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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

In a man's world...

We travel down Illinois to pick up I24 east passing into Kentucky, looking for another rest stop.

Jasi and I both have to go to the bathroom, so I pull into a Pilot parking lot. There we learn that we are only an exit away from the next rest stop, thank goodness.

Plus we've crossed the Kentucky line into Tennessee! Yeah!

We go to the Welcome Center, where there's unbelievably a 2 hour parking limit. Jasi gets out his toys and we start to play race cars and planes on the sidewalk.

As I sit on the curb, I glance at my truck, making note of the oil spots congealing underneath. They seem to  be growing before my eyes.

Much to Jasi's dismay - and my growing panic - I go to the truck and look underneath. Why I didn't look under it when I picked it up in Springfield - maybe cause it was dark - I don't know.

It looks like the oil filter is streaked with light brown strands of oil - and then I see gobs of black oil dripping off other parts of the engine.

I'm stunned. I've paid - and I have to add it all up - a little over $10,000 to have a "new" engine - and now this!

I check the dipstick and see it is 1 1/2 quarts low. I call Dave first, the installer. He assures me it is the right oil filter when I tell him it doesn't look like my usual filters.

He calmly, calling me 'honey', tells me to take it to a auto parts place like O'Reilly's, ask one of the 'fellows'  & see if maybe the filter has loosened. Right - like those guys there know anything, let alone more than I do.

 I tell him I can do that myself.

I cannot get an internet connection, on my computer and a very slow internet connection on my phone, that will be needing a charge soon.

I go inside the Welcome Center and ask if there's a Speed Co in the state. The woman and man there look at me blankly. They are the information people, but apparently oil change places for truckers aren't on their horizon.

They pull out a phone book and look it up, giving me an address & a number. I call and get a woman who says I have not reached Speed Co, but her husband works for Speed Co and they haven't been able to get their phone number changed.

I call the 800 Speed Co number and find out that the nearest one is 80 miles away - and not in the direction of Nashville either. I call them anyway and find out they don't stock my filter, which saves me from having to make that decision.

I decide I have to head to Nashville - and quickly. I text the fellow whose furniture I am to pick up & he looks up Isuzu diesel repair shops.

I remember my dear friend Eliz lives on The Farm, close to Nashville. She makes some phone calls and finds a place for us to park for the nite.

The fellow texts me a couple of numbers - one turns out to be disconnected, the other is Kenworth, close to his house.

I call Kenworth & they tell me to bring the truck in, they'll take care of me.

Right.

It is a little after 3pm when we arrive. David tells me they will steam clean the engine and then figure out where the leak is coming from, but they might not get to it until the 3rd shift.

To my concern, I find out the 3rd shift is the 11-7 nite shift. I've already been told I can't drive it anymore so I've arranged to spend the nite in the camper but I'm concerned about moving into the bay in the middle of the nite.

David works his magic, as Jasi does his, and my truck is taken immediately into the bay, steamed, and in about an hour, I'm told the front seal of the crankshaft is leaking.

What the fuck???

Estimate: 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, about 4 to 500 dollars plus tax.

I'm $20 short of $600 in my pocket - but I need $250 for the truck insurance which I'm trying to switch by tomorrow.

I call Jose, the rebuilder, and he tells me it is not his problem. He says that the installer must have damaged the seals when he installed it.

I call Dave, the installer, and he says its not his problem. He says that the rebuilder must have put in the wrong seals or something.

When I'm talking with Jose, I'm convinced it's the other guys fault; when I'm talking with Dave, I'm convinced it's Jose's fault.

Bottom line: neither one of them wants to take responsibility - after I've given them sooooooo much money, both of them.

Then Kenworth tells me they can't do the work now anyway, as they need to borrow the right tool to put on the seal.

Okay.

Jasi & I will spend the nite and maybe things will look better in the a.m.






A new fall day dawns, bright, sunny & warm!

Jasi & I spend the morning playing at the rest area. We run around the grounds a few times, racing back and forth. He claims to win each time - and he does. I'm the slow boat!

I decide I will sort one or two bags at each rest area we stop at - so after we play, eat breakfast, and play some more, I bring a bag to the picnic table to sort while he lines up his race cars and airplanes.

I am devastated, going thru the first bag. Beans and flax seeds are smushed in with papers, flyers, empty containers and envelopes, spices, and vitamins.

I sort everything, pulling out clothes and towels first, then making stacks of things I have to toss, things to go back into different drawers, etc.

Jasi is so independent and happy, content to play, eat, and stay here all day.

He also cooperates when I tell him we need to get on the road, jack! He fills up his water bottle, washes his airplane, climbs into his car seat. I notice shiney spots shimmering from last nite's rain, under the front of my truck & make a note - I don't remember last nite - or in the wee hours of the morning when I stopped here - if the pavement was oily.

I check the dipstick and see that it is a quart low. Then I see that the overflow tank of the radiator is totally dry.

I have been thinking about both the heat indicator and the fuel compression - I think that for a new engine and radiator, the engine shouldn't be running as hot as it is. I hope I am wrong.