Art of Mating Zen and Three Stooges Craftsmanship into DIY Auto Repair

Holy smoke!
The idler pulley had actually disintegrated or otherwise disappeared.  

The story of my successful foray into removal of the part, and fishing belt strands out from the pulleys from around which they were tangled, can best be illustrated by the fact that aside from the part, a healthy magnet on a long flexible shaft was at top of my list in the parts store.

That sentence is so long, I don't think I want to even read it.

Overall success, so far.  Have to install it with the belts in the morning.  Then I will have AC again, which is vital.  But the bright side is that it is getting done, and I did more than I thought I would.  That is the new deal.  Do one thing more whenever possible.  It is very hard to maintain, but it does help with severe blues.  And the goal is to win before it is all over.  The tendency is to concede defeat and give up, citing one thing after another to support the proposition that it is over and I am forever worthless.  I am attempting to break this pattern.

If I were to actually achieve the goal I have in mind, I would either be a stronger person than I think I am, or I would be touched by some sort of miracle.  But that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Cooling Off

So, earlier the A/C stopped working.  The tensioner pulley bearing froze causing the belt to fall apart. Oddly, very little noise was involved.

So, it happened this was a day off, sort of.  Chiropractor day; last for awhile.  As I let the car cool off, I realize that being rather poor, financially, it is lucky that I could think to look and realize I will have to replace the pulley and belt, and that I probably can do it successfully. If I had the money, I would have dropped it at a shop, grabbed a rental, and been on my way.

Or if I were truly wealthy, my loving spouse, or other family, would come pick me up and we'd go off into perfect world land.

Other Than That,

all is well.

a couple of long gone relatives claimed they were told that a rainbow meant all will be OK.  There were two but I was driving down the hill with the phone out the window, so I didn't know what the image would be.  Missing a rainbow.

 Really, you look at what a large portion of the world does to survive a day, and a highly troubled life here looks good.  And then one might say to himself, "You are not only worthless, you are a brat!! Get over it.".  And I will reply, I see your point.

Once Again, Right On the Edge

Actually, I never really got off the edge, but the exodus from Memphis gave some momentum to something new.  The traveling become the only pain relief, but I couldn't stay and enjoy any one spot because the aloneness of it made me nauseous and full of regret, etc.

Now all that is coming back like a tidal wave.  I like tidal wave better than the word tsunami.  Shows I am not really very continental or interested in the larger scope of humanity outside the U.S.  How pedestrian and ignorant.

I have found that work is the key, and people are the key.  I have to unburden my personal life so the barriers to real company are removed.  I've let myself drift dangerously off the healthy path.  And I don't know that I can stop the drift.  I had better do it.  It may be possible.  I'll bet it is.  And if I do manage to return to some semblance of sanity and purpose, I will know I earned it.  And maybe I will even find some self respect for doing so.

Then again, maybe not.  The moral is: don't screw up everything while you still have the faculties to just do an honorable day's work and build a nice life and family.  Be loyal to those around you, and do not run from possible mates, but make it your mission to help them feel special and good for being who they are and alive.  Try to strengthen the partnership and do it right, even if you have to face unflattering truths.  I ran, instead.  It was the wrong thing to do, and I imagine God marked me off long ago because of it.

Or maybe I marked me off.  I must be made of better stuff than this.  I am sure something stunted my whole life.  Does it matter what, if the end result is disaster regardless?  Correcting course makes more sense than stewing over what caused the compass to fail in the first place.  Especially if the compass is long gone, and now we are using celestial navigation.

And listening to pop culture 'wisdom' and government sounding nonsense which urges the culture in stupid directions is suicide too.  Remember as recently as the 80's they were touting the non-addictive properties of cocaine?  They were.  They being the same ones who hog the airwaves beginning sentences with we, and our.  Our children are our greatest resource.  Right there is a start to the problem.

Who owns "our" children?  Do they own themselves?  Do their parents have a say?  Maybe it is just a big collective we that owns all souls, and the majority decides all for all.

Didn't help in my case.  What, now, do "we" do with "our" seniors?   Obviously, we must do something!!!  Isn't that the deal?   We Must do something!!!!  For the love of God, people, we must Do something; people got shot two thousand miles away!!!   It doesn't have to make sense. The presentation just needs to be breathlessly emotional, bordering on hysteria, and it must restrict someone's rights or freedoms.  Then people can feel safe again.  It does not need to actually solve the problem.  It just needs to help the overwrought hysterical narrative along.  And it works best if we select bad guys who have nothing to do with the initial problem.

How can I apply this on the individual level so I don't die with a dirty house?  That is the question. I must do Something!  Oh, right. I already tried that approach and the real troubles never disappeared.  shucks

Now You Know What I Know

http://mpninfo.org/mpns  That page as all I know about what's up. I am not discussing it much more.  Many of them have the fatigue, itching attacks, etc.  I have not been tested for the philadelphia mutation.  I am JAK2 positive, which is the other one.  Since we can influence blood levels so far, we have avoided a bone marrow excavation.   They stick a needle into your hip bone.  No. Let's wait if we can.

Anyway, so maybe it is more and maybe not, and maybe it will change and maybe not.  I hate having to work around setting off attacks.  They happen just about every day.  Good thing there is a hot hot shower at work.  But it still takes time away, and is a bad situation when others are there.  At least my main coworker knows the deal and is accommodating.  I don't like it, though.

So, that is that.  I will see the arrogant doc next week.  I will be nice unless he pushes.  If he is disrespectful, I will just ask him if he would appreciate such a jerk of a physician if he were in my shoes.  If he says I'm a jerk of a patient, I will agree, then tell him I'll get someone I do not want to punch.

A week from Friday we play a coffee house in Santee or somewhere like that.  The next three days we play Day of the Dead celebration in Old Town.  A hodgepodge of Mexican and California and who knows history and lore.  But the holiday is definitely a Mexican thing.  Dia de los Muertos

Here's The Deal RE News of any kind

Look, Walter Cronkite couldn't even get a simple, easy quote right when Neil Armstrong hopped down on the moon and spoke.  Anyone who listened for themselves and believed what they heard, and what made sense, rather than Walt's bastardization of that incredible milestone in  human history, knew he did not say, "One small step for man..".  He said "One small step for A man...".  Geez, think about it.

As Walter quoted him, Neil would be contradicting himself, and making no sense.  In that sense, man and mankind become synonymous.  So is it a small step or a giant leap?

Anyway, they finally corrected it in the last few years or so.  Forty years, plus!!

The point is, they often get it wrong, and people believe it, even when they are watching an event live.  People will go along with what they are told to think.  It was like the Emperor's new clothes; everyone pretended that "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" makes sense.  It does not.

Why it took so long for NASA to get it right, I do not know.  It proves that Walter was not much of a critical thinker, and that he was not the most reliable source that ever was.  But he sounded so kindly and authoritative.  People wanted him to be right because he sounded good and looked credible, and safe somehow.

So, if they couldn't even get that right, and people watched and didn't bat an eye over the nonsensical translation of Neil's words, you really want the majority, or anyone else, to have a lot of power?  This is why limits were what the Constitution was attempting to establish. To prevent or mitigate the tyranny of the majority.

I think it is a valid illustration.  Not only can bad info become accepted right before our eyes, we tend to go along because it seems the thing to do.  That requires turning a blind eye to what you know and think.  Weird.  But there you have it.  And for forty years the lie spread, and was even carved in stone in various monuments.

I'm old. I watched the landing live, and I cussed Walter while he misspoke.  No one listened. I was young and had a bit of a brush with the law, and the case was pending.  I would gladly have traded places with Neil.  Or even Walter.  But I would not have screwed up the quote.

''''''''''''''''''''
Is it just me, or has Geraldo become Fox's answer to Chris Matthews at wherever he works--CNN?  Here's our network horse's ass, and this election, he will be the one supplying us with cutting edge buffoonery.  Matthews sets the bar high for biased half truths and weirdness.

I think that Geraldo can best him if he tries.  Deep down he's every bit the blow hard that Chris is.

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They're Probably Right

It hasn't escaped me that I have been a self absorbed broken record for quite some time.   Depressed, sick, and blablabla about whatever.  Originally I thought I was toning it down so maybe it was OK.  But I realize that is just not how it goes.  And that is as it should be.

Sometimes I think if I described the way most days are constructed, it would be too much.  Even some is too much.

The crux of the matter is that no one else really believes I am suddenly going to fall apart and kick the bucket.  Only I think that,. and I can be way off base when it comes to some things.  Knowing which things is not my strongest point of intelligence.

It seems like there are upcoming playing commitments.  I do not know what I will do Christmas.  There may be enough work here that I am better off not to go right now.

Maybe it will work out.

So, we are playing for some amount of hours on Halloween, and the next day, and the day after that.  Dia de los dead people.   Big celebration in Old Town, and a bunch of local people who play what works there, get paid decently to play.  I can use the money, and any time spent away from myself, alone, is good.  It is good to be working in some way and also around people.  Or any goal oriented activity I guess.  Even parasailing.  That may be good.

Another time.  Oh yea, we play an hour at Kaffe Meister.  You know, with a Kraut name like that you'd think, "Coffee?  What these Krauts be knowing about no coffee?"

You cannot fool me, I know those were your exact inner words.  Well, I will tell you what these steenkeeng diesel smelling German's got going; Kaffe Meister is the best espresso in town; and related drinks.

Believe me, I was miffed to find out the place refused to be like the coffee house version of Hogan's Heroes.  I was hoping.

Did I mention we played an acoustic set and did an interview on some local radio?  Very nice facilities but I doubt anyone listens.  Maybe the educational world. I don't know.  I listen to an affiliate in the same building.  Whatever.  This new bass player, the young guy, is really making it better.  He may not have been playing long but he makes us better at this point in time.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury

...the defense, the prosecution, and everyone else, rests.

So, that was that. I cannot believe how often I have been tapped for that.  I cannot imagine any prosecutor who would be eager to have me on a jury.  It depends upon the case, so I don't think my preconceived notions hold a tremendous amount of credible weight.

I did end up having my name called for a case upstairs. We all gathered there, and waited.  A couple of times one official or another would pop up out of thin air to explain something in a spiraling fashion, if you can picture such a thing.   That is referring to the words.  Similar to talking in circles.

It is clear that I need this work.  This activity.   Who would have thought I would get a jump start from you knowwho Mr. rhymes with resident.

Really?  Would this be a bit of irony?   I actually have more reverence for the process, the office, the country, I guess, than I realized.

At any rate, it may have put things in such a light that it all works well for my benefit, as well as my coworker.

It is not a cure all but it can help keep the blues almost at arm's length.  The whole visit scenario, keeping a lid on it, etc., was the most fun I have had in a long time; one little issue or question after another.  If you had encountered the people I did, all feds of one kind or another, you would probably have to rethink any negative stereotypes you might have of those people.

I think I enjoy the company of very smart, resourceful, and respectful people.   I don't know if anyone but Clinton ever realized that running for president is like auditioning for a part that lasts forever.  And once you hit the stage, you are never again out of the theater.  I think Clinton didn't tire of acting as quickly as some did.

Politics was never implied or stated one way or the other.  All about need-to-know, privacy and protection.  These are the people you would want on your side in just about any situation.   So that is good to know.  I am not weighing in on scandals, etc.  Just giving today's observations.  There must be far more remarkable people between 25 and 40 than there are remarkable journalists of any age.

They present a lunatic brainwashed future, if you pay much attention to most news sources.  I think they will overdo some of the "let's be Denmark" attitude, but they will be alright, if the don't lose their heads...

I have Proof of Genius out of D.C.

There is a remote chance you do not know my name, or else you forgot it.  So I try to take meaaures to maintain the status quo in that regard.  It seems safer.

But you have to be sharp to recognize my amazing professionalism and unique abilities,.  So, needless to say, I can vouch for the White House whatever it says office because they have the integrity to give me a certificate of swell-o.  No dimwit would do that. 

They seriously are very sharp people.  This country produces some remarkable people.  Like this genius group.  They just stuck the ones with no personality off by themselves and the personable ones do all the dealing with outsiders.  Highly impressive people. And all of them young. A few may be into their thirties. The older ones looked more worried. The younger ones just looked happy and highly competent.  Incompetents would have never have noticed my superb attitude.