Things Coming Together, Things Coming Apart

April 04, 2006A lot is going really well right now!  I'll give you an update.

[Baby] - Onwards and Upwards

The baby is getting around better and better.  He can also set himself up by standing up on his hands and feet, and pushing backwards til he rolls back on his bottom.  Babies are innovative.  Perhaps I should ask his advice for Thermal Design.




[Job] - TRW

I had my interview this morning.  In fact, it was actually two interviews.  Two different departments are looking to hire co-op students, and they are both interested in me.  I did both interviews, and I had a great time.  I got to share my academic and personal backgrounds, and complain with them about lazy people.  TRW in Lebanon designs and builds commercial steering systems.  What does this mean?  Next time a semi runs you off the road, blame me instead of the driver.

[Car] - Speaking of Autos

So my 'Check Engine' light came on Sunday and my car died on the way home from school Monday.  I got the computer checked, and it said that there was an EGR malfunction.  Basically, there is some problem with the system that takes exhaust air and circulates it back through the engine.  So with my advanced tire and oil changing skills, I decided to fix it myself.  It took about 45 minutes to get enough pieces off my care to even get to the thing.  I made sure to plug holes to avoid contamination, and slowly worked my way down.  I was told that it might be a carbon buildup keeping the valve open.  Well, when I started pulling the thing out, I noticed that one of the vacuum tubes had been melted through and was hanging loose.  You think the tube being melted in two could affect the flow?  Anyway, I'm going to clean it up in case there is some carbon buildup, and I'll have the whole thing reassembled by morning.  I need it tomorrow, so hopefully it will go well.  If you don't hear about it again, assume it was put together and everything is working.  I also need to disconnect the battery and let the computer reset.  That way, the light will go off and only come back on if there is still a problem.

Here's some picks of the darn thing, and the parts I had to buy.