Catching My Breath

It's been a hectic -- and expensive -- spring. I thought once I retired I'd be living a life of leisure. However, life apparently had other plans for me.

It began back in March. Our daughter, a high school senior, had been accepted to several colleges. Unlike her older brother, who had no doubt where he wanted to go (Texas A&M), she couldn't make up her mind. She wanted to get away from home, but not too far away. She wanted to live in a large city, but not too large. She wanted to go to a small school, but not too small. She wanted ... well, you get the idea.

So we did a lot of online research. We visited web sites, communicated with alumni, even went on several campus visits. The list of possibles ranged from a small but highly rated engineering school (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) in a small town (scenic Terre Haute, Indiana - which also happens to be my mother's home town) to a large but highly rated engineering school (Rice University) in a large city (Houston). There was also a medium-sized engineering school (Colorado School of Mines) in a medium-sized city (Golden, Co.).

In case you haven't figured it out yet, she's interested in becoming an engineer.

But there were others as well. At one point she was seriously considering going to the University of Virginia - a long way from our Central Texas home. Other possibilities were Vanderbilt and Duke (she's a smart kid and did well in high school and on her SATs - takes after her father). In the end, however, after much sturm und drung she decided to join her brother, and more relevantly, her BFF, at Texas A&M University. Her mother and I are thrilled. It's a good fit for her interests and personality, it's the right distance away (a 3 hour drive), she'll know people there, so she has a support system in place, and last but not least, it's a public school and we get to pay in-state tuition!

But getting her to that point took a lot of time and effort. To complicate matters, while all that was going on, my old truck began acting up. It developed a phantom intermittent miss and surge that only happened when I drove it. When anyone else was in the driver's seat it behaved itself. Multiple trips to the shop failed to identify the problem. So the solution was - what else - to buy our daughter a new car.

Actually, it was a new used car (2011 Toyota RAV-4). When she got her license two years ago I gave her my old SUV (2006 Honda Pilot) and began to drive my old truck (1995 F-150) full time. Prior to then I'd mainly used the truck for towing, hauling, and hunting. But now that she's going off to college we decided to upgrade her vehicle, getting her something more economical with fewer miles, and hence more reliable (hopefully). I took back the Pilot, and the truck returned to its previous role. But first, there was still that annoying stutter to track down and resolve.

The ignition system was tested. The fuel pump, filters, and injectors were inspected and cleaned. The timing chain (yes, it's so old it has a timing chain instead of a belt) was checked. No joy. So I finally decided to just live with it until something obvious broke.

Then the oil pressure gauge started fluctuating...

Replaced the oil pressure sending unit. The fluctuation persisted. Checked the gauge. It was good. That left two possibilities, neither of which was good. Either the oil pump was failing (bad) or the main rod bearings were shot (worse). I made a deal with the local repair shop. Tear down the engine and replace the pump. If that fixes the problem well and good. I'll pay them full shop manual rate for the job. If that doesn't fix the problem, we'll drop a new (rebuilt) engine in, and they won't charge me for the oil pump work. They replaced the pump and things seemed fine for the first few days. Then the oil gauge started fluctuating again, and I noticed the power dropping off as I climbed hills. So it was back to the shop, this time for an engine replacement.

I went back and forth about whether to sink all that money into an old truck, or whether it would be better to sell the Pilot and the truck, and buy a new truck. But I really, really, REALLY like my old truck. It's kind of like my wife. I'm used to her idiosyncrasies, her likes and dislikes. She's adapted to my habits, good and bad, and I to hers. Besides, the truck's seat cushion has by now custom molded itself to my rear end. How could I give all that up? So I decided to stick with my old friend, especially after he just had a heart transplant.

I got the truck back last week. It ran like a top - it hummed along for a brief while, then sputtered and stopped...

So it's back in the shop for another mystery ailment - although at least this time it's covered by the new engine warranty.

Meanwhile, while all this was going on, those worthless G**-Damned bastards at Microsoft decided to end support for Windows XP. As you may have gathered by now, I'm an old-school type of guy. When I find something I like I stick with it (except for wives, but that's another story).

Anyway, my office desktop, my laptop, and our daughter's desktop all ran on XP. My wife's PC was the modern one. It uses Windows 7. I checked to see if we could upgrade our existing 'puters to Windows 7 (I absolutely refuse to get that abomination known as Windows 8). Two were no-go, and one was marginal. So that meant new computers. Daughter got an HP laptop, and I got a Dell desktop (plus a Chromebook, which I really, really like).

Transferring all the software and files was a royal pain in the ass (I still haven't figured out how to get my iPod playlists onto the new computer), but I eventually got that done. Then the hard drive on the new HP laptop failed...

I know someone who is pretty handy with hardware. He suggested replacing the failed drive with a new solid state hard drive (think of a giant flash drive stuffed inside the case). I could have gone through the customer service shuffle with HP, but a new solid state drive was only (!) $150, and my friend installed it for free (well, almost - it cost me a six pack of Shiner, but he didn't get it until after installation).

I've gotta say, that solid state drive is DA BOMB!!! (Do people still say that?) Anyway, it is lightening quick. That 'puter boots up in about 5 seconds. Opening and closing programs, and accessing files, is super fast. If you ever get the opportunity to install a solid state drive, jump on it. You'll love it!

To top things off, while I was wrestling with vehicles and computers, I stepped in a hole and messed up my knee. It was my 'good' knee (my other one has been operated on three times). It took three weeks until I could see an orthopedic surgeon, another three weeks to get an MRI done, one more week to get it read, and another week before I could see the dr. and get the diagnosis, which was...

...torn meniscus and stretched ligaments. The good news is no surgery. The bad news is that surgery would do more harm than good. Why, you ask?

The meniscus is a shock-absorbing cartilage that sits under the kneecap. It reduces friction and provides a cushion between the upper leg (femur) and the lower leg (tibia). I managed to not only tear it, but to fold it under itself. Think of a page in a book that becomes dog-eared. The only way to fix that page is to open the cover. Similarly, the only way to fix my folded-under meniscus is to lift up the kneecap. That poses all sorts of problems. Bottom line - get a cortisone shot, go to physical therapy, and learn to live with the pain and restricted motion. Oh yeah, and while I'm at it, lose weight.

Sigh...

My other knee must have gotten jealous of all the attention the 'good' knee was getting, so it chose this time to begin acting up as well. I've been down this road before. The solution is a series of Supartz injections - one a week for five weeks. The injections must be preciously placed in the knee joint for maximum effect, so they are guided using an ultrasound machine. That means weekly visits to the orthopedic doctor's office. It's a one hour trip there, the procedure takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour (including waiting time), and another hour trip home. On top of that I have physical therapy three times a week - 30 minutes travel time, 1.5 hours therapy, and 30 minutes back home. That's three hours out of my day, four days a week, for the next five weeks.

But things could be worse - much, much worse. Our daughter is going to a great university that's relatively close to home. She'll be with her close friend, and her big brother will be on hand if she needs him. Everyone in the family has a decent vehicle and an up-to-date computer. We're all healthy, more or less (some of us less than others), but without major issues. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and a little spare change in our pockets. Sure, things could be better, but they could also be a damn sight worse.

All in all, life is good...