Car Fixed - Finally

Considering I was without my car for a week, I did a remarkable job of getting to and from work.  God had really been providing for me because I have a co-worker who lives in my complex as well as one near me.  They start very early, so I had to get up and get out the door early, but I got four days of work in.  Friday, they both wound up not working, so I was stuck at home.  All told, I’m thankful.

Meanwhile, the mechanic had decided what I suspected all along, the problems I was having last weekend were related to a cable they had found that needed to be fixed.  They thought I could drive it with the cable as it was.  Obviously not.  So they ordered the part on Wednesday and it came in Friday.  They fixed it for me right away and then came and picked me up Friday afternoon.

They test drove it quite a bit, and I drove it all over town over the weekend as well as to and from work today.  I feel confident in finally say that it is fixed.  The cable needs to stretch a little, and it doesn’t always seem to register that it is in park, but that’s the only issue.  If it keeps acting up, I’ll have them take a look at it when I get my oil changed next time.  For the time being, I can get it into park when I need to.

The car is running great, the transmission is shifting just fine.  I think I can start putting this entire episode behind me.

Word Association for October 24th

Here's this week's word association.

1. dead :: Certain
2. bangs :: Hair
3. future :: Tense
4. holistic :: Medicine
5. circumstance :: Bad
6. past :: History
7. fan :: Air
8. happened :: To Be
9. room :: Living
10. awful :: Bad

The Continuing Saga of My Car Troubles

So, here’s a summary of my weekend.

Spencer was out of town this weekend, but my car was ready to be picked up.  Arranged to get a ride from Spencer’s to my mechanic, so I pick up my car.  I’m almost home when my check engine light comes on.  It’s still on the next morning, so I take my car back.  They keep it all day and fixed a couple of things (spark plugs, etc).  It’s fine Saturday night, but last night driving home from ultimate, the light comes on again.

Meanwhile, a couple of times, my transmission had shifted down to either first or neutral and stayed there.  It had concerned me, but when I was almost home from ultimate, it stayed there for the final half mile home.  Obviously, it’s not working right either.

I took a quick shower and dropped my car off at my mechanics, planning to go take Spencer’s car again.  Only it won’t start.  Most likely the battery, which he has known needs to be replaced soon but he hasn’t worried about.

Fortunately, I learned six months ago or so that one of my co-workers lives in my condo complex.  Even more fortunately, I have his phone number.  I got a ride in to work with him this morning.  The down side, we left an hour earlier than normal for me.  He normally starts even earlier than that, so if I’m going to keep getting a ride from him, I’m going to have to be leaving by 6 instead of 7:30 like I have been.  On the plus side, I can get to and from work.

I’m frustrated.  And tired.  Very tired.

I had nothing planned this weekend but relaxing at home.  Not sure about the relaxing part, but at least I had time to deal with all this.

Word Association for October 17th

Welcome to this week's word association.

1. Untraceable :: Signal
2. Senator :: Congressman
3. Humongous :: Big
4. Drinks :: are on the House
5. Ringing :: Endorsement
6. Overloaded :: Support System
7. Annoyed :: Sibling
8. Blondie :: Dagwood
9. Suits :: USA Network Show
10. Deadly :: Fire

That Dam Mud Run 2013

Sadly, we have reached that point in the year again – the time of my last mud run of the year.  Fortunately, the weather warmed up just enough that it was still pleasant out.  Not too hot; not too cold.

I did this one with a co-worker.  We’d done the obstacle run together back in July, but this was his first mud run.

This was the second year for this run at this location, but it’s put on by the people who do Irvine Lake, one of my favorites.  They really changed the course layout this year, skipping the part by the swim lagoon but focusing on the back half where all the mud was last year.

And that meant they really upped the mud factor.  There were lots and lots of mud pits.  In fact, I wouldn’t have minded a few different kinds of obstacles, but I feel like they are still determining what they can do at this location.

Anyway, we both got muddy and had fun.  As I always say, what else matters?

Some of the mud pits were pretty slick, too.  It was almost impossible to get out of them the sides were so slick.  But obviously we did make it out since we aren’t still in the mud.

It doesn’t seem quite as popular as some of the others I do yet.  Hopefully that will grow because it’s less than an hour from my house, always a plus since so many seem to be in Orange County.

Sadly, for the next six months I’m mud run less.  I know of a few happening, but I don’t want to risk the weather.  It could be fine or it could be very cold.  And if it’s cold, these are no fun at all.  So I’ll wait until spring.  I’m already eyeing my first mud run which could be the spring edition of Irvine Lake.

Youth Group Reunion

Last Sunday (yes, over a week ago.  I’m still catching up.), the first group of jr. highers I worked with at my old church held a reunion.  They invited staff, but I was the only one who could make it.

About half the group still lives in town, and I see them a few times a year as it is.  But the other half have moved out of the area, and I haven’t seen some of them in years.

It was great hanging out with everyone and especially catching up with those I hadn’t seen in a long time.  The house was full of kids as just they were invited as well.  They kept everyone on their toes, yet they behaved very well and played together with minimal fighting.

The visiting was also done around the Dodger’s game, and part of me had a great time teasing people about it.

It did mean I missed my ultimate Frisbee pick up game since they started at the same time, but it was worth it.  And I was very happy to be included in the invite to begin with.

Transmission Trouble

I was almost home from work last Wednesday when I felt a huge shake and heard a loud pop.  I still don’t quite know what I did, but I pulled over to the side of the road to find I was leaking something.  So I started calling for a  tow truck and then started calling friends.

The short version of the outcome is that I have a hole in my transmission and my car has been in the shop since then getting fixed.  Last I’d heard, they hoped to have it for me by Saturday.

Meanwhile, I’m thankful to be using Spencer’s car to get me to and from work.  It would be a double bummer to not have any income coming in while I have this huge expense going out.

I did consider trying to replace my car, but since I’m still working a temp job, I didn’t feel right about taking on a monthly expense.  Hopefully with the rebuilt transmission they are putting in, I can make my car last another year or two, which was my original goal.

Word Association for October 9th

Here's this week's word association.

1. Latch :: Door
2. Standard :: Deduction
3. 60 :: 61
4. Maple :: Syrup
5. Final :: Countdown
6. Bickering :: Fighting
7. Diner :: Roadside
8. Nasty :: Virus
9. Ohhh! :: Awwwww
10. Leeches :: Blood

TV Recap?

I've decided to post my weekly recaps/thoughts on my review blog from here on out.  So if you are looking for this week's, here's the link.

Sunday Friend Day

Not being content to spend part of Saturday in Pasadena, I headed back that way on Sunday.

It all started because Christy, a friend I grew up with, invited me to her place for a launch part of the new season of Once Upon a Time.  So I used that as an excuse to hand out with my friends Luke and Sarah on the way.

I got their early afternoon, and we headed out to a farmer’s market and grabbed some lunch while we were there.  Then it was back to their house for games.  I beat them at Clue – Master Detective, but then lost horribly at Settlers of Catan.  I hadn’t played either game in a long time, so it was fun to play them.  Heck, I haven’t played a game with friends in a long time, so that was fun.

Then I headed to Christy’s house.  She’d made dinner for us.  It was two friends, her, her husband, and myself.  We had fun chatting and the food was delicious.  Then we watched the recap and the new episode.  Nothing too earth shattering in it, but I already can’t wait for the next episode.

While this meant I wasn’t home much this weekend, it was still a very fun time.  This weekend, I don’t have much planned, and I’m looking forward to that, too, just for different reasons.

Gladiator Rock n Run - Rose Bowl

Last Saturday was the second of 3 mud runs I’m doing in 4 weeks.  I was back doing the Gladiator Rock n Run, but this time I was doing it in Pasadena in and around the Rose Bowl.

I had a choice, and I did the 10K.  I did this race and this distance two years ago, and I had a blast, so I wanted to do it again.

I wound up doing it by myself, but in some ways that was okay.  No pressure.  No pushing.  I could just go at my own pace.

The down side was I got assigned to the 7:30 wave instead of the 8:30 wave I signed up for.  They didn’t have enough people at 8:30, so they turned that into a 5K wave.  Still, that’s very early.  As in I had to wake up earlier than I do for work.  But I got there and was ready to run before they were ready to let us go, and that’s the important thing.

We started by running down the player’s entrance and into the Rose Bowl itself, where we then did the stairs a number of times.  Then it was out to the street around the Rose Bowl before leaving that and entering the park.  That was the part I remembered the most from two years ago and the part that I enjoyed the most.  And it’s only available on the 10K course.

They moved up the ice bath obstacle to near the beginning.  It wasn’t quite warm enough for that yet, especially at 7:30 in the morning.

But the mud doesn’t come into play until the last mile.  There isn’t much since they have to create dams for it.  But it was still fun, and I got muddier than I was expecting.  There was mud twice, once with barbed wire for us to crawl under and then a tunnel to crawl through and once with ropes and flags.  That second time, the mud was in dumpsters, which I wasn’t expecting and was kind of fun.  A creative way to get us muddy.

My only complaint is how low they put the barbed wire.  It is next to impossible to get down to crawl through the mud without getting scratched.  And the mud was too shallow at times, too.  If it were rope, I wouldn’t mind at all.  But since I got scratched, I wasn’t happy.

The hardest obstacle for me was the cinderblock burpees.  I have got to start exercising my upper body.  That’s all there is to it.  My lower back and calves were killing me for a couple days afterward.

And yet I’ll take the challenge and be back for more.  I’ve only missed one they have put on in Orange County and LA County, and that was the Rose Bowl last year.  It just about killed me.  I will be back.

Oh, the upside of starting early?  The huge group of people in the starting corral waiting to start when I was clean and on my way home.  That felt good.  As did the two hour nap I took that afternoon.