6/6/2011

I forgot to mention that I had to go to the eye doctor on Tuesday to get new contacts. I had a “new” guy run the machine and he was the first to disregard the previous prescription and start from, if not scratch, then from my description of my vision. His exact words... well, more or less, when he zeroed in on the prescription were, “This makes no sense at all.” He prescribed the new, um, prescription and I think I like them. He also wanted me to use WEAKER reading glasses than I had been using. This idea I like very much because my computers are legible finally. So, there’s that going on. OK, Saturday I call John as I'm leaving to tell him I'm going to the auto parts store for the items he and I had discussed earlier. They were: oil for Lil' Wiggly if I didn't want to use the “dinosaur juice” he brought, two relays for the electric fans in Lil' Wiggly and Barbecue Bob, and one more item we couldn't remember. As I was turning on to 377, I remembered: a fan mounting kit. I went to Auto Zone and rounded up the relays, oil, a filter for Ms. Clio since she had just clicked over 40,000 miles on Thursday, and an interior trim removal tool I thought might make a good snap taker-offer for The Seven. Then I began the search for the fan mounting kit. I couldn't find it and decided I'd just use zip ties. I went to the counter and found out that if I bought another Mobil One oil filter I'd get another discount on the oil. I found the M1 filter for the Datsun A-series engine and took it to the counter. All in all I wound up spending over $100.00 for all that stuff. I headed to the shop. At the Dirks/Alta Mesa/Old Granbury Road intersection, I decided I'd go to the Boys of Pep for the fan mounting kit after all. I searched all the aisles to no avail and just as I was about to give up and ask, I saw the electric fans behind the counter. I had the guy round up the mount kit and and I paid for it. Finally at the shop I got to work... on Barbecue Bob with John and Dave. No, I did not even look at Lil' Wiggly save for a passing glance as I drove in. We got a bunch of stuff done, I think and eventually I asked if we were at a quitting point. When it was decided we were, I asked if we could roll Barbecue Bob out so I could change my oil right quick. This we did. I couldn't get under the car without the ramps so we set them up and I drove into them. John took the wrench out of my hand, as he is wont to do, and drained my oil and changed the filter. He says it was to familiarize himself with how it is done on a Versa so he can do his in the future but I think he was just tired of hearing me groan as I got down and up from the floor. I'm easy either way. We argues the quantity of oil to put in and I dumped four of the five and a quarter quarts from the big assed bottle I'd bought while John and Dave poured the old stuff into the waste oil drum. I really need to empty that thing sometime. John checked the level on the dipstick and agreed that I might have been slightly more correct than he had been on the amount of oil needed. I dumped in another quart and it read right in the middle of the range. I went ahead and poured in the last quarter quart for the filter and we fired it up. No leaks so we declared the oil changed. Oh, also at some point before this, some dude came by and bought the engine that came out of Lil' Wiggly. When John handed over the money he said, “Lunch is on you.” OK, so when we were done with Ms. Clio's oil change, I pulled her out and parked her until such time as we went to lunch. We shoved Barbecue Bob back in and did that... went to lunch that is. We decided to give the Mexican place down the road towards Cresson another try. John and I had gone before and weren’t all that impressed. This time it was much better. I paid for lunch and we headed back to mess with Barbecue Bob some more. I don't really remember what all we did but I'm guessing it was a sufficient amount of progress. Meh, who knows? Eventually John and I left Dave to find his own way home and went to look at a building I'd like to think about considering as a possible place to maybe move the shop. It is a little “inconvenience store” on Chapin just east of Williams Road. We walked around it and think it might work. From there we didn't go look for the two 510s that used to live around the corner, because I forgot and we didn't need to know anyway, and took John home. There we looked at the house next door to his and got caught by the “caretaker” lady. She showed us inside and then John and I discussed it. If the wall between the garage and current master bedroom were removed, I could have a decent sized shop there. I went home and took a shower and nap. At dinner, I discussed the two locations with mom. She wasn't not on board with the place on Chapin but didn't like the converted house idea much. Yes, the double negative was intentional. It was to indicate that, while she wasn't going to finance and support the idea of the building on Chapin, she wasn't against it either. So, I might go have a chat with the credit onion an see what that building is worth, what they would be willing to loan me on it, and what that loan would wind up costing me. Hell, if it is less than $600.00 a month for enough to get the place and fix it up, I can afford that. Of course that place only makes sense if I'm planning to stay at the house on Burkett. I don't know. We'll see. Well, I'm bored with talking to y'all so I'm going to quit now. Also, I'm about to motherfucking destroy another motherfucking computer if this motherfucking auto-correct motherfucker doesn't motherfucking stop pissing me the motherfuck off!