magic.rox

I worked my last day of the semester at Kelley today, and after I left, I immediately went to pick up my mower.  It had been at John Deere since last Saturday being repaired.

I was in for a shocker at first, as I couldn’t get it started.  Once I got it started though, I was nothing but amazed.

One new but insignificant problem emerged, due to it running much better, there is much more vibration.  Because of this, the throttle will not stay at position while the engine is running.  As a quick, simple fix I jammed a wood shim underneath the throttle lever to keep it in place.  I will find a permanent fix later.

Since I bought it 2 years ago, it has been a good mower.  I have always worried about it’s lack of power, but I learned today that it was simply a carburetor problem.  It is much faster, and doesn’t bog down when going through think and tall grass.

It was definitely money well spent.

I spent the afternoon mowing our entire yard.  This task normally takes me 3 hours, I completed it in a mere 2 hours today.

Friday that is.

That’s right, this Friday my wife Rachel is going through that ritual of rituals, graduation.  This will be her third.

I’m so proud of her, as she has practically devoted the last 4 years of her life to this degree, the Higher Education & Student Affairs Masters program.

She has also devoted her career, and much of her life on education.  Which is very interesting because I’m almost the exact opposite.  I guess opposites really do attract.

The only question now is if she will someday take that next, final step and go for the doctorate degree?  We have been discussing it, and at the same rate she has taken the masters program, it would take her 10 years to accomplish the required credits needed for the doctorate.

Perhaps when she’s had a chance to breathe for a while.

Anyway you cut it, I’m very proud.  (It’s not easy with the distractions I seem to bring along)

After almost 2 years in our home, we have things on the walls.

We have, at my request, an art area.

We have family pictures abound.

And we have a nic-nac corner.

Now if we could finish the rest of the house and yard…

Since taking my mower to the shop to have it repaired, I have not been able to mow the lawn.

When I first mowed the lawn, I only mowed the front yard.  On top of that, I fertilized it as well.  Now the problem is that everyone is starting to mow their lawns on a regular basis.

I’m not as concerned with the back yard, as not many people see it, and it’s still a mess.  I’m hoping to at least get the hole from where our pool was filled in this year.  I have finally found someone selling dirt, it’s not that cheap at $25 a yard but they do offer delivery. 

I might have to wait until next year on re-grading of the back yard.  If anyone near me (Bloomington, IN) has a small tractor with a bucket and/or a yardbox reads this, leave a comment.  I need the use of you or your tractor, and I’m willing to pay for it.

It’s not a big job, but it’s a job that can’t really be done by hand.

This is my last week at Technology Services until next semester, at the earliest.  The CSR is going to begin to slow down, but there might be a large study to do.  It’s just a waiting game until then.

I have been applying to positions at what seems like a crazy pace at times.  I’ve had several interviews, but nothing has panned out thus far.

Hopefully I can find something to do this summer, at least.

I’m beginning to wonder if my situation would be applicable for unemployment benefits.  I haven’t quit any jobs, there is just a “lack of work” situation.

Situations such as these always work themselves out in the end, so I am sure everything will be okay.

We were told by the USGS that there could be up to as many as 12 or so aftershocks for up to a week after the earthquake.  I was surprised to see this headline buried in the newspaper today, “4.5 magnitude earthquake this morning.”

The paper then goes on to say, Geologists say the temblor just before 12:40 a.m. Monday, registered at 4.5 magnitude at its epicenter about 5 miles northwest of Mount Carmel, Illinois. The location is in the same area as Friday’s early morning 5.2-magnitude earthquake. The Monday morning aftershock was at least the 15th since Friday’s quake.Check out this link, which shows all earthquakes and aftershocks we’ve had since the Friday morning one.

UPDATE:  The earthquake was downgraded to a 4.0

Our home has undergone some major changes since we purchased it in 2006.  I just thought I would hi-light those with some pictures, a little before and after.  There was a lot of work to do because of that awful wallpaper.

Before:

After: 

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

When we bought our home there was a big argument regarding how we would care for the yard.  At .47 acres, it’s not small, but not large.  I wanted a riding mower, but Rachel wanted to push mow the lawn.

At the same time we were having this argument, mainly regarding cost, a co-worker of mine told me about a used John Deere riding mower she saw for sale a few miles down the road.  During my lunch I drove down and took a look at this mower, and fell in love with it.  The only mystery was the cost.

To make a long story short we bought that mower, and I still own it to this day.  It’s a John Deere STX38, and about as old as I am.  I believe it’s an early to mid 80’s model.

It’s much different than many riding mowers available today, even other John Deere models.  Many of the safety features are not there and the biggest difference is the lack of engine power.  This mower only has a 12.5 hp engine.  Many might be in disbelief, because the lowest hp ratings I’ve seen in a few years is 17, but you have to remember that this is around 25 years old.

Last weekend, with the help of my daughter, I performed the yearly maintenance on the mower.  This includes changing the oil and oil filter, replacing the spark plug and fuel filter and the air filters.  It’s a pretty straight foward process.

I noticed that the mower wasn’t it’s normal self and was very sluggish.  I thought I would just see if it got worse before taking action, and it got worse.

I believe it needs it’s carburetor rebuilt or cleaned or something else, as the smell of gas eminanates from it while running.  I took it to John Deere yesterday.

They told me that they were 3 days out and they would call me with an estimate on repairs.  I’m not too worried, I’d rather spend a little money to repair this one than spend almost 2k to get a model similar to it.

UPDATE:  John Deere called on Monday and said the “throttle arm” was broken and that it needed a new carb.  They said it’s going to run about $200 to repair it.  I think money well spent.   I also found out with some hard research, that this model was made from 1988 - 1997.  They even made a “racing” model.  The first few years had a yellow deck, so this mower is around 20 years old.

The midwest felt something very strange Friday morning, there was an earthquake.  I have heard so much about the quake of ‘87 or the quake of ‘02, but I didn’t feel or just don’t remember them.

I’m only writing this so my own personal account of what happened is out there.

It was about 5:30am and I had just woken up to use the restroom.  I had made it back to bed and just started getting comfortable.  That’s when the bed started shaking like it never had before.  Rachel thought I was going into a seizure, or our cats were fighting underneath the bed.  It’s intensity was about the same as my wife and I making love, not enough to scare, but strong.

I was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on by the time it stopped.  It lasted a total of about 30 seconds.  It’s been recorded as a 5.2 on the richter scale.

I tried to get some sleep afterwards but really couldn’t.  Rachel called her mom and started watching TV.  Her office view is directly looking at the Geology building, and all of the major Indianapolis TV stations showed up with their satellite trucks.  It was kind of funny because each stations’ truck was a different size small, medium and large.

I guess this is a 15 or 20 year event.  In the end, I’m glad I’m not anywhere near the San Andreas fault.

I have been steadily applying for new positions, even though I currently have 2 jobs.

I would generally get an interview here, or a callback there, but nothing really panned out.

For the past couple of nights, when we’ve gotten home there has been at least 1 message on our answering machine asking me for an interview.

Great news, right?  There’s two sides to that coin.

My current positons are academic year only, meaning they generally end once the academic year is over.  Although, I get a feeling that I may be asked to work significantly more hours next semester or even this summer at my job at the Kelley School of Business.

I have had a few interviews lately, but it seems like I’m un-something.  I guess I’m not wanted, or my skills lie in between what they are seeking and what person I’m interviewing with have.

I’m a likable guy, I don’t know what the problem is.

So I have a job interview today, tomorrow and perhaps another one within a week or so.  Two of those interviews are for “real” full time jobs.

People always say it’s easier to get a new job when you have a job, but I don’t really see it that way.  It’s a PITA for me, especially since when I’m at one job, I can barely send an email, let alone talk on the phone, and while I’m at the other I cannot speak on the phone.

This frustrates me to a point where sometimes I wish I could just crawl into a hole and not come out…

Rachel and I weren’t ourselves this weekend, we were productive!

Saturday, Taylor came over for a while and we had fun.  She was up with her mom, I think they’re trying to unpack their new home in Owensburg before they actually move up here.  As my big helper, she helped me with the yearly maintenance of my riding mower.  After Taylor left, dad and I loaded all of the concrete remnants I had removed from the ground into my truck.  I then took it off later that night.  I don’t think my truck has ever had that much weight in it, as it was lower in the rear than the front.

Sunday, Rachel and I re-arranged the garage.  It’s more organized now, and I must say easier to get things in and out of.  We got rid of a lot of trash we didn’t even realize we had, for that I took off another load of garbage.

While I finished painting our dining room area, Rachel worked on her final paper for her Master’s Degree.  There is still a little bit of touching up to do, but it looks fantastic!

Sorry about the picture quality, my lens needed cleaned!

We capped off the weekend by watching the last of the Star Wars Saga, Return of the Jedi.  I can’t believe how much of a Stars Wars freak my wife is.  I enjoy it, but she really gets into it!

My truck surpassed an automotive milestone on the way back from Muncie last Saturday night, the odometer turned over 100,000 miles.  Yes, I took this picture while driving.  Illegal perhaps, but it only happens once.

For some strange reason, I am taking pride in it.  This is the first vehicle I have purchased, and not wrecked beyond repair.  I did not buy it new, but this truck is me.  I plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off.  It’s paid for, why spend more money?

For those of you who don’t know the specifics, my truck is a 1997 Chevrolet S-10 Extended Cab 4X4 with a 4.3L V6.  I have tried to make it as fuel effecient as possible, and it does get better gas mileage (17/25) than the norm, 15/19.

We have taken it to Oklahoma, The Great Smoky Mountains, Niagara Falls and driven through Canada.  It’s been reliable and more importantly, comfortable for trips.

With the price of fuel these days, it’s becoming more and more expensive to feed it’s hunger.  When I filled her up last Saturday night it cost $42, for 12 and some odd gallons.  That’s only 3/4 of a tank!

So for the meantime, this truck is mainly driven when needed, or to lubricate the engine parts.  Rachels’ Kia is much more eco-friendly.  Yesterday the price of gas jumped 22 cents a gallon!  It went from $3.24 to $3.46, ouch!

Last Saturday my father and I travelled up to Muncie to see an old friend.  I hadn’t seen him in 12 years.  I’ve speratically chatted with him on myspace and yahoo messenger for about a year now, but didn’t have a chance to see him.

It was a short, but excellent meeting.  We chatted for a while, he is really good with model cars - something I never had the patience for.  We then went to Ruby Tuesday’s to get some grub, it was the worst service I’ve ever had.

Hopefully this can become a more than once a decade meeting.  I’ve missed you Justice.

There are many creative minds at work at the CSR.  Many of us enjoy the video production/editing fields.  There are 2 ladies with Ph.D.’s, a jewelry maker, and the list goes on from there.

For most of us, the CSR is just a stepping stone.  I hope it is for me, as I’m tired of assembling NSSE survey packets.  It’s mind numbing work, and when you’re scolded for speaking, it’s just that much worse.

A fellow co-worker makes his own music.  It’s electronic and kind of a mix between new age and techno.  It’s the best thing I’ve heard or seen in a while, so I thought I’d share.  I think with the right exposure, this kid and his music could really go places.

He’s a little leery of allowing it to be downloaded so I have a selection of his songs setup for streaming, but I have been made aware of some issues.  This will only work with IE, as it’s setup with Windows Media to stream.  I’ve personally tried Safari and Firefox with no luck.  So you are warned!  I am currently working on a way for all platforms to play, but I don’t have it in place yet.

Listen Here: Music by Luc

If anyone out there has any better ideas, please let me know!  I tried last.fm, but to add one of their “playlists” you have to have a minimum of 15 songs.