The unnamed space

Well it was the front bearing on the Z. After 225k it started making grinding noises in turns and the car seemed a little directionally challenged. I had the car jacked up and could feel how incredibly loose the bearing was just by moving the tire around. After trying to figure out what size the axle nut was and hunting all over for the right size socket I managed to have a sunday to replace the problem part. It started out fine but let me tell you, if I didn't have an impact gun and air chisel I never would have been able to do it. The axle nut was on super tight and only the impact could loosen it. The bearing was fused to the steering knickle by rust and would not come off. It was only by trying wedge the air chisel between the bearing and the knuckle all around the perimeter and repeated dosings of WD-40 was I able to free the rusted out part. Victory!!! I cleaned all the parts up and reassembled everything with the new bearing. Took the car for a test drive and I was floored by how quiet it was. I guess I hadn't noticed but there was noise just driving straight before as well. Now it is so quiet that when I let off the gas and coast all you hear is a little road noise as the winter treads roll on the pavement. Fantastic!!!

Thank you jesus!!! I finally got the last tile put up in the shower! Holy crap it was a ton of work. It looks awesome so if I do say so myself. :) Still a bunch to do but one more milestone has been passed. Phew.

Wow, I am still tired from easter weekend. It was jam packed with reno and parties. First I spent Friday (until 3am!) installing tile in the shower and followed up wth more of the same on saturday. Then went to Ang's Bro's place for his birthday party and was up again until 2ish. Not bad for 4.5 hours sleep. And Sunday we stuffed ourselves at Ang's aunt's place. I wanted to take Monday off just to recover! Here are some more bathroom pics. It's getting closer to being done but still a lot left to do.

Well it's been a while since I updated my blog. Too much has happened to put it all down so I'll just write about stuff from today. Winter has come and gone without me on the snowboard and instead in the bathroom (remodelling it that is). It's getting close to being finished. The drywall is up and 99% done, just a couple small dimples to do one more coat of compound. Basically what is left is to paint, finish the tile in the shower, tile the floor, trim and install the furniture. The end of this project is getting closer and just in time for spring too. Anyways, here are some of the latest pics of the bathroom. Can't wait to use the shower up here instead of the one in the basement!

Okay, I was crazy enough to stand in line for my PS2 way back in the day but there are people just looking to flip the new PS3 on eBay (if you saw BT this morning there was one guy who thought he could get $2500) but if the auction I saw this morning is real either some kid got hold of his dad's credit card or someone has waaaay too much money!

If anyone is wondering what to get me for christmas... :)

 

- Subscription to magazine: Super Street, Import Tuner or Road and Track

- Movie: Nacho Libre!, Grand Prix (with James Garner, Seriously one of the best racing movies ever!)

- Book: Umbrella Girls by Paolo D'Alessio ;), Kings Of The Nurburgring by Chris Nixon

- Model Car: Subaru WRX STI Rally Car, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 Rally Car

- Electronics: 1GB USB memory stick

- Other: there is always Ikea or Canadian Tire Gift Certificates!

 

Now that I've given you guys an idea what I want I better get shopping too.

I spent most of yesterday working on the bathroom, putting up insulation, vapour barrier and a couple little things that needed to be done before drywall. Now my back is killing me! So stiff! I guess I should put in that yoga tape I have to improve my flexibility, maybe then I wouldn't get such problems! The battery in my camera is charging now but here are some pics before yesterday's efforts. So close to drywalling! Now it's getting exciting!

Well, I made the tough decision not to buy a seasons pass for blue mountain this year. I have too many things I need to do around the house (bathroom which I should be working on now for example, the stealth etc.) and I figure that if I go just a couple times this season then that's okay. Maybe if I'm done by february I'll take some time off and go somewhere like banff or mont tremblant.

This past weekend Ang and I really began the bathroom reno (we already pulled the vanity out a while ago) and pulled down the drywall (water damage and some mold from the lack of ventilation).  Wow, they sure did a lousy job with the vapour barrier. Some of the electrical is started now and I am so tired that I can barely write so please don't mind if it's a rather dry blog. The bathtub gave us a little trouble but came out relatively easily after I figured out that the drain was still attached. I have the fan in place but needs to be wired. So much for us to do but finally it's really getting going!

A Rinspeed Imola!!!! =:P wow!!!

Okay, in case you were wondering why I had a 28 foot ladder on the trailer behind my cav it was so I risk life and many broken limbs to climb onto the roof of my house this past weekend. Why would I want to do that? Well, because I needed to fix a leak around the furnace chimney and install a vent so I can put a bathroom fan into the bath upstairs.  While I was getting setup I couldn't help but remember what happened to a guy at work who fell a couple stories when he was trying to trim a branch. To this day he still walks funny, he had pins in his arm and around 5 broken bones. Lucky guy, it could have been worse. Luckily for me I was able to get Paul to help to hold the ladder as I climbed up and when I climbed down. The ladder footing was not so great and because of the roof on the first floor over the porch which I needed to clear, I had the angle a little too shallow and was afraid it would slide out. Paul's my hero!

 

Once I got up there I was able to patch the chimney and cut my new hole in about an hour and a half without falling or dropping anything or any other incident... except when I was done I tossed the extension cord into the back yard and just as I heard it hitting the ground I also hear a loud meow! from Oscar whom I had put in the back earlier. He seems to be okay so I must have missed him. Phew.

 

The view from up top was spectacular and while I waited for Paul to return from his errands I kicked back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun as it finally broke through the clouds.

 

The big test came this morning when I awoke to the sound of steady rain. I hurriedly (well, as much as you can first thing in the morning) peaked into the attic and was rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing a dry roof underside. No leaks from where there was before and none where I made a new hole. Sweet!

To thse who didn't hear, Ang threw me a surprise "welcome to your 30s" party. Thank you to everybody that came, especially those who travelled from as far away as Kingston! I had an awesome time and it was great to see everybody. And thank you especially Ang! You're awesome!  Check out Ang's blog for some good pics from the party!

Why on a 4 foot trailer of course!

Here are some pics of Dave trying on various tux pieces in his shorts. Italian shoes with black socks (which he came in with) looked spectactular!

This time we went away for the weekend to Grundy. Ang liked camping so much that the monday we got back she called me at work to pick a site at Grundy! The weather was great when apparently in the city there was rain. Sweet!

 

On the way up we stopped in Barrie for dinner and food for the weekend. While we were in Subway this guy came in freaking about the sky so naturally I had to look too. It was really weird looking, the way the sun lit up this band of clouds made the sky look like it was on fire. I coud not remember seeing something like that before. Everything outside had a red glow to it and I had this eerie feeling like I was in a movie, Maximum Overdrive and Indepenence Day sprung to mind. as the sun set it looked like the fire was dying down. I t really was creepy.

 

Grundy was amazing! The lake was nice and warm and even though we couldn't get the infamous site 414 we got the next one 413. The bugs were tolerable most of the time so we didn't set up the screen house. This time we were was able to get a good some good, dry firewood and I was able to get a roaring fire. I buried the coals before we went to bed and was able to light a fire back up the next morning with just some kindling. The firewood at Presquile was so wet that even with this fire starting flame thingy I couldn't get it to go. Half of the log over the flame was buned away but as soon as the flame died the log stopped burning. It was super frustrating but that was a couple weeks ago, this time was perfect.

 

Highway 69 crosses the French river about 10 minutes away from Grundy and I wanted to see this new visitor center they built which cost $5.5 million of our tax payer dollars and some grants. I was blown away! The building itself is tucked away neatly and unobtrusively into the forest. The displays inside were top-notch, interactive and very engaging. I really liked the Interpretive center at Presqulie but this was far beyond that. And to top it all off, my uncle had a hand in it along with a display where he talked about his experiences on the French river. Cool!

 

On the way home a wheel came off this boat trailer right in front of us and scared the crap out of me! Ang was reading and didn't notice until the tire was in mid-flight flight, coming towards us and crossing our lane about 40 feet in the air! I saw the guy getting out in my mirror as I passed him and he looked stunned.

Woo hoo! I had a whole week off earlier in July and did a bunch of fun stuff. Saw the July 1st fireworks at Mel Lastman Square, Ang and I went to an italian picnic, went to visit my folks and do some canoeing down the saugeen, Wasaga beach for a day, went to Rama to hang with some her friends Rick and Trina, camping at Presquile and the beach at Sandbanks, meeting up with Jay at his place in Kingston and breakfast at Cora's which is becoming my new favorite place to eat. Phew, too much to tell you so I won't! ;) Take a look at the pics and you'll see.

 

Okay, okay, I'll write a bit more. The pics where I am all cut and bloodied is from running this military obstacle course at the bit Homecoming festival at my parents. crawling on your hands and knees in the dirt wearing shorts and sandals is not such a good idea! Kev beat me by about 20 seconds but I think I did the course pretty well and handled some of the obstacles with ease. The rope swing over the water pit was fun, especially after seeing some kid get soaked 'cause he slid down the rope and got dragged through the water!

 

The beach at Sandbanks is awesome! I can't believe that I made it to Wasaga and Sandbank within the same week when last year I didn't make it once!

 

Kingston was great, Jay's place is nice and it looks like he may be selling it so my timing was good to visit him. Congrats again Jay and Ali, I'm looking forward to the wedding invitation!

 

Couldn't have asked for better weather, the whole week was great except for the monday night when it poured.

Okay, so I haven't exactly been regularily updating my blog lately. All for various good reasons... really! I can't beleive that it's already June. It seems like not that long ago that I was scraping the snow and ice off the car. Well, since then lots has happened in the backyard and around the house so I have been busy doing productive things. And I have been having some fun and enjoying Ang's company.

 

It always takes a little while to remember what exactly happened lately and I tend to say "not much" when asked what's new. Hmmm lets see... I have a new tenant!... and he's the laziest bastard you ever seen! All he does all day is sit around the house and does god knows what. I swear the highlight of his day is when I come home because somehow I was convinced to feed him too as part of the deal! The worst part is I can't kick him out because I'm sure he'd end up in the street. At least this way he has a roof over his head. Thanks Ang, for sending Oscar. ;)

 

Oh yeah! I'm listening to Three Days Grace right now, their new single, "Animal I have become". It rocks! Pumped full of energy and kicks ass! I love songs like this 'cause I kinda feed off the energy and feel like jumping around. Now "Is it any wonder" by Keane is playing. Really like this tune too. There's been a lot of popular music I like lately. I think I need an iPod or better yet an MP3 phone! I've been mildly obsessed lately with upgrading my phone. I love my Razr but there are better versions out now with 1.3MP cameras and MP3 players built in. I've been looking at the Razr V3i or V3m but I can't really afford one right now. If anybody knows where I could get one for cheap let me know!

 

Well, it's 9 and I need to change the litter box so I better get to it so I have time to breathe some clean air before I go to bed.

Well, to squeeze a couple months into a few sentences I have... went to detroit again for work, climbed the CN Tower for WWF (raised $210 dollars, thanks guys!), did some work in the backyard, BBQ'd in the backyard, went to Ang's cousins stag, bought some parts for the Stealth (new downpipe and headers which should be good for another 20-30 hp), general hanging out.

 

The tower climb was great. There was a lot of people so Ang and I had to wait in line which I hate but the stairs were not too steep and we were at the top before we knew it. Once we were up there we sat down for some lunch (it was actually really good and not too much dough$) and some sightseeing.

 

It looks like summer is almost here and I'm loving it! I already can the start of a tan setting in and I was rather easily convinced to buy a Wonderland's season pass again so as long as the weather is nice it should be a good season! Can't wait to head out for a couple beverages on a patio by the water!

 

I need to start working on the upstairs bathroom soon. Any volunteer's? First will be some demoliton so that should be fun.

Angela just had her birthday last weekend and to celebrate we went to Montreal. We had a great time and managed to see some of old Montreal before we turned into ice cubes. Thanks to her cousin we were able to take VIA1 all the way there and back. Awesome way to travel. I highly recommend the train. We got to relax, eat some good food and of course there was the booze!

 

Old Montreal was beautiful. There was a festival running at the same time as we were there so we went to see what it was all about. They had this awesome 2 lane toboggan run made of ice, it looked like awesome fun! It was cold. It was the kind of cold where you want to hold your breath rather then breathe. It was so cold that when we got back to the hotel we had to take a sauna to warm up! Luckily Montreal has an underground system connecting buildings and Metro stations. We wandered around in there once we discovered it.

 

A good size crowd of Ang's family made it to Montreal as well and on saturday night we went to a nice restraunt for food and birthday cake. They are good people and we had a great time.

 

All too soon it was time to head back home... but not before poutine and then another trip on VIA1! Steward, more wine please!

Finally! After waiting for 12 weeks (when they said it would only be 3), I finally had my new garage door installed today! It's about time! It only took the guys 4 hours to put it in too! It would have been less except they screwed up and brought the wrong tracks with them so one of them had to go back and meet their boss half way to get get the right track. Otherwise things went quick and it looks so much better. I can't wait for warmer weather when I can paint the door frame and replace the bit of siding above the door to clean up the front of the house.

 

It sure is nice to finally see something happen around here. I have so many projects, so little time and a ton of other things I would rather do that I've been feeling overwhelmed lately. When I have planned some time to do work on the house I haven't been feeling well (a recurring theme this winter). And now my new washing machine has something wrong but I can't find the receipt or the warantee papers. Stress! Ack! I need a vacation! No, I need to get something done around here, that would make me feel better. I had planned on cleaning up the garage but I pulled my back pushing the Stealth back in after the guys finished installing the door. Arggh! Ahh, that feels better now that I have that off my chest. I think I'll just go have a nap.

...to look in the mailbox. Tonight I sat down and did something I haven't done since I left for my trip to Lux in January. I started going through the accumulated pile of mail in my office to throw away all the junk mail and rip up the pre-approved credit card ofers and to pay bills. It started out okay, my Hydro bill was only $11 this month for some reason. Next was the gas bill...$120 something, ouch. Why is it so high? It's been a mild winter so far. Okay, another cheque written. Hmm... more junk mail and... uh oh. I can see through the plastic window on the next envelope the familiar blue paper of a city department. I open it up and sure enough, tax time. Four digits! Crap, just when my bank account was looking promising and thoughts of Stealth hop ups were on my mind. So if you see me walking funny this weekend you'll know why.

I got back from another 2 week stint in Lux on saturday. I took lots of pictures and will add some more text when i get a chance. I saw...

1) Maginot Line bunker from WWII in Cattenom, France

2) The city of Vianden, France, WWI memorials outside of there

3) Strasbourg, France

4) Indoor ski hill in Amneville, France

10) Play hide the tissue in any pocket or other receptical on your person designed to store things. Bonus points awarded for keeping new and used tissues seperate.

9) Wander down the cold and cough medicine aisle at the pharmacy, reading every variation of medicine to find the elusive one that fits all your symptoms... then give up after a half hour (and three tissues) and buy the extra strength variety of the one that claims to relieve the most.

8) Do lines of crushed up vitamin C tablets.

7) Used tissue freethrow, points awarded for closeness to can (if you actually sink a shot you are either not really that sick or not on enough medication)

6) Guess who at the office gave you the cold based on their relative condition to you

5) Guess who at the office you gave the cold based on their relative condition to you

4) Red-nosed reindeer impersonations

3) Call the girlfriend to check on her condition - "Id soddy Id gade eww by gold huddy. Andeda, Peed fogid bee."

2) Surf the net for miracle cures that don't involve sending money or joining a cult.

 

And the number 1 thing to do when you are sick...

1) Nyquil shooters!

 

*Besides sleeping!