FYI.
Not that I post often enough of late for anyone to have noticed, but I have been away from the 'net for a couple of days - not by choice: my hard drive kakked. Started out by not wanting to run Yahoo! messenger, then not wanting to do anything on the internet, and then finally wouldn't boot anymore. Apparently about a third of it is now "bad sectors". (Thanks, Ash, Tora and Todd, for trying to help!)
But... I bought a new drive today, connected it, installed Windows, booted it, connected to the internet, am making this post... so far, so good. Tomorrow I see what I can retrieve from the last drive, and then get myself set back up on Yahoo! and ICQ and whatnot.
Other news... I finally found a perk of my current job... as someone who is the engineer for exterior moldings on cars, I have access to some knowledge - and more importantly some materials - which others might not have access to. So when I went to fix the plastic seat-back panel and one of the moldings on the Vibe, I took a plastic snap-fit push-pin from a scrap part I had at my desk, and that replaced the broken clip on the seatback perfectly. A sheet of pressure-sensitive tape (left over from an engineering trial some months ago) was easily cut into strips to replace the (shittily-applied!) tape on the door molding that was coming off, and years of experience WORKING with the little bastards gave me confidence in how to remove the molding and clips without breaking them (or deforming the metal, those little fuckers are STRONG), and re-install them after replacing the tape!
I also removed the remaining front bumper extension molding, since the other one had come off at Camp Feral! and the remaining one was starting to peel off anyways. Didn't re-install, though... that tape was properly applied and as such, is a BITCH to remove cleanly enough to re-apply. Noted dents and paint chips EVERYWHERE, and also how BAD the paint jobs on the after-market moldings are, and how flat the colour is in general... so I am thinking of having some bodywork done, and then having the beast repainted... likely in a somewhat-obnoxious colour that it never originally came in. Any votes for what colour? The urge to turn it into a pimp-mobile is very strong... deep purple, large-flake-metallic paint with gold (instead of aluminum) accents and window-tint, and leopard-print seat covers... fuzzy dice, too... man. How bitchin' would that be? ;)
I gotta learn how the instrument panel goes in... there are several squeaks and rattles behind it that I'd not mind putting to rest, if only I could get back there. :)
ANYHOO, the upshot is that I have recovered from the Hell day that was Friday... am feeling like things are starting to go "right", finally.
Later,
B.
But... I bought a new drive today, connected it, installed Windows, booted it, connected to the internet, am making this post... so far, so good. Tomorrow I see what I can retrieve from the last drive, and then get myself set back up on Yahoo! and ICQ and whatnot.
Other news... I finally found a perk of my current job... as someone who is the engineer for exterior moldings on cars, I have access to some knowledge - and more importantly some materials - which others might not have access to. So when I went to fix the plastic seat-back panel and one of the moldings on the Vibe, I took a plastic snap-fit push-pin from a scrap part I had at my desk, and that replaced the broken clip on the seatback perfectly. A sheet of pressure-sensitive tape (left over from an engineering trial some months ago) was easily cut into strips to replace the (shittily-applied!) tape on the door molding that was coming off, and years of experience WORKING with the little bastards gave me confidence in how to remove the molding and clips without breaking them (or deforming the metal, those little fuckers are STRONG), and re-install them after replacing the tape!
I also removed the remaining front bumper extension molding, since the other one had come off at Camp Feral! and the remaining one was starting to peel off anyways. Didn't re-install, though... that tape was properly applied and as such, is a BITCH to remove cleanly enough to re-apply. Noted dents and paint chips EVERYWHERE, and also how BAD the paint jobs on the after-market moldings are, and how flat the colour is in general... so I am thinking of having some bodywork done, and then having the beast repainted... likely in a somewhat-obnoxious colour that it never originally came in. Any votes for what colour? The urge to turn it into a pimp-mobile is very strong... deep purple, large-flake-metallic paint with gold (instead of aluminum) accents and window-tint, and leopard-print seat covers... fuzzy dice, too... man. How bitchin' would that be? ;)
I gotta learn how the instrument panel goes in... there are several squeaks and rattles behind it that I'd not mind putting to rest, if only I could get back there. :)
ANYHOO, the upshot is that I have recovered from the Hell day that was Friday... am feeling like things are starting to go "right", finally.
Later,
B.