Modern Vespa

I put washers between the radiator and grill on the tamarit (the TH grills are known to get a little rattly especially with the rubber grommet on the bottom for the belly pan). Unbeknownst to me (but entirely predictably given my penchant for this sort of thing) I didn't tighten down one of the bottom clamps on the belly pan.

It took advantage of the opportunity to go be free on the pavement somewhere (lord only knows where, but I hope it's enjoying the fresh mountain air?).

Managed to source some pipe strap clamps at Lowes, so I should be able to get it sorted tomorrow at least.

While my 2024 GTS 300 HPE calls for 5W40 (synthetic), I've found that there is "regular" and also 4T for motorcycles. The 4T is nearly double in price. Per the manual, it must be compliant with JASO MA, MA2, API SL, and ACEA A3. As with other things like coolant, none of the brands list out all of the compliancy components. But from what see with the Castrol 4T I found, it meets JASO MA2 and API SL. The regular doesn't meet these 2 but does call out meeting ACEA A3/4.

Unless I missed one, which is possible, the non 4T less expensive versions don't meet the Vespa spec. (Castrol 4T $16.95 vs. regular $8.50). Any thoughts?

links to the specs would be good

I'm sorry, but I have no link. To date I've not found an online/soft version. But here's the page from the manual that came with her. Note the callout of "for four-stroke" which is how all 4T oils are labelled on the bottles.

I don't mean showing what's in the manual, I mean link to "I've found that there is 'regular' and also 4T for motorcycles" and "the Castrol 4T I found" as we don't know the exact products you are looking at, ie where and what did you find?

OK. Color me DUH, as they say.

Castrol 5W40S: https://a.co/d/0fbwBhhS
Castrol 5W40S 4T: https://a.co/d/0i0xN6oJ
Photos below of the label spec sections as well for ease.

just buy the motorcycle one, it's the right choice.

anyway some of the reasons for the differences is that motorcycles typically share their engine oil with the gearbox where as cars don't (yes I know a vespa is a dry clutch). Also motorcycles also typically rev a lot higher.

That's what I had done, but the confirmation is nice. I just wanted to bring this up since the 4T aspect hadn't been part of the banter.

As seamus26 mentioned, this would all be nice on a separate thread. Is there any way to extract these from WPYOT and onto a collective post? If one of us opens a new one, can these individual pieces be transferred or copied? It would be a good idea for archival purposes (thanks seamus26.)

Seamus' comment was meant as a joke, hence the mention of diving under a table. There are already many oil threads, (too many, probably) and references to oil types in the Wiki pertaining to what model scoot you have. As long as it hits the specs - Castrol, Rotella, Valvoline, etc,,,, make a choice and you are good to go.

When I went to bed last night, I saw that the window AC unit was displaying an error code of CH 67. The room was still cool, so I ignored it and went to sleep.

This morning I checked it and learned that the fan is dead. I checked with the manufacturer and learned that the warranty was expired (as I expected), but they referred me to a couple of local repair shops.

None of them work on window AC units, because it's cheaper to replace them than repair them.

So I had to buy a new window AC unit for our bedroom this afternoon, and now I get to install it so we don't have to sleep on the recliner tonight, since the bedroom temperature is currently over 83°F/28°C.

Hopefully it went in OK and it wasn't a night in the recliner.

LOL! It was fun while it lasted.

It actually went much easier than I expected.

The old unit was an LG model that replaced a much larger unit. Because of the nature of the initial installation, I hired a handyman to install the LG unit. (There was a windowsill installed above the AC unit, and our curtains have been custom-sized to the window above the sill. The handyman filled the opening around the LG unit with painted plywood panels, and we installed fiberglass insulation between the panels. It was very sturdy.) I was worried that he had done such a good job of it that I would have a difficult time uninstalling the old unit. I was able to uninstall everything fairly easily and salvaged all of the 3" wood screws he had used.

I moved the windowsill to the bottom of the window and used a half-dozen of the 3" screws to anchor it to the window frame. The new AC unit is a Midea U-shaped model, so the window closes to within 3" of the windowsill. It is also much lighter than the LG unit it replaced, so I didn't need my wife's help to get it into the window.

I started the installation around 4:45 pm, and had it completed by 9pm. The temperature in the room had gone up to 84°F/29°C by the time I was finished. The new unit had it down to 74°F/23°C by the time we went to bed around 11:30pm. It is also very quiet.

As mentioned previously, I'm currently on Paid Administration Leave due to my department's loss of funding for the coming school year. Today was the first payday based on this. I expected the direct deposit amount to be the same as usual (they're really strict about us working exactly 40 hours per week).

Imagine my shock when I saw that it was only 30% of that amount. I looked at the pay statement and saw that I was paid 8.9 hours of straight time (for Friday, May 29), and only 24 hours of Leave pay, for a total of 32.9 hours, instead of the 80 I was expecting.

I looked into it and learned that we were supposed to have clocked out when we left the building on Monday, June 1. Not clocking out that day ended up showing I had worked 0 hours that day. They then added three 8-hour days (Tu, We, Th) for the rest of the week. I said that explains the first week, what about the second week of the pay period?

It turns out that the Payroll department expected our department's Office Manager to submit Payroll updates at the end of the pay period, and she didn't. Because she is also on Paid Administrative Leave, and they revoked access to the Oracle system as of Noon on June 1, so even if she wanted to, she couldn't.

They (Payroll) have worked it out and will be submitting additional payroll deposits for the 9 of us that are affected (Salary staff were not affected).

when you point a "horse" at water and it ignores it and stares at a cactus

LOL

makes me wonder why I bother. sometimes I just run away

I think it's because some have very poor grasp of english even though it's seemingly their first language (I obviously don't expect from those whose first is non-english).

maybe I should switch to talking in 1s and 0s. But even then I've seen many fail at basic maths

wouldn't work as so many people are scared of digital things in their bikes and therefore always blame them. they're scared of the unknown.

Common problem.

This is more of a frustration than a pissing off.

As mentioned previously, I'm on paid leave until the end of August, at which point I lose my job, so I'm looking for something else.

I decided to email the manager at the other school district about the Wide Format operator job that I'd been twice referred to. She called me Monday and asked me to come in for an interview. I scheduled it for 11am on Tuesday, figuring I'd be in-&-out in an hour and a half or so, and could then go take my wife to lunch for our anniversary. Well, I didn't get out of the interview until after 3pm, so our anniversary lunch became an anniversary dinner.

I'd be a really good fit for the position. It's almost perfect. My concern about enrollment based funding isn't an issue there due to the fact that their department has the full support of the administration all the way up to, and including, the school board. Their hierarchy is also less complicated than my current employers: they have one level between the boss and the superintendent, while there are three levels between my boss and the superintendent at my current job. They have all the equipment I could want, and the budget to buy more as necessary. Were I to take the job she'd get me a top-of-the-line MacBook Pro, and a 30" external monitor.

Sounds great, right? So why am I posting here and not in What's Cheering Me Up?

The pay rate is firm and represents a 31% pay cut. They also would need me to start as soon as I can clear their hiring process, which would be before my Paid Administrative Leave ends, so I'd be losing $2k just from that.

I discussed it with my wife over dinner, and she made some very good points:
I'd be spending at least 2 hours per day commuting in my truck. I'd already figured that we could carpool, that I'd drop her off at her job by 8am, then continue on to mine by 8:30. Both of our shifts would end at 5, but she has closing duties, so she could be busy while waiting for me. This would save on commuting costs but would do nothing to reduce how much time I spend in the car.

We could survive on that pay cut, but just barely. My income would be reduced by over $1500/month. I'd also be making less than I was almost 7 years ago when I first started at my current job. It would be as if all of the progress I had achieved hadn't happened. Plus, I just earned my BA to help me get better positions should the need arise. Well, the need has arisen; it's time to put it to work.

Also, while they do give annual pay raises, the raises are usually only between 2-4%, and they aim for 3%. It would take 13 years to reach the same pay that I'm currently getting. Add to that, there isn't the same potential for career advancement.

I have to decide by tomorrow (Thursday) if I'm going to take it or not. I'm about to compose the email now to decline the position.

It sucks because I think I would do well there, but the pay cut and commute make it untenable. If it were closer to home, or the pay was better, I'd have accepted it yesterday.

I can't say I blame you for turning the job down. That is a heck of a pay cut. The commute time sucks, but I suspect that is pretty normal for most jobs. A good day for me used to be around three hours but sometimes more. I think it's a bit funny that they want an answer so soon considering the job has been open for so long. I bet you it will still be there when your pay runs out.

Their "raise" will most likely not offset inflation.

OFG

Really, Hobby Lobby?

Mid winter Christmas?

Oh, wait.

The thing that really ticks me off is I missed out on all the pumpkin spice sales. In April.

Today (6/25 on this side of the Int'l Date Line) is Leon Day. So, it does make some sense. Some. I despise the rushing of holidays.

For what ever reason ($$$), retailers routinely practice Christmas in July.

Crafters need time to make their holiday-themed items.
It does no good to sell Christmas-themed craft items in late November/early December, because no one will have time to knit/crochet/hot glue/be crafty with them in time to gift/display them.

So they're not promoting the holiday; they're promoting making items to be ready in time for the holiday.

I'd agree with you except those are ALL PRE-MADE DECORATIVE ITEMS!

I don't think it will be. She let me know she had another candidate she was ready to offer the position to. Then two different vendors mentioned to her that I would be a great fit, so she held off on sending the offer to the other applicant. I know she could just be blowing smoke to get me to make a rushed decision, but I got the impression that she doesn't work that way.

I think part of the reason behind the position can best be summed up by the analogy my wife came up with: What I do is like being an Oboe player in an orchestra - there's only one per orchestra, and there aren't that many oboe players out there, so when a position opens up, finding candidates can be a struggle. I think they posted the position in January when someone retired, and she and her graphic designer have been picking up the slack until now. With the workload ramping up for the start of the new school year, they are starting to get stretched too thin, so they need to fill it soon.

I'd asked about pushing the start date to September, and she said no, they need someone before that because August is one of their two busiest times. I mentioned that I have a planned trip to Wisconsin to visit aging family, and she said that taking that time off would be an issue due to work load. My best case would be to push the start date to as late in July as possible, and try to squeeze in an abbreviated trip to Wisco before then. But that wouldn't be smart, financially, because of the huge pay cut I'd be taking.

I did apply to a couple of other places yesterday, and I have a couple more that I'm considering applying to, so we'll see what happens.

I agree to a point.

Yes, they're all pre-made decorative items, and while they can be stand-alone decorations, they can also be used to make other decorative items.

With the exception of the wreath/garland items in the last picture, and the "candy" items in the second, most of the items on display appear to be on the upper shelves as "back stock", as if they are queued up to make the actual Christmas reset process faster. The candy item display looks incomplete, for example.

Well, regardless of all that, the bottom line is the pay. Unless you have the ability to always live close to your job (doubtful), the commute is, what it is and just part of life.

Time to think outside the box. I know very few people that actually work in their studied field. The world is your oyster. Your degree will (should) open up doors you never imagined.

Bob

Oh, I understand that. One of the things that always irks me when people complain about "not being paid during their commute" is that they chose both where they live and where they work. If they didn't want to have a long commute, they should find a job closer to home. Or if they prefer the job, move to a place closer to work. Their employer shouldn't pay them to commute, because the employer isn't forcing them to live where they live. Because I understand this, I take it into account when applying for jobs.

If this job were closer to home or paid even $5/hour more, I'd probably have taken it, despite the lack of career advancement. Yeah, both of my parents have degrees in English and have earned teaching credentials. Both taught for only short periods, and their primary careers were spent in completely unrelated fields.

My wife has a degree in History (specifically the post-Civil War era) with a minor in Special Education, and she pursued teaching for a short period before graduation (she never obtained her teaching license). Her work history consists of several years of advanced admin (secretarial) work, followed by 12 years of web master/social media work, and she's now the First Impressions Associate for a printing company (she works the front counter).

Most of the people I know who use their degrees are those with specialized careers (doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.), and teachers.

I've applied to a couple of other jobs in the area and am waiting to hear back. I also turned in my last two assignments yesterday to complete the first term of my MBA. The term ends Sunday, and there's a one-week break before the next term starts, so it's like getting an extra half-week off.

I'm also in the process of getting set up on Fiverr.com for some side-gig income.

As I was leaving a coffee shop in Mars Hill, NC today, I noticed the front tire on Vanessa was bald.

How I hadn't seen this coming is beyond me. I just put air in it yesterday but didn't look at the tread.

I checked my records and found that the tire has around 11,000 miles on it.

It is a Pirelli Angel.

Luckily, a friend is coming up to ride with me on Monday.

I told him where to find a key at my house in Florida so he can bring a mounted tire from my tire collection in the garage there.

In the meantime, I will limit my mountain riding.

Bill

People like to whine about commuting to each other in that it gives them something common to talk about. Meanwhile, good on you for moving ahead on your MBA and working on finding that next job. And to the people that did not offer you enough $$ - they are going to get exactly what they are paying for.

Dang it, Bill, I think you got ever bit of wear out of that one. Watch out for the fine gravel in the curves.....

There's a difference between whining about one's commute and complaining that one's employer doesn't compensate for the time spent commuting.

I've seen people say that they should be paid from the moment they leave the house until the moment they return. I disagree with that. When that person was job searching, they knew where it was when they applied and when they accepted it. If they had a long commute, they should have accounted for that during their compensation negotiations. That's not to say they should have tried to get paid for their commuting time; rather, they should have tried to get more pay to offset the time spent commuting.

By the same token, if they're looking to move to a new house/apartment while keeping their current job, they need to take their commute into account. They need to ask themselves whether it's worth it to have a 1+ hour one-way commute to live in a specific neighborhood.

It comes down to personal choices and being happy with the choices one makes.

If I had accepted the position, it probably would have made more sense for my wife and me to sell our house and move closer to where we work. But our current mortgage is only $800/month (including escrow for taxes & insurance), and we're 26 months away from paying it off. We really don't want to take on another mortgage at this point, and most homes in our price range have half the square footage of our current home. We'd be trading lower commute time & costs for higher housing costs, and they don't cancel each other out. Because of this, I chose not to take the position, and I'm happy with that decision.

I have never worn out a front tire before.

And I have put more miles on them than this one.

They usually start cupping at this mileage, with plenty of tread remaining.

It may be that this one has been in North Carolina for the past year, enjoying curvy roads rather than the usual straight, flat Florida roads.

But a new tire is coming.

As for watching out for gravel in corners, I have found that gravel doesn't discern between new and old tires.

It is happy to take down anybody.

But not me yet.

Bill

Understood. Being a coastal Florida boy, I was always on look for sand in the corners. Up here is gravel, and yeah, it doesn't matter what sort of tires you have, it will take you down if you aren't paying attention. Of course, in the Fall, you can add in the leaves too. and it's even more fun if they are wet.