Mad Geek
Friday, December 17, 2004
Long time, no post
Well, things have been busy here on my end of things. I've been learning all I can about my new position here so I don't look like a moron when I have to ask the other team leads for help. There have been finals at school (I think I did ok). And to make it all the sweeter, the Christmas program at church is going to be mainly music, which means the choir is practicing a lot!
Some things have changed; mainly my schedule and appetite. I now work the 9AM to 6PM shift here at work. This has the annoying habit of throwing off my lunch hour and my tummy ain't happy about it. It's rather interesting getting to drive to work in daylight, however. There's a completely different feel to the road and the people who drive around seem to be much more brain-dead. Thankfully, they also seem to keep more to surface streets than the early risers (who are more a "freeway-using zombie" type people).
My car had some problems, but they are gone now. For awhile, we were sure that the fuel lines had frozen, or that the engine wasn't getting spark. After trying for a week to get it back up, we finally took it to a mechanic. It turns out that the timing belt has a tensioner hooked to a hydraulic ram. When it got really cold, the gasket for the hydraulic ram cracked and leaked all the fluid out. When the car started, there was no tension on the timing belt and the car shut itself off to prevent damage. So for the week it wouldn't start, it was because the car's computer wasn't letting it start. Smart car, ignorant owner. In the end, we got a new gasket, belt, tensioner and ram. Not cheap.
Car works fine now, though. In fact just the other day I "field tested" it on the way to work. I didn't realize how fast I was going, I just knew I was trying to pass someone. Turns out the car easily breaks 100MPH with no problems. At that speed, the images in my rear view get really blurry.
Last night, Tine and I watched a bit of Iron Chef from Japan. I love that show (as I think I've mentioned here before). There are three main chefs to challenge; French, Japanese, and Chinese. On occasion, there is a fourth; Italian. I personally think that they should have a fifth; Bachelor. It'd be great! I can see it now; The Challenger and Iron Chef Bachelor square off as Chairman Kaga reveals the day's secret ingredient . . . Top Ramen!
There would be Kaga's voice-over: "If memory serves me correctly, many a man have forced to eat only the things they had on hand. I believe my chefs are capable of producing great dishes from these!"
Then they could have "The Day Before Payday Battle" where all they had was margarine, nutmeg (which is in all kitchens, regardless if you use it or bought it or not), and Saltines.
Ala cusine!
Some things have changed; mainly my schedule and appetite. I now work the 9AM to 6PM shift here at work. This has the annoying habit of throwing off my lunch hour and my tummy ain't happy about it. It's rather interesting getting to drive to work in daylight, however. There's a completely different feel to the road and the people who drive around seem to be much more brain-dead. Thankfully, they also seem to keep more to surface streets than the early risers (who are more a "freeway-using zombie" type people).
My car had some problems, but they are gone now. For awhile, we were sure that the fuel lines had frozen, or that the engine wasn't getting spark. After trying for a week to get it back up, we finally took it to a mechanic. It turns out that the timing belt has a tensioner hooked to a hydraulic ram. When it got really cold, the gasket for the hydraulic ram cracked and leaked all the fluid out. When the car started, there was no tension on the timing belt and the car shut itself off to prevent damage. So for the week it wouldn't start, it was because the car's computer wasn't letting it start. Smart car, ignorant owner. In the end, we got a new gasket, belt, tensioner and ram. Not cheap.
Car works fine now, though. In fact just the other day I "field tested" it on the way to work. I didn't realize how fast I was going, I just knew I was trying to pass someone. Turns out the car easily breaks 100MPH with no problems. At that speed, the images in my rear view get really blurry.
Last night, Tine and I watched a bit of Iron Chef from Japan. I love that show (as I think I've mentioned here before). There are three main chefs to challenge; French, Japanese, and Chinese. On occasion, there is a fourth; Italian. I personally think that they should have a fifth; Bachelor. It'd be great! I can see it now; The Challenger and Iron Chef Bachelor square off as Chairman Kaga reveals the day's secret ingredient . . . Top Ramen!
There would be Kaga's voice-over: "If memory serves me correctly, many a man have forced to eat only the things they had on hand. I believe my chefs are capable of producing great dishes from these!"
Then they could have "The Day Before Payday Battle" where all they had was margarine, nutmeg (which is in all kitchens, regardless if you use it or bought it or not), and Saltines.
Ala cusine!
:: posted by Zuke, 1:38 PM
