Magic Time

So as I have mentioned before, my husband has this magical power over electronics whereas I have the power to kill electronics. Evidently, all I had to do to get the radio fixed in my car was to take him for a drive and *poof*, it started working. Just like that.

With our powers combined….

As well, I decided instead of buying some new clothes (which I really need as I haven`t bought jeans or shirts in about a year or so and I`m starting to look a bit tatty) I would buy some music. And then I couldn`t decide what to buy. So, I bought a whole pile (online). I bought Ella Fitzgerald (x2 with Louis and the gang), Sara Bareilles (reminds me of Fiona Apple), Sheryl Crow (my fav) and Jack Johnson (his new one). My hubby was a little peeved that I bought a whole pile of music. But honestly, it is a whole lot cheaper than the big screen TV that he wants. And I bought some stuff that he would like. Don`t think I didn`t see him toe tapping away while he burned CDs so he could put the music on his laptop, oh, and his mp3 player.

Speaking of the music, it wouldn`t all download properly. I got around that, but then I ran up against the whole licenses problem which for whatever reason wasn`t letting me burn all of the songs to CD for a backup. So, I had hubby come over and of course the computer then acted perfectly fine. Oh well, I now have music everywhere I go.

I might just have to turn things up….

Car is Fixed

Yay!

The car is fixed again. I rode my bike around with the little kid trailer today. All is good. If you need proof, I can show you the trail of mud on my backside and up the back of my coat. Anyway, car is good again and driving very nicely. Found out what the growling noise is. It is a bearing in the alternator. (I do know how to fix that.) So, another thing to add to the list. That windshield just keeps on being shuffled to the bottom of the list, does it not?

Somehow, I have turned the funny foreign accents back on my keyboard again. Anybody know how to turn them off? The help section does not cover it, unfortunately. But watch this:

ÉÈÀÇ éèàç

That is good fun. Annoying, but fun. I would like my apostrophe back though.

Getting Things Fixed

It’s a grey day here today. And not just because the steering rack needs to be replaced on the Dodge. That’s expensive. So, I did our taxes. I even filed them. Soon we will have our return and I can fix everything. Party time. Seriously, there are other things I would rather do with that return. We tend to be very responsible with our returns. For instance we used it as a down payment on our first house one year. But, there will be room for some fun. For example, I’m sure we’ll also use it to pay for our upcoming trip over the mountains to beautiful Victoria.

Speaking of fixing things, my laptop decided it didn’t want to play nice. It was working for a few days, so I lugged it all the way downtown yesterday. See, without a car, it meant walking my daughter in a stroller the 12 blocks to playschool, dropping her off and hanging at the library for 2 hours before returning to get her. So, after lugging the 8 pound laptop a total of 32 blocks, all I have is a broken blister on my heel. Because of course, my laptop would not work for me.

But I had a back up plan. I brought my library card (the nice librarian gave me a new one) so I could sign out tons of fun stuff in case my laptop acted up. I had even tracked down the BBC version of “Pride and Prejudice” which is supposed to be great. (I’ve been hearing about it for years. Evidently the scene where Colin Firth takes off his shirt actually sent women to emergency with heart palpitations when it was first aired on TV (who knew they had TV in the 1800s–ha, ha). Isn’t that totally crazy?) Anyway, I had all this great stuff to sign out and then I couldn’t find my library card. Groan. I had put it down somewhere at home and therefore I was a good 16 blocks from home and without my library card.

So now to just get the shingles replaced–again–on our roof, grow some new skin on my heel and a few other little tasks and my life should be back on track. Maybe…

I am Goddess of Turn Signals. (Also Very Dumb.)

So I finally triumphed the turn signal problem. I am currently shaking my head at my own stupidity. Shake, shake, shake.

 You know what is crazy about it all? Last week when they went all funky and my hubby was all like, get it fixed, get it fixed. Now, now. This weekend, this weekend! I had a feeling that I should wait until this week–like Monday or Tuesday to fix them. I guess the reason why was I didn’t need the three parts we tracked down nor the special tools or to spend hours of our lives on the problem.

It turns out that when I was checking fuses for the radio last week I somehow managed to scramble them up. Specifically, the turn signal one which is right under the radio one and is the same colour and also the only one visible if you don’t hunch down. So, anyway I pulled it and it ended up in an empty slot. And obviously not the correct one.

I checked the fuse box so many times this weekend! And every time I assumed that the turn signal fuse was in with the hazard flashers as I couldn’t see ‘flashers’ or ‘turn signals’. For whatever reason, it wasn’t until today that I noticed the off-to-the-side empty slot (hiding behind the large circuit fuse) that said above it ‘T/SIG’.

Well, I have to have a ‘duh’ moment every once in awhile, so hopefully I will be okay for at least several months.

In the end, I still have my appointment with Kal Tire. (When I changed the appointment from turn signals to CV Joints the guy was like, it was a fuse wasn’t it? Ack!) Anyway, I have to get the CV Joints replaced so now it shall be done–before something breaks and the car crumbles into a brick wall. CV Joints are not something that I am equipped to do on my own. (Ignoring the fact that I don’t have a garage and there is snow on the ground.) And of course, presuming that I would have the desire to fume and curse at my car for at least 20 hours in order to change them on my own. Well, maybe only 12 hours. Still, a lot of fuming and cursing and several trips to the parts/tool store.

Speaking of which, I have a lot of parts to return.

Still Glitchy

Well, the glitches won’t get out. They won’t get out of the car and they won’t get out of my website. So, basically, yesterday was a waste.

It is so foggy here at the moment that I can’t even see the house across the park. So, when that lifts I will go tinker with the car some more. I made an appointment with the shop for tomorrow. But they cahrge $90 an hour. When did that happen? Didn’t it used to be $60? Maybe they just hate electrical crap. I know I do. So, I’ve done more research on the Internet–I am not alone in my troubles. Anyway, I will go out later and wiggle some wires and see what I can discover.

As for my website…the cascading style sheets still aren’t loading properly which results in tiny links and smaller than specified fonts. So much fun. But I have an idea. I’ll make a dummy page and steal its css code. Or at least compare the two.

Or maybe I’ll live with the glitches.

Glitches

Wow, I feel like for every step forward these days, I run up against a wall. If the world could just stop for a day or two, I might actually be able to catch up. But that would be boring.

 The cup of coffee I drank a few hours ago has me super jittery. My hands are a-shaking! So, it is time for a little classic music. Okay, that’s not helping. Not at all. I just want to speed it up. I just switched to The Offspring. Much better. My hands feel less jittery and out of synch with this stuff. Plus I can burn off all that caffeine with jiggling my leg. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea adding that instant mocha stuff to the coffee. That might have been a bit too much for me.

So why glitches? I am trying to fix my turn signals and keep running into problems. So, I guess problems and dead ends more than gltiches.

So, let’s see. I’ve tried replacing the flasher in my car. (No, no not the nude guy that’s supposed to be in the glove compartment according to my manual–he’s actually hanging out behind a panel.) Anyway, he’s A-okay.

So, screw the $8 fix. On to the $100 fix. After tracking down the part so I could have turn signals before the weekend is over, I discover that after talking to my dad, logically, it really can’t be that part. Even though the lame $25 manual said it would be. It just reinforces that Haynes manuals suck. Give me a Chilton anyday. Anyway, I learned how to use my little power meter for more than just checking my AA batteries today. I also found some more glitches.

So next stop is checking the igintion switch. Easy enough, right? Disconnect the battery so the airbag doesn’t blow up on me and pull the steering column cover so I can access the switch and test it. (Yet another use for my meter.)

Except that I don’t have the correct sized torx. So I borrowed some, but I can’t get the recessed screws with the T20 torx. Plus there is this funky torx screw head. So, after some research on the Internet, I discovered that it is a ‘tamper proof torx’ and discovered all these ways around it–including sending my hubby back to Parts Source ($5). That coffee I bought an ex-student on Friday has been well worth it. But that’s another story. (He saw me the other day in the Tim Horton’s drive thru and we were yelling back and forth from our vehicles and he ended up recommending Parts Source. Since then I’ve managed to find what I needed at P.S. two times. And because I was ahead of him in line and he is such a great guy, I bought his coffee when I bought mine. I’m glad I got to pay him back for his Karma-like help right then and there.)

Anyway, we will see if I can get to the switch in a bit when I have the right tools. Then maybe we can get to the bottom of this problem.

On the other hand, there are still a bunch of glitches on my website. When I fix two, I create another one. So, eventually, I will be down to only one glitch that won’t go away…in theory. But I’m stubborn and I will survive. I will survive…

First Snow

Last night was the first snowfall of the season. It is already gone, of course. But, it was pretty exciting for our daughter as well as for her friends who came over this morning to play all day. By 8 a.m. she was outside making snow angels. And I tell you, I forgot how crazy a toque can make your hair when you pull it on when your hair is still wet and don’t pull it off until your hair is dry. Eeeek!

They put a playground in beside us which is very exciting. Many hours have been spent there already. And I have met a pile of neighbours. Strange though, they all ask when they discover just how close we are to the park, “Did you build or buy?”

Like really, are you trying to classify me with some strange schemata you have in your mind? Because, you can pretty much toss it out because we didn’t do it for the reasons you assume. (Although, I am not sure what reasons they are assuming…basically, I just don’t understand.)

Anyway, the snow was wonderful. But, I suppose it also means that I shouldn’t procrastinate much longer on planting my daffodils and tulips if I expect them to come up next spring!

And of course, the other outdoor projects…

Still haven’t gotten the car fixed. But then again, I am sort of hoping to hear from Nissan that I won a Versa. I sent in my essay for this week’s draw (which actually happens next week). Now, of course, I never win anything. But then again, this would certainly make up for a lifetime of not winning stuff!

Okay, okay, I won some peanut butter brittle when I was 17.