Around the 85,000 miles mark, I got a notification on the dash that said, “Check left dipped beam,” which basically meant that the left low beam light was out. Having some free time, I fixed this on my own. Small tasks like this are not worth taking to the dealership, not least that they’ll charge something ridiculous for what is really, a 20 minute (tops) job.
Curious to how it is done? Read on.
Uh-oh…
The local dealership, quoted me $570 to replace the front brake pads. Knowing that parts only cost about $200 retail, I quickly said “Eff that,” to the stealership and decided to give it a go on my own. Admittedly, I’m not a grease monkey, but I do have a father who is pretty good around cars. So, in the spirit of Father-Son bonding, I took this opportunity to spend an hour with the old guy to learn this pretty basic car skill…
Since getting the Sidi Dragon biking shoes, I’ve been using them almost everyday, not for actual mountain biking, mind you, but for Spinning, or rather Studio Cycling (that’s what my gym calls the class). You know, indoor, group exercise class on a stationary bike……Um, yea… I know that these professional-grade shoes are way over the top for indoor bike class, but heck, they look cool!
Anyways, during this time, to clip in to the pedals at the gym, I attached to the soles, a pair of Shimano SPD SH-51 cleats that I received for free from purchasing my previous biking shoes. Though the SH-51s (lateral release), in my opinion, are inferior to the SH-56s (multi-directional release), I didn’t think it would affect my spinning experience, or really matter. They were made by the same company, as well as looked pretty much the same. And, these shoes were going to primarily perform indoors.
For the most part, my experience with the Shimano SH-51s were okay. They allowed me to clip in to the bike pedals and kept me secure. However, the daily clipping and lateral-unclipping of the shoes took a toll on the reinforcement plates, and eventually, stripped out a thread….
Excerpt form Adam Bryant’s interview with Barbara Krumseik of the Calvert Group Ltd:
…I think the key is that people who work for me honestly believe that there is going to be a win-win here. I’ll bring it back to my obstacle-course analogy. I believe that the whole career ladder concept is a very disruptive concept because what does it suggest? You can’t get past the person ahead of you unless you push them off the ladder. It promotes aggressive behavior.
When you think of an obstacle course, there are a lot of people on the obstacle course at the same time, and my success doesn’t impede your success. And I may be able to take a minute and help you over that next obstacle and still get where I want to get to.
I also think you have to be a little humble. You have to be maybe a little bit overly confident to break into new things, but a little bit overly humble about what you don’t know, and admiring of the talents different people bring to the table.
Link:
Corner Office: It’s Not a Career Ladder, It’s an Obstacle Course, New York Times, 5/21/10.
Another fun talk from TED…
Entertaining 16 minutes 40 seconds…
Copy+Paste:
1. Ask: “What would make me happier?” It might be having more of something good. It might be less of something bad. It might be fixing something that doesn’t feel right.
2. Ask: “What is a concrete action that would bring about change?” Look for a specific, measurable action.
3. Ask: “Am I a ‘yes’ resolver or a ‘no’ resolver?” A lot of my resolutions are aimed at getting me to stop doing something or to do something I don’t really want to do. Don’t expect praise or appreciation. There’s no right way to make a resolution, but it’s important to know what works for you. As always, the secret is to know your own nature.
4. Ask: “Am I starting small enough?” We tend to over-estimate what we can do over a short time and under-estimate what we can do over a long time, if we make consistent, small steps. Little accomplishments provide energy for bigger challenges.
5. Ask: “How am I going to hold myself accountable?” Accountability is the secret to sticking to resolutions. You could track your resolutions online using the tools at the Happiness Project Toolbox. Or you could form a goals group – or even a happiness-project group! Accountability is why #2 is so important. If your resolution is too vague, it’s hard to measure whether you’ve been keeping it.
Links:
Happiness Project: Five Tips for Planning Effective New Year’s Resolutions, Gretchen Ruben, 1/1/2010.
Happiness Project Toolbox
To keep my brain limber, I sometimes think of two random double-digit numbers and try to multiply them by each other as fast as I can. Weird, I know. Oh well.
That’s it.
I replaced my mountain bike crank; it was my most ambitious DIY repair/upgrade yet!
