So the mechanic from Catepillar gets up here Monday evening. Of course he does not speak English, so I'm working through a translator. People are still clinging to the belief that it is that "little black fuse" that is causing the problem. Oh yeah, and it's on back-order.
Next morning, the word comes back to me: It's the computer. Fried like an egg. Somehow, moisture got inside this supposedly-sealed unit. The corrosion is unbelievable. So is the *big* burn mark on the printed-circuit board where something shorted-out big time. (My guess would be the circuit that controlled the fuel pump, but what do I know?)
Yes, I feel vindicated. But this is not rocket science. I have so far downplayed my mechanical abilities, mainly because I am not a trained or licensed mechanic but just someone who's spent a lifetime working on mechanical stuff - not to mention that I do not have test equipment of any sort. But I am going to have to start being more assertive.
Our airplane is coming down on Friday (day after tomorrow) with a new computer. It'll be nice to have the front-end loader back in business. That is one useful machine, and it hurts the project for it to be unavailable for so long.
Who Am I?
- Bob Barbanes:
- A nobody; a nitwit; a pilot; a motorcyclist; a raconteur; a lover...of life - who loves to laugh, who tries to not take myself (or anything) too seriously...just a normal guy who knows his place in the universe by being in touch with my spiritual side. What more is there?
3 comments:
As you can tell, I'm catching up on your blog -- sorry to be clogging up your comments! I'm using Bloglines and I'm really getting fed up with it. It just doesn't update the feeds like it should, in some cases it's a week behind. Makes no sense to me.
Anyway, thanks for visiting my blog. I enjoy your comments and please come back again!
It's always nice for me to find another Honduran ex-pat blogger. I'm enjoying reading about life on Guanaja.
So leading the good life, huh? Well it's funny how at 17 the life of hanging out with friends, drinking, being a little buzzed, losing one's keys, boat, car, laptop, oh well, who knows what else, it's different. It's time to be sent off to the cold mountains for an opportunity to readjust the thinking in the 17 year old; learn integrity, personal responsibility, and become an honest member of the community. So everything depends on why one does what one does, whether being far from everything familiar is running away, or an opportunity to think, to learn about oneself, to be in the moment, face to face with one's own demons. Or, it could be just a lark, time to kick back relax and know that Rumsfeld is gone, the Dems have the Congress and Bush will be gone in less than 400 days.
As a closure to your part I & II, I studied Engineering , ended up doing a complete swap to computers (mainly big networks and such)
Because I never studied this properly (college that is) , sometimes I am afraid to say "look you are totally totally wrong because blablabla", however after a while of trying to be humble you end up finding out that the other guys lack common sense or experience to start with!
I am done feeling like "duhhhhh I told you so" ......if I am sure that is wrong I will strongly oppose whatever I think wont work, I take things very personally and get hurt when I am shown "duhh you didnt have a clue" but oh well...live /learn and grow up for me
at this point I rather look like a fool for being wrong than KNOWING I was a fool for letting someone go ahead with something I knew was not going to work
Another story, my mom told my pediatrician hundred times "the kid has this problem" and he was the BEST pediatrician in Costa Rica at the time, he always downplayed her thinking she was overreacting
When she finally got a second opinion the guy checked the problem....."ok this needs minor surgery" DUHHHHHHHHHHH
For me its hard to impose my opinion......but hey, your experience is worth A LOT and lets be realistic, if you ask a random person how much is 5 times 9......chances are 90% of them won't know without a calculator, ok bad example if you don't like math but I am sure there are other approaches to that ;)
Post a Comment