Heatwave!

Looks like this heatwave claimed a victim right outside my house. When I got back into town from my trip to GA, I noticed that there was trouble with switching on low-beams and fog lights on my car.

I took this time to inspect all fuses and clean and check the engine compartment. As my troubleshooting procedure led into the cabin, I noticed that the high/low lever did not click right, so I used my trusty Haynes repair manual to research a little, and disassembled the casings around the steering column to pull out the modular switch. I swung by the only AutoZone in town that had the part and picked it up and tested it. Luckily, this fixed the issue. I had visions of having to have the wiring harness replaced, which would cost quite a chunk.

This replacement part was affordable. Thank you Ford, the car designers, and the fine people of Mexico for making a car that's easy to work on. I can only assume the part failed because of heat damage since the temperature here had reached at least 110F, and the car was fine before I left for the trip. Wonder what else might be melted ...

....RIP Another car part....

(I like to think that the shadow is his ghost escaping to the great junkyard in the sky. Via con Dios little buddy...*sniff*)

It's lovely having an alternate means of transportation. I use my scooter more than my car, so it was not a big deal at all. Replaced my spark plug while I was out and about too... Vroom Vroom!

Who needs the Kwik E Mart? I dooooooo...

I was perusing one of my favorite sites X-Entertainment yesterday, and noticed this article, which led me to this article, and thusly this article. WooT, we have our very own Kwik E Mart in (near) Las Vegas. I ran down there this morning and here are some pictures.
(Here are some much better pictures taken with a better camera by someone with more patience than I).



As I drove in, there was an employee in Apu clothing loading and moving cases of Krusty-Os on a hand-truck. Inside, I took a few pictures and talked to a few people. The shelf that had a sign that said 'These things won't be gone until you buy them' was empty. The cashier, who seemed to be into the whole theme, had changed his 'Joe' name tag to say 'Moe'. An employee who seemed like the manager helped me get a box of Krusty-Os straight from the newly arrived case, and told me that the Simpsons stuff was leaving the shelf faster than they could stack it. The building will be dressed in this theme until Aug 7th, soon after the movie comes out (July 27th).

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On a side note, it does happen to be 07/07/07 which equals 777 to some people. Since that's such a lucky arrangement of numbers, today is going to be a huge wedding day in Las Vegas.
Here's hoping those marriages beat the odds of actually getting 777 on a slot machine here.

gone fishin'

Well, I'm off visiting my family for the 4th. It's nice being back in the muggy weather for a little while, enjoying the trees, water, and mosquitos.

Night Moves

Well, I've been working the night shift for a couple of weeks, and trying to get my body used to the hours. Working 12 hours a day doesn't leave time for much else, but I'm tired enough when I get home that it doesn't really matter. I'm trying to keep the same schedule when I'm not working because moving sleep schedules around can mess you up a bit. I've never been much in-tune with my body. I can only tell when I'm hungry or exhausted, but then I can always push beyond both if necessary.

I'm always hearing about jet-lag, but I never seemed to care that much about it when flying abroad or across the country. A good friend of mine who travels to Europe a lot suggests that you just stay up as long as you can when you are given more daylight, and you'll slip right onto schedule by the next day. Also, booze helps.

On my off days, I seem to be able to take care of many of my interests, since I wasn't really going outside much for fun lately anyway. Getting together with friends, of course, is a bit more challenging. A lunch date around 12pm is smack in the middle of sleep-time. I am getting to read, study, and game more. This is a 24 hour town, so other than keeping your eyes sharp at night, it's not very difficult to get things done. I'm also actually able to get in a little exercise every day.

The commute traffic hasn't changed much. I take surface roads and still travel during most everyone else's commute time, only with opposite intentions.

Au-to-baaaaannnn

Took a trip up to Boulder City for a stop by Mel's Diner, perusing the shops, and a root beer float down at the A&W (keeper mug!). Was fun, windy, and fun.

Getting my butt on the grindstone lately. Hopefully I can make my fiscal goals by the end of the year, so that my stockholders (hi Mom!) won't panic the market.