Friday, April 26, 2013

Bits and pieces and updates “Oh my”




With apologies to Lions and Tigers and Bears…  Lots of updates and random thoughts… 

Work continues to be a challenge… I continue to be frustrated…  but there is hope… 

On connectivity and information sharing (at work), We (the recreation supervisors) have been granted remote email access… and calendar synchronization… our director approved it for everyone… there was  an approrate warning about being “non –exempt employees  and not being allowed access off the clock” but at its core it was about trust, and progress… We thank the boss…

My “work” side project, a paint report on a 1907 building is fun…  The short term goal, colors for the interior is done… the larger project, a complete paint report is progressing.  The building has a couple of distinct periods of significance… The earlier  (1907) is more interesting and more fun, (the interior was yellow with medium brown trim) but the building is now clearly from the later, and those colors are occasionally horrifying…  white with sea foam green trim…  we are compromising with a recommendation for  white with medium brown trim…  historically acceptable, and more pleasing than purely accurate baby poop green…  Good historic preservation like many things is about compromise…  Now I need to find an old door, and some other bits… and find the window sash color… searching is good.

I have a new side project… probably…  a preservation report for railroad cars in Colorado… With a couple of friends… with travel to Colorado needed… soon… unplanned… as always the travel is welcome.  The travel will likely generate at least a couple of blog posts…  I have jumped in head first, and am researching and writing the report before we have even signed the contract…   I am finding research notes written 20 years ago, filed away useful…  I am consulting the library…  It is a wonderful diversion.

The car crash and the phone calls and such is still ongoing… there have been more phone calls, one letter, one visit to the claims center with limited results (as expected)… With each step, without progress, I walk about Klinger, aka, the jeep, and find more concerns…  Saturday, we had a work day, fixing horse corrals at the farm… I tried to use the High-Lift jack to pull the posts… (the High-Lift jack mounts on the rear bumper) and it was grumpy and sticky and not working well… I had to use a hammer to move the lever to make it go up or down… This bothered me, but in the moment I just used a hammer… over night I thought about it, and it bothered me more… I looked at the factory “how to operate your Hi-Lift jack” video on U-tube… I pulled it off the bumper and tried it… armed with the official instructions… I tried the Hi-Lift jack owned by the railroad… the railroad’s jack worked… mine didn’t…  Mine had the paint scratched on the jack’s nose… I checked photos of the “middle car” from the crash… it had a mark, a significant dent where the jack hit the hood… BINGO… it was the crash, not a defective jack…  Likely every pin in the jack is bent…  and jammed and whole thing is F’ed up… 

Monday, I visited the “independent claims center” for the insurance company… They don’t know how to fix a jack… they don’t know how to do aftermarket bumpers…  They can’t help me… I got home to a letter saying “this is your claim number”  Earlier they had called me… to get information, and promised a call back… instead I get letter and a chance to call them, sit through hold music to get an appointment for a real claims agent… Next Monday…  Within 500 feet of the scene of the crime… the clueless lady on the phone needs to tell me what she needs to tell me, and ignores the fact I know where to go… I tell her that this is where we stopped to exchange information… she continues to give directions… we are not communicating…  What’s new… lack of communication is my world…

Mean while, every time they (the insurance company) put me off I walk around, climb under and find more damage… which will cost State Farm (aka the insurance company) more money…   Today I realized that the bumper is not just pushed in 1/8” on one side, but it is pushed in 1/8” everywhere and 1/4 “ on one side…  something, somewhere is well bent… but that will be someone else’s problem.

Tomorrow I am supposed to drive to Placerville to pick up railroad parts (Big, heavy railroad parts)… then drive home…  I am still awaiting confirmation…  then, on Thursday I am planning  a nice drive to Tonopah... Nevada… for a conference where I am scheduled to give a paper I haven’t written… tonight a friend, the organizer of the conference sent a emergency email, asking for a photo for his presentation at the same conference…  I had it and he has it now…  His presentation is progressing faster than mine…

 I am looking forward to the something like an 8 hour drive to the center of Nevada… I am not looking forward to the insurance claims appointment…  or work…

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