Lizze's Car -or- What I Consider to be my First Practical Automotive Exam
I went over to my friend's apartment yesterday to wish her Happy Holidays and such before she went home for Christmas break. Turns out she's got a car now; an '82 RX-7! (And me without my camera...) Anyway, when I got there, she had the battery hooked up to a charger because it's been having a hard time holding a charge. The hood was up and the poor car is such a dirty, dusty mess, but not in bad shape overall. I mean, the thing's older than me!
Anyway, I got to put my knowledge to the test as I helped her figure out why it wasn't starting, because it's got a brand-new alternator and the battery fluid levels had just been checked recently. Turns out that the problem was just that it doesn't like the cold and it's nearly 25 years old, so that would do it. We pulled out the choke, pumped the gas, and got it to start, then let it idle for a bit to let the alternator charge the battery.
Next, there was blue smoke coming out of the tailpipe, so I checked her oil, and while it was still a good color, she was pretty low. But apparently that's just the way it happens so her dad had sent her an extra bottle of oil, and we put that in.
But then, as she tried to back out, it wouldn't go into gear and it made this horrible noise when she tried to put it in reverse. I got in, and turns out there was only about a quarter of an inch of
non-free play! The clutch wasn't disengaging at all. So we went and got some brake fluid, filled up the little reservoir at the very top right of the engine bay, and pumped the clutch pedal for about 20 minutes, let it rest, and lo and behold, there was resistance again when we went back out about 15-20 minutes later. w00t! I'm so proud of myself. I passed the test!
It's such a neat little car and it's really in pretty good shape for an '82. I'll have to take a pic or two of it after we get back from break. (And I'll be asking to take it for a test drive as well. :D )
Hiatus
Blarg. Haven't had much to talk about lately. But I do today!
Fall semester is letting out pretty quick, as in like, Wednesday. But in light of the fact that my dorm had a "white glove" cleaning inspection today, I am already completely packed up and ready to move into the new dorm, and all ready to go home for Christmas, even though my ride back to California doesn't leave until the 22nd. :| I am SO ready for my bro to move out and GIMME MY FRIGGIN' CAR ALREADY!! >_< I can't wait 'til I can leave whenever the crap I want to instead of having to hitch a ride with someone else.
Anyway. It feels good to have much less stress in my life and be able to just kick back for a day. Christmas party tonight and I'm stoked. ^^_ Later, all. Have a great day.
Halo 3 teaser!!!!!
A spot/teaser for Halo 3 aired last night during Monday Night Football, and I'm so surprised there's been relatively little hype over this! The only reason I know is thanks to the guys over at
Red vs. Blue.All I can say is that it looks soooo good thus far. Way too short...we need more footage soon, you hear me Bungie/Microsoft!?!! Lol.
Click
here to see the kick-butt goodness! (And Master Chief as a kid? *gasp* )
Line Rider
Perfect for the winter months. It's a game where you draw a track for a little sled dude. Some of the ones people have done are pretty awesome!
Go
here to make your own. And go
here to see some of the ones other people have done.
It's awesome stuff!
Christmas 2006
For Christmas this year, my family has decided to do things a little differently. My parents decided that instead of buying us gifts, they're giving us $100 to spend on ourselves, and $20 to spend on each sibling, or just give the money to each of them. Needless to say, we've all decided to just give each other the money, but there's a catch. We can't just do the traditional stick-it-in-a-card-and-say-Merry-Christmas thing; we actually have to put some creative effort into giving them the money. My mom suggested things like a treasure hunt or hiding it in a cookie or something to that extent, but my immediate idea was doing artwork for each of them and giving it to them with the money. My mom agreed that it's allowed, so I'm putting my artistic abilities to work. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, I haven't been more in the Christmas spirit than I currently am. I'm giving of my time and talents and it's really fun!
I'll be posting progression of the artworks on my
art blog. There's one up today, so go check it out! ^_^
