18 Jan 08. This Saturday calls for a routine annual safety inspection of the Trans Am.
Unfortunately, the vehicle had other things in mind, such as being extraordinarily difficult to start.
This behavior is nothing like the previous Trans Am stop at a car show in Highland Village.
I finally managed to start the TA, with the help of my 1999 Taurus, but only under protest. In fact for the first several minutes after ignition, the engine objected in no uncertain terms, causing the whole car to vibrate in a symphony of protest, no doubt due to my misapplication of the choke during the numerous engine start attempts. Having adequately chastised me, she settled down soon enough and the soothing rumble returned, as did my ear-to-ear grin. Please note that the frames of these two cars are not touching.
We arrive at Kwik Kar in Argyle for the previously mentioned inspection, only to discover that the battery is essentially dead, rated at 800 cold cranking amps, yet demonstrating a mere 200 amps under test. A new battery, an oil change (Royal Purple) and successful inspection permits a departure from Kwik Kar. The staff seems more than pleased to care for this bird.
Next stop is AquaKids® Keller to perform maintenance on our swimming platforms and office computers.
Friday night is an appropriate time to accomplish these tasks, after business hours. No need
to disturb students and parents with the noise associated with repair activities.
Replace all of the nylon fasteners holding the plastic deck to the PVC frame of all of the Islands in the building. I imagined myself taking the Peg Test at Dr. Stark-Vance's office, moving with dispatch to properly position all of these anchors as quickly as possible.
Then, check out a few things associated with the ClassSmart database system that I designed and continue to iterate to this day,
in use at AquaKids and many other schools since the mid-1990s. Next, check out the sprinkler system settings,
verify that all doors and windows are secured, complete the customary "walk around" of the facility and step outside the building...
...and there she is! Shining in the moon light, a diamond in the night sky.
I have completely forgotten about our little ignition disagreement earlier today!
Next Stop: The Ponder Steakhouse
