Brad vs. oxygen sensor: Brad ties game at buzzer, wins in OT

The last two things I had to do for the Saturn were to get an oil change and replace the post-catalytic oxygen sensor.

Today I took Elena out just to get out of the house, and we ended up at Wal-Mart for no particular reason. While there, I discovered to my surprise that Wal-Mart, or at least ours, does oil changes, with the nicest part being the fact that you can shop while they do it. Apparently they’re not allowed to advertise the fact that they do this, nor are they allowed to have external signs about it — something about zoning.

That left only the oxygen sensor. I tried removing it yesterday, but those things are, to put it mildly, difficult to move. I tried using a special ⅞” socket and running the car for a while to let things heat up, but when that didn’t work I checked more information online. People tend to use lots of penetrating oil, some heat things up with at least a propane torch, and some mentioned leaving the old one in and tapping a new hole.

Before Elena and I left the house, I called a local garage, Mo’s Garage and Towing. They removed the old sensor and put the new one I bought on Amazon.com, and they did it for fifty bucks. I would have spent somewhat more than that had I not done the other parts like checking the code and buying the sensor myself, so I still came out ahead.

Things I accomplished this weekend

Because Helen and I reviewed all our actions regarding home improvement and automobile maintenance, and because my employer asked all its employees to take a couple days of vacation this month, I found myself doing some things around the house. Here’s a list of at least some of the things I got done from Thursday through Sunday:

• Cleaned the lens on Katrina’s camera
• Repaired the driver-side mirror in the Saturn using Super Glue
• Repaired center console in Saturn
• Fixed the speaker rattle in the Saturn’s driver door
• Fixed the lock in the Saturn’s front passenger door
• Fixed the molding on the Saturn’s right rear passenger door
• Rerouted dangling cable below Saturn (and crushed the Saturn’s jack when it failed — thank God I wasn’t under the car. I bought a much better jack for it at Meijer)
• Replaced the broken brake light on the Saturn
• Patched the stoplight lens and backup-light lens on the Saturn
• Patched the stoplight lens on the Odyssey
• Ordered new CrocsRx Relief for Helen
• Read and cleared codes on Saturn causing “Service Engine Soon” light to come on using a tool I purchased
• Purchased replacement oxygen sensor for Saturn and researched what I’ll need to do to replace it
• Replaced broken sprinkler head
• Oiled hinges in pantry
• Oiled chair in living room
• Bought new drywall for attic entrance in garage
• Repaired several holes and gouges in walls around the house
• Ordered new coffee maker for Helen, a programmable one with auto shutoff
• Ordered new dishwasher; will be delivered on Tuesday, at which time I will install it myself
• Replaced the fan in the master bathroom with one roughly six times more powerful (also required new duct work and framing in the attic, cutting ceiling drywall, caulking, etc.)
• Patched and painted the wall in the first-floor bathroom (after removing shoddy first attempt)
• Painted latches for shutters in master bathroom
• Installed MacGourmet, a slick recipe organizer for Helen’s Mac, and input most of the recipes she had in separate files on her computer

Phew.

Making things simpler

Recently I’ve started trying to improve my productivity by making things simpler. Some of the things I’ve done to do this:

• Use an RSS newsreader. On my PC, I’m using FeedDemon, which also synchronizes with their site so I can read my news feeds when I’m on another computer such as Helen’s Mac. With it, I can see right away when dozens of sites like Economist.com, Ars Technica, or Sarah or Amy’s blogs are updated without having to spend time visiting each site.

• Use a task management system. I’ve read a bit about a system called GTD. I’ve also put most of the home tasks I have into a program called OmniFocus, which unfortunately is only available for Macs. I’ve begun investigating alternatives for my PC, but I have yet to find something with the elegance, speed, and convenience of OmniFocus. Thinking Rock, which is free, comes close, and I may begin using something like it for work.

• Keep inboxes empty. I actually took some time and completely emptied my inboxes. (Check out Inbox Zero for information on how you can attempt this as well.) As a result of emptying my inboxes, I get a bunch of actions, which then go into the task management system.

I’m liking my new system.