Incidentals

Nothing major going on.

Weight wise: I've lost 6 lbs in 2 months, and I'm definitely getting some muscle. The roomie looked at me the other day and said, "Wow, you've almost got breasts." Not exactly encouragement, but whatever. I don't entirely trust the numbers on my scale's body fat reading, but even if it's only approximate, I'm losing almost exclusively fat in that weight. So, that's a good thing. Means I might be decent by December.

The car's all nice and happy. I've decided I'm getting the suspension system done next, because it's at 100k miles (as of last night) and I've never had it worked on. I also got it cleaned, so it's -literally- shiny.

The resort I like up in Guerneville has a cabin open for Labor Day weekend. I'm trying to decide if I want to head up there. Well, actually, I'm trying to talk myself out of wanting to go up there. I really ought to stay home and get some work done. I've been goofing off a little too much on the consulting stuff.

Being an adult has its drawbacks.

I joined a dating site. We'll see how it goes. I swear, though, if I see one more person list Harry Potter in their "favorite books" section, I'm going to have to break something.

The price we pay

My car's been neglected for a while. First, the new job and the horrendous commute before I moved made getting it to a shop on a weekday pretty much impossible. Then, once I moved, it's been fairly non-stop with other commitments that mean I can't be without a car for a day.

Finally, after getting back from Montana, I dropped it off at the shop last night and got a ride from my best friend into work today.

Status report:
Two bad catalytic converters. Yes, my car has two, and they both need replacing. I figured I'd gotten bad gas at some point in the past since a few things went odd, but that cleared up. Or seemed to, anyway. Plus, I'm at 100k miles (just shy), so it's about time anyway.

A bigger concern is that they said the engine had almost no oil in it. Now, yes, it's been a while since I had an oil change (probably too long), but I swear I checked the oil levels either just before my vacation or just after, so it's been max 8 weeks and more likely 6 weeks since I looked, and it was fine. So, that's a little concerning. They're going to flush it, load it with HQ synthetic, and have me flush it again (at no cost) in 2k miles or so.

Lastly, front brakes, but that's not a big deal: pads are under warranty, so it's just labor.

Total cost: about $2500, most of that the converters (which are about 900 each). Luckily, I don't need new tires yet, which would be another $1k. But that'll probably come up in the next couple of months (especially as the weather gets rainy towards the end of October).

It's also a really good feeling to know that spending $2500 to get my car fixed isn't a big deal: I'd actually budgeted for about $3k, not including tires. So, while I'm not happy about the oil thing (hopefully it's just a "wtf" freak occurance and not indicative of some larger problem), I'm actually not upset over the cost.

And my toy will be all spiffy again. Well, as soon as I get it washed, anyway...

And go my own way

So, getting ready to fly home.

Interesting trip in the "something different" sense. I think I know how this friendship thing with the guys will work out: basically, not at all. I'll stop "bugging" them, and I'll likely never get a note or message from them. No blame attaches; I just don't see any interest (socially) at all from one of them, and the other seems more of a "out of sight, out of mind" type. I may be wrong, but years of making these kinds of connections can't be discounted.

Still, it was a nice break to do something unusual. I can't say I regret coming. I have to force myself outside my comfort zone more often. And, they seemed to be glad I was here, at least for the party.

This coming week is going to be pretty dull. Hopefully, anyway.

Big Sky Country

In a matter of hours (literally - 12 hours exactly from now, my plane takes off) I'll be on my way to Montana for the weekend. Should be fun. If nothing else, it's "something different", and as another Richard (fictional) once said: Never refuse an invitation.

I got the guys a Hawaiian "care" package - things like coffee, candies, nuts, lotions, a CD, etc. - since it fits in with the Hawaiian theme. The fun part, of course, is packing around this rather large box in my luggage; luckily, the weather's supposed to be great so I won't need to take any bulky clothes. Otherwise, I might have to pack two cases, especially as I'm taking my tripod (which is itself pretty bulky).

It's also the perseids this weekend, so hopefully Big Sky Country lives up to its name and I can get some decent shots. I'm going to try a higher ISO and see if I can get more vibrant shots without the trace lines. I think, on my camera, I can go up to like 3200 without any issue. So, we'll see how it works out.

Sirius Rising

Wow, been a while.

When last we left our adventure, I'd been in the new place a week. Well, it's approaching a month now. Last night I made my first "real meal" - not from scratch, though. I bought these pre-seasoned Jamaican jerk shrimp at the store (frozen, just sautee 'em up and go). I also got a rice cooker, some wild rice, and a bunch of snap peas. Cooked the rice, steamed the peas, made half the shrimp (had 12, so made 6) - oh my god, it was good. I may actually have to start cooking.

Roommate came in and had some of the rice and approved. He did make "gagging" noises when he saw me munch a clove of roast garlic (which I also made last night). I managed to talk him into trying it, and his response was, "What the fuck? This is really good!" So, I've made another convert.

I'm still working out every other day, and there's definite progress being made. My weight's staying about the same (which is good) while my body fat percentage is going down slowly (which is great). I'm also actually starting to get some definition to me, which is frankly amazing. I still have a long ways to go, of course, but it's nice to be at least headed in the right direction.

Speaking of heading in directions, I'm taking a day off and making a long weekend of next weekend: the 12th I'm flying to Montana for a wedding reception for the guys I met in Maui. Should be fun. I'm just not sure if I should be bringing a present or something.

Summer's finally decided to rear its ugly head in the form of 95+ degree days and humidity. I think it's getting cooler by the weekend, though.

Since I'm flying to MT this month, I probably won't be doing anything major for Labor Day. I might go on a day trip somewhere, just for fun, but I'm blowing a grand on one trip already and should probably "take it easy".