Category Anything and Everything

My dishwasher has had an issue for several weeks where it sounds like an airplane when it’s in a wash cycle. I have already replaced the drain pump on it a couple years ago. My research indicated this was probably the main circulation pump getting ready to fail. However when I looked up the price of just the part it was $300. The idea of putting that much into a 10 year old unit didn’t appeal to me, especially when I saw I could spend the same sort of money and get a used unit for around the same money. Well that’s what I did.

Like many transactions in my life, this came about quickly. Although I have been looking at used units for awhile for some reason I decided to move on this one described as only being a couple years old but was pulled as part of a kitchen renovation. It was an LG unit which is what I currently had which was appealing because I knew I could use the same mounting hardware.

So I reached out to the seller and after some standard FB Marketplace negotiations he agreed to sell the unit for the same $300 I was going to pay for a new circulation pump. He lived all the way up in Port Charlotte a solid 90 minute drive which was not appealing. When he offered to drive the unit to my door because he was off work yesterday that sealed the deal. I told him I would be happy to give him some gas money for the trip. I met him at home during my lunch hour and plopped the dishwasher in the garage.

As I mentioned I have messed with dishwashers a few times so getting the old one out was not a big deal. Getting the new to me unit back in was not quite so smooth. The seller forgot to include the little hook tabs that are used to secure the washer to the countertop. I reached out to him to check if he had them but he said he wasn’t sure. I wound up modifying the hooks I used on my old unit. It sort of worked but it was not ideal which may be part of the reason I had the issue I did later on.

So after reconnecting the drain hose and connecting the AC to the junction box I flipped the breaker and the unit came to life, great! I thought I would have it do a quick cycle to test functionality. I selected a quick wash, hit the START button and watched the display count down 4,3,2,1 which I wasn’t sure that was about. After the countdown it just returned to the ready state and did not initiate the wash cycle. WTF? Of course I immediately was suspicious of the seller but he has a good rating so I found a manual online.

I found out the countdown is what happens if the door is open and you hit START. It is giving you that time to close the door. If the door is already closed, which it was, it should just start. So I went back and tried several more times to get it running without success. Another Google search revealed that the door switch/sensor can be problematic with this model however I also saw suggestions that if you lift on the door a bit it can clear the issue. So I went back and fiddled some more. I actually did get it to engage and start a cycle successfully.

So I am not sure if my issue is the rigged mounting straps I am using to secure the dishwasher or the switch is faulty or failing. I did notify the seller of everything I did/found and he seemed willing to try to help resolve it which is nice however I proactively just bought the correct mounting hardware and a replacement switch from LG to cover my ass. Much like the circulation pump, these parts were stupidly over priced as well.

The dishwasher itself seems nice. My old one in addition to sounding like it spun a bearing also had dish racks that were rusting and falling apart at places. The new LG feels like an upgrade all the way around, as long as it keeps working….

Saturday morning I got out there to play some more pickleball in the continued hot and steamy weather. I had a good outing, winning every game except the last one where I was paired with an older woman that insisted on lobbing the ball incessantly and either missing or giving the opponents an easy overhead put away. Regardless it felt good to be out there.

During the afternoon I worked on several projects including giving my 3D printed kickstand a test. Because of the bad design of the original kickstand mount points I did not have an easy way to attach my 3D printed variety. I figured I would go out and buy the strongest two sided tape I could find, made by Gorilla Glue and see if it was able to hold. During the same hardware store run I also had to buy longer bolts to attach the rubber “feet” to my printed stand.

Unfortunately as I expected the double sided tape let loose as soon as I allowed the massive 120 pound wheel to rest on it. I resigned to myself that the only shot I have to attach this and have it function will be by bolting it to the wheel. However to do so I will need to drill/tap my own holes to make it work. I love a good challenge.

Saturday night we got out to go see Mortal Kombat II. I have been a long time fan of the game and saw the first movie as well so it was a natural move to see this iteration. The movie had ties back to the original which I think was cool. I enjoyed it. If you liked Mortal Kombat the game I think you will too. Hell my girlfriend never even heard of the game and liked it. B+

Sunday morning I made arrangements to meet up with my buddy to go see Anna Leigh Waters, the best female pickleball player in the world put on a clinic and exhibition. She did this along with her mom and coach Leigh Waters who is a pretty elite pickleball player as well.

I was impressed with how genuinely friendly and personable they both were. We watched them do a one hour kids clinic followed by a Q&A session along with autograph signing. I actually bought a mini-paddle so they both could sign it. I haven’t had an athlete/celebrity sign something for me since Karch Kiraly in the early 2000’s. They wound up the session playing an exhibition match and then a rapid fire best 2 out of 3 against anyone that wanted to give it a go.

From watching her afar in various tournaments she has played I had a mixed opinion about ALW. There was never any doubt about her dominance and work ethic. It was her reaction to adversity that was a bit of a turn off. However after hearing her talk about how she is wired, seeing how she interacted with everyone there and being face to face with her I feel differently. She may go down as the most dominant female player ever and she is still only 19. They live over in Boca and have a good relationship with the management at the pickleball facility so it was a great opportunity that I only had to drive 5 minutes to attend.

Last night I started the longest print I have ever done on the Bambu Lab H2S which if successful will take approximately 50 hours. It is a seat designed to be used on my Extreme Bull Commander GT Pro Plus. On Wednesday evening I was able to finally ride seated on that wheel by attaching a yoga block to it.

The yoga block worked well although it looked pretty out of place. I am hoping the seat I designed myself with dimensions similar to the yoga block will fill that role while not looking quite so out of place.

I have been melting the last couple weeks playing pickleball. Despite it being May the heat index has been ridiculous, being as high as 110 degrees some of those days. By the time I finish with some of our lunch time sessions which are less than an hour I look like I jumped in a lake, I am that sweaty.

Of course I will continue playing, especially since I have my second tournament ever scheduled for Memorial Day morning. It is another small format tournament so I don’t really know what to expect but regardless it will be an enjoyable way to start my Memorial Day I think. I just need to moderate my amount of play leading up to it so I am physically good to go.

This weekend does not have any glaring to do’s on it and I’m ok with it.

Saturday morning I made arrangements to meet up with Brian to play some pickleball, something we had not done together since our tournament in October. We played for a couple hours and did not lose a game, continuing our unbeaten streak that we started at the tournament. It was hot and humid, so much so that by the end of the two hour session I felt like my gas tank was on empty. Hopefully Brian and I can continue to play more together in 2026.

Saturday afternoon, despite feeling like I needed a nap I pressed on and got chores done around the house including fixing the rusty spot on the bottom corner of the front door for the third time. Hopefully this is the last time as I used Rustoleum Rust Stop paint which I applied after stripping the spot with my drill. My Saturday night included a trip to Trader Joe’s with my girlfriend which has become a semi-regular tradition.

Mother’s Day was yesterday which has always been an odd holiday for me since my mom passed away. I did make sure to make my girlfriend feel appreciated as she has kids of her own and treats both Elsa and Mia as her kids that just happen to be furry.

During the afternoon I got out on a ride on my V13. It’s the only wheel I own that I can ride seated comfortably. I rode that way for the vast majority of the roughly 15 mile trip, enjoying every second of it except for the brutal heat when standing still. I have become a big fan of riding seated. Maybe it’s because I am old.

It’s shaping up to be another busy week.

It’s been one of those weeks where it feels like I am juggling a lot of things at once. It doesn’t happen very often but when it does posting to the blog is pushed to the wayside. I’m involved in trying to migrate an “app” I set up somewhere around 20 years ago that utilizes an Access DB and .asp web pages. It just works which is why there has never been a high priority placed on moving it to a modern platform but the time has come. It should be a nice little challenge for me.

This weekend I have a couple task I would like to address like fixing the small rusty spot on the front door, which I have attempted to fix twice before. We will see if the third time is the charm. I HAVE to get out on a wheel this weekend.

Yesterday after work I made arrangements to meet up with Brian, my volleyball/pickleball buddy. He is the guy I played with in my first and only pickleball tournament back in October. I have not seen him since then. It’s not intentional but a by product of me dropping volleyball from my activities because of the persistent physical difficulties I have been having. When we had the tournament I let him borrow my Selkirk Boomstik but never had a chance to get it back since so that was part of the reason for the meet up.

We planned to meet at Tacos and Tequila but I gave far too little consideration to the date, Cinco de Mayo. The place was absolutely mobbed. We instead chose to go to Foxboro’s, a Patriots sports bar very close to my house. It was nice catching up with Brian and his wife. I may play with him this Saturday morning if things work out. I am excited to have the Boomstik back, a paddle that made a huge splash in the market but I only played with for about a month before loaning it out. I plan to use the paddle today during my lunchtime play session.

I started off my rare solo weekend by live streaming Friday night. I didn’t have a ton to talk about but somehow still managed to carry on for nearly three hours. Both Elsa and Mia slept on their dog bed the entire time.

On Saturday I wanted to tackle projects so my Sunday would be free to ride a wheel. First I installed the smart curtain robot that I bought last week. Set up was not bad. The most challenging thing was getting it configured in the app however once I did I now have full voice control of my bedroom curtains. In addition I have it set to automatically close at sunset and open at sunrise. It’s sweet and makes me want to convert some of my other conventional blinds to smart variations.

During the afternoon I decided to tackle the screen replacements that needed to be done on the lanai. Ever since I moved in the bottom screen in the door and one large panel on the side needed to be redone. Like many projects, I am not sure why I had not done it sooner other than my knowledge that replacing screen panels can be a pain in the ass based on all the pool cage screen I replaced at the old house. Doing it myself was not the best plan either as getting the top edge in without another pair of hands helping you hold it sort of sucks.

I muddled through the job, remembering quite quickly why I did not enjoy this type of work. It took me at least a couple hours to get the two screens done. I now have a ton of screening left over for future replacements as all Home Depot had was a 100 foot roll, far more than I needed.

Saturday around 5:30 I met up with my buddy that I normally play pickleball with at lunch during the week for a rare evening session. We wound up playing a couple hours against some good competition, finishing 4-3 overall. I wish my body would allow me to just play whenever I felt like playing but every time I want to I need to do an evaluation of my current level of aches an pains. My right hip/leg did not feel great afterwards but seemed to settle down pretty quickly on Sunday.

I also got to watch my girlfriends daughter accept her diploma via a livestream during the afternoon. I was shocked just how many kids graduated. There are so many that the school held five separate graduations spanned across two days to accommodate them all.

Sunday was supposed to be my day to get a ride in but it never materialized. It rained the majority of the day and once it stopped raining I was involved in other things. I installed replacement LED lights in the two map lights in the Tacoma. They are so bright and clean compared to the dull yellow glow the factory bulbs emit. I like them so much I have a replacement for the dome lamp on the way.

I later installed the new Lasfit mats in the Tacoma, the same mats I have in my Tesla and my girlfriends vehicle. They fit perfectly and are very easy to keep clean.

I took the dogs on three different rides over the weekend. Mia especially loves them. When I open the truck door she jumps into the cab like a rabbit. She is very cute but can also be very naughty as she likes to pull stuff from the trash and any other low lying fruit like toilet paper or hand towels. However all in all watching both of them all weekend wasn’t a real big deal.

This morning I got my stitches removed. Unlike the surgery that put them in, this was a very quick process that took all of 10 minutes. I’m hoping to avoid getting cut on for the rest of 2026.

Yesterday my buddy Matt stopped by the house. I 3D printed some adapter he is going to try to use to do some Honda maintenance. I had not seen him in person for quite awhile. I know Matt back from my running club days but we have also had a few adventures doing projects on his 2019 Tesla Model 3. He still has it. The car now has over 110,000 miles on it and has needed very little maintenance/repairs over that 7 year period. I have never held onto a Tesla more than 3 years so it was good to have a first hand example of how the car can hold up over the longer haul.

I have been getting the itch to make my window coverings “smart”. The venetian style blinds on my windows are not in good shape. The issue is smart blinds which can be controlled via a remote, an app or your voice command are not cheap. I priced one out on the biggest window in the house and it was around $450. The idea for me would be having the shades automatically go up at sunrise and go down at sunset. Quite often I neglect to close my blinds which gives the outside world a clear view to whatever is going on inside, not ideal.

So although I am not quite ready to sink that kind of money into replacement e-shades I did take a step towards window covering automation by buying a “robot” that will open and close the hanging curtains over the slider in my bedroom. The robot is attached to the curtain rod and then rides on it to open and close your curtains. It works with various style curtains including roman style which is what I have. I figure this will be a good way to test the waters to see if making at least some of my window coverings smart is cool to me or not.

My girlfriend is going to be out of town all weekend. It will be the first time I have had a weekend that does not involve her in quite a long time. I already have a number things in my head I want to get done to keep me busy. I will kick things off with a live stream tonight. I have several small repairs around the home I have been dragging my feet on as well. I would like to get some of those things knocked off my mental checklist.

I will try to balance enjoyable activities in there as well. I would like to get some wheel rides in and possibly play some pickleball although technically I am not supposed to be doing things like that until my stitches are removed. I also will have both Elsa and Mia under roof all weekend so I am sure we will have a few adventures together.

I am now one week post skin cancer surgery. The wound is healing well and there is no redness or signs of infection. I opted to not play pickleball yesterday but I may give it a go tomorrow even though the recommendation is to do nothing like that until the sutures are removed, which doesn’t happen until Monday. To be honest I hardly feel it at this point. All I am doing is covering the incision with neosporin two or three times a day.

You know despite the all of the antics that Trump performs on a daily basis which have made him the leader in the worst president of US history in my book many times over I at least have some level of understanding of why he is the way he is. He is a massive egomaniac/narcissist that was never forced to develop into a complete person because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. What I do have a hard time understanding are the hardcore MAGA zealots that devour each turd that drops from his mouth like a baby bird being fed worms by it’s mother. A lot of people I grew up with somehow mutated into the MAGA crowd, some to a disturbing degree.

It would be easy to stereotype MAGA as a bunch of either ignorant simple thinkers or the highly affluent that are looking out solely for themselves with little to no regard for others. However I know that is not the case. In many ways they are like you and me except for this confusing iron clad allegiance to a man that equipped his Manhattan apartment with solid gold toilets.

Yesterday I stumbled across a video that describes what is going on from a psychological perspective with the MAGA or nothing crowd. It gave me more clarity regarding why this sort of mentality develops and why it’s so hard for a person to let go of. I welcome you to take 5 minutes and take a look yourself. Unfortunately the one thing the video does not offer is a “cure” for these individuals. That can only come from some hard self reckoning and a willingness to admit that your choice to back such a man so fervently was a mistake. It’s ok, really, human beings are allowed to make mistakes and do so frequently. However clinging on to false Gods never turns out well, just thumb through the pages of history.

Speaking of false gods, it was recently announced that Trump has put his picture on the 250 year anniversary US passports. It continues the unheard of self indulgence of a sitting president putting his name and image on whatever he can. I also read he is putting his signature on new 100 dollar bills. This is yet another symptom of the endless pit of self praise and adulation he requires to fulfill his need to obscure his insecurities.

I did some additional shuffling in my office last night. The platform I built for the A1 is the perfect size to fit the space I now had open after moving the storage shelf. My original thought was I needed to add some legs to it and attach it to the existing bench to make it an L. However after placing it in that spot on the floor I may be ok leaving it as is. The platform is about a foot high and the new printer has a pretty high profile. If I raised the platform to bench level the printer would eclipse a good portion of the window that is there. So at least for now I am going to try it with the platform without further modifications. I can always tweak it if I deem it to be problematic. The current layout is Elsa approved as it gives her space under the work bench another wall to make her feel safe, which she likes.

Amazon introduced Alexa+ last year, the AI enhanced version of their very popular digital home assistant. For the most part I have been happy with it. You also can now give your Alexa different types of personality. The unit I have in my kitchen is set to chill mode. The unit in my bedroom is set to sassy or smart ass mode. I had an interesting discussion with this unit.

The AI is fenced off to not offer political opinions, if you try to ask it for one you will get a homogenized response. However I do find it interesting seeing what sort of responses I get to certain questions. Last night I asked Alexa what she knew about Pam Bondi getting fired as head of the DOJ. The response she gave was Pam Bondi was the attorney general for the state of Florida but not the DOJ. I was confused and asked again and got the same response. After trying to ask the question a different way two additional times and getting the same denial about her position Alexa asked where I am getting the information from about Pam Bondi. I said, Google. After a brief pause she comes back and apologizes saying I was actually correct about Pam Bondi being fired from the DOJ. It’s an example of why blind faith being placed in AI is not a smart thing. It’s a tool but it’s information should not be anointed as cold hard facts. I found it interesting that Alexa acted dumb about Bondi and if that ignorance was intentional. Jeff Bezos and Big D are pretty close after all.