Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[BeardyHat]

Well, my plan for today is to...drive around.

Want to make sure my van is ready for this mountain road trip next week, so I'm going to see if it exhibits any of the strange shifting behavior it had before. It was intermittent before, so we'll see.

Though, I also want to mess around with this tablet I got. It's nothing special, but I'm kind of enamored with it and what it can do as far as emulation goes; it does a respectable job for a $250 Android tablet; even PSP was running quite well on it and it has the ability to run some Shaders in retroarch. Not my favorite ones, but that's ok, it's impressive that it can do it at all.

Not really sure why I'm testing it though, I'm likely never to use it for these things so I dunno.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Well, my plan for today is to...drive around.

Want to make sure my van is ready for this mountain road trip next week, so I'm going to see if it exhibits any of the strange shifting behavior it had before. It was intermittent before, so we'll see.

Though, I also want to mess around with this tablet I got. It's nothing special, but I'm kind of enamored with it and what it can do as far as emulation goes; it does a respectable job for a $250 Android tablet; even PSP was running quite well on it and it has the ability to run some Shaders in retroarch. Not my favorite ones, but that's ok, it's impressive that it can do it at all.

Not really sure why I'm testing it though, I'm likely never to use it for these things so I dunno.

I wasn't following the whole posts prior on your van, but I do recall you said you were working on the tranny. Is it an auto tranny? One of my worries with my 2008 Ford Escape, which has auto tranny, is it may need tranny work at some point, which is very expensive. For the most part it works fine, but sometimes taking off there's a slight lurch.

I have learned with these things that you are best off not accelerating hard with an auto tranny until they are warmed up good, but it lurches a bit every now and then even after being warmed up.

 

[BeardyHat]

I wasn't following the whole posts prior on your van, but I do recall you said you were working on the tranny. Is it an auto tranny? One of my worries with my 2008 Ford Escape, which has auto tranny, is it may need tranny work at some point, which is very expensive. For the most part it works fine, but sometimes taking off there's a slight lurch.

I have learned with these things that you are best off not accelerating hard with an auto tranny until they are warmed up good, but it lurches a bit every now and then even after being warmed up.

Yeah, it's an automatic.

You ought to check the fluid, if there's a dipstick. Be aware that there is a special protocol for checking transmission fluid; the vehicle should be hot (operating temp), parked on level ground and in Park or Neutral. Once you've got those parameters met, you can check the fluid and see if it's in the "Hot" zone of crosshatching.

Ideally, under these conditions, you want it pretty much anywhere in that Hot zone, as too much or too little Fluid in the transmission can cause shifting issues.

Based on my "measurements" of my own fluid yesterday, I think mine may have been a little high before I did this service, which could explain the shifting issues I occasionally experienced. I also saw a moderate amount of metal shavings on the magnet in the pan; it's normal to have some, but too much indicates a bigger issue with transmission health. Like I said, mine was moderate and probably not especially worrisome if it hasn't been serviced in awhile (I'm at 241k miles now and I have no idea if or when it was ever serviced) and my fluid was tinted darker, but still obviously red and didn't smell burnt, which are two other indicators of transmission health.

Doing a cursory search here, it looks like the 08-12 Escapes had the same transmission, which is generally well regarded, but needs to have its maintenance scheduled tended to in order to retain that relibility, so you may want to have it investigated. This might just be me, but I'm generally distrustful of shops (hence why I do my own maintenance), but if you were to take it in, I wonder if they'd allow you to watch while they take the pan off and then if you could immeidately be allowed to inspect the fluid and magnet to see how things are looking. Just to head off any, "Oh yeah, you need a new transmission, buddy." funny business. Unless you already have a trusted shop that is.

 

[BeardyHat]

@Frag Maniac looks like you do have a dipstick, which is nice. Most newer vehicles don't include them, because you're just supposed to throw it away and buy a new one when it starts having issues...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4pO0Nq3VU

 

[Zed Clampet]

I could never get the hang of flossing properly. I feel like my hands are just too big to actually fit in my mouth, so I end-up using those flossers with replaceable heads, which works out for me.

I use those, and then when I go to the dentist, I look like I've never flossed before because they just hand me some string...

***

I had to go to the pharmacy drive-thru yesterday. I'd had 4 consecutive nights with at least some sleep, so I thought I was in pretty good shape. I got to the pharmacy and there was a line of about 6 cars. I was so miserable. I fell asleep over and over (the car is actually the best place for me to sleep), so when I finally got my prescriptions, I called my wife and told her I was going to hang out and take a nap in the parking lot and see if I could wake up refreshed and not be a danger to everyone on the road when I tried to drive home.

 

[Frag Maniac]

@Frag Maniac looks like you do have a dipstick, which is nice. Most newer vehicles don't include them, because you're just supposed to throw it away and buy a new one when it starts having issues...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4pO0Nq3VU

Thanks for that, I guess it could be something as simple as AT fluid level. That would be a relief if so.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Hey BeardyHat, I assume you meant all the 2008-2012 Ford Escape AT are the same, not your tranny is the same as mine? Anyway, I have a few questions.

1. Do you know if my AT is supposed to have a filter? I ask because my local auto parts store's website shows an AT filter for this vehicle, but when I checked with one of the local Ford Dealers he said he didn't see one listed in their catalog and felt it doesn't have one. So did they do away with filters and now just use magnets at the bottom of the pan to attract metal filings?

2. What is your preferred method for doing a complete ATF change? I've read people warn against completely flushing out the fluid with a pump as it can dislodge the filings and reek havoc with your tranny. Most seem to say just doing a drain and fill is better.

3. Ford recommends Mercon V ATF, but I've seen Mercon LV Synthetic and equivalents for near same price. I assume the synthetic stuff is compatible with the non synthetic, but not sure. Wouldn't the synthetic hold up better, and even be more suitable for a high milage vehicle?

 

[BeardyHat]

Hey BeardyHat, I assume you meant all the 2008-2012 Ford Escape AT are the same, not your tranny is the same as mine? Anyway, I have a few questions.

Right.

1. Do you know if my AT is supposed to have a filter? I ask because my local auto parts store's website shows an AT filter for this vehicle, but when I checked with one of the local Ford Dealers he said he didn't see one listed in their catalog and felt it doesn't have one. So did they do away with filters and now just use magnets at the bottom of the pan to attract metal filings?

Interestingly, it looks like there isn't a (easily accessible) filter in your transmission. Apparently there may be one between the two halves of it, but I guess you'll really only get to that part during a full rebuild. Based on these two videos:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZCIBG2UI5w

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27MdjOEGt_M


From what I'm seeing, it looks like it's a fairly straightforward drain and refill, but I'd do a bit more research and clarify that that is the case.

2. What is your preferred method for doing a complete ATF change? I've read people warn against completely flushing out the fluid with a pump as it can dislodge the filings and reek havoc with your tranny. Most seem to say just doing a drain and fill is better.

Yeah, I wouldn't flush it, I would just drain and refill, that's always been plenty sufficient for me and I've heard plenty of horror stories about a flush as well.

3. Ford recommends Mercon V ATF, but I've seen Mercon LV Synthetic and equivalents for near same price. I assume the synthetic stuff is compatible with the non synthetic, but not sure. Wouldn't the synthetic hold up better, and even be more suitable for a high milage vehicle?

I have read that synthetic is better, but as far as I'm concerned, I always go with manufacturer requirements and never deviate when it comes to fluids, as they tend to be particular. There has definitely been times when I've swapped because I can no longer find what I need (as I recall, I believe my Jeep requires ATF-4, which is no longer sold and has been replaced by ATF+4, which has some changes, but can take the place of -4), but otherwise, I look the Factory Shop Manual (or the car user manual if you can't find an FSM PDF) and go exactly by that. As far as I'm concerned, the FSM for any given car is the Bible.

But also, my auto parts store has a huge bunch of regular motor oil to choose from, but their transmission fluid section is less than a quarter of that, so not a ton of choices when it comes to that.

 

[Frag Maniac]

^Thanks, I checked the user manual and talked to the shop I use for motor oil changes (Grease Monkey, who I find are pretty good), and the ATF I need is Mercon V. I too thought it was non synthetic if it didn't say on the bottle it was, but one of the more knowledgeable Grease Monkey staff says it's actually synthetic, and not just a blend.

The manager there knows Fords well and owns some. He stays up to date on Ford's changing recommendations on fluids. Apparently they're going to lighter viscosity ones. The guy I talked to on the phone though was not him, but seemed just as knowledgeable and verified the change to lighter viscosity. He's from Wenatchee in Eastern Washington and just got the job here. I told him I'd mt biked many of the trails over there and he agreed they have some of the best.

As far as the filter goes, you're right, it's one that's deep inside where the tranny mounts I think, and is meant to last until it needs rebuilding or replacing. Grease Monkey is also fully aware that power flushing the fluid out is dangerous, but agreed it's confusing because some shops call a drain and fill a flush. I've currently got about 176,000 mi on it, and I expect the ATF change warning light to come on at around 180,000 mi, as Ford suggests an every 60,000 mi change.

Today I plan on driving it the recommended 20 mi to warm up the ATF sufficiently for a level check. Since Grease Monkey just checked it about 3000 mi ago, I don't think it will be too low if at all, but at least I'll know. I've read it's dangerous to overfill and can even cause damage, so I will be very careful if I need to top it off.

 

[Frag Maniac]

@BeardyHat,

UPDATE on the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid! Like an idiot I was looking at the non Hybrid owners manual, which DOES have an ATF dipstick. Mine however does not, and I find it odd there isn't even a warning indicator for ATF change intervals.

I found this video though that says mine should have a drain plug on the bottom of the tranny, and a fill port higher on the tranny set at a height that drains out excess when it is adequately full.

QUESTION, how does one know what an acceptable ambient temp range for filling is, since ATF temp is critical to proper fill level and tranny function/protection? I would have to assume these self leveling fill ports are at a level that accounts for/allows for heat expansion of the fluid?

The below video shows this vehicle seemed to be over filled with ATF, so I have to wonder if the user filled it during winter with very cold temps.

 

[BeardyHat]

@BeardyHat,

UPDATE on the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid! Like an idiot I was looking at the non Hybrid owners manual, which DOES have an ATF dipstick. Mine however does not, and I find it odd there isn't even a warning indicator for ATF change intervals.

I found this video though that says mine should have a drain plug on the bottom of the tranny, and a fill port higher on the tranny set at a height that drains out excess when it is adequately full.

QUESTION, how does one know what an acceptable ambient temp range for filling is, since ATF temp is critical to proper fill level and tranny function/protection? I would have to assume these self leveling fill ports are at a level that accounts for/allows for heat expansion of the fluid?

The below video shows this vehicle seemed to be over filled with ATF, so I have to wonder if the user filled it during winter with very cold temps.

In that case, I'm not sure how one would go about figuring out the appropriate level of fluid, aside from measuring what comes out.

I suppose, thinking about it, you could measure what comes out and then see what the recommended fluid amount is. For example, when I drained mine, the FSM tells me when refilling, fill it up with 4-quarts, measure and see if you need to add more. So I suppose you could drain it, measure how much comes out and then whatever the owners manual says, go off that. So say you got 6-quarts out and the manual says to refill with 4-quarts, maybe split the different and go with 5-quarts and see how it behaves. Obviously, it might behave poorly due to having either too much or too little, so difficult to say; but you could also poke around some forums, because there's bound to have been people that encountered this problem on there and solved it.

But I'm just shooting in the dark here. You might be best taking it to a trusted Ford dealer to have them take a look at it; obviously it'll be more expensive, but it might be worth the peace of mind to ensure it's done properly and according to procedure. I'm definitely no professional!

Edit: rereading, I see I didn't answer your question. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably stick with it being hot. I think ambient temp is going to be negligible as long as the vehicle is at proper operating temperature. Though that poses its own problems with touching a hot drain plug and potentially getting hot fluid on your hand/arm; I've certainly done that before, usually with an oil change, but it's certainly not my preference.

Edit: Edit: It occurs to me that maybe there would be a difference if the vehicle/fluid is hot and your pouring room temp fluid into it? But maybe if the pan is hot, it heats up the fluid enough to account for such things? Hard to say.

Yet another edit: Looked around, but haven't been able to find any uploads of the shop manual for free. Came across numerous sites selling them, this seems to be the cheapest and LOOKS like what you'd want, but I can't say for certain

Ford Escape 2008-2011 Factory Service Repair Manual, Workshop Service Repair Manual, Ebook, Pdf, INSTANT DOWNLOAD - English Language - Etsy

This Car Accessories item is sold by CarsWorkshopManuals. Ships from United States. Listed on May 23, 2025

www.etsy.com

Here it is physically: https://www.factoryrepairmanuals.co...cury-mariner-factory-shop-service-manual-set/

But again, I might poke around some Escape forums and see if anyone has a solution.

 

[Frag Maniac]

In that case, I'm not sure how one would go about figuring out the appropriate level of fluid, aside from measuring what comes out.

I suppose, thinking about it, you could measure what comes out and then see what the recommended fluid amount is. For example, when I drained mine, the FSM tells me when refilling, fill it up with 4-quarts, measure and see if you need to add more. So I suppose you could drain it, measure how much comes out and then whatever the owners manual says, go off that. So say you got 6-quarts out and the manual says to refill with 4-quarts, maybe split the different and go with 5-quarts and see how it behaves. Obviously, it might behave poorly due to having either too much or too little, so difficult to say; but you could also poke around some forums, because there's bound to have been people that encountered this problem on there and solved it.

But I'm just shooting in the dark here. You might be best taking it to a trusted Ford dealer to have them take a look at it; obviously it'll be more expensive, but it might be worth the peace of mind to ensure it's done properly and according to procedure. I'm definitely no professional!

Edit: rereading, I see I didn't answer your question. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably stick with it being hot. I think ambient temp is going to be negligible as long as the vehicle is at proper operating temperature. Though that poses its own problems with touching a hot drain plug and potentially getting hot fluid on your hand/arm; I've certainly done that before, usually with an oil change, but it's certainly not my preference.

Edit: Edit: It occurs to me that maybe there would be a difference if the vehicle/fluid is hot and your pouring room temp fluid into it? But maybe if the pan is hot, it heats up the fluid enough to account for such things? Hard to say.

Yet another edit: Looked around, but haven't been able to find any uploads of the shop manual for free. Came across numerous sites selling them, this seems to be the cheapest and LOOKS like what you'd want, but I can't say for certain

Ford Escape 2008-2011 Factory Service Repair Manual, Workshop Service Repair Manual, Ebook, Pdf, INSTANT DOWNLOAD - English Language - Etsy

This Car Accessories item is sold by CarsWorkshopManuals. Ships from United States. Listed on May 23, 2025

www.etsy.com

Here it is physically: https://www.factoryrepairmanuals.co...cury-mariner-factory-shop-service-manual-set/

But again, I might poke around some Escape forums and see if anyone has a solution.

No, like I said, the fill port IS the method of measuring the amount of fluid to put in, as it's put at a proper height to just fill, then let any excess drain out. In other words it's higher up on the SIDE of the tranny case, not underneath it.

My only question as I said is how does one know the proper ambient temp allowable to safely fill it, and whether that fill port height is adjusted for heat expansion? If you watched the video, you can see when the mech first opens just the upper fill port, quite a bit of fluid drained out, and he said it was too full. It seems to me the only ways that could happen is if the vehicle wasn't level when filled, or the ambient temp was very low. The manual says nothing about safe fill temps, so I have to assume the front end of the vehicle was on ramps or jack stands.

Here's the pdf owner's manual for it, and you can see on page 286 it just says the fluid needs to be within 1/4" / 6mm of the fill plug threads. I'm pretty sure they mean no lower than that, as most like I said just wait until the excess drains out to a slow drip, then put the plug in. The manual on the previous page also says to use the same method to prepare for a drain as you would a level check, driving 20 mi to warm it up.

Loading…

www.fordservicecontent.com

I might be a bit too worried about this, the guy in the video I just posted is a well known pretty thorough mech on YT. So judging by how he did it, I think as long as the fluid isn't extremely above or below room temp, and you just fill it until it stops pouring out the fill port, it's good enough. Also, after driving 20 mi more carefully today thinking I was going to check the level via a dipstick that wasn't there, it may not be as bad as I thought. It shifted pretty smoothly today, so I'm thinking now it could be I've just been driving it a bit too aggressively at times, especially since it's on the last 5% of the 3rd fluid change interval.

 

[Charagma]

Probably one of my favorite days. Two days ago, delivered the work we been busy with for around 3 weeks. Client called yesterday and is happy, do not require any changes. Gave the team off for today. It is school holidays here by us so I will not be seeing any students. Just me and my PC.

"One day when I retire, I will probably be job hunting"

 

[BeardyHat]

I might be a bit too worried about this, the guy in the video I just posted is a well known pretty thorough mech on YT. So judging by how he did it, I think as long as the fluid isn't extremely above or below room temp, and you just fill it until it stops pouring out the fill port, it's good enough. Also, after driving 20 mi more carefully today thinking I was going to check the level via a dipstick that wasn't there, it may not be as bad as I thought. It shifted pretty smoothly today, so I'm thinking now it could be I've just been driving it a bit too aggressively at times, especially since it's on the last 5% of the 3rd fluid change interval.

Odds are, if it's been going this long, it'll probably keep going, so you can just pay close attention to it and see how it feels for the time being from there.

And I see now what you're getting at about overfilling. That said, it could be the case that someone put half a quart in while the fill plug is in place, right? Because isn't there the plug and then a spout up top to put more in? Someone maybe didn't remove the fill plug before refilling?

Haven't had a moment to check out the video you posted, so I'm not sure if I missed something here or not.

Also, just a thought and not to try and freak you out or anything, but just hypothesizing: maybe the fluid is actually slightly low, if you notice no adverse shifting while you're driving calmly. My thought process being that if you're driving aggressively, the fluid may be sloshing and not properly lubricating because there's not enough to go around. Just a random thought based on what you mention.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Odds are, if it's been going this long, it'll probably keep going, so you can just pay close attention to it and see how it feels for the time being from there.

And I see now what you're getting at about overfilling. That said, it could be the case that someone put half a quart in while the fill plug is in place, right? Because isn't there the plug and then a spout up top to put more in? Someone maybe didn't remove the fill plug before refilling?

Haven't had a moment to check out the video you posted, so I'm not sure if I missed something here or not.

Also, just a thought and not to try and freak you out or anything, but just hypothesizing: maybe the fluid is actually slightly low, if you notice no adverse shifting while you're driving calmly. My thought process being that if you're driving aggressively, the fluid may be sloshing and not properly lubricating because there's not enough to go around. Just a random thought based on what you mention.

No, you cannot add ATF in my vehicle design if the fill plug is in place, because as I said, mine has no dipstick, and therefore no dipstick spout to top it off. My guess is the manufacturer went to this design to avoid people causally adding too much ATF, and those are also likely the type of users (most of them anyway) whom wouldn't be getting under the vehicle to check and/or change their own fluid. I'm saying this design is probably more intended for shop service than user service, to avoid costly mistakes. Better to spend $60-$70 more to have the work done than pay for expensive tranny rebuild because you overfilled and let it run that way a long time.

As for the video, yes, you really need to see that to know what I'm talking about, but even just looking at pages 285 and 286 of the pdf manual I linked to pretty much explains how it's designed and the procedure to check levels. I tend to take care of my possessions better than I often give myself credit for, mainly because I'm a worry wart. I've had fridges and freezers that have lasted me 20-28 yrs. It's mainly a matter of just getting a basic knowledge of what not to do, like in frost free fridges you don't want to fill the freezer part so full that the air vents are blocked. It causes ice to form in the air vents, then they work WAY harder, and eventually can't keep your food very cold anymore.

 

[Colif]

i feel sorry for my brother.
As part of my course this week we had to make a video, and as it turned out, he had the most to say. Its unfair, script will have one person saying almost all of it. My mum always gets the easy lines. He complained about it today. Only lines I have any say in are mine and I mostly shape my answers to match the following statements by the others.
Now I have to

1. Upload the video off my phone to a cloud server
2. download it onto my pc
3. upload it onto the course site...

this wouldn't suck so much except my upload speed is 5mb/s and the file is 1.23gb. Good thing I am not using data on phone but instead wifi as it would take forever

I was wondering why it was taking so long... that and my phone was refusing to upload it to Google Drive so I chose Onedrive. It kept saying it was syncing with samsung cloud... erm, I wanted Google Drive?
I have to upload it twice tonight, lucky max upload size they allow is 2gb on course site or I be reshooting it as 720p. Its already 1080p @30fps

 

[Colif]

My upload speed should be 20-40mb/s so I need to ask my ISP tomorrow whats going on. I wanted to call them anyway and change plans to a faster one whose max upload is 50.
My ping is currently 219 and its usually 30.

We have had an account with them for so long it predates them setting up 2 step authentication on accounts, now I can't logon as there is no number linked to account.

Typical, 2 hours after I sent the file my internet connection is back to normal. I wonder if it was other people on my local network. I still ring them to fix other things.

 

[Pifanjr]

i feel sorry for my brother.
As part of my course this week we had to make a video, and as it turned out, he had the most to say. Its unfair, script will have one person saying almost all of it. My mum always gets the easy lines. He complained about it today. Only lines I have any say in are mine and I mostly shape my answers to match the following statements by the others.
Now I have to

1. Upload the video off my phone to a cloud server
2. download it onto my pc
3. upload it onto the course site...

this wouldn't suck so much except my upload speed is 5mb/s and the file is 1.23gb. Good thing I am not using data on phone but instead wifi as it would take forever

I was wondering why it was taking so long... that and my phone was refusing to upload it to Google Drive so I chose Onedrive. It kept saying it was syncing with samsung cloud... erm, I wanted Google Drive?
I have to upload it twice tonight, lucky max upload size they allow is 2gb on course site or I be reshooting it as 720p. Its already 1080p @30fps

Why do you need to upload the video to the cloud from your phone instead of just connecting your phone to your PC with a USB cable?

 

[Charagma]

Why do you need to upload the video to the cloud from your phone instead of just connecting your phone to your PC with a USB cable?

Was about to ask the same question

 

[Frindis]

Need an Ethernet cable to USB for better speed since I am currently using wireless, but must say that it's pretty delicious compared to my old download speed, which was just 8MB down.

 

[Colif]

Why do you need to upload the video to the cloud from your phone instead of just connecting your phone to your PC with a USB cable?

I hadn't thought of that. Maybe next time I will remember... hopefully that won't be for about 5 weeks.

I wouldn't have complained if my upload speed had been normal at the time.

I want to ring ISP and arrange to swap plans as I can get 500/50 compared to what I have now. I don't really need faster uploads.

 

[Pifanjr]

I hadn't thought of that. Maybe next time I will remember... hopefully that won't be for about 5 weeks.

I wouldn't have complained if my upload speed had been normal at the time.

You could probably use Bluetooth as well if your PC supports it and you don't have a cable handy.

 

[Colif]

You could probably use Bluetooth as well if your PC supports it and you don't have a cable handy.

Yeah, Bluetooth would have worked but I don't have it enabled on my PC as my streamer is stupid and defaults itself to being my PC output device if BT is enabled. Also possible I haven't linked PC to the phone...

I could have used Phone link app on PC since it connects my phone to my PC via Wifi - it took a while to work out how to do it.

It sure was faster and it would have just cut out 2 steps, I would still have been slow to upload on last step.
Curious why my phone link folder is in the download folder... I had no idea where it was hiding.

I could have used a USB C cable as well, I wonder how long before phones have USB 4 slots... very few USB 4 things around still.

If I had thought about it more I probably thought of these options. I was just annoyed as it usually works. Ping was 445 when I was trying to send, so something was strange. I blame my neighbours.

edit: 14 questions this week... 1st question was multiple choice and had 5 parts, but there are still 13 other questions on top of those parts. At least none of them include videos so I just need to do them.
Really, its only 4 questions that probably require me to be able to think, as rest are out of the reading materials I have already read and taken notes on. Try to read them before week starts so I can answer all the easier questions within 1 hour of them being opened for week. I am up to question 2.5 within 30 minutes of them being opened. Have to go out in morning or I would do it all now. I have all week.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I contacted the Grease Monkey that the previous owner of my vehicle was going to. I wanted to asked them if they'd had the ATF changed and when. They said my vehicle title would show the previous license plate number, which they need to access that info. I absolutely could not find the title, and I now realize I probably should have gotten a letter by now saying I need to renew the tabs.

I moved about a month after buying the vehicle so this all tells me they did not get my change of address info. So I tried to look at the website that handles our state's DOL and other state run agencies to see if they have my new address listed correctly, but it's having an outage only in my area (checked with services like isitdownrightnow), so I can't even login.

Everything from local gov run websites to the post office has been horrible at handling change of address reporting. This has me feeling so depressed I can't bring myself to do my workout today. I've already scaled down how many days I do it because after two sets of blood and urine tests in the last month my creatinine level is still too high.

I can't even see my new Dr yet because my clinic had an abnormally long 3 month or so transition between my last Dr and the one he assigned me to, so I have to meantime see a nurse practitioner. She suggested I use my protein shakes only every other day, as she thinks it may be causing the increased creatinine. It's also the only major protein change in my diet lately.

So I've gone to only doing the workouts on the days I drive, Sun, Tue, and Thur. That means Fri and Sat are my longest stretch without a workout, except today, Sun, I may make it 3 days off of it due to this stress I'm feeling. I'm not sure I believe all the talk about possible big fed budget cuts, but the worry of it is my biggest underlying stress, as if worse case scenario happens, I won't even be able to afford my rent.

In the last year I've been on a rollercoaster of emotions from being elated moving into my nice new place, to worrying every day I'll be homeless soon. My hardcore Republican friend says the budget cut talks are all smoke and mirrors from the opposing side. I hope he's right, I've been homeless before for 3 years when I was much younger, it's no picnic.

 

[Pifanjr]

I contacted the Grease Monkey that the previous owner of my vehicle was going to. I wanted to asked them if they'd had the ATF changed and when. They said my vehicle title would show the previous license plate number, which they need to access that info. I absolutely could not find the title, and I now realize I probably should have gotten a letter by now saying I need to renew the tabs.

I moved about a month after buying the vehicle so this all tells me they did not get my change of address info. So I tried to look at the website that handles our state's DOL and other state run agencies to see if they have my new address listed correctly, but it's having an outage only in my area (checked with services like isitdownrightnow), so I can't even login.

Everything from local gov run websites to the post office has been horrible at handling change of address reporting. This has me feeling so depressed I can't bring myself to do my workout today. I've already scaled down how many days I do it because after two sets of blood and urine tests in the last month my creatinine level is still too high.

I can't even see my new Dr yet because my clinic had an abnormally long 3 month or so transition between my last Dr and the one he assigned me to, so I have to meantime see a nurse practitioner. She suggested I use my protein shakes only every other day, as she thinks it may be causing the increased creatinine. It's also the only major protein change in my diet lately.

So I've gone to only doing the workouts on the days I drive, Sun, Tue, and Thur. That means Fri and Sat are my longest stretch without a workout, except today, Sun, I may make it 3 days off of it due to this stress I'm feeling. I'm not sure I believe all the talk about possible big fed budget cuts, but the worry of it is my biggest underlying stress, as if worse case scenario happens, I won't even be able to afford my rent.

In the last year I've been on a rollercoaster of emotions from being elated moving into my nice new place, to worrying every day I'll be homeless soon. My hardcore Republican friend says the budget cut talks are all smoke and mirrors from the opposing side. I hope he's right, I've been homeless before for 3 years when I was much younger, it's no picnic.

I hope you'll recover soon. I haven't been homeless, but the one time I missed a rent payment was one of the most stressful times in my life and financial insecurity is definitely a massive stress factor.