8/12/13

Well, another weekend is in the books, so to speak.  Saturday morning I met John at the new shop where he had already hooked up the trailer to Fifi and was ready to go.  I parked Fiona and he locked the gate behind me.  We headed to the old shop to get his 1200, "Timmy!"  I don’t think we discussed much of any import… at least nothing was decided about my herd of cars or anything like that I don’t think.  We got to the old shop, loaded his car, and tied it down.  I think we put a few items in the back of Fifi for that first trip… yes, the radiator for Lil' Wiggly, the floor jack, and four jack stands at least were in the back of the truck.  We rolled back across town again.  At the new shop, I opened the gate and strolled over to the roll up door while John positioned Fifi to unload.  Oh, the brooms were also in the truck because John swept out his half of the “large” bay before we rolled his car in.  I swept my side of the bay then we rolled Lil' Wiggly in as well.  John parked the trailer while I was sweeping.  We locked up and headed out again.  “What’s the time?” John asked and when informed that it was 0930 h he was crestfallen.  He was hoping to be loaded for the second trip from the old shop in time for us to stop for sushi on the way.  We were working too fast.  I suggested we go back, close the door between ours and the landlord’s shops, as his outside door was sitting wide open when we left, and perhaps put the drawers back in the tool box.  This we decided to do.  I once again unlocked the gate and the shop then we got to work.  The drawers almost kicked… well, at least MY ass; they did lead to the demise of a pair of reading glasses.  Said glasses kept falling off of my face so I hurled them across the room… via John's back apparently.  Sorry about that.  We started the toolbox assembly by locating the key.  First we dug through the top drawer thinking that was the most logical place it might be.  Then we had a look at disabling the lock mechanism itself.  We probably could have come up with a solution along those lines but John asked if I was sure the key was in the top drawer.  “Could it be anywhere else?” he asked.  “Your car?  The truck?”  I said it was entirely possible that I had put it in the truck so we went out to search.  He found it in the center console!  Huzzahs all around!  We then got tucked into the drawer installation proper.  Some went together with little fuss while others were almost a total nightmare to reinstall.  Once they were all in, we rolled the box in front of Lil' Wiggly and started looking at placement of other stuff.  We decided, at that time, that the welding table and drill press would probably go in the “office” while the long table and fridge would go with the tool box in front of the “large” bay.  After about an hour… almost exactly an hour actually, after returning to “waste time” we headed back to the old shop.  There we loaded the V8 onto the engine pallet in the back of the truck, then the engine hoist, then the chop saw and drill press… and some other crap I don’t remember.  We washed up and headed back to the new shop via Wasabi.  We ate light but both drank our fill and were bloated when we left.  We got to the new shop and rolled Lil' Wiggly out to make room for the engine and stuff.  With everything loaded back into the shop, including Lil' Wiggly of course, we closed up and headed our separate ways.  After a wonderful shower and a quick nap, I believe, I sent John a text asking him to call me when he had a chance as I'd had some thoughts about organization.  I realized the welding table wouldn’t go in the “office” without removing a wall.  Also, for some reason I think the “office” and the little room behind the bathroom, henceforth to be called the “library,” would be better for parts storage than the “small” bay.  I suggested we go back to the original plan of setting up the “machine shop” area in said “small” bay instead.  It was decided that we wouldn’t decide just yet.  Sunday I took Fiona for a car wash.  Oh, Friday “on the way” home from work, I stopped in at Iffy Lube and had the oil changed as the car hit 25,000 miles on the way in that morning.  When one of the oil change lackeys commented on how dirty Fiona was, it was the final straw… ok, the giant yellow bird turds right in the center of my field of view from parking at the new shop was the final, final straw, but the lackey noticing was… oh, never mind.  With Fiona all clean and pretty again, I went for a hoon.  Back at the house I settled in to wait for a call from my brother who was in town to move my niece into the dorm at TCU.  Eventually he did call so mom and I met him and my sister-in-law at Olive Garden for dinner.  This morning as I was leaving for work, I noticed water flowing out of the garage.  I opened the door and saw that the ceiling was dripping under my shower.  I went back in and told mom.  I said that I didn’t think it was urgent that she call a plumber today and that I'd clear out my closet and the garage under the leak so he could work.  All the way in to work I fumed about how she was, inevitably, going to suggest that I park The Seven outside while the work is being done.  She hasn’t made that suggestion yet this time, and I'm not going to let her.  I sent John a text asking if he would be available to meet me at one or the other shop and drive me home.  I ‘splained the situation and he has agreed to do so.  I'll go home and change clothes, shoes at least, and drive The Seven to the… probably the new shop to make it easier on John.  I feel more secure at the old shop but the new shop is infinitely easier to get to.  And I'm using “secure” not in the sense of “protection from theft” but more like “protection from elements,” but that is more of me being harsh about the new shop in my mind, I think.  Waddayagonnnado?  Well, I think that about wraps it up for today.  We’ll see what I have to say tomorrow.