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Nov. 3rd, 2021 02:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsyOne of my computers (from 2013) has been doing a weird thing for a bunch of years, where I'd turn it on, and then shortly after, it would suddenly reboot on its own, or just lock up on a dark screen. Then it would be fine for days/weeks/months at a time, until I manually restart it or shut it off, then it does it all over again. I've replaced hard drives, video cards, memory, power supply, I've removed extra cards, no change. I could just do a fresh install of Windows 7, although after the debacle I went through with my mom's computer, I'm not so sure. Then again that had other issues and is due for replacement soon too. And it could be that the motherboard and/or CPU is having issues of its own. That can and does happen.
Another bunch of parts arrived for Ai, from various sources and in varying states of condition ranging from brand new to "used but good". Now it's a matter of putting it all together.
Since I was working in the general area, I noticed that a pulley for Ai's air conditioning belt was loose and wobbly. How long has it been like that...? A couple cranks with a wrench put it back where it should. Not that the air conditioning really worked, since most of the freon leaked out a long time ago. I've looked at the price for a kit of new parts and it's do-able. Let's see, $70 for a timing belt kit, $250 for air conditioning parts, $80 for a set of OEM valve stem seals, $160 for a clutch + flywheel kit. The price of all that combined isn't really bad (at least compared to having it done by a mechanic); it's also less than many of my computer builds. It's just a matter of me having a bunch of days to do it. In the meantime, I'm going to just put her steering back together and prep her for an overdue inspection, that way she should be okay over the winter.
So I was thinking about where I could go with a 2-week road trip next year. I was thinking the upper Midwest and Northwest. The kind of states where I'd like to visit them at least once, and for most of them, once would be enough. It would require a relatively high daily mileage, enabled by the sheer vastness of the states themselves. Though I might hang around Seattle for a few days. I know people I could visit in Seattle.
You might be wondering how someone like me with ADD can handle extended amounts of time in a car, or driving through big open states. It's the scenery, especially in the mountains and desert states. The scenery would gradually change, from one minute to the next. There was always something slightly different. And it allows for some solitude at the same time. It's quite relaxing. Not too relaxing, as I'm still in control of 3000lbs of metal/plastic/glass cruising at 1/10 the speed of sound, and I do need to pay attention to that task. Curiously enough, as the act of driving gives me something to focus on, the combination of all three factors actually makes it all the better. Then every few hours, I stop, get out, stretch. Maybe it's timed with a toilet break, or a gas fillup, or something that caught my interest. I'll take in the ephemeral vibe of the moment, accepting that I'll probably never be in that place again. Then I get back in the car and keep driving to the next sub-destination, if I haven't decided to stop for the night yet.
I don't think I'll go to Japan in 2022, even if they reopened to tourists right now. Many places in Akihabara had closed due to the massive drop-off in tourism and a few buildings that will be torn down because they reached the end of their lifespan. I'll probably wait a year, unless there's some miraculous bargain on flights/hotel (unlikely).
You might be wondering how someone like me with ADD can handle being on an airplane for 12-14 hours. Now there's an endurance challenge. Having electronic devices to entertain myself with helps, to an extent. The selection of in-flight movies helps, to an extent. On one flight over, I remember watching "The Godfather", which is a 3-hour movie. I started watching it at about the halfway point of the flight, and when it was over, I still had enough time to watch it again. Sleeping helps, to an extent. If a nap gets me through 90 minutes of flight, then great, I'll take that. I just have to be careful that I don't get too much sleep or I'll be asking for jet lag. I've often found myself going into what I call a low-power mode, where I'm not quite asleep but I'm damn close to it. Stick some earplugs in, close my eyes, and let my mind wander. Now that's the ticket.
Got my booster shot on Monday. I took the day off from work. The only real side effects were needing an extra long nap and the sore shoulder. Same as before.
Another bunch of parts arrived for Ai, from various sources and in varying states of condition ranging from brand new to "used but good". Now it's a matter of putting it all together.
Since I was working in the general area, I noticed that a pulley for Ai's air conditioning belt was loose and wobbly. How long has it been like that...? A couple cranks with a wrench put it back where it should. Not that the air conditioning really worked, since most of the freon leaked out a long time ago. I've looked at the price for a kit of new parts and it's do-able. Let's see, $70 for a timing belt kit, $250 for air conditioning parts, $80 for a set of OEM valve stem seals, $160 for a clutch + flywheel kit. The price of all that combined isn't really bad (at least compared to having it done by a mechanic); it's also less than many of my computer builds. It's just a matter of me having a bunch of days to do it. In the meantime, I'm going to just put her steering back together and prep her for an overdue inspection, that way she should be okay over the winter.
So I was thinking about where I could go with a 2-week road trip next year. I was thinking the upper Midwest and Northwest. The kind of states where I'd like to visit them at least once, and for most of them, once would be enough. It would require a relatively high daily mileage, enabled by the sheer vastness of the states themselves. Though I might hang around Seattle for a few days. I know people I could visit in Seattle.
You might be wondering how someone like me with ADD can handle extended amounts of time in a car, or driving through big open states. It's the scenery, especially in the mountains and desert states. The scenery would gradually change, from one minute to the next. There was always something slightly different. And it allows for some solitude at the same time. It's quite relaxing. Not too relaxing, as I'm still in control of 3000lbs of metal/plastic/glass cruising at 1/10 the speed of sound, and I do need to pay attention to that task. Curiously enough, as the act of driving gives me something to focus on, the combination of all three factors actually makes it all the better. Then every few hours, I stop, get out, stretch. Maybe it's timed with a toilet break, or a gas fillup, or something that caught my interest. I'll take in the ephemeral vibe of the moment, accepting that I'll probably never be in that place again. Then I get back in the car and keep driving to the next sub-destination, if I haven't decided to stop for the night yet.
I don't think I'll go to Japan in 2022, even if they reopened to tourists right now. Many places in Akihabara had closed due to the massive drop-off in tourism and a few buildings that will be torn down because they reached the end of their lifespan. I'll probably wait a year, unless there's some miraculous bargain on flights/hotel (unlikely).
You might be wondering how someone like me with ADD can handle being on an airplane for 12-14 hours. Now there's an endurance challenge. Having electronic devices to entertain myself with helps, to an extent. The selection of in-flight movies helps, to an extent. On one flight over, I remember watching "The Godfather", which is a 3-hour movie. I started watching it at about the halfway point of the flight, and when it was over, I still had enough time to watch it again. Sleeping helps, to an extent. If a nap gets me through 90 minutes of flight, then great, I'll take that. I just have to be careful that I don't get too much sleep or I'll be asking for jet lag. I've often found myself going into what I call a low-power mode, where I'm not quite asleep but I'm damn close to it. Stick some earplugs in, close my eyes, and let my mind wander. Now that's the ticket.
Got my booster shot on Monday. I took the day off from work. The only real side effects were needing an extra long nap and the sore shoulder. Same as before.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-03 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-03 07:47 pm (UTC)