Day Seven - Project 7

Saturday, April 6

  Spent the day at my parents.  Magda played with her cousin, and I spent a lot of it with my dad.

  First of all, my dad is a lot smarter than I am.  More importantly, he's a lot harder working than I am.  There's a line from Yes, Minister or Yes, Prime Minister (can't remember which) where Sir Humphrey is talking to this idiot old-boy establishment buffoon banker, and the banking idiot explains that some "decent chaps" broke the first rule of "The City":

  If you're stupid, you have to be honest, and if you're crooked, you have to be clever.

  I quoted that in a toast for my dad's 60th, and explained that he proved you could be honest and clever.

  I like my dad, is what I'm saying.

  That said, I disagreed with him today.  I told him all about the project, that I was trying to learn more about my car, so that I could do the little things like change my oil, the filters, things like that, and did he know anyone with little ramps to jack up the wheels so I could do things like this?  My dad said he didn't think so, and that I was welcome to do my oil changes at their place (because despite my folk's country mouse leanings, my house in town has the uneven gravel drive, whereas their "Cottage" has a nice, flat, giant, paved driveway), but that he felt that it didn't really make sense in this day and age to try to learn basic auto repair.  When I asked why, he told me it was because of all the computer diagnostic systems required with almost every modern car.  I don't think I mentioned the OBD-II thing that I totally want.  I was surprised at his reaction.  My dad's a successful businessman that probably could have quit jet-setting at any time and become a successful carpenter in an instant.  I'm saying he's good at a lot of stuff.  He taught me chess when I was five, and I didn't beat him till I was twenty-five....

  And it was in this sort of self-involved reverie when it hit me.  The real reason he was a little discouraging.

  I am a long term screw-up.  He was trying to protect me from doing something like taking my car apart and not knowing how to put it back together.  He's had to watch out for me for a long time.  He knows me.

  I went out to my car after getting home, with a few websites' worth of advice and a little flashlight, and found that OBD-II data link connector under my steering column.

  I think I'll get better at this for my dad.  Not to spite him.

  But maybe I can get him to worry about me less if I can do stuff like this.

-Mike