Twelve Drummers Drumming

On the twelfth day of Christmas, I shopped and posted. I had spent some of my gift certificates xmas night ordering things that were on sale from the Sears website. Today I finished spending the last of it. With the exception of a bigger toolbox and a set of chisels and punches (which the catalog is out of) I now have all the tools that I need from Sears. Until the next catalog comes out.

Eleven Pipers Piping

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we watched football. We finished up our long drive home. The return trip only took us 28 hours. Which ment we got home in time to watch the afternoon game and the late game. It was good to be home.

Ten Lords a Leaping

On the tenth day of Christmas, we drove. There isnt much that happened. We just drove and drove and drove.

Nine Ladies Dancing

On the ninth day of Christmas, we played DnD. First Jaime and I went to Village Inn for lunch with Jenna and Brett. It was good to see them one last time before they went back to Florida. It was also fun to go back and see that nothing has changed at all at Village Inn.

I went to pick up Ted and then we headed over to Neils. Neil arrived shortly there after and then Dan. We started our character sheets and Matt showed up. We got a couple good battles in and rolled some serious magical items. It was great to have a night with just the boys. The thing I miss the most about living in Phoenix is that we dont have any friends there. Sure Dan and the Tesos live just a couple hours away. Its not the same though.

Eight Maids a Milking

On the eighth day of Christmas, we ate tacos. First we went out to Muskegon to see Dans sister Carla at her new job. One of her friends opened up a fancy pants store and shes helping to run it. Its called Lee & Birch. Jaime got a couple shirts.

After we watched the Joy of Painting, we headed over to Neil and Bris. We ate many tacos. I managed to eat the square root this year. Dan ate the square root twice and was instructed by Raene to "take care of your butt." There was also a special surprise. Ted came home. It was great to see everyone again.

Seven Swans a Swimming

On the seventh day of Christmas, we relaxed. Jaime went out shopping with her mom. I went out to lunch with my dad. Dan and I hung out for a little while. We went out to dinner with Jaimes parents. Then Dan, Neil and I hung out. We went to Meijer for a late night sled and snacks run.

Six Geese a Laying

On the sixth day of Christmas, we went sledding. First we went to my dads for some breakfast and quality time. We exchanged presents and I got another Sears gift card. After we were done there we went to Jaimes grandmas house. We ate more food, exchanged presents, (I got a personal grooming set and another Sears gift card) and played some Catch Phrase music edition.

After we were done we had planned to go to Jaimes parents and have xmas with her brother and the gang but their little one was running a really bad fever so they took her to the hospital. Unable to open presents at that point we decided to move sledding up.

I rounded up Neil, Jenna and Brett and we went sledding. We only had a couple sleds so we decided to break in Raene and Rubys new sleds. And break them we did. Well, just Neil did. The one he was using cracked and was rendered useless. Fortunately this didnt happen until the last trip down the hill.

We went back home and Jaimes brother called to say they were on their way so we could open presents. Here I got a Visa giftcard, a light for my bike and a Get Fuzzy calendar. This concluded the family and gift exchange portion of Christmas this year.

Five Golden Rings

On the fifth day of Christmas, we opened presents. After breakfast we spent the morning and afternoon at my moms house opening presents and playing games. For some reason my mom had to go get some maps for the wall for dinner that evening. That just meant that we didnt have to spend as much time with here which was fine. Unfortunately, Brett decided to go with here so we didnt get to spend as much time with him either. With the exception of a chocolate letter and a wooden back scratcher, my haul was exclusively Sears gift cards, exactly what I wanted. After that was done we went back to Jaimes parents house in GR.

Four Calling Birds

On the fourth day of Christmas, we slept. We were awakened to the smell of bacon emanating from my mothers kitchen. We got up and ate a delicious French toast and bacon and coffee cake and eggs breakfast. We hung out with my mom and her husband until it was time to go to Holland for the first Christmas.

We went to GR to meet up with Jaimes parents and then the four of us headed out to Aunt Ruths house. On the way out it started snowing. It was beautiful. I had been longing for snow for over a year and there it was. Horray! The actual celebration was boring as usual. I didnt take part in the gift exchange. (I have enough $10 flashlights.) The food was delicious.

By the time we left the snow was really coming down. We were supposed to pick Jenna and Brett up at 945pm from Gerald R Ford Int and when we checked the flight was still on time. When we got to the airport it was really dark. It seemed like it was shut down and only the security lights were on. By this time, the snow was blowing sideways and the wind pierced our coats. There was at least six inches on the ground.

When we finally found our way to the terminal from long term parking it became apparent that something wasnt right. There were about 64 million people waiting for people to arrive and the lights were nearly all turned off. The arrival board said that all but one flight out of Chicago was on time. It didnt make sense.

After standing around for a little bit we over heard that the main power was out and they were on generators. They also werent letting any flights land until 1000pm because they needed to clear the ice off the runway. Then when the planes land they have to wheel stairs to them so that people can get off the planes because the jet ways arent working. Also, there are at least four planes circling, waiting to land. One of which Jenna and Brett are on.

At 1030 my phone rings. Its Jenna. This discussion followed.

Me: Hey, did you guys land?
Jenna: Yeah, what airport are you guys at?
Me: Were at Gerald R Ford. What do you mean what airport are we at?
Jenna: Were in Detroit.

The conversation continued but Ill summarize. They were circling GR, waiting for a chance to land and got low on fuel. They sent them back to Detroit, told them to get off the plane and get their luggage. They were canceling the flight and the next flight into GR was 830pm the next day. I told her to see if they could rent a car or get a flight close, like Muskegon, Lansing or Kalamazoo then when she knew give us a call.

We went back to Jaimes parents house and Jenna called back. They got a flight to Lansing and should be arriving around 0115am. Jaime and I borrowed her moms GPS and headed out. We picked them up and went to Kalamazoo certain that we never wanted to drive again.

Three French Hens

On the third day of Christmas, I finished my driving shift, which took us through Texas, and into Tulsa Oklahoma. At this point we again, filled up on gas, and peed. What makes it a new day is that we went to Cracker Barrel for some delicious breakfast.

After breakfast Dan started his second shift and we rotated as people got tired. We arrived in Kalamazoo around 1100pm after dropping Dan off in GR.

With 2000 miles behind us, 32 hours of driving completed and very little sleeping done we were ready for bed.

Two Turtle Doves

On the second day of Christmas, we drove. I dropped Jaime off at work around 8. I went home and finished packing the food and as much of the cooler as I could. Got the last of the food for the trip from the store and made the sandwiches. Dan arrived around 1130 and we packed the car up and went to get Jaime.

Dan took the first leg of the trip and got us all the way out of Arizona. It was a beautiful drive up the mountains and then back down into New Mexico. We stopped for gas and a bathroom break and then Jaime took over the driving. The sun had set by this point and the weather started to turn a little. Still at a pretty high altitude, we ran into a little bit of snow blowing across the highway. It must have rained here earlier because the highways were covered with ice. We saw one person go into the ditch in front of us and two others that had already found their place in the mud.

Now in Texas and the dead of night all around us we gas up again, potty and switch. It was my turn to drive and being 11 hours in my eyes began to play tricks on me. Jaime was my co pilot and she was having trouble staying awake as well. Off in the distance I was all but certaithat I saw our impending doom. A couple minutes later Jaime said: "Dave, do you see that..?" and I finished her sentance with "funnel cloud?" "Yeah." "Yeah I see it." As we approached it became more and more apparent that there was in fact a giant tornado in front of us. The strange thing was, it didnt seem to be affecting the rest of the weather around us. It just loomed in the distance, barely moving, as if to say, Im waiting for you, and I am patient. Jaime turned the radio to FM (rather then the XM we had been listening to) to see if we could find a weather channel. No luck. We got closer and closer. Then, in the distance, we saw the cause of our fears, the worlds biggest cross. It was lit from below and its shadow against the dark cloudy Texas sky looked like a twister. I have never been so thankful for Christs sacrifice.

A Partrage in a Pear Tree

On the first day of Christmas, I worked half my shift and went home early. There wasnt anything going on in the shop and I had ants in my pants, literally. (One of the cars that came in had ants nesting in the wind shield wiper fluid reservoir.)

Home early, I finished packing and played some video games while I waited for Jaime to come home. When she got home we finished watching the last disc of LOST: Season 3. (Watch it!) Then we put the finishing touches on the packing and went to bed. The vacation has started.

(Ill be adding pictures when we get home.)

Its Time to Move on, Its Time to Get Goin

For a very long time now Ive wanted to move to the greater Denver area. When I turned 10 my parents told me I was adopted and was born there. Ever since Ive been curious about the city. Ive been there on a couple occasions and like any family vacation destination found it enjoyable. Ive followed the Broncos and the Rockies and the Avalanche depending on what sports I was into at the time. Its been a childhood dream.

As an adult, I simply wanted to move away from Grand Rapids. For a long time it didnt matter where I moved. Jaime was reluctant, due to her close ties with her family, but after finishing school she realized that there was nothing for her in GR as far as jobs were concerned and started looking elsewhere. As you know, we wound up in Phoenix.

Phoenix is a great city. You can do anything you want, you just have to have the money to pay for it. The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Vegas and the Grand Canyon are only a half days drive away. My mother is a safe 2000 miles away. We can live here with only one car. Theres just one problem. Its hot. Stupid hot. I walked to the grocery store today in a t shirt. I hate it. Both of us do. Its very difficult to enjoy anything outside for 4 months out of the year. The sun beats down every day. EVERY DAY. Theres no diversity in the weather.

Our lease ends in June. In a couple months Jaime is going to start looking for a job in Colorado. If she gets one we are moving for sure. Theres a very good chance that we will be moving regardless of weather she has a job or not.

So are we moving to Colorado because I have some childhood fantasy about living there? No. Its the place thats the closest to having everything we want. It has diverse weather. It has diverse terrain. While not the best, as a state Colorado is above average regarding crime rates and quality of education. Cost of living is decent. The only thing it doesnt have is our friends. But no place has all of our friends and Colorado is pretty frickin close to the center of Michigan, Arizona, Florida and Washington.

Im very excited to move again. I feel like were finally going to be adults. Im ready to be where Im going to be for the next big part of my life. Im not saying that were going to stay in Colorado forever. But when we moved to Phoenix, we knew it wasnt going to be for long.

Employee of the Month

Watch it.

Superbad

Watch it.

Christmas Vacation

Watch it.

Ive Watched You Change

We had a little bit of a scare Sunday night. The Eagles almost beat the Patriots. What should have been a blow out turned into a glimpse into how to beat New England. None the less, they have clinched the AFC East. Then, the Steelers, who are the only team left who has a chance to beat the Patriots, barely beat the Dolphins (who are winless this season) on a last minute field goal.

As the league stands now:
AFC
East: Patriots (bye)
North: Steelers
West: Colts (bye)
South: Chargers
Wild Cards: Browns, Jaguars

NFC
East: Cowboys (bye)
North: Packers (bye)
West: Buccaneers
South: Seahawks
Wild Cards: Cowboys, Lions

Well the Ravens completely blew my upset by loosing the 4 games since my last prediction. (Including 3 division games). I think the AFC is going to play out as above with the exception of the Browns winning the north and the Steelers being a wild card. The NFC is pretty set in stone too. The division leaders are pretty much going to stay there, as they all have at least a 2 game lead. The Giants and the Lions have a pretty hard end to the season but none of the teams chasing them have it that easy either. I think the NFC is going to stay as it is.

Home Alone

Watch it.

Fat Thursday

Another successful Thanksgiving! This year we went south. Unlike last year the football was not in HD. Thats ok though because, unlike last year, the food was in HD. With much trepidation, Zac cooked up a tasty, juicy turkey. Dan mashed up some serious potatoes and gravy. Jaime made her aunt Cathys cheesy potatoes dish. Teresas mom brought the best yams Ive ever tasted. On top of all that we had rolls, green beens, corn, stove top stuffing, biscuits, and homemade salsa. For dessert we had pumpkin pie and pecan pie.

Shes got a Smile that it Seems to Me

Most of you have probably read this post. Its about the loss of one of the best dogs Ive ever known. Jaime picked me up from work and we went straight to "Makios" for dinner. While we were eating, Jaime told me about the post. As she did I got teary eyed. She wasnt my dog. But she was my dogs best friend and we had lots and lots of fun with her. She showed Hudson how to lift his leg when he pees. Bishop had his first canine crush. They chased Frisbees, ran through the woods, swam in creeks and lakes and rode in truck beds. I dont know if they remember that they had such a good friend but I know Ill miss her.

Pimp My Website

Horse Trailer Player of the Game

Were watching the Bills get their asses handed to them by the Patriots right now. Its pretty amazing for the first half but after the Pats have completely destroyed the other team the second half of the game is boring. If only there were a way to ensure that the main, big, prime time game was a good one. Oh wait, there is, its call flex scheduling, and its what brought us this crappy game.

Last year the league, in the interest of having the best, most relevant games be in prime time, instated a new scheduling format. From week 11 on, the best game of the week would be chosen for the big game. Well for some god forsaken reason they chose a game whos score is now 56-10 with 4 minutes left. By no means is this the best game. Both the other games we watched today were good close games and were relevant to the playoff race. This game isnt. Eveyone knew that the Patriots were going to destroy the Bills. EVERYONE.

Dont worry, next Sunday the Eagles will have their chance to get their asses kicked by the Patriots in prime time.

Babel

Watch it.

Disturbia

Watch it.

Its Not Easy Being Green

Im a supporter of the low energy light bulbs. In fact, I support most things that conserve energy. Things like turning off lights in rooms youre not in. Turning the computer off while youre asleep or at work. Only using the AC 9 months out of the year. (You know, the months when it gets over 90 degrees.) Im all for most of the new fuel efficient technologies theyre putting in the cars these days too. I think anyone who does exclusively city driving and spends a significant amount of time in traffic should own a gas electric hybrid.

Why do I support conservation of energy? Its because I aint got no money to be payin all these bills. Sure its a nice side effect that the world and future of man kind benefits, but the green Im going for has a picture of Mr Franklin on it. The next car I buy for myself (Jaime gets the next next new car) is going to be a big old F250 super duty turbo diesel quad cab. But wait Dave, doesnt that thing guzzle gas? I read it only get 7-16 miles per gallon. Thats not good for the world or your wallet. Youre right. It does get lousy gas millage. And that would be a problem if I intended to pay for most of my fuel. But I dont. I intend to get most of it for free, and fat America is going to help provide it. The nice thing about a diesel engine is that it can run on vegetable oil. All you have to do is go to McDonalds and let them know youre going to empty their fryer waste bin, (which they usually pay to have taken away). You then filter the waste fryer grease, mix in some methanol and caustic soda and you have bio diesel for pennies on the dollar. The way is there, all it takes is a will.

Realistically I have no idea if Ill be getting that F250. Im not going to replace the Man Scorpion until Ive put at least 200,000 miles on it (which, at the rate were going will be in 9-10 years) or, God forbid, it gets totaled in an accident or suffers major engine or transmission failure. In 10 years the game could be completly different. Cars could have little fusion reactors that use water as fuel and only produce Hydrogen and Oxygen as byproducts. But if things are remotely similar to how they are today, youll be looking for the ketchup when you smell my french fry scented exhaust as I roll by.

The Day After Tomorrow

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Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain.

It seems like every year or so I have to remind people that I dont really hate everyone. My persona on this blog is just that, a persona. If you dont like it, dont come here. And if you dont like that I comment on your blog, let me know and Ill stop.

Before leaving for work I read this post and would like to address a question that I believe I inspired.

how do you not become a hypocrite?

By not acting in opposition to your beliefs. Hypocrisy is, in my opinion, the greatest sin one can commit. When I believe in something I act according to that belief. If I cant do something then I dont expect anyone else with the same means to be able to do it either. Its simple to not become a hypocrite. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Am I saying that I have never been and never will again be a hypocrite? No. It is human nature to sin. But I will try my best to keep from doing so and ask forgiveness when I fail.

Another question was posed in this post that Id like to address too.

where the hell was dave in all this? did he leave his anger pants at home?

I was distracted by sun stroke from the hour of tailgating in the Phoenix sun? I was distracted by the fact that someone just yelled "Lets go Lions, punch em in the face"? I was too excited to get off the bus and go see the game to realize that some asshole was insulting my lady? I didnt hear what he said, and didnt find out about it until after they had gone?

I dont know where I was in all this. I feel like a failure though. Had I been on my game, Id like to think I would have said something like "Are you implying that shes not a true fan? I know its hard to believe that someone that hot could be a die hard football fan but she is. In fact, shes probably a bigger fan then you, your dad, your brother and that cow with her utter holder showing over there that you call a wife are put together. Now quit picking on my wife before I turn your cardinal red shirt, blood red."

I received this from Nisi in my MySpace in box yesterday.

i may be a little slow but the little disclaimer on my blog is not intended for you or anyone else in my little blogo world. aka, my blogger list. we're not all fortunate enough to have great relationships with our siblings as you seem to have. sure, you may piss me off from time to time, who hasn't? that is just life but it sure isn't a reason to put up a whole new graphic.

Whether its ego or paranoia, I generally think that, whenever possible, people are talking about or too me. If you tell me that youre not then Ill believe you. What I want to know is, if all the "anger" is always so public, why Nisi, did you send me this in private. Why not let everyone know?

Plus Nobody I Know Got Killed in South Central L.A.

It was a good day at work. Number was told that shes not allowed to do brake work anymore. Andy came and picked up his tools, meaning he is definitively gone. I made a lot of money.

Cardinals vs Lions

We went to the Cardinals Lions game today. It was frickin awesome. We had really good seats, 23 rows from the field at about the 20 yard line on the Cardinals bench side. We could see everything. The game wasnt that good but the experience was wonderful. I dont know that Id spend the money to get lower level seats again but it was definitely worth doing once. Next time well probably get second deck seats and hopefully get more center field. We wont be able to see the cheerleaders as well but it should be a better view of the game.

It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times

I did a lot of work at work today. Very very little of it wound up paying. 3 brake evaluations whos work all got turned down by the customer. 3 alignments that turned out not needing adjustments (which means no commission for the work). Putting 22" rims on a truck that a customer brought in with tires premounted resulting in no pay. What could have turned out being one of the best days in weeks turned out to be a total bust.

A total bust, except for one thing that is. I was walking past the office and "Andy" (the guy who wines and crys and acts like a big baby) was walking out of it. I said "Hey Andy, how ya doin?" He looked at me and said "Fuck off!" then stormed out of the store. It made me so happy. I new what had just happened in that office. To be sure I quickly skipped into the office and asked what happened. I was right. He finally got fired.

Seven Samurai

Watch it!

Entertain Me

Im angry. I just had a post all typed out and then I accidentally clicked on one of my book marks and now its gone. Im not going to recreate it because Im too tired. Heres the gist of it though. Will someone other then Nisi please post every once and a while. Im sick of her drivel being the only thing to read.

Arrested Development: Season 3

Watch it!

Hard Meat

When I arrived to work this morning there was already a ticket waiting. This was a little odd since we hadnt opened yet. Number (which is how Im going to refer to the girl tech from now on) was already there and had already checked out the ticket. She said that it was for me. This struck me as odd because shes a gravy sucking hog and doesnt ever give any work away unless its warranty work. I asked what it was and she said that it was a car I looked at a little while ago that was back to have the brake work done and they asked for me.

I got changed and grabbed the ticket. Sure enough, the ticket said "Customer request - for DAVE". The car was in for front brakes and all the work was paid. I didnt remember evaluating a Chrysler 300 recently so I went up front to see if the car would jog my memory. I had never seen the car in my life. Curious, I checked to see if there was a brake evaluation filled out on the car from the last time they were in. Sure enough, there was the original ticket and eval, dated last night around 7pm and the eval was in one of the other techs handwriting. The tech who worked last night and had today off.

This all made sence now. The other tech did the evaluation last night, didnt have time to do the work and didnt work today. He checked to see who was opening this morning and saw that it was Number (I chose "Number" because its the opposite of her real name) and I. Because she sucks so bad, he wrote on the ticket that the customer requested I do the work. Genius!

Are You the Guys on the Beach Who Hate Everything

I am very, very, very sick of the girl tech at work. Shes stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Im sick of her not knowing how to do her job. Im sick of having to do half her work for her. Im sick of having to look at her stupid ugly face.

Its in the Game

Well the Patriots look unstoppable. The beat the Colts today, and in doing so defeated the only team that has a chance of beating them in the playoffs this year. If you ask me, New England goes 19-0 this year. Its going to be them and Green Bay in the Superbowl and the Pats are going to destroy the Packers.

Heres my playoff prediction:
AFC
East: Patriots (bye)
North: Ravens
West: Colts (bye)
South: Chargers
Wild Cards: Steelers, Titans

NFC
East: Cowboys (bye)
North: Packers (bye)
West: Buccaneers
South: Seahawks
Wild Cards: Lions, Redskins

A Day in the Life

We slept in a little this morning. Its the first Saturday Jaime and I have had off together in a while so we didnt feel guilty about sleeping until 715. Today was going to be an action packed day after all.

Around 830 we left for the dog park. We found a new one closer to our house then the one we had been going to. When we got there, all the other dogs were in the small dog part of the park and there was just one small dog (a Terrier of some kind) in the big dog part. He was busy chasing a ball that was being kicked around for him. Shortly after we arrived the big dog side filled up. New dogs arrived and the big dogs that were in the little dog area came over to the big dog side. There was lots of butt sniffing and running and butt sniffing and drooling and butt sniffing. From one of the corners of the park there came a loud squeal or squeak, much like a rusty hinge. We looked over and there was a Shar Pei about Hudson size (80lbs but short and stout) chasing the terrier that was over on our side when we arrived. It wasnt biting it or doing anything mean, it was just playing a little rougher then the little dog (about 1/3 its size) wanted to play. Well, the squealing continued and naturally all the other big dogs came running and all the people followed. The owner of the Terrier (who was in the small dog park with their big dog while her husband was supposed to be watching the little dog in the big dog area) started dumping coffee on the Shar Pei through the fence. The owners of the Shar Pei come running over and pull it off the Terrier. A violent yelling match ensues between the man owner of the Shar Pei and the lady owner of the Terrier. It ended with the Shar Pei owners getting kicked out due to the foul language he decided to employ. The problem is that he was right. The dog should have been in the small dog area. And I cant say I would have been any calmer, if Id just seen someone dump coffee all over my dog, but once you start launching the f bomb people dont like listening to you any more and it doesnt matter how right you are.

After the excitement at the dog park we went to drop off some cans at the recycling thing. We had 3 bags of cans that we couldnt drop off the night before due to a car show occupying the parking lot. We pulled up the the thing and as I was about to open the door a homeless man stuck his head up from behind the trash. Frustrated and with no desire to deal with this mans begging I strike preemptively and just leave. As were about to pull out of the parking lot, I stop and turn around. Feeling guilt about treating the guy that way and my desire to not have 3 bags of cans in my truck on the way down to Tucson (primarily the latter)  I pulled up the the guy and told him that if he wanted the cans in the back he could have them. He said "thatll work" and took the cans from the truck. Cans taken care of, we went to Tucson.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the company (and food) of our southern friends. They now have a house that has a back yard prime for grilling and a cute little puppy. Daisy wasnt sure how to act with the boys. She was certain that the had to let them know she was in charge and that it was her house.  After the excitement of the new puppy wore off Bishop and Hudson just wanted to lay around. Daisy wanted to play though. She followed them everywhere they went. Its so funny to think of them as the old dogs. For so long they were the ones who would annoy the crap out of the other dogs and not leave them alone.

I Dont Know How Its Spelled.

Happy birthday to baby Ruby, AKA "Bruby Day." (Dae, Dai, Gdauin?)

Happy Halloween

Yesterday was candy day. We took the light bulb out of our porch light and watched Arrested Development all night. I dont feel guilty about this. Back when we lived in a house and it wasnt 90 degrees out on Halloween, we gave out candy. Its just hard to get into it here.

Arrested Development: Season 2

Watch it!

Much Like the Surface of the Sun, Its a Dry Heat

Its 930pm, 2 days before Halloween, and Im sitting in my apartment with the windows open and the fans on, sweating. We turned the AC off when the sun set about 3 hours ago because the temperature dipped down under 90. Were hoping to move to Colorado after this school yeah. Its too fucking hot here.

If You Want to Buy Me Something

I like to look at tool catalogs. I spend many of my TV watching evenings flipping through the pages. This weekend I decided to put a list together of all the tools I still need for work. The tools I need that I can buy at Sears can be found here by entering this number 900001171048010101 as the registry number. For the Snap On tools I need go here. All told, I still need $4,500 worth of tools. Considering I only have around $2-3,000 invested into my set Im doing pretty good. Most of the tools I still need are special application tools and dont get used on a daily basis. Unfortunately, without them some jobs are impossible. Luckly for me, I work at a shop that provides a lot of the specialty tools and the ones they dont, someone else probably has. Im also lucky in that I only do under car work. If I were to expand into engine, transmission or electrical work, the dollar amount could easily jump to  $15-20,000.

Arrested Development: Season 1

Watch it!

And Dont Forget My Black T Shirt

Back in July:
I had a lot of dental work done. I paid upon completion of service. I received a statement from my insurance company explaining what they would pay and learned that I over paid because blah blah blah. I called the dentist and he said that he hasnt received payment from the insurance company but when he does well sort the balance out.

Today:
I still havent received anything from the dentist so I get all my numbers in order and call him up to see where my $170.80 is. He looks up my file and very quickly says he owes me $170.80. Then he explains that unless a patient requests the money they dont send it out. Hell send it out next Wednesday.

Now I know this is how a lot of places do it but frankly I think its bull shit. If I owe a business money and dont pay them in a timely manner I get fees and penalties and all kinds of other crap. But for some reason when a company or business owes a person money there arent any consequences for them not coughing up the money. I think I might go down there and get my check right now. (And then stab him in the eye with some of his tools.)

Its Been...

• 4 weeks and 1 day since Ive been hit by a car.


• 1 year and 3 days since we arrived in Arizona.


• 1 year, 2 months, 1 week and 5 days since Ive smoked a cigarette.


• 5 years, 8 months, and 6 days since I registered 64tacos.com.


• 7 years, 8 months, 3weeks and 6 days since I asked Jaime to marry me.


• 12 years, 6 months and 2 days since I first stepped foot in The Basement

I Know a Girl with the Golden Touch

I dont like being touched. For some reason complete strangers have been touching me a lot lately. I dont like it and if it doesnt stop I might just brakes someones finger/hand/arm/face when they touch me. I dont like being touched.

Hostage

Watch it.

But Oh How the Music has Changed

It was a good day at work. I found out that the new guy is going to get fired after next week. (We need him to cover while another tech is on vacation.) I also got confirmation that I will be promoted to a Tech 3 due to the completion of my training last week. This includes a raise and makes me happy.

Premonition

Dont Watch it.

Driven Through the Canyons I was Dazzled by the Mountains and We Didnt Go Very Far

As much as I hate Phoenix, I absolutely love Arizona. Everywhere you look youre surrounded by beautiful scenery. Mountains, deserts, cactus forests, canyons (Grand and other kinds) and any other kind natural beauty you cant find in Michigan. We went camping this weekend. My lovely wife summed it up pretty well here, so Im going to bring a different take on the trip.

We headed East out of Phoenix and were dazzled by the sun setting behind us and lighting up the Superstition Mountains in front of us, turning them a beautiful dull red and orange color that can only be seen here in the desert. As we ascended, the darkness of night came over us and we were relegated to the taillights and headlights of those in front of us. We wound our way up through the mountains unaware of the true wonder that was surrounding us. Camp was made and we slept.

Upon exiting our tent the next morning, we were greeted with the site of a dark blue lake surrounded by cliffs of rock. The lake sat a good 20-30 feed below our camp site. On our side of the lake the shore was about as wide as the cliffs were high and provided a very enjoyable late morning hike. There wasnt much wild life, just your typical over fed campground squirrels and the like. The lake looked to be full of fish though.

The trip home opened our eyes to the near death experience that was our trip up the winding roads just feet away from deep valleys and canyons. We had the luxury of being able to see off the cliffs we were speeding around at 55 miles per hour this time. Theres only one thing in the world that can really compare to the majesty of mountain peaks all around you and that is the vastness of the ocean.

Im Feeling so Confused Today, It Seems Theyve Changed the Rules Again

We finished the Basic Brakes portion of the brakes training today. On Tuesday (the first day of class) we all took a test. At the end of class today we took the same test to see how much we learned. Like usual I got all the questions correct the second time through. My classmates however did not fare so well. One other student also got them all right, a couple only got one wrong and half the class got 2 or more wrong. This blows my mind. Now I know Im smarter then a lot of people, but honestly, its the exact same test. On top of that, its all material we covered over the last 3 days. Plus, its basic mechanical theory. One of the guys got more questions wrong the second time then he did the first. It blows my mind.

Bad Robot

We finished the second season of LOST on the DVD today. I dont want to wait for season 3 to come out on DVD and I dont want to wait for season 4 to be broadcast. I want these things to happen right now. Well, Ill wait for a couple weeks for season 4 so I can watch season 3 again. But I dont want to wait.

A Rider on the Tremors

Today was my last day in the shop for a week. I have brakes training for the next 4 days and then camping for the 3 days that follow. Once again I get to spend a lot of quality time with my favorite coworker at training. It will be nice to be out of the shop and away from Whiny Bob. Not to mention the fact that I get my benifit rate for sitting around in a "classroom" rather then having to work my ass off in hopes that some paying work will come in.

(Im pretty sure Im Denzel and my "best friend" is Ethan after getting hit by a house.)

"Do You Know About Route 66?"

We went up to Flagstaff today. My mother and her husband were in Vegas for a wedding and they offered to meet us for lunch. Rather then drive the 5 hours to Phoenix and leave from Sky Harbor they wanted to meet "half way" which meant we drove 5 hours round trip and they drove 7 hours round trip. So we spent about $64 on gas and 5 hours on the road for a free lunch and an hour with people we dont really like that much. (Mostly just my mother, theres nothing wrong with her husband other then the fact that he married her.)

On the way home we decided to go through Sedona rather then take the interstate. It increased our drive by at least an hour but it was well worth it. It made us feel like we werent waisting a day driving but rather taking a scenic drive through the mountains.