Job well done?

Hmm, well maybe. Yeah, so I wrapped up my week at noon today with over 45 hours in for the week. Ok, maybe that's not a lot to some people, but hey I don't get any benefit from working long hours. The software company I work for does offer an engineering bonus, but first off its only available to employees that have been with the company for over six months. Next the project is being sponsored by my company, which makes it an internal project, so not externally billable. The bonus program is only applicable on billable hours. So I get screwed all the way around. Anyway, my boss did a demo of the application to our first users today, and I got word that it went really well. So I got a thanks for the hard work. Umm yeah that makes the time away from my wife worth it. NOT!

What does it mean?

Ok, so on my project we have weekly meetings. Because of Thanksgiving we didn't have one last week. Anyway, it for some reason is not only my job to be sole developer on the project, but also to keep notes of the meetings and email all those in attendance my notes of that meeting. Ok, no biggie, but I don't need to be reminded not only during each meeting, but after it as well!!! In the meeting maybe asking me to shoot an email with my notes to make sure everyone is on the same page is ok, but then to email all that attended to "remind me" that I need to send this email is a little over the line in my opinion. Oh, and then when I mention that a certain change has been made, the boss says "why did you do that? I don't remember talking about that." Ok, fine if you don't remember it, but what does it accomplish in arguing with me about it? I simply do as I am told dammit. Ok, enough rambling!

Questions about existing code.

I think I have had it with the questions about the existing code for the application I am working on. I mean really, I was asked to wrap the project up three months after I started on it. Ok I had the new additions to the code done. Then I was asked why the old code does this or that? Umm gee I don't know because for one I did not write it, and two because I haven't had time to look at the existing code while trying to meet this ridiculous deadline. In case anyone wonders, I am still working on the project now on November 27th, when we wanted to release around October 1st. The problem is that every time we have a meeting to discuss the project additional items, or major changes are requested. Yeah, anyone listening, IF YOU KEEP REQUESTING CHANGES IT WILL NEVER BE DONE! Ok, glad I got that off my chest. Well back to correcting issues introduced from the last round of chances that were requested, to both my code and the existing!

Checking for Bugs

Ok, so the project I am working on has now started the testing phase. I must tell you, I absolutely hate taking over a project. I am sitting here being asked why such and such was done this way. Umm, how the hell should I know, I didn't have anything to do with that! So anyway, there are only a few issues with my portion of it, and they are due to issues with adding functionality to the existing code.

Anyway, it has been a hard day, not a hard day of work, but I hard day of staying awake! After leaving early last Tuesday and taking the rest of the week off I feel like I need another vacation!

Can't we all just get along?!?

Ok, It is a full year before the next presidential election and I am already sick and tired of the mud slinging ads. Why can't the damn politicians understand that I don't give a flying flip why they think the opposition is bad!?! It doesn't really make it hard to select whom I will vote for, but it does kind of make me not want to vote. I have traditionally voted republican because in the past, while I was in the military the republicans were the most "pro-military." I must say however that I am not tired of it. IF ANY POLITICIANS READ THIS, MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS AND TELL ME WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO, NOT WHAT YOUR OPPONENTS HAVE DONE!!!!!

Ok, I guess I can get off my soap box now, but if I have to listen to one more Clinton commercial talking about Obama, or Obama complaining about Clinton, or Edwards complaining about ANYTHING, or Romney bad mouthing either Clinton or Obama, I think I may throw the television out the freaking window and become Amish. :-D

Projects

So I am just about to finish up a project at work, and I have to get into another one. I started this one several months ago, but I had to devote all my time to another. It is a big change moving from a java web application, to a C++ MFC application. Right now I am fixing minor issues in the JAVA app, and trying to implement changes in the C++ app, at the same time. Anyway, I have projects at work, then I have projects at home. Two nights ago, my wife and I took the soft top off of my 1977 Ford Bronco, last night we set the hard top in place, and secured it with a few bolts. Tonight all I did was put all the bolts along the front lip, install the wiper motor, and prep to install the wiper motor cover. I can't wait to get the transmission fixed so that I can drive the damn thing everywhere and all the time. As it is right now I have to be very careful because it seems like if I push too hard then the transmission simply lets go. I then have to put it in neutral, pull over, put it in park, then I can put it back in drive and take off. I wish I could put a manual transmission in it, but that is more work than I am willing to do right now, so I am considering going with a reverse manual valve body. This makes the C4 automatic act as a 3 speed manual with out a clutch.

Back in the Bronco!!

Well I finally drove my bronco to work again! OK, it may not sound exciting to most, but to me it's big, as I love my 1977 Ford Bronco!

The story. I think it was Sunday, September 9th 2007, my wife and I were coming back from Menard's in the bronco. I take off a little quick from a stop and she says "well get on it why don't you." Of course I tell her I didn't and at the next stop, yeah I know, I said "this is getting on it." I step hard on the gas and the transmission starts to slip, then grabs hard and pushes everything forward enough to push the fan through the radiator! We were only about 3/4 of a mile from home so I drove on back, parked it, and watched all the fluid gushing onto the driveway.

Yeah that was eight and a half weeks ago that I did that, and today, was the first day I got to drive it to work. I didn't just replace the radiator and fan though. I chose this opportunity to replace the stock truck fuel injection parts for those from a Lightning. The engine was already pretty healthy, but man I tell you changing from 19lb fuel injectors and stock 70mm mass air flow sensor to 24lb fuel injectors and a 90mm sensor, then a 65mm throttle body, and the much much better air flow path of the GT-40 intake setup really, really woke up the motor. It went from sounding kind of plain, about like a truck, to sounding like a monster! I also can tell you that it now doesn't have a problem spinning the 35" tires on pavement!

OK, ignore that last part, as its probably the reason the transmission is crap and needs replaced.

Anyway, I ended up putting new 24lb fuel injectors, GT40 upper and lower intakes, 65mm throttle body, 90mm mass air flow sensor, 4 core aluminum Howe Racing radiator with out transmission cooler, Flex-a-lite transmission fluid cooler with build in electric fan, and a two speed electric fan out of a Ford Taurus.

All of this would have been easy, but as any early Bronco owner knows, big electric fans do not fit without modification.

What I ended up doing was first removing the hood latch parts as they were going to be in the way, and since I already had hood pins it was a non-issue. I then decided the only way it was going to happen was to either move the radiator forward, or move it back. Since moving it forward would have forced me to also move it down or cut the upper brace on the core support, I decided to move it back. Then test fitting the fan proved to me that the lower support was going to be in the way. I decided to cut it out and move it about an inch and a half further into the engine compartment. That gave me enough room to mount the fan, and the radiator, and I have about 2 inches between the water pump and the radiator.

I did see that I have a very small coolant leak somewhere, but after a 15 minute drive then parking it for a few hours and there is about a baseball sized wet spot under the passenger side of the radiator, no biggie, I will get to it soon enough.

I still have not gotten a thermostat for the electric fan(s), but for right now I have low speed on the two speed fan wired through a relay that comes on with the key, along with the transmission cooler fan, which is also wired through a relay that comes on with the key. I plan on getting two thermostats, one for the transmission cooler, and one for the radiator fan. Might thinking about getting two for the radiator fan, one set around 160 degrees to kick low speed on, and one about 200 that kicks the high speed on. Then maybe a 3 way switch to either force the fan off, force it on, or leave it up to the thermostats.

OK, enough rambling, but I am sure my wife will be happy I didn't bore her with all this.

But she will need to give me the OK to buy the thermostats for the transmission cooler and the radiator if she ever does read this!

Alright, that's it for now.

been away

Ok, so I haven't really been away physically, but mentally yeah, I have been away for a while now. I am about to wrap up the project I have been working on at work, and yeah I am tired of it. The biggest issue is that I am the only developer on the project. Ok, well I am tired and its time for bed, but I will try to post updates more often than in the past.