What would McGaiver do? (WWMD?) A little long, but worth it.

[neptunonc at yahoo.com (Neptuno)]

SO Tuesday was a rather crappy day in southeastern Michigan. Rain was in the forecast with heavy thunder storms making a resounding presence and since I do not drive my car much after moving to Ann Arbor I was hopping the visibility for driving would improve. 
   
  I had gone to a conference in Novi, Michigan (if you care to look). The last speaker of the day was a motivational type. That was actually really nice since God knows I need motivation for finishing little projects here and there. Since listening to this guy I now will rate how I feel about a day in a grading scale rather then saying ?Fine? when asked how am I doing I?ll respond A- or B (so forth and so on)
   
  If you read this far you are wondering how this relates to Scirocco?s or even McGaiver. Well here is how. The rain kept coming down on the way back, but Rodolfo moved rather well in the thunderstorm. I was almost to Ann Arbor pulling from MI-23 into MI-14 when my shifter became limp (there is no other way to say it) I drop from 5th to 4th then 3rd and then tried the sequence upwards 3rd to 4th no problem, But 5th? God only knows? Maybe it went out of adjustment? So 3rd and 4th is not too bad. I pull off into Main Street from MI-14 and I realize that I don?t have 2nd or 1st. A quick placement of the shifter into 3rd and rev-up of the RPM?s and I keep Rodolfo alive.
   
  I pulled it of the road and discover the whole linkage assembly limp with the pivot bolt MIA and nothing that could actually decently take its place. CRAP, No tools nice clothes and what would McGaiver do? I had just heard a motivational speaker so ?Hell I can handle this!!? I look all over the car I find a zip tie and a wood copper screw as my only candidates for replacements. I place the screw into the hole and off we go. 
   
  I get home to see what I can do and see something familiar resting over top of the A arm. Yes you guessed it; the shoulder bolt that holds the pivot point somehow rested itself at speeds of 75mph+/- while traveling on bad roads on the safest spot of that A arm. I grabbed the magnet from the tool box and rescued the bolt who is now married to a lock washer and a new nut.
   
  Thank you for reading, clear your tubes and think positive. Like the story the motivational speaker told us. During a traffic jam in Chicago he was going out of his mind. Pissing and moaning about the bad drivers cutting in line and cursing each other out. As he drives up there is this man on a little car whistling and letting people in. All around people are mad, but this guy is just whistling and calm. Our speaker turns to the happy driver and rather than get mad at him asked ?How was he so calm and not upset at the jam?? The calm man?s answer he was a POW in Vietnam who spend 3 out of his 4 years there in a bamboo cage 4x5 feet. ?This traffic jam is only an inconvenience, being in Vietnam was terrible that is how I am so calm.? Answered the whistling man.
   
  Keep in perspective and you too can pull McGaiver stunts without getting frazeld. Some funny stuff if you care to look: http://www.gregrisberg.com/
   
  Later,
  El T

       
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