The last few weeks have been unusual.
A few weeks ago I had to go North for a wedding. The wedding went off without a hitch, or with a hitch depending on your point of view.
The motorcycle was the weapon of choice for the trip to and from the wedding - this should be expected this time of year. The trip north was wonderful with almost perfect weather despite forecasts of rain. The nice weather prompted the avoidance of the interstates until they were nearly unavoidable. The motorcycle part of the trip almost made it qualify as an adventure. Almost.
The wedding was for my sister. Because it was family, there were many family members (both close and extended) that I saw there. It was the first time all the siblings were in the same place in over 15 years. It was also the first time I saw my brother in around eight years. When I mentioned this to some people after returning home and to work, the reaction was an assumption that the family doesn't get along. Funny in that we really do. We just all have our own slightly self-absorbed lifestyles; this is not a bad thing.
It was fun to get together with them for a while. There are some interests that intersect in the group of us, but there is no question that our parents raised a group of kids who are independent to a fault. Despite our differences, there are also many similarities. I'm starting to believe some behaviors must have a genetic component. This is something to perseverate about, now and in the future...
Several Uncles and Aunts that I hadn't seen in many years were at the wedding as well. It was good to see them, although I continue to understand more, slowly.
During filial visits, I was surprised how despite our completely different industries, personalities and even job titles, my sister and I had many similar nuances, likes and complaints about work. When I got home, I found out I was getting promoted at work. Since this wasn't something I was actively seeking, I was shocked.
Not being one to look for the spotlight, the announcement was fairly uncomfortable. The broader email announcement later was more tolerable as I heard many congrats from current coworkers as well as former ones I haven't heard from, often in a long time.
It hasn't been a very good week for vehicles. I got a nail in the nearly new rear tire of one of my motorcycles. I tried repairing it twice with Stop-N-Go plugs. I have never had these plugs fail but this leak will not stop. The Stop-N-Go appeared to work initially, but after a few commutes, the tire was back to losing nearly 20psi/day. Given the potential for catastrophic consequences if a motorcycle tire deflates very rapidly while on the road, I think my life is worth enough to buy a new tire. I do want to see what the inside looks like once the punctured tire is unmounted.
One of my other vehicles blew a coolant hose on the road. It was not an expensive fix, just a bit of a pain. Despite nearly perfect weather, the nearest tow truck Allstate Motor Club could send was nearly 90 miles away. I went with Allstate over a decade ago since they were one of the few that provided emergency roadside help for motorcycles. Now that I have roadside assistance from the American Motorcyclist Association, I may not need it. I will look into AAA - both with and without the option of motorcycle coverage as a second alternative. Aside, I was surprise AutoZone rents tools out for free, charging the price of the tool and refunding that amount in total on return; I'm sure this prompts parts purchase at AutoZone, but is an outstanding service to those of us who have not invested in things like coolant system pressure testers.
One of my other cars has a broken plastic engine shield. I really don't know why new cars all seem to have these. We all are not going to drive Ferrari Enzos with clear polycarbonate engine covers, but I miss the concept of engine as art that should be part of car design. Likely it is gone for good and replaced with an ugly plastic shield. Do not pay attention to the man behind the curtain.
I bought a used engine cover for the car off of Ebay. When it was delivered, the part was cracked - while it definitely wasn't in the picture on Ebay - leading me to believe the real possibility of damage while shipping. I was certainly expecting to chalk up a loss, but the Ebay Seller worked with UPS and we both were quickly refunded our money. Faith is renewed in humanity through the small Ebay Seller.
It is June now, hopefully 2013 will begin to coalesce into something more definite before the year is half over.
No comments:
Post a Comment