If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

This slang phrase should be engraved on my tombstone to remind me not to tweak and adjust whatever mechanical devices are in heaven. Pat is always pleading with me to leave my computer alone. Just when everything is working well, I decide to try something new. At the present time, the cover is off and laying on the floor behind me. Yesterday, I added a memory chip, and last month I added a second hard drive.

My fixing adventures haven't always gone well. For Instance, when I tried to install a 56K modem, I crashed the entire system and didn't get it running for several days. My penchant for tweaking and adjusting began before I was a teen. I kept tightening and loosening the nuts on my bicycle wheels to make it easier to peddle and go faster. Then when I turned 16 and Dad gave me a car, it was just a lot more nuts and bolts to twist and turn. Between my buddy, Charlie Lindrose, and me we spent as much time under the car and under the hood as we did behind the steering wheel.

In 1958, I purchased a '51 Chevrolet that had a rust-free body and ran very well. It had only one problem, an automatic transmission. Well, actually, there was nothing wrong with the transmission. It was just that I thought the car would run better with a standard shift. It didn't take long to find a stick shift in Keilman's Junk yard. Of course, Charlie was with me, and we soon had the car jacked up and ready for this mechanical operation that neither Charlie or I had ever done before. We were both mechanically inclined, so we didn't bother to ask anyone how to remove the automatic transmission.

That was a mistake, a big mistake. We had removed only a few bolts when Charlie removed the wrong bolt and Automatic transmission fluid poured down over his face. Needless to say, before we finished, we ruined a perfectly good transmission. However, we did get the standard transmission installed and the car ran very well. As many of you know, Charlie died more than 35 years ago, but I still think of him when I am fiddling with my computer and something goes wrong. I chuckle to myself and think, "Wait for me, Charlie. I am sure there is something up there that ain't broke that we can fix."

Things my mother taught me (series)

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL
—"If you don't straighten up,I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

—Sent by Mike Harrison

Thought for the day

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.

—Brian Adams

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