I donated something to to Value Village (Canada) and they gave me a coupon. I had to input my purchase date and time, then do an online survey for a small discount. Unfortunately the online experience was flawed at best.
There are many different types of people that shop at Value Village, many of them over the age of 50. These people often do not carry nor rely on their smartphone for their existence. In other words, they are normal.
After 3 previous elections I thought I’d try this year’s 2022 Oct 24 City of Toronto election as a managing deputy returning officer. The experience running an election site was interesting, and despite the low turnout, busier than I had thought.
The managing deputy returning officer (MDRO) position manages a complete election site with up to 10 other election workers.These include:
I’ve always hated using hose clamps. I’d buy them from Home Depot and curse when they are installed and leak. I’d tighten them more and they’d deform and sometimes break. It did not dawn on me that, like everything else, there are different quality hose clamps than the crappy “All Gain” ones I use. This is particularly true for my compressor hose, which, over time, loosen and then leak. My compressor only needs 125psi.
Usually a tiny 0.5mm difference makes no difference, but not in this case. The CR1220 battery has the right width, but the thickness was off, making the watch act up intermittently. Unknown to me was the cause, so I wedged the battery for years. Why did not Cardinal write the battery type on the inside of the watch case? The CR1225 is just a smidge thicker, 0.5mm, which makes all the difference.
Further, the CR1225 has a 25% higher mAh rating, so should last longer.
Lat pulldown rope, or triceps rope, for use on a cable strength training machine, home made, 39″ long. Photo by Don Tai
There’s really not much to the lat pulldown rope, sometimes called a triceps rope. A lat pulldown rope attaches to a strength training cable machine, high up, so you can pull downward and exercise your latissimus dorsi, or lower back muscles. Common exercises include the lat pulldown and face pulls. It is just a rope with an attachment point in the middle. Here’s how I made mine.
Home made lat pulldown bar, made of stainless steel tubing and 1/4 inch eyebolt. Closeup shot. Photo by Don Tai
As I prefer to use wood, I don’t often need to drill into metal. That said metal has qualities that are very beneficial. I need a shorter lat pulldown bar for my home gym. Instead of buying one I decided to make it. It is, after all, a pipe with an eyebolt.
My bicycle is from the 1970s, and is quite old. It even has a label that says “Made in Canada”, it is that old. Triumph brand. Yet its steel frame, heavy but strong, lives on. I make it live with maintenance. As with most of my bicycles, this one was used and abused by a Chinese neighbour, and then left for dead, rusted and in terrible shape. I took pity on it.
Imperial 535 sewing machine pedal. Some springs had come loose, but after replacement did not sew any better. Photo 2 by Don Tai
I thought that my Imperial 535 sewing machine pedal was a bit too sensitive, so today I opened it up. The bottom cover simply slides off, but is really tight. I had to use a screwdriver to pry it open a bit.
Inside there are no parts that I could see that required repair, only a bit of dust. Two springs were loose inside, so I put them back in place. The pedal works as it did before, so no improvement in function. The four rubber feet have long disintegrated. I could drill out the rivets and replace them, but would not improve the functionality of the machine.
I do love this story, of a guitar that is so special, that has stood the test of time through maintenance and a bit of luck. Willie Nelson is not gentle with this guitar, Trigger. A testament to quality build.
It has been beaten up, but also maintained, and used to full capacity. The new sound hole might even enhance its sound. What more can a player ask from an instrument? This really goes against the glitz and glamour of the shiny new toys that you can buy off the shelf and throw away once you’re tired of it.
