 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
It's been awhile, again.... when I get to working a lot, it seems that I don't post as much. I suppose that's okay because when I work so much, there's little news.
But in this case, I guess I've just been saving the news for now? Let's see... starting with the last post which was the 2nd of July....
At some point before that last post that I forgot to mention, we had gone to Anderson and had seen a 1977 VW Beetle for sale. I had driven one of those in high school, and they're very hard to kill. And easier to fix. The Oldsmobile, we had pretty much determined, had completed its time with us. I really loved that car, but the time had come. It was going to soon be in need of major repairs, totalling perhaps $1500 or more, and the nature of that car is that it's so complicated that I could NEVER begin to tackle it. With the move to Kent and the change in situations, Amy and I need a second car that is at least reasonably dependable and repairable.
With a VW Bug, I can basically do everything myself. Those are the EASIEST cars to work on, and there is an extremely helpful manual called "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive Forever" written for the "Compleat (sic) Idiot," like myself. With a set of tools and some jacks, I can perform surgeries and transplants on that car never before imagined. Parts are cheap too, not like the Olds. The Bug was going for $2000, and we did math and figured out that the Bug would actually be cheaper in the long run (repairs, maintenence and gas) than the Olds, despite the added car payment. Long story short, we got approved by the Credit Union and now have a VW Bug.
It's bright green, and we've named it Pedro. Sure, there are a few problems with it that we'll need to fix.... the clutch has a little problem that we think we can fix through a simple adjustment, and the oil and transmission fluids and filters need changed, but these are minor. The body is good, the tires and brakes are good, the engine's good, and the transmission's good. With these things working, ANYTHING is possible with a Bug. We also have to find a way to get the seat back further to fit me. In high school, my Uncle Joe had to work on it and set it farther back than it was supposed to be. We're looking at our options there. Amy, though, is doing well with learning to drive a stick. I'm so proud of her.... she can learn ANYTHING if she wants to; sometimes, she's just a little stubborn.
We've already purchased a "Vote for Pedro" sticker for it, which is a rip-off from the Napoleon Dynamite movie. The movie was okay, but the real humor is in the car's name. A little inside joke for Amy, Pedro and I.
After I got off work that Saturday, Amy and I and my parents went to her parents for a sort of 4th of July cookout, which was nice. We visited, we ate, and things were generally good. It was, all in all, an enjoyable trip and a fine meal. Let's see.... the remainder of the weekend was spent mostly wasting time in various fashions. We went to the "Muncie 4th of July Spectacular!" (or whatever it's called) and did some extensive people watching. Great fun, and the show was expanded to like 30 minutes. Muncie tries really hard to be decent, but there are some fundamental flaws in the community which I can't ever see it overcoming.
This short week at work was most productive. I finished my thesis print-out and turned it in to the graduate school. Should no problems be found, I am cleared for my masters degree. Finished. I still have to print like six more copies of the paper and bind it and give it to people, but... at least I'm done officially. I only have the three classes for the summer to finish. My trigonometry class, at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am, is going fairly well. I've got about a 91 in it thus far, though we just had a test this past Friday. I feel like I did well on that test, though, so I'm hoping for an A there. It'd be nice, and be one of my... heheh... proudest academic accomplishments.... that is, getting an A in a class that I failed and then retook at 7:30 am. My classical cultures class (word origins) is also going very well, as I have a 102.7% average. Note, though, that my two lowest scores for quizzes and exams will still be dropped, so I think an A is imminent for that class. Those will bring my undergraduate GPA up to a 3.07 or something like that. At least it will be above a 3.0!
My other task for the rest of the summer is the revision of the Indiana book. It's going along fairly well too, as I've got three chapters finished with designs. Next weekend, we're driving all over the state to take photos for the book, which while tedious will still be some fun. A lot of time in the car, but it'll be a change of scenery.
Friday was a cookout at the Schwartzes for the department. It was enjoyable, the food was excellent, and I was mildly sociable, much to Amy's surprise. My hearing aids have helped my anxiety a good bit, though I still look forward to getting on some pills again. I just want to be all better in that department, but I have to wait for insurance.
Our first wedding anniversary was yesterday. We really didn't do too much to celebrate, but had the day off together and went out to dinner. Celebration on a budget is hard to do, and we really didn't have any real money to speak of. Still, it was great. They say that the first year is the hardest. If that's the case, then I'm certainly going to enjoy the next 70.
Bring it on.
At some point before that last post that I forgot to mention, we had gone to Anderson and had seen a 1977 VW Beetle for sale. I had driven one of those in high school, and they're very hard to kill. And easier to fix. The Oldsmobile, we had pretty much determined, had completed its time with us. I really loved that car, but the time had come. It was going to soon be in need of major repairs, totalling perhaps $1500 or more, and the nature of that car is that it's so complicated that I could NEVER begin to tackle it. With the move to Kent and the change in situations, Amy and I need a second car that is at least reasonably dependable and repairable.
With a VW Bug, I can basically do everything myself. Those are the EASIEST cars to work on, and there is an extremely helpful manual called "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive Forever" written for the "Compleat (sic) Idiot," like myself. With a set of tools and some jacks, I can perform surgeries and transplants on that car never before imagined. Parts are cheap too, not like the Olds. The Bug was going for $2000, and we did math and figured out that the Bug would actually be cheaper in the long run (repairs, maintenence and gas) than the Olds, despite the added car payment. Long story short, we got approved by the Credit Union and now have a VW Bug.
It's bright green, and we've named it Pedro. Sure, there are a few problems with it that we'll need to fix.... the clutch has a little problem that we think we can fix through a simple adjustment, and the oil and transmission fluids and filters need changed, but these are minor. The body is good, the tires and brakes are good, the engine's good, and the transmission's good. With these things working, ANYTHING is possible with a Bug. We also have to find a way to get the seat back further to fit me. In high school, my Uncle Joe had to work on it and set it farther back than it was supposed to be. We're looking at our options there. Amy, though, is doing well with learning to drive a stick. I'm so proud of her.... she can learn ANYTHING if she wants to; sometimes, she's just a little stubborn.
We've already purchased a "Vote for Pedro" sticker for it, which is a rip-off from the Napoleon Dynamite movie. The movie was okay, but the real humor is in the car's name. A little inside joke for Amy, Pedro and I.
After I got off work that Saturday, Amy and I and my parents went to her parents for a sort of 4th of July cookout, which was nice. We visited, we ate, and things were generally good. It was, all in all, an enjoyable trip and a fine meal. Let's see.... the remainder of the weekend was spent mostly wasting time in various fashions. We went to the "Muncie 4th of July Spectacular!" (or whatever it's called) and did some extensive people watching. Great fun, and the show was expanded to like 30 minutes. Muncie tries really hard to be decent, but there are some fundamental flaws in the community which I can't ever see it overcoming.
This short week at work was most productive. I finished my thesis print-out and turned it in to the graduate school. Should no problems be found, I am cleared for my masters degree. Finished. I still have to print like six more copies of the paper and bind it and give it to people, but... at least I'm done officially. I only have the three classes for the summer to finish. My trigonometry class, at the ungodly hour of 7:30 am, is going fairly well. I've got about a 91 in it thus far, though we just had a test this past Friday. I feel like I did well on that test, though, so I'm hoping for an A there. It'd be nice, and be one of my... heheh... proudest academic accomplishments.... that is, getting an A in a class that I failed and then retook at 7:30 am. My classical cultures class (word origins) is also going very well, as I have a 102.7% average. Note, though, that my two lowest scores for quizzes and exams will still be dropped, so I think an A is imminent for that class. Those will bring my undergraduate GPA up to a 3.07 or something like that. At least it will be above a 3.0!
My other task for the rest of the summer is the revision of the Indiana book. It's going along fairly well too, as I've got three chapters finished with designs. Next weekend, we're driving all over the state to take photos for the book, which while tedious will still be some fun. A lot of time in the car, but it'll be a change of scenery.
Friday was a cookout at the Schwartzes for the department. It was enjoyable, the food was excellent, and I was mildly sociable, much to Amy's surprise. My hearing aids have helped my anxiety a good bit, though I still look forward to getting on some pills again. I just want to be all better in that department, but I have to wait for insurance.
Our first wedding anniversary was yesterday. We really didn't do too much to celebrate, but had the day off together and went out to dinner. Celebration on a budget is hard to do, and we really didn't have any real money to speak of. Still, it was great. They say that the first year is the hardest. If that's the case, then I'm certainly going to enjoy the next 70.
Bring it on.
Posted by Your Friendly Neighborhood DJ on July 10, 2005 09:58 AM | Permalink
Share this entry:
