A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

An entry in my eJournal and images doesn't really have to amuse anybody but me. The fact that this one is going to be about getting new tires is a case in point. Today, I had an appointment at Walmart to have four new tires put on my truck. I had seen an advertisement earlier in the week and decided it was time to put new rubber on the old Ranger. There still appeared to be a sufficient amount tread but they were original equipment and getting on in years.

In 1996, when we first got here, I bought the new Ford Ranger. At the time, as I wasn't a permanent resident, it was relatively easy to make the purchase in Washington State. Well, a great deal of that ease was the fact that friends there were always kind enough to let me use their address. The fairly stripped pickup was advertised in a Sunday newspaper for something that turned out less then $12,000 when the whole tab was added up. I thought that'd be a relatively safe way to get rid of some cash as long as I could make it last a dozen years. A grand a year sounded reasonable. That was the plan.

Now that the truck is getting close to the self-imposed limit, I've decided to continue to hang on to it. I take good care of it but don't drive much at all. In fact, it'll soon need an oil change at 72,000 miles. I do so every 3,000. Other than a battery, and a bit of trouble with the horn, it's been entirely dependable. I want it to stay that way. Four new tires seemed like a good way to add peace of mind when heading out of the neighbourhood.

Leave it to me to be sentimental about old tires though. I fondly thought about how they had rolled us past or through most every landmark in Canada, out to the Cape Spear, the farthest point east possible on this continent. I couldn't but help remember the time we drove down to San Francisco to see Wally when he was ill. I remembered how we'd seen glaciers by running them on trips up to Northern BC. Numerous trips over to the Okanagan or down into Washington took place over those tires. The fact modern tires can last so long amazes me.

It was time to retire them; they'd been good to us.

Labels: maintenance, Ranger, road trip

This is what, we in the business, call a slow news day.

It smells really interesting out in the hallway. When people get off the elevator, they'll notice, I'm sure. No, it's nothing bad or strange. The carpet layers just installed new carpeting.



The last time we had carpet installed in the building we went cheap and it was soon pretty obvious one gets what one pays for. The carpet was easily stained and next to impossible to clean. This one is a bit plushier. It looks a bit more like a hotel in here rather than somebody's rec-room in the damp basement. Unfortunately, the new floor doesn't exactly match our wall colour. At last month's AGM, we decided to scale back our strata maintenance fee increase, so we'll be a bit mis-matched for a while. It looks like we've decided not to paint until next year but that's something I can definitely live with.

Labels: maintenance

My summer classes are officially over. I finished up with my Oral Fluency for Health Sciences on Wednesday evening. Today, I completed with my Tech. Communication Skills course. The grades have already been turned in for the former and after I get the final examinations corrected this weekend, I can enter marks electronically for the latter. So it's now official that summer is finally allowed to begin ...

I get to switch gears as I've nothing on the burner for August. I can devote a little time to other hobbies and tasks. For example, I set up an appointment for an oil change and brake work on the Ranger on Monday. At 9:00 I can take it to the shop that's about a block away.

I am expecting the guys to replace my brake pads and shoes. After all, I've been 69,000 miles and still have the original set. I guess I don't stop much. In fact, the truck is eleven years old but has only been 115,000 kilometers. I guess that means it doesn't go much either.



Although the blog in several places boasts the little, green, wheeled darling went all the way to St. John's, Newfoundland and back in the summer of 2001. The same brake pads stopped the vehicle at the Bay of Fundy way back then!

Labels: Canada, maintenance, places, Ranger, travel planning

Bolting together the chairs that go with the dining table got me in a rare mood this morning. I'm feeling all do-it-yourself-ish. Moreover, this was a day off and spring definitely felt like it was in the air.

I went to the Home Depot that's just across the river. I had forgotten how enjoyable just walking around the inside one could be. There are just so many isles with just so much stuff!

I spent a little extra time exploring the area where bathroom fixtures and supplies are. I saw new vanity counter tops and looked at the sinks. The el-cheapo particleboard one in the apartment needs to be replaced. Water got in under the rim of the sink and caused a bubble in the laminate. It doesn't need to be replaced this week or even this year, but knowing how they're designed is important. The most wonderful thing about modern construction techniques is standardization! It's very nice to find out that things will fit.

Labels: maintenance

I want to drive. I don't mean just to the Burnaby Campus as I will do this morning. I mean I want to get out on the highway. The longest road trips we've done lately is travelling five kilometers to the Coquitlam Superstore on Saturdays. Earlier in the month, I had the oil changed in the Ranger; therefore, it's now ready and ripping for another three thousands miles.

In one way, it's nice to live here. Having a vehicle is like a passport to this continent. It'd be possible to start out at home in the morning but end the day in a place to which one has never ventured. It happens infrequently but knowing it's possible is reassuring. I have chuckled about a former colleague who spent quite a chuck of cash on a nice car. That by itself is not humourous, but he lives in a small, island country with less highway than a typical North American city. I doubt there's a stretch of tar of more than ten kilometers without a stoplight. That's a bit funny.

On the other hand, British Columbia, although a huge province is sparsely populated. In order to go anywhere it's usually necessary to head out the Fraser Valley toward Hope, BC. The majority of our road trips start and end with the same 125 kilometers of Canadian Route 1. That's a bit boring.

Labels: driving, maintenance, places, Ranger

Yesterday afternoon, I dropped my vehicle off for an oil change and a cooling system flush. It was ten years old last July. That means we've been in the country for more than ten years because it was one of the first purchases after arriving from overseas. It was time to change the radiator fluid as I do every two years. I also brought it in for a regular oil change. I always have it done every 3,000 miles. This was the 22nd time. I can state this with confidence as I keep very accurate maintenance records!

If I've only put on 66,000 miles in over ten years that means I barely drive 6,500 miles per year. Even that figure is probably misleading. Were it not for long-distance trips, it wouldn't even have travelled that far. For example, a camping trip to St. John's and back racked up the ole' mileage. Even a round trip to mere San Francisco put on more than two thousand. And there's a lot of highway in British Columbia that those wheels have traversed. So, I'd say I don't average near the calculated 6,500 miles on an annual basis.

Is it driven by The Little Old Lady from Pasadena? No. I don't really think she would be happy behind the wheel of a stripped-down Ford Ranger. I don't put on a lot of highway miles simply because I don't work a great deal. It would probably be fair to assume the numbers on most people's odometer increase due to their daily commute.

Let me get this straight for you. So, if you didn't work as much, you wouldn't need to buy a new car every few years. Therefore, you wouldn't need to work as much because you wouldn't need a car every few ... in turn ...

Labels: maintenance, Ranger

I'm writing this on the Gateway notebook right now.

I really only make use of it when I'm away on a break or on occasion in the classroom. First, I love being able to flip open the screen and find WiFi when out of town. Also, the Gateway does work well when plugged into one of BCIT's many portable projectors. The images on the screen look so much brighter than ordinary, plastic transparencies. Unfortunately, I do not have enough material to justify rolling one of the devices from the A/V closet to the classroom. However, many students feel comfortable doing oral presentations with PowerPoint. During presentation days I need to have this notebook available. I also always take it to school on final examination day. I am able to work on an Excel grade spreadsheet as the test is being written.

Because I don't use my notebook daily, I always have a lot of updating to do whenever I turn it on. It seems that the monthly Microsoft Update Tuesday comes quite frequently. McAfee always grabs a lion's share of my wireless connection upon waking up. There's always something or another than needs to be updated. As well, there are times like yesterday, when I chose to do some updating. I installed Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 and Messenger Live. That sort of thing plus the subsequent drive defragmentation means that I end up doing more PC housekeeping than useful work.

It's perfectly okay; I actually enjoy maintenance chores. People like me would never be happy with devices which run the Mac OS. They are designed for the poor bloke who probably has no idea where the hood latch is on his vehicle and who probably pays someone else to paint his bathroom.

Labels: Hardware, maintenance, opinions

An old sofa is a lot like a good friend. Now matter how ratty either gets, you find it extremely difficult to part ways.

I remember hauling this one when moving from the first apartment. It seemed to weigh a ton. While on its end, the bed mechanism kept trying to pop open in the elevator. This morning, we'll be trying to get it back down to the ground floor. First, the old flat pillows, blankets and pieces of foam will have to be removed from under the cushions for it sagged a bit! It'll then go back to New Westminster's Salvation Army Thrift Store.

After seeing Mission Impossible 3 yesterday, we dropped by Sears a half hour before it was closing. We spotted a new green sofa bed for a good price. The Burnaby outlet was also having an extra furniture discount which was equivalent to the federal GST. Caution was thrown to the wind.

I'm not really sure if we'll ever need the new built-in double mattress as anybody who stays here seems willing to sleep on an air mattress on the floor. Also, the dark green colour probably won't match anything. Surely, it would've been wiser to buy a love-seat considering the size of the apartment. Yet, we'll be driving to Sears this morning. Hopefully, the new one will fit between the truck's back and the metal canopy with a little coaxing.

Labels: maintenance

At the end of last month, I waxed my truck. I try to do it every spring. This year calculates out to the ninth time. I took the picture right after throwing away the dirty rags and empty bottle of Turtle Wax. It looked nice for a few days; however, I park at BCIT next to a gravel parking lot. Every time cars drive by, they kick up a miniature dust storm. My Ranger is already covered with grime.

Labels: maintenance, Ranger

Since the beginning of the month, our pool area has been closed for maintenance. There was major painting and renovation work which is almost complete.

The swimming pool and hot tub are between the two residential towers of this complex. Our buildings are built on quite an incline. The swimming pool is on the 'ground floor' from the Carnarvon Street side of the buildings, but a number of storeys above Columbia Street and the Skytrain station. The glass enclosed area is one reason we chose to buy here. (Please click yesterday's little picture here to show as a larger image in a new browser window .)

Labels: maintenance

On Monday, my entry recounted waxing my old truck. Yesterday, I brought it to the garage for its 60,000-mile maintenance. Even though I went expressly to do so, the tiny service pamphlet didn't mention changing the timing belt at this time. This is normal-duty, preventive maintenance, isn't it?

Something else surprised me. After all these years, I still have half of my original brake pads/linings remaining. Every time I go to work, I curse the poor driving skills of most of the idiots on the road around me. They accelerate right up to within millimeters of the red traffic light. Like, ye gads, look ahead! Furthermore, I must drive down Royal Oak Avenue in Burnaby. It is a very long, steep incline but I never keep my foot on the brake pedal. Most people in the other vehicles do --- all the way down the hill, in fact. As my Ranger has a 5-speed stick transmission, I can keep it in third gear. I guess that's not a possibility for many cars on North American roads.

Labels: driving, maintenance, Ranger

One tends to take a long-term relationship for granted. After nine years, things fell into a routine and there was simply not a spark anymore.



It was t-shirt weather so I decided to wax it yesterday.

In the early years, I was religious about waxing the truck every spring. I am not so sure I bothered in 2004 or perhaps even 2003! Yet, there was Turtle Wax under the seat. Hand waxing really is the only way to reacquaint oneself with a vehicle. The commerical car wash's super-Teflon, guaranteed mega-glossy wax coating is not really effective. It takes a real rag and hard work to rekindle those thoughts of new-vehicle love.

When applying car wax, one gets an up-close and personal view. It's obvious the car or truck will never look like it did when new, but somehow those scratches carry an understanding and value. "Oh, yeah that little dent occurred when I backed into the concrete post behind Blockbuster," you remember. "That scratch was made when we left it in a parking lot in Winnipeg."

My truck was never cool nor sexy. The reason I own it is because it's practical. But an hour and a half of time spent waxing made me remember the feeling when buying it. Although I can't remember doing so previously, I was happy enough to take a picture.

Labels: cars, maintenance, Ranger

I wouldn't make a very good street person.

In a blog entry yesterday evening, I mentioned that it was raining. As I was driving home, I was very pleased with myself and the world. Everything appeared shiny as the street, tail, and shop lights all reflected on the dark pavement. Drivers seems one degree less hostile and a smidgen more forgiving than usual. The rhythm of the wipers created music that seemed choreographed to the activities outside. The heater was warming the interior of the truck and I felt comfortable and safe.

To our US Friends:

Labels: driving, maintenance, relaxing, Vancouver, weather

Yesterday was time for the truck to have a major health appointment. I had my local Canadian Tire do a complete tune-up, radiator flush, and oil and grease. Imagine eight, shiny, new sparkplugs for those four, tiny cylinders!


Although some of last week's trip occurred in the desert, here you can
see this pass on the North Cascades Highway had a bit of snow left.
(Elevation: 5477ft / 1669M)

Oh, and my horn hadn't been working for the last half year. You never know how much you need one, until it doesn't work. So, I asked for them to fix that too. It took them a long time to troubleshoot the problem. My bill included labour charges and a $40 electrical relay that they had to procure from the Ford dealer. I've now invested a hundred dollars in order to honk. I feel as though I must use it so if you get in front of me on the highway, you're definitely going to hear me coming.

Labels: maintenance, Ranger

The kitchen sink was clogged and, wouldn't you know, I broke the garbage disposal. After adding chemicals and furiously plunging, ugly gunk poured out the bottom. Yuck!

They're called 'garburators' here and my model is a Badger. Thankfully, disposer technology doesn't seem to be advancing. It appears that the exact same model is still sold. We've owned this apartment nearly six years and the device was probably an original making it another nine years older. I guess a garburator doesn't last as long as a refrigerator. On the new Badger, I hope all the holes and fittings line up. The only major difference I can see is that the one still in the box is made out of a lighter-weight metal. Go figure!

You could strew the innards of a PC all around the room and I wouldn't mind putting it together. I'm handy, but plumbing frightens me.

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Mission accomplished and things are NOW going down the drain!

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Labels: maintenance

----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Hurd
To: Dennis Hurd
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 2:28 PM
Subject: automotive tech. assistance


forgot to answer a question you asked !!!
i change spark plugs every year, or 12000, you save fuel this way,,!
oil changes every 2000. of course i change it myself ... my cost ... oil and filter $6.50. the red pickup had 185000 when i sold it ... no oil consumption even then!!
love, dad

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----- Message Answer -----

I always change oil every 3,000. I guess I don't change spark plugs often enough. The Ranger's only a 2.3L - 4 cylinder but one of the goofy type with 8 plugs! The engine is slightly under-powered (if one was actually carrying much of a load). I have to go down two gears into 3rd when going up some of the long mountainous inclines out in BC. But the thing is great on gas. When doing Interstate at 65-70, I can get between 28 and 32 mpg.

Hum you did 185,000 miles? Let's see my truck is 7 years old and only has 54,000 .. so I'm good to go for another 18 years! Oh good! ---smile---

Labels: maintenance, Ranger

I just returned from the closest Home Depot. It's just across the river; in fact, if I stood on a chair I could probably see it from my balcony.

I needed to buy fluorescent lights for the kitchen. I think I did a very good job of running to the lighting section and then to check out.

You see, I could easily spend the better part of a morning just wandering around the aisles gazing at stuff. In North America big is sometimes prized. Home Depot always fits that bill with shelves stuffed to the sky-high rafters. Who's buying all that merchandise? How can they have so many stores in one area?

Labels: maintenance