noise."Various Updates/State of the Writer · 3:10am Sep 19th, 2017
So here's a bunch of stuff, in no particular order.
First off, Crystal Wishes posted a blog about sharing a smile. You're supposed to say who you got it from, and I got it from Bad Horse but I'm not sure I want to admit that to anyone.
It was supposed to be a blog post about someone I admired who I didn't interact with, or something like that. I didn't read the rules all that well, to be honest. I was gonna do something right away, but . . .
TOPIC #2: After schoolwork activities
In terms of getting things done, last week was a total wash. I had Monday evening free, and then on Tuesday I had a meeting with our theatre group. We were trying to figure out if we would be able to get enough actors to do our next play. We didn't.
On top of that, we didn't even technically have enough board members to have a meeting. Only the president and myself were there; the other seven board members didn't show up.
I guess to some extent, that's good news for you; I won't be in a play in the next couple of months, and therefore I'll have lots more time to write pony stuff.
And then on Wednesday and Thursday there was a class on Oscilloscopes. I didn't really want to go, but I do need more o-scope skills, and besides my boss pays for them and says that they're very important for everyone to be at. Plus, the next time the class came around would be in the middle of play rehearsals (which is actually no longer an issue), so I figured it was best to do it right away.
There are six people from our two shops who normally go to those classes. Of those six, I was the only one who showed up.
And in fact, only two other people did as well.
The good news was that the instructor therefore sped through a lot of stuff, and we covered all two days in only one, whcih meant that I now had Thursday free, which was a good thing, because:
TOPIC #3: Pan-Birthday celebration!
As we do, my parents and I tend to celebrate our three birthdays sometime in September. I'd ordered some stuff off Amazon, but there were also things I wanted to get locally, and I'd been planning to do that on Friday--my only other free day--and then stay up late wrapping things, but it turned out I didn't have to. So I had enough time to go shopping for them, buy the pony action figures I previously mentioned, and write that last blog post.
Friday, I wrapped everything (I didn't want to sooner, 'cause Amazon packages were still arriving).
We had lots of fun, and everyone got lots of good presents, and then Sunday we went sailing in my parents' new boat, which is a 32' Catalina sailboat.
TOPIC #4: Sailing
I am seriously out of practice at sailing. [I also had read the night before the sad tale of the Carl D. Bradley, which might not have been the best thing to read before getting out in Lake Michigan on a boat.] Anyway, after we got out of Lake Macatawa and a little ways into Lake Michigan--well clear of any other boat traffic--my dad let me take the helm. It's complicated to hold a course; I wasn't used to how the boat would respond to the helm, and the waves were constantly pushing me off-course. On the way back in, it was even worse.
I've also discovered that I'm bad at holding a course (or an altitude) in an airplane as well, for what that's worth.
Regardless, it was lots of fun, and we had over a hundred feet of water under the keel, so there was little worry about me accidentally bumping into something.
TOPIC #5: Sight distance
I got a little bit of flak in Silver Glow's Journal from people who didn't believe that you couldn't see the shore when you were out in Lake Michigan. So to those nay-sayers:
This is a view from the hatch above the V-berth in the bow. It's kinda blurry, 'cause I didn't open the hatch--it's best not to, because the jib can hit it, and would presumably tear it off.
If you look carefully--and you might have to embiggen the image--you can barely see the shadowy line of the dunes on the port (left) side of the boat. You can also very, very faintly see them off on the starboard (right).
Granted, the hatch cover is blurring them some. But we were only about seven miles out, and it's pretty obvious that they'd fade from view if we'd gone much farther than that. Not so much from the curvature of the Earth (although that is of course a factor), but from the haze over the water.
Even if we had doubled our distance before the land finally faded away . . . well, a quick look at Google Maps tells me that it's about 77 miles across Lake Michigan at that point, and I think it should be readily apparent that you're not gonna be seeing land from a boat.
TOPIC #6: Goofus and Galant
Anybody remember those two? From Highlights Magazine, if I remember correctly.
I was thinking about those two just before Labor Day. Lots of people here in Michigan use the weekend as one last chance to go camping before school starts and the snow flies, and many people aren't very good at planning ahead.
So on Thursday before the weekend, two gentlemen come in and ask if we can put some trailer tires they've got on their camper so they can use it for the weekend. They want it done right away, and when my manager tells them the price, it's too high. They ask if we know anybody else who can mount trailer tires in town, and want to take it to a shop that closed down a couple of years ago.
Then before they leave to search out a cheaper price and faster service (mind you, they had no appointment, and all our bays were currently full with cars owned by people who did have the good sense to make an appointment), one of them said that if they couldn't find anyone else who could do it quicker and more cheaply, they'd come back.
And I'm kind of sad that they didn't, because I would have enjoyed telling them no when they came back an hour later.
But an hour later, a lady came in with a blown-out trailer tire. She apologized right away for not having an appointment, and when I said that I couldn't get to it right away, she said that that was fine, and I didn't even have to get it done that day if I didn't have time to do it.
She wound up leaving with her new tire mounted on the rim, because I will actually do my best to squeeze in customers who aren't jerks.
Moral: Don't be a jerk.
TOPIC #7: My Cheese is Moving Again
We have two shops, and the one of them that the owner works at isn't that busy right now, which of course means that he feels the need to tighten the belt. One of the easy cuts is of course overtime.
So last week, I got the lecture that I wasn't to stay after hours for any reason. This week it expanded into me having to go to work late.
You see, we're open from 8-5 every weekday, and we were expected to be there at 7:30. No one at our shop takes lunch breaks, so it's pretty obvious that if everyone works just the hours we're open, we're going to be getting some overtime.
My manager explained this all to me for the first time at about 7:45. He actually pulled me away from doing an oil change to explain how it was best if I didn't come in until 8 because I didn't do anything before that anyways. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
We're currently behind at our shop. A transmission install I was supposed to do on Friday never even got started because of other things that were going on, and we've been borrowing a tech from the other shop to help us out. And right now, we've got three cars that are carrying over from today--one of which was supposed to be done--because we didn't have enough time to finish it.
But that's okay; I'll show up late anyways, just like the manager wants. And we'll see how long that stays a thing.
TOPIC #8: Yet another class
Tomorrow, I've got another class in Dearborn. I don't even know what it's about. I think it's a Volkswagen class, which is something that we don't work on too much.
Maybe it's a class on VW emissions.
TOPIC #9: I've probably rambled on enough by now.
Source
So just a few more things: A couple of people were interested in seeing more of the unfinished Round Robin fic. I've sent a few PMs, and we might be able to get either all the completed chapters, or all but one. I'm still waiting for one more reply. Dunno where we're going to be publishing it yet.
October is coming up, and I have mixed feelings on One-Shot-Ober. Now that I'm not doing a play, it's a lot more manageable; but on another hoof, I've got enough other projects to work on. If I do go ahead with it, I might go through and pick up on some more of the Prompt-A-Day prompts--remember those? Anyways, there's like 50 or 60 more that I never used, and if nothing else it would feel good for the sake of completeness.
Or maybe I could do those in the morning, now that I have an extra half hour. 
Stay pony, my friends.
Your posts remind me so much of the Red Green Show. I thought it this blog was great! Always fun and funny!
Enjoyed it responsibly.
DON'T TELL ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE!
So it's been a busy week of finding out you won't be busy soon?
I would recommend taking some time off for yourself or research more things for what happens next in Onto Pony Planet. But I get the feeling that you will have plenty to do when your boss gets hit with the reality stick.
Ah, Oscilloscopes. Fun fact, long before the Magnavox Odyssey (and Mr. Baer's Brown Box prototype), some of the earliest examples of video games were computer lab scientists goofing off and reprogramming/rigging oscilloscopes and radar screens to play crude tic tac toe and tennis games as far back as 1947.
I think more people remember Goofus and Gallant from the Bioshock parody than the real ones from highlights.
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/bioshock/images/6/63/Dukedimwitposter1_bsi.png/revision/latest?cb=20131124012547
I was doing oscilloscope stuff today and someone messed with my settings when i wasn't paying attention (screw autoscale). I was getting weird signals and it took me a while to figure out that I was just getting noise instead of an actual signal (it was 60 hz noise so it didn't immediately look like noise)
my dad has a flying dutchman although he doesn't sail as much anymore. I never was a fan growing up (it's really tippy), but i think i'd like sailing with a bit larger boat.
that would have been great.
Do you have any goodies in the works?
4672431
Red Green was the best! Why's Canada so good at television?
You know... a lot of people just don't get this. If you're an asshole to your waiter, they're gonna spit in your food. Your mechanic is no different.
4672539
Man, you're telling me. My childhood was "The Hilarious House of Doctor Frightenstein" then as I got older "Red Green"
Fun Fact: My neighbour worked with the septic guy.
Fun Fact #2: Both shows were shot in Hamilton, Ontario (Home of me and Canada's donut chain, Tim Hortons)
4672557
I have no idea where, but I've seen Frightenstein before. I definitely remember Grizelda. Maybe it was featured in Cracked at some point
Holy crud, theres enough coke in there to get Walter intrested.
I havent even seen a Pilkie (local cheap badly maintained) bus as bad as that phoenix.
4672564
Are you Canadian? To my knowledge the show didn't see much airtime aside from CH TV broadcasts.
4672539
I know, right?! Between them and public radio and television here, it's about the only stuff worth watching....with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic at the top of the list, of course!
gonna be popular with the ladies, eh?
4672593
Nope, I'm American. Only ever been to Canada once. Pretty close to Ontario, though
4672727
probably picked it up over the ol' rabbit ears.
Sorry you're not doing a play. Have you guys thought about that two-man Shakespeare review or other shows that can be done with only 1 or 2 actors?
Has your boss considered having one of the mechanics from the shop with currently light traffic work over at your shop for a while?
4672431
Thanks! For better or worse, some parts of my life are much like the Red Green show.
Well, that's boring.
4672449
4672454
More or less, yes. I've still got a fair number of things to do, but the biggest thing has been cancelled.
4672461
Like getting addicted to morphine and then getting clean again? That's probably a bad idea.
One could argue that sailing on Lake Michigan was research. Especially since I do have a boating scene coming up.
If that happens, it'll be fun times. I can see a couple of ways it could play out, and I will admit that I've thought about maybe pushing one or two of them just a bit to see what happens.
4672462
There's lots of fun stuff you can do with them. I actually played with one today, just to diagnose a potentially bad cam sensor.
Of course, in the real world, it isn't as easy as in the book. I had to contend with hard-to-get-to wires, a rather sketchy connection on the data line (I know it wasn't all that great on my second test), and other fun details like the battery on the scan tool failing mid-test. But in the end, I did get the data I needed, even if it wasn't textbook-perfect.
Huh, I'd never seen that before.
4672506
That'll mess you up.
And not all oscilloscopes are created equal; I've had problems with the sweep on ours. Too fast, and it stops recording before you can see what you want to see.
What was really funny was after I had gotten the data on the scope that I needed, I went to save the file and my manager griped that the vehicle would start to perform normally before I got done typing the file name. Apparently he doesn't understand that it already captured the data I wanted.
It's funny, for all that he claims to know, I had to explain to him how the different sweeps changed how many seconds or minutes of data you could record. And of course he didn't come to the latest o-scope class, since he already knows everything.
I'm not familiar with that particular brand of boat. The ones I've use the most were a custom built racing sailboat, a Lark, a Sunfish, and their Catalina.
I can see how the tipping would be alarming to someone who's not used to sailing; I've done it enough that I expect tilt = speed.
There's a guy who keeps scheduling alignments and then not showing up that got that treatment today. He had an appointment to drop his car off at 8; he showed up at 11:30 and expected it to be done by noon.
4672516
A vaguely humorous HiE tentatively titled "Dispatches from Equestria"; an inspired by comments in Silver Glow's Journal story with the working title "Pegasus Rescue Brigade," another "Not Another" compilation fic (Not Another Displaced FIc), a Highway 502 story, a half-finished chapter of OPP, and the final chapter of Stained Glass. Also a collection of short stories for Amazon. They're not pony, though.
4672539
Because Canadians are naturally funny.
4672545
Really, any service person. As the saying goes, "You reap what you sow."
If I like a customer, I'll stay late to fix their car, I'll fit it in the schedule, I'll find discounts, I'll do whatever I can to help out. If I don't like a customer, I'm doing the bare minimum, and I might go out of my way to make it less convenient for the customer, even if that slows me down.
One of my best moments was 'accidentally' spraying an annoying customer with hot used engine oil.
I knew full well what the breeze blowing through the shop was going to do, and I let it happen. He had no idea.
The best part? DJ complained that he'd just cleaned the floor. I said, "I know, but I just hit Mr. 'Smith' with hot oil." He said, "Oh, that's okay, then."
4672557
And, if I remember correctly, one of the destinations of the TH&B Railroad.
4672583
Someone (probably me) ought to write a story about a pony with a Meth cutie mark.
You've seen pictures of my cars, right?
i.imgur.com/yo4Hop7.jpg
The mechanical work is as questionable as the bodywork.
4672646
The ladies love a man who knows how to use a four-channel lab scope, right?
Right?
<cricket noise>
4672866
That's a possibility, although finding actors that want to do a long one or two person play is also a problem. I wouldn't want to; I'm really bad at memorizing my lines.
We actually do. And that's a bit of the annoyance factor about my hours being cut--we're so busy that we need to borrow a guy from the other shop, and we are still also paying some punk kid to come in every day and push a broom, but we're 'just not busy enough for me to work a full schedule.'
4674153
it was more confusing. I was supposed to get a square wave, not a sign wave.
I typically don't need to use the sweep. I typically use it to look at signals which are relatively high frequency and highly repeated.
lol, of course he does. It's funny how that works isn't it.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Flying_Dutchman_photo_by_wally_eaton.jpg/638px-Flying_Dutchman_photo_by_wally_eaton.jpg
that's the first boat I went on as a kid. Granted my dad never got it going that fast, but it was still pretty tippy
4674167
The station has a museum upstairs with stuff on it.
4674373
Next time I'm out in your neck of the woods, I'll have to check it out.
4674835
I'll have to get some details for you, hours are a bit... weird. Also I'm not sure what's actually up there, the tower isn't very big.
I know it's there because I've heard it exists and because apparently it was kind of a big deal, but I know nothing about it. Just a few half remembered facts from the same news story that talked about it.