25 Wednesday Apr 2018
Posted in Cycling, Weight Loss
I was so looking forward to getting out today and do some serious riding. I even left work early. It didn’t happen. I got a little over two miles from the house and I heard the dreaded pop. I knew immediately what it was. At least I got some exercise walking home. Question? For those that ride, do you do your own repairs such as replacing spokes? Do you keep such items in stock?
13 Tuesday Oct 2015
Posted in Photography
I didn’t sleep much last night due to leg cramps and a low sugar episode. When I did finally get out of bed this morning I could hardly move. That little stunt in the attic yesterday really did me in.
I took off a little early to take my daughter to a Honor Band tryout but when I got home there was a message waiting on me telling me that the tryouts had been postponed. Instead of taking it easy and getting a nap in I took the light fixture down, drilled out the holes with my Rotor Zip tool and remounted the fixture. No big deal.
I have been known to be called Jack of all trades master of one. I do have my HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) licences but only after about five years of going to night school. As far as being an electrician, I do have some training but only when it comes to HVAC. I have to give my dad credit when it comes to all my electrical learning. My dad was the true Jack of all trades master of all. He can do anything from plumbing, electrical and anything else you might need him to do. You can give hime the dimensions of a house and he can tell you how much lumber you’ll need and not have much left over. This is not an exaggeration because I’ve seen him do it multiple times. My dad does have his Masters in the electrical field. It took him several years to get it but he never gave up.
My dad and I worked together a lot while I was growing up. It didn’t matter what he was working on I’d be right there with him handing him the tools of the trade. I think that’s where I got my “knowledge” on working of different things. He was never afraid to try anything once. I remember watching my dad work on the television when I was just a kid. I remember him telling me not to touch this or that or I’d get a shock. I had no idea he could work on such things but the next day the television would be fixed. I remember telling my dad that I wanted to be just like him when i grew up. You know what?? I did.
On a side note. Both my parents are still alive. They are both in their seventies and I count it a blessing everyday that I can still talk to them. Dad taught me the tools of the trade while my mom taught me the joys of cooking, among other things.
12 Monday Oct 2015
Posted in Photography
I am in no way an electrician. I know enough just to get myself into trouble. And tonight I didn’t disappoint. About six months ago, the kitchen light needed a new ballast. As I was looking at the ballast I noticed that I could purchase a new fixture for about the same amount that I would be spending for just the ballast. So I purchased the new fixture and installed it myself. No big deal. About a month ago I was sitting in my recliner when I heard this loud bang in the kitchen. I jumped up and ran into the kitchen to find that the shade had fell from the fixture and hit the floor. The shade broke into several pieces and had to be thrown out. Since then we’ve been using the fixture with no shade. I didn’t have a problem with it, my wife did though.
We’re having people over this weekend to celebrate my twin daughters birthday and my wife wanted a new shade for the light in the kitchen. She didn’t know that I can’t just order the shade and I would have to replace the fixture with a new one. So, I stopped on the way home and picked up a new light fixture.
After our scout meeting tonight I got home and picked up the ladder from the garage on my way into the house. I was taking down the old fixture when I noticed that the screws that were holding up the light were actually toggle bolts which meant that the bolt were not going to go back in easily. I didn’t remember this when I changed out the fixture before but there they were. I took both bolts out, took the new fixture out of the box and attempted to screw the bolts in place. Just as I figured, it was not going to happen unless I had two more toggles which I didn’t have. So I did the next best thing. At 9pm I moved the ladder into the hallway and with care got into the attic.
Now I’m not a small man by any means so the task of me getting into the attic was not easy. Not easy at all. The last thing I needed was to fall through the ceiling. My wife and daughters were all in a panic but I finally made my way to where the kitchen was and found the two toggles that I needed and made my way back to where the ladder was. Getting up into the attic was hard but getting back down was almost an impossibility. I didn’t find it funny at all but both my daughters found it to be hilarious. I’ll deal with them later.
I got the light mounted but not without issues. The holes didn’t match up so I need to take the fixture completely down again and lengthen the holes in the fixture so I’ll have some play. I wasn’t about to go back into the attic again tonight. I’ll get the parts I need tomorrow and reinstall the fixture again. Right now the fixture is mounted and it works so that’s all that matters right now.
“Life Goes On!”
