One of the people I follow, James Altucher, suggests that an "I did" list makes a lot more sense than the "To Do" variety. So, I'm going to share with you my week of Honda. I've now come close to the end of it, and could really use some sleep, but as I am half listening/participating in an Executive Council call, I can use this to keep me awake.

I don't even know what I did on Sunday, except call the car parts people. The power steering pump in Sharleen's new Accord had begun making noise. I was told they had a rebuilt one; so I formed a plan. This might have been on my way down to the Seminar for which I am production supervisor at Landmark, for which I must have left before four as I made a stop at the bank and still arrived with time to spare.

I would get up really early on Monday to . . .

So that's as far as I got trying to multitask. I actually started engaging in the conversation instead, which only took till about 3:12 in the morning, and as I had another scheduled for 4:00, I didn't sleep much last night either.

So I figured out what I did Sunday morning. I went with Sharleen to the architect, taking Uri to school along the way. We were home around 11:00.

So back to the plan. I would get up at dawn to pull out the power steering pump, and the hydraulic line to the steering rack, and then (because the starter didn't work on the other Honda) take Sharleen, go get the parts, be back and have it together by noon.

Oh, the best laid plans . . . The pump was not the right pump. The line, forget it, it's 1400 sheqel when you can get it, and there aren't any in the country. So I came home, figuring I'd just get the other one started and go get that one fixed instead. I was home about 10:30. I went tap, tap, tap on the starter, turned the key (nothing), again tap, again nothing, another tap, tap, tap, half a crank, and I knew I was going in the right direction. It was a few more attempts, and then it started (Yeah!!). So I left the car running and did a quick search for my parts on line, just in case. I don't know how this fit logically into the progression, but apparently it did. Then I went to dump the recycling, cause it was all in that car (and I noticed that I missed the bris of the new son of one of our neighbors, feeling a pang of guilt along the way), and was over at the garage a little after noon.

Ayad was busy replacing the head on a Puegot; so I removed the starter, went to the bank for money, and headed over to the junkyard, where I had ascertained that a similar starter was available on my way in. We compared the starters (he had one from a 1998 Civic, we have a 1996 Accord), they were similar, but different. The same heart, but maybe a different head, which is what I would swap out in the worst case. So I bought it and headed back to the shop. So the Civic starter was not close enough to install as it was, so I went to swap the head. I got that apart, and realised that I would have to discombobulate to a different level to get to the parts they had in common.

So I ended up taking the armature, field coil, commutator assembly and solenoid from the Civic starter and putting it on the Accord assembly, which was just the head and the end cap now. I didn't leave the shop until after 4:00, got home in time for a shower and quick bite before I was out again with Ilan to go to our Integrity Seminar. I got to sleep on the way down as a friend drove, and got a few winks on the way back as well, taking over again just after Yoqneam on the drive home. I finally got to bed some time after 2:00.

So now Sharleen had the green car (the 1996 Accord) for Tuesday morning. And I was determined to find the pump, and away I went to Nazareth. After trying a few more places, I found myself with Rafa'at (he who had sold me the starter) again. He did not have a direct swap, so we started to dismantle. We were going to pull the guts off the other unit to put in mine. And then we were without a new oil seal, which I went to find, but had to be ordered (for Wednesday). And I came back to Ayad (I had parked there). And in speaking to him, he informed me that I could have the relevant part of the hydraulic line replaced, and he sent me to Azawi, who said it would take time. I said "How much?" "An hour" he says. I says "You've got till Thursday." And homeward I went. I suppose I got on-line to check my e-mail and facebook, finally had my second bicycle ride of the season, and took some action on the restaurant marketing side.

In the meantime, Sharleen noticed a garage near one of her places of work, and had her AC recharged, as we were headed to the desert on Wednesday.

And then Sharleen shared that we got another sketch from the architect, which she sent over to me around 11:00. So we went over that, marked it up, and that went out to the architect at 1:46 in the morning. I got to bed after two, and got up just before 4:30 for another phone call.

Wednesday should have been Honda in the Background Day. We went down to the Shivtah Army Base for Meir's completion ceremony for some training period in the army. The car started to get hot twenty or so minutes from our destination. We limped it in, turning off the engine every time we were stopped. The temperature gauge had this nasty habit of climbing every time the car was not moving.

After a very hot ceremony at which water was provided, but restrooms not, we started home, topping off the radiator first. We missed the bypass for Be'er Sheva, and thus were in stop and go traffic into and out of town (killing the engine at every light). I must say I was very happy that the starter was fixed. We had to stop twice because the car was overheating and had boiled off a lot of water. It took us more than four hours to get home.

I was shot, and slept for an hour until it was time to go pick up Lani from Givat Avnei, and then collecting Manu.

Thursday, I rose at 5:30. Sharleen was without a car again and had to get to Tel Aviv. I dropped her at the station in Haifa, then came home to take the Green Accord to the shop before the day got too hot. Everything was working again and I couldn't get the gauge to budge. Both fans worked just fine - one hadn't seemed to the day before - and I was left scratching my head as I went to pick up the parts for the car. The hydraulic line wasn't ready (another half hour). I went to get the pump. We got that together. I then went back for the line, and finally headed home.

I intended to take a nap, but had kids to feed, and then decided to put the newer Accord back together (mostly) with some great help from Uri, and then found myself on the phone for at least two hours yesterday evening, and another three on the overnight.

Now Sharleen was going to be back with the Power Steering Fluid, or more likely Automatic Transmission Fluid, shortly; so I could complete her car, but instead, she could not find the place and the Green Accord started to overheat again. So I'll take a trip down the hill and get what I need, or just make do with what I've got.

And that's this week from the Herz (in Israel) Household.