DIY and Projects
My week began with a car that wouldn’t start. Was it the battery? The starter? The cold? Who knows. I was immensely worried about it though. I needed my car for choir, Christmas shopping, and travel in the coming days. It felt like 2025 just wanted to screw with me a little bit more before the year was over. During the noon hour, I tried again. No luck. I couldn’t find a block heater cord to plug it in with, so after I put some gas line anti-freeze into it, I went back inside. My hands were too cold from trying to do anything with it.
Unable to boost my car on Tuesday, I joined CAA. They have a battery service and with the discount, it was under $200 for a year of coverage. At least, I hoped it was the battery. I had no guarantee of that. If that didn’t work out, my plan was a very long bus ride to North Bay. The only conciliation there was that I used to work for the company that drives from Ottawa to North Bay, so I knew I would be in good hands. They were also quite close to my brother’s house.
On Wednesday, over lunch I did the caulking in the fridge area. If you’re sick of seeing that part of the project, well, I’m sick of living in it. I couldn’t do anything about my car, but I could get this handled. I left it for 30 minutes before attempting tape removal. Since it is supposedly cured enough to handle some water by then, I figured that would hopefully be a good time to remove the tape as it’s supposed to be a bit tacky while removing. It’s probably not ideal for windburn recovery to have to use mineral spirits, but it was what would get the caulk off my hands. I used a popsicle stick to push it into place since I have small fingers. Pre-tape removal picture isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot better than I have caulked in the past, so I’ll need to thank my friend for that tip.
I also caulked some of the main sink area that hadn’t been done yet while the tube was already flowing. There is a spot that may need a bit more caulk later on when I’m working on the rest of the kitchen, but I’m OK with that. a critical step was completed and I’ll be able to have a fridge in my kitchen instead of where is has been for far too long.
Unsurprisingly to me, tape removal didn’t go well. It was OK for the wall area, but not the floor. I don’t know if that was because it is an uneven surface, or because the floor is colder, or because the time I left wasn’t correct. Thankfully, I had enough caulk left to lay more down.
The next morning, I realized I still had gaps to fill above where the fridge goes, so I had to deal with those before getting my fridge back in place. I also had to clean the outside of it. With some leverage and a small block of wood, I was able to get my fridge back into its home on Thursday.
It needs further cleaning, but I was focused on the areas that would be hard to reach once it was back in the kitchen. The top was disgusting and Vim seemed to do the trick, so hopefully that works on the handles. With this milestone reached, I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere on the project.
Thankfully, CAA got my car started. They had me run it for an hour to help the battery recharge. It’s likely that too many very short trips are part of the culprit. Starting a car takes quite a bit of energy. Add using things like air conditioning, heated seats, cabin lights, plus the car doesn’t get driven long enough to properly recharge the battery. I’ll have to explore more in the new year though I did buy a trickle charger. I hoped between dad and my bro, we could hook that up during the holidays.
Health and Fitness
It was pretty cold on Monday and I got windburn on my hands. They were ungloved for a very brief moment when I walked through the garbage room and put my recycling in one of the bins just outside the door. I’m more susceptible to it due to Sjogren’s. I’m usually very good about keeping them covered outside, but the dumpsters were already outside though recycling isn’t picked up until later in the week.
Movies and Television
While watching The Rookie, I had a nostalgic moment. He ends up taking courses to upgrade and he’s in a criminal law class debating ethics. When I took my business degree, there was an officer in my ethics class. The difference? Mine was OPP and had to wear his policing uniform to class. Nolan attends in plain clothes.
Music and Song-Writing
Choir went really well. I was worried before it, but everything was a lot tighter after practice.
The Write Buttons 