(no subject)
Dec. 18th, 2007 09:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellyssianThe snow around here looks like someone poured molten shiny plastic. Our driveway was barely even scuffed when I drove over it last night with 3165 some pounds of Subaru. It's kind of like having a paved driveway, really. No more gravel - just all this white asphalt. Which would be healthier for my snowblower if the gravel hadn't already eaten the chain in the Thursday round of snow.
Molten plastic. I thought of this on the ride in, as I noticed that down here in the tropics of the Lehigh Valley, along with the mirror sheen of the poured plastic stuff, there were footprints. You could see where people went to get some mail, or drove a car. Apparently they got a more brittle mix way down south.
Of course, the whole molten plastic obsession could really be coming to mind because today - and last Friday - my preheated car smells an awful lot like an injection molding machine that's in use. Ahhh! the smell of molten plastic in the morning... Not sure what's on fire, yet. But it hasn't fully burned away. Yet.
I know, without a doubt, that it's not the windshield wipers.
You see, last year I discovered that Deb's pre-heated windshield wipers were the first I've ever found that freeze motionless and still try to work. One of two things then happens. Whatever's frozen thaws, and the wipers can complete their cycle ~or~ the motor on the wiper burns out and the wipers can't complete their cycle.
Turns out my car, with its lack-of-special-pre-heater-that-thaws-ice-so-it-seeps-in-and-freezes, has been spending too much time around Deb's car. Justin and I managed to cut most of the ice block from around the car, and, as I completed that bit of work, Justin made the ice-cement berm from the township plow into more of a ramp - wouldn't want my pitiful little front-wheel drive car to go belly up and hang their helpless, front wheels spinning. After all that, I managed to get around the corner, flip the wipers on, and watch them stick. Straight up.
That position is commonly known as the "Hey Officer, Look! My Wipers Don't Work!" position. At least when the wipers on Deb's car stuck, they stayed down. Didn't help clear the slush and grime on the window, but weren't dual flags sending coded signals to law enforcement officers. I pulled over, cleared every last little bit of ice from around them - not that it should have hung them up; they made it all the way to the top and were on their way back down - and still no change.
Called Justin up to put on some water for tea and headed home. Two teakettles of boiling water later - and, Justin on his way back for a third while I squinted at the engine compartment, looking for smoke or flames - they suddenly leapt into life.
~ ~ ~
In other news, I have the CPAP machine and I can now breath. Except for all those burning plastic fumes I sucked up on the ride in...
Turns out my sleep apnea was officially labelled severe. I had something like 46-51 episodes per hour, on average. I suppose not breathing and forcing myself to snort myself back into gear close to once a minute could interrupt the sleep a wee bit...
Molten plastic. I thought of this on the ride in, as I noticed that down here in the tropics of the Lehigh Valley, along with the mirror sheen of the poured plastic stuff, there were footprints. You could see where people went to get some mail, or drove a car. Apparently they got a more brittle mix way down south.
Of course, the whole molten plastic obsession could really be coming to mind because today - and last Friday - my preheated car smells an awful lot like an injection molding machine that's in use. Ahhh! the smell of molten plastic in the morning... Not sure what's on fire, yet. But it hasn't fully burned away. Yet.
I know, without a doubt, that it's not the windshield wipers.
You see, last year I discovered that Deb's pre-heated windshield wipers were the first I've ever found that freeze motionless and still try to work. One of two things then happens. Whatever's frozen thaws, and the wipers can complete their cycle ~or~ the motor on the wiper burns out and the wipers can't complete their cycle.
Turns out my car, with its lack-of-special-pre-heater-that-thaws-ice-so-it-seeps-in-and-freezes, has been spending too much time around Deb's car. Justin and I managed to cut most of the ice block from around the car, and, as I completed that bit of work, Justin made the ice-cement berm from the township plow into more of a ramp - wouldn't want my pitiful little front-wheel drive car to go belly up and hang their helpless, front wheels spinning. After all that, I managed to get around the corner, flip the wipers on, and watch them stick. Straight up.
That position is commonly known as the "Hey Officer, Look! My Wipers Don't Work!" position. At least when the wipers on Deb's car stuck, they stayed down. Didn't help clear the slush and grime on the window, but weren't dual flags sending coded signals to law enforcement officers. I pulled over, cleared every last little bit of ice from around them - not that it should have hung them up; they made it all the way to the top and were on their way back down - and still no change.
Called Justin up to put on some water for tea and headed home. Two teakettles of boiling water later - and, Justin on his way back for a third while I squinted at the engine compartment, looking for smoke or flames - they suddenly leapt into life.
~ ~ ~
In other news, I have the CPAP machine and I can now breath. Except for all those burning plastic fumes I sucked up on the ride in...
Turns out my sleep apnea was officially labelled severe. I had something like 46-51 episodes per hour, on average. I suppose not breathing and forcing myself to snort myself back into gear close to once a minute could interrupt the sleep a wee bit...
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-18 10:47 pm (UTC)Glad about the CPAP machine: Bet it has a positive effect on BP as well as sleep. Cousin Michael said all sorts of stuff improved for him; I hope it works as well for you.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-19 01:04 am (UTC)Mostly freezing rain and sleet, with some fluffy flurries in-between (allegedly; I only saw rain and hear sleetish type stuff).
I'm hoping it will have a good effect.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-19 04:28 am (UTC)WOW! It's a wonder you slept at all. Hope the CPAP helps.