15$ for a fck up, artifact restoration

So the Sirius radio I have in the Tacoma started working poorly a couple weeks ago.  It would not solidly stay connected to satellites. The audio would constantly cut in and out and the receiver would display the Acquiring Satellites message repeatedly.  The LCD display on the unit started getting flaky as well, showing a number of vertical lines across the screen.  Ok simple enough, I figured the receiver was just simply going bad.  Baking in the cab of the Tacoma for 8-9 years in the searing Florida summers is due to take a toll on electronics after all.

So I ordered the least expensive Sirius receiver I could find, less than $40.  I was not interested in spending any more than bare minimum on maintaining my Sirius account, a service that I have found less and less useful as Howard Sterns live show air time has consistently dwindled over the years.

The new radio arrived yesterday.  The first thing I did was find online where I could transfer my service to another radio.  The help document provided me the link but didn’t inform me that Sirius would impose a stupid $15 surcharge to transfer service to another radio, something that has a real world cost to them of zero dollars.  I had little choice but to agree to pay it although when it comes time to renew my annual service in October I am going to try to get that $15 credited back.  It’s just another layer of dislike I have for SiriusXM.

So I take the now activated radio out to the truck to just quickly hook it up to make sure it worked.  I plugged in the power and reused the existing antenna connection since it is a universal connection with all Sirius radios.  After initialization, the radio hung on Acquiring Satellites, son of a bitch.   I immediately realized that the problem with the old receiver was due to an antenna problem, not an electronics problem.  I temporarily hooked up the brand new antenna that came with the new receiver and had steady signal in a couple seconds, annoying. I looked at the bright side.  The new receiver is smaller and has an air vent mount, meaning I can pull out the big articulating arm mount that I have attached to the passenger side seat bolt in the truck.  It will be a much cleaner implementation.

So when I built the dog deck back in 2004 I utilized left over tiling materials to make a unique Nicki tile, complete with her paw print which she reluctantly let me press into the grout.  When I resurfaced the deck with composite decking years later I pulled out my crude art project since the plywood it was mounted on was rotting away.

When I pulled it out it cracked in many places but I was too sentimental to throw it out.  I carefully pieced it together and had it sitting undisturbed on a shelf in the large shed ever since, with the intention to eventually repair/do something with it in the future. Well the shed cleaning project put the Nicki tile back into focus.  Cindy said she would work on doing something with it to fix it up.  I appreciated her offer although I was skeptical of what could be done.

When I got home last night I was very surprised at just how great it looked.  She was able to patch the 15 or so pieces together and make it look like better than new.  I was really impressed with Cindy’s restoration skills.  It isn’t the first time she has demonstrated her creative and artistic qualities.  Since she has been living with me she has managed to create or restore several items in a way that makes them truly special.   This was just the latest evidence of her skills.