I've been trying to work on the car, really I have. Nathan's been over to visit while I was out, and he's gotten most of the wiring finished. He even left me a shopping list for the last of the parts we need. So why is it taking me so long to get this thing on the road?

Because I've got so much stuff to do! I haven't read my web comics for weeks. I've got a regular job, although thankfully it's not one where they fire me because I'm late a few times. We've been planning and hosting parties, visiting friends for Independence Day, and having people over for dinner. And I still support Contraction Timer, and I'm trying to keep up with Serendipity.

Which isn't to say nothing has been accomplished. The biggest problem has been the battery terminal covers. Because I'm using heavy-duty clamp-on terminals, I can't find any terminal covers that'll fit over the huge clamp. This will probably be my biggest mistake: everyone on the EV list says to use crimp-on terminals and/or solder them. I don't have the crimper to do that. Maybe soldering them will do the trick.

Anyway, Nathan and I have collectively spent about 15 hours scouring junkyards for cars with oversized terminals. The positive terminal covers from a Nissan 4x4 will work, but they're oversized and ugly. The negative terminal covers from a Ford F150 Custom will work, but they've got holes in the top. Finding twelve of each would be difficult, and slightly embarrassing. (You should see the look on the junkyard attendants' faces when we tell them what we want.)

So Eri retrieved some coroplast -- corrugated plastic -- and built me the terminal covers I need. Two 4'x8' sheets, one black, one red, $13 each. I intend to use some of the leftovers for backstops in the battery box, and maybe for a belly pan and tunnel cover. Finding it was a bear; we eventually discovered a sign shop that carried it.

The rest of the shopping list wasn't easy, either. I've gone through two Lowe's, two Home Depots, a Joann's, two Advance Discount Auto Parts, and a NAPA. The NAPA finally had the insulated yellow disconnects I needed for the regulator wires, as well as the brass crimp-on lugs required for a few miscellaneous connections. But they had to be back-ordered, and I picked them up in three trips. I've already attached them, of course.

Then there was the Andersen connector. I found a place online that carries them for only $2.50. But their order page was brain-dead. It didn't calculate the shipping properly, consistently saying it was free. I figured it would calculate on the next page, but I got stuck with UPS Next-Day Air. The e-mail receipt said shipping was free, but when the order arrived, I had been charged $31.

All in all, it's been two weeks since I thought we were almost done. I've accomplished next to nothing. If I don't get something substantial done soon, I may go crazy with frustration. Next week I go on vacation; maybe I can work on the car for a day or two. Or maybe I can unwind a bit and retain my sanity.