Wiped Out

Wow - I can't believe how totally wiped out I was last night (and this morning). Granted, it was a busy day, but not so busy as some others that didn't leave me feeling like I'd swallowed a few too many sleeping pills. And I didn't have any sleeping pills or antihistamines or anything else like that.

The only thing I can figure is that it's "that time of the month," the part in the Lyme lifecycle where the little bugs are more susceptible to the antibiotics, and my body gets bogged down processing all the dead bacteria. It's a theory, anyway.

Of course, I was fairly busy yesterday. My main task was for the day was getting Kara's metal sauna hooked up and ready to run.

I needed a few screws to mount the heater, and some little plastic grommets to keep the power cord safe from sharp metal edges, so that meant a trip to Home Depot.

I also needed to try and offgas the power cord, which meant a trip to the liquor store for cheap Vodka.

I also went to the gravel store and the compost store, pricing materials for some raised beds I hope to put in next month or so. And what would Saturday be without a trip to Wal-Mart?

It was a gorgeous day, so I had the girls come out and help me wash the van. The thing was so dirty that when I came out of one of those touchless car washes, the van looked the same as when I went in. I should have taken before and after shots, but I was just too anxious to get the thing taken care of.

The girls helped Shari wash her car, too.

Later that afternoon, Shari and I were on our way to Costco when the van started to make a noise and smoke. Nice. I pulled over to the side of the road, and when I opened the hood, smoke came billowing out from the side of the engine where the belts are located. It smelled like burning plastic.

I could see that the belts were still in place, so decided to try and drive back home slowly. Fortunately, the van didn't give us any problems on the return trip, and we took Shari's car to do our Costco run.

Later in the evening, I did a closer inspection of the belts. To my surprise, they all looked really good, and I couldn't figure out where the problem was. Then I noticed a plastic mud flap below the engine was pretty chewed up. I reached my hand down, and found I could bend the thing up to where the chewed place touched one of the pulleys. How it would have gotten there to smoke and whine, I really don't know.

We'll be taking the van to church today, with a prayer that this really is the problem and not a belt on it's way out.

Then last night we watched Harry Potter #1, and I was so wiped out I managed to fall asleep during the climax. That never happens!

And that's how I spent my Saturday. What did you do?

Comments

Tristi Pinkston said…
Wow. Never a dull moment at your house!

Confirmation word: gyriters

Which I think says "guy writers." Very appropriate for your blog!
2/1/09, 5:41 PM
Jewel Allen said…
We watched Harry Potter #3. My kids are SO into that right now.
2/1/09, 11:17 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guavalicious Contest Rules

As many of you know, I grew up in Hawaii, in the quaint little village of Laie . Many of you also know that I have been working away at my version of the Great American Novel for the last little while. Due to a bout of homesickness brought on by a cruel Utah winter, my story is set in (surprise) Laie. It was also in Laie that I learned to love the great taste of guava - the same taste I am about to share with a few lucky people in the form of my Guavalicious apple butter. To enter the contest, simply add a comment to this post that completes the following sentence: "A story set in Hawaii simply has to include _____." There are no right or wrong answers. I'm just curious to see what everyone has to say, both "insiders and outsiders". I also think it could be fun to try and use as many of these suggestions as possible. You can make as many as you want, but your name only goes in the hat once. I will add a jar of Guavalicious to the prize pool for every four entr
Read more

Canoe-Paddling Polynesian Guys

Image
We have finally hung a picture on the wall here in our house. The fact that this is a blog-worthy event eighteen months after moving in is, I admit, rather pathetic. But it is also very exciting. I finally feel like we are really moving in. Slowly but surely we're picking away at the projects that need to be done, and (for now) avoiding the temptation to take on any new ones. This picture is called Hoe Kama Kani , which means "paddle with the wind." We found this picture at a home show in Honolulu while we were students, and I just fell in love with it. I stood there and stared at the picture for quite some time, but I simply couldn't justify the $140 price. The salesman told us that they had a smaller print available for much less, but they had sold out at the show. We could look at it if we came by the studio the next week. Unfortunately, the little 8x10 just didn't have the same effect as the full size print. So as you can see, we bit the bullet, got the big on
Read more

The Liar's Game - Post 500

Image
Here it is - the 500th post here at Fifteen Minutes of Delusion. To celebrate, I'm having a contest. You can find the rules here . Post your guesses on this post. And now, on to the game. 1. My lunch with Michael Dorn. For several years, I was the Utah Wing Leader for Angel Flight West, a charity flying organization that donates flights in private aircraft for people who need medical attention. Each October, the Wing Leaders would get together with the board of directors in Long Beach, California, for a Wing Leader Planning Day. The first year I attended, actor and pilot Michael Dorn was on the board. I didn't recognize him at first, but as soon as he spoke, there was no doubt who he was. Kara and I were big Star Trek fans at the time. Although we didn't have any direct interaction, we sat at the same table during lunch. I was pleased to note that he took the onions off of his sandwich, just like me. 2. My flight with Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. One Christmas Kara and
Read more