Excellent Weekend

I love the Colorado weekends where gorgeous weather follows a snowstorm. The sky seems to have been storing up blueness over the last few days, and has decided to soak us with it all at once. You can feel the sun tugging at your arm to drag you outside, and you can almost hear it shouting "I'm back! Let's play!"

This was one of those weekends. A couple of days after scraping ice off windshields and slogging through sodden, leaf-filled snowdrifts, it was once again time to put on shorts and t-shirts and take Tanner over to the tennis court for yet another whuppin' from his old man.

Conditions weren't exactly Wimbledon-esque, though. There was a pretty good snow drift on the south side of the court, and as the game went on, the melting process ensured a steady stream of water flowing across the courts. Being the admirers of engineering that we are, the boy and I spent a moment discussing what a fine job the court builders had done in creating just enough of a dip in the surface so that the water would drain, but not enough so that the players would think it was anything other than flat. It was really pretty impressive. Most of the time, admiring thoughts of design and craftsmanship tend to focus on electronics, machinery -- iPods and rockets and such. But every now and then, it's nice to remember that there are some pretty smart people working in the field of drainage management, too.

Anyway, the game took on a different complexion for two main reasons. 1) Tanner was nailing his serves. At the beginning of the set, his first-serve smashes were stand-there-and-watch-it-go-by winners, and his confidence grew. But as I got used to them, I started making the returns, and they became less of a factor. Still, the fact that he was getting those shots in meant that I had to stay on my toes for every single serve. 2) The balls got wet. As gorgeous as the weather was, there was still plenty of snow and water around, and eventually, all the balls got soaked. Sometimes we'd try to bounce them dry before serving, but other times it was fun to whack 'em and watch the droplets fly off them as they zinged across the net.

I think I actually got a little sunburned. And as usual, we ended up having to go to a tie-breaker to determine the match victor. So even if I did nothing else the entire weekend, this one was getting a gold star for being excellent.

But the rest of the weekend was fabulous, too. The only little glitch came during my housecleaning, when the brushes on the vacuum cleaner stopped spinning. No problem, thinks I, I'll just replace the belt and resume my domesticity with only a minor interruption.

But as has been well documented within these pages, fixing stuff, for me, is nearly synonymous with "emergency room visit" and/or "just buy a new one". But c'mon, these machines are designed to make belt replacement a snap, right? Right?

Sure looks that way. The bottom plate of the vacuum appeared to be attached with three of those giant half-turn lock screws that you can open with a coin...which is always a good sign. If the manufacturer assumes you have no tools, then how hard can it possibly be?

Apparently too hard for me. I used a dime and turned the screws, but the plate wouldn't release. I carried the thing into the other room where the light was better, to see if there was another fastener of some sort that I might just be missing. Sure couldn't see one. So I went to my computer and read the owners manual. (Yes, I keep PDF copies of owners manuals for just about everything. I know I'm a nerd; what's your point?) Surprisingly, it was legible and not-too-badly written. "Using a coin, turn these three screws," it said. OK. Now what?

Well, it must just be stuck. That means that it's time for WD-40, Vise Grips, and Brute Force. And seeing that all the components in this part of the machine were made of plastic, I knew there was great potential for breakage, blood, and derisive laughter from paramedics. Sigh. Still, I decided to keep trying.

After what seemed like hours of yanking, bending, and name-calling, the plate finally snapped loose. As far as I could tell, the problem was that one of the coin-operated screws was just a little crooked, and was getting hung up. But nothing broke, and guess what? The belt was intact; it had just slipped off the capstan. Cool, I could have this fixed and be back to vacuuming within seconds.

Or I guess I should say "I could have the belt installed incorrectly and the case closed and locked back up within seconds." Before my repair, the machine's brushes would not rotate. Now they wouldn't STOP.

Sigh.

Further investigation revealed that there was a derailleur device inside the housing through which the belt needed to be threaded. This of course, is not easy -- another brute strength operation with potential for disaster, but I managed to struggle through it. I even tested the brush on-off lever before reassembly this time, and it appeared to work just fine. Popped the plate back on, adjusted the little rubber bumper strip, and declared victory.

Um, another premature declaration. The stupid thing still doesn't work. (Oh, don't get Freudian on me...I know where the stupidity actually lies here. But if I want to blame my troubles on an inanimate object, well, that's what I'm gonna do, and you need to just stay out of it, OK? Thanks.) I had run out of time, though, and would have to defer the project. I know the drill now, though, so tomorrow's repeat repair ought to only take minutes. Right?

Well, sure. Absolutely. I'm fully confident on this one. Completely and 100% certain of my impending succes. (It's only 3 screws, after all.) But it still might help if you wish me luck, and beseech the tool fairies to smile upon me during my next attempt. In the meantime, I shall wish you a lifetime of clean carpets without the need for belt replacements or brute force solutions. Enjoy the gorgeous weather, and have a great day!