And you're always busy, really busy

[venta]

Well. I feel quite effective.

Last night I:

- Fixed the indicators on my car. OK, so it was really only a matter of joggling some relays until they worked again, but I'm a girl so that counts as impressive.
Cue associated rant about Haynes manuals[*]:

Why the hell are they so difficult to use ? On the way home last night, my indicators packed in. Not in a nice, conventional way - they merely stopped flashing, giving me steady, orange lights.

So, I grab the manual and look up indicators in the index. This told me how to change the bulbs. Which, since the lights were working, pretty much wasn't the problem.

My A-level physics gave me a sneaking suspiscion (confirmed by ao_lai) that flashing things are made to flash by relays. So, look up relays in the index. Sure enough, there's some more stuff about indicators. Look, guys, cross-reference, you bastards.

According to the manual, the fusebox is "behind the lower trim panel on the passenger side". Is it bugger, I think, it's inside the glovebox. Eventually, I locate instructions for removing the fusebox hidden in the things-that-changed-with-different-models section.

This is section 13*60. "Remove glovebox according to instructions in section 19 of this Chapter". 13*19 turns out to be stuff about the bowels of the engine, and the index finds me the glovebox-removing instructions at 13*58. Which don't appear to work. So I just remove the fusebox by guesswork instead.

Now the manual tells me that relays practically never go wrong, I should check instead the wiring/fuse/bulbs. We've already rules out the bulbs, and I decide that I can pretty much rule out the others too, but check anyway. They're fine. Taking the relay out, thumping it and putting it back solves the problem.

For now ;)

- Tried again to rid my laptop of the Blaster Worm. Actually, this still hasn't worked, but I did manage to establish that I seem to have acquired a variant to everyone elses. Which is nice. (Or I'm just very stupid. Update on that later. Update: it seems I'm not wholly stupid. The newly-LJ'd-up grumblesmurf has kindly fixed it all for me. I won't be trusting Evesham's notify-you-of-updates software again, though.)
- Bleached the sink. Having a white sink in a house full of inveterate tea drinkers is a crap plan.
- Scrubbed the toilet, bath, washbasin. Scrubbed the mould off the bathroom wall. This was only a minor mould incursion, not the exciting full-on affair I reported to you ages ago. (Note to self: get out more)
- Did lots of washing. (Note to budding thesps: create cheap fake blood by the gallon by washing cheap, bright red clothes!)
- Tidied up. I have a bedroom floor, it seems. Not much of one, but some. I still have no desk or other flat surfaces, however.

I don't know what's brought on all this domesticity. I even vacuumed the floors downstairs before going to Intrusion on Tuesday...

Worrying. Definitely worrying.

[*] Haynes manuals are the standard what-goes-where DIY guides for cars.

Comments

Wow!

[wimble.livejournal.com]

I got in, watched the second half of Tuesday nights "Every Home Should Have One", fell asleep until about 7.30. Went upstairs, fell asleep until about 9.

Then decided it was entirely too hot to move, without opening the windows, which would have let all the flying things in by that time of night (which is annoying when they keep bouncing off the lights). So I spent the rest of the evening not moving.

Seriously impressed by your ability to stay concious!

thumping it and putting it back solves the problem.

That sounds in character ;-)

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I even vacuumed the floors downstairs before going to Intrusion on Tuesday...

And is Intrusion the latest society game (seeing it starts with 'I' and all) ?!

No, wait. They stopped using 'I' a few games ago. And we're outside term-time. And Victoriana (spelt ?) must be about to start the two-term thing.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Intrusion is the local goth night run by deeteeuk and sexy_sophia. Its web page is, er, here (http://www.clubintrusion.com).

You're right about Victoriana.

[neilh.livejournal.com]

The Haynes manual for my car consists mainly of "This is too complicated for your stupid head, take your damned car to the garage like a normal person"
or words to that effect.

evil blaster worms...

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

For future reference, I thoroughly recommend sophos (http://www.sophos.com). They seemed to sort me out yesterday when I got it! They mostly sell anti-virus software to companies (including Panasonic, where my husband works - and they haven't had any virus trouble in the time he's been there, which is 2 years...). But they also include details of and files to get rid of specific viruses, which anyone can access.

Haynes "accuracy"

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

This bodes ill.

Probably how Zoidberg learned medicine...

Re: Haynes "accuracy"

[failmaster.livejournal.com]

How to dismantle your toddler in such a way that even a trained mechanic can't repair it. Marvellous.

When removing nappy ensure you have a three-litre container to hand, especially if your baby is a later model fitted with a deep-sump. Fit the new nappy reversing the disassembly procedure and renewing all seals and gaskets as a matter of course. Tighten to the specified torque-wrench setting.

Re: Haynes "accuracy"

[venta.livejournal.com]

Good job that restraining order's still in force, there :)

Helga's manual's just as bad then ? I was wondering if it was just a special effort made by the manual I own.

Re: Haynes "accuracy"

[failmaster.livejournal.com]

No, no, 'BMW Twins' is just as bad -- it tells you in miniscule detail how to check and renew your flange-washer assembly, but doesn't give you the first clue as to how to remove the swinging spiggot to get to it in the first place.

(note to pedants: yes, I did just make those component names up. Get over it.)