Midweek Hump Day. On the Twilight Of the CollegeBoard Field Test

The Scoring gig is almost over!   One more day for me....  A couple more for Cheryl.  And then we are DONE!





I probably should not sound overly excited about that,  but this project seems to have been going on for a long time and Cheryl is ready for a break.   I'm ready as well,  even though I have not worked as long or as hard as she has these past few months.  Being burned out at the end of each day is not my idea of fun.  Oh, Sure!   The money is nice.    But with the constant Subaru repairs and traveling back and forth to Iowa city in the heat of the morning,   I think everyone on Team Allenbrite  (including Subie!) could use a time out.


So,  what shall we do with our bleak prospects, new found time, and limited resources?    Well,  Cheryl has a race coming up this weekend!   The Madison Half Marathon!  We are both looking forward to it.

Preparing to Write...again!

I'm trying to warm up my writing fingers with a mid-week blog post.   However, as mentioned before,  the full days of scoring are exhausting and I'll try to keep this one short.  There will be plenty of time later on in the coming months to flex my writer's muscle.  (i.e. My Brain....  I think) So I hope everyone who checks in is having a great week so far.    Only two days left until the weekend....and in our case,  the race!  Wish us luck!

Bringing Bearing and Butterflies To The Blog

A New wheel bearing

A little alliteration always spices up the blog from time to time. Why not have some fun!

An "Old" wheel bearing.  i.e Mine!

So,  we went for the rear wheel bearing replacement via professionals for Subie yesterday.  Meaning:  I left if to the "real" mechanics.  The place we go to was great in fitting us in on a Friday with no appointment.  And,   best of all,  they had it done by the afternoon.   We had a full day of scoring at College board yesterday, so we hardly even noticed the car missing.

 the "bearing" is missing in this one

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!   I'm not entirely sure how long we had been living with that bearing noise.  All I know is the Subster  is so quiet now that I think THAT is a new problem.   It just does not seem normal that our car could be so quiet.   Cheryl informed me that Subie can not break anymore for the rest of the year.  AND   She also told me to stop talking about "phantom" car problems.  Regardless if they are real or imaginary.  That is what the blog is for.

All these parts.  Call the Pros on this one!

So the Mechanic said the bearing came out in "parts" and "Pieces".  Meaning either it was made up or numerous small parts...  Or it was totally shot and the small bearings came out in  even smaller parts  than originally designed.  After watching the videos on how the bearing is "pressed" together,  I imagine it is a little bit of both.  There was no way I was going to be able to work on this job and feel confident about it.

Hiro Stands Guard in the Front yard.

Female Tiger Swallowtail

Other than that,  our time at college board is coming to a close.    Next week is our last week,  and we have a half marathon coming up that Saturday. ( A week from today.)  The money might be tight, but at least I have a certain level of confidence that the Subie will get us there.

While prepping to write this entry,  I had the rare opportunity to capture a few "moments" in our front yard.  Even though we have flowers by our front window,  and even though it is not "uncommon" for butterflies and other colorful creatures to visit them;   it is VERY rare that I happen to have the camera handy when an  opportunity presents itself.

She likes the purple flowers best.

Notice the two rows of yellow dots on Hindwings.

Behold!   The Tiger Swallowtail....Black Female Version!   Very rare indeed!   Allow me to pull out my Lepidopterous hat and explain.

Tiger Swallowtail Common form

 The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is usually a large butterfly with tails on its hind wings.  They are easily identified by their bright yellow colors with black "tiger" stripes.  However,  one of the common phenomenons about butterflies is their ability to mimic things.  First as eggs,  then as larvae.   But sometimes they even mimic other butterflies!

Pipevine Swallowtail  ( poisonous)

So,  the female Tiger Swallowtail butterfly has a built in recessive gene that allows it to take the colors of a Pipevine Swallowtail ( they are poisonous)  or a Spicebush ( they are bitter tasting, I think)  so that, in the event a bird decides that tiger swallowtail butterflies are the latest "healthy food" fad,  and begins targeting them for dinner,  the species will live on because a few of the females will look COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the species norm.  Pretty cool! Eh?

She was very nice to pose for me.  I even got to pet her.

I guess I will never lose that Biologist side of myself.   Life is a pretty cool subject, after all.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.  Perhaps the little posting will enhance your Trival Pursuit game someday.   The topic Can be confusing as there are often MANY overlapping and parallel  ties that connect butterflies.   So many I do not want to make this posting any longer than it has to be.    But, what can I say.  I love bugs  ( most of them) and Subarus    Even if the love is one sided most of the time.

Subaru, My One-Sided Love Affair.

Poor Subie blew a radiator hose this morning. We were on our way to work and "POOF!"   Smoke.  Steam.  Red line on heat gauge.   We pull over and a very nice person gives us a ride to town.    A few moments later, we walk into our favorite auto place and they fit us in for the afternoon...Easy!  Right?

   The catch?  (There is always a catch!) They do not have a Tow-truck.   In the end,  a simple hose replacement ( that I could have done had I had the tools and parts)  cost more than double...because we had to pay for an expensive recovery.    Grrrrr.

One "good" thing that came from this was that we were able to get a mechanic to take a look at the very loud road noise coming from the rear wheel.   Turns out...it is my worst suspicion:   The bearing is shot.

The price for fixing it is actually less than the bill we paid for the radiator hoses.   However, that is still a bit more than we had hoped or planned for when we have a half marathon coming up next weekend.  Wouldn't it have been awesome if the hoses had NOT broken/slipped off and we had simply scheduled a visit for the mechanic to fix the darn thing...without the towing bill!

I have watched numerous videos about this procedure.   And,  given the proper tools, time and parts,  I think I may be able to handle it myself.   However,  there are a number of "variables" that come into play that might require  special "handling" when trying to remove a seized up or stuck on bearing.  Procedures I have very little to no experience with.   Looks like I will not be able to save us any money on this one.


This all comes on a day when the job is wrapping up and people are leaving the project like migrating birds.   There are now only 6 scorers left out of 18 initial hires.  More work for us, I guess.  And Goodness knows we need the money...especially now!   But Cheryl and I are ready to be done with this project and hopefully take a short break before focusing on Stockings.   We shall see how things turn out.

As for the Bearing, I'm hoping we can get it done tomorrow.  Cheryl is kind of mad at me because I've been complaining about that noise for weeks now.   Th Mechanic told us to get it fixed within a month...and with a major trip ahead of us,  We both agree we would feel better with the repair safely behind us.  Fingers crossed!

A "Happy" Birthday...To Me.

I debated whether I should actually post anything today.   What is there to say about your birthday, anyway?   Another nail in the coffin?  Another notch in the ever expanding belt?  I think the harsh fact is that after age 30, I stopped celebrating them.   Or at least...I no longer feel "festive"  whenever one comes around.

Isn't this the ONLY way to eat cake?

Remember those times when birthdays used to be Awesome?   All that cake and ice cream!   Friends and toy and money showered on you as if you were the King for a day.  And...most importantly,  being able to eat as much of that cake and ice cream and never have to worry about the repercussions of overindulgence.   Ah, to be young again...

Fireworks on my AWESOME Car Cake!

But the truth is I don't want to go back to that simpler time.   Well, not as a kid anyway.   I like being an adult...even with all of this baggage.  (both physical AND mental!) I complain about my education and how I often feel it has failed me somehow; but I actually am quite fond of knowing things.  Even if I have yet to manage to capitalize on this knowledge financially.   I rarely reminisce about my youth with envy.   In fact,  I often feel as if I was embarrassingly stupid all of those years.  The truth is, in most cases,  I was simply too young.

I'm older than YOU!  Repent!

Ah, but this is beginning to sound depressing. Which is the primary reason I did not want to post anything.  I'm even beginning to Sound like an old man.   I hope not.  In my real day to day life anyway.  As strange as this sounds, I hope I continue to sound as young as a teenager on summer break.  Well,  mostly.

No wonder they do not respect me at work. 

2016 has not been the "Greatest" year so far. And it is currently 2/3rds of the way over.   I'm hoping that something big happens in the last third to compensate for that.  Sometimes you just need a change to feel that "child-like" discovery once again.  And perhaps,  a year from now,  I will have a slightly more upbeat posting on this blog glowing about how awesome the following year of my life went.

Breaking the Brakes on Subaru, Part 3!

Finally, with the weather pleasantly cooperating;  and all of the parts ready for a potential failure;   I was able to fix the Subaru's driver side brakes.

Surprisingly,  everything slipped in like clockwork this time.  There were no hiccups or stuck bolts.   No profanity, no broken items or damaged tools.  It went so well,  I am filled with a sense of doubt and fear that there MUST be something I've forgotten.   Something important that will cause the inevitable failure of the brakes at a crucial moment...causing my untimely death or  worse: The dismemberment of an essential body part.  But.... maybe that is just my paranoia talking.

Notice the ridges on both sides

And the layer of  corrosion

For the sake of records,  I will walk through the process for myself  and investigators, should they ever have to do a postmortem analysis of the events leading to the before mentioned disaster.

Shiny, rounded over, grease free!

Old slide pins frozen in place

I pulled off the caliper bracket and the rotor without a hitch.   As the pictures hopefully show:  the rotor had a lovely ridge on both sides and a generous layer of rust.  The new one is shiny and whole with no rust or ridges to cause problems or squeaks.

New bracket and pins waiting for assembly

The caliper brackets I set up on my bench to compare the new one with the two old ones.   I also wanted to show the bolts and slider pins that would eventually be replaced.   Having no torch or vice, I would never be able to get those pins out!  And since when are new parts not as good as the old ones?

Anti-seize on the bolts

So,   After a generous amount of synthetic anti-seize on the ends of the bolts (because I NEVER want to live through a nightmare scenario where I snap off a bolt)

And the slide pins

  and the Caliper slide pins, ( because I don't want my slide pins repeating this situation again, either)  I was ready to reinstall.

New Mounting Bolts installed

The old mounting bolts came out fine, but I purchased the new ones ( at $10 each bolt!)  and decided to use them instead.  They tightened up easy; as well as the caliper bolts.

Caliper slide pins and bolts installed

  I do not have a torque wrench,  so I was forced to "eyeball" it.  I tried to put them on as tight as possible.  And then a "little more" to keep them from falling out.  I imagine that should be enough force.

Back view.  Note the new hardware.

With the brakes installed,  I buttoned everything back up and went out for ice cream.   The brakes work fine,  no chugging or slipping  ( I was VERY attentive not to get any grease on the rotors or shoes)  and no squeaking.  Mission successful!

Front view!

Finished! 

With the front brakes done,  I wondered if I should take a look at the rear brakes.   One bolt in and I decided that maybe I should leave that for a professional with a car hoist.   One of the caliper bolts is almost impossible to get to, and it will probably require a breaking bar to remove.  without a lift of any type,  I would be unable to get the leverage or the area to put on the required force.  In other words:  I'm leaving those for professionals!

Rear strut noise makers!

There is also this road noise coming from the rear drivers side.  My personal feeling is that the rubber on the rear strut is worn.   This would explain the creaking whenever we travel over bumps slowly...and the loud road noise from the metal on metal contact the rubber is meant to prevent.   But Cheryl says I worry too much about things and, as demonstrated in my first paragraph,   I tend to lean on the side of paranoia and doubt rather than trust and confidence.  It's a quirk.

Other than that,  We sold our first stocking of the year yesterday.  A custom order from a previous customer who has a new dog.   Cheryl and I whipped it up Saturday morning and put it in the mail that afternoon.  Cheryl has big plans and when the project with college board is finally over,  she will have more time to focus on reworking the shop and the offerings. With a little luck, we will have another successful Christmas this year.  Fingers crossed.

He knows something.. I know it!

But he will never tell me... Bad Cat!

Whew!  Lots to say and so little time.  This past week:   Exhausting!  Long!  Tiring!  Happy it is in the past.   I look forward to hanging out with the cat tomorrow and enjoying the day to the fullest.  Too bad we need money.  I need to think more like a cat.   Cats secretly know everything about the universe... they just don't tell us.  But through careful observation...  I think we can unravel their secrets without them knowing how we did it.

Beginning August with Music.

With a free Monday at my fingertips, I finally have some time to listen to music without bothering anyone here in the apartments.   That is correct:   No Pearson Project;  No college board;   No Subaru Brake job.   Just me, the cat, and my endless music mix of my "radical" taste is melodies.

What kind of music could I possibly listen to that drives my wife and neighbors crazy?   Well...stuff like this:


Music is a strange thing.   I know there are many people who believe that their music mixes are the best.   And they probably are...  for that individual.   But everyone is unique and different.   You can tell a lot about people by their music.   That is why I don't like playing my music to to many people. Even on this blog,  you can choose to listen or not.

So.   After a restful morning,   I may make some coffee and dust off the sewing machine to see how things have fared over the summer break.   Summer is almost over after all.  The temps have cooled a bit and people are already asking for Stockings.   Cheryl is formulating a game plan for this Holiday season and how to make it better/easier than last year.   We shall see.   In the mean time... hopefully you will enjoy the music.

Breaking the Brakes on The Subaru Legacy....Part Two!

It was an easy day at College board today,  so with our new found time, we decided to do all of the things we have been wanting to do...but never had the time.   That makes sense.   At least it did in my mind.

With bills paid,  shopping finished, cat released....  It was time for me to do what I had been bothered by for the entire week....Subie's Brakes!

New Rotors, Slider pins, and Grease

Brake cleaner removes the oil

I received the new brake parts on Wednesday,  and they have been taunting me on my desk ever since.   Knowing I have limited resources to "fix" things,  I decided to just buy them all new.   New rotors, slide pins, and caliper brackets.   I also bought brake cleaner ( to remove the shipping oil off the rotors)  And synthetic slide grease for the pins and bolts.

Synthetic, rated for 3000 degrees!

Old brake rotor, caliper and bracket

I decided to spring for the stuff that is rated for 3000 degrees!   I guess the rotors heat up if you brake much...and that heat causes the slide pins to bleed out their grease and seize up....like what is going on in my situation.   I do not want to have this happen again...AND,  more importantly,   I don't want to hear any bad criticism from my Brother-in-law.    IF he ever reads this blog,  He is probably betting that I forget something...like the synthetic grease or the washing of the rotors in brake cleaner.

Rotor off!  Finally!

He would not be far off.  I am TERRIFIED that I may forget something and end up running into a tree because I handled the rotors with greasy hands.   Let's just say I'm aware of my short-comings when it comes to automobiles.

Comparing them to match. 

That being said,  I attempted the easy one first.   Passenger side brakes simply needed caliper pin replacement and some anti-seize on the bolts.   I also wanted to replace the rotors.

One Breaker-bar later,  The caliper bracket was off as well as the rotor.

Wiping off that packing grease!

I cleaned up the rotor and coated the back with anti-seize so I would be able to remove it at a later date if I had to.   Hopefully,  that day will not be for a while!

Looks like this bracket is bad as well.

Old next to new.  

It came with a small pouch of anti-seize

I thought I would be able to slide out the pins from the Bracket easily...but I discovered, much to my disappointment, that the lower pin in the passenger side was seized up as well.

But..I'll use the expensive stuff.

 I tried, with my limited resources, to free it up and remove it, but alas....it is stuck in there as solidly as the driver side.

Pretty purple!

Slider pin ready for assembly.

At this point, I made the decision to use the new bracket (which I had been saving form the drivers side) on the passenger side.   I can always attempt to remove that pin later.  But, the weather was threatening rain,  so best to patch this one up and see if every thing works as planned.

I reassembled it and BOOM!   Fixed!   Even looks good!   No squeaks.  No slips.  Amazing!   Well,  I'm amazed at least. One tire done!

Assembly complete!

Cheryl says that instead of trying to fix the old bracket, I should just order another one and fix it later.   We'll see about that.

New bolts included!

With new rubber seals and lubricant

  If I can fix the old bracket,  I will be able to take a stab at the other side and hopefully complete the driver's side as well.  But without a vice nor a blow torch,  I have my doubts it will ever come off for me.  Besides,  the bracket is only about $25..plus shipping.   I'll get it Wednesday   if I order before the weekend is over.   I'll even throw in some new bolts in case the old ones break on me.   perhaps that is the better plan.

Passenger side complete...3 to go!

So....there it is.   Ethan manages a little more success each time I remove the wheel.   Perhaps I may almost be "dangerous" by the time I get to the fourth tire.

Speaking of tire...we finally replaced the the last of the "original" tires on Wednesday.   I noticed the belts were showing when I attempted the brakes last weekend.

 It was probably a good thing we changed it BEFORE it left us stranded along side the road.  And... Best of all.... I was able to pay for it with a last minute Pearson project add on.   The project is over now...but I managed to make enough to hopefully pay for all this junk I'm fixing Subie with.

This is what happens after a week of no blogging.   Perhaps I should schedule a mid week posting some time.   Then again,  college board does not leave much of my brain intact after a full day of scoring.