Here's another blast from the past. Five years ago, the first even we did as a brand new roller derby league was to set up a table at the annual Muscular Dystrophy Chili Challenge. It was an odd thing, as the closest neighboring league also set up a table last minute and proceeded to bully us as they accused us of stealing their potential league members. These days of course, they are happy to have the Cape league to play against. Also, I had to really look to find myself in this picture!
It was also the year I was taking an auto repair class at the local tech school. It was a time in my life when I was pushing my social boundaries to the limits!
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2013
Class #2: Oil changes & diagnostics
At the end of my first class, Mr. Dryz said that I may bring in the rims from my Barracuda so that we could remove the tires and clean up the rims.
Well, that would've been great if I had been able to get them off the car. Let me point out that it was no fault of my own. We had some less than agreeable weather last week...snow, slush, rain...it was gross.
But, even though he asked at the beginning of last nights class if I had brought them in, there is no way we would've gotten to them anyway.
We knew we were in for an oil change. And we knew that he would be hooking Ricky's Saturn Vue up to the diagnostic computer. What we didn't know is that Ricky's thing would take up a ton of time!
It didn't bother me though. I would have done oil changes all night long, if we had to!! When you have a garage, a lift, and all the proper equipment at your finger tips, car repair and maintenance is kind of fun.
We started with Mr. Dryz's truck, to learn the oil change procedure, while Raffi tried getting his Scion TC ready on the lift. (That proved to be a waste of time, but we'll get to that!)
The Sonoma oil change was a snap. Best part of this week's class? When I was told to 'hand tighten' the new oil filter, and then Mr. Dryz checked to make sure it was tight enough and commented 'wow! You've got a firm grip! That's tight!' So, of course, I flexed for him. Unfortunately, when time came to get the old filter off the Scion, I was defeated...but, none of the boys could loosen it either, and they did actually say to me 'maybe you should try'.
Raffi couldn't get his car positioned on the hoist, so we waited so he could use the drive-on hoist. Personally, I think if he had pulled his car up just a bit more it would have been fine, but what's the difference, anyway...as long as it goes up in the air.
Throughout class, Mr. Dryz would float between instructing Raffi, Josh, and me on the oil changes, and Ricky and his Saturn. At the very end of class, the rest of us went over to get a quick lesson on the hand-held diagnostic computer.
Next week, we are doing one of the wheel bearings on the Saturn. Now, my wheel bearing is so loud right now that I am a bit frightened to even be driving on it. So, I have made an appointment to have mine fixed at my regular mechanic's. Yes, you'd think this defeats the purpose of taking this class, but one bearing is going to take up a whole class period, and I'm uneasy driving. I will wait and try to have my front brakes done in class. I've driven without brakes before...
So, I am still terribly nervous before class, still. I try telling myself that it doesn't matter if I do something stupid. I will never see these people again, and I'm taking the class for my own personal enrichment. But, being the overly anxious, socially awkward person that I am...that is how it will be up until I walk out of class #8.
Speaking of socially awkward...here is the other thing I'm doing in my free time:
ROLLER DERBY
My new toys!
