That One Friend

2019-09-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

It hate it when a friend has lots of knowledge about a various topic, and instead of talking to me and helping in some way, they just throw out only enough "help" as to be frustratingly condescending. I understand that I don't know what I'm doing, that when I touch just about anything, I'm already way in over my head. That is, in part, the point. Because of the different way that my brain processes information, I can't learn from the repair manuals, with their exploded diagrams. They are panic-inducing for me. Recognizing patterns is something that is very difficult, so following these diagrams demands a higher level of focus than I am typically able to give them. This is one of the prime reasons why my father stopped trying to teach me auto mechanics. He thought that sitting down and showing me the book, and explaining how things fit together and worked, was the key to unlocking my interest. He didn't understand how I could be quite content and happy cleaning a set of pistons, but then break down in tears when confronted with the book, or being asked to convert measurements. I need to physically put my hands on things, in order to learn about them. I need to see where every seal or pin sits. Every part is a puzzle, and I AM capable of figuring it out. It would just help if people weren't curt with me, or talk down to me, because they don't understand what I'm even doing touching a thing that is outside my realm of knowledge.

Rub It Til It Feels Better

2019-09-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, everything was just "off", in the evening. I'm one of those sensitive people, who have a hard time dealing with the moods of others. When everyone is happy and living it up, I tend to be blissfully obnoxious, and probably drink a little too much. Their happiness just spills over on me, and I get a bit tipsy with it. On the other hand, when people are crab-asses and want to rage and nag over everything, it just drains all of the life out of me. I tried chilling out with a movie, but I couldn't get my partner-in-crime to watch with me. So, I did what any self-respecting woman does; I went out and made my own damned fun.

Getting the garage straightened out has been a slower process than what I wanted it to be, but being half-crippled is a pain in the ass like that. I worked real hard, and then have to limp around for a few days, sucking down pain meds. But, I did cut out a small area, where I could work. The Mister had stripped the paint off of the tank for the CB450, and slapped some primer on it. When I said that I wanted to use the bike as a beginner bike, while I learn how to ride, he suggested that I could paint it. So, I spent an afternoon applying coats of paint and clearcoat, only to come away disappointed by the end of the day, because the clearcoat had dried with that "orange peel" feel to it. Not having experience with these things, I just hung the tank up, and made grumpy eyebrows at it for a few days. Youtube is helpful though, and having watched a couple videos, I at least felt relieved, knowing that I'm not the only person who has had to fuss with bumpy clearcoat. I guess it's pretty common.

Well, in my desire to find some quiet space, and to get my own head straightened out a bit, I decided to go tackle the gas tank again. Armed with water and sandpaper, I began to work my way around the tank, sanding in straight lines, like the videos advised. It looked like a hot mess, and the rough patches were awkward to work out, but she slowly started to feel smoother and cleaner. I wish that I had more time to really fuss over the finish, but time is short. I want to get some time in at the parking lot, working on slow speed maneuvers and getting used to shifting, before it gets too cold and rainy. After rubbing out all of the rough spots that I could find, I began buffing the tank out with a light polish. That definitely started to make a real difference. I've got a picture here, where you can see the tank with only a small area polished. The shine is starting to pop a little bit.

My boys, particularly my little Bear, was very curious about what I was doing, and wouldn't stay out of the garage. So, I decided to call it a night, after I finished rubbing out a good coat of polish. The tank went back up, to hang and dry, while I shuffled my kiddos off to the shower. Projects are nice, but sending kids to school as dirty little monsters, a little less so.

The polish that I bought advised that I could use their brand of wax rubbing compound, as top coat, for a deep shine. If I can find the time to do that today, I'd like to give it a whirl. The Mister says that we are nearly ready to get the bike back together. He needs to solder some wires together, so hopefully I'll get a lesson in how to do that, as things come together. I don't know how, but he's lost a strut in the garage, so I need to bust out my magical wifely skills, and find his lost things. Before I can focus on the loveliness of my wee baby bike, I have to do some uncomfortable adulting first.

Huzzah! I get to take the carburetor apart, on the lawnmower. I've never done this before, but I trust that Youtube will help me not screw things up too badly. The mower starts, but won't stay running. So, I'm going to take the carb apart and clean everything really well, and see if I can't at least get her stuttering along, so I can cut the grass once. Otherwise, bitchy neighbor lady will call the city on us again, for bringing down the neighborhood. (The grass really isn't that long, but she's particularly beastly.) I don't know if cleaning the carb will be sufficient, but at least I will have given it a hearty try. If all else fails, Amazon has new ones listed for $15, with 1-day shipping. The grass will just have to wait for the weekend.

If I can't get the mower running, then I'll spend my waiting time rubbing out the motorcycle gas tank, while the boys scrub down the mower. I may just give them a little polish, and let them clean the thing up, so it looks pretty again. I'm sure that they would be tickled to make a trip up to the hardware store, so we can put a fresh blade on the machine.

Songbird Sings

That One Friend

Rub It Til It Feels Better