I've finally made it to the point where I'm beginning to realize that I need some goals beyond mere survival. My goals for the last year or so have pretty much involved shelter, transport, and food. Now I need to go beyond that and start thinking about what my future will look like 1 year, 5 years, 20 years from now. And I can set these goals without worrying about what anyone else thinks or cares about them. Feels kinda weird, but there it is. So, I'm going to spend the next few days in a focused brainstorming session working toward developing my list of goals.
As someone said, If you aim at nothing you will certainly hit it.
Some websites that appear to have good and helpful info:
http://www.assessment.com
http://www.mindtools.com/
http://www.success77.com/
http://www.goal-setting-guide.com
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Sunshine
Although the forecast says "Rain" the sun is trying to peak thru the clouds this morning and I'm trying to feel upbeat even though I'm 90% certain I feel a cold coming on. Even though I have applied for 24 jobs in the last two weeks, I have only received eight "we wish you the best of luck pursuing other options" letters. Looking on the positive side I take that to mean that I'm still being considered for sixteen other positions right now, just like I'm enjoying the brief peaks at the sunshine.
Right?
Right?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Weight loss tips
Found what I think is an excellent set of weight loss tips today:
http://liujiaoourhealth.blogspot.com/2008/11/50-weight-loss-tips.html
Pouring rain outside; missed my lunch time walk.
http://liujiaoourhealth.blogspot.com/2008/11/50-weight-loss-tips.html
Pouring rain outside; missed my lunch time walk.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Diet
Reading yesterdays post makes me think I'm probably a bit depressed. Yah, I sure am quite a bit depressed, but this too shall pass. I hope.
I've been working on a diet for the last few weeks, averaging about one pound per day weight loss over the last four weeks. I've also been studying up on diets and nutrition, something I've not bothered with in the past. And I think I've learned a few things.
1. Calories are important, but not as important as timing. Research shows that maintaining an even flow of calories during the day is extremely important. When you eat just "3 squares" you body gets hungry in between. When the body gets hungry it goes into "famine" mode, and starts storing fat and slowing down the metabolism to conserve energy. If you eat less but more often the body never gets hungry and the metabolism actually ramps up, burning more calories.
2. Stay away from the center of the store. Most of the "good" foods are usually found on the perimeter of the grocery store: Meats, Dairy, Vegetables.
3. Get some exercise regularly. I'm trying to walk at least 30 minutes per day and not while I'm working but when I can focus on a brisk walk. It's difficult right now because of my foot problems, I'm hoping that problem will get better after my podiatrist appointment next week. And jumping to conclusions is NOT an acceptable exercise.
4. Can the soda pop. This may be the hardest part for me. For 30+ years I have consumed between 1 and 3 liters of Coca Cola every single day. I like my Coke. It keeps me going. Here's what I'm trying to do. I drink an 8 ounce glass of Coke in the morning, and once or twice a week I allow myself a double Rum & Coke. The rest of the time I'm drinking water with Crystal Lite Energy. Crystal Lite is cheaper than Coke anyways. This way I still get my daily fix of Coca Cola as well as getting enough caffeine to keep me awake, at least some of the time. Yeah, it's not as good an answer as totally cutting out the Coke, but I'm hoping it will work as an acceptable compromise, at least for now. Maybe later I can cut the Coke down to just Special (Rum & Coke) Occasions. I have noticed that with my reduced consumption of soda pop that my night time leg cramps have vanished, which should help me sleep better. Right. I think I got three hours sleep last night.
I've found a couple of useful items during my research. One is the www.my-calorie-counter.com website, subject of an earlier blog posting. I use it mostly to count calories and journal my weight loss. Yes, I am counting calories, but mostly because I've never noticed them before and I'm trying to learn how to eat a more nutritionally balanced diet. But, I may not be using it much longer. I have found the "Abs Diet" which combines diet and exercise, and they supply a huge list of recommended foods. I'm planning on ordering the book in the very near future, along with the "Eat This, Not That" Supermarket Survival Guide which compares and contrasts the nutritional values of foods.
An interesting factiod I just picked up: Drink a high protein shake just before exercise. It will give you more energy to exercise with and will also help increase your metabolism during and after the exercise.
One of my problems is that I have alway been a "3 Squares" person, that's how I was raised. And, that is how work is structured. But, with the help of info from the "Abs Diet" I'm going to figure out a shake that I can drink at work for the snack times. Since I'm on an 1800 calorie per day diet I am trying to average at about 360 calories during each of 5 meals or three 400 calorie meals and 2 300 calorie meals. I want to see if I can do two of these meals with shakes, the thicker the better. And take my walk after I consume one of the shakes. We'll see, I need to do some more research and need to be able to buy some groceries before I can do this stage of the diet. I'll let you know what happens.
I've been working on a diet for the last few weeks, averaging about one pound per day weight loss over the last four weeks. I've also been studying up on diets and nutrition, something I've not bothered with in the past. And I think I've learned a few things.
1. Calories are important, but not as important as timing. Research shows that maintaining an even flow of calories during the day is extremely important. When you eat just "3 squares" you body gets hungry in between. When the body gets hungry it goes into "famine" mode, and starts storing fat and slowing down the metabolism to conserve energy. If you eat less but more often the body never gets hungry and the metabolism actually ramps up, burning more calories.
2. Stay away from the center of the store. Most of the "good" foods are usually found on the perimeter of the grocery store: Meats, Dairy, Vegetables.
3. Get some exercise regularly. I'm trying to walk at least 30 minutes per day and not while I'm working but when I can focus on a brisk walk. It's difficult right now because of my foot problems, I'm hoping that problem will get better after my podiatrist appointment next week. And jumping to conclusions is NOT an acceptable exercise.
4. Can the soda pop. This may be the hardest part for me. For 30+ years I have consumed between 1 and 3 liters of Coca Cola every single day. I like my Coke. It keeps me going. Here's what I'm trying to do. I drink an 8 ounce glass of Coke in the morning, and once or twice a week I allow myself a double Rum & Coke. The rest of the time I'm drinking water with Crystal Lite Energy. Crystal Lite is cheaper than Coke anyways. This way I still get my daily fix of Coca Cola as well as getting enough caffeine to keep me awake, at least some of the time. Yeah, it's not as good an answer as totally cutting out the Coke, but I'm hoping it will work as an acceptable compromise, at least for now. Maybe later I can cut the Coke down to just Special (Rum & Coke) Occasions. I have noticed that with my reduced consumption of soda pop that my night time leg cramps have vanished, which should help me sleep better. Right. I think I got three hours sleep last night.
I've found a couple of useful items during my research. One is the www.my-calorie-counter.com website, subject of an earlier blog posting. I use it mostly to count calories and journal my weight loss. Yes, I am counting calories, but mostly because I've never noticed them before and I'm trying to learn how to eat a more nutritionally balanced diet. But, I may not be using it much longer. I have found the "Abs Diet" which combines diet and exercise, and they supply a huge list of recommended foods. I'm planning on ordering the book in the very near future, along with the "Eat This, Not That" Supermarket Survival Guide which compares and contrasts the nutritional values of foods.
An interesting factiod I just picked up: Drink a high protein shake just before exercise. It will give you more energy to exercise with and will also help increase your metabolism during and after the exercise.
One of my problems is that I have alway been a "3 Squares" person, that's how I was raised. And, that is how work is structured. But, with the help of info from the "Abs Diet" I'm going to figure out a shake that I can drink at work for the snack times. Since I'm on an 1800 calorie per day diet I am trying to average at about 360 calories during each of 5 meals or three 400 calorie meals and 2 300 calorie meals. I want to see if I can do two of these meals with shakes, the thicker the better. And take my walk after I consume one of the shakes. We'll see, I need to do some more research and need to be able to buy some groceries before I can do this stage of the diet. I'll let you know what happens.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
My Calorie Counter
Found a neat website this evening, http://my-calorie-counter.everydayhealth.com. It ..."provides you with the tools and information you need to succeed. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, make a few friends or simply track your diet and exercise". It is free with premium memberships with coaching available.
This website also works on my Windows Mobile device, so I can carry it with me wherever I go.
One of the features I like is that it allows you to build custom food entries. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch today. There are LOTS of turkey sandwiches in the database, but none quite like mine, so I made a custom entry. Using the labels on the food packaging I came up with this:
As you can see, it counts more than calories, it counts everything required on the food labels. I actually set this up in a simple spreadsheet to do the math for me; then I just entered the final totals so the entry looks like this:
Now, whenever i eat my custom turkey sandwich I can just enter it into my journal as one serving of turkey sandwich.
The database includes lots of restaurant foods, including some of my faves like the McD's Double Cheeseburger (458 calories!!) and the BK Sausage Croisan'wich (530 calories!!!) However, I STILL can't find anybody that lists the Papa Murphy's stuffed crust meat pizza.
Anywho, it costs nothing to setup a user account, after which you can log in from any PC and keep track of your diet. It allows you to set goals and provides reports to help you visualize your progress. FDA Daily Reference Values are included. The site also includes a suite of tools including BMI and BMR calculators, Meal Plan wizards, and Activity/Exercise lists. They also provide MySpace and Xanga codes and a Firefox Plugin.
I did a similar setup for my Peanut Butter Sandwich, so now todays Journal entry looks like this:
This website also works on my Windows Mobile device, so I can carry it with me wherever I go.
One of the features I like is that it allows you to build custom food entries. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch today. There are LOTS of turkey sandwiches in the database, but none quite like mine, so I made a custom entry. Using the labels on the food packaging I came up with this:
| Calorie Counter | |||||
| Turkey | Bread | Pickle | Cheese | Turkey Sandwich | |
| Calories | 80 | 150 | 5 | 70 | 305 |
| Total Fat g | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Saturated Fat g | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Trans Fat g | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cholesterol mg | 25 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 45 |
| Sodium mg | 690 | 270 | 390 | 270 | 1620 |
| Total Carbohydrate g | 1 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 30 |
| Dietary Fiber g | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Sugars g | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Protein g | 8 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 19 |
| Vitamin A % | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Vitamin C % | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calcium % | 0 | 8 | 0 | 25 | 33 |
| Iron % | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
As you can see, it counts more than calories, it counts everything required on the food labels. I actually set this up in a simple spreadsheet to do the math for me; then I just entered the final totals so the entry looks like this:
Now, whenever i eat my custom turkey sandwich I can just enter it into my journal as one serving of turkey sandwich.
The database includes lots of restaurant foods, including some of my faves like the McD's Double Cheeseburger (458 calories!!) and the BK Sausage Croisan'wich (530 calories!!!) However, I STILL can't find anybody that lists the Papa Murphy's stuffed crust meat pizza.
Anywho, it costs nothing to setup a user account, after which you can log in from any PC and keep track of your diet. It allows you to set goals and provides reports to help you visualize your progress. FDA Daily Reference Values are included. The site also includes a suite of tools including BMI and BMR calculators, Meal Plan wizards, and Activity/Exercise lists. They also provide MySpace and Xanga codes and a Firefox Plugin.
I did a similar setup for my Peanut Butter Sandwich, so now todays Journal entry looks like this:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
H1N1 - again
Well, at this point H1N1 doesn't look as bad as originally feared. It is a new flu virus, and it is spreading, but it doesn't appear to be any worse than any other of the flus it is related to.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
4 Dec
Gas this morning is at 1.829.
Temp this morning is at 5°F with a light dusting of snow. Forecast is -3° tonight, first below 0°F.
Pain level very high this morning; don't know how much longer I can sit at my desk; may need to go home and take some pain killers.
I have restarted scanning the slides, my new scans are much better than the old ones, so I will be replacing the old with the new. I'm doing good to get between 5 and ten slides an evening; takes nearly 10 minutes to do each one. These scans are approx 3000 x 2000, I will be posting approx 800 x 600 but originals can be emailed or made available for download upon request. Here's a sample:
The filename is 19790632-M-LoneCypress.jpg. Format is YearMonthNumber-size-Info; in this case the date and sequence number printed on the slide indicate that it was developed June of 1979 slide number 32, Medium size (could be Original or Small) and I happen to know that this is the Lone Cypress. Info may include what is written on the slide or the names of the people or place pictured when I know it.
Temp this morning is at 5°F with a light dusting of snow. Forecast is -3° tonight, first below 0°F.
Pain level very high this morning; don't know how much longer I can sit at my desk; may need to go home and take some pain killers.
I have restarted scanning the slides, my new scans are much better than the old ones, so I will be replacing the old with the new. I'm doing good to get between 5 and ten slides an evening; takes nearly 10 minutes to do each one. These scans are approx 3000 x 2000, I will be posting approx 800 x 600 but originals can be emailed or made available for download upon request. Here's a sample:
The filename is 19790632-M-LoneCypress.jpg. Format is YearMonthNumber-size-Info; in this case the date and sequence number printed on the slide indicate that it was developed June of 1979 slide number 32, Medium size (could be Original or Small) and I happen to know that this is the Lone Cypress. Info may include what is written on the slide or the names of the people or place pictured when I know it.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Cold
Pretty bad cold started last Thursday, finally starting to feel alive today, still a bit of chest congestion. Missed a bit of life for a few days.
Looks like Hurricane Ike did a a bit of damage down south extending up into the Midwest but not this far north. We've had a couple of storm systems pass thru in the last week, about an inch of rain total. Frost a couple of nights, but we've kept 85% of the garden alive by running the sprinkler in the early morning hours or all night.
Because of Ike, gas prices in GR shot up to 3.919 over the weekend, then dropped to 3.899 Monday, then to 3.749, then 3.699. I need to fill Vger, we'll see what it is tomorrow morning.
The missing parts from Rock Auto showed up Thursday. I made an appointment for Friday at Warba Tire to get the shocks and struts installed, two tires and an alignment. Should make the '89 Horizon a much better drive.
Looks like Hurricane Ike did a a bit of damage down south extending up into the Midwest but not this far north. We've had a couple of storm systems pass thru in the last week, about an inch of rain total. Frost a couple of nights, but we've kept 85% of the garden alive by running the sprinkler in the early morning hours or all night.
Because of Ike, gas prices in GR shot up to 3.919 over the weekend, then dropped to 3.899 Monday, then to 3.749, then 3.699. I need to fill Vger, we'll see what it is tomorrow morning.
The missing parts from Rock Auto showed up Thursday. I made an appointment for Friday at Warba Tire to get the shocks and struts installed, two tires and an alignment. Should make the '89 Horizon a much better drive.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Gas is still at 3.899, but Jon and Patty came to visit last night and expressed surprise at how expensive our gas was, Bemidji is running about 3.75. Hehehe. GR is getting ripped off as usual, along with the tourists that get conned into passing thru here.
I had a very unusual visit to the Optometrist this morning. For the past 43 years I have needed new glasses about every one or two years. First unusual thing is that it has been three years. Second unusual thing is that I do not need a new prescription. "So why does everything look blurry?" The Doc went into a verbose description about how the lens changes to focus objects, but as you get older the lens becomes less elastic, and eventually, in many cases, starts to become cloudy. My lenses are beginning to be just a tiny bit cloudy, i.e., I am starting to develop cataracts. Nothing I can do about it right now except that if my vision gets cloudier I should have another checkup, and have my eyes checked at least once a year now (instead of putting it off).
Ouch. I thought cataracts were something that happened to old folks. I don't feel that old, but I guess it's my time.
Raining today, and a bit chilly at 45 degrees F.
Jon left me some video of Phillip; I need to get it edited and posted on his web page. And I have a couple of conference calls and three webinars to attend yet today. And Matt wants me to burn a DVD of the School Days at the NCMFAAA. Better get busy.
I had a very unusual visit to the Optometrist this morning. For the past 43 years I have needed new glasses about every one or two years. First unusual thing is that it has been three years. Second unusual thing is that I do not need a new prescription. "So why does everything look blurry?" The Doc went into a verbose description about how the lens changes to focus objects, but as you get older the lens becomes less elastic, and eventually, in many cases, starts to become cloudy. My lenses are beginning to be just a tiny bit cloudy, i.e., I am starting to develop cataracts. Nothing I can do about it right now except that if my vision gets cloudier I should have another checkup, and have my eyes checked at least once a year now (instead of putting it off).
Ouch. I thought cataracts were something that happened to old folks. I don't feel that old, but I guess it's my time.
Raining today, and a bit chilly at 45 degrees F.
Jon left me some video of Phillip; I need to get it edited and posted on his web page. And I have a couple of conference calls and three webinars to attend yet today. And Matt wants me to burn a DVD of the School Days at the NCMFAAA. Better get busy.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
It appears as though power is out on the entire south side of Grand Rapids. We are running on our Emergency Generator Power right now at the Hospital. Made for an excellent drill, we have been having minor glitches with systems and connections going down whenever the power goes out, but it looks like this time everything worked the way it's supposed to. Didn't lose any systems or network connections. Only took 2.5 years.
Yippee!!
Edit
Went out at lunch time to fill the Gladiator, it had enough gas to get home but not enough to make it back to town. Power was off everywhere south of Highway 2, the gas station I wanted is one the south side of 2 and had no power. So, I went across the street to the north side of 2 for lunch. I was originally going to stop at BK, on the south side of 2, and get Whopper Jrs for $1.25 ea, but with no power that wasn't going to happen. So, instead of paying $3.00 for lunch for 2 I spent $22 for lunch for two. I think the Subway is the ONLY fast food on the north side of 2, and they were PACKED. I ordered the Big Philly Cheese. I'm hopeful that the sandwich I had was not a good representation, because it was horrible. The picture looks much better than my sub looked, and I could almost imagine that the picture (poster) might taste just as good.
By the time we got thru the line and done eating the power was back on, so we went to fill the Gladiator. I quit at $95 (broke) even though it wasn't full. My rough guess is that it will cost about $115 to fill that tank.
Just saw at Yahoo! that oil spiked at 126.98. Story also says that National average is 3.73. I need to do some math to correlate the price of gas with my paycheck, but I'm pretty darn sure that my paycheck ain't going up that fast.
On another note, I see a news item that ALL poultry in Seoul has been destroyed to try to contain an outbreak of Avian Flu (H5N1). More than 6.8 million birds have been killed in South Korea. Worldwide, 243 humans have died according to the World Health Organization.
High Fuel Prices. High Food Prices. High death toll in Burma (typhoon, greed). High death toll in China (earthquake).
Yippee!!
Edit
Went out at lunch time to fill the Gladiator, it had enough gas to get home but not enough to make it back to town. Power was off everywhere south of Highway 2, the gas station I wanted is one the south side of 2 and had no power. So, I went across the street to the north side of 2 for lunch. I was originally going to stop at BK, on the south side of 2, and get Whopper Jrs for $1.25 ea, but with no power that wasn't going to happen. So, instead of paying $3.00 for lunch for 2 I spent $22 for lunch for two. I think the Subway is the ONLY fast food on the north side of 2, and they were PACKED. I ordered the Big Philly Cheese. I'm hopeful that the sandwich I had was not a good representation, because it was horrible. The picture looks much better than my sub looked, and I could almost imagine that the picture (poster) might taste just as good.
By the time we got thru the line and done eating the power was back on, so we went to fill the Gladiator. I quit at $95 (broke) even though it wasn't full. My rough guess is that it will cost about $115 to fill that tank.
Just saw at Yahoo! that oil spiked at 126.98. Story also says that National average is 3.73. I need to do some math to correlate the price of gas with my paycheck, but I'm pretty darn sure that my paycheck ain't going up that fast.
On another note, I see a news item that ALL poultry in Seoul has been destroyed to try to contain an outbreak of Avian Flu (H5N1). More than 6.8 million birds have been killed in South Korea. Worldwide, 243 humans have died according to the World Health Organization.
High Fuel Prices. High Food Prices. High death toll in Burma (typhoon, greed). High death toll in China (earthquake).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I'm so far behind and so tired, just want to lay down and sleep right now.
Gas went to 3.599 on 5/7, just as I needed to fill up.
Worked on Vger all day 5/6, front brakes were dragging badly. Ended up replacing calipers, pads, hoses, and lines. Vger has only been averaging 18 mpg; I'm hoping that this gets me back up to 25 mpg.
Beautiful weather last few days, highs in 60's, lows about 30. T-Storms Tuesday night, I don't have the gage out yet but think we got about 1/2 inch of rain, maybe more.
Forgot to mention that on the evening of May 2 we went to Bemidji State U. to a performance by the Wind Ensemble. Very enjoyable, brought back some memories. They performed some rather difficult works directed by a guest composer, very impressive, I recall how hard that is to do.
Our new Super Wal-Mart is now open. Layout is totally different from Bemidji and Hibbing stores, will take a while to get used to. But it will be very nice not to have to drive 50 or 100 miles just to go shopping, only 20 miles.
Gas went to 3.599 on 5/7, just as I needed to fill up.
Worked on Vger all day 5/6, front brakes were dragging badly. Ended up replacing calipers, pads, hoses, and lines. Vger has only been averaging 18 mpg; I'm hoping that this gets me back up to 25 mpg.
Beautiful weather last few days, highs in 60's, lows about 30. T-Storms Tuesday night, I don't have the gage out yet but think we got about 1/2 inch of rain, maybe more.
Forgot to mention that on the evening of May 2 we went to Bemidji State U. to a performance by the Wind Ensemble. Very enjoyable, brought back some memories. They performed some rather difficult works directed by a guest composer, very impressive, I recall how hard that is to do.
Our new Super Wal-Mart is now open. Layout is totally different from Bemidji and Hibbing stores, will take a while to get used to. But it will be very nice not to have to drive 50 or 100 miles just to go shopping, only 20 miles.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Gas still at 3.399 this am, expect it to rise again today with crude prices posting record $118/bbl price this morning.
Weather yesterday afternoon was beautiful, saw 72 degrees on one public thermometer, then had showers and t-storms during the night, .5 inch rain reported.
My head cold is finally starting to let up.
Weather yesterday afternoon was beautiful, saw 72 degrees on one public thermometer, then had showers and t-storms during the night, .5 inch rain reported.
My head cold is finally starting to let up.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pretty good cold or bad allergies last few days, miserable. Went out at noon yesterday 4/17 to get some Claritin-D and noted that some gas stations were at 3.319 and some at 3.399, so I stopped and filled, up, wasn't planning on doing it until after work. By the time I got off work all were at 3.399.
Very little snow left, mostly some ice where the snow got plowed up in the shade. Ice starting to break up on lakes.
Very little snow left, mostly some ice where the snow got plowed up in the shade. Ice starting to break up on lakes.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Friday March 7, 2008
Gas still 3.099, have to fill all three vans this weekend. Oh well.
Gladiator STILL has a coolant leak that I have to try to track down, and still doesn't blow hot air from heater.
Vger needs battery and cables, maybe alternator or regulator.
Stripez needs battery cables, rad hoses, and maybe a new head gasket.
Red Horizon needs Master Cylinder, Rear Bumper, Exhaust system, wiper blades.
Think I will work on them this weekend in this order:
1. Gladiator - Take doghouse off, pressure test cooling system.
2. Vger - will rob battery from Stripez for test, replace cables OR cable ends.
3. Red Horizon - Install Master Cylinder and get brakes working.
4. Stripez - Find place to park it and start removing head to take to Machine shop.
Oh yeah, chipped a tooth last night. Sharp edges irritate my tongue, but no nerve pain, thank you, God. I have had pretty bad back pain this week, lower back which is unusual for me, my lower back aches often but not this kind of sometimes overwhelming pain where I need to lie down for a while to get thru it, usually that is reserverd for my upper back. It never rains but it pours someone once said.
Gladiator STILL has a coolant leak that I have to try to track down, and still doesn't blow hot air from heater.
Vger needs battery and cables, maybe alternator or regulator.
Stripez needs battery cables, rad hoses, and maybe a new head gasket.
Red Horizon needs Master Cylinder, Rear Bumper, Exhaust system, wiper blades.
Think I will work on them this weekend in this order:
1. Gladiator - Take doghouse off, pressure test cooling system.
2. Vger - will rob battery from Stripez for test, replace cables OR cable ends.
3. Red Horizon - Install Master Cylinder and get brakes working.
4. Stripez - Find place to park it and start removing head to take to Machine shop.
Oh yeah, chipped a tooth last night. Sharp edges irritate my tongue, but no nerve pain, thank you, God. I have had pretty bad back pain this week, lower back which is unusual for me, my lower back aches often but not this kind of sometimes overwhelming pain where I need to lie down for a while to get thru it, usually that is reserverd for my upper back. It never rains but it pours someone once said.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Monday March 3, 2008
Last week was mostly a blank as I was ill to some extent. I didn't even realize I was sick until Friday when I went home and then slept most of the day. However, I got up Saturday morning feeling good and actually accomplished a LOT over Saturday and Sunday.
Matt and I had been working on the '89 Horizon last weekend (2/23). The head was rebuilt on it and lots of maintenance things replaced (waterpump, hoses, timing belt, tuneup, fuel filter, fuel lines), and now, when it was all back together, it wouldn't start. I was looking at it and realized that the distributor was loose, and so I was then explaining to Matt what the different effects of retarded or advanced timing might be. Suddenly, as I was explaining retarded timing I suddenly realized that I was describing the way Vger was running!
So, this Saturday we broke out the timing light. I checked the timing on Vger ('88 Voyager) and, sure enough, the timing was about 12 degrees retarded! I set it to spec and WOW, does it run good. I'm driving it today. So, Vger has been resurrected. So, that should save me about $100/month in gas. Yippee!! I kick myself as I think of all the time and money I spent trying to figure out why it was running so badly.
Then, we took the timing light over to the '89 Horizon and set the timing while cranking. As the mark got close vroom! the Horizon started and ran. Runs pretty darn good. Needs a new Master Cylinder ($17), a couple of tires, and I need to do something with the rear bumper, it has rusted off. And the exhaust is extremely rusty and loud and leaky. But we drove it up to the corner and back and it seems to do very nicely, goes down the road straight and stops straight (after you pump the pedal). I get this baby on the road and it should save me another $50/month in gas over Vger.
When we made the "dump run" Saturday morning I noticed that Stripez ('92 Voyager) was cold, the temp gauge never quite warmed up and the heater never put out any warm air. When we got home I saw that the coolant level was low and when I pressure tested the system I saw that the cap was not holding pressure. Well, I have noticed that the engine temps have not been consistent, so, when I went to pick up a new radiator cap I also picked up a thermostat. On the 2.5L in the Voyagers it is trivial to change the thermostat, so, about 15 minutes later we had Stripez holding pressure and temp again. Matt also changed the Oil Pressure sending unit. I bought the sending unit a long time ago but it required a special socket that I finally bought a couple of months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually changing it, mostly because I figured it wouldn't help since I was told that it has had low oil pressure since the engine was rebuilt. Guess what? It doesn't show low oil pressure any more!
Well, now that we had two vehicles (Stripez and Vger) running reliably I decided that maybe we could tackle the Gladiator. First order of business was to replace the thermostat and see if we can find the coolant leak. It has been running cold all winter, but it's a pain working on anything on this '93 Chevy G20 Van. Looking from the front under the hood I can barely see and reach the thermostat housing, and I couldn't see any coolant leaks although the pressure test gauge was dropping rapidly. So, pull the doghouse off, which takes an act of God under normal circumstances but is even worse in a conversion van. By the time we get the doghouse off and the air cleaner housing out of the way the coolant leak becomes apparent, it is that the upper radiator hose hose-clamp is loose on the thermostat housing; and, although it is a stretch, it is easily accessible now. So, I replaced the thermostat, put the hose-clamp on straight and tight, now it has heat and no coolant leak.
Still have a lot to do on all the vehicles, the '89 Horizon needs brakes, exhaust, tires. The '88 Voyager needs the oil pressure gauge replaced. The '92 Voyager needs an new alternator belt. The '93 G20 needs the rear heater blower replaced and a ton of body work. But, for right now, we are in pretty good shape, far better than we were on Friday.
And gas is still at 2.999 this morning and all three vans have full tanks of gas.
EDIT 11am
When Stripez warmed up this morning it appears that the thermostat never opened, the engine temp went straight to the red zone while the radiator stayed cold. It had run just fine Saturday after we put the new 'stat in and I took it to GR and back for a test. I had to run home and put a new 'stat in. Sitting in the yard it seems to be OK, we will see what happens.
On the way home I noticed that Vger's charge gage was reading very low, and after working on Stripez and getting ready to head back to work Vger barely started, so I switched over to the Gladiator. Now, I did not test drive the Gladiator after putting the new 'stat in it; I just warmed it up and topped off the coolant. Driving the Gladiator in to work I note that the temp gage never got over the 140 mark, which is rather disappointing after changing the 'stat.
When we first got the Gladiator 3? or 4? years ago the gage went to half-way between the 140 and 180 mark, but since the new heater core was installed last fall it has never moved over the 140 mark. After installing a new 195 'stat I had hoped to see it at least hit the 180 mark. Now I don't know what to think. Guess I will try to check the coolant temp some other way to see if it is a gage problem or not.
Here is a photo of it after I drove in to work, 'prox 15 miles and 20 minutes, outside temp -2.
Just too darn cold.
Matt and I had been working on the '89 Horizon last weekend (2/23). The head was rebuilt on it and lots of maintenance things replaced (waterpump, hoses, timing belt, tuneup, fuel filter, fuel lines), and now, when it was all back together, it wouldn't start. I was looking at it and realized that the distributor was loose, and so I was then explaining to Matt what the different effects of retarded or advanced timing might be. Suddenly, as I was explaining retarded timing I suddenly realized that I was describing the way Vger was running!
So, this Saturday we broke out the timing light. I checked the timing on Vger ('88 Voyager) and, sure enough, the timing was about 12 degrees retarded! I set it to spec and WOW, does it run good. I'm driving it today. So, Vger has been resurrected. So, that should save me about $100/month in gas. Yippee!! I kick myself as I think of all the time and money I spent trying to figure out why it was running so badly.
Then, we took the timing light over to the '89 Horizon and set the timing while cranking. As the mark got close vroom! the Horizon started and ran. Runs pretty darn good. Needs a new Master Cylinder ($17), a couple of tires, and I need to do something with the rear bumper, it has rusted off. And the exhaust is extremely rusty and loud and leaky. But we drove it up to the corner and back and it seems to do very nicely, goes down the road straight and stops straight (after you pump the pedal). I get this baby on the road and it should save me another $50/month in gas over Vger.
When we made the "dump run" Saturday morning I noticed that Stripez ('92 Voyager) was cold, the temp gauge never quite warmed up and the heater never put out any warm air. When we got home I saw that the coolant level was low and when I pressure tested the system I saw that the cap was not holding pressure. Well, I have noticed that the engine temps have not been consistent, so, when I went to pick up a new radiator cap I also picked up a thermostat. On the 2.5L in the Voyagers it is trivial to change the thermostat, so, about 15 minutes later we had Stripez holding pressure and temp again. Matt also changed the Oil Pressure sending unit. I bought the sending unit a long time ago but it required a special socket that I finally bought a couple of months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually changing it, mostly because I figured it wouldn't help since I was told that it has had low oil pressure since the engine was rebuilt. Guess what? It doesn't show low oil pressure any more!
Well, now that we had two vehicles (Stripez and Vger) running reliably I decided that maybe we could tackle the Gladiator. First order of business was to replace the thermostat and see if we can find the coolant leak. It has been running cold all winter, but it's a pain working on anything on this '93 Chevy G20 Van. Looking from the front under the hood I can barely see and reach the thermostat housing, and I couldn't see any coolant leaks although the pressure test gauge was dropping rapidly. So, pull the doghouse off, which takes an act of God under normal circumstances but is even worse in a conversion van. By the time we get the doghouse off and the air cleaner housing out of the way the coolant leak becomes apparent, it is that the upper radiator hose hose-clamp is loose on the thermostat housing; and, although it is a stretch, it is easily accessible now. So, I replaced the thermostat, put the hose-clamp on straight and tight, now it has heat and no coolant leak.
Still have a lot to do on all the vehicles, the '89 Horizon needs brakes, exhaust, tires. The '88 Voyager needs the oil pressure gauge replaced. The '92 Voyager needs an new alternator belt. The '93 G20 needs the rear heater blower replaced and a ton of body work. But, for right now, we are in pretty good shape, far better than we were on Friday.
And gas is still at 2.999 this morning and all three vans have full tanks of gas.
EDIT 11am
When Stripez warmed up this morning it appears that the thermostat never opened, the engine temp went straight to the red zone while the radiator stayed cold. It had run just fine Saturday after we put the new 'stat in and I took it to GR and back for a test. I had to run home and put a new 'stat in. Sitting in the yard it seems to be OK, we will see what happens.
On the way home I noticed that Vger's charge gage was reading very low, and after working on Stripez and getting ready to head back to work Vger barely started, so I switched over to the Gladiator. Now, I did not test drive the Gladiator after putting the new 'stat in it; I just warmed it up and topped off the coolant. Driving the Gladiator in to work I note that the temp gage never got over the 140 mark, which is rather disappointing after changing the 'stat.
When we first got the Gladiator 3? or 4? years ago the gage went to half-way between the 140 and 180 mark, but since the new heater core was installed last fall it has never moved over the 140 mark. After installing a new 195 'stat I had hoped to see it at least hit the 180 mark. Now I don't know what to think. Guess I will try to check the coolant temp some other way to see if it is a gage problem or not.
Here is a photo of it after I drove in to work, 'prox 15 miles and 20 minutes, outside temp -2.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Thursday July 19, 2007
Gas is still weird. I couldn't believe it last night and thought it would settle out by this morning, but NOT. Prices are all over ranging from 2.79 to 3.02. Part of the problem is that I need to fill up and the station I'd like to use is still at 2.99, I'm hoping it will come down by the time I head home this afternoon. Otherwise, I shall have to go elsewhere.
Attended 5S/Lean Health training today. Interesting stuff. I'm supposed to be developing my own 5S project with a report due 8/2 with all the details and results start to finish. Maybe I will 5S a bookshelf. That's about my speed today.
I have an appt with my surgeon tomorrow Friday. Last week I had a terrible amount of stomach pain, but it is down to a dull roar now. We suspect that I may have an "incisional hernia"; in other words, that I may have torn out some of the stitches that were supposed to hold my stomach muscles together. It is better this week after spending a good part of last week on pain killers and lying down, but the surgeon may need to go in and stitch a patch over the area to reinforce it.
Vger is still not running correctly. Gladiator runs great but I still haven't installed the solenoid and it still says "Check Engine". I haven't mentioned it, but the 69 Catalina is actually running again. Replaced the original points type distributor that has worn bushings with an HEI distributor which has solved one of the reasons I parked it many years ago. Also changed the oil and filter, and got the drivers door so it will open again. Back window is still down and I don't know if I can fix that, part of the problem is that the rear bumper is mushed up into the tailgate. Also, when we pulled the Catalina out of the hole it had sunk into I bent a frame cross-member that part of the front suspension bolts onto, which makes the front wheels severely toed-in. Don't know how hard it will be to fix that. The front part of the frame and body aren't too bad, the rear lower half of the car is pretty rough. No brakes, no exhaust, the rims don't hold air (replaced the tires but the rims are severely rusted) but it does move under its own power. I'd kinda like to find a '73 Firebird (the engine came out of a '73 Trans Am) or a 68 or 69 Catalina two-door. I do have available the possibility of a 74 Ventura coupe that a friend is looking to get rid of. I can get an 84 Trans Am for $1000 that I think I can shoe-horn the engine into, I know where I may be able to get a '68 Catalina Convertible, I know where there is a 69 LeMans that may be for sale, but...
The biggest problem with the cars is the lack of a place to work on them. I need to tear down the 7.5L and rebuild it. Whatever body it goes back into should be stripped to the frame and rebuilt. The Gladiator has severe rust which can still be repaired, but I need to remove doors and windows to do it and I can't leave it sitting outside while it is stripped. The Turbo Caravan needs to have the engine rebuilt, but I can't exactly do that properly under the shade tree. I have most of the tools and quite a bit of the knowlegde and experience to do the job. I just don't have the space and money for the parts and supplies.
Another thing I'd like a shop for. Ran across the "MultiMachine", you can find the official page at Yahoo Groups. Someone had a brilliant idea: all those engine blocks lying around could be put to good use. The hardest part of a diy metal lathe and most of the expense are due to the fact that everything must be true, and an engine block is that. So, take a four cylinder block and stand it on end on top of a six cylinder block. Use a piston bore in the four cylinder block as the guide for the spindle, it is exactly at right angles to the head surface. Perfect for building a third-world machine shop. Combine that with some of the ideas from old Popular Mechanics magazines and the work done by David Gingery, and you have equipment capable of very good work for a very low price. In fact, it may be possible to build a lathe that is pretty darn good for almost no cash but lots of sweat equity. Wish I could build the garage that way, but it's against the law nowadays.
I may have found my new cell phone, the UT Starcom PPC6700. The worst thing about it is that it runs on Windows, but it has a decent keyboard, a fair-sized screen, uses a mini usb port to sync, and it really can do everything that my Palm TX and Blackberry 7100 can do. I can have 5 email accounts, I can open documnets in either landscape or portrait mode, it has a camera that takes decent photos, it plays music and video. The 1xRTT Internet is quite a bit slower that the GPRS Internet, that is really the worst complaint I have. The other problem is that I would have to switch carriers, and the new carrier charges extra for several of the features that are included in my current plan. Can you believe that a carrier would charge extra for voicemail and text messaging? My current plan includes unlimited data, text messaging, voicemail, and 1,000 minutes airtime for $65 including taxes for my Blackberry. The plan that covers the PPC6700 comes to about $70 for the same features. What the heck, my employer is paying for it, they want me to be able to respond 24/7.
Well, better get to work on my 5S project ;).
Attended 5S/Lean Health training today. Interesting stuff. I'm supposed to be developing my own 5S project with a report due 8/2 with all the details and results start to finish. Maybe I will 5S a bookshelf. That's about my speed today.
I have an appt with my surgeon tomorrow Friday. Last week I had a terrible amount of stomach pain, but it is down to a dull roar now. We suspect that I may have an "incisional hernia"; in other words, that I may have torn out some of the stitches that were supposed to hold my stomach muscles together. It is better this week after spending a good part of last week on pain killers and lying down, but the surgeon may need to go in and stitch a patch over the area to reinforce it.
Vger is still not running correctly. Gladiator runs great but I still haven't installed the solenoid and it still says "Check Engine". I haven't mentioned it, but the 69 Catalina is actually running again. Replaced the original points type distributor that has worn bushings with an HEI distributor which has solved one of the reasons I parked it many years ago. Also changed the oil and filter, and got the drivers door so it will open again. Back window is still down and I don't know if I can fix that, part of the problem is that the rear bumper is mushed up into the tailgate. Also, when we pulled the Catalina out of the hole it had sunk into I bent a frame cross-member that part of the front suspension bolts onto, which makes the front wheels severely toed-in. Don't know how hard it will be to fix that. The front part of the frame and body aren't too bad, the rear lower half of the car is pretty rough. No brakes, no exhaust, the rims don't hold air (replaced the tires but the rims are severely rusted) but it does move under its own power. I'd kinda like to find a '73 Firebird (the engine came out of a '73 Trans Am) or a 68 or 69 Catalina two-door. I do have available the possibility of a 74 Ventura coupe that a friend is looking to get rid of. I can get an 84 Trans Am for $1000 that I think I can shoe-horn the engine into, I know where I may be able to get a '68 Catalina Convertible, I know where there is a 69 LeMans that may be for sale, but...
The biggest problem with the cars is the lack of a place to work on them. I need to tear down the 7.5L and rebuild it. Whatever body it goes back into should be stripped to the frame and rebuilt. The Gladiator has severe rust which can still be repaired, but I need to remove doors and windows to do it and I can't leave it sitting outside while it is stripped. The Turbo Caravan needs to have the engine rebuilt, but I can't exactly do that properly under the shade tree. I have most of the tools and quite a bit of the knowlegde and experience to do the job. I just don't have the space and money for the parts and supplies.
Another thing I'd like a shop for. Ran across the "MultiMachine", you can find the official page at Yahoo Groups. Someone had a brilliant idea: all those engine blocks lying around could be put to good use. The hardest part of a diy metal lathe and most of the expense are due to the fact that everything must be true, and an engine block is that. So, take a four cylinder block and stand it on end on top of a six cylinder block. Use a piston bore in the four cylinder block as the guide for the spindle, it is exactly at right angles to the head surface. Perfect for building a third-world machine shop. Combine that with some of the ideas from old Popular Mechanics magazines and the work done by David Gingery, and you have equipment capable of very good work for a very low price. In fact, it may be possible to build a lathe that is pretty darn good for almost no cash but lots of sweat equity. Wish I could build the garage that way, but it's against the law nowadays.
I may have found my new cell phone, the UT Starcom PPC6700. The worst thing about it is that it runs on Windows, but it has a decent keyboard, a fair-sized screen, uses a mini usb port to sync, and it really can do everything that my Palm TX and Blackberry 7100 can do. I can have 5 email accounts, I can open documnets in either landscape or portrait mode, it has a camera that takes decent photos, it plays music and video. The 1xRTT Internet is quite a bit slower that the GPRS Internet, that is really the worst complaint I have. The other problem is that I would have to switch carriers, and the new carrier charges extra for several of the features that are included in my current plan. Can you believe that a carrier would charge extra for voicemail and text messaging? My current plan includes unlimited data, text messaging, voicemail, and 1,000 minutes airtime for $65 including taxes for my Blackberry. The plan that covers the PPC6700 comes to about $70 for the same features. What the heck, my employer is paying for it, they want me to be able to respond 24/7.
Well, better get to work on my 5S project ;).
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Thursday June 7, 2007
Well, survived the colonoscopy. Got some nice photos of "'tics" (diveticuli). Diagnosis: Probably really should resection my colon, but we are electing to take a "wait and see" approach. If I can keep my diet under control and keep things from getting worse I will be better off than doing a resection. My colon is so full of diverticuli that I would actually lose most of the colon to a resection, and that would not be so good.
Hey, I get to eat again!
Gas is down to 3.14 today, but I paid 3.09 at the credit only RapidPump. I actually filled up the big van this time. I've been putting in $10 at a time, that is enough for one round trip to work and back plus a very little extra, like a grocery run on the way.
Time to go looking for food of the healthy type.
Hey, I get to eat again!
Gas is down to 3.14 today, but I paid 3.09 at the credit only RapidPump. I actually filled up the big van this time. I've been putting in $10 at a time, that is enough for one round trip to work and back plus a very little extra, like a grocery run on the way.
Time to go looking for food of the healthy type.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Wednesday June 6, 2007
Today I start getting ready for my colonoscopy tomorrow at 6.45AM. Clear liquid diet today, no milk or anything with red dyes. And it's only 8 Am and I'm hungry.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Sunday May 20, 2007
Gas: 3.35.
Vger: dead, timing belt, I think. It's in the shop, maybe in a week or two?
Electric bill is down to $600, of which they want it all in two weeks or else.
The junk pile in front of the garage is bigger than before. Must be gone by June 1.
There is a pile of 30+ dead tires next to the garage. Must be gone by June 1.
There are 30+ bags of trash next to the garage. Must be gone by June 1.
The wedding is 5 weeks away.
aaaiiiiiyyyyyiiiiiiiyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vger: dead, timing belt, I think. It's in the shop, maybe in a week or two?
Electric bill is down to $600, of which they want it all in two weeks or else.
The junk pile in front of the garage is bigger than before. Must be gone by June 1.
There is a pile of 30+ dead tires next to the garage. Must be gone by June 1.
There are 30+ bags of trash next to the garage. Must be gone by June 1.
The wedding is 5 weeks away.
aaaiiiiiyyyyyiiiiiiiyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Wednesday May 16, 2007
Well, lost a few more days.
Wasn't feeling as good Sunday as I was Friday or Saturday; I just laid back and took it easy. Then Monday morning woke up with a 103 fever. Went into the Clinic and left a blood sample and stool sample, blood sample came back with elevated white cell count so I was immediately put back on Flagyl. Then Tuesday morning the hospital called, they wanted me in ASAP for a CT scan. Turned out to take a while, I had to drink some nasty stuff ("contrast"), wait a couple of hours, then go into the machine. Definitely had some inflammation of the colon. Prescription: Flagyl, bedrest, and lots of liquids. I feel much better today.
In June I am going to have a colonoscopy, but if I keep having inflammation of the colon odds are that I will need more surgery to remove that portion of the colon. Have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I have to watch my diet, eat healthy, and stay laid back.
Gas: went to 3.07, then 3.17, where it still sits.
Wasn't feeling as good Sunday as I was Friday or Saturday; I just laid back and took it easy. Then Monday morning woke up with a 103 fever. Went into the Clinic and left a blood sample and stool sample, blood sample came back with elevated white cell count so I was immediately put back on Flagyl. Then Tuesday morning the hospital called, they wanted me in ASAP for a CT scan. Turned out to take a while, I had to drink some nasty stuff ("contrast"), wait a couple of hours, then go into the machine. Definitely had some inflammation of the colon. Prescription: Flagyl, bedrest, and lots of liquids. I feel much better today.
In June I am going to have a colonoscopy, but if I keep having inflammation of the colon odds are that I will need more surgery to remove that portion of the colon. Have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I have to watch my diet, eat healthy, and stay laid back.
Gas: went to 3.07, then 3.17, where it still sits.
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