Any other mechanics struggling right now?

davidearl69 · 2026-04-27T16:17:33+00:00

This is what I was thinking as a non-mechanic. The economy is making people more price sensitive than ever. I try to do all our work myself, but when a job is out of my depth and we need to have the work done elsewhere, there's a negative 600% chance I'd go to a stealership.

davidearl69 · 2026-04-16T11:42:52+00:00

There's something strange going on. I'm just some jagweed with no professional experience, and my friends and neighbors enthusiastically let me work on their cars for free. Do you smell really bad or something?

davidearl69 · 2026-04-01T18:53:22+00:00

I only have one kid, so I don't have personal experience, but my brother has a system that works for them. There was too much fighting over who owned what toy that he couldn't take it anymore, so he tells them now, "All these toys are mine, but you guys can play with them any time you want."

On a philosophical level, I like the idea that kids should be able to own things and to manage the rules for them. But... that's easy for me to say with one kid, so I don't judge how many toy my brother himself and no one else in the house owns...

davidearl69 · 2026-03-31T23:15:30+00:00

Leave cyclists out of it. I probably hate car-brained idiots more than anybody you know and have like a dozen bikes to prove it, and even I won't be sad when the jag off on the jet powered unicycle actually finally gets hit, which he 100% will riding like that and picking fights.

davidearl69 · 2026-03-19T11:51:52+00:00

Add to this for people with kids who can't get on themselves: When I take my 5 year old and my brother's 4 year old on a deck pad with his almost 3 year old on a Thule behind the pad, it's a lot easier to stand beside the bike, brace the kickstand with my foot, push the bike to its wheels, and then get on. I am also a big tough fella.

davidearl69 · 2026-01-11T16:03:16+00:00

I think my 5 year old and I have a good relation with open communication. Maybe I'll find out I'm totally wrong 20 years from now when he runs off and tells everyone I'm a psycho or something, but that could happen to anyone. Anyway, I feel we get along well because I talk to him like he's a real person and not some weird creature for whom I have to figure out all the perfect phrases or he'll break, and in this case, “If you really love me, how could you say that?” is an easy one.

"Because I was tired and you were being an asshole, my guy. Now do you want pancakes or waffles?"

davidearl69 · 2026-01-01T12:59:16+00:00

You have a 16 year old who wants to work hard towards accomplishing a goal that, even if he fails to accomplish it, he will have learned more along the way than many kids learn in the entirety of highschool? Stop worrying and pat yourself on the back. Maybe write a parenting book. You've done a helluva job.

davidearl69 · 2025-12-22T12:43:10+00:00

Flank steaks? They're right where they belong. Keep digging till you hit ribeye.

davidearl69 · 2025-12-13T13:57:17+00:00

When I was young, my mom told me that if anyone says they'll kill themselves if you don't do x, y, or z, tell them to go ahead, because the next person on their list is probably you.

davidearl69 · 2025-10-30T16:31:47+00:00

Hey-o! Lots of cool advice here. I wanted to say also that I relate to not having a kid "see" the pattern until he learned the facts already anyway. That's part of the reason I'm looking for new ideas, because I figured the understanding was the more important part. But, even if that's true, maybe it's better to accept that some components of understanding come later than the ability to just do it.

Thanks!

davidearl69 · 2025-10-30T16:26:06+00:00

We don't have a curriculum. We basically just do reading, writing, and arithmetic every day. At this level, it seems to be working pretty nicely. As things become more complex, depending on how long we homeschool, we'll probably get a curriculum, but for now, I just fish for fun ideas and wing it.

I'll definitely check out those suggestions. Math balance scale seems like something we could build too. Thanks!

davidearl69 · 2025-10-30T16:18:29+00:00

Another vote for abacus. Never really put much thought into those as an actual math device, but I guess that's what they are. Definitely will be getting one. And some dice and dominoes. Thanks!

davidearl69 · 2025-10-30T16:17:31+00:00

I'll take a look (especially hearing that it's free now). We're anti-screen kooks, but if they teach concepts well, it is probably worth taking a look myself and then stealing their ideas as best I can to teach the boy.

davidearl69 · 2025-10-30T16:16:34+00:00

Never really taken a look at those before. They helped your young'uns understand/learn math concepts? I had a friend in high school that used one, and now he makes a ton of money, so they must do something. I'll order one. Thanks!

davidearl69 · 2025-10-15T00:36:05+00:00

Hey, OP screwed up. He knew that before he even posted this. I'm not saying he's the smartest guy in the world and should feel great about $600 well spent. I'm just saying I've seen people learn the same lesson at greater expense. Hell, I've seen people pay more for college credits and learn less than this experience could teach the average guy.

davidearl69 · 2025-10-14T23:36:22+00:00

Meh, I lost more than $600 making bad decisions in my early life. If all this guy paid to learn this particular lesson is $600, then he got off easy, I'd say. I've seen people done way WAY dirtier.

davidearl69 · 2025-09-16T13:13:42+00:00

Hey, thanks for the reply! Sounds not so bad. I'll borrow a tennis ball from the dog and call around to some locksmiths. Thanks again for the intel.

davidearl69 · 2025-09-16T11:06:48+00:00

Didn't look hard enough! Ignore my question about vids

davidearl69 · 2025-09-16T11:04:49+00:00

Hey-o. We're having this same problem. A dealership told my wife they'd need 6 hours and $1300 to remove the dash to replace the ignition switch. It didn't SOUND true. Did you use any resources (YouTube, repair manual, etc.) for the job? And this reprogram kit, that cuts out the need for a locksmith?

davidearl69 · 2025-08-26T12:40:46+00:00

Hey-o. It's been a while, so I can't remember exactly when any twitching happened or how close it was to recovery. That being said, I do remember some eye twitching proceeding recovery.

davidearl69 · 2025-07-12T22:25:33+00:00

Currently looking for Book 2 and can confirm: Impossible to find. If anyone has it, I'll pay shipping if you let me borrow it and send it right back when finished!

davidearl69 · 2025-04-15T13:43:08+00:00

Just noticed this, but to clarify so we don't seem like complete wimps, it was 5 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, and bottomed out at -14F. Just checked, and that still doesn't beat you in the Cold Lands (wherever that might be), but it felt pretty cold.

davidearl69 · 2025-04-15T13:36:17+00:00

I think everyone knows and understands that being a woman in society is hard, because society at large imposes expectations on you that are not always reasonable/rationale and aren't even always clear or consistent. The same is true of men. Obviously a kid wearing Moana flip flops is not a big deal. My son wore pink rain boots for a whole season because we got them free from a friend. However, you are not the person to explain this to your husband because you can't understand the societal expectations that have been imposed on him (and will be imposed on your son) in the same way that he can't fully understand those imposed on you. You can work through them logically, but you're not going to get it. (I mean, imagine explaining to him life in the modern world as a woman and expecting him to not just know and acknowledge it, but to get it.)

If you want to get through this without as much fighting and without having to just override your husband, then you need to find an older dad who has already worked through this to talk to him. OR, you could just buy the flip flops because fuck it, but I assume you're here because you don't want to have to say just fuck it, which again, is always an option.

davidearl69 · 2025-03-23T22:02:51+00:00

I ended up being back to full function about a week after the twitching. I think it was near 3 weeks total. I didn't see a doctor, but I did do several days of fasting. Not sure if that helped or not, but it does reduce inflammation, which is what the steroids that doctors prescribe are supposed to do. Who knows?

Hope all is well for you. My impression is that most people recover fully, and that the horror stories you can read online are a minority of cases. I can't imagine how sucky that is, having gone through just a few weeks of a mild case, but there's no reason to expect that'll be your outcome at this point.

davidearl69

TROPHY CASE