08.01.05 - Life Update

I added a BlogMap to the right below the monkeys and the Poll. BlogMap is kinda cool and kinda scary. It uses GPS data to pinpoint where you are and then tells you who is near you in the blogging world. The more accurate your longitude and latitude, the more precise the map. Mine is purposely somewhat vague. I also added a poll last month sometime that is largely just silly but answer if you feel like it. If you've taken the nerd, or the Star Trek tests, what were your scores?

Cher and I are the proud new owners of a 1995 GMC Suburban. Thanks to the gracious family financing program, we traded our van for a Suburban which is more in keeping with the future transportation needs of our six kids. It gets about the same mileage that the van did so not a huge shock there. It does, however, have a 45 gallon gas tank which means that we can go 750-850 miles per tank. That just feels insane to me. Oh well, the first time I have to fill it up from empty should cost over $100 which will be new and different (and scary). It’s very cushy though – all the bells and whistles. The cruise control is not working, I wonder what that will cost to fix – I gotta have cruise or I speed my ass off.

The kids and I took it out bouncing around in the mountains Saturday. Poor Jordon was bored after an hour. He’d slept all morning so there was no hope that he was going to be able to sack out. The little guy just can’t stand to be buckled into a car for very long. Jade predictably fell asleep while Josh and I ran over several things that would cripple a mere car. I never buy expensive sunglasses. This time around I bought a set of yellow lens blue blocking safety glasses from home depot. I have to tell you $10 and they are the best riding glasses I have ever found. Anyway, I’m sharing with Josh this bit of critical knowledge and we’re trading the sunglasses back and forth all day marveling at how much easier it is to see with them on. I enjoyed the day. I enjoyed the kids and I love the new truck!

Having done quite a bit of research into keyboards this week, I’m probably going to buy the cheapest 88 key weighted keyboard I can find that has both Midi2 and USB2 and then buy software to take care of my synthesizing needs. I think I can get off the hook for 1-1.5k cheaper that way which, given that we are desperately trying to get out of debt, helps a lot. The problem, of course, is that I have a piano final on Friday and no piano at home to practice on so I’m going to have to spend some extra time at school to get ready this week. The good news is that my Biology lab is over so I can use that time to work on my piano final.

Speaking of Biology, I just barely passed the last test which means I need to pull a “B” on the final in order to get a “C” in the class. It’s only over two chapters and there’s a 20 point extra credit question that’s opinion so it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll be so happy when that class is over. As of Friday the 5th, class is out till August 22 when the fall semester begins. I did manage to get my major switched over to music though I still need to do the audition for which I’ve already missed the cutoff date which means I’ll need to audition the next time around. The knowledge I gain between now and then can only help.

We’ve been seriously looking at a rent to own property for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to arrive at a deal that makes sense for us. Time is getting short as we need to renew our lease soon or pay massive penalties for going month to month. I think, at this point, we’re realistically looking at two years before we’re out of debt and have a pile of cash big enough for a down payment – which is disheartening. We’d both really like to get out of the apartment life thing and into a house of our own. All in good time I suppose.

I’ll hopefully be getting around to all of your blogs this afternoon after I get home from school. I going through blog withdrawal – sweaty palms, twitchy eyes and fingers, drool... It’s really quite sad and, I’m sure, disturbing to non-bloggers. Ah well, we do what we can do and nothing more. In any case, I look forward to looking in on all of you to see what you’ve been up to this week and weekend. Hopefully when I get home, my sweet wife will be sleeping after a long night at work last night so I don’t have to choose between her and checking the blogs. She is, after all, infinitely more important.

RCS