2020-06-11 — Challenge Tested

Ooof.

So far I’ve survived in tact today, notching another day on the no-premeditated swearing challenge, but…

Ooof. It was hard.

I had expected the first job I went to today to be relatively straightforward. I mean… it was just replacing a starter, and I’d already taken it out!!! How hard could it be?!?!

What I didn’t realize was that on this particular motor, and it’s the first time I’ve run into this in what… maybe a hundred? Two hundred starters that I’ve replaced? (I have no idea how many I’ve done, honestly). On this particular motor, the starter bolts double as the motor mount bolts!

!!!!!

Sure, it’s super efficient, and kudos to VW for that, but what?!?! Never in my life! So I didn’t realize that I’d actually lowered the engine when I pulled the starter out, and that it had been sitting like that for a day until I could get the part, and… ugh…

It took me probably three hours to get that starter back in, trying to line up the mount bracket with the engine and tranny. Finally, I just unbolted the mount as a last resort, and that’s what ended up getting me going, but wow.

Talk about tempting my cursing prowess. I got quite close, but I refrained. In fact, I think the entire day I might have only had one flyer (unpremeditated), and I managed to hold me tongue on everything else. 😊

Man, it was frustrating. Lots of “piece of freakin’…” Full stop. “Son of a…” Full stop. “Jes…” Full stop. Yeah, lots and lots of incomplete sentences and phrases in my vocabulary today. Buuuuut…

Progress.

That’s what we want, right? Progress. And I have three days without any premeditated swearing, and that’s progress for me right now. Good progress. Been quite a while. Let’s hope I can keep it up.

This is gonna be a hard one in the short term. I imagine it’ll be a lot like TV was. In the beginning, with TV, I was so trained to come home, flip open my computer, and unwind to some TV show or movie or whatever on Amazon Prime before bed. After challenging myself to cut it all out, it took a good while, several weeks, I think, before I was able to train myself not to come home and be jonesing for my TV habit. Now… I don’t even really think about it anymore. 😊

I’m thinking that swearing will be like that. It’ll be hard for a while, and then I’ll return to the way I used to be where it was a rarity to get me to lose control of my language.

I’ve been doing really well with the porn as well. Having TV and movies out of the way is one of the best inhibitors, and having this journal entry every night is also super effective. Certainly, my mind and eyes wander during the day with an attractive and/or provocatively-dressed client, but I’ve been able to steer clear of porn and related sex addiction stuff that I want to be free of.

I just want to get to the point where I have absolute self mastery… food, sleep, sex, work, language, thoughts, you name it.

Anyway, so work today was a huge test to my new commitment, but I passed, and I’m happy about that. 🙂

Other than succeeding for the day in the good-language challenge, I did that VW this morning (the starter job). Then I went to inspect a car for an 18-year old woman who just bought it–her first car. Unfortunately, I had to give her a lot of bad news (oh, and she happened to be one of those ones where keeping eyes and mind on the job and not the woman was not so easy).

Anyway, she had cooling system sealer in the radiator (often used to seal head gaskets and other more significant leaks. I found that her intake plenum was cracked and leaking antifreeze. Her ball joints were mostly toast. She had a bad wheel bearing, a leaky sunroof, I believe, a broken EGR tube, oil leaking, and more…

Poor thing.

That’s why you call me before you buy the car. Then you don’t make those mistakes. Lots of money in repairs needed. I suggested that she buy some tools and learn how to work on her car, so she can save the money. Otherwise, she’s probably looking at a couple grand to fix a truck she already paid too much for.

After that, I had a customer back out of a job because they felt my prices were too high. Then I went to rescue someone who had their car fall off their scissor jack and straight onto the ground (with the wheel off). Scissor jacks can be quite dangerous–especially when you’re not using a jack stand (as they weren’t).

Anyway, I went to rescue them (lift the car off the ground), and I ended up doing the brake job for them while I was there, since that’s what they were trying to do in the first place.

Lastly, I did an alternator for a couple that had been quoted like $800, saying they needed an alternator, battery, and belts. They didn’t need the belts. The battery was bad, but it was still under a partial warranty with Walmart, so I just changed the alternator and sent them on their way (Originally, I jumped it, so they could get it out of the shop’s parking lot to a nearby parking lot, where I did the job. It was funny, the shop owner saw where we went, and he came over and chatted with me (started by offering me a job, actually). He was a super good sport about losing the job to me, quite the professional in his demeanor. Seems like a good guy.

After that, it was on to home. It’s 12:22. I’m fairly well fed, having had two cans of spaghetti o’s, some canned spaghetti and meatballs, a protein shake, 7 scrambled eggs, some prunes, some raisins, and some dried apricots (old dried fruit in the cupboard I’m trying to use up. Hopefully, I don’t get sick 🤪).

#1. I’m grateful that I was able to get the cars done that I did. I only did four today, but I was able to do them relatively easily, with the exception of the VW that gave me fit after fit.

#2. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to be really hyper aware of my ulnar nerves, being super careful with posture and where I rest my elbows (or don’t rest them, as the case might be), such that symptoms have been significantly diminished the last couple of days. Hopefully, it’s not just a coincidence.

#3. I’m grateful for the tip that the last couple gave me. They also said they’d give me good reviews, so if they do, that’ll be lovely. Live and die by reviews.

#4. I’m grateful that the nights have been cool the last couple nights. It’s gorgeous outside right now, the stars out, the temperature is perfect. I still have my run to do for the day, so that’ll be nice to be outside in that. These nights bring to mind my desire to have a special someone to share them with, just sit outside cuddling staring at the beautiful starry night sky. Probably better cut that thought right there…

#5. I’m grateful to be getting more sleep, even though it’s still not enough, and I’ll be later tonight. I slept in a little bit today, snoozing the alarm until like 7:45, I think.

Well, y’all, I hope you’ve had a lovely day and evening. Here’s a hug for each of you, and I wish you peaceful hopeful and happy dreams. 😊

Lift the World.

~ stephen