http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog Where it all comes together Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:59:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (mouse over pictures for captions and click for bigger versions) After taking a weekend off of the project, we were back at it on another Sunday, cautiously hoping to be able to turn the car on by the end of the day. We put on all the stuff we'd had to ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2010/02/22/car-project-entry-4-of-4/ (mouse over pictures for captions and click for bigger versions) As I discussed in my previous post, after removing the engine it became clear the best thing to do was to keep the engine I had. I ordered some needed parts (gaskets, mostly) online. We detached the head from everything else ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2010/02/08/car-project-entry-3-of-4/ (mouse over pictures for captions and click for bigger versions) Before this project, I knew very little about cars. Looking under a hood, I could identify only a few things like the dipstick and fluid reservoirs. The most advanced work I'd done to date was to replace my headlights a few ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2010/01/22/car-project-entry-2-of-4/ I have taken my engine apart, reassembled it, and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but I'm left with a nicely running car that I can finally drive again. I'll get into the details shortly but I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud of myself at the ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2010/01/21/car-project-entry-1-of-4/ [Also cross-posted to Steve's blog at http://steveleroux.com] Steve and I would like to share some sad news: we are separating. For almost two months, we've been doing a trial separation while (mostly) staying in our house, staying in separate rooms and switching off weekends as we figured everything ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/11/12/a-sad-announcement/ It comes down to cost. Either I must pay my cell phone carrier a monthly fee for some number of included texts (which is more than I'd ever send), or pay $0.15 each. I might be willing to do that, except I get unlimited data on my phone, a Blackberry. ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/06/10/why-i-dont-text-much/ This vehement guest column from the Times Online UK had me raising my arms and shouting "amen!" "All the Disney princesses are there in a terrifying tableau of simpering, gurning girlishness. Why are all these princesses, the apotheoses of modern girlhood, clasping their hands together in front of them, in an ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/05/29/the-pernicious-pinkification-of-little-girls/ Every year, I try to go see some movies at the Seattle International Film Festival. I've had a few off years lately, but I had a great time in 2004 and 2005, so I'm ramping it back up this year and planning to see fourteen films. A few years ago, ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/05/18/how-i-choose-my-siff-movies/ As a Blackberry user, I've long been jealous of Urbanspoon's excellent iPhone application, which includes a slot-machine randomizer to help you decide upon a restaurant. While it's still not available on the Blackberry (despite my pleas), anyone with a Flash-enabled browser can now use the slot machine! The Urbanspoon restaurant picker ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/05/12/where-should-we-eat-tonight/ It's a sad day in Seattle as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stops its presses for the last time. I wanted to write a post today about what our society is losing as newspapers close down, but I re-read my 2005 post, "Why Newspapers are Still Relevant," and realized it's all pretty ... http://www.mynameiskate.com/blog/2009/03/17/goodbye-seattle-p-i/