Re: Starting a new Journal
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Ok, so it's Friday again.
Down 1.5 for the week at 237.5.
Down 28.5 since starting to track.
It's easy to understand why so many struggle with weight loss, it seems excruciatingly slow. One of the reasons I started this journal was to take a more objective approach. Without the journal, I would have seen almost two weeks with barely any results, but by journaling I see that the same two weeks actually equaled 2.5 pounds. Certainly not rock star performance, but slow steady improvement.
This last weekend, I went kayaking again, no surprise there. The hydrilla in the lake continues to expand and was even noticeably worse than the week before. While I have a couple of Hobie outbacks, they don't perform well without the rudder and mirage drive. It's like a floating washing machine without the rudder and drive and with it's almost impossible to get through the thick weeds.
I've been looking on craigslist for a while for a paddle (not peddle) kayak. I found a 12 yo wilderness system Freedom (15ft.) and picked it up Wed. I'm looking forward to a maiden voyage tomorrow and see how it performs.
The night I picked it up (before I went to get it) the brake lights on my wife's Hyundai were on. Wouldn't go off no matter what we tried. So a quick jump on the net and I isolated the problem to the brake light switch under the dash by the brake peddle. There is a little plastic tab that goes in a hole on the brake peddle lever. Due to heat and age the plastic tab broke (crumbled) and the sensor would no longer shut off. Hyundai engineers must have been smoking crack to design it this way. If they didn't but a hole in the lever, they wouldn't need the plastic part to begin with.
So, I didn't actually know (at the time) that the plastic tab was a separate piece from the actual brake switch. So I took out the brake switch and headed down to the local autoparts store. I've actually been surprise at the parts store that I now go to at the experience level of the clerks, they actually seem to know something about auto repair and the parts the sell. So, I go up to the parts window and the clerk recognizes the part before I even say what it is. I'm impressed! So we talk a little and he confirms (which I already knew) that the switch was fine and that I just needed a new plastic tab to fit into the brake peddle to make contact with the switch.
Now comes the frustrations.
me: Ok, can I just buy the plastic tab.
clerk: No, we don't sell them.
me: If I get a new brake switch, is new tab included?
clerk: No, they don't include them.
me: Do you know where I can get one.
clerk: Not really, you might try Hyndai but they would probably have to special order it.
me: That's not really going to work, the battery will drain over night and there are effectively no brake lights on the car now, do you have any other suggestions.
clerk: Most everyone use electrical tape to secure a penny over the hole, that does the trick
me: Ok, I'll give that a try then.
So, I head back to the house. It's a 100+ degrees outside with no air in the garage and a drop light next to my head as I'm upside down in the floorboard of this Hyundai and trying to get both hands up under the dash to resecure the brake switch. Oh and did I mention that my wife was holding down the break with a broom handle to hold it out of the way because I really needed a third hand and there wasn't even enough room for two! Thank you Hyundai, thank you very much. I finally get the brake switch back on. You have to thread a nut on a bolt while balancing both pieces in one hand, there is no room for two, and I contemplate actually now the task of using tape to attach a penny the brake peddle.
I didn't really like that idea when I left the parts store and I still didn't care for it. So, I'm thinking all I really need to do is just plug that silly hole. My first thought was a flat head screw and a nut on the back side to hold it in place. That certainly would have worked, at least for a while. However the plunger on the switch would now be rubbing against metal and possible catch in the head of the screw and break off, then I would be back where I started. So, what could I use to plug that hole?
Hyundai didn't know it, but they actually supplied me with several plugs just perfect for the fix. The upholstery plugs (that hold down the carpet in the trunk) are just the perfect size to snugly fit into the hole and provide a semi soft smooth surface to activate the brake switch and the problem is solved.
I only to tell this story to remind myself that had I actually tried this a few months ago, I would have had a much more difficult time carrying and extra 28 pounds. Two days later my back/shoulder are still sore from the awkward upside down position and my finger has a couple of gashes thanks to sloppy design by Hyundai. But, I'm still ahead several hundred dollars by not having to rely on a repair shop to perform the task. A couple weeks ago, I had to replace an alternator on my pickup and that went fairly well, but I'm also thankful I could actually reach everything by being a bit smaller.
On another note, I'm trying to drop another bp med. Been off three days but the bp is going up again. If it continues I'll need to continue with this med again and try again in a couple of weeks.
That's it for now, looking forward to the weekend.
Down 1.5 for the week at 237.5.
Down 28.5 since starting to track.
It's easy to understand why so many struggle with weight loss, it seems excruciatingly slow. One of the reasons I started this journal was to take a more objective approach. Without the journal, I would have seen almost two weeks with barely any results, but by journaling I see that the same two weeks actually equaled 2.5 pounds. Certainly not rock star performance, but slow steady improvement.
This last weekend, I went kayaking again, no surprise there. The hydrilla in the lake continues to expand and was even noticeably worse than the week before. While I have a couple of Hobie outbacks, they don't perform well without the rudder and mirage drive. It's like a floating washing machine without the rudder and drive and with it's almost impossible to get through the thick weeds.
I've been looking on craigslist for a while for a paddle (not peddle) kayak. I found a 12 yo wilderness system Freedom (15ft.) and picked it up Wed. I'm looking forward to a maiden voyage tomorrow and see how it performs.
The night I picked it up (before I went to get it) the brake lights on my wife's Hyundai were on. Wouldn't go off no matter what we tried. So a quick jump on the net and I isolated the problem to the brake light switch under the dash by the brake peddle. There is a little plastic tab that goes in a hole on the brake peddle lever. Due to heat and age the plastic tab broke (crumbled) and the sensor would no longer shut off. Hyundai engineers must have been smoking crack to design it this way. If they didn't but a hole in the lever, they wouldn't need the plastic part to begin with.
So, I didn't actually know (at the time) that the plastic tab was a separate piece from the actual brake switch. So I took out the brake switch and headed down to the local autoparts store. I've actually been surprise at the parts store that I now go to at the experience level of the clerks, they actually seem to know something about auto repair and the parts the sell. So, I go up to the parts window and the clerk recognizes the part before I even say what it is. I'm impressed! So we talk a little and he confirms (which I already knew) that the switch was fine and that I just needed a new plastic tab to fit into the brake peddle to make contact with the switch.
Now comes the frustrations.
me: Ok, can I just buy the plastic tab.
clerk: No, we don't sell them.
me: If I get a new brake switch, is new tab included?
clerk: No, they don't include them.
me: Do you know where I can get one.
clerk: Not really, you might try Hyndai but they would probably have to special order it.
me: That's not really going to work, the battery will drain over night and there are effectively no brake lights on the car now, do you have any other suggestions.
clerk: Most everyone use electrical tape to secure a penny over the hole, that does the trick
me: Ok, I'll give that a try then.
So, I head back to the house. It's a 100+ degrees outside with no air in the garage and a drop light next to my head as I'm upside down in the floorboard of this Hyundai and trying to get both hands up under the dash to resecure the brake switch. Oh and did I mention that my wife was holding down the break with a broom handle to hold it out of the way because I really needed a third hand and there wasn't even enough room for two! Thank you Hyundai, thank you very much. I finally get the brake switch back on. You have to thread a nut on a bolt while balancing both pieces in one hand, there is no room for two, and I contemplate actually now the task of using tape to attach a penny the brake peddle.
I didn't really like that idea when I left the parts store and I still didn't care for it. So, I'm thinking all I really need to do is just plug that silly hole. My first thought was a flat head screw and a nut on the back side to hold it in place. That certainly would have worked, at least for a while. However the plunger on the switch would now be rubbing against metal and possible catch in the head of the screw and break off, then I would be back where I started. So, what could I use to plug that hole?
Hyundai didn't know it, but they actually supplied me with several plugs just perfect for the fix. The upholstery plugs (that hold down the carpet in the trunk) are just the perfect size to snugly fit into the hole and provide a semi soft smooth surface to activate the brake switch and the problem is solved.
I only to tell this story to remind myself that had I actually tried this a few months ago, I would have had a much more difficult time carrying and extra 28 pounds. Two days later my back/shoulder are still sore from the awkward upside down position and my finger has a couple of gashes thanks to sloppy design by Hyundai. But, I'm still ahead several hundred dollars by not having to rely on a repair shop to perform the task. A couple weeks ago, I had to replace an alternator on my pickup and that went fairly well, but I'm also thankful I could actually reach everything by being a bit smaller.
On another note, I'm trying to drop another bp med. Been off three days but the bp is going up again. If it continues I'll need to continue with this med again and try again in a couple of weeks.
That's it for now, looking forward to the weekend.