You Should See the Other Guy!

On Thursday, September 7, I underwent invasive surgery to reattach two tears of the retina in my right eye, and laser surgery to repair some holes in the retina of my left eye. The surgery was performed at St Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield by Dr Matthew Thomas of the Barnes Retina Institute, and I am forever grateful for the skill of the doctors, nurses, and technicians who saved my eyesight.
Dr Thomas estimated that the retina in my right eye was within a few weeks to a few months of total detachment, which would have left me permanently blind in that eye. Since patients with a detachment in one eye are at higher risk of a similar occurence in the other eye, he advised repairing the less severe damage in my left eye before it could progress.
The best thing about the whole deal (beside the eyesight thing), was that it all happened "blindingly" fast. I was diagnosed on Wednesday morning at 10:15 a.m. by Opthamologist Sydney Hanish, who referred me to Dr Thomas, who confirmed the diagosis and scheduled the operation for 9:30 a.m. the following morning. By about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, I was sitting in my kitchen in a semi-comatose state due to the lingering effects of anesthesia. I didn't even have time for any drug-induced hallucinations while I was under, which is kind of a shame 'cause I was hoping to meet Elvis. Friday morning, I was at the Barnes Center for Advanced Medicine having my facial skin removed along with the post-operative bandages and eye patch. As you can see from the photo, my right eye looks pretty beaten up. Thank God it wasn't my good side!
I want to thank Gimlet and Mrs MercMan for being with me at the hospital and the follow-up. Knowing they were there gave me great strength and peace of mind. Just the thought of them made it all bearable. I also want to thank Grandma Gimlet for staying at our house, keeping us all going, and making sure Daisy the Puppy didn't have to stay in a kennel while we were gone. And finally, Grandpa MercMan for running me around to all those specialists the day before the operation and offering to help with any household projects that needed to be done.
To anyone who has ever experienced "floaters" in their eyes, or seen flashing lights at night without cause, don't pass it off as normal. I had more than one optometrist tell me that they were "no big deal", and in truth, in most cases they aren't. Only about one person in a thousand who has floaters ever faces the threat of retinal detachment. Still, if you have ANY symptoms, my advice is to see an Opthamologist for an evaluation. Most likely, there'll be nothing to worry about. But for that one in a thousand, early detection means the difference beween simple laser repair surgery and the invasive ordeal required to save me.

Daisy's Fine, MercMan's Not

Yesterday, Daisy had her first visit to the veterinarian for her "new puppy" checkup. This is the same office we took our first Golden, Tinker, to, so it was a bit of Deja' Vu 15 years later. Good news! Daisy the puppy is perfectly healthy. That should be the end of the story, but it's not.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been having some vision problems with my right eye that just weren't improving. This morning, I went to see an Opthamologist who discovered that I have a detached retina! Not only that, but I have to be operated on tomorrow (Thursday) or I'll go blind in that eye within a few weeks to few months. Now that's an attention getter! Needless to say, I'm gonna face the knife.

At least after all that, I got to come home and spend the rest of the afternoon with Mrs MercMan and little Daisy. Thinking of them got me through the day, and will also get me through tomorrow.

Golden's Rule!!

Daisy Settles In

After coming to her new home on Saturday, September 2, Daisy is beginning to feel really comfortable in her new digs. In fact, the bottom picture shows her just a little too relaxed on Labor Day morning after a big play session in the backyard.
On Saturday, Gimlet, FroggieGirl, and Grandma Gimlet joined Mrs MercMan and I in welcoming Daisy to North County. Gimlet and FroggieGirl brought in a BIG basket chock full of doggie treats and playtoys. There was even a bandana sent by adjunct family member Melissa, who wanted our new pup to look stylish while strutting around the backyard. The top photo shows Daisy playing with FroggieToy, which is quickly becoming one of Daisy's favorites. Grandma Gimlet has laid in a supply of puppy snacks at her house so Daisy Mae will feel right at home when she vists Grandma in Overland.
Daisy even received a fancy announcement card in the mail from her cousin Velvet (the world's smartest Black Lab) just as she was first checking out the backyard. She loved it, as well as all the gifts and attention everyone showered her with, and says to tell everyone how much she loves all the members of her new, extended family.

Daisy Comes Home to North County

Daisy Mae Kyle is officially a resident of North St. Louis County, a Cardinals, Rams, and Blues fan, and general all-around sweetheart. Daisy says Hi! to her friends Fipsy, Shmoopy, Roo, Sully, Loki, and her cousin Velvet, and looks forward to exploring a lot more of Missouri as soon as her belly is far enough above the grass to prevent excessive tickling.

Only 7 Days 'til Daisy Comes Home!

Our golden puppy, Daisy Mae, is six weeks old now, and only one week away from coming to her new home in North County. Since we don't have an updated photo of her, I pulled this image from a Golden Retriever website. The fuzzy character in the picture is Papi and he/she is the same age as our Daisy. Hang on Daisy, we'll be there to pick you up next Saturday!!

Puppy Cards!

Since the MercFamily currently has puppies on the brain, I thought I'd post a National Rifle Association Christmas card featuring Goldens and Labs. Even if you're not a NRA member, the pups are still cute!

Daisy is Ours!

This morning, Mrs MercMan and I took the Golden Eagle Ferry across the Mighty Mississippi in order to visit the farm of the breeder of our Golden Retriever pup. It was a fun drive through rolling Illinois countryside on narrow roads often lacking striping or shoulders. We finally arrived at Sievers Kennels, and with the help of owners Gary and Gina, picked our little Daisy from a gorgeous litter of Goldens.
We still have to wait a couple weeks to pick her up so she can be with her Momma and littermates the recommended 7 weeks. She's been chipped, so we can identify her from her siblings, and can't wait to bring her home for good. Unfortunately, we only had a film camera, so we don't have pictures, but the Sievers promised to get some updated shots on their web as soon as possible.
Sleep tight, little Daisy, and get bigger and stronger every day. Know that your human Mom and Dad already love you and can't wait to have you with us all the time!

Our Golden Puppy is 4 weeks old!

The newest addition to the MercFamily turned 4 weeks old on Friday, August 11, and is beginning to look more like a puppy than a wriggley ball of golden fur. Next weekend, we go to pick our puppy from its littermates (that'll be tough!), and 2 weeks after that she'll come home to the MercHouse to stay. Updates to follow. Goldens Rule!!!

Weekly Rants, Raves, and Whatever

Well, here it is the first weekend in August. The year is quickly slipping away, I've turned another year older, and we've had one of the hottest Summers on record. How hot is it? It's so hot, mosquitos are only biting sunbathers wearing SPF 40 or above! It's so hot there are actually a few people paying money to see Al Gore's movie about global warming just to get into the air conditioned theater!

Along with the heat, the St. Louis area has also been experiencing a terrible drought that has toasted lawns and caused trees to drop their leaves 2 months early. How dry is it? It's so dry ducks have been using the Clark Bridge to get across the Mississippi, kids are having to use grape jelly on their Slip 'n Slides, and towns supplied by well water are encouraging residents to only wash the "smelly" parts of their bodies in order to conserve H2O! I'm praying for an early snowstorm to break this lousy weather pattern.

*Congrats to British and American intelligence teams for thwarting a plot by Islamic fanatics to blow up commercial airliners en route from the UK to the United States. Airport authorities have banned carry-on liquids as a result of information gleaned from the terrorists' plans to use a combination of common items to create potent explosive devices. Anyone who shows up at a destination with freshly washed hair, minty-fresh breath, or lacking underarm wetness will undoubtedly draw extra scrutiny from airport security.

*Mrs MercMan and I are celebrating our soon-to-be-claimed puppy's 4th week of life, and anxiously awaiting the day our little Golden Retriever comes to her new home. The only uncertainty will be whether we end up bringing home additional pups once we see them close up and in person. So far, the hardest part has been deciding on a name. Killer, Savage, and Kong don't particularly suit a Golden's temperament, unless you're concerned about being licked to death or smothered with affection.

*Speaking of terrorists, Israel and Lebanon may be on the verge of accepting a UN Security Council-brokered deal to end the fighting in southern Lebanon. My only concern is that Hezbollah not be treated as a legitimate party in the Resolution. How does a terrorist organization get the standing to be part of the United Nations? What's next, an honorary ambassadorship for Osama bin Laden? How about an honorary firing squad instead?! How about we dump the UN and start a new organization comprised of democracies? It would be nice to know we weren't supporting a bunch of totalitarian states bent on the weakening of the US with American taxpayers' dollars.

*The nutroots have claimed victory in the Conneticut Democratic primary for US Senate. Anti-war cable guy Ned Lamont defeated incumbent Joe Lieberman 52-48%, but the lefties have been portraying this as a "Dewey BEATS Truman" moment. Funny thing, Lieberman is about as liberal as a person can be, with his one offense being support for victory in the Iraq War. Lamont's sole claim to fame is a call to pull out immediately, which will probably cost him the general election if Lieberman runs as an independent as promised. My only hope is that the rest of the Dems follow the nutroots' lead and swing even farther to the left by November. That's the best scenario the clueless Republicans can hope for, since they can't win by acting like Democrats the past two years!

*This just in from the wire services: French authorities express frustration at the new recommendations to disallow liquids in airline carry-on. Since the French people don't use shampoo, toothpaste, or deodorant, there's really not much impact at French airports. French authorities are touting this lack of hygiene as another example of the superiority of Gallic culture.

*Everybody have a safe week. Remember this immortal line from a bumpersticker spotted on a 4-wheel-drive F250 in North County: TERRORISTS--SMOKE 'EM IF YOU'VE GOT 'EM!

Golden Puppies!!!

One of the small bundles of fluff in the picture is our new puppy. The pups celebrated their third week of life August 5, and in 4 short weeks we'll bring the newest member of the MercFamily home. We're still pondering names, but Daisy and Nugget are among the leading contenders. Only problem we'll face is coming home with a single dog once we've seen the whole litter in person.

Weekly Rants, Raves, and Whatever

WRRW is back after a two-week hiatus due to the aftermath of two powerful storms that raked the St. Louis area the week of July16-22. During that time, we lost power at the MercResidence twice, the first outage lasting about 12 hours, and the second lasting 5 days. During that span, Mrs MercMan and I learned to live in the basement to escape near-100-degree temperatures, dine by candlelight, sleep on an air mattress, and come to regard bags of ice as a more desirable investment than indexed mutual funds. The amount of tree damage/downed power lines in North County was significant, and greatly impeded the utility crews and tree trimmers who worked long days to get the lights back on. The worst part was on Saturday following the second storm when many area businesses were without power, and finding gas, ice, and food became a real challenge. By Sunday evening, stores were reopened, the lines at the filling stations were gone, and ice(!) could be secured without having to go through a ration line at the local 7-11. After 5 days of living like cave dwellers, we awoke on Wednesday, July 26 to the sound of utility trucks on our street as crews made one last check of the neighborhood prior to energizing our grid. At about 8:50 a.m., the lights came on, the air conditioner started expelling all the humidity the house had absorbed, and Mrs. MercMan and I danced in the cold draft of our risen-from-the-dead HVAC system. All in all, it wasn't that bad, but we are sure a lot more comfortable living off the fat of the land than pretending we're Amish! Thanks to all the folks who worked tirelessly in sometimes brutal weather to get our town back on its feet.

*In celebration of power restoration, I visited Lowe's last Sunday and used the birthday gift card given to me by Gimlet and Froggiegirl to purchase a new router bit. The new attachment allows me to make cabinet doors, drawers, and corner joints with tongue-and-groove edges, and works great in my router table. I had purchased a new Craftsman jig saw during the blackout (hey, think positive, I say), but hadn't gotten the chance to try it out. I had to settle for holding the saw in the dark and making electric motor noises, which is pretty pathetic.

*Staying on the tool theme, I was at the Sears Hardware Store on my lunch break this week and found the 2 horsepower stationary router I'd been coveting for months was finally on sale. I bought it then and there, and that night mounted it in my router table, freeing my combination stationary/plunge router for other duties. The new router is really sweet, and can fling wood chips with the best of them. It's time to invest another small fotune in wood and give my woodworking skills a real tune-up.

*Top news item for the week is our putting money down on a Golden Retriever puppy at Sievers Kennels in Meppen, Illinois. After our beloved Golden passed away almost 20 years ago, Mrs. MercMan and I had often talked about another dog, but it wasn't until recently that we really got things going. The newest member of our family turns 3 weeks-old today, but will stay with her Momma until she's 7 weeks old. In about 2 weeks, we'll take the Golden Eagle Ferry across the Mighty Mississippi to visit our new friend, and bring her home a couple weeks after that. We know that as a typical puppy, our Golden will drive us wacky from time to time, but it'll be awesome to have the house come alive as 65 pounds of lumbering Retriever practices its hunting skills in a 1000-square-foot house. We're already stocking up on tennis balls and Milk Bones!

*By the way, Goldens rule and Labs drool!

*Today, we have a new crisis on our street. I went outside this morning when I heard a couple of my neighbors talking excitedly on the sidewalk. Venturing outside, I saw a large amount of water sluicing down the street as if someone had left a hose running in the gutter full blast. Investigating a bit, I found a small geyser of water spewing from the driveway of the house just up the street. A call to the local water company brought out a tech, who, after much careful consideration, concurred that water probably was NOT supposed to flow from concrete. He marked the area with paint and planted a red flag, apparently to alert everyone that the huge puddle was wet and slippery. We are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of Missouri-American Water Company and the attendant shutoff of our water supply. Did you ever try to bathe in bottled water?

*Everone have a great week, and pray we don't have another utility crisis. I'm ready to get back to normal happenings in North County like grand theft auto and drive-by shootings!

A Dark & Stormy Night!

Last night was a rough one in North County. Since I'm on vacation, about 5 Wednesday afternoon I decided that I would grill some pork steaks, chicken, and brats on the gas grill in spite of the near-100-degree heat. About 6 pm, some dark clouds appeared in the northern sky, a sign that usually means bad weather has skirted the north suburbs and has moved into Alton, Illinois, just across the Mississippi.
Anyhoo, I finished the BBQ and had just settled down to eat dinner with Mrs MercMan when the lights flickered twice and then stayed out. The wind began to blow pretty strongly, and several small limbs blew down in the yard. Tuning in to the battery-powered radio, we found out the ol' Gateway City was getting its clock cleaned by a freak line of thunderstorms crossing the area from northeast to southwest. That direction is directly opposite the normal flow.
To top it all off, the taps began to run slow as the North County water treatment plant lost both its primary and secondary power. Thoughts of using a bush in the backyard danced in my head, but luckily, full pressure came back later Wednesday night.
We finally toddled off to sleep about midnight, but it wasn't too restful with the lack of a breeze and 1000 percent humidity. I woke up several times during the night, most likely because it was so darn quiet. That is definitely NOT North County.
I finally got up about 6 a.m., and a few minutes later, the power popped back on. With another 100+ degree day predicted, it couldn't come back on at a better time.
Turning on the tube, I got the whole picture of the storm's damage to the metro area. The local utility says this storm caused more folks to lose service than any storm before it, and it might be days before everyone's back up.
I'm beginning to pine for those nice, frigid days of January!

A Fuelish Failure

I got the news today that the once-Mighty Merc is in need of a new fuel pump to the tune of hundreds of dollars. Since the pump is in the gas tank, beyond the reach of the average Do-It-Yourselfer, and not wanting to immolate myself like a Buddhist monk, I gave the dealer the go-ahead for the work. It was either that or push a 4000 lb behemoth around town, although the prospect for better mileage and some extensive exercise did hold a certain allure.
I suppose I shouldn't complain. It is a used (oops...previously enjoyed) car, and I did get a heck of a deal when I bought it almost two years ago. I just wish it hadn't happened on my vacation the day before my birthday.
Funny thing, my horoscope for that day said, "You will make an alliance that will elevate your position in life". Little did I know that meant riding in the cab of a mile-high tow truck!
Anyway, by this time tomorrow the Merc will be back in my possession and gobbling dinosaur juice at a prodigious rate. Wow, it'll be great to get back to normal.

FORD--Fixed Or Repaired Daily

Saturday, Mrs MercMan and I loaded up the Mighty Merc and headed to Grandma Gimlet's house where we were to have dinner, view Gimlet and Froggiegirl's wedding photos, and get an early start to my birthday celebration. FroggieGirl's friend and Maid of Honor, Melissa, was also joining us, so we were looking forward to a fun afternoon and evening, safely inside Grandma's house on a scorching St. Louis Summer day.
We stopped at QT just up the road from G'Ma's to pick up the early edition of the Sunday paper, and purchased some PowerBall tickets just for grins. Unfortunately, when we got back out to the Merc, it wouldn't start. It cranked like a champ, but it appears the fuel pump expired, leaving a full tank of gas with no where to go and no way to get there. We walked back to G'Ma's house, wrung out as much sweat as we could, and then I returned to the scene of the crime in the hope it might be a simple case of vapor lock. Ha Ha.
By then, Gimlet arrived in his car and we vainly tried to reset the fuel pump relay in between spirited bouts of profanity. Luckily, a tow truck pulled in to the station and we were able to get a tow the few blocks to Grandma Gimlet's house, where the not-so-mighty Merc now lies mortally wounded.
I guess it could have been worse. We could have been on the highway on a 95 degree day when the engine stalled, or it could have happened six weeks ago during Gimlet and FroggieGirl's wedding. Bummer. Then again, it could have not happened at all. Stupid Ford!! There, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel a whole lot better.
Tomorrow, the lump goes to the dealer for a proper diagnosis (I hope!) and a substantial bill. I hear GM's having a big sale on light trucks, and I've always liked the Toyota Tundra, so.................?

Weekly Rants, Raves, and Whatever

It's been a while since the last WRRW filled these pages, but that's to be expected when there are a whole lot of things goin' on:
-My son, the QT/computer/brew expert Gimlet, married the lovely, artistic, and talented FroggieGirl on Saturday, June 3 at St. Ann's Church in Normandy, Missouri. By the time our heads hit the pillows early Sunday morning following the special day and a night of partying, MercLady and I were just about unconscious. The recovery from our fatigued state took much longer than we had anticipated, but we expect to be back up to warp speed before the end of the decade.
-I've had a lot of job-related chores to accomplish in the last few weeks.
-I'm getting old and lazy (not to mention crotchety).
-There have been a whole bunch of sales on tools at Sears. Lowe's, Home Depot, etc, etc.
Anyway, now that things are getting back to normal, or what passes for normal these days, I hope to get the column out on a more regular schedule.

*I'm really getting to like my new Craftsman router table. Instead of trying to corral a handheld router spinning at several-thousand RPMs, I simply mount the tool in the bench and guide the wood through. No fuss, no muss (unless you count the choking cloud of dust), and the cut turns out perfect. Woodworking is rapidly becoming one of my passions. I used to collect albums, car parts, and books. Now I collect router bits. Does this mean I'll turn into one of those old guys who sits behind a table at a craft show hawking bookends and birdhouses?

*My son's BMW developed a couple of interesting "conditions" recently. First, the rear shock mount got tired of being part of Teutonic engineering and decided to strike out on its own. It appears it will take the Marshall Plan and a skilled welder named Gunterschmidt to put things back as they were.
Secondly, the engine now produces a tapping noise, sort of like sonar when it bounces off the hull of a U-Boat. Not sure if it's terminal or just annoying, but either way it's got to run a few Deutschmarks to diagnose and treat.
Maybe what really hurt the Germans in WWII was that they didn't buy vehicles from their allies the Japanese!

*MercLady and I are still looking for a Golden Retriever to live at our house. The perfect candidate will be house trained, able to chase off marauding cats and bunny rabbits with a single bound, and star in multi-million dollar movies/tv shows/commercials. Other than that, we're pretty flexible. Note to South County Bear: Are you sure we're supposed to train the dog and not the other way around? It just seems so much easier to let the dog train us. Besides, how much obedience can you expect from an animal when it knows you pick up its poop?

*In a story related to the latest BMW caper, Gimlet and FroggieGirl have a new car, a 2004 Honda Civic. The new ride has a lot of advantages over the product from the Black Forest:
-Hondas have a great reputation for reliability and longevity. I've heard that a Japanese soldier from World War II was recently found on Guadalcanal still driving his 1939 Accord. The windshield was cracked from the US Navy bombardment in 1942, and it needed an oil change, but that was it.
-It uses regular gas, not premium like the Bimmer, and Civics are pretty frugal when it comes to mileage. Man, the Germans lost the war when their Panzers ran of of gas during the Ardennes Offensive in 1944, and they STILL haven't learned their lesson!
-The less money spent at QT on gasoline means more cups of Rooster Booster! More Taquitos! More Hot Dogs! More ice cream sandwiches! This is definitely a win-win situation.

*I have a week's vacation starting today, and my birthday is tomorrow (I'm too much of a gentleman to tell my age, so let's just say I'm "mature"). Naturally, the weather this week will be appropriately hot as hades and as humid as Borneo during rainy season. I'll probably have to spend the entire time inside doing woodworking projects with all my new power and hand tools. As Homer Simpson says, "Woo Hoo!! I hit the jackpot!".

-Everybody have a great week, and be sure to check this space next weekend when I'll be near the end of my time off and in a really crummy mood!

Goldens Rule!!

In spite of the claims by some misguided Lab owners, this picture clearly shows why Goldens rule. What other dog is so beautiful, friendly, and loyal as this big old boy?
I know that owners of other breeds love their puppies and think they're the best, and that's OK. Just remember that when it comes down to a vote, only owners of Goldens can truly and objectively state, without reservation, that their pooch is definitely "Numero Uno"!!!
PS Cardinal's Superstar Albert Pujols is the proud owner of a Golden. Maybe that's the secret to his success: He's so happy that he can't help but succeed!

About the Wedding.......

On Saturday, June 3, Mrs MercMan and I had the very great honor of officially welcoming a new member to our family as our son Gimlet and his fiance' Froggiegirl were married at St. Ann's Church in Normandy, Missouri. I've held off on writing a post re the happy event in the hopes of taking the time to get it right.

The weather was beautiful, like the bride, and I couldn't help feeling a little envious of the newlyweds' start on their life together. It seems a long time ago that Mrs MercMan and I stood side by side in a church ceremony, promising to love, honor, and cherish each other forever. While I wouldn't exchange a moment of my life, I wouldn't complain about being a 20-something again instead of a middle-aged AARP candidate.

As Gimlet and Froggiegirl were standing at the altar, my mind replayed highlights from Gimlet's growing up, from his trip home from the hospital to his first day of kindergarten; from the day he got his driver's license to the day he moved into his own house to the day he and Froggiegirl thrilled Mrs. MercMan and I with the news of their engagement. As I sat there thinking, I wondered if Froggiegirl's father was reliving those same memories of his now grown-up daughter. I'm betting he was, and though one chapter of our lives was ending, another was just beginning.

The wedding brought together more than just the bride and groom. Two families also became one, and that family includes all the wonderful friends who came together at a special place and time to show their support and best wishes for the newlyweds. My fervent hope is that the blessings of that day carry on forever for Gimlet and Froggiegirl, and all those who helped make the day the best ever!

The Router Table Has Landed!

Regular readers of this site know of my love of tools. Hand tools, power tools, mechanic's tools, woodworking tools, you name it, I love it, especially if it's made-in-America-drop-forged-3horsepower-3000 rpm-heavy-duty-etc-etc-etc. Well, today I assembled my latest addition: A Craftsman Professional Series, laminate-top router bench.

I've had a router for a while, but the addition of the bench is just downright awesome! Whether you're rounding edges or cutting moulding, this thing rocks! Just set the bit height, adjust the fence, feed the stock from right to left and voila, perfect edge.

Of course, now I need an additional router to leave permanently mounted in the bench, plus about 100 new router bits for all the projects I've got in mind. Ahhhh....love means never having to say you have too many tools!

Memories in Pictures

I was going through old photo albums tonight, and I was struck by how much time had slipped away. There were pictures of my late brother in his khaki Army uniform, as well as shots of us together when I was just a kid and he was an almost-grown big brother. I also found shots of my two sisters and my Mom and Dad, all taken 40-50 years ago. Can it really be that far back?
There were pictures of me with different hairstyles, from crew cuts to long side burns. I don't think I ever had an Afro, but I did have "love" beads and bell-bottomed pants in the 1960s!
Then there were my and Mrs Merc Man's wedding pictures. Mrs looked hot, and although we were both 21, we sure looked like a couple of babes in the woods. I can't even remember being that young.
Of course, a lot of the pictures featured Gimlet (or as I call him, The Boy!), chronicling his march from childhood to (yipes!) teenager to adult. Our latest pictures of The Boy also feature FroggieGirl, which is as it should be, since very soon they'll declare before God, family, and friends that they are two hearts beating as one.
Here's wishing them lots of happy pictures in the album.

Transmission A-Go-Go!

Saturday, Gimlet and I attempted to diagnose an intermittent problem with Grandma Gimlet's '92 Olds Cutlass Ciera. While driving the car, it would sometimes behave as if it were struggling along in the wrong gear (it's an automatic). The car would shudder as you approached a stop, and would stall as soon as the car stopped moving. Then, after a few blocks of trying to give just enough gas to keep rolling without lugging the engine, things would smooth out and everything would be hunky-dory.
I suspected a problem with the lock-up torque converter, as Mrs Merc Man's '86 Cutlass Supreme suffered a similar malady earlier in its career. Still, I wasn't quite convinced GM would allow a chronic problem like this to go on for 6 model years without a fix.
Anyhoo, Gimlet and I headed out on a test drive, with Gimlet behind the wheel. I ran the passenger-side power window down for a little fresh air, then discovered that said window would not go back up. So far, our drive had not started out on a good note!
We drove for a long time, pausing only at the QT on Page to let the car heat soak and refresh ourselves before the next leg of our journey. After another 15-20 minutes of trouble-free cruising, we were just heading home when, all of a sudden, SHIMMY!, SHAKE!, SHUDDER!, the ol' car started doing its imitation of a belly dancer on speed! After several white-knuckle moments, we were finally able to limp the car home, at which time it proceeded to run just fine. Diagnosis: NEW CAR!!!!
Naw, just kidding, maybe. We're pretty sure it IS the lock-up converter, which we can disable by jacking up the car, putting it on stands, and unplugging its power source.
Now, about that passenger-side window..........