2020-10-28 — All the Layers Be Wet

Hey, Peeps!

Happy wonderful Wednesday. 😊 Hope y’all have had some lovely life experiences today, new ones, old one, exciting ones, boring ones. Everything.

Been another good day over here, as is every day 😊.

I slept in after getting to bed late last night. I think that was the right thing to do, though. Being short on sleep is super less effective for me, as evidenced by the fact that my ability to think and remember and memorize completely tanked when my routine took a nose dive after that night I stayed up late working on the car until after midnight. I think I’m also short on patience… and it’s easier for me to slip emotionally and spiritually when I’m tired.

Anyway, so that meant I didn’t get up at 4:55 as I have been for the last several mornings in a row, making that streak toast, but that’s okay. Streaks are fun but not critical. Growth. Progress. Improvement. That’s what’s actually important.

And I’ll be back at it tomorrow morning, up at 4:55 to face my 29 degree, wet morning, that I hope will include snow (I mean, if it’s gonna be 29 degrees and wet, can’t it just be white stuff, please… not the clear hard stuff. That’s… I mean I already saw like 3 or 4 cars off the side of the freeway smashed up (separate incidents) just from heavy rains causing issues. Definitely don’t need the ice. 😬

So yeah, it was another cold and rainy day today. David decided to take the day off because of it (he was the smart one 🙃), so I packed up my canopy and headed out for the day, not really getting much of any of my morning routine done, just sleeping in and heading out for work.

I did eat some leftover shake and some grapes, though, and I filled my water bottle, and then headed out.

The work day went decently well, ups and downs. The first job turned out to be jus a diagnostic. The guy’s serpentine belt had broken, and I got there and found that his tensioner had broken, causing the belt to get wedged and snap. I jumped in the truck to look some things up with the warm air blowing on me and discovered that that tensioner issue was a recall item, so I told him about it, and he was able to get in touch with the dealer to get it repaired for free, along with some other recalls that hadn’t been done yet. 🙂

The canopy kept me pretty dry there for that first job. 😊

The second job was 30 minutes away, and I got out there and spent probably 30 minutes there, only to realize that I’d left one of my expensive tools under the hood of the first car, which was going to be towed away!

So… I left that job, drove all the way back, managed to get there before the tow truck did (gratefully), got my tool, and headed back out. On the way back to get my tool, though, another customer had called needing help with a battery replacement, so instead of going all the way back out to the second car, I went to the battery job (btw, the second car new I might not make it out there today in the rain anyway, so I didn’t just leave him hanging), which was in such a place that I couldn’t really use my canopy.

I got going, finding the cable end stuck to the battery because the tightening bolt was damaged. I was able to get it off with one of my special rounded-bolt-head sockets, which popped off my extension and disappeared somewhere deep inside the engine.

Ugh.

By that time, the rain had been coming down in buckets, and I was pretty soaked–all my five layers.

You know, five layers get pretty heavy when they’re water logged. 🙃

While packing up to leave, my expensive specialty socket popped off the extension and disappeared into the engine.

Ugh.

I was drenched, and it was pouring buckets, so I only looked for it for a few minutes and then gave up and left. He was happy, though.

The next car was another diagnostic, but with front end issues, which meant getting on the wet ground. Being already drenched, I was just like, to heck with it. I jacked up the truck and looked all around, and found all sorts of front end issues. His upper ball joints were so bad, they could have blown out at any time, causing the wheel to collapse sideways.

Not so good to have happen while you’re driving. 😶

Needless to say, with that, lower ball joint issues, CV axle issues, etc., and it being an old truck with other problems, he decided it was time to retire the old girl.

My next job called and postponed, not wanting me out in the rain, and that was nice. I was drenched, and it was cold outside, though all my layers were actually helping to hold the heat in a little, a bit like a wet suit, I think.

Maybe I should buy a wetsuit!!! They have them for winter surfing. Might as well use ’em for winter mechanicking! 😁

Uh… no… probably not.

But maybe?

Aaaaaanyway…

Last job was a truck that wouldn’t start, and the battery tested bad. Seemed pretty straightforward. The alternator tested good. The battery was under warranty, so I used my jump box to get him going, and sent him on his way.

I then headed to the tool store to buy another of those sockets. You can only buy the set. $30.

Gulp.

Didn’t realize losing one socket was gonna be that costly. I’d forgotten how much those specialty dudes are.

Anyway, the last customer texted me while I was still in the store to say the truck had died again, so I went back, and this time the alternator tested bad, so I had AutoZone deliver me an alternator, and I got him going, but then his card declined.

Right.

Seem to be getting a bunch of those lately. Not sure what the deal is. He’s from out of state, too. Cross your fingers that the payment goes through tomorrow.

So… from there I went to the grocery store, loaded up on more fresh and frozen rabbit food and even a big bag of cheese (yeah… dairy. Getting rid of some of these other foods without using cheese as a condiment wasn’t so appealing. So… I’ll eat cheese, I guess until these others are gone. Then I’ll probably be done with dairy.

I tried to go for a run when I got home, but my lungs weren’t having it. I did maybe 3 or 4 minutes before they were like, no Stephen, no.

So… I’m way short on my steps today, barely over 5000 (5333, at the moment), and it’s late (9:11), so I’m not even gonna make my 10k goal for the day.

Oh well.

Tomorrow. We’ve got tomorrow.

I had all these great plans. I was going to come home and do my morning routine, but then that last job added round 2.

Expect the unexpected.

Don’t worry about today.

Kick trash tomorrow.

Yup.

#1. I’m grateful to be kind to myself when I don’t reach my goals.

#2. I’m grateful that I actually want to accomplish these goals and am not looking for excuses, so I’m genuinely disappointed, not secretly happy I didn’t have to do them.

#3. I’m grateful that I was able to get some good work done today–four cars finished, in the cold, wet downpour.

#4. I’m grateful to have warm, dry clothes to change into, although, there is a little appeal to the thought of coming into a log cabin, putting my wet clothes by the fire to dry, and curling up in a blanket until the clothes are dry. Though, that’s probably pretty romanticized. But that’s me. 😁

#5. I’m grateful that mama’s comin’ home soon. Will be good to have her back. She should be back sometime Saturday night, hopefully.

#6. I’m grateful I’ve been both free of porn junk and also free of the night thing for a bit now. That’s nice. 😊

To Be Better…

#1. Better at time management. I’ve been a lot better, actually, but I have room to grow still, especially when thinking about jobs that I can take toward the end of the day. I have to plan ahead and say, “Ok, this last person who’s asking or help, if I take this job, where will it likely end up? Where could it end up?” If I’m better at that, I’ll likely be better at getting to bed on time.

Bring it on.

Lift the World.

~ stephen