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.