The world would be a safer place without rocks. After all, people don't kill people, do they?

God, what I wouldn't give for one of these. I spent most of the time that I worked on my car this evening trying to get the pilot bearing out of the flywheel, and I still haven't gotten the damned thing out yet. Apparently, none of the auto parts stores around here carry a pilot bearing puller. I tried threading a 1" pipe into the bearing and pulling on it, but that didn't do the trick. I'm gonna have to ask a few people that I know whether or not they have a puller, because I'm screwed without one. This is the last thing I have to remove from the car before I can start putting things back together, and it's just a tiny little 1.25" metal ring, but it's holding up everything right now.

There's nothing like a little $mas music to get you in the $mas spirit. Most of those songs suck, but I highly recommend the Blink 182 and Squirrel Nut Zipper songs.

The local newspaper really, really bothers me sometimes. Maybe I'm must nitpicky, but there are often a lot of small inaccuracies printed in the paper. In this article, it describes an accident involving a semi and a "mid-1980s Ford pickup truck," and this picture is displayed next to the article:

Anybody with half a brain and a little knowledge about Ford trucks could tell you that the truck pictured is clearly a mid-late 1970s Ford (looks like a nice one--probably a 3/4-ton). If it was a better picture, I could tell you even more precisely, but I can't tell if the headlights are round or rectangular. Anyway, you'd think that if a reporter was going to throw in a minor detail, like the year of the vehicle involved in the accident, that they'd at least make some attempt at getting it correct. Well, at least they didn't put an apostraphe in "1980s."

The Subaru dealer in Orem does have the parts I need in stock, so when I get off work at 3:00, I'll be heading up there to pick them up. It's sad that I have to drive 150 miles round-trip to get $6 worth of parts. If I didn't do it, I would probably have to wait until after Thanksgiving to have them shipped to me, but I'm hoping to have the car done in two more days. After I get home this evening, I'm going install the new clutch, pressure plate, pilot bearing, and throwout bearing, and I may even try to install the transmission if the rest doesn't take too long. Then I'll spend the next two days putting the suspension back together, installing the driveshaft and exhaust, connecting the shifter and 4-wheel drive shifter, and finally reattaching all the cables and electrical connectors. I'm probably being overly-optimistic in believing that I can be done by the end of Wednesday, but if I work my ass off, it's possible.

This weekend went by incredibly fast. It really only felt like one day, and a short one at that. I spent every minute of both days, from the time I woke up until well after dark, working on my car. I helped Russ put some fog lights on his truck yesterday, but he did a lot of the work while I worked on my car, and he helped me break some of the suspension bolts loose that I would have never gotten by myself.

I've got another part request into Barber Brothers Subaru, this time for these two tiny little retaining clips that hold the throwout bearing to the clutch release fork. I pulled the transmission out today, and realized that neither of the clips was in place. I pulled the throwout bearing off the transmission input shaft, and one of the clips was behind it, but the other one was missing completely. Each one is about the size of a paper clip, and I would make my own if I had the right type of metal wire, but the wire that I do have won't hold its shape like these are supposed to. Anyway, if they have the part in stock, I'll probably drive up tomorrow after work and pick it up, because I certainly don't want to wait until after Thanksgiving to start putting things back together. If they don't have it in stock--well, I'll be pretty pissed off.

My father-in-law's transmission jack was broken, so I had to make my own. I bought four casters at Wal-Mart for $1.48 each, and mounted them to a 2.5' X 1.5' piece of plywood that I had laying around my garage. Then I put two bottle jacks (one from my truck, the other from my mom's 4Runner) on the front, and a scissor jack (from the Subaru) on the back. I put a 1' long 1X4 across the two front jacks, then raised them to support the front of the transmission, while the scissor jack supported the rear of the transmission. After I unbolted the transmission from the engine, I wheeled the whole thing backwards until the shaft cleared the engine, then I lowered the jacks until the transmission was clear of the undercarriage. I don't think that will work for putting the transmission back in the car, since I need a little more precision to get the shaft lined up, so I'll probably rent a jack from Checker Auto, if they even have one. If not, I'll have to try my method again. I'm just happy that I was able to remove the transmission without any help, and with my own tools.

Michael seems to be potty-training himself, without us even trying to get him started. He's not even two years old, and lately he's been letting us know when he's got to take a dump. He's done it in the toilet for the past four days, at least up until tonight when he crapped in his diaper. Hopefully it doesn't get any more difficult than this, because it's been extremely easy so far. OMG, I just talked about poop on my website. I'm sure you all want to read all about this, right? =)

Earlier this week, Traci and I built our own rockets and launched them in the back yard. The rockets were made completely from scratch, only about ½-inch long, and only flew a few feet high. It was kinda fun to just play around with them, but it got me wanting to build an actual model rocket. I was really into that stuff in fifth grade, when I was in Young Astronauts, but I haven't done much with it since. I've got plenty of materials to make my own rocket right now, except for some balsa wood for the fins, which I haven't been able to find around here so far. I'll get around to doing it someday, that is if I ever finish fixing my car.

I didn't make a lot of progress on the car today, but at least it's looking like I've done something. I removed the starter, the rear crossmember, and the exhaust system. I broke the two bolts that connect the exhaust flange going into the muffler--they were rusted together tightly--but I can find replacements at Wal-Mart. I called Barber Brothers Subaru and ordered the dust boot (technically called the clutch release fork seal), and I was surprised to find that it'll only cost me $11.84, and they don't even charge extra to ship it to me. So far, it seems like they've really got their shit together, but I can't say for certain until I get the correct part, and on time. I had problems with Barber Brothers in Spanish Fork several years ago, trying to get them to cover the newly-replaced driveshaft in my Jeep after the u-bolts broke, but after bitching at them for a few minutes, they decided they would cover it under warranty after all.

I decided against trying to make my own engine support tool--instead, I'm just going to ask my father-in-law if I can borrow his engine hoist, if it's not already in use. That should make quick work of it. =) I'll also need a transmission jack, if he has one, but I can figure some way to use my floor jack if he doesn't.

The going has been extremely slow, and at this rate, I'll be lucky to have it finished before Thanksgiving. I always accomplish less that I thought I could at the end of each day, but once the transmission is out, the rest really should be easy. Putting it all back together should also be simple, since it's basically the exact same things I've already done, just in reverse.

I finally got started on my car today. I bought a pair of insulated coveralls at IFA, since nobody else in town sells them. They sure made quite a difference while working out in the cold, and it was nice not having to change my clothes when I got finished, too.

All I accomplished today was the tedious stuff--disconnecting cables, unplugging electrical connections, etc. Tomorrow, I have to remove the entire exhaust system, driveshaft, and front axles, then unbolt the crossmember below the transmission and the transmission itself, then I can remove the whole assembly and get started on the actual clutch. I'm still pretty unsure of what I'm doing, especially since I'm supposed to use all these specialty tools (according to my repair manual), but I plan on manufacturing those tools myself. =) There's supposed to be an engine support tool that I need when I remove the transmission, because the transmission supports the rear of the engine, but from the looks of the tool in the manual, I can make one out of wire cable and a turnbuckle. Some of the other tools I'm not quite sure about, but I'll figure them out when I get to those steps.

I already need to buy a couple of new parts. The dust boot that covers the clutch lever on the transmission was old and brittle, and it broke while I was removing the clutch cable. And the nuts that are supposed to hold the "hill holder" cable (I'm not even sure what that cable does) in place were missing altogether, and whoever owned the car before me used a single nut that was extremely hard to get off. I'm going to replace that nut with the correct ones, but I can probably get those at Wal-Mart.

I took several pictures before I got started, and I plan on taking more along the way, so when I'm finished I should be able to show a progression of the whole process. I still can't believe I'm even attempting something like this, but if I end up doing a good job, it will have saved me several hundred dollars in labor charges, which will have been well worth it. On the other hand, if I screw something up, I'll have to haul my car to a mechanic, where it'll probably cost more than just a clutch replacement for them to fix my mistakes.

Hell yeah. I wasn't too interested in watching today's race, but I did end up watching the last few laps just to see where Stewart turned out.

It took quite a while just to replace the brake shoes on Russ' truck. My hands are all banged up and blistered, but I guess that's nothing compared to what'll happen when I get started on my Subaru. Traci's uncle got a clutch kit for me--it retails for $297, but he got it for $170. I'd really like to get the clutch replaced in time to drive the Soob to work this week, but I don't know if I can do it. I'll probably start working on it at 3:00 pm each day after work, but I'll probably only be able to stand a couple hours of it before I either get tired of it, or just too cold.

Well, my manager and one other was laid off today. I'm pretty bummed about it--I liked my manager. I don't dislike my new manager, but I don't know him very well yet. I'm gonna have to start driving to Provo once a week for work again, at least until things get settled down enough that they won't need me in as often. There are sure to be more layoffs in the future, but I think my position is fairly secure.

Big Russ came over this evening, which was quite a surprise. He wants me to help him replace the rear brake shoes on his truck, and do some front-end work too. That actually sounds like fun to me, but I don't relish doing it out in this cold weather. I might just rearrange some stuff in my garage so there's room to work on it in there--otherwise, we'll probably just do it in my driveway.

I'd like to go hiking this weekend, preferably high enough in the mountains where there's plenty of snow, but I just don't think I'll have the time. Saturday morning, I'm probably going to a lanparty, and that afternoon I have to go to a wedding. Sunday is the last NASCAR race of the season, and I'll be helping Russ too, so it's doubtful I'll have time then either. Them's the breaks, I guess.

I've come down with some sort of cold, and I've been pretty miserable lately. My whole head is stuffy--nose, throat, ears, all of it--and my body is all achy. It's gotten gradually worse since I woke up on Saturday morning, and today I finally started taking some DayQuil in order to function halfway normally.

I've pretty much decided to replace the Subaru clutch myself, but I won't get started until I talk to my wife's uncle about it. He may be able to fix it for considerably less than I'd pay if I went to any other repair garage, and if that could save me from having my car torn apart in my garage for a month, then it would be worth it.

Last night, Traci and I went to Kmart to do a little $mas shopping, and we ended up "stealing" a few items while we were there. The cashier started ringing up all our items, and the first thing she scanned had an optional warranty that you could purchase. The screen on the register asked if the customer wanted to purchase the warranty, and it had <YES> and <NO> options. The cashier either didn't see it, or completely ignored it. She continued scanning the rest of our items (while the register beeped like it normally does when you scan an item), and when she was finished, she noticed the question up on the screen and asked us if we wanted to purchase the additional warranty. We of course said no, and she hit the Total button, and it came to about $18. She seemed to think that sounded about right, but we had well over $100 in merchandise. I told her that couldn't possibly be correct, and only then did she realize that everything she scanned after the first item didn't actually ring up. So she had to take out everything she had already bagged and re-scan it all, only she missed a few items this time. I didn't notice until after we'd gotten home, but I sure as hell wasn't going to go back and tell them they forgot to charge me for the items. It was only about $15 worth of stuff, but I was happy that after having to wait so long in line, then wait even longer while the cashier rang everything up twice, it ended up being worthwhile.

Here's another case where it appears that the district attorney is covering for a police officer involved in an automobile homicide, this time in Salt Lake County.

Shortly after writing that post on November 7 in response to a Salt Lake Tribune public forum article regarding the ban on guns at the University of Utah, I decided to send in my own public forum article, and it appeared in today's paper.

Another guy submitted a similar article that appears in today's paper as well, and makes the same point about murder already being illegal.

It would be nice for once if somebody who was against handguns would use facts in their appeals to society, rather than relying on fear and disinformation.

The clutch in my Subaru is almost completely shot now. We were on our way home from Traci's grandma's this evening, and I was making a left turn from Main Street onto Carbon Avenue, and the clutch slipped so bad that I thought it was going to give out entirely. I was running 5,000 RPMs in first gear and barely moving.

We were gonna go to Orem tomorrow and help Jaysen move into his new place, but I don't dare drive my car that far. With as bad as it is now, I'm pretty sure it couldn't handle 200 miles worth of driving without giving out, and I certainly don't want to be stuck with my family on the side of US-6 in a snow storm.

So instead, I'm going to buy a repair manual and see exactly what I can do about it. I'm desperately hoping that the clutch is just out of adjustment or something, but I would never be so lucky. I may try to replace it myself, because I've got nothing to lose. If I don't try, I still won't have the use of my car. If I don't think I can do it, I'll probably talk to Traci's uncle and see if he can get me another '88 Subaru. I really like that car, and I wouldn't mind just replacing it with another one.

Well, it appears as though I'll still have a job, for now anyway. They had originally cancelled the company $mas party because of budget concerns, but apparently somebody high-up gave the go-ahead for the party, so I have nothing to worry about until next year, at least.

Things like this make me really nervous though, so I'll probably always be paranoid about my job security. I'll just have to make sure I continue to be an asset to the company, and hopefully it'll pay off. This is the first and only job I've ever had in my entire life, and if I ever lost it, I'd probably end up working at some shithole around Price for $7.00/hr, and on welfare.

Well, somebody has already drawn conclusions about the University of Utah's gun ban based on the shootings at the University of Arizona. This woman implies that if guns were banned at the UofA, the shootings wouldn't have happened. In fact, guns are prohibited at the Arizona campus, regardless of permits. Doesn't that suggest that the gun ban is ineffective?

If somebody flies off the deep end and decides to go on a shooting rampage, it would be unfortunate if somebody with the power to prevent or stop it was barred from doing so because of a rule like this. The guy who committed these murders planned it well in advance, and nobody with murder on his or her mind is going to be stopped by a ban on guns. People who support making guns illegal seem to forget that murder is already illegal!

I've put up the election results as they pertain to my little corner of the world. The only thing that really surprised me was the defeat of Initiative 1. The opposition's propaganda campaign must have been extremely effective, because I don't think they won it based on the actual issues. The tv and radio commercials against the initiative didn't target any specific issue--rather, they used vague scare-tactics, simply calling it "bad politics" and "bad for Utah." Actually, it may have been bad for Envirocare, but I seriously doubt it would have put them out of business as they claim.

I was one out of 41 people in Carbon County who voted for Ron Copier--not that that's a surprise. Unfortunately, both incumbent county commissioners get to keep their positions. My view on them might have been different if any of them had put out ANY information about themselves--fliers, radio ads, anything would have been helpful.

Also not surprisingly, Utah voters voted almost all Republican, with the exception of Jim Matheson in the congressional race, and likely a few local races.

Emery County turned down a resolution to turn the San Rafael Swell into a national monument--at least that's a big plus. I go down there somewhat often, and I don't see any need to close a good portion of it to the public. The vote against the resolution doesn't guarantee that it still won't happen, but hopefully it'll squash the movement for it.

Go vote. Here are the election results for Utah. They didn't have that website up two years ago, so I had to rely on days-old information in the big newspapers to eventually find out who won the local offices, and even then they didn't show all the offices.

Also, happy birthday, mom. =) I love you.

It's ridiculously sad how little information is available online about this year's elections. I've spent hours trying to find out which districts I'm in, let alone which candidates are running. Each office has a different district, which makes it difficult for me to determine which candidates I can choose between.

I registered to vote for the first time last year, because for once I had a personal stake in it all. It's useless to vote in Utah for federal offices--republicans win every time. But for local offices, my vote may actually have an effect. This area has the second lowest concentration of Mormons in the state, next to Park City, so the Mormons don't always have a monopoly on politics. Anyhow, after the sewer backed up, and the mayor and city council made their indifference clear, I finally decided that I should vote.

The only federal office up for election in my area this year is:

U.S. House of Representatives - District 2

John Swallow - Republican

Jim Matheson - Democrat

Ron Copier - Libertarian

Patrick Diehl - Green

Although Ron Copier's website is absolutely shit, I'm going to vote for him for the sole reason that he wants to do away with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Patrick Diehl's hair is too messy, Jim Matheson is a cry-baby, and John Swallow is the type of person who you'd beat up in school for being a bitch.

Also up for election are the Utah House of Representatives - District 69 (Brad King & DeLamar Gibbons) and the Utah School Board - District 14 (Dixie Allen & Roger Swenson). I'm not sure who to vote for in these cases, because I can't find shit about any of them. The Scum Advocate isn't any help--they only have a picture of a donkey on their website (can you say "bias"?). The Salt Lake Tribune couldn't care less about Carbon County, so their website isn't a damn bit of help either.

I hate going into the polls not knowing jack shit about some of the candidates, but that's the price I have to pay for living in BFE.