Fixing Things

Last week I took my motorcycle for a cruise. On the way home, just as I was getting off 169, the throttle cable snapped. I couldn't give my bike any gas an I had to coast to a stop about 3/10ths of a mile from my apartment. I ended up having to push the bike home because I was on a busy street with no parking. It was rather tiring, but at least it didn't happen when I was miles from home.

I ordered a new cable and got it today. I was able to replace it on my own in about an hour. The part was only $18, so overall it was a pretty easy fix. I've had some experience messing with the cable because I had to remove it from the carbs last winter when I took them off, so that helped a lot. I think the most time consuming part was draining the gas so I could raise the tank to access the area I needed.

About a month ago my Ipod died on me. I decided to attempt to fix that myself too. It didn't go quite as well. Based on some research I did, it seemed like I just would need to replace the battery. I ordered a new one for less than $5, but realized that in order to swap it out I would need to desolder the old one and solder the new on in it's place. So I had to buy a soldering iron and desoldering braid which cost $15. In the process of disassembling it, I broke the cable for the click wheel and had to order a new on of those which cost $4.

Once I finally got all the pieces I needed and put everything back together, the click wheel seems to still be broken, and the battery is doing the same thing as before--says it's charged, but doesn't actually hold a charge. I'll probably tinker with it a bit more, but I'm starting to think it's a lost cause. It sucked at first getting used to running without music, but I've gotten pretty used to it now. I think I'd still like to replace the ipod, but I'm not 100% sure yet when I will and what I'll replace it with. I don't really like the new ipod nano style, but don't know if I want to spring for a touch or classic. It sucks that I wasn't able to fix it on my own, but I had fun learning how it works and goes together. And who knows, maybe there is just one small wire loose that I'll find when I mess with it a little more.

The Fam

This Friday I went golfing with my uncle Scott. I had a really fun time hanging out with him and I golfed really well considering how long it had been since I'd played. Afterwards we went out to eat at the Olive Garden and I had this magnificent breaded eggplant with spaghetti. I'm also playing a round with my aunt Mandy in Fairmont this week. I'm hoping I hit as well then as I did on Friday.

On Saturday I went to the wedding of a friend from work with some other people from work. It was in Winona so we had a bit of a drive to get there.  The wedding was outside, and despite raining beforehand, it turned out to be a great day for it.  We stayed for the reception, but headed back early since we had a 2.5 hour drive home.

On Sunday I headed down to Fairmont to help celebrate my dad and Annette's 10 year anniversary and to see my grandparents. They live in the Quad Cities in Iowa so I don't get to see them very often.

I rode my motorcycle down and we grilled burgers and brats and ate on the deck. We spent the afternoon catching up on each others' lives and took the boat out on the lake. We stayed out until nearly 7, so when we got back to my dad's house I had to stuff my face with supper and head back up to Mankato so I wouldn't have to ride in the dark. The ride home was fantastic. All in all I was one of the best weekends I've had so far this summer.