Sabbatical?

Has it really been almost a month since my last entry? Yep, I guess it has. Well, time flies when you're working. Here's the skinny on some of the latest...

The lovable Luna has had an appetite for seat belts. She chewed through about three pairs in Jean's old car, and over time, I got to be an expert at changing them out. It would be amazing how much damage she could do in a minute... anyway, I bought the first couple through the Ford dealer--$$OUCH$$, but then I got smart and started buying them online through used parts dealers (that's a classier way of saying junk yard).

So, a couple of weeks ago, when Luna chewed through the seat belts in Jean's father's van, I figured that I'd be able to fix the situation without too much trouble. I was able to get the seat belts online with much trouble, and they arrived in about a week--a duration of time that had Jean's father driving around with his seat belts tied in knots. I was so confident in my skills, that I offered to install the new seat belts after work one day. Hah. My first obstacle was the fact that I'd have to remove the seats to get the interior molding out. Hmmmm... fun. Well, removing seats is only loosening some bolts. I can do that. Two seats, eight bolts.

Seven of the eight were cooperative, although not totally. I had to do some contortionist maneuvers to get a couple of them off, but they yielded to my ratchet wrench. And then there was one. The last nut was a collection of rust atoms loosely held together by moisture. With the first turn of the socket, I felt the nut go round, and I poured pure rust on to the ground. After much swearing, more contortionist moves, longer ratchet arms, and a smaller socket that was hammered on, victory was mine.

That "simple" project took almost 3hrs. Fun. And all the while, Luna watched with a smirk.