Ah, the fire truck. It seems like at least some part of at least one of my Fraternity’s two fire trucks is always, shall we say, not in an operational state. Such remained the case several months ago, when, immediately after having its brakes fixed, our 1964 Howe pumper truck decided to screw up its clutch. At that time, a freak sequence of events caused the piston in the clutch master cylinder to break and jam itself against the cylinder wall. Needless to say, it’s a bit challenging, not to mention noisy, to drive an old fire truck with no clutch and badly worn synchros. We decided that replacing the piston would fix the problem, thereby making the truck drivable. Thus began a protracted search for a part that GM discontinued in the early 1980s.

Calls to truck parts dealers around the country yielded nothing more than gentle laughter. It seems that clutch master cylinder rebuild kits for 1964 GMC 5500-frame trucks are exceedingly rare beasts. Finally, after dozens of phone calls and weeks of time, I was pointed to a company called Capitol Clutch and Brake in Sacramento, California. Not only did they understand what I was looking for, but they also stocked the replacement part! Thanks to Visa and UPS, two days later, I had a brand-new clutch master cylinder piston in my possession.

With a giddy fervor, I installed the new piston in the old cylinder, bled the clutch hydraulic system, and… found the clutch remained inoperable. Although the master cylinder could generate enough pressure to bleed the system, the pressure proved insufficient to move the clutch. After much poking, prodding, and head-scratching, the fire truck committee decided that the master cylinder itself was bad, probably having been damaged when the piston broke and jammed.

Another call to Capitol Clutch and Brake, some more Visa action, and another few days, and we had a new master cylinder. I installed it, bled the system again, and… it worked! I drove the truck a few laps around the Pike grounds just to be sure that everything was operational, the entire time having a huge grin on my face.

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Last Wednesday I celebrated my 21^st birthday. It’s hard to believe that I am 21 already — it seems like only yesterday that I was starting high school. There’s just one more year until I graduate and must face the “real world.” But enough sentimental prose; time to talk about the birthday! At midnight on May 7, 2003 I did something that I had never done before: I partook in the consumption of spirituous beverages. Yes, that’s right. For reasons quite personal to me, in the first 21 years of my life, I never drank. Was it a question of legality or morals? Not really. Anyway, House took me to a bar, and I consumed libations. It was an interesting experience. Those early hours reminded me of how I felt and acted while under the influence of nitrous oxide at the dentist’s office during my wisdom tooth extraction. Time passed, and eventually I went to sleep.

That Wednesday evening, I took my three little brothers and two former roommates out to dinner at Pino’s Il Sonetto (yes, that Pino’s). I wanted to go somewhere classy to celebrate my birthday, so Pino’s seemed a logical choice. The company was great, the food as well. Good times.

Speaking of little brothers, I’m proud to say that my newest little brother, Tyler, joined Iota Delta Chapter in Brotherhood last Friday night. Yay lineage!