I, Grease Monkey. Part II

sparkplug.jpgFor today’s adventure, we replaced our own spark plugs!
Service cost at the dealership: $160
Do-it-myself total cost: $23 + 30 minutes

What you’ll need…

  • New spark plugs ($6 for 4)
  • A good ratchet set ($30 if you don’t already have one)
  • An extender for your ratchet set ($6 if you don’t already have one)
  • A spark plug gapping tool, or guage ($1.30)
  • An iced caramel latte ($3 – optional, but recommended on a hot day)

Turns out this is one of the easiest jobs you can do on your car — easier and quicker than changing your oil!
I guess it’s a little bit different on a 6 or 8 cylinder car. But on our little Saturns, you just pop out 4 spark plug cables (each set of two has a single bolt holding them in place) and ratchet out the spark plug. Then use the gapping tool to measure the gap at the bottom of the plug (top?) and set your new plugs to match — literally just prying apart the gap with the tool. Ratchet the new plugs in place, pop the cable back in, and start the car to test.
I got it right my first try — although next time will be easier and probably a little less greasy because I’ll have less exploring to do. Nonetheless, this job took not even 30 minutes, once I had the tools I needed. No need to make an appointment anywhere, and no need to fork out a wad of cash. I am very pleased with myself. eHow has a great tutorial video that helped a lot.
The serpentine belt, unfortunately, is next, and there’s no way I’m trying that one myself.

The Wise Family Pharmacy

pills.jpg
On the plus side, I’m finally feeling like a human being again… On the negative side, this whole week was a complete and utter waste. I slept through 2 solid days, waking up only to take more drugs and wipe off the cold sweat clinging to me. I kept a cup next to my bed — a spittoon, if you will — because swallowing was often too painful to be worth it. I won’t tell you about the alternatives to Kleenex that I invented.
The next two days I watched an inordinate amount of children’s television with Benjamin. Did you know that Sesame Street is still on? Some of the same actors are even still in it. The Cookie Monster still makes me giggle, and Ernie and Bert still make me laugh out loud.
Last night, after washing my hands carefully, I picked up my son for almost the first time in 2 weeks (he and Nicole were gone to camp last week) and man, what a change! The little guy, who used to be a marshmallow, has gotten a lot more wiry. It’s probably his newly discovered mobility skills, finally working off all that baby fat. He can pull himself up to standing now, using… well pretty much anything. But he doesn’t know how to sit back down — which frustrates him to no end. We try to teach him to bend his knees first, but I guess his little body just hasn’t acquired that skill yet. He is coping though. The first couple times he would just let go of whatever he was holding on to and let his body fall backward like a tree. After doing that for awhile, and not very much liking the impact, he’s learned to turn toward the ground and hold his arms out in front of him before he starts falling. It would still go much better for him if he could bend his knees, but he doesn’t seem to mind. It gets him in the right position for crawling — which he loves to do, and can do at an impressive speed now.
As much as I enjoyed my week at home (not) I’m greatly looking forward to getting back in the game. I visited the doctor again today, because my sore throat hasn’t gone away, and my temperature seems to fluctuate wildly, and was given a new battery of drugs to try (including more of those great American painkillers, which I will summarily ignore, and eventually flush) but I’m back at it tomorrow anyway. We have 2 weeks left until the missions trip, and there’s wayy too much to do before then!
PS: The pills aren’t all mine! Some are Ben’s and Nic’s vitamins!

Tonsillitis

So this is awesome. I’ve been sick since… I guess Saturday was when I started feeling a little weird. We had a wonderful time hanging out at the park for the Production/Facilities team BBQ after church, but when I got home it really hit me. The slightest breeze from the air conditioner made me wretch.
My temperature was hanging out just shy of 102 for the past 2 days, finally dropping to the 100 range today, but yesterday my throat was really hurting and this morning it felt like it was swollen nearly shut.
I finally went to the walk-in clinic, where both the doctor and the nurse looked down my throat, their faces reflecting something like horror… apparently it looks pretty bad down there.
Anyway, I’m supposed to take the next 2 days off. Not particularly happy about that — but considering they thought it might be mono, I guess it could be worse…