July 5, 2016 Evening
Good afternoon! Mostly sunny and 88 degrees in Albany, NY. There is a west breeze at 12 mph. The dew point is 60 degrees. Not as humid as earlier, and I would argue quite pleasant. Tomorrow will be more humid though.
Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 64. Three degrees above normal. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1962.
Tonight the sun will set at 8:35 pm with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 19 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight we have a Waxing Crescent Moon with 10% illuminated. The moon will will set around 10:33 pm. Should be a pleasant skinny moon around dusk. July’s Buck Moon is on Tuesday, July 19th.
Wednesday will be sunny, with a high near 90. One of the hottest days of the summer so far. Modestly humid with a dew point around 62 at 4 pm, but the dew point will creep up in the evening to around 66, which will make for uncomfortable sleeping. Ninety degrees is about eight degrees above normal. West wind 5 to 7 mph. The record high of 97 was set in 1886.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Sunday, scattered showers, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.
In four weeks on August 2 the sun will be setting at 8:13 pm, which is 22 minutes earlier then today. The average high is 82 degrees, and the record for that date is 97 degrees was set back in 1975.
This past weekend, I think I may have loosened up a wiring harness or something in my truck up at Moose River Plains, because I’ve had sporadic electrical issues. Twice this weekend, the truck didn’t do anything when I turned the key to start, but started on the second try. Not a low battery or some other issue — the voltage was fine and it started normally on the second try. I thought maybe it was a security system error when the key wasn’t recognized, but usually a message appears when that happens. Maybe I just didn’t turn the key far enough, reaching through the window. Or possibly the security system got confused by leaving the doors unlocked overnight. We will see if this issue continues.
Then driving back, I noticed that the turn signal clicker noise was running a half speed — and kept clicking slowly as I turned the signals off. I thought maybe I had a malfunctioning taillight, but I checked those — headlights, brake, turn signals, all appeared fine — operating at normal speed, and turning off properly. I know often when the clicker or blinker runs slowly, it’s a sign of a faulty bulb. But everything seemed normal for the signals except the clicker. The passenger window switch also wasn’t working right but that has been temperament for a while. Probably need to take it apart and clean the contacts. I went in the house, unpacked things, and things were back to normal driving out to my parents house and back. The window and turn signals worked perfectly normal, and things started up just fine. I’m going to the store this evening, so we’ll see how things go then.
Maybe I just imagination all of this. I was a bit hung over, and maybe the headache was distorting my perception of reality. I can be a hypochondriac with my truck at times. But I hate getting stranded in the wilderness — something that really hasn’t happened since I got Big Red. The thing is if none of these issues ever happen again, I really don’t have much to go on to get fixed. I will see and if I have something solid to go on, I’ll have it fixed. Could have been a temporary glitch that has been fixed since the computer rebooted.
I do have to get Big Red into for service. I need to get the transmission and axle fluid changed, as recommended by the severe service schedule. I am also going to have them check the air conditioning to see if I need a recharge. It cool after driving for a few minutes but it’s not as frigid as I’d like. I know recharging the AC can be easily done with a kit but the truck is relatively new, so I figured let the professionals deal with it. I did learn about the relatively simple procedure on the Internet, so that as long as 134a continues to available to the consumer in the future I could someday do it myself when I drive more of a clunker. It’s a very simple job. Overcharging the refrigerant can burn out a compressor but also running a compressor low can wear it out due to a lack of lubrication. I don’t want to lose my air conditioning capacity.
Scheduled an eye appointment for next week, so I can get more contacts prior to vacation. I generally hate doctors and all their impossible to understand fees, but I like being able to see. At some point I should think about Lasix, but that’s something I need to think about more.
I have to return library books tonight or tomorrow. But I also want to go to the park. I guess I could return the books tomorrow at the Albany Public Library. It’s such a nice evening. I do like spending evenings in the park, especially when they are so nice. I also need to go grocery shopping. I have some camp food left but I need stuff for lunches.
