If anyone was actually reading this stupid blog, I have started a new one...
Use this link:

http://justevolvin.wordpress.com

I won't be posting here anymore...

Alright - I have been on vacation for about a week now so I thought I should post something. A couple of posts ago I promised to upload a picture of my new car - well, here it is:

Wait! What's that!? That's not a Yaris!!! Hehe :-) Let's just say that there is a really long and boring story as to how this came about. The short version of it is that this is the car that I have wanted for a while now and things just worked out well enough for me to own a brand new one. I love it - what a wonderful vehicle and so much room! Already, Joe and I have been to Johnson City and Knoxville (2, 1-day trips). Johnson City was fun, we went there for lunch and came back. Knoxville was not so fun. We thought we would go stay at the Marriott Downtown and visit the Knoxville Zoo. Well, the zoo sucked! It was hot and miserable and it seemed like we were the only ones there. A lot of the animals were off exhibit and those that were on exhibit looked as miserable as we did. So, we came back.

When we got back, I took these cool pictures outside while I was washing my new Scion xB...



Yesterday and today Joe and I painted the shutters, washed the siding, and painted the stucco that skirts the house. Tomorrow (if my foot stops hurting from squatting and painting all day), I hope to build a new planter in the yard with 5 Colorado Blue Spruce and 10 Holly somethin-or-other. I will definitely have to post pics of how that turns out.

School starts Monday but I have already been studying. Yeah, I know what you're thinking - overacheiver...but it's not like that. Two of my professors have already sent syllabi and suggested we get started on some required reading. So I have been reading "The Epic of Gilgamesh" for my Humanities course. What an interesting read - suprisingly I have really enjoyed this "scholarly" book. Next I'll start on "Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900" for my Labor in the Modern South course. This is an advanced history class that the professor warns will entail approx. 225 pages of reading per week - how fun!

Anyways - I'll try to post some pics tomorrow if I get the planter done...

UFO?

Found this on YouTube.com today - do you think it's for real?



Then after you watch that...click here.

What's going on over there?

I have never really been one to devote much time following what's going on in the Middle East.  It all sounds so senseless every time I try to make any sense of it.  Someone told me the other day that conflicts over there have been run of the mill for thousands of years.  Thousands of years!  What's up with that!?

Anyways, something about what's going on now has gotten under my skin.  It's not the oil - I could really care less since our dependence on it is our problem, not the world's.  Two countries fighting or even going to war doesn't bother me much either, it's going to happen - I wish it wouldn't, but it does happen.  The prospect of our, America's, involvement worries me a little.  After watching the movie Syriana last year I have to wonder how much we are involved when stuff like this happens, or escalates.

No, what bothers me about the whole thing is everyone's passiveness about what is going on.  Not the news, not our government, not the United Nations, but everyday people.  Like I said before, attitudes like "this has been going on for thousands of years", or "those countries over there are always fighting" are somewhat unsettling.  How come no one cares?  I mean, surely they care on some level?  Should I not really care?  Is it more religious fanaticism?

Now everything bothers me.  I want to learn about what is really going on.  I want to learn why thousands of years of war and fighting has just resulted in more of the same.  I want to learn why people dying, missiles flying, and bombs exploding isn't that big of a deal to those around me.  I want to learn what kind of religion, or what god could possibly be intermingled in all this violence.  Right now, it is still just senseless to me.

Cool video - fun...

Check out this video - it's about 6 minutes, but pretty neat (especially if you like magic)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwDlQu8IvZI

BIG news!

OK - so this is going to be the biggest news that I have ever posted on my blog. But, let's start at the beginning...

You may recall in my last post that I changed my transmission fluid and replaced the filter on my '98 Mercury Sable. This kind of built up my car repair confidence. So Sunday, I decided to "bleed" my brake lines and replace the front disc brakes. I was having problems with my brakes sometimes having a lot of pressure and then sometimes me putting the brake all the way to the floor - so I knew some sort of repair was needed. In the past month my brakes had started squealing as well.

Much to my and Joe's surprise, everything went great! He helped me bleed the lines and I got my pressure back. I replaced the front brakes with no problem. I don't think they really needed to be replaced, perhaps just sanded down to rough-up the surface, but I replaced them anyways. The car drove like a champ and I was just feeling great that I had saved hundreds of dollars by doing these repairs myself . . . .

But then Monday happened. Monday (drum roll please), I traded in the Sable for a brand new Polar White 2007 Toyota Yaris S-Sedan! Can you believe it!? I still can't...But it's true (I can see it right now in the driveway). Joe put up most of the money for the car as a graduation/birthday gift - he is so good to me :-) I paid for the rest from savings and the trade of course. I don't have a digital camera yet - so here are some pictures I stole from Toyota.com --



I am really stoked about this new car. First, I have never had a brand new car before. I drove it off the lot and it only had 12 miles on the odometer. Now I also understand why everyone likes new car smell. AND, the best part of all - I get the best gas mileage ever! 34 city and 39 on the highway. Now I don't have to worry about wasting gas when driving back and forth from school to work and home again. We can't wait to travel in it out of town - so more to come later on all of our traveling adventures.

Summertime

Hey everybody!  Once again, it has been a long time - guess that's how it is going to be.  I am not making anymore promises.

So, what's been going on lately?  Let's see...work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, and....oh yeah, work!  But that's it for me.  Tomorrow starts a new day for me; no more ridiculous overtime and sleepless nights.  I'm just going to do what I can...but enough about that, right?

This past Friday was my first day of orientation for UNCA....I'm really excited.  I was only allowed to sign up for 11 hours, so I signed up for Humanities, Physics: The Milky Way Galaxy, and Calculus 1.  This coming week I'll get to sign up for more - that is, if I am able to fit it into my schedule.  I can't wait for classes to start; I have been waiting for the moment I finally got to study what I wanted to.

Today I did something that I thought was really cool.  I changed the transmission fluid in my car and replaced the filter.  Can you believe it!?  Me working underneath the car with oil dripping all over me!  If I had a digital camera I would have taken pictures.  It was quite the sight.  But anyhow, I am very proud of what I accomplished - the transmission was slipping before I worked on it and it appears to have gotten a little better.  Perhaps I'll get another 6 months to a year out of the car - that would be great!

That's all for now - Deadwood is coming on!  If you haven't seen this show, you should start watching.  See ya!