March 2020 – lee-lawmaster.com

The New Normal

It’s been a while since I’ve written. I’m really trying to make a conscious effort to not keep up with writing my thoughts. It’s important, especially in times like the ones we are having now.

The entire world is now dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 virus. Infections and deaths are rising at a exponential level. It’s a situation I’ve never seen in my life. As a parent, it’s scary. As a person, it’s scary. As a survivor, I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for this.

Last week, the governor of Indiana initiated a Stay-At-Home order. Indiana University has instituted it’s pandemic plans by extending spring break by a week and moving all learning to online. They have also asked that nobody come to campus unless it is absolutely necessary.

As of this writing, there are 22 confirmed positive cased of COVID-19 in Monroe county. I have been watching the numbers on a website the state setup. I expect that number to increase significantly over the next few weeks.

As a IT Professional supporting the School of Medicine in Bloomington, this situation has made work a very difficult task. In the weeks previous, I spent all of my time building new laptops and preparing my staff to work remotely, by giving them the information and tools they needed to keep working. Over the past few months, my remote support abilities have been all but taken from me, as I specialize in direct and personal support. I hope my leadership works on returning those soon.

IU has stated nobody will lose salary or PTO due to this situation, and I am greatly appreciative and grateful for this. Many right now are unemployed or have completely lost their jobs. However, since technology is everything now, I have been inundated. I take my job very seriously, and my faculty and staff need my help right now more than ever. I will not falter them in their time of need.

I am of a split mind when it comes down to how to look at this pandemic in the long term. In the short term, I am hunkering down with my girlfriend and her children. Sticking together and practicing this new term we have all come to learn called “social distancing.” My lifestyle is pretty much what social distancing is all about, so it does not bother me.

However, I feel carelessly unprepared for this. I keep no food at home. Also, if it becomes as crazy as the store shelves look out there, I don’t have the weapons to protect myself or my family. Yes, I am serious.

Regardless, I am a survivor. I was fortunate to have a childhood that gave me lots of gifts. I spent a lot of time on a family farm. Sure, my skills are rusty, but they are there. I can find a nice spot in the woods, build a shelter, hunt game and gather edible finds. That does not scare me.

I must say, we definitely have biblical signs of the last days upon us. First was the locust invasion in Africa. Now we have a worldwide pandemic that would have definitely been called a plague in times past.

I have ordered more parts for building a rifle. I am ordering cases of US Military MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), and will ensure I have portable water filter systems.

No matter what happens, me and my family will survive this. I only wish the rest of humanity the best as we struggle with a pandemic that hasn’t been seen since the Spanish Flu.

Pandemic

Two weeks ago, I got sick. It was a sinus pressure buildup in my head. My head pulsated with migraine like pain.

After taking a week’s worth of Mucinex, the pain went away, or I thought it did. It simply moved to my chest. For the past week, I’ve been dealing with chest congestion. It hasn’t been fun.

Then, the only words I really have for this come from Star Trek The Next Generation, “shakka, the walls fell.”

News of Coronavirus and COVID-19 spread like wildfire. I wasn’t sure if this was just the next hot story in the news cycle or something to be legitimately concerned with. I’m still on the fence in all reality. But I am taking all of the actual news I get under advisement.

In my work at the IU School of Medicine, I’m fortunate to have personal and professional contact with doctors and experts in the medical community. Their calm, keeps me calm.

I’m one to live light, so that I do not have a central base and I can bug out easily. I know others are not as fortunate in that regard. I live knowing I can go to many places across this and other countries if I need to. Connections are everything I have.

My girlfriend recently needed to go grocery shopping and we were shocked to find limits of 4 cans of any item in place at Aldi. Kroger having similar limits as well. Toilet paper seems to be the thing people are hoarding in the USA for this pandemic, I really do not understand why.

I know my thoughts are rambling through this blog post, where I typically try to keep them on point, but I must get these things out.

I have a weakened immune system due to a skin disorder and medications I take for that disorder. Social distancing is something that comes natural to me, as I’m an introvert by heart.

My job has been very mixed on this front, as I answer to different people. My director wants us all to come in tomorrow, while the university’s stance at this moment is work from home if you can.

No matter who you are, or where you are from (I don’t know if anyone even reads this blog), stay safe. This is a time when social isolation is good for humanity, so do it. If not for you, do it for me. I am one of those who could literally die from the spread of this virus.

I’m going to leave you with a great song by a great man with a great band called Half Pagan.

Basement Fixed, Wallet Destroyed

Two winters ago, I had a flood event happen in my home that had never happened before. Copious amounts of water in my basement. Clean it up, and it would be right back. Until the water table fell, it would return.

I had a room mate living in that space at the time, and I felt horrible about it. As I had told her the basement never flooded. I had warned her that there might be a small puddle in a couple places – but never flooding.

We had a couple of heavy rain events this winter, and the same flooding returned. However, I was able to find exactly where the water was coming from. It was coming directly through my fireplace, and into my basement. I covered the cap with plastic, but that didn’t stop the flow. It was coming through the ground.

So I immediately reached out for quotes to get this fixed. Not a band aid, an actual fix. Most of what I was faced with was what I call a “bubba” situation. People telling me that they’d put a drain in for me, that’ll fix it. No it won’t Bubba. That will just mask the issue. One person, a guy I moderate a group with lent me a water pump to help get rid of the water until I got the situation resolved. That’s an amazing gesture, one I appreciate immensely.

I decided to go with a small family run crawlspace business. They gave me a plan, which they executed just as was explained. Their charge was more than the others, but I think it will pay dividends in how dry my basement will stay.

They called 811 almost a week ahead of time, to make sure my utilities were marked, but the company that does that only marked my fiber line for telecom. Thankfully I have had this done several times and roughly know where all my utilities run.

From this image, you can see what they are doing. They dug this hole around my chimney, and then ran a trench for the drain. While digging the trench, they broke my water line. It didn’t run directly to my meter, and instead did a zig-zag.

They then cleaned the area and covered it in asphalt tar, a thin layer of plastic and a thicker bubbled layer of plastic to create an air gap. Many times, water is pressed through concrete block walls by pressure alone. This will will mitigate that.

The aforementioned bubbled plastic I mentioned. The drain is constructed of a section to gather water made up of drain tile with a fabric covered section to keep it from becoming clogged, with a run section that only moves the water to an exit.

After they finished this section, it started raining. They were unable to complete the job for a few days. They then back-filled, trimmed the plastic back and covered the raw dirt with straw.

Since the dirt had become saturated from the rains, they were unable to grade the ground as proper as they had liked. They told me to call them in a few months and they will come back to smooth the yard up more.

This is where the drain ends. I haven’t decided what I will do with this spot, as it changes how I have mowed my grass. I will probably put in some rocks or landscaping feature to help with this.

In the end, I had to use all of the few hundred dollars I had been able to save and go in debt by $2000 more to get this work done. I’m really feeling the financial pinch but am thankful to be in a situation where it is not the end of the world.

My goals right now are focused on lowering that debt amount and enjoying a dry basement.

Real Progress

This weekend, I went back to battle on the rear end upgrades/maintenance on the IROC. After my experience last weekend, I had knowledge and skills I wasn’t equipped with the first time. I rented a caliper tool from the auto parts store I frequent, and it made the experience far better.

I started by swapping the drilled & slotted rotor as a mechanic had told me. After doing some research on the subject, I believed and agree with him. After posting an image on social media, another mechanic friend (whom I trust more) told me it was wrong, so I begrudgingly swapped it back. This also gave me an opportunity to use that tool I had rented, to ensure the slot in the caliper fit properly with the nub on the brake pad.

I then went to the passengers side, which is the oddest thing I have ever seen. The brake caliper is on the opposite side on the rotor. The manager at the parts store (who I’ve known since I was a kid) said it’s also common in some Ford pickup trucks.

There was something in the way however. Due to this mirrored setup, the lower control arm was in the way. The bolts that hold the caliper on did not have enough space to be removed. So I unbolted it and got to work.

On my previous post I mentioned how the thought of replacing these lower control arms with new tubular ones really vexed my mind. My mind was reassured however, as the bushing on this one that connects to the axle was in really good shape. So I won’t be replacing them.

The rotor on this side was really rusted on. I had to beat it with a hammer for a good 10 minutes before I was able to get it fully off. That was the largest issue I faced.

I then replaced the shock on this side, which like the other side was the OE one and dead as a door nail. My daughter helped me with the first one, I was happy that I was able to do this one all by my lonesome.

Then it was just a matter of reconnecting that lower control arm, which required I do some fancy leg work with a jack to jack the axle up incrementally so the bolt hole would line up.

The drivers side has solid metal brake line, the passengers side has a short rubber brake hose. I’m going to change a spring in the proportioning valve that is supposed to increase the line pressure on the rear brakes. These cars are notorious for having what are essentially non existent rear brakes. This stops here for me. It will require my brakes be bled, which needs to be done. I’m just weighing as to whether I should change the hose and do the bleed myself or have a shop do it at this point. I’m always weighing my options, I don’t want to damage this car, or destroy something.

I just have to take care of the brake hose, bleeding/flushing of brake fluid & the sway bar bushings & end links and the rear will be done. For now anyway.