Back in Business

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Finally managed to get a new battery into my quad this weekend. I went over to the yard for a bit and yanked the old battery. Craig showed up and helped me get the new battery in. Unfortunately, the quad still wouldn't start. So we dumped the old gas from the gas tank and tore apart the machine so we could get to the spark plug. Turns out the plug was bad - completely fouled and not giving off a spark at all. If there's one thing I dislike about the Cannondale machines, it's the frequency with which they foul plugs. I've had to tear apart my machine at least three times to replace plugs, and it's no fun. It involves taking almost all the plastic off, the seat and the gas tank. Then you have to disconnect the linkage to the rear shock just to be able to get at the plug. From there, it's not too bad. Since we had done this many times already, it wasn't too big a deal, but it still does take a couple hours to tear it apart and put it back together. I can see fouling plugs on a two-stroke, but this is a four-stroke motor and there's no reason why I should be getting these nasty carbon deposits on my plugs with a fuel-injected four-stroke. And there's no reason the plug should be buried so deep in the machine that it takes as long as it does to get to it.

With the new battery and new plug installed, though, the machine fired right up. No time to drop the oil or the tranny fluid before dark, so we just took a quick 20-minute ride around Split Rock.

Next weekend, I'll change all the fluids and take care of the chain (lube, plus take up the slack).

But the machine runs now, which is good news if we get another snow storm.

iPod As Defensive Weapon

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The Gauntlet outside Penn Station is becoming tougher and tougher to safely navigate every day. Seems you can't get through there without having to dodge the Falun Gong people distributing literature, the crappy newspapers giving their product away, the folks bumming cigarettes, etc. Hey, I'm sympathetic to the plight of the Falun Gong people, but hey - folks have to get to work. And it's not like they haven't been there every day for three months passing out the same pamphlet.

I've found that your closest ally in these situations is your iPod. Simply insert headphones, crank up the tunes, and blow past anyone trying to stuff literature in your face. If anyone blocks your path, deliver your best "Sorry, can't hear you" understanding smile and keep moving. That's the key - keep moving. Don't stop and don't look back. If you do, you'll be stuck listening to the speech for a half hour.

It also works on crazies on the subway, Jehovah's Witnesses and candidates running for office.

First

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Happy New Year, everybody! Some things I learned on my holiday break...

  • Vacations aren't vacations unless you set the expectation that you won't be checking e-mail or voice mail. Period.
  • Riding an ATV in the snow is just about the most fun thing you can do.
  • Skeet shooting never gets boring when you have a launcher that can throw rabbits.
  • New Year's Eve parties are a lot more fun when you turn them into pajama parties where everyone stays over and doesn't risk their neck on the roads.
  • Making chicken burgers from scratch is much better than buying them frozen at the grocery store.
  • Half-Life 2 is the best PC game ever. Without question.
  • South Beach works. I'm not kidding.