutes to the hour. Not that it was a problem, it's just better to be a little early. I opened and had a truck waiting, but everything else was fine. I didn't have much for guests until about nine thirty, but there was quite a bit of freight coming in. Then, it got busier and I was more than ready for eleven when Rhonda would show up. Instead, at ten thirty, she called and sent me a message. She was running late. Then, I had another message to call her, so I took a short break to do that, and found the van wasn't starting. We had worked on it yesterday and changed out a part, now it won't start. So, she called my brother to see if he would give her a ride, and she made it in about two and a half hours late. She did get another guard to fill in for her until she got there, but he had to take off right away, as soon as Rhonda showed up. It was enough time to find out that he has another job and won't be able to work his regular shift after the end of the month. Starting in June, he only wants to work weekends. This kind of messed up the entire schedule, since it puts a lot more hours on the rest of us, and Rhonda and I won't be able to take time off together until we hire a replacement. We will work on some scheduling ideas tomorrow and try and get it all sorted out now. Yard traffic had been pretty steady up till noon, but once the other guard showed up, it was kind of slow. This made the day drag on and drag slow, too.Even so, there were times when it was busy and kind of hectic, so it was good that I stayed on. But, it was slow enough to make the afternoon go by too damn slow, and it made for a long day. Especially since I'm so tuckered out today. It was just that kind of day, and hopefully I don't have another one like this for a long time. But, a person just never knows if they are going to have one of them days, or a good day, until it comes. Even then, a person really don't know until the day's coming to an end and it's certain how the day has passed. I do hope that I can get another person hired real soon, and that they will be happy with working only part time hours. It may turn into more hours in time, but for now, it's just three short days. Of course that could change as soon as we have a schedule worked out. Like the van, that project will have to wait until another day when I'm not so dang tired. Right now I'm beat, and it's getting hard to keep my eyes open. Even tougher trying to focus and write anything, since I keep losing my train of thought. Buy I have this entry just about done, and once I hit the magic nuber, I can shut things down and get my self off to bed. But first we have to take the dogs out, then have a little ice cream, and then bed. |
| This is much better than yesterday. Although, yesterday's entry was actually early this morning if you want to be technical. Today is my last day off this week, and instead of three days off it turned into two. I got called in yesterday, but not by any of my crew. No, this was my boss, in the home office, needing someone to get up to Aberdeen and fill in for the rest of the day. It was interesting, to say the least, but not a bad day at work. Things are quite a bit different up there than at our site, not only the layout of the yard, but how things have are done. It seems they have had some less than professional guards, and things do not work as smoothly between the store and the security personnel as it should. Of course, it's not the guards, although I'm sure they have had some bad ones. No, the problem comes from the top down, and in our case not the office staff, but the local supervisor. I know, because we also had a less than professional supervisor when I started working as a security guard, and we had the same problems. In fact, that's how I became the supervisor. Ours resigned his position, since he wasn't ever there, and was seldom doing anything even close to supervising. The person who applied for the position didn't have what it took, and did about as much; or as little, depending on how you look at it. Things continued to build up to a head, until something had to be done. I was the exception I guess, and didn't follow the general pattern. Not that I intended anything other than just doing my job, I just take a little pride in my work and wanted to do things right. We had not been properly trained, and what I had was not enough to do the job correctly. It was a pain in the butt, so I took it upon myself to learn how the job was suppose to be done. One reason, as I mentioned, is a little pride in my work, the other was the fact that I wanted to keep my job, and that would mean doing the work right. So, I read the manuals, I asked questions of the management, and I sort of self taught myself the ropes of the job. Management observed this. Not ours, my boss and fellow workers were threatened by my desire to do the job right, and I was often accused of being a kiss up, of trying to make them look bad. I even was laughed at and ridiculed some, but I didn't care, I knew the truth. I didn't make them look bad, they were doing an awesome job of that on their own. As for the accusations, I didn't let it bother me, since my boss was as much a screw off as the rest of them, so the only way to kiss up to him was to follow his advise on how to do things wrong. As far as the rest, it didn't matter, since they were not doing anything right, and were in fact the ones earning the chuckles and ridicule from anyone who knew anything. See, we work at a local site, but our office is in Iowa, a couple hundred miles away. So, the people who observed all of this were the ones we worked for. They noticed and appreciated my hard work and dedication, my professionalism, and my desire to do the work right. I did not know at the time that the head of the store chain was also observing and our security service was drawing a lot of unwanted and negative attention. So, without my knowing, the store management put in a request that I be promoted to supervisor. I did know the position was still open, and that the current person in charge was just there on a temporary basis, but I had not desired to apply for the position, since I was the newest member there. Also, I knew that the rest of them were all a bunch of screw-ups, and if I took the position, two of them who had been supervisors would now be under me. In fact, the supervisor who had hired me and then resigned his position still pretty much ran things, he just muscled the guy who took his position around. In fact, the rest of the guards used this to get things done their way, get time off, and to keep the new supervisor in check. So, why jump into the middle of a hornets nest and take on the headache of trying to set policy back to what it was suppose to be. So, when anyone asked if I was interested in applying for supervisor, I just told them the truth, I wasn't really looking to be in charge, I just wanted to do my job right and hoped that it may rub off on the others some. But, they had other ideas, and they requested of the home office that I be appointed the new supervisor. My boss called and informed me that I was being refereed for the position with high recommendations from the store management at various levels, and he wanted to know if I would accept the position. I talked it over with Rhonda, and she agreed that I should take the position. I wasn't sure yet, but everyone around me seemed to think I should accept, and a few days later the vice president came up, relieved the current supervisor of his position and appointed me. He went over the training requirements, then informed me there was no time to take the training and twenty minutes later shook my hand, told me who needed to go, what they needed done, and was on his way. Now, I see the same problems in Aberdeen, and they also need to find someone who is a leader to take over the position as supervisor. I'm not asking for the position, and really don't want to go through the aches and pains of doing this all over again. But, they needed someone to fill in for one half a day, and I was asked to go. I did, and by the time I finished my shift, the store management was asking me to transfer and clean up the mess there. I really hope my boss does the job, and I'm not asked. It's a hundred miles from home, and it would be a big, tough, and unpleasant job. Besides, I still have work to do here. We have a pretty good crew, but one is in need of some motivating and training, another is taking a second job and not taking his position with us serious, and I may likely be training in another new guard real soon. The local manager has asked me and my wife to take full time hours since we do the job well, and that means I need to have a crew I can count on to work their shifts, fill in as needed, and work together as a family. But, who knows were it will go -- I've seen this all once before. |
| It got real late for me tonight and I not only missed the date in WdC but I'm almost an hour after midnight, my time. Not that it's really my fault today, I have a good excuse for running so far behind. See, today was my second day off, of three. I work longer shifts through the summer, but then I get three days off during the week. That means I work Friday through Monday, then have Tuesday through Thursday off. Yesterday I worked on the van and hoped to have if fixed, but no such luck. So, I ordered the part that the codes say is causing the problems. Yesterday we pulled the cowling off and cleaned the computer plug and checked all the connections and vacuum lines that I could find, hoping that it was a dirty connection or a lose vacuum hose. But, the connection seemed fine, however there was a lose vacuum hose that I fixed, and hoped had corrected the problem. Nope. The only other idea we could come up with, was the low idle valve, and the code the mechanic got indicated this is likely the problem. We had illuminated about 75 percent of any other problems with the plugs and vacuums, so this seemed the likely choice to move on to. But nobody had one in stock. Advance Auto had the best price, and could have one in by this morning, so we placed the order and then had a relaxing night. This morning we got up kind of late, called and found that the part had indeed come in around nine this morning. We had a couple cups of coffee and then drove in to pick it up. We also had to pick up a few things at the grocery store, and I wanted to take Rhonda out for lunch. We both worked on Sunday, Mother's Day, so we didn't do anything special. On top of that, the kids didn't do anything special for her either. They wished her a happy day, but only with posts in Facebook, and I knew she was kind of disappointed. So, after we picked up the part, I drove her out to Ihops and surprised her with a nice dinner. Then, after a leisure dinner, we stopped and picked up a few groceries and drove home. I had no more than come into the house and the phone started to ring. Now, I had planned on taking Rhonda out for dinner, and I knew that it was likely that I would be int erupted if I had my cell phone along, so I had left it at home. I use it primarily for work, and it's something like Murphy's Law or something that says if we go out or do something that we prefer no interruptions, we will be interrupted. That's why I left it at home. Anyway, the phone started ringing as soon as I was in the house, so I answered it. My boss at the home office was calling, so I knew it was something that needed attention, and I found out that another store, one hundred miles away, had a guard quit and needed someone to work the rest of the day. This was at two this afternoon, so I told him I would leave in a half an hour and fill in. It was only for tonight, and only a hundred miles from my home, but close to three hundred or more from the company office. In fact, we are the closest store to the one that needed help, and I didn't hesitate to get dressed and head out. I got to the store by four this afternoon, making real good time driving up, then worked until ten thirty. I headed for home and was about thirty miles out when I came to a little town. Of course, I wasn't familiar with the drive, it was dark, and I missed the sign that said speed zone ahead. The local speed limit for the highway I was on is 70 mph, but I was only doing about sixty, since it was dark. I notice the sign that said, "Speed Limit, 35" about the same time I seen the police lights come on behind me. I was busted dead to rights, and when the officer came up to the vehicle I had my registration, insurance and drivers license ready. I apologized for going over the posted speed limit, admitting I did not see the sign until I was passing it, and waited for my ticket. He took my information, told me he treated everyone the same and didn't make any exceptions. I told him I understood, and waited while he went to run my plates and call it in. I was surprised when he returned and told me he was just giving me a warning since I had a clean record, and then told me to drive safe and keep the speed down. I did just that, and since I wasn't sure of the roads, kept it ten miles under the posted limit just to be safe. That put me about twelve thirty getting home, and after grabbing a quick bite to eat, came in here to write this entry, which I did not, so I'm off to bed. |
| Day one of three about done. I can't say I got a lot accomplished, but I did give it a good try. All in all, not too bad for a day off, just wish it would have accomplished the desired results. Let's start with last night, after I got home from town. I had gone in to pick Rhonda up from work, then we did a bit of grocery shopping and headed home. By the time we had things put away, ate a bit of late lunch, and relaxed a little while, it was after midnight. Then it was a quick entry in here and off to bed. So, that put it just after one this morning, and with the long and busy weekend at work, we were pretty exhausted. The cold, rainy weather didn't help any, unless you consider the exhaustion part, then it helped a lot. So, this morning was one of those without an alarm set. Well, I can't say none set, the alarm went off at eight thirty, but Rhonda turned it off. Then, the dogs woke her up needing to go outside, but she made that a quick trip and then was back in bed and snuggled up to me. I don't know why Hannah wakes Rhonda up, but she does. If Rhonda isn't home, then Hannah will wake me up with kisses, but if Rhonda is home, Hannah wakes here instead. If, by chance I sleep in too late, then Hannah will eventually come in and wake me up, but that's the only exception. But, the results were the same this morning, the alarm went off and woke Rhonda, who got up, turned it off, then took the dogs out since Hannah wouldn't let her sleep. After they came back in, Rhonda was back in bed, snuggled up tight and we slept in till about eleven, and it felt real good. Then it was a couple of cups of coffee and wake up a little. After two cups, we had brunch and then started out for the big project for the day, working on the van. We got set up pretty fast, and then tore into removing the cowling and fixing the computer plug. Our model and year has a glitch that can let water leak down on the computer plug and cause it to short out and corrode. But, once we exposed the plug, it wasn't all corroded like I had anticipated. This is good, but it means this was not the problem. However, while we had things tore down, I noticed a vacuum line that wasn't staying connected, and that could also lead to some of the problems we were having. I had that fixed in no time, cleaned the main plug and socket, as well as most of the other ones I could find. We then put it all back together and gave it a try. At first, we thought it was fixed. It has more power and zip, and it ran perfect. But then it lost power and died, just like it has been doing. I got out and unplugged the slow idle control valve and it fixed the problem as soon as I reconnected it. But, this is just a temporary fix and soon enough it lost power again, then died. I restarted it and it ran fine the rest of the way home. This is what it's been doing, and we have about run out of things to try. One of the codes was for the slow idle, and we will replace that next. Hopefully it will solve the problem, but if not, it's time to take it in to a shop that can do the real technical evaluation of the entire circuit. That will be the only choice left to isolate the problem and fix it. The problem is, that's going to be pretty costly since there will likely be a lot of time involved in checking each circuit. The only thing we can hope for is that it's a problem that has been diagnosed before and the mechanic will know where to look right off, and have a pretty good idea of what the cause is. So, for now it's a forty dollar part and about ten minutes of work to replace it. If it fixes the van, great, money well spent, but if it does not fix it, there won't be any returning it, and it's another forty bucks invested with no results. That will put us put to about two hundred dollars, or just a little higher, and lots of time and frustration. So, lets hope for the best, and tomorrow after the slow idle is changed out, let's hope the Freestar runs like a champ. |
| Monday, May 12, 2014 Getting in here real late tonight, but I'm still writing before midnight my time. Of course when I post this in WdC it will be after midnight and therefore show up as Tuesday instead of Monday. Just a difference in time zones, that's all. Today was a long day! I was up about three thirty for work, and had Rhonda drive me in since the van is down for repairs. Then she returned home and went back to bed. I worked until one thirty, when she came in for her shift, and I drove home. Then, I went back in to pick her up around ten thirty. So, it was a long day, but I did take a nap this afternoon after I had some lunch. That's why it got so late before I wrote this. I was going to write this after I ate, but I figured if I'm falling asleep at the keyboard, I'm in need of some shut-eye. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to write anything that made sense being that tired. After I got up, there wasn't much time before I had to go in to pick Rhonda up. She didn't get done until about then thirty, but depending on how busy the store is, and how fast they get done with their stuff, she could have gotten out of there anytime after ten. The fasted I have ever gotten done was seven minutes after, and that was only once. But I didn't want to be late picking her up, since there isn't anything anyplace close by where she can wait. So, I went in about nine thirty, got there just before ten, when the gates are closed, and she put her gear in the vehicle so she wouldn't have as much to carry through the yard and store when she closed up. Then I went around to the front to wait and after about a half hour they came out. Then, we headed over to HyVee to pick up a few groceries before we came home, since we are off for the next three days. I plan on working on the van tomorrow, and we have to get the grass mowed and some yard work done, so we didn't want to have to run back in to shop for a few days. Now, hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can get our stuff done this week. I wanted to do it last week when I was off, but the weather did not cooperate, and now it's a week later, the grass is a week taller, and it's going to take a little longer. The last I looked, it was forecast to be pretty good for Tuesday and Wednesday. So, the plan is to work on the van tomorrow, right away. Then, if all goes well, we may get to some mowing and yard work after we finish on the van. Well, if it's dry enough to work on the yard. It's been raining most of the last week, and it really came down a few times yesterday evening and through the night. We have standing water in the yard, and I know that's not going to dry up anytime soon, but if we get a full day of sunshine and no rain, the rest may dry enough to mow tomorrow afternoon. But, there is a chance of a shower tomorrow, so we may have to wait until Wednesday. If the van takes longer than anticipated, we will have to wait, too. but Wednesday is forecast to be dry, with some sunshine and a bit warmer again, so it should work out. Of course, by tomorrow morning, the forecast is likely to have changed again, it seems to change about every two or three hours anymore. That was the case this past weekend. It was suppose to be nice on Saturday and rain on Sunday, but it wasn't very nice Saturday. It was cloudy with some sun, but windy and cold; real windy. Sunday, the sun came out around noon, right about when the rain was suppose to start. By late afternoon, it had cooled down, the wind had picked up, and it was raining hard and rained most of the night. Just the opposite of the morning forecast for rain in the morning and early afternoon, then clearing overnight with more rain today. It did rain a bit today, but not much. Mostly it was just cold, damp. and windy. So, like I said, I'll see what the weather is suppose to do in the morning, and hope for the best. |
| It's Mother's Day and it really gets me missing my own mom. Of course, I miss her all the time, but certain days I miss her more. Even so, I know she is in a far better place, and I know she is happy. It helps knowing this, and that one day I will see her again. Until then I honor her memory and try and make the most of my time left here. I worked today, and enjoyed the fact that I got to work with my wonderful wife. I'm always surprised how many people stop by to purchase lumber on Sunday. To me, this should be a day spent with family and enjoying life. Of course, I do know that some people have to work on Sunday, like we do. I also know that sometimes people are working on projects on the weekends, and need a little more to finish up. But I'm talking about the person who has to come in and get five or six sheets of sheet rock at five in the afternoon, on a Sunday. Sure, they may be putting them up, but not likely. Maybe Monday after work? Possibly, but then they could also pick them up on their way home. I know, five sheets of gypsum isn't the best example. but you kind of get my meaning. It's just that there isn't anything pressing that they need to go out and get this stuff, they just don't appreciate the time they have with their family. I see this quite often, and especially notice it on Mother's Day. Do they really think their wife and the mother of their children enjoys going to a lumber yard for the afternoon. Mom's always enjoy loading AC2 treated lumber instead of going someplace for mothers. Then, there's the real sensitive guy who stops by the fast food joint before shopping for building materials and having his wife help load them. One day a year is given in honor of mothers, and these people can't set aside their projects for one day to spend it making the mother of their children feel pampered? Unbelievable. It's almost funny, in an ironic way. Because, when Father's Day comes around, the yard traffic is pretty heavy. Their are lots of wives and children coming in with dad to pick up his Father's Day gift. It may be a gun safe, or tools, maybe a new tool box or power tools. It's things he will enjoy and get a lot of use out of, and it's thoughtful on the part of the children and wives. But for Mother's Day, few are picking up things mom will enjoy. Sure there are some who have plants and flowers, a new patio set they gave her as a gift. But there are many who are getting boards and nails, with nothing at all for the woman beside them. It's just not right, it shows how one sided many relationships are, and how thoughtless some men are. It gives us guys a bad name, and makes us seem insensitive and uncaring. Of course, we know that's not the case. Well those of us who appreciate and respect our women know this is not the case, but unfortunately we seem to be vastly out numbered. On top of that, one bad apple makes the whole bunch look bad. Luckily for us good guys, our women let us know just how much they enjoy us being the men we are. It's like there's two general categories, the real tough guy, bad ass, macho man's man, and then the type who are sensitive, caring and what is often refereed to as pussy whipped. It's not the best term, but I would rather be pussy whipped than a man's man. In fact, it should be rephrased as a real ladies man. But, someone already coined that phrase and it has a whole different meaning. But, what doe's the term, "Man's man," mean anyway. It sounds like a male who has a preference for other males to me. Not that I mean any disrespect for anyone who's preference is for same sex. No, I do not intend that at all. But even they would likely be insulted by being called men's men. OKay, I'll let it go here, before I say something that does offend someone. After all, to each there own, and some women must love these kind of guys, or they wouldn't be with them. To me, I find it better to give respect and admiration to my wife. That's what the foundation of love is after all. I know, most people think love is a feeling, emotional. Not me, I'm not falling for that line. No, love is not what I feel, it's what I think. What I feel may have attracted me to this wonderful woman, but it wasn't love. I learned to love her after I got to know her, after I began to admire her, and after I had learned to respect her as a person. And, since feelings can change many times within a single day, love based on feelings is about as unstable as nitroglycerin on a hot day. But, one's thoughts are very stable, and if love stems from what a person thinks about the other person, then it's stable and secure. |
| It went and got late on me before I got in here to write again -- go figure. It was a crazy day right from the start, but it's almost over and it should go better tomorrow, I hope. It's Mother's Day and that means it could be a real busy day, or it may be a bit calmer. Sundays tend to be a calmer day, and last year Mother's Day was a little slower than normal, since most families spent the day with Mom instead of shopping at a home improvement store. As for tomorrow, we will have to wait and see, and of course, the weather will have a lot to do with it, too. Speaking of weather, how can they get so wrong? I looked at the National Weather Service and it was a high in the mid sixties, so that was about right. But that's all they had right. Wind, ten to thirteen all day. Not! Rainy with periods of thunderstorms. Not! I also checked with Accuweather, and they said isolated thunder storms. Nope, we did get some dark clouds this afternoon, and it looked like it may storm, but it passed quickly and then more sunshine. They also said winds from the east around ten to thirteen miles per hour, and of course, they were way off, too. We did get one period of rain today, but it was short and light, then back to sunshine with a few clouds from time to time. The wind, I would guess it was steady at twenty miles per hour or higher all day, with gusts up around fifty or higher, all day. I think that's why the yard was so busy, everyone wanted to get their stuff before the rain came, and it never did. Now, for tomorrow. It was forecast for rain most of the day, but I have not looked since three thirty this morning, so I don't know what changes have been added to the forecast. I will look tomorrow and see what they say we will get, but even then, I don't think I can believe them. I'll dress for the forecast, but I will bring extra clothing in, just because they are wrong more than they are right. I see there is a new Firefox available, a little pop up window just told me. It was not a distraction, didn't stay long, and was kind of nice compared to the stuff I usually get when a new update comes out. I will have to look into the new version tomorrow, it's much to late tonight. I need to put an end to these late nights and get more sleep, and these are the kind of little distractions that come up and lead me off course. Tonight, it wasn't any little distraction, it was my own fault, and I think a lot of it has to do with being so beat and tired. I know, it doesn't make sense, but it seems to be true. I get to bed too late and get too over tired, then I can't function right, which leads me to get side tracked and off my course of action which leads me to stay up too late and then it just goes on and on. But, tonight it will be different, I took a couple of sleep aids and I am already finding myself having difficulty trying to stay focused and get this entry finished. My mind is trying to wonder, and my eyes are so heavy I can hardly force them to stay open. I am typing and thinking at the same time, but I'm so tired I feel my fingers trying to type what I think, but they just don't follow the command I give. I feel as if I could keep right on typing even if I let my eyes close. I just don't know what I would end up typing. I do know, it would make no sense at all. I have less than one hundred words left to type and I can get to bed. See, I write in 750 words and need to type at least 750 words for the day. Then, I will copy this and paste it in my journal in WDC. Well, if I can hold myself awake for a few more words, and a few more lines. I think I can, I think I can... Wow, this is getting harder and harder to type, and even as I slow down, the mistakes speed up, I guess I better go while I still can. |
| Kind of late getting in here tonight, but not as bad as it could be. Of course, there isn't much room to change how late it is; a little, but not much. I worked today, opening at 4:45 this morning, and finally getting out of there at 5:30 this evening. That's a long day and Fridays are going to be like this for the rest of the summer. Saturdays aren't much better, but I do get out of work an hour earlier. Sundays will be about the same as Saturday, but I don't have to go in near as early, so not as tiring, then every other Monday will be a bit later than normal, but not nearly as late as Friday and Saturday. The trade off is the good part of this, I get a full week on my check, or close to it, and I get three days off each week. Well, unless someone calls in, then I have to pick up a few hours -- maybe. See, we are not suppose to go into overtime, and I will be logging right around 36 hours one week, and 37 hours the other week, so there isn't much time for me to fill in for anyone. Not that I mind, I have been doing fill in duty for two years, and it's nice to not have to. But, if the need arises, and there isn't any other choice, I can fill in and then have someone work some of my hours to keep me under forty. It was a rainy and windy morning, but it stopped raining pretty early and then the sun even broke through the clouds by early afternoon. It's still partly cloudy, but the sunlight is nice after a week of rain. It was kind of windy out this morning, too, and that picked up with the sun this afternoon, but it calmed down some by the time I was done working. So, all in all, it was a nice day. Not real busy, which is a surprise, but many of the guests farm and they may be out in the fields today, while the weather is nice. Maybe it will hold for the weekend, that would be nice. I don't mind being a bit busy, but I don't like it when it's steady all through the day, it really burns a person out fast. Let's see, what else? Oh, I didn't sleep good last night, so I'm very tired tonight. In fact I've been very tired all day, since I woke up this morning. I should sleep good tonight, however. Last night wasn't a good restful sleep, it was troubled and harassed by bad dreams. I only managed about four hours of sleep last night anyway, and then with the bad dreams and waking so often, it was just to the point of possibly being more tiring than restful. I will take a couple of Benadryl tonight and see how much better I sleep then. Not only will they help with my seasonal problems with pollen, but they also just make me very tired. So, it's kind of a double whammy from them, and if you add in the little sleep I got last night, it's going to be a big whammy by the time it's all said and done. I should go out about as fast as the overhead light, maybe a bit quicker. Tomorrow will be a much better day, after a good night sleep, too. So, it's a matter of getting this done, then getting to bed. I see I'm already pushing my bedtime and by the end of writing and unwinding, I'm going to be right on the wire, if not past it. I need to get home sooner on these long days, even if it's just cut out the shopping for a few items and save that hour. That's about all I can do to try and get done sooner, is cut out that one hour I spent shopping, and possibly the half hour I spent at work getting a few things done after my shift. Yeah, at the most, I reckon I can cut a half hour to an hour and that's the best it's going to get. But, that hour can make a big difference, especially if I'm better rested than I am now. I will have an hour to do this in, and being more alert and awake, I will be able to type faster and more accurately. Well, that's my mark I just passed, 750 words, so off I go. |
| Coming to the end of a rainy day, and my last day off. Tomorrow it's back to to work, and likely will be a twelve hour day, then Saturday will be eleven. I get a break on Sunday and only work about six hours, but then it's eight hours again on Monday, making a nice full week before I take my days off again starting on Tuesday. Of course, my six hour day will likely be closer to seven, my eight hour day will run up to around nine, and my eleven and twelve hour days will be another half hour or thereabouts before I'm done. I didn't get much done during my time off, but I did get some good sleep, and a lot of relaxing. It was a nice break and a restful one; some much needed rest. I had hoped to get the van worked on during my time off, but the weather wasn't very good, with a lot of rain the last two days. Hopefully I can get some nice weather next week, and get things done. I'll also have to get the mower out one of these days, and cut the grass, it's shooting up fast, and it's going to go crazy now with this rain. Maybe I can get some mowing in on Monday, when I get home. I should be home around two in the afternoon, and it only takes a few hours to mow the grass. Well, about four, unless it's real high, then it's a bit slower. If nothing else, I can get a good start on it Monday afternoon, and with Rhonda's help, finish it up on Tuesday. Again, it depends on the weather, and the van will have to come first if the weather is nice. I don't know how long it will take to work on the van, I'm estimating an hour tear down and then another hour to put it all back together, with about an hour repair time in between. That's three hours, and should cover everything. It may even go faster, if everything goes right. For now, it's just focus on work, and getting through the next two days. It shouldn't be real bad, since I worked the same hours last week, but with Thursday as well. That was a bit much, but then I'm not used to it being very busy, and we ran our our butts ragged last weekend. It got busy on Thursday, was busier yet on Friday, and about the same on Saturday, but a little slower on Sunday. This week it's just Friday and Saturday that will be the tiring days, and even they should be a bit less tiring without working Thursday. Now, it's finish writing this entry and relax while Rhonda and I watch a little Netflix. I have Battlestar Galactica on, and we are just starting the first season and the first show. I had watched it before, but that was quite a while back. Rhonda never seen it all, so it will be kind of nice to watch together. Then, it's off to bed and hopefully a good night rest. I have been sleeping pretty well, so I'm hoping tonight will be the same. But, things got kind of wound up earlier this evening, and that may create a bit of a problem for me to get to sleep. On top of that, we ate late, and that does cause some trouble with sleeping good, and for some reason my asthma is flaring up tonight. So, it may be a long night instead of a good night. We will see how it goes, and if needed, I can take something to help me fall asleep. I take a generic brand of Benadryl -- I think that's spelled right-- after my doctor told me that was a safe and effective way to get to sleep. It's the same ingredient they put in some of the over the counter pain medications that are buffered and have an added medicine to aid in falling asleep. It works pretty well for me, and it has the side effect of aiding my asthma if it's acting up, which it is. I have discovered, that if I have a drink in the evening, then take two of these to sleep, I don't sleep well at all. In fact, it has just the opposite affect and keeps me awake. I know, the booze should add to the medicine and have me out like a light. But, I don't take them if I'm drinking late, and I don't drink much. One or two is plenty, and it's usually a couple hours before I take the sleep aid, if I take it at all. After discovering this, however, I don't even take them if I've had a drink in the last three hours. Well, enough on that, it's time to shut things down. |
| Here we are, writing at dinner time, only dinner isn't quite ready yet. I was going to write this about twenty minutes ago, but something came up so now it's get this written, eat a nice dinner, and then relax for the evening. Of course, it was kind of a relaxing day, too. In fact, it's been a couple of relaxing days for us, although Rhonda did get some things done around the house and yard. I spent a half a day with her yesterday, then went off to the lake with my brother for an enjoyable time fishing. Only, the fish didn't cooperate, so maybe fishing isn't the best term. We got the boat out, we enjoyed the afternoon, and we did some angling, and had the fish got with the program, we would have hooked some and then it would have been fishing. Today I was up kind of late, but there was reason. I got to bed pretty late last night. But, not because of anything even close to work, and nothing I didn't enjoy. No, last night, I came home from the lake after stopping at the store to pick up a few things for the evening. Rhonda had dinner about done, but was waiting for me to get home before she finished it. She also had a fire burning in the fire ring out on the patio, and I picked up some items to snack on while we sat out and enjoyed a very pleasant evening. Dinner was about nine, or so, then I had to rush a bit to get my journal entry done so we could go out and enjoy the fire without me having to stop to write, or worse yet, forget to make an entry. I had already set up the items for snacking and dinner was done, so it didn't take long to write my entry and get out by the fire. Rhonda had set everything up beforehand and all we needed was to mix up a beverage and enjoy. The fire had burned down pretty low, but there was a good bed of coals, and in minutes we had flames and were sitting close enjoying the evening and a wonderful conversation of each others day. She had already showed me what she had done, and we discussed a few ideas to complete these. We also just talked, about everything and nothing, like we used to. When we met we shared many hours just sitting, holding hands, and talking about anything and everything. We enjoyed the drinks, but as is typical, I finished mine quite a bit before Rhonda. So, I went in and poured myself a glass of ginger-ale and brought out the roasting forks and snacks. I had picked up a roast and chopped up about half of it into cubes, seasoned them, and we roasted them over the fire. I had also seen a new items, or at least new to me, bacon hot dogs. I picked up a package so we could try them as well. Rhonda roasted up two of them while I cooked up some of the beef. The dogs were right there, and ready for the snacks before we even got them cooking. Of course, Hyko knew all about this from past seasons and past fires, as well as camping out with us. But Hannah has never had the chance to sit out and enjoy a fire until she joined our family, and only once was it nice enough to sit out and have a fire. But, even then, it was cold enough to require us to bundle under quilts and put bedding down for Hyko and Hannah, to keep them off the still frozen ground. We did roast up some marshmallows, but that was all, and it was a short night. She enjoyed it, but they were also eager to get in to the warm house and out from the cold night. Last night, however, it was much warmer, and they were in no hurry to end the evening. We had their beds out, just because the patio is concrete block and they need something soft to lie on, and warmer, too. Hannah was all eyes as I skewered the beef, and as things go, one piece fell and it was gone before it had fully hit the patio. Hannah had scarfed that morsel right down, but since the meat was raw, I was more careful to ensure no more would fall. She enjoyed it, but there is the risk to them from raw meats as well as for us. Hyko looked on, with his big puppy dog eyes, but he had to wait for the meat to cook. Of course, they had plenty to enjoy in no time at all. We all had a wonderful night, and it was past one this morning before we got to bed, so it was a late start to the day. We had things to do, and working on the van is high on the list, but it was thundering and booming off and on all day, so we never did get to that job. We did have a great Bible study, and then it was time to eat a bite and feed Hyko and Hanna. Before we had finished, it was raining and thundering yet again. So, instead of working on the van, we played out our game of Cribbage and enjoyed a nice afternoon together. Rhonda did work on some laundry, and I do have tomorrow yet to get to the van. Since Rhonda has to work tomorrow, it was kind of nice to have things work out the way they did, and having time to just enjoy each other. If tomorrow does not allow me the chance I need to make the needed repairs, there will be time next week. The forecast is for rain and thunder storms all day, so we will see. If it turns out to be too wet to work on the van, I can do other things, or I can take it in to my brother's and work inside the garage. I'll have to see what tomorrow brings. |
| Better get this done now, or it's likely I won't get it written until after midnight, WDC time, and even possibly after midnight my time. The day is passing quickly and I'm not getting much of any of the things I wanted to get done, done. But, the reason behind it is acceptable, and that's all that matters. See, it's my first day off for the week, and I have yard work to do, vehicle repairs to make, and home repairs that need attention. But, the weather forecast for the rest of the week is for rain and thunder storms. So, today was forecast as the only real nice day for the rest of the week. It was nice, but cloudy and of course, windy at times. Even so, it wasn't gusting and to the point a person can't do anything outdoors. Therefore, I should have been up early, got the yard work done, worked on the van, and possibly even managed some of the home repairs that are needed. But, I didn't. I slept in. I had the alarm set for eight thirty and it did go off, but I did not wake fully or just don't remember turning it off. I did, however, turn it off and continued on in sound slumber. Rhonda was up before the alarm went off, but I didn't notice her getting up, either. She informed me that I was in sound slumber, and she wasn't about to wake me when I was sleeping so soundly. Now, there is a pun involved with sleeping soundly. She informed me that she could here me sleeping. Okay, not actually sleeping, but the sounds I made in my sleep. My deep snoring, my broken snoring, and even some whistling , or so she claims. I have no reason to doubt her, and know that I can snore pretty loud on occasion, and not as loud the rest of the time. So, if she says it, it must be so. I mean, after all, I have snored loud enough to even wake myself a few times. I have learned to sleep on my side and that helps, and if my nose is plugged, or if I'm just snoring so loud it disturbs her sleep, I can use nose strips and calm the racket to a tolerable level. So, I went to bed and slept about twelve hours, eleven at the least, and slept soundly. Meaning in deep slumber and with a lot of sound -- sleep soundly. I know, you got it before, and sure, it's a fun pun but enough is enough, and it's time to let it rest. And, that's part of my problem, too much rest. See, I have some back issues and if I stay in bed for too long, it compounds the problems and leaves me semi crippled the next day, as well as in a lot of pain. So, after eleven plus hours of sound sleep, I wake up and my back hurts. Of course, it usually passes right fast once I'm up and moving, but not today. No, today it gets worse and worse, until I'm slightly bent over and in a lot of pain, unable to do much of anything. But, it's good to keep a hard man down. Or, is that, hard to keep a good man down? You know, it may just be both, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, I decided not to let my back be a pain to my plans, and went on as scheduled. Actually, no schedule, but you know what I mean. I had planned to go out fishing with my brother, and the weather seemed good enough, so I got my fishing things rounded up and Rhonda assisted me in getting them in order and ready to go. Then, off I went to enjoy an afternoon on the lake. Of course, it's a bit cool out, a bit windy, and with the water all around, downright cold out in the boat, but I was dressed for it and it was fine. We had an east wind, as well, and that's never the best for fishing, although I haven't a clue how the fish know what direction the wind is blowing. I suppose it has something to do with weather patterns and storms and such. Anyway, we didn't catch anything but we did have a good time. Everything went swell, and we stayed out kind of late, then came in and I did a little shopping for a few things to bring home for supper and to enjoy after I finish here, out around the fire. Once I was home, Rhonda had to show me what she had done while I was gone, then it was help get things ready. I worked on the items for later, out by the fire, she worked on the rest fo the items for dinner. Now, dinner is over and it's time to go enjoy a relaxing fire. |
| It's kind of late again tonight, and once again I'm just getting in here. No reason tonight, I was online earlier and could have written this then, but instead I was doing a bit of reading. I had just gotten up from a nap, and just didn't feel fully awake yet, so I thought I would read a spell and then get going with this entry. Only, dinner got done so we ate, then we watched a DVD, and now here I am. I worked today, getting up around three and working by five, but I was done around eleven today. It was nice after the weekend, and those long days. It did get kind of busy this morning but then it slowed back down. Rhonda worked her regular shift and another guard provided the double coverage. It was slow enough that Rhonda decided to come home early today, which was nice for her, too. Now, it's a couple of days off together for us, then she goes back on Thursday and I go back on Friday. Next week, though, we both get three days off together. It's going to be nice having the time off, but at the same time, I have a lot to do, so I'm not really going to get to just relax and take it easy. Tomorrow, if it's nice, I am going to go out and do a spot of fishing with my brother, but I have other things I need to work on as well. The top priority is the van, and I have fifty bucks worth of material I picked up to fix it with. I'm not sure if the problem is the water leaking on the computer or not, but the tip we seen online indicated this was the situation we are having. The same problems as us, the same van, and the same year, so it sounds pretty likely. What it is, the water runs down the windshield and then under the hood. There is suppose to be a weather seal under the cowling to protect the wire harness that attaches to the computer, but it begins to leak in time. This allows water to run down on this plug, which then corrodes up and causes the problems we are having. Since the symptoms are the same, the codes are the same, and it's the same vehicle and year, it sounds like we may have finally discovered the source of our problems. Now, I just need to pull the cowling off, clean and dry the plug, then fill it with dielectric grease and put it all back together. The tip said to put more weather stripping down, but that's just going to start to leak in time, so I purchased a rubberized roofing sealer that will stay flexible, handle high heat, and should seal things up tight again. Now, it's just a matter of getting the time and having the weather to work outside. I have no place to put it out of the weather, so we need it to be pretty nice for the next few days. The last I looked, an increasing chance of rain and thunderstorms all week, and it sounds like a strong wind will move back in tonight, as well. But, someone at work said they heard it was suppose to be nice though the weekend. I hope he's right. I'm not sure about fishing tomorrow or not, it also depends on the weather. If it's windy like I seen forecast, I doubt it, but the weather changes faster than I can keep tabs on it out here, so I won't know until I get there. Fishing would be fun, if it's nice out. Being in a boat, with my brother driving and the wind blowing is not a fun experience. Not that it has anything much to do with him, except that would be the reason I'd be out there. No, it's just the rest of it, big waves, boat pitching and water spraying up. It won't take long to get wet, and then cold, being out in a boat in weather like that. I work in it enough, I just can't get excited about fishing in it. Then to top it off, the wind is suppose to come out of the east tomorrow, or at least the last I heard. The saying states that fish don't bite on an east wind, so we may be out there, wet, cold, and with no fish. But like I said, we will see what it looks like tomorrow. |
| It went and got late on me tonight, again. Go figure! Actually I was hoping things wouldn't get this late, but they didn't work out according to the plan. First of all, I should start with my morning, the start of a new day, a new work week, and a new schedule. I got up around five thirty, a bit earlier than I usually do on Sundays. Normally I set the alarm for five thirty, then snooze for fifteen minutes, then snooze again for another fifteen. Sure, I should just get up and start the day, but I've just been so short on sleep that I like to try and squeeze in every Z I can get. Today was different, because I didn't have to open, so I didn't have to be at work at eight. I didn't have to be there until eleven. So, if I didn't have to work until three hours later than I did on past Sundays, why did I have to get up a half hour earlier? Because Rhonda opened today, and she wanted an extra half hour to get ready. It's faster for me, I don't have to do near as much as she does. So, we get up a half hour sooner and soon enough it's time for her to head out. But, I work right after her, and it's only three hours later, so why take both vehicles in, especially since the van is not running the best and we will both get done within a couple hours of each other. Sure there's a wait, but we save driving fifty miles, so a little in gas and a fair chunk in the pocket book. This is twice each pay period we will be able to do this, so it's saving us one hundred miles in that same period. Since I have three hours to kill before my shift starts, I bring my netbook along and park by Target. I could also go into Targets lunch area and sit, or over to HyVee, MeDonalds, or the library, but today I decided to just park outside Target and stay in the vehicle. I worked on Rhonda's evaluation and got that done and ready to print, then looked a little online. I wanted to look around more, and do more, like this entry, but I could not get into anything. See, I changed my passwords, and since I use an online password filler and generator, I don't think up anything, just plug the requirements into the program, click on the little button, and behold, a screwed up mixture of numbers and letters. They are so random, that there is no way for me to remember them, but the program does, and that works fine with me. Only the last time I changed them, I also changed the password for the online site and could not remember it for the life of me. I could have gotten a hint, but the program sends it in an email, at the designated account. That would be fine, except the account in question is an online service and I need a password to log in and read my mail. Well, since it's online, I need to use a password, but I can't get into the main account so it's no good, I wouldn't be able to read through any of my mail because I changed the password and can't get into my mail account. That's right, my hint is set to mail to my online account and I need to log in to read anything, but since I don't know the password, and the program that stores then and fills them for me is needing a password to log into, and without it I don't have my password for my mail account, I'm kind of in a jam. So I wasn't able to log into anything this morning and didn't get anything done. Well, I did, I worked offline on an employee evaluation, but I couldn't finish it until I got logged into the cloud server later. Then later, at work, I was thinking I would get done early today. Both Rhonda and I were there, working a double coverage shift, but it was pretty slow because of the cold, windy, and rainy weather. Only it got kind of busy right after I got there. Then, it would slow down and I thought again, maybe I can clock out; then it would get busy again. So I stayed and worked, Rhonda was able to leave when the other person got there, and again I thought I was going to be out of there in no time, but then we got hit with a big rush, then another and in the middle of all the traffic, our scanners started messing up. Well, lets say it was busy and we needed both of us to keep things moving. In fact, Rhonda stopped to drop a few things off and she ended up working again for a little while too. But, eventually it slowed down and I was able to get out of there about a half hour after my shift was suppose to end. Then it was a little shopping and home, to eat a bit and then go to bed. Well, we ate a bit, now I'm finishing this and soon I'll be off to bed. |
| It got real late on me tonight, but I still made it in. Now, if I'm not too tired to type, I may get this done and be off to bed without staying up too late past my bedtime. Saturdays are going to be a tough day for me to get home and relax before bed, but not as bad as this one. Friday's are also going to be tough, but again, not as tough as tonight was. We have double coverage going now, and that means I get to pick up some hours. Fridays are now twelve hours and Saturdays are eleven. Today was an extra half hour since I had to do some training as well, but event that did not set me back too far. What messed me up was my brother, but not in a bad way. He has been schooling for a long time now and he is almost complete in his classes. He is getting great grades, so it doesn't matter so much with him, but for some it does. What I'm talking about is his graduation, it was today, and he still has another week of classes to finish up. No matter, though, they had graduation today anyway. I had hoped to attend, but it did not work with our schedule, so I had to miss the ceremony. He stopped by after graduation and going out to eat to let me know he was done, and to invite me over for cake. So, I got done work at four, but ended up there until four thirty. I went over to my brother's and we had coffee and cake and then just talked, Rhonda came over after she was done work, and we all visited for a while, then it was time to come home. We set up coffee and made our lunch for tomorrow, then had a bite to eat and watched a little tv. After, we took the dogs out, then came in and now here I am. I'm tired from the long hours, the running and being on my feet for so long, and just not getting enough sleep. So, it's got me typing a lot slower, and there are going to be plenty of mistakes, but not much I can do about it. Seriously, I'm falling asleep as I type, and fighting to stay awake at the same time. I just have to hold out for a little bit more and then I will have my seven hundred and fifty words written, and can just copy and past this into my journal entry in WDC. Then, I'm going to crawl into bed and and possibly fall instantly into a deep sleep. But, Rhonda has other plans, and may keep me up for a while yet. Well, if she can stay awake herself. She is about as tired as I am, and may just want to go right to sleep, and finish the other stuff tomorrow. I guess time alone will reveal her plans. And, I should add, I am willing either way, to go right to sleep, or to stay up and enjoy some passion. I just hope I'm not too exhausted and don't doze off before she gets things going But, considering I have been getting five hours of sleep or less a night for the last three days, working twelve and eleven hours a day yesterday and today, and considering I have to work again tomorrow, she may be very understanding. Of course, she is also tired and has to work tomorrow as well, so she may already be thinking the same thoughts. But, then again she may not be thinking of anything other than what she has intention of doing to me. Luckily I don't have to be up at three in the morning, and I don't have to go in near as early. Tomorrow I work later, but will be going in with Rhonda, so we will both be there around eight or a little before. Rhonda will open and work, I will work on her evaluation and then join her around eleven. Then, depending on how busy it is, I will work the afternoon with her. If it is very slow, one of us will go and one will work, but I have a feeling it is going to be very busy tomorrow. So, I will go in with Rhonda in the morning, work on some paperwork, then join her for double coverage through the afternoon. But for now, I'm going to copy and paste this, then go slip between the sheets. |
| Here we go, time to get this done and then relax for a little while and then it's off to bed. It's not that late, but it is getting there. My time is ten minutes to eight, and as early as that sounds to most people, it's actually kind of late for me. It's funny, I don't think I went to bed by eight thirty at any point in my life. Maybe before I was able to stand on two feet, but since I've been walking? Doubtful. Yet, here I am getting things done so I can try and get to bed by eight thirty. It's very unlikely I'll make it, but I'm trying and that is all a person can do. Besides, if I try tonight, and then try tomorrow, and so on, sooner or later I will achieve my goal. So, right now it's time to get this written, then it's time to have a bite to eat, relax for a little bit, then hit the bed and see if I can stay awake long enough to give the dogs their treats, set the alarm and get the light turned off. Yes, I'm that tired tonight. I was up at three this morning, as I was yesterday morning as well, and that's half of the reason I' so beat. The other half is the fact that I only got two or three hours of interrupted sleep the first night, and not a lot more of uninterrupted sleep last night. Finally the final half is the fact that I worked a long day today, and I'm just beat. I know, that's three halves, and that's how tired I am. Even so, it was a pretty good day. I had a slow morning, then after Rhonda came in, I thought I was going to get to go home, but it stayed just busy enough to keep me their. I can't say I had to stay and work, but it was a bit busy at times, and each time it was a little busier, Rhonda would have a huge load going out, or a return. This tends to get a person behind, and it was just busy enough today to make that something to avoid. Get behind and a person would not get the chance to get caught back up. Tomorrow will be busier, I'm sure. That means another long day for me, and more reason to get to bed early tonight. But, before I can, I need to get this typed up and pasted into WDC. I'm sure I will sleep sound tonight, and doubt I will be waking up for anything. That's just what I need, a good, long, and sound sleeping night. Hopefully I will wake feeling rested and ready to go. Then, after work tomorrow, I will try and get to bed early again, but perhaps not quite as early as I wanted to get to bed tonight. Sunday is a later day, since the store doesn't open until eight, and I don't have to be up before time. Also, it should be a more peaceful day, and I won't have to work as long. Then Monday, I have another person coming in, and that's going to help a lot. I should get home at a nice time Monday, and then have three days off. Tuesday it's sounding like a nice day, and I may just get out fishing for a while. I don't know what the rest of the week has in store, but hopefully it will be nice enough to get some work done on the van and to get some mowing done. The repair on the van is a simple enough job, or so it sounds. But, it could be a real pain in the butt, too. I just hope that I have the time, some nice weather, and can get the thing working right, finally. Of course, once the van is running right, I need to get something done with the GMC, and I may have to take it in to get it running better. It depends on what is wrong with it. I suspect its the spark plugs, but it may be more that that, too. Once the van is running right, I can take some time to find out, but until then, I have to have one of the vehicles running right before I can bring it in. If I don't, I know something will go wrong and I won't have any wheels. I just hope that once the van is running good, and then the car is, that it will last for a long time before we have to think about any repairs again. |
| I should have had this finished some time ago, but things did not progress as planned. Today was a work day, so I was up around three and didn't get home until after noon. Then, it was a matter of eating some lunch and getting started on some work I need to get done. But, last night was a bit late for me, so I was tired. Rhonda was also tired, and she suggested we take a nice nap. That was it for me, and soon I was sound asleep, not getting up until about three in the afternoon. We had coffee and talked a little, then headed over to the local garage to talk to the mechanic about our van. He had finished changing the fuel filter and taken it for a test drive, but the problem persisted. He did have some suggestions of what we could try and what codes are present. He didn't charge us anything for the work he did, since it did not help out with the problem, and since I had brought in the parts, so we thanked him and brought it home. I set out to do some work on the computer for my job, and Rhonda also got busy with some things she wanted to get done. I finished one task then started on another, but the PDF would not let me fill in any information. I uploaded it to my computer/online fax service and filled everything out there, but when it came to signing, it would not let both Rhonda and I sign it. Either could sign both places, but it just would not let two sign the forms. By this time, supper was ready, and I set things aside and we ate a nice, but light meal. Then I tried again, but there was no getting it to work, so I closed out the program and we watched the rest of a program we had started. Then, after it was done, I started this, while Rhonda took the two dogs out. She will be back in soon, and then we will enjoy a bit of ice cream before we turn in for bed. Tomorrow I work again, and it will be a longer day. Then, Saturday will be real long, and possibly Sunday, but Monday should be back to normal, then three days off. I'm hoping I don't have to work the full day tomorrow, so I can get home and do the paperwork over that I didn't get done today. I will have to figure out a different way to fill it out, then print it and sign everything, then fax it from work. It's kind of a run-around way of doing it, but until I can get it set up to let me fill in the needed areas, I don't know of any other way to do it. I was suppose to go fishing this afternoon, but I actually didn't feel up to it. The weather's been very cold, wet, and windy, and today wasn't much better. It did warm up a bit more, but only into the lower fifties, and the wind was still blowing strong. I was tired, cold, and had things I wanted to get done, even though that didn't happen. I did get a nice nap in, and that helped, and by Tuesday, it's looking like it's going to be a lot nicer. I'll have the day off, and it will be much better to go fishing then. Well, unless the forecast changes, and that's almost an hourly practice of late. Now, it's time to finish this, dish up some ice cream and watch a little television with Rhonda, then off to bed. She's back in and the two dogs are stretched out, Hyko on the rug, and Hannah by my feet. Rhonda is playing a game on her computer, and I'm about one hundred words shy of my required seven hundred and fifty. If you haven't read some of my past entries, you wouldn't know it, but I write in another site called 750 Words, then copy and paste my entry in my journal. It's something I did in the past and I started using the site again. It's a nice blank space to write in with no distractions, and it holds me to a minimum number of words I have to write to get my daily credit. It also logs how fast I write, how many words for the day, how many days in a row, as well as how many days I've written total, and my total number of words since joining. It's kind of an interesting breakdown of what I write, although it's not always true in it's description compared to what I actually have written. Well, that's eight hundred and counting, so I'm good for the day... |
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