Swapped the transfer case out in the GMC with the rebuild today. At some point soon I’ll put something together on aggregate to document this, however someone asked for a material list for the chicken coop on flickr today so perhaps I should do that write up as well. The transfer case swap has me thinking a lot. Of course, there’s the disappearance of M. I’m unconvinced she wants to hear from me at all, even if something is horribly wrong. Despite all that conversation with T about the people that get passes in our lives, I just, am unconvinced she cares.

Particularly, I’ve been comparing this transfer case job with the last. Around six years ago I had rebuilt the transfer case in the Chevy with some help from Matthew. At the time a number of folks were eager to help but like most of the opportunities I tried to give they wandered off eventually. M’s relationship with this swap is quite a bit different, but not entirely so. Promises, indication of interest, no follow through.

Mom and I had dinner with T and I urged her to get her drivers license. In my head I’ve been thinking a lot about responsibility. At the time, I was thinking about how getting your drivers licenses is one of those things you should do, but usually are pressured to. It reminds me of Dad saying that the key to taking advantage of opportunities is being prepared to take them.

What’s changed in six years? I’ve gone from a 1993 Chevy with around 80,000 miles (150k now I believe) to a 1997 GMC with 210,000 miles.Really, everything. Still. I thought about how so few people I know here know what a transfer case is, let alone what it would mean to swap one. Yet, I had confidence in doing the job. Partially because my automotive knowledge gives me a good idea of what it would be like, but also because I’ve done it before. When I thought about writing about the job, I got thinking about mechanics that do this every day, and how it isn’t a particularly special thing. Then again, I doubt I know anyone here who has swapped a transfer case before.

I spent eight hours out in the cold today doing the work alone, except asking one of my roommates to run one of the jacks as I extracted and replaced the transfer case from the under-body. Last time, I spent most of it alone, although I had great help (mentorship?) from Matthew. That’s what struck me. I tend to think people aren’t doing anything, but I’ve also managed the last couple of years to fill my life with people who are. So what’s missing, why was I doing this alone? Or why did I spend three days alone on a mountain last weekend? Or take two dirt bike trips alone the weekend before? At least half of it is finding people who really want to do these things and will follow through. I wonder how much is preference.

Mom proposed I may want to wait until it was warmer to do the work, but I was committed and didn’t want to put it off. I said to her that I had done much worse and I was reminded of installing a block heater on the P30. It was in New York, in the parking lot of a motel, in real snow. It was cold to begin with, but I had to flush most of the coolant to add the block heater, so it was wet and colder. The situational conditions didn’t provide much comfort either. I had to take a taxi to an auto parts store to get a battery charger and the parts.

Anyway. I’m excited to not fit and be alone right now. Weird.