Beer Goggle Dreams

Or in my case...my front left caliper is sticking. Put new pads and rotor on it yesterday and drove it and it still has the same problem. So After spending $106 for the brake parts I got on E-Bay and spent another $36 for a remanufactured caliper. A deal considering local places want $60 - $80 for one of those. It'll come in around the 1st of next month but that's okay because the caliper retracts enough after it cools down to get me to work and back. It's just frustrating though.

That said I seem to be taking more things in stride these days. While things do get me wound up I usually don't stay too would for too long unless they're repeated issues. This is of course a good thing. Money however is a repeated issue. ;-)

All things in balance though or at least that's the plan.

I do realize though that one can not shoot for the stars and remain in balance. It's an impossibility unless you have infinite time.

Here's the thing - to remain in balance you are always balanced between earth and sky and all other things. To reach the stars you have to leave the earth behind.

Thus...all true adventurers to space (so to speak) have to be unbalanced. But unbalanced in just the right way.

I'm suddenly realizing how rare that actually is.

Just got back from taking the puppy for a walk. I should stop calling him that as he's 5 or more years old. That was fun. Now I need to go out and clean up the yard and mow. Not fun.

Well that's not true. I like maintaining things. I enjoy making things work or look good or both. I like improving upon those things. And I like making things from scratch when I can. Unfortunately I don't get a lot of energy to do any of those lately.

Hoping to change that.

One other thing I paid for which cost me about $9 is a small magnetic lens assembly that attaches to my phone or my Flip Mino camera and allows me to do wide-angle and macro shots respectively. This means I don't have to use the main video camera if I want to do shots of me working with electronics out in the workshop. Yet again something I want to do but am not getting done.

Work is going well. Or as well as can be with a busy technical support position. It's always something to be dealt with. :-)

In case I didn't mention it before I got the motorcycle running again. Swapped out the carburator jets for the slightly larger ones so she shouldn't lean out around 5k rpms. Unfortunately I went to air up the front tire and it won't hold air. Fortunately I have a whole 'nother bike that has good front and back tires on it. Going to try and swap those tires today if possible after I mow the lawn.

Mowing the lawn is such a pain with the lawn lights. Seriously thinking about something creative here. I hate having to pull the lawn lights and replace them so here's what I'm thinking:

1) Get a number of those strings of LED lights. Clear, white, RGB, whatever.

2) Get a whole bunch of the small metal spice tins with the clear centers in the covers.

3) Get a bunch of rubber grommets just big enough to fit around the wires to the LEDs.

4) Notch the sides of the spice tins on two sides - one opposite the other - so the wires go in then come out the other sides.

5) Apply grommets to the wires and insert the wires so each LED is contained in a metal spice tin and centered in the clear window.

6) Hot glue the LEDs in place in the tins.

7) Glue the lids shut with something strong - I suggest Gorilla Glue.

8) Bury the tins and the wiring along the path so that just the tops show.

9) Plug the string into a timer or a light-sensitive "after dark" kind of switch.

10) Enjoy mowing your lawn without having to take the damn path lights out.

Simple, fairly inexpensive, and likely more sturdy than other wired solutions.

Now I just need a clean workshop to get those done...

Off to mow!