Thank You, Chrysler

Today was interesting. I met Paul at work at 6:00 AM to make the 4.5 hour drive to Shelbyville, IN to visit a supplier. Our rental car was dropped off Friday afternoon so it would be ready this morning. So there it was, a 2008 Chrysler Sebring with only 13,000 miles on it. I drove it for about 1.5 hours until we met up with another guy from work at a Park and Ride. We picked him up, and drove the rest of the way.

On the way back today, all was going well. I even took a nap in the car. Right before we entered back into Michigan the car suddenly lurched forward and the warning chime came on. The check engine light was on. The car went into some sort of "limp" mode because it wouldn't down-shift and had no acceleration at all. It started shuttering really bad and the check engine light started flashing and the chime kept binging. So I looked in the owner's manual and it said if the check engine light flashes, the car should not be driven because severe catalytic converter damage could occur. Oh well, it's not my car and Enterprise shouldn't buy junk. So we kept driving it. In our defense...would it be wiser to pull over on the side of the road and wait for help, or drive to a dealer? I think drive to a dealer. The car was under warranty anyway so it's not like the damage wouldn't be paid for by someone other than Chrysler.

When we got back to Michigan we pulled back into the Park and Ride lot and I suggested shutting the car off, and re-starting it to see if the error message cleared itself (I thought the car just mis-fired and got confused). So we shut it off, and when we went back to start it the car just cranked and cranked and cranked and I finally floored the gas and it started rough. Paul was nervous about driving the car anymore. So next to the lot, there was a Chrysler dealer. We drove the car over (it was around 7:00 PM now) and asked them to pull the code so we could find out if we should keep going back to Detroit in it or not. Well, the car never set a code. It just said "Fault". When they started the car, something was REALLY wrong. The car was knocking and shuttering and would almost stall, then rev really high, then shutter and act like it would die. The service manager said he would NOT advise us driving this car anymore and to call Enterprise. So we called Enterprise, but the office was closed so we couldn't get another car. So...a taxi ended up taking us the rest of the way back. I finally got home at 10:00 PM. A long day, and a junky car.

No AC

I saw this article on Google about what to do if you don't have AC in your car. I think these are just stupid. You should pay the money to get your AC fixed, or sell your car and buy one with AC - plain and simple. A block of ice on your floorboard? I don't think so.

What to do if you don't have AC in your car

Haiti and Pikmin

This is a Pikmin. A red Pikmin. Remember that, I'll come back to it.

At church today we talked about guarding your heart. The pastor talked about being in Haiti on a mission trip. I've never been to Haiti, but I've heard it's a disgusting and filthy with no order, and that they've destroyed all their natural resources. It's a Francophone country, if that gives you a clue...

Anyway the pastor was dicussing when in Haiti he felt overwhelmed because of the large number of non-Christians there. He told us he had NEVER in his life witnessed a "hard heart" when someone said "We should just leave these people alone - this is a lost cause". Ouch.

Ouch to me! This is where that little red Pikmin comes in. When he said that it reminded me of Pikmin. Basically in this game, you are a space captain who crash lands on a planet, and Pikmin are little creatures who help you collect pieces of your ship (or treasures). They are essentially migrant workers. I sometimes called them little Mexicans. Well for the MOST part they were well behaved and listened to my orders. There would however be that ONE ignorant one who would wander astray and try to attack a predator all by himself. By doing that, he would make other Pikmin join in. Why would something only a few millimeters tall try to attack something 20 times its size? Dumb that's why. So when that would happen, I'd walk off and let the 10 Pikmin or so who decided not to obey die for punishment. They should have listened to me. By the end of the game I had lost 1,098 Pikmin. I like to think of that 1,098 as the number of Pikmin who decided to be dumb and kill themselves.

So, is this the same as the Haiti/hard heart reference? Of course not, it's a video game. It just reminded me is all.

I got some news on my *maybe* house last Friday. The case has been assigned to someone at the seller's bank so the process is moving along. Juanita said this normally takes 30 days to do so I guess the process is moving along a little faster than originally planned.

Crysta my car is doing well. I LOVE this car so far. Driving it is a dream and I wish I had enough money to buy another one to keep pristine so in 10 years I can swap over to that one. I think this is the best Honda to date because of looks, gas mileage, and the way it drives. The size is just perfect. It's also denoted as a "ULEV" vehicle which stands for Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. That's probably just a marketing gimmick because all new cars probably pollute the same but the sticker looks cool and makes me look good with the environmentalists.

Look at the Pokemon of the week. That is probably the MOST unique name I've ever seen for a Pokmeon.

iFoundIt

I love how we put "i" in front of things. iPod, iPhone, iTunes, iHate It, and the best "i" ever that I discovered today? iGoogle. I bet you've already seen it, or heard of it but I haven't before today. iGoogle makes the perfect homepage. I modded mine out to have a really great skin, along with my local weather, calendar, movie schedules, GMail inbox, and Youtube videos. I don't know how long this has been around, and why I haven't heard of it until now, but I like it.

Speaking of things I like, I REALLY like my new car. I borrowed a Chevrolet Trailblazer this afternoon to move boxes into my new crib, and yuck. Not only was that thing a gas hog, but it felt really sloppy and worn out with only 43,000 miles on it. After I was finished and got back into Crysta I felt where I belonged, in the tight seat of a zippy little Atomic Blue Civic with a warm blue glow of LED's behind the instrument panel. She sips gas too, unlike that Trailblazer that ate $20.00 and only gained 1/4 tank.

Groceries and Dumb

I can't believe I missed Sunday. And Monday. Sunday I took a good 4 hours out of the day to finish my book for book club: Monsters of Templeton. It was an amazing book so it was well worth it, and the Pokemon of The Week being delayed was worth it too.

What kind of grocery shopper are you? More importantly, how do you bad your groceries? Now that I'm living on my own, I really think I'd fare well in a place like New York City. When it boils down to it, I'm pretty much a "get it done fast" with no frills kind of person. I run in the store, go directly for what I want, and get annoyed at the person strolling along leaning on their buggy for support. The lines are too long as well. I'm like this with any place really. I want to get in, and get out. I don't want to make a big event out of it. Unless it's something like car shopping, I can take my time then (for a little bit).

Back to bagging. I think how I bag my groceries goes along the lines of the "get it done" attitude. Tonight I bought my usual: apples, 2 1/2 gallons of OJ, 1 gallon of milk, 3 frozen dinners, 5 Lunchables, granola bars, 2 greeting cards (not so usual), and 2 bottles of green tea. Do you know how many bags I used? 3. Yes, just 3. Mind you I was limping from my car to my door, the bag handles became sharp from the weight and were digging into my hands, and by the time I got upstairs my arms were shaking. But you know what, I only had to make 1 trip, and that's wonderful.

A person at work got wind that I was going to buy a "foreign" *GASP* car! She lectured me (or tried to) on how I'm putting Americans out of work, how Japanese car companies pay their workers less so American car companies can't compete, and how what I'm going to do is unpatriotic. She also got another person to huddle in and hackle me more.

I don't even argue with these people anymore because they are downright ignorant and proof of why I don't feel bad buying a Honda (which is American by the way).

Case in point: 2008 Honda Civic vs. 2008 Ford Fusion

Honda Civic
Engine Origin: USA
Transmission Origin: Japan
Assembly: USA
The Civic's VIN# begins with "1" which means the car is produced in America
The Civic's part content is > 70% American

Ford Fusion
Engine Origin: Mexico
Transmission Origin: Japan
Assembly: Mexico
The Fusion's VIN# begins with "3" which means the car is produced in Mexico
The Fusion's part content is 35% American

And I don't even want to hear whining about "well American car companies have to go to 3rd world countries now because nobody supported them". Bull. I'm sure their executives are still making plenty. Maybe you say "well David, where does the money go back to"? Good question. For Honda, the profit will go back to Japan. For Ford it will go back to the US. You know what, profit doesn't stimulate the economy as much as the smaller people will. Who do you think stimulates the economy more, 1 executive who has country club memberships and shops at high end places, or 2,000 assembly line workers who are out everyday shopping and supporting their communities.

I'm so sick of the domestic vs. foreign argument. I'm going to be proud to drive my Honda Civic. The argument is dumb, for lack of a better term.

Saturn Story #3

Tonight I decided to list all the states my Saturn has been to. It's been around to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and Canada...whoo.

And...I got my oil changed tonight in my Saturn...for the last time. It's like when a movie comes to an end, you can tell it's about to end. That's like the ownership with my Saturn, some of the things are happening for the last time.

It's okay though, because my new Civic will take care of that. While I was getting the oil changed I test drove a new VUE. I'm just not impressed with the new Saturns at all. They feel so cheap. The service was really great though. My oil change was free because last time they messed up and used the wrong oil, so they gave me my last oil change free and this one free too which I thought was nice.

I also just got an email that made me do a double take. Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines are merging to create one large airline, which will be called Delta Airlines. So there will effectively be no more Northwest Airlines. The email said they will keep all existing hubs, but I wonder what's going to happen to the Detroit hub? Interesting news though.

Saturn Story #2

I will admit, I had severe buyer's remorse after I bought you. I wondered what would happen to my old Saturn. Would the new owners take care of my old Saturn like I did? Buyer's remorse also came from the fact that I had to add massive amounts of oil to you when I first bought you. I even tried to trade you back in on a new Saturn, but that didn't happen and I wished you would just be totalled out so I didn't have to deal with you. In the end I just kept adding oil to you until you developed a slight ticking noise that kept getting louder and louder. Finally, to be on the safe side, your older engine was replaced with a new one. I didn't have to add oil anymore and you seemed fine. I racked up miles on you like crazy commuting from Spartanburg to Anderson everyday. I think in one summer I put around 20,000 miles on you.

It was at that 165,000 mile mark that you just began to tease me for the fun of it. Your sunroof track decided to crack when I was driving to Lake City for a job interview. Finally, on my way home from Charlotte after my interview in Michigan, your sunroof decided to pop up and not shut. So when I got home, I physically ripped the tracks out of you and broke them, and sealed the glass back down. That felt nice. Then it was the shifter cables...ohhhh the shifter cables. If you ever want to torment me, give me a Saturn with broken shifter cables...

*aside* When the shifter cables broke, I had to ride the CAT bus to class for a week. I woke up very early, because the bus only ran on 30 minute intervals and if I wanted to work out it meant I had to leave at 6:00 AM. I met this very odd lady at the bus stop. She was in her late 50's I'd say, and was a "cat" lady who was in school to be an English major, and worked in the school cafeteria. Come to think of it, she was actually from Michigan. That was weird.

That's enough about shifter cables. If you really want to hear the rest of it, ask Paul. He may not be able to repeat most of it though. Then, I think it was the radiator that decided to spring a leak. That was another thing.

I guess those were the only major things that broke on you...what was it, your engine, radiator, shifter cables, sunroof? I guess you still have your original transmission...that's a plus.

I think next week I'll do a photo story of your damage that occured during my ownership. You still look very good for a 10 year old car, but there are a few bumps and bruises I'll point out.

ALSO! The Pokemon of the week is, let me just say, BAMF this week. I wish I would have found this one earlier!

Off to A Good Start and Saturn Story #1

I'm off to a good start because I'm posting one day after my previous post. Also today was like butter at work. Paul used to say "like an old man sliding into a warm bath". That means it's smooth, easy, and relaxed. All Mondays should be like this. I mainly did administrative things at work today with our database and housekeeping (digital housekeeping that is). It's a good way to start off the work week. I also was able to send out a meeting request for Smash Brothers tonight. It's a mandatory meeting

A guy I work with, Bill, has two dogs. He hates them and talks about how he wants to kill them all the time. I mentioned that Shar Pei's have a short life-span, only 7.5 to 10 years. He said "That was a good choice then...you get a Jack Russell, you're stuck with that little F'er for 17 years or so". That's so weird to think of a dog as a comittment (in terms of years). I wonder what Walter and I will be up to in 5 years?

I also decided to start a special Monday post that will occur every Monday from now until May 19th. I decided this weekely posting would be random stories or occurances with my Saturn, since we only have a little less than 2 months left with each other before I divorce him. So let's start now, Monday, March 31.

Saturn Story #1

I bought you in February 2002 during my senior year of high school. It was by coincidence, really, that we met. I was with Grandma at the Saturn dealership while her car was being serviced, and noticed you off in the distance in the used car area. You had alloy wheels, a spoiler, and a sunroof, and were an angelic white color with black pinstripes. Surely you had Option Package 2, and would be expensive. I saw your price, $5,995, and didn't see you as cheap, but affordable. You had 88,900 miles on you in just 4 years. You were experienced in such a short time; my kind of car. I brought my dad back with me to look at you on a Sunday, when the Saturn dealer was closed and noticed you now parked in the customer parking. I thought you had been sold, but in reality I think you were about to be auctioned off because you had high miles. My first Saturn sat parked while I test drove you. The salesperson said my current Saturn was so clean he'd eat off the engine, and offered a good price on a trade in. So the deal was made, and you became mine. We had fun, you and I, in the first few colder months. Your sunroof was exotic and I used it even on cold mornings with the heater. Then I noticed your fault, and became worried...

Until next week...

Happy Easter; Love Your Friend, Michigan

Instead of lillies, buds, and spring air we got this Friday for the Easter weekend. We had a nice week previously of actually seeing the ground, and the ground was starting to thaw out finally (i.e. it didn't feel like you were walking on a rock while walking on the grass). Then we got this. Luckily Saturday it started to melt but it was strange to see snow on the ground at Easter.

I didn't have to work Friday. A 3 day weekend should happen every weekend, if life were fair. I celebrated by sleeping later than usual, reading, teaching someone from work how to play Smash Brothers, reading more, then going over to Alex's to play more Smash Brothers, then I played 2 more hours with Paul online through Skype using a webcam.

Saturday I took Walt to the dog park. We had missed 2 weeks for whatever reason, but he was happy to go back and play with his dog friends. I also went rock climbing Saturday. I REALLY miss being able to do it for free at Clemson. Now I have to drop $25 every time I go. Friends from work go once or twice a week because they have year memberships (that's like $900). I try to go twice a month. I justify it because it's SUCH good exercise and a mental challenge as well.

I joined a program at work called "In Shape". The whole point is to be on a team, and encourage people to loose weight. Our engineering group formed a small team and I decided I would do it. Basically it's a 6 month long comittment in which you set a weight loss goal, and try to achieve it by the end of 6 months. As a team you're supposed to support each other. It's pretty strict, you have to keep a log of food you eat, and basically monitor calories in vs. calories out. I set my goal for 10 pounds in 6 months which I know I can do. I don't want to loose a tremendous amount of weight, but just firm up some. I lost 10 pounds in college, then another 5 pounds when I moved to Michigan. I attribute it to eating smaller portions, but still being healthy. I ate WAY to much when I lived at home. The portions were larger than I needed and there was always a snack of some sort on hand. So this program officially starts tomorrow.

Dan and I went to Easter service at church today. After that we went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. I had Easter dinner with another friend from work, Paul, and his family.

I found this picture below online. This is the exact car I want to get in May. It's the same model and the same color I want. That's only about 2 months away now so it's getting closer.

Tomorrow is Friday, but Really Thursday

I found out yesterday that I can get a really good discount on Subaru's. Today after work Dan and I went to the Subaru dealership and test drove a 2008 Impreza. It was a nice car. It drove so-so, nothing really spectacular. The best part about the car was the all wheel drive. We took it down a neighborhood road with lots of snow and it handled very well. That is one thing about the car I really do like.

I think I will still go with the Civic though since it's cheaper and gets better gas mileage, and Paul doesn't like it so it will be fun to spite him. Sorry Paul.

Tomorrow is Friday for me, even though it's really only Thursday because I have the real Friday off. Mom and Dad are coming Friday morning for a long weekend. It will be nice to have them here. I think it's supposed to snow again on Friday. We already have about 7 inches on the ground right now.

Last night Katey came over and we watched "Little Miss Sunshine" and then "The Office". It was a lot of fun. While she was here it snowed about 3 inches though. I was trying to think when the last time I saw the actual ground was...and I think it's been about 2 weeks?

Manana

Work today was very long, and very boring. It was very relaxing though and quiet. We had about 6 inches of snow on the ground/roads this morning so a lot of people didn't even come into work.

I'm taking it easy this Friday night. I bought some ski pants tonight for my upcoming trip to Canada next weekend for a work ski trip. I have so much laundry to do. I have vacuuming to do. The floor is filthy with salt and snow-melt pellets.

Katey and I are going to take Walter back to the dog park tomorrow to play. Then, Katey works in the afternoon and I think I will be going skiing at a local ski slope (a local ski slope is actually a land-fill). I'm not sure if I will be going skiiing yet or not actually. My stupid Saturn is deciding to be retarded and leak coolant. I might go to my manager's house to use his garage and try to track down the leak. My windshield wipers also just stay on, and go off whenever they want to, not when I tell them to by pressing the stalk. I just don't even care about the Saturn anymore. I used to be so attached to it, but I want a divorce. I will have owned it for 6 years in 9 days. That's long enough, it's time to move on to bigger and better things, like a Honda Civic.

So dog park for sure, afternoon tomorrow is up in the air. Sunday I'm supposed to meet this person from Craigslist who has a Shar Pei and wanted Walter and her Shar Pei to meet each other. I guess I'll try and do that. It's only 10:00 and I'm so tired. I think I'm going to get in bed and read until I fall asleep.

Auto Show

I love my job. Today Dan and I left work at 12:30 and went to the 2008 North American International Auto Show. That's part of work, to go and check out the competition and mingle with people. We had a good time. Dan is interested in cars from my standpoint - he loves them, but doesn't care about the racing. So it was fun to walk around with him.

I spent a lot of time at the Subaru display. I really like Subaru now since I have been working with them and since a part I'm designing is going to end up on one of their cars. The only thing I don't like is that they get really bad gas mileage. It's a shame because other than that I think they're really good cars and engineered very well.

Walter slept in my bed with me last night. I thought I'd try it out since he stays in his crate during the day. He seemed to like it and slept through the night without bothering me. The vet said he wouldn't allow it because Walter is too young, but I think Walter is mature for his age (according to a puppy guide, he's about 3-4 weeks ahead). I think I'm going to take him to a dog daycare this weekend (I'll be there) so he can play with other dogs. There's a place in Detroit called Canine to Five. It's a huge warehouse open for dogs to play with one another. I want to go check it out.

I also found out Dan and a guy Tom I work with are huge movie fans, and we like a lot of the same movies so I think we'll do a movie every once in a while. That's one thing I do miss, is going to movies. Becky and I used to go to movies a lot and I haven't been to one in a long time.

I saw my future Civic. I can't wait. That car is just so amazing.

A Reward

The cold weather has finally paid off. A nice snow is falling outside and it looks really pretty. I like how the snow here sticks to the roads. It seemed in South Carolina it would never stick to the road. I actually really like the snow. If it's going to be cold, I would rather have it snow than be the dry, windy cold. I like it cold and snowing better.

It's fun too being "guaranteed" to get snow. It's just going to happen. In South Carolina it was a waiting/guessing game and usually disappointing. What Michigan considers a "light snow shower" on the news is what South Carolina calls "Winter Storm 2007". It's such a big contrast.

Today I went Christmas shopping, only to realize I don't know what to get...for anybody. So, I didn't buy anything.

I am really really ready for a new car. My Saturn is past that point where you care about it and try to correct the little things. Last night my "low coolant" light came on, but it was way too cold to try to look for any leaks. The reservoir was full, so oh well. Today the stupid "service engine soon" light came on and the car starting shaking and surging a little. I was thinking "keep it up, I'll dump you faster than you can imagine" and then it stopped. My suspension sounds like an old hotel bed. It squeeks and pops over all the bumps. June 2008 is my target date for my Atomic Blue Honda Civic LX. I can't wait.

I will be 24 in 23 more days.

Hecho en Mexico

On the freeway today a Ford Focus passed me with a bumper sticker that said:

"Want to save your job? Buy American"

Obviously whoever drove that car thought they were in an American car, but they weren't. The Ford Focus is produced in Hermosillo, Mexico. Their bumper sticker was pretty much slapping themselves in the face. Just because you own a Ford, or a GM, does not mean you own an American car.

So what's "American"? A Ford made in Mexico or a Honda made in Ohio. I vote for the Honda.

PS: Happy Birthday Nana!

Loophole

I found one, a loophole, against oil companies. The gas station Speedway here gives away "Speedy Rewards" cards which are free, and get you 5 cents off each gallon of gas. In addition to that, my credit card gives me 7% cash back on all gas and grocery purchases, so I'm getting a nice amount off every time I get gas which is nice.

A piece of my gum (my actual gum, not chewing gum) got torn off somehow above one of my teeth (I think from a piece of ice). It hurts really bad. I really hate my mouth, it's a lemon. It has so many things wrong with it that it's not even funny. Which reminds me, I need to go to the dentist. I'm sure I'll get a negative report like always, because that's what happens to me when I go to the dentist. I end up having 9 cavities even though I brush my teeth twice a day and don't drink anything but water. 9 is not a misprint either, that's what I was told the last time I went to the dentist which was...uhm...3 years ago. Dentists in my opinion are just as bad as car salesmen. I think if I actually DID have 9 cavities 3 years ago, my teeth would be rotted out by now but they're not. I do think I have one or two though, so I'll need to get those corrected. I apparantly have deep grooves in my teeth which are problems. They've been filled in with resin, but still are too deep. That's what I've been told.

Enough about dentists, I'm going to watch a movie.

Fotographia

This post is all about pictures, for two reasons:

1) I feel like posting pictures I took in Indiana
2) Linda didn't have a cool post to read last Friday, so now she will have the best Friday ever

First of all, here is Subaru of Indiana where they make Subaru Legacys, Outbacks, B9 Tribecas, and Toyota Camrys. Yes, Subaru makes Toyota Camrys under their roof. It's a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru.

Next is a picture I took at Purdue University. My supervisor who was with us went to Purdue and wanted to show us around the campus. It was a nice campus, but not as nice at Clemson's. Purdue had nice engineering buildings though instead of Riggs at Clemson, which was old, smelly, and had horrible AC. Welcome to Purdue University.

Next is a picture I took of a Boilermaker, Purdue's mascot. The legend is Purdue got their football players from a boil room, or something like that. Anyway here is a picture of a boilermaker incase you were wondering what one looked like.

The next picture is my favorite picture by far from Indiana. Being the geography nut I am, I made the people I was with pull over so I could take this. Where else can you end up at a crossroads which leads you to Peru, or Mexico? Indiana! About 1 mile ahead of this intersection was another set of signs that said Peru (left) and Chili (right). But, "Chili" wasn't spelled like the Latin American country "Chile" so that doesn't count. Still, it was fun to see.


Last but not least, a video that makes me laugh no matter what.
Watch me to laugh.
Bye!

Under Water

Today at lunchtime, a water main burst in Livonia near Interstate 96. Livonia is about 5 miles away from me, and about 3 miles from my job. Traffic was backed up everywhere after work since the interstate shut down.

On a brighter note, I went to test drive a Saturn Aura Greenline after work today. The Greenline Aura is a hybrid. If I were to get another Saturn, this would be the kind I would get. I was actually very impressed. It was a fun car to drive, the only thing I didn't like was how the A pillar was large and made a blind spot for the driver. It drove great though. It was a little scary stopping at a redlight and having the engine shut off, and the car run off the battery. When I let off the brake, the car started itself again. Pretty cool. It's either this car, which I get a supplier discount on, or a Honda Civic. The Aura is rated at 35 mpg, and the Civic at 40 mpg. The Aura is about 1000 pounds heavier and comes with more features though, and is a little classier in my opinion. I still love the Civic though, so we'll see. What do you think?







I'm going to Cedar Point this weekend in Ohio with Matt and his friend Jerry, so I won't be back until Sunday. I'm excited about the roller coasters!

The French

...or worse, French Canadians. Canada doesn't claim them (except Quebec) and France thinks they're fake. This video proves my point, and the fact that they do it with a Saturn doesn't help their case any.

I took my white Saturn to get the oil changed today. I ate popcorn, a cookie, and drank a coke at the dealer...all for free. Then, when I paid the receptionist asked me if I wanted to take a rose home with me. Apparantly when you get your car serviced you get a a flower...how sweet. On my way home, when I was turning onto 8 mile road my service light came on. This is not Service Engine Soon, which is emission related, but the "Service" light with a wrench next to it...it basically means there's something mechanically wrong with the car. When I got back to my apartment I pulled in my space, turned my AC off and let the car idle for a few seconds. After the AC compressor shut off, the light went off and never came back on. Weird. I swear this car is taunting me now. It's saying "Come on David, I know you don't like me so much anymore...this is fun". I also noticed that the headliner is starting to sag near the front around the maplight. Pretty soon I'll be one of those ghetto people with a headliner sagging down.

Work was nice today, I had things to do. I found out I take my first "business" trip in July to Maine, and then Ohio on the way back to Michigan. It's for 3 days and I'm going to visit 2 plants, and to accompany a guy from Japan with an engineer I work with.

Fuji, Dawn's dog (and the family's) is lost. They're not sure where he went, but I hope he shows up soon. I'd like to see him again and I miss him a lot. I miss Cosmo too, AND my family.

I had Mac and Cheese for dinner. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get some things, mainly fruit! I want fruit bad and I don't have any. Some apples and bananas would be nice.

Excuse me, may I squeeze in?

Today when I left work I decided to go by a Walmart to see if they had the oil I like to buy, Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic for my white Saturn. Even though I can't change my own oil because of my living situation, the Saturn dealers will let you bring your own oil, and they'll change it and just charge labor. Fine by me. Well, I was about to get on M-14, which is like an interstate and I see traffic backed up really far in the left lane to turn on the highway, BUT, this was about 1 mile from the turn. So, I figured that lane was just backed up from the red light. So, I move right and go up...and nothing, no openings at all. The road ends, and you have to turn on M-14 because of construction. So, I'm up at the end, in the right lane, and nowhere to go because traffic is backed up in the other lane about a mile back. So, I move slowly, and almost stop. I even get a confused look on my face, like other drivers will see me and go "aw, he must not of known the RR tracks are out, let's let him in". How embarassing. I don't even have an out of state license plate anymore. So, instead of looking confused and lost, I just looked like a greedy car driver who breaks in line. Oh well, I got in, and made it to M-14 much faster than the other cars. Sorry everyone.

Another thing that I realized. Our administrative assistant, Jamie took Wednesday through Friday off. For vacation? No, to get ready for her "yard sale". People in Michigan are insane about yard sales. They take vacation to host one. On the weekends you see dozens of signs saying "neighborhood yardsale" etc. Bill's wife Mary Kay told me that when they've hosted them in the past, they'll have people come up to their house 2 DAYS before the actual yard sale and say "I'm going to be out of town, but I really wanted to see what you had, can I look and pick out what I want?". She said also they'll come really early the day of, and just wait outside your house. She's even had people come up to her door and ask if she's ready to start the yard sale. There are dedicated yard-salers here. Apparantly though you can make around $500 by hosting one...if you have enough junk you unload.

I ended up finding my oil though, not at Wal-Mart, but Advance Auto. $25.00 just for oil. I don't think I'm going to keep this synthetic business up any longer. My Saturn now has 176,000 miles on it. The sunroof is broken, it's getting old and I'm just going back to regular oil. There comes that point when you still like your car, but don't baby it so much. I still like it, but $40.00 total for an oil change is too much, especially for this old of a car. It never had a name, like some people's car but Paul called it Rupert.

I got my first paycheck today! The first one is nice because there's not health insurance taken out, or 401K but the next one I'll have to start paying. It's nice to have a cash flow now.

I'm going to Indianapolis tomorrow to visit Matt for the weekend, so there will not be any posting until Sunday, maybe Monday. Linda, I hope you and your friend at work will make it ok, hang in there. Have a nice weekend everyone.

Soup

I had soup for dinner, it was really good. I was looking forward to vegetables because I hadn't had them in so long. Class is still going well, and it's more fun now that I know more. Tomorrow is the last day, then back to regular work on Monday.

I went to Saturn of Plymouth tonight to get my oil changed in my 92 Saturn. When I pulled in the service advisor said "wow, you really take care of this thing". It only took them 30 minutes and they charged $25 which wasn't bad. As soon as I got back to my apartment though I looked under the car to make sure they changed the oil filter and checked the oil, to make sure it was full. All was ok. I just had to make sure, I wish I could still do it myself.

The little house I like it still for sale. My dad and I saw this house in Plymouth that was a 3 bedroom/2 bath house with a 2 car garage. Just something small and older (probably built in the 70's). It is in REALLY good condition, on the outside atleast, and the neighborhood is really nice and kept up. It's for sale by owner and they're asking $183,000. I need to find out how work is going to go, if I will be moving later, or some kind of exchange program with Germany...something. If I will be here for a while, I want to save up and buy a house like that because rent is basically a mortgage for me. I saw the house tonight when I was going to the Saturn dealer and it was still for sale. I really like that house. So now, I have to decide if I want to save up for a new car or put away for a house in a few years. Adulthood.

I saw some guy getting arrested today on the side of the interstate at the 8 mile road exit. He was driving a BMW 3 series convertible and looked Italian and was dressed very well with slick hair. The cop had him leaned over the trunk putting handcuffs on. I wonder what he did wrong?