I must really be stressed. I woke up this morning with the worst case of fullness in my right ear–a symptom of Meniere’s Disease, I was diagnosed with it in 2008–in many years. Doctors who treat Meniere’s think that 80%-90% of severe manifestations are stress-related. Of course, many doctors think that 80%-90% of all ailments in the developed world are at least partly due to stress.
As a “comfy blankee” I consumed two items for breakfast I hardly ever consume: bacon and sugar. Whether it was those two items, the 50mg of meclizine I took, just eating breakfast or some combination of the above, my fullness has improved markedly since earlier this morning.
I once had a Meniere’s related case of vertigo that was so bad, I had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. That happened at the end of a very stressful day during the last time I attended the baseball winter meetings (December, 2009).
I guess I need to find an ENT here in Arizona. I do not have any diazepam, better known as Valium, which short-circuits vertigo attacks.
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Of course, I am stressed about my Z06. I didn’t hear from the dealer yesterday and am actually imagining a scenario where they can’t solve the issue. If they have to replace the ECU, then I strongly believe I shouldn’t be charged for the re-programming of the original ECU, which did not solve the problem. I am imagining a loud argument with the service personnel at the dealer.
Until two months ago, I had unconditional “love” for the Z06. After a $13,000 brake job and the fiasco currently unfolding, that feeling has disappeared.
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Many of you don’t know or care, and that’s OK, but the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will be held today. The TV ratings will surpass those of most MLB and NBA playoff games.
Perhaps “inspired” by the day, I finally broke down and ordered the computer football game of which I have written before, like here. Drafting my own league and playing the games will give something to do that I hope I will enjoy.
My friend Mel Kiper, the “godfather” of NFL Draft coverage on TV, has been the subject of some controversy. He was not allowed to attend the draft this year (in Las Vegas) because he has not been vaccinated against the damn virus. I was aware of his decision and tried to explain to him the reasons he should be vaccinated. I know he respects my intelligence and knowledge of topics outside of sports, but he chose not to be vaccinated.
I will not comment anymore on Mel’s situation, but I believe that the large percentage of people who have not been vaccinated in the developed world has played the largest role in the damn virus’ persistence, at least in the developed world. Unvaccinated people are potential hosts for the virus, where it can convert, replicate and mutate. Viruses are not that good at making exact replicas of themselves.
A tweet from Bill James:
“I generally like resistance to the government, because governments like to take over people’s lives and tell people what to do when it isn’t necessary. I just encourage you to get vaccinated first. Fight the government some other way.”
Very well said and I agree 100 percent.
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Just like I have a very positive reaction anytime I see a Saturn Sky, I have a similar reaction every time I see one of these:
From Fast Lane Cars, two pictures of a 1958 Chevrolet Impala. That was the first year for the Impala and the only year for this body style. According to sources like Encyclopedia of American Cars by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide®, for that year the Impala was a “sub-model” of the top of the line Bel Air, not becoming its own model until 1959.
The heart wants what it wants, I guess. I can’t explicitly explain why I am so enamored with the looks of the car. It just seems “right” to me, I suppose.
Wish me luck, but only good luck. I’ve had more than enough of the other kind.
#NFLDraftThursday
#Stress
#1958ChevroletImpala
#somanyCARSjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
My brother in law is a liver transplant patient, who has had both shots and the booster. He developed COVID two days ago. His primary care doctor was a total dick and sent him to an Urgent Care site, where he was given oral Paxlovid. Unfortunately, the drug interfered with his anti rejection meds. He ended up in the hospital to monitor his blood levels, and was found to have blood clots in his lungs. So he could have been killed by COVID, he could have been killed by the treatment for COVID, but because of the treatment, the life threatening complication of COVID was caught and corrected. People, take the damn vaccine, if not for yourself, then for someone who may not benefit from the vaccine.
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Thanks for sharing, Doc, and well-written. It’s frightening how many people have rejected facts in favor of fiction.
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One of the few Chevrolet custom cars I like is the white 1958 Impala used in the movie “American Graffiti”. A clean simple custom done in the early 60s style. It even has six 1959 Cadillac bullet tail lights.
Good car dealers and their service departments are rare. I’ll not comment further. There is a solution to your ongoing ECU problems that should start with replacement of the alternator and its voltage regulator. Once that is done and verified that the voltage regulator is functioning properly, then proper troubleshooting can continue.
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Thanks, Philip. I have already suggested that the alternator, which has a built-in regulator, be replaced.
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Sometimes the service technician and his manager need to listen to the customer for the betterment of the relationship. It also might help solve the problem. I generally do not reveal that I am an engineer until their level of stupidity is hindering the problem solution. It is similar to the problem of politicians not trusting the intelligence of their voters. I learned long ago that listening to the contractors who were building my design generally knew a better way to get the project built. It also built a relationship trust that was needed later when I needed to exert my engineering authority. We will continue to work on our end to help solve your problem.
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Thanks, Philip. I understand that car dealers, just like virtually every other business in the US, are understaffed, both in terms of quantity and quality. I also know that most car owners know nothing about how their car works and that’s the base case for service departments. I am also not claiming to be an expert, but I’m fairly sure I know more about the workings of a car than most owners.
I am trying not to call my service advisor because in this case I don’t think it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. However, it has been two weeks since I last drove my car and the dealer has had the car for 11 days. That just seems way beyond reasonable in terms of diagnosing and fixing the issue.
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Technology, in a modern auto, is a double edged sword. When it works correctly it’s great. When it doesn’t it can be frustrating on levels that mere mortals cannot comprehend. A few years ago I had a Dodge Dakota, 4 cylinder 5 speed, that I used around the property for chores, hauling trash or building supplies, etc. One day the CEL came on so I hooked up my code reader. It showed a code for “throttle position sensor”. No problem sez me, part was about $20. Cleared the code, replaced the sensor. Couple of days later CEL came on again, same code. Well crap, bad “new” part I figure (had it happen before, more than once). So back to the parts store, buy another (electrical parts are non returnable once installed) and install. Couple more days, CEL light AGAIN. Yup same code. Chance of 2 defective parts in a row is mighty slim so I talked to a buddy of mine that had his own repair shop. Ended up taking it to him and also asked that he see if he could do something with the speedometer as it was “lazy” (wouldn’t register speed until about 20 mph). He ended up replacing the speed sensor, which was a small magnetic pickup in the differential that runs thru the ECU and that cured my TPS sensor problem. Turned out it was confusing the ECU as it was showing throttle movement, but no movement speed wise. ECU defaulted to TPS as being the problem. New speed sensor was under $10.
I saw in your post from a couple of days ago, that the shop you used to modify your Corvette, left out the O2 sensors in the new headers. I found that to be quite curious as they are pretty important sensor to the ECU for both performance AND emissions. On High Times, my gasser, I have a sensor in each header tube. Mine is used mainly for tuning because of different altitudes and weather conditions at different tracks. My system doesn’t “auto tune” the way a street car does, as emissions are not a concern, power is.Therefore I try to keep the ratio at around 11.5 to 1. The reason I run a sensor in each header tube is so I can be sure that EACH injector is working properly. If I have a ratio that is off in 1 cylinder that can cost me several horsepower which is not good. It can also help me identify issues BEFORE I torch an expensive engine.
https://www.fastcar.co.uk/tuning/fast-car-air-fuel-ratio-guide/
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“Technology, in a modern auto, is a double edged sword.”
DDM, as you know I think EVERYTHING is a double edged sword.
The Z06 passed emissions just fine after the tuning, which has now been undone, of course. It had over 600 HP/650 LB-FT at the rear wheels after the work was done, so if the lack of sensors left a little output on the table, I don’t really care. I assume the ECU has a subroutine to compensate for certain missing data.
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I like that Bill James quote.
I’m not a follower of the draft, but it must be popular. It’s become a thing to televise in recent years. I suppose that’s because of all of the interest in college football and the potential stars that already have a fan base from their alumni fans.
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Thanks again, JS. As Louis Riddick, former NFL player and executive who now covers the draft for ESPN, said, “The draft is an expression of hope for every team and their fans.”
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