5||0|743|0|yes
0|0|0|||||The fun never ends...|pfloyd||09:18:37|09/25/2002|Just like the subject line says... my Tesuday 24 September certainly falls under that category...%0D%0A%0D%0AAs a slight background%3A%0D%0A1%29 My current job is as a field technician for a subsidiary of NCR%2C doing field service repairs on Dell laptops and a few desktops. NCR has me on this side project where I do a revisit at a Burger King restaurant to finish up some installation work that wasn%27t done earlier on for whatever reason. Kicker of this one is that it%27s done late at night%2C when at least the dining room of the place has closed%2C which means I leave the house at anywhere between 8 and 9 at night%2C depending on where the place is%2C and get home anywhere between 1.30 and 3 in the ohmygodwhatamidoingupthislate-ning. Hence%2C between the day and night projects%2C I do a lot of travelling.%0D%0A2%29 My car%2C a %2792 Geo Tracker %28which I%27ve named Spitfyre%29 isn%27t in great shape -- power steering has gone bye-bye%2C brakes are a little crunchy%2C the exhaust pipe has rusted away from the muffler%2C and to top it off%2C the horn%27s broken. Oh%2C and front tires could have been replaced as well.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnywho... on with Tuesday...%0D%0A%0D%0AI call in to the dispatcher in the morning to close out the BK call from the previous night %28got in about 1.30 AM%2C not too bad%29%2C and find that I have three calls in my queue%3A one in a town that%27s a bit of a drive %28actually%2C I have to drive nearly an hour to get the parts for these calls anyway%29%2C and two in my city. I go get the parts%2C do the one that%27s far away%2C and head back for Worcester.%0D%0ASomewhere on I290%2C just about to the exit where I need to go %28maybe 2-3 miles beforehand%29%2C my car starts making a funny noise -- like a baseball card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. I have no clue as to what%27s going on. I keep driving%2C and do the next two calls%2C then go to a Goodyear service center where I%27ve had work done before. Well%2C turns out that a major engine component %28something to do with the oil system%2C which apparently has been leaking all over the engine%29 has broken down%2C and they recommend me to a garage that does major engine work. They guy at this other place looks at it%2C fiddles with something%2C then gives it the last rites. Great%2C a new powerplant%27s needed.%0D%0AHe calls me this morning and gives me the bad news%3A looking at upwards of %242500 for parts and labor. Oh what a beautiful morning%2C oh what a beautiful day...%0D%0A%0D%0ANow%2C here%27s another thing about Tuesday...%0D%0AOne of my calls was to City Hall in Worcester%2C replacing a system board in the City Clerk%27s laptop. Okay%2C no problem.%0D%0AWell%2C Mr Murphy reared his ugly head in my direction%2C and decided that in the interim that the LCD panel was away from the system%2C he was going to cock it up. I reinstalled it... and it didn%27t work. No display except for red fuzzy lines. I reseat the cable. Same thing. Put the old board back in. Same thing. Put the new one back in. Still no display on the LCD%2C but it%27ll work with an external monitor. Problem is%2C the City Clerk uses the laptop in a mobile fashion more often than not -- and last night it was required for a series of meetings starting at 5pm. So%2C he lets me have some crap%2C and meanwhile%2C his secretary %28does anyone use that term anymore%3F%29 is freaking out%2C phoning their IT department for help in what to do... I%27ve already called in for a new LCD %28not like I have a mobile storehouse of parts -- I%27d need a Ryder truck for that%29%2C and there%27s not much else I can do. CC is rather ticked off at me%2C and for the life of me%2C I cannot think of what went wrong%2C since everything I did was not out of the ordinary of what I normally do in a system board repair. In other words%2C what happened is not my fault.%0D%0ANow%2C this morning%2C I call in -- only one call in my queue%3A CIty Hall%2C City Clerk%27s office.%0D%0ANow%2C do they make special underwear for anyone who%27s been torn a new one%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AOn a positive note%2C I%27ve gotten some help on the car front -- able to borrow my father%27s car for the interim. Got things to work out%2C and it may take a while%2C but at least I can keep on working.%0D%0AI%27m grateful for having a job%2C since I know that there are at least a few people on here who don%27t have one. I%27ve been there myself. I hate being unemployed%2C and for some reason I%27m just too proud to take a job at a grocery store or something... and I%27d hate having to leave two weeks down the road when something better comes along. %28Well not hate%2C but it%27d be a bridge I%27m burning...%29%0D%0AAnywho...%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0ASorry for the rant... I just felt like getting all this out... %0D%0A%0D%0A-- pf%0D%0A
1|1|0|||1||RE%3A The fun never ends...|Wedge||16:17:34|09/25/2002|%3E2%29 My car%2C a %2792 Geo Tracker %28which I%27ve named Spitfyre%29 isn%27t in %0D%0A%3Egreat shape -- power steering has gone bye-bye%2C brakes are a little %0D%0A%3Ecrunchy%2C the exhaust pipe has rusted away from the muffler%2C and to top %0D%0A%3Eit off%2C the horn%27s broken. Oh%2C and front tires could have been %0D%0A%3Ereplaced as well. %0D%0A%0D%0A%22Everybody can relax%2C I found the car%21 Needs some suspension work%3B and shocks%2C and brakes%2C brake pads%2C lining%2C steering box%2C transmission%2C rear end--%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22How much%3F%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Only forty-eight hundred. And maybe new rings%2C also mufflers%2C a little wiring...%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Btable border%3D%220%22 cellspacing%3D%220%22 cellpadding%3D%220%22%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fhomepage.mac.com%2Fwedge%2Fstuff%2Fnall.jpg%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btd%5DChad Collier%0D%0AJ. Random Pixel Pusher%0D%0ADigital Domain%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%230000CC%5DRCW %231138%5B%2Ffont%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%222%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D%221%22 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btr%5D%5B%2Ftable%5D
2|2|1|||1||RE%3A The fun never ends...|Kokuten||21:32:00|09/25/2002|time to look into a new car.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnother Tracker wouldn%27t be a bad idea%2C but I%27d get a suzuki sidekick%2C same vehicle%2C much cheaper.%0D%0A%0D%0Agood luck%21%0D%0A%0D%0A-- %0D%0AKokuten Daysleeper%0D%0ARCW %2313013%0D%0A%28Insert Witticism Here%29
3|3|2|||1||RE%3A The fun never ends...|Laudre||00:40:53|09/26/2002|%3Etime to look into a new car. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EAnother Tracker wouldn%27t be a bad idea%2C but I%27d get a suzuki sidekick%2C %0D%0A%3Esame vehicle%2C much cheaper. %0D%0A%0D%0AYep.  And if the engine stalls while you%27re at high velocity%2C you can just jerk the wheel hard and the whole car will roll over to your destination.%0D%0A%0D%0AVomit bags are recommended.%0D%0A%0D%0A-- Sean -- %0D%0A%5Bb%5DRabid Crack Weasel %2342%5B%2Fb%5D %0D%0A%22All tribal myths are true%2C for a given value of %27true%27.%22  -- Terry Pratchett %0D%0A%5Blink%3Awww.drelau.com%2F%7CDrelau Productions%5D %0D%0A%5Blink%3Awww.thebrokenlink.org%2F%7CThe Broken Link%5D %0D%0A
4|4|3|||||RE%3A The fun never ends...|pfloyd||17:36:56|09/26/2002|%3E%3Etime to look into a new car. %0D%0A%3E%3E%0D%0A%3E%3EAnother Tracker wouldn%27t be a bad idea%2C but I%27d get a suzuki sidekick%2C %0D%0A%3E%3Esame vehicle%2C much cheaper. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EYep.  And if the engine stalls while you%27re at high velocity%2C you can %0D%0A%3Ejust jerk the wheel hard and the whole car will roll over to your %0D%0A%3Edestination. %0D%0A%0D%0AThat was much more inherent in the design of the predecessor%2C the Suzuki Samurai%2C which looked like a box on wheels. Then again%2C all these big honkin%27 SUVs have a reasonably high center of gravity and can roll easily as well...%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EVomit bags are recommended. %0D%0A%0D%0AHow about helmet%2C 5-point harness%2C impact foam%2C or a well-timed computer-controlled zero-zero ejection seat%3F %28Use explosive bolts to blow the hardtop... not sure what to do about soft-tops%29%0D%0A%0D%0A-- pf%0D%0A
5|5|4|||1||RE%3A The fun never ends...|Offsides||20:21:10|09/26/2002|[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-26-02 AT 08:21 PM (EDT)]%3EHow about helmet%2C 5-point harness%2C impact foam%2C or a well-timed %0D%0A%3Ecomputer-controlled zero-zero ejection seat%3F %28Use explosive bolts to %0D%0A%3Eblow the hardtop... not sure what to do about soft-tops%29 %0D%0A%3E%0D%0ATwo options%3A explosive bolts on the entire soft top%2C staggered top blow it all of%2C or a pre-fab perforation in the roof%2C and a razor-point on the top of the helmet... %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0AOffsides%0D%0A%0D%0AUnemployed netadmin seeking job... so what else is new%3F%0D%0AEPU RCW %23%F0%0D%0A%23include %3Cstdsig.h%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A