Solving the problem on my truck and getting it back on the road changed my outlook. The possibility of having to buy another vehicle is still out there, but now it’s out there. I do not want another car payment.
My schedule is lighter this weekβjust the three stores in S.C.
Not having to go to my store in N.C. is a relief, and I’m grateful the boss is having a part-timer work it this week. It will cost me some hours, but I’m taking Thursday off anyway. I have some things to deal with.
I don’t know if it makes sense but chin up and head down. Bull through.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s probably a train. But trains are neat.
I was up at 5 AM and off to finish my closest store for work. It was only five or six activities but with help being scarce a Saturday morning was called for.
After that, I headed home to work on a problem with Dad. My truck has been sitting. It started smoking a while ago and I was afraid to drive it.
Dad
We were willing to disassemble the entire engine and figure out the problem. I could go into debt on another car payment. But that’s not favorable.
Dads is an old shade tree mechanic. He can listen to an engine, smell the exhaust, taste in the air what’s wrong with it. It just takes him awhile sometimes.
Twenty-five dollars later, Blue Devil is, if not a lifesaver, a wallet saver. We followed the directions and fifty minutes later the problem was solved.
And Bruce is back on the road. The Escape still has no air but Bruce does. I love this truck. Manual V6 and lots of distance to cover. And cold air. Thanks to Pop.
I love knives and always have my SAK on me because I might have to MacGyver something.
The problem with that is I start to accumulate pocket clutter because I never leave the house without knives. Yes. Plural.
Every knife can be used for it’s primary function as a tool, and every knife can be used as a weapon. Some are better tools than others and vice verse.
And, unfortunately, you never know if you might need to get shabby.
One of my very favorite folders is this one:
It’s a KA-BAR (yes that KA-BAR), and I had never seen a folder by them until several years ago in a little shop in Maggie Valley, NC.
In the picture above are a couple of minimal knife sheaths. Topstache makes them. I was looking around on Amazon and found them. I took a chance on the sheath on the left in the picture and loved it. I’ve been trying it out for the last couple of months. It’s very durable and comfortable to wear.
But I needed something a little more straightforward for work, and the one on the right I received today.
It will hang straight on my belt where the other has a slight angle to it. I have a belt clip for my personal phone at work and the other sheath doesn’t fit well with my EDC so that’s why I ordered the other.
The new sheath will sit better at the small of my back. Yes, I’ve already suited up with it. I’m already knifed up for tomorrow.
Anyways, I needed to write something down constructive tonight, so here I am and here you are.
I’ve been browsing for the last couple of weeks looking for a βnew to meβ car. Used car prices have, of course, skyrocketed thanks to our governments and the current administration’s sα΄α΄Ι΄α΄ κ°Ιͺsα΄α΄Κ α΄α΄ΚΙͺα΄Κ.
It’s quite ridiculous.
A new car to me is out of the question. The prices in new automobiles, trucks especially, are outrageous. I have a truck that needs some TLC from a real mechanic, and it’ll be in good shape. Time and money, mostly money, are the concern there.
And there’s the…
We bought this one a few years back for her car. When we bought the Soul, she started driving it. I’m more capable if there’s a mechanical problem so I use the Escape for work most days.
The problem is summer is coming, and there’s no air in this car. That makes for irritating and frustrating afternoons here in the South. The older Escapes have a problem with their AC systems. The compressor in this one has failed before.
The heat is not my friend.
The Escape is basically a good vehicle. Tough. It has over 230k on it and the motor is still going strong. I recently had to have some work done involving the oil pan. A new gasket was installed due to a leak and small crack in the oil pan itself required replacing the pan. This wasn’t too serious but could have become a major problem.
After having that fixed, I gained nearly five miles per gallon on my fuel consumption.
So what do you do with a tough old car with no AC?
Simple, you get the AC working and continue driving that tough old car.
Some would look at it as throwing good money after bad. I see it as investing less money into something proven rather than putting money into a new bill. And I’ll have money left over every month for other things.
I’m still a bit of a fool, admittedly. But I won’t be parted from all my money.
I don’t want to go in today, but I did. And I’m glad.
I hate training people. I’m more of a shower than a trainer. You follow me through with both of us hands-on, and I’ll get you there.
My trainee had some family troubles this morning, and me and the boss always say, family first. It’s why we work anyway, so you take care of what’s wrong.
But here’s the secret, I can get way more dine in less time not dragging a trainee along.
As soon as she left, I went into beast mode. I still had a ten and a half hour day but I do love working by myself.
I still had two more stops to make on the way home for a project were doing for AT&T but I even found that enjoyable. The people working those stores were quite nice.
And I listened to some music I hadn’t thought about in ages. This cut used to be one of my favorite albums. It’s in the library now for enjoyment offline. Still have the CD. π
I usually donβt hit the wall till Wednesday. Thatβs when most folks hit it. This week it’s coming straight at me. I’m not going to swerve left or right. I’ll just hit it head-on. Maybe the airbags will work.
And BAM! (Call 911.)
A perfect example of βIf you don’t know how to do it askβ.
This is something my company does every week. We reset the digital game cards. The mod is simple. Really hard to mess up, but the right person came along. So now it’s double work. Is this efficient? No. No, it’s not. So I get to reset the reset. (911: What’s your emergency?)
It’s a thick week with some significant activities from some big customers. Reset weeks are a hassle, especially if you’re running pretty much alone. I work with my stores and associates as much as possible. (What happened? I don’t even think he slowed down, as a matter of fact, I believe he accelerated.)
If people would just be more organized and look at their week ahead of time things would be much smoother. I’m already planning on Saturday. In my head. (Get the crash cart. We’re losing him.)
Three hours in and I’m taking a break. I’m disgusted already at 10:00 AM on a Monday.
This job isn’t hard if you follow direction. I know some have to learn, but most won’t. They’re too hard-headed to teach. They always know what the deal is. The deal changesβevery week. (Wait…)
(We got a steady pulse. Something must have clicked.)
Oh, something clicked long ago. You really can’t depend on people in a retail work environment. It used to be that you could depend on people to do their job. If that happened then I could get my job done.
I know many of you are seeing this new influx of people, not depending on age, that think they’re worth way more than they are. That they are supposed to get what they haven’t earned.
It ain’t just me.
(Heβll make it but there will be scars…)
It’s 5:13 PM. Iβm going to lay work down for the day and have time with my family. If you read this it’s just me venting.
I’m writing this to myself from Sunday night, hoping that I’ll be alive at the end of the week. π
It’s going to be a tough oneβseveral large projects to complete. I would love to have some permanent help.
I ended up in the middle of a perfectly wholesome thread about dishes this afternoon.
This is my plate, there are others like it, but this one is mine.
I have a certain plate at home I like to eat from. I know that’s probably weird. My wife has one that’s matching. She brought one from her home and I brought one from mine. I look for this pattern from this maker at Goodwill stores and second-hand stores. I know this one will break one day.
I finished Moon Man by Bart Sibrel today. It’s a book about the moon landing and the conspiracy theories around that part of America’s history. Did we land on the moon?
I’m am leaning towards maybe not. But that’s because I don’t trust much of what the government has to say anymore. I’ve watched over the past couple of decades. I’ve listened. And almost too late, I have learned.
In the last chapter, Bart writes about how we can fix the problems we have now. Here is a part that hit me.
While weβre on the subject of a lottery system, the constitution, and overhauling the corrupt federal government, a look at this worldβs very first democracy is in order. It was founded in Greece about two thousand five hundred years ago. Take a wild guess as to how their leaders were selected. It was an incredibly fair system, which had an amazing built-in safeguard against systemic corruption. The representatives of their legislatures were chosen by lottery, just like a jury of your peers. If we allow the life or death decision of a capital crime to be decided by people who are chosen by lottery, then I think the decision as to whether or not put the label βContains GMOsβ on a bottle of ketchup can be decided in the same manner. Without elections, there is no corrupt influence of them, no corrupt favors to pay back for corrupt money given to corrupt people to win them, and no millions of hours of time and billions of dollars wasted to conduct them, all of which will be much better spent benefiting the public directly.
I have to admit that I read half if the book and listened to the audiobook all the way throughβboth were great experiences. I spend a lot of time on the road and I wear my ears out while I’m doing it.
SeegarsInSC 