Ricky the Volvo Steamboat

So, my car had some steaming and over-heating issues. At first I thought maybe it was a blown gasket or cracked head, but thankfully it turned out to be the hoses that feed the heater core and return to the engine.

I bought the hoses, and replaced them myself. It was a fun job, and so far it has worked. Although in the process of doing that, my heater fan seems to only work on 2 speeds now (instead of the normal 4).

I also took my car into IPD (http://wwww.ipdusa.com) and had them fix what I thought was a bushings issue. Turned out to "only" by 2 torque rod bushings that needed to be replaced. So I had them do that. Although now it appears that there is another "clunk" or vibrating sound that I'm unable to locate. It sounds a lot like the muffler sound you hear on those Hondas that sound like lawnmowers.

So I might have to have them look at it again. It's mostly when I accelerate from a dead stop, so I'm not real sure what it could be. I hoped it was just a loose license plate, but it wasn't. It could be the U-joint at the tranny. When I find out, I'll let you know (you? Who? I don't have anyone who reads this).

Back from a trip and more work on the Volvo

I went to Idaho from Tuesday till Friday. See this video to get a synopsis of the trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1VXtdAyDdk

My car has been over-heating a bit, so with the help of my brother, I changed the water pump. Then I decided to go with the retro-fit of the heat controls and replace the antenna line. I haven't taken the car out for a test drive yet (I'm a little nervous) but at least the lights in my dashboard are working again and I have the knobs I wanted for the heater and fan controls.

Somehow I got an A in both of my classes. Not that I expected to fail or something, but I felt my paper (that was like 40% of the grade) was not well written. Maybe the teacher was generous.

Work starts up tomorrow, and I'm happy about it. Being off since the 20th is a bit much. But if I'm to be a teacher, I'll have to get used to having stretches where I'm off (Winter break, Spring break, and Summer vacation). Of course, there's a strong possibility I would be doing some other job during the Summers (or teaching more, who knows).

Not a whole lot to write about now.

V2

I've decided to blog about the proto-type gear shift I'm working on. I don't know why I was afraid of posting pictures of it, it's not like I'm the only one to ever think of it.

I have two versions of it, but the first one was just done to see if I could even do it (I could). So I don't have any pictures of it, although I have kept it.

What is so special about it? Nothing much. I want to make a wooden gear-shift for my Volvo. Hopefully I can figure out how to do it easily and make it look nice. There might be companies that already offer this, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm currently using Ash and Oak as my prototypes, and I want to end it with Cherry. I don't have a big enough piece of Cherry to do it (at least, if I want to keep the size of the knob itself accurate to how big the gearshift is currently). So once I get it down to a science, I'll purchase some bigger chunks of Cherry and make my attempt.

Anyway, here is V2.






What do you think?

A travel blog

I think I might make some trips this summer. And while I know I said that last year, this year I might actually meant it. But instead this time I think it'll be local stuff.

Silver Creek falls, Multnomah Falls and a few places on the coast. And hopefully I can document them on this blog with pictures (and the occasional long winded pointless rant which I am famous for).

But that depends on if my car has to be fixed. I'm hearing a clunk every so often, so I might be forced to (once again) post-pone things.

I have a real short blog today. I might edit it later

Karate Kid part 3

Before I went to the JY today, to gather more bits and pieces for my car, I noticed that Karate Kid part 3 was on TV. That got me wondering "they made 3 of these?"

So I set it to record on the DVR, and would finish watching it when I returned from my trip to Damascus.

That trip itself, turned out to be a whole lotta fun. Instead of going the way I normally do, I decided to try a new way. This time, I'd go I-5, then 205, then 224 and then Sunnyside. But apparently there are some factors that need to be explained here.

1. My own instructions suck.
2. There was a detour that was horribly labeled (the road I'm supposed to turn onto apparently magically disappeared).
3. I'm a guy, I don't ask for directions.

After a comedy of errors, where I ended up going an additional 50 blocks out of my way, I finally made it to the right destination. And when I go to the JY, it turned out that the two weeks I had given for them to replenish their supply of 240's, wasn't near enough. While I did get an extra gearshift knob for my car (which is oddly enough, rubber instead of a hardened plastic), there was nothing else to get. I will admit, the spectacular views of Mt. Hood were nice.

Now, back to Karate Kid part 3. What was the hell was that movie about? Danielsan wants to work at a bonzai tree place with Mr. Miagi, and then gets trained by some stranger dude who drives a pile of shit truck...and asks Daniel to do all sorts of things that Mr. M would never ask him to do.

Who red lighted this atrocity? And on top of that, why wasn't there ever a Karate Kid part 4, where Mr. Miagi gets a parking ticket and Daniel has to fight Cobra Kai?

Speaking of Cobra Kai, was that really that much of a thug-mentality amongst Dojos, that they had to make movies about it? The 80's were a strange era for movies.

I sliced the tip of my finger while cutting cheese the other day. It's pretty amazing how that happened, considering it was with a plastic knife.

I'm finding the following things hard to comprehend:

Bob Ross died 14 years ago. One of my cousins (who was born much later than the rest of us) is going to turn 22 this year. More time has passed between the Blazers last finals run and now, than the Blazers only title and their 2nd run to the finals. My car is 24 years old. Why, in Star Wars Ep 3, did they leave Darth Vader open to the rain, when he was being carried back to the "hospital" at the end? With all those burns to his skin, wouldn't you think the rain would hurt like hell? With all the technology that they have in the Star Wars universe, that was the best they could do for Vaders costume? I mean, the sunglasses are cool and what not, but he looks like a big penis.

New switches, new grills and taillights

I ventured down to the local junkyard yesterday, in hopes to find an extra gear shift, and some other Volvo related items. In the process of searching through the Volvos, I was able to get myself two taillights (I just need one, but forgot which one), a few new switches (the hazard switch was the prize) and a new front grill. Mine is the Chrome style (which I don't like), and the one there was the black style (which I do like). It also had a complete set of four round headlights (mine are rectangles). Had I had my tools with me, instead of just 3 screw drivers and a dike, I would've taken them too. So I settled for the grill and the taillights of another wagon.

The pickings was slim, but I made it out of there with a pretty good haul. Including this little gem (or one close to it).


(if no picture shows up, here is the link.)

The one I got was a little older than that, but the idea is the same. Why did I get it, considering I have a Volvo? My nephew really likes them, and no one was using it. So I figured why not?

Slowly, but surely, I'm making my Volvo "mine". As I said in my last post, I'm adding parts from older models because they have the look I like. Once it's finished (including suspension/tuning and paintjob) it should be a pretty nice car. Well, it's a nice car now, but I meant that it should be a really cool car.

A day that will live in

I've decided to put some extra switches in my car, but I'm not sure what for. I think I might put some backup lights on my car (to light up whats behind me), but I'm not sure how I'll go about doing that.

I successfully purchased a pair of glasses (sunglasses to be exact) from an online website. While I need to get them adjusted, I'm incredibly satisfied with them. Especially considering it cost me 30 bucks for them. Sure, there was the issue of me ordering them, paying for them and the company telling me I didn't pay for it. Only to then find out it was a "discontinued" style...and then told it was taken off my credit card account and then canceled. Only to show up at my door last weekend and have it show up on my bill. I'm glad they showed up and are decent, otherwise I would've been a bit pissed that I was charged for something I didn't get.

I broke my lumbar support in my car, and instead of spending 40 bucks to fix it, I swiped one form a junkyard. And because my friend Dylan is being super generous and giving me a new seat cover for my car (the actual seat cover from another Volvo) I'm waiting to replace it then. Not only will the lumbar support be a nice fix, but having a nice looking seat to sit in will be a great thing. It's pretty funny how something that simple can make a big difference in your car.

I've decided to retro-fit my dash a bit. I have a Cig lighter from the 160 series, and the fan knob of an older style, and the temp gauge will be a different style from what my car originally had (although I believe it's just from an earlier 240 series). Instead of being a lever, it's a rotating knob. And instead of being a knob that is round, it's..well, different. It's easier to grab, and looks cleaner. I've also switched out the "seatbelt" sign, where before it was a picture of someone in a seat, now it says "seat belt". I've also have the buttons for Floor, Windshield and Recycle, that say that instead of show pictures.

That is incredibly exciting, I know.

Tonight is the night before the trade deadline in the NBA. I'm not sure that anything will happen. Trade deadline has always been pretty boring to me, despite the buildup.

Contacts, 6th graders, the Supa Bowl and Wild things sister.

First things first:

I find it funny, and in a way uncomfortable, when 6th graders ask me if I have had or have a girlfriend (or how many). I give a generic answer, but in a way I wonder what the reason behind the question. Today, one kid asked me if I have one and then how many. I don't mind so much that he's asking, but I don't ever recall asking any of the teachers I had (or any helpers, etc). So that makes me wonder if they're trying their best to ask if I'm gay or something.

I don't have any problems with being gay (especially since I'm not), but it seems odd to have 11 and 12 years old asking that, and me wondering if they're asking it because they are secretly trying to find out if I am or not. The kid who asked me today is a great kid, but it's just something I'm keen on talking about to kids. You know, because it's none of their business and they're doing state testing today. So my relationship status isn't on the state test.

Actually, I don't know. Maybe it is.

I'm thinking of ditching my glasses (after like 20 years of wearing glasses) and trying contacts. They give you a pair to test, to see if you like it and if you do then they finalize things and badda bing, you poke yourself in the eye.

So now I'm on my second pair of test contacts. The first pair weren't just right, so they changed the brand and I'm trying out them. But the prescription changed a bit, and it's good in one eye, and not as good in the other. Hopefully when I go back next week (I might go in during the weekend..or just stop wearing them) I can get the prescription fixed. Or maybe just stop with the idea of getting contacts. It's frustrating both in the sense that so far the contacts I've tried on haven't been significantly better for me than a regular pair of glasses, and it's a little irritating to wear contacts. Not that I expect it to be crystal clear, but it's like putting on an old pair of glasses, that the prescription is just slightly off. You can't see clearly, but you can tell that somethings not right.

I do like the idea of being able to buy any pair of sunglasses I want, and just putting them on without having to do a prescription. I don't like the idea of putting contacts in necessarily. I've gotten a lot better at it the last few days (in fact, after work today it only took me a total of 7 minutes to put them both in. Down from 30 minutes, and several give ups).

So this Sunday is Superbowl. And I see that on NBC, there is like 29 hours of Superbowl TV shows on. There's no end to the madness. It's just something I cannot get excited about. I don't care who wins, I don't care who plays, and I don't care if I never watch another minute of Superbowl action.

So my Superbowl party will be me putting off working on my car, or doing homework.

And on that note, I'd like to comment on songs. I just want to say that they don't make songs like this anymore:

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Well, love is all around me, and the feeling grows. It's written on the wind, it's everywhere I go. So if you really love me, come on and let it show.

You know I love you, I always will. My minds made up by the way that I feel. There's no beginning there is no end, cause on my love you can depend.

I see your face before me, as I lay on my bed. I kind of get to thinking, of all the things you said. You gave your promise to me, and I gave mine to you. I need someone beside me, in everything I do.

You know I love you, I always will. My minds made up by the way that I feel. There's no beginning there is no end, cause on my love you can depend."

A trip down memory lane

I visited my old high school today, as part of my grad school requirements (not that they make you visit your old schools, but I was doing it as part of a class). It was strange to see my old teacher, and the old school. He did seem happy to see me and that was nice. He sounded pretty much the same as I remember him sounding, and looked exactly the same.

He reminded me of both the good and bad things I liked and disliked about him. And I took some of his teaching styles and mentally marked them down in the "no" pile and some in the "yes" pile of ways I want to teach.

Ok, once in the building, as I was walking towards the class (which is in the bowels of the school), it was funny to notice nothing at all had changed. Same tile, same paint mural, same point scheme, and same..well, everything. It was kind of neat to go down the stairways that the students use, thinking that if I was ever to make a movie about my high school years, I wouldn't have to change a single thing about the interior of the school (outside of the introduction of computers).

The stairs are exactly the same as they were when I was in school. Same railings, same tile, same toe-tips (or whatever the front part of the runners are called). I remember going up these same stairs (the ones close to the cafeteria, on what used to be the student store end) when a girl was gliding down the railing on her feet. See, most of us would slide down the railings on our asses. And if you did it right, you got a pretty good speed going. But she was different. She decided to jump up on the railing, and slide down on her feet (shoes or not, I don't remember). As she got towards the end, she jumped off.

A suave guy would've caught her as she jumped down and made a move. A dorky guy probably would've just thought "wow, that's kind of random" and went on with his day.

You'll never guess which one I did.

So after I spent the two periods in the class (architectural drafting), it was time for me to leave. As I was checking out in the office, I remembered how I always wanted to see if the school kept their old yearbooks. I asked the secretary if they had any of the old yearbooks and she said they did, and mentioned they were in the library. I inquired as to if I could venture up to the library, and she said I could. I took her up on the offer and went up to the library.

It was exactly, and I mean EXACTLY as I remembered it.

I went up to the librarian, and she asked me what I wanted. I said I wished to look at some old yearbooks, and if that was OK. She said "why of course, strange man who came into the library and asked me an odd question." She pointed them out, and off I went.

I browsed through a few yearbooks, checking out some pictures of kids I knew, and some I didn't. Read some "senior" quotes of kids I knew, and some I didn't. Found out that a kid I had in my math class was on a lot of pages during their senior year. I noted that was funny, and remembered how I was probably on 2 pages my senior year (the seniors pictures, and then the class picture, where we sat in the bleachers).

It was strange to see a yearbook I had never seen before (the two years after my year were cool looking..and another one had a weird spacey type theme to it). It's also funny to look at pictures of kids you knew, but don't really recall what they look like (or in some cases, didn't know what they looked like by the time they were a junior or senior), and when you see their pictures you think "what the hell? That looks nothing like I remember ***** looking like. That picture is not a flattering picture." or whatever (name censored to protect the innocent).

I must say that part of me, before this visit, wanted to teach at Wilson. Now it kind of seems funny to think of doing so. Of course, anywhere I can teach (within reason, I'm not keen on teaching in like Mesa, or Alamogordo. Although somewhere near the Grand Canyon, or Glacier, or Yellowstone might be nice) might be worth it, considering a job is a job.

Back from the coast

I went to Newport Saturday and Sunday. I do that on a semi regular basis, but this was the first time in over a year. It was nice to get away from town, and defuse from some things at work.

When I go down there, I end up going to about 5 places regularly. The first place I go to is the Eager Beaver, a 2nd hand store off of Olive St. I always go there, but lately it's been crappier and crappier. The next place is south of the bridge, named "Pirates Plunder". They occasionally have some neat stuff in it (it's kind of like going through your grandparents house, but with a lot of new stuff that no one would even try to sell). The next place is some other crappy place behind it which has all sorts of lame ass jewelery and other misc crap that no one should ever want. And the last place is a "flea market" type place that again, has all sorts of crap no one should want. But regardless of all that, I still go to those three places almost faithfully.

In the past, I have purchased manzanita rootas, the occasional record and my prized purchase was a coffee mug that had the name "Doughty" on it.

This trip, I didn't actually buy much (cept for a Grolsch pop-top beer bottle. Not the normal sized ones either, a big one). But I did find a license plate that is the same as the old one for my car (KVR ###). I thought that was neat. I also found some old Blazer glasses, from RC Cola, honoring the 1977 title team. I wasn't sure if they were legit, and the market for those is pretty small. So I saw no reason to buy them.

I did find two Beach Boys albums (actual records), but eh...I couldn't get that motivated to purchase them.

If you were wondering if I had forgotten how to count, no I did not. The 5th is just the Fred Meyer down there. Which ironically enough, I bought shirts at. All in all, I bought like 7 shirts, but got them for just about 65% off their already lowered prices. So woot for me.

I've always enjoyed the coast, and while I know it rains there far more than it does here and there's that pesky tourist thing that bothers me (I'm not a fan of big crowds), I always feel really good after coming back from the coast. I could see myself living there, of course it's easy for me to say as I don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks about living there or not. Yay being single. :/

I might go there again next weekend, but you can only see the same shit in the same stores so many times before you start going insane, and I doubt there's much to do at night. Thats a negative about living there. I think I might get bored quickly. But truth be told, I'm not a night person nor am I a "party" person, so the night life wouldn't be an issue, and I'd be working during the day.

I've often thought that I "need" to live in a place like Portland (or close to), but then I think about it a little bit. I don't. Outside of school, and driving to work, when do I ever do anything that you can't do pretty much everywhere else in the state/region?

They have a Fred Meyer, internet, lumberyards and a body of water close by (the ocean). That's most of my criteria. The same applies to Spokane, or Vancouver, or parts of Northern Idaho (although the Fred Meyer thing is a touchy one. There is like 1 in the pan-handle of Idaho).

The first blog of the New Year!

I returned from San Diego yesterday. I barely made the flight out of SLC. In fact, I was the last person on the plane (I fly buddy pass) and had actually given up hope on making that flight. Once the doors closed, and the plane took off (after 30 minutes of de-icing), I was incredibly happy.

Don't get me wrong, I liked visiting my sister and her kids, but I needed to be back in the NW. The rain, the cold, and the trees. All things I need.

As I said in my last installment, I went to the Holiday Bowl. Before I went there, all of my brother in laws friends kept telling me I "had" to wear a jacket. I scoffed, and said that the t-shirt and Padres uniform I was wearing was more than enough. They didn't, and kept chiding me.

Little did they know that I A: was an adult and B: grew up where anything above 50 degrees in December is grounds for shorts. So, the whole entire game I was actually warm, and didn't once need a jacket. Stupid Californians and Arizonans. They're so used to the warm weather that anytime it gets even remotely cold, they act like they have to suit up like they're going to Mt. Hood!

The only negative thing about the game was that the Ducks won. :)

My budget (for fixing my car) has improved lately, so I might actually have some posts on here about my car and not just me being random.