Marc - 1, Liftmaster Garage Door Opener - 0

So, the garage door opener died the other day. It was 6 degrees outside (that's Fahrenheit) and the drive gear finally stripped out and died. It was 16 years old, so I can't blame the thing, but it picked a lousy day to die. I did some research on the web, shopped for parts, and had two choices:

41C4220A for $26.00
41A2817 for $17.68

I could have gotten them for more at a lot of places, but found these on eBay at 365garagedoorparts out of Connecticut. Incidentally, they had the best price, shipped quickly, and even wrote a pleasant message on the receipt. I can highly recommend them. The kits are MADE IN THE USA as well. Bonus.

So anyway, the difference between the two kits is that the more expensive one replaces an entire segment that doesn't need replacing, but makes it unnecessary to disassemble a portion of the opener to fix a part that DOES need replacing. I thought, "Why pay extra to create more waste? I'll get the kit that costs less and doesn't create more landfill, even it takes a little more work."

Wrong answer.

I now know why they make the more expensive option available. At just $8.32 more, it would have saved me a LOT of trouble and time. Hours. Removing roll pins that have been in place for sixteen years? Yeah, that sucked.

So if someone searches for Liftmaster Garage Door Opener parts, and has the option of 41C4220A and 41A2817, I'm hoping this post will convince them to go ahead and pull the trigger...get the 41C4220A and be glad it only cost you a few bucks more. It's SO worth it.

Some highlights from Dom's first season of ice hockey...

No, I haven't forgotten...

I just haven't had much to post to this point. Sure, Dom's started back to school (something called "Transitional Kindergarten" which seems redundant to me, but whatever...), but the real fun starts tomorrow. It's his first "flag football" practice/game. :)

A Little Levity.

It occurred to me that this blog got off to a negative start. I don't want it to be all doom and gloom, so here's a short video of the kiddos playing at Brooks School Park here in Fishers, IN. It's not riveting footage, but it's a lot more light-hearted than what I would likely put in its place if I didn't post it. Enjoy. :)

Just so I remember, when it's finally up to me...

Don't lie.

Seriously, it seems simple enough, but a long series of events the last few weeks...perhaps months...has made me realize it's painfully easy to do. Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is that some level of dishonesty is apparently acceptable. An example:

Someone...let's call her "Judy"...has been circulating an email stating that someone else...um, "Mike"...has been leaving work early and not showing up on days he's been scheduled to work. Now, aside from being a lie, it's a particularly lousy lie as well, because it's easily discredited. Mike clocks in and out from work each day (something that, honestly, is a bit ridiculous in and of itself, but I digress). It's quite simple for anyone (including Judy and her superiors) to check and see that Mike hasn't been doing what Judy has claimed. Still, not only is Judy's word being accepted as gospel, but Mike is suffering the consequences of this lie. Others DO know that Judy's being dishonest, and yet nothing is being done.

Lying apparently is acceptable among the brass in Mike's company. To this, Mike replies: "Never let the fact that others have no standards serve as an excuse to lower your own."