Solder and Wal-Mart
I’m supposed to be at work at 8:00. This morning I woke up at 7:58. I wasn’t going to make it. So I grabbed my pda, e-mailed in and told ‘em I was going to be late. I was. I was on the 57 at about 8:45 and I noticed traffic started slowing significantly. I thought there was some sort of accident or something, then I noticed flashing red and blue lights weaving across the freeway about 2 cars ahead. The CHP was doing a freaking traffic break during morning commute. Luckily it was only a few exits before mine, so I didn’t have to put up with it too long. Bah!
At work I did some de-soldering. So, fun. I’ve been playing with these old circuit boards trying to get some push-button switches off the old boards in tact. I tried using a normal soldering iron, but that’s pretty hard because the switches have five contacts, I only have one iron, and the solder cools down pretty fast. Well, Mike was telling me that he had a solder-remover that he would bring in for me.
He brought it in for me today. It’s a regular soldering iron with an opening and a suction ball that I can use to suck the hot solder out. It works like a charm. I started de-soldering everything I could find. Well everything on these old boards I was playing with.
After work I drove home. After about two miles on the freeway I started hearing a strange noise coming from my passenger-side front tire. I’m always really paranoid about my tires, so I pull off the freeway to check it out. The first exit is Lincoln in Anaheim. I pull off and pull into the first safe place to pull over to the side of the road. I get out of my car to check the tire and notice a couple of mean-looking Mexicans giving me the evil-eye. I quickly check my tire (to reveal nothing out of the ordinary) and retreat back into my refuge. Ah, well. I pull back out onto Lincoln. I pass the freeway sign that is labeled ’57 South.’ Bugger.
I eventually pull ’round and get back on the freeway at Ball. Adventuresome.
Back to Becky’s house with naught an incident.
We decided on Quizno’s for dinner. I got the new Chicken Milano. Becky and Sharon got the meatball. Mmmm… toasty.
After dinner, we stopped off at the good ol’ Wal-Mart. I got a new toothbrush, and some floss. Nothin’ like the good dental care.
I also got a new chess set. It’s made of glass. It’s cool. Brought it back home and taught Becky some of the blunter points of chess strategy. Fun times.
That’s about it for me today.
August 16th, 2005 at 10:57
and chess beat-downs.
August 18th, 2005 at 20:58
Late…hmmm…fortunately it doesn’t sound like you had much pressing work to do, more burning really. The tire in Anaheim, it’s not a horrible neighborhood, but I think that it’s a little better in the residential areas on the other side of the highway.