My favorite lyricist, as of today, with the possible exception of Steve Taylor: Katie Herzig. Not only do her lyrics get tantalizing close to things I want to say myself, but they're just somehow incredibly intriguing. Anyway, that link (and this one too) are to the lyrics from her second album, Weightless. Which I like more every time I hear.
Church this morning was very encouraging, in many ways. Running was particularly good, because I didn't want to start, but I ended up running even farther than I had planned. And I could have run a good deal further, I suspect.
This evening was all wrong. But it too was redeemed. I want to be a help. Maybe that's a long way off; I don't know.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Catalogue
To use a British spelling.
Sitting on my desk at this very moment are:
Sitting on my desk at this very moment are:
- a plate from Johanna, which has:
- smeared barbecue sauce
- one uneaten chicken nugget
- an empty bottle of Sam Adams Octoberfest
- the mug with pictures that Lauren gave me years ago
- a bottle of the same barbecue sauce
- my cell phone
- my keyboard and mouse and wrist thingy
- my pocketknife
- my (your) Bible
Friday, August 29, 2008
Saturday
Tomorrow, I am going to start my college football season off with a bang. Tom (my coworker whom I've mentioned before) mentioned to me on Thursday that he had some extra tickets to this weekend's University of Maryland vs. University of Delaware game. Being a lukewarm fan (don't spit me out!) fan of both teams, it seemed like the perfect opportunity!
I warned him that I would probably not enjoy any of the beer that he is likely to have tomorrow. He suggested that he would probably have National Bohemian, about which I have heard differing reviews. I figured I should pick some up on my way home in order to give myself fair warning.
Therefore, I got groceries at Food Lion, sat for 7 minutes trying to make a left turn onto 175 West, and then pulled into a localish liquor store. I was happily surprised by their selection. I purchased:
I am trying the stuff now, and it is alright. Maybe better than alright, but I can't really tell. I probably shouldn't drink anything else tonight, because of the aforementioned UMBC event.
I warned him that I would probably not enjoy any of the beer that he is likely to have tomorrow. He suggested that he would probably have National Bohemian, about which I have heard differing reviews. I figured I should pick some up on my way home in order to give myself fair warning.
Therefore, I got groceries at Food Lion, sat for 7 minutes trying to make a left turn onto 175 West, and then pulled into a localish liquor store. I was happily surprised by their selection. I purchased:
- 3 bottles of Chimay Grande Reserve
- 12 pack of Samuel Adams Octoberfest
- 2 6 packs of Smithwicks
- 12 pack of National Bohemian
I am trying the stuff now, and it is alright. Maybe better than alright, but I can't really tell. I probably shouldn't drink anything else tonight, because of the aforementioned UMBC event.
Friday
I woke up feeling unwell in a rather large intestine sort of way. Unfortunately, both water closets were occupied for a while, which made the early morning somewhat miserable.
The day improved upon finally learning how to use the Unix "write" command to write text to other people's computers (after logging in remotely with ssh). It improved drastically upon realizing that a certain Unix command would also cause pretty much any keystroke you wanted to be executed continuously on a Linux computer. "Enter" is fun. "Esc" is even cooler, because it disables the person's keyboard entirely until they reboot.
Of course, the fun in this comes entirely from the fact that you're doing it from the other side of the building to a computer where your coworker is logged in and doing actual work. Especially when you're also chatting on IRC at the same time, and then he just....goes silent.
Now, I did reveal to my coworkers the secret of doing this, so in theory it could be done to me as well. Thus the necessity of discovering a way to disable THEIR remote logins, while still allowing myself to log in remotely to my own machine if I happen to be sitting somewhere else. This last discovery was the capstone to an absolutely hilarious day of work. Except when I thought my coworker was going to punch me.
The day improved upon finally learning how to use the Unix "write" command to write text to other people's computers (after logging in remotely with ssh). It improved drastically upon realizing that a certain Unix command would also cause pretty much any keystroke you wanted to be executed continuously on a Linux computer. "Enter" is fun. "Esc" is even cooler, because it disables the person's keyboard entirely until they reboot.
Of course, the fun in this comes entirely from the fact that you're doing it from the other side of the building to a computer where your coworker is logged in and doing actual work. Especially when you're also chatting on IRC at the same time, and then he just....goes silent.
Now, I did reveal to my coworkers the secret of doing this, so in theory it could be done to me as well. Thus the necessity of discovering a way to disable THEIR remote logins, while still allowing myself to log in remotely to my own machine if I happen to be sitting somewhere else. This last discovery was the capstone to an absolutely hilarious day of work. Except when I thought my coworker was going to punch me.
Thursday
I met with a guy from the Rumor Forum; Matt. I didn't even know his name until 2 minutes before I jumped in my car to go to our rendevous. It was fun, and the beer was good, though drinking that whole thing on an empty stomach made me ridiculously abnormal. Consequently I had to order some food to wash down the beer. Also, the bartender apparently thought I was being rude to him at one point, which I wasn't, and so he was rude in return. It really surprised me at first, but then I remembered that I was in a bar.
We talked about lots of cool stuff, like the church he's planting in uptown Baltimore. And my car. And my love life, or complicated lack thereof. It was all very encouraging and fun. He's 30-something, and just got married two months ago.
When we left, he told me how to get home, or sorta. And I knew how to get home, and thought I was following his directions. Actually, I just drove through west Baltimore for the next 20 minutes, which was excellently.....losing.
I took Thursday off from running.
We talked about lots of cool stuff, like the church he's planting in uptown Baltimore. And my car. And my love life, or complicated lack thereof. It was all very encouraging and fun. He's 30-something, and just got married two months ago.
When we left, he told me how to get home, or sorta. And I knew how to get home, and thought I was following his directions. Actually, I just drove through west Baltimore for the next 20 minutes, which was excellently.....losing.
I took Thursday off from running.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Another day, another.....day
I guess.
Running was...better, I guess. 1.1 miles, but it was all running. And I saw a girl walking three kids. And it tired me out enough.
Oh! I totally got in to work this morning by 7:30. Ridiculous, I know! But amazing. The story behind that is....well, there's really no story. Except when I tried to doze at 7ish, God gave me this awful dream about how I was about to be fired, so I decided that the dream wasn't worth an extra few minutes of sleep. Or is that the other way around? I dunno, they weren't worth each other. Or something.
I am participating in a fantasy football league this year. I made a ton of rookie mistakes in my draft, some on purpose (OK, I wanted Peyton Manning. So sue me), some not (apparently it's a good idea to draft a second defense? And your kicker is supposed to come ACTUALLY last, not just after all your other starters. Whatever. I'm going to lose miserably, or else I'll get reasonably lucky and have an OK season, and pretend like I had some concept of what I was doing. Like I do every time March Madness comes around and I end up in the top 10% even though I never watch basketball.
What else? Oh yeah, six Salisbury steaks. But I only ate four tonight. The other two are going into the fridge soon.
House is a cool show. I think I might do a character roundup/review/analysis tomorrow if I think about it.
Did I ever mention that I am writing this blog mainly because I realized how much I enjoyed reading my own posts from a year ago? I guess that makes me narcissistic. Thankfully, it also makes me a good speller AND a happy camper, two things which do not often go hand-in-hand. So yeah, I'll be way too thrilled if people actually read this thing, but it would probably be better for my soul if they didn't tell me. Or......that was way too much information.
Lastly but not leastly, Maria may or may not get a fairy tale written about her window. That is all. Sleep tight, intertubes.
Running was...better, I guess. 1.1 miles, but it was all running. And I saw a girl walking three kids. And it tired me out enough.
Oh! I totally got in to work this morning by 7:30. Ridiculous, I know! But amazing. The story behind that is....well, there's really no story. Except when I tried to doze at 7ish, God gave me this awful dream about how I was about to be fired, so I decided that the dream wasn't worth an extra few minutes of sleep. Or is that the other way around? I dunno, they weren't worth each other. Or something.
I am participating in a fantasy football league this year. I made a ton of rookie mistakes in my draft, some on purpose (OK, I wanted Peyton Manning. So sue me), some not (apparently it's a good idea to draft a second defense? And your kicker is supposed to come ACTUALLY last, not just after all your other starters. Whatever. I'm going to lose miserably, or else I'll get reasonably lucky and have an OK season, and pretend like I had some concept of what I was doing. Like I do every time March Madness comes around and I end up in the top 10% even though I never watch basketball.
What else? Oh yeah, six Salisbury steaks. But I only ate four tonight. The other two are going into the fridge soon.
House is a cool show. I think I might do a character roundup/review/analysis tomorrow if I think about it.
Did I ever mention that I am writing this blog mainly because I realized how much I enjoyed reading my own posts from a year ago? I guess that makes me narcissistic. Thankfully, it also makes me a good speller AND a happy camper, two things which do not often go hand-in-hand. So yeah, I'll be way too thrilled if people actually read this thing, but it would probably be better for my soul if they didn't tell me. Or......that was way too much information.
Lastly but not leastly, Maria may or may not get a fairy tale written about her window. That is all. Sleep tight, intertubes.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Day 2
The running did NOT go well today. I don't think I even made it half a mile before I had to start walking, though in my defense, there was one of those signs at the top of the hill I was running UP that said "Steep grade - 720%. Truck speed limit: 2 mph. Alien spacecraft not welcome."
I almost got to sleep early last night. I'm not sure if I'll be tired enough tonight, though here's hoping.
Wendy moved in to Erickson today. I visited her and got her internet working through nearly no brilliance of my own. We had a nice supper together.
I'm debating what to do about my car situation; I want to find out that I can lease a Pontiac Solstice for only $400 a month, but I kinda doubt it. Anyway, what would be perfect is if someone had a car that was only going to live for another two months anyway, and wanted to sell it for $500 so that I could drive it into the ground over the next couple of months while I fix the Rebel up. I suppose this is unlikely, but maybe something will drop out of God's lap into mine.
Actually, God, if you're reading this...I'd rather it dropped into a parking space or something. I hope I'm not being too picky.
Oh, and choosing the tags on this post reminded me of the last thing I needed to do tonight: LAUNDRY!
I almost got to sleep early last night. I'm not sure if I'll be tired enough tonight, though here's hoping.
Wendy moved in to Erickson today. I visited her and got her internet working through nearly no brilliance of my own. We had a nice supper together.
I'm debating what to do about my car situation; I want to find out that I can lease a Pontiac Solstice for only $400 a month, but I kinda doubt it. Anyway, what would be perfect is if someone had a car that was only going to live for another two months anyway, and wanted to sell it for $500 so that I could drive it into the ground over the next couple of months while I fix the Rebel up. I suppose this is unlikely, but maybe something will drop out of God's lap into mine.
Actually, God, if you're reading this...I'd rather it dropped into a parking space or something. I hope I'm not being too picky.
Oh, and choosing the tags on this post reminded me of the last thing I needed to do tonight: LAUNDRY!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
=)
I would have gone to sleep at 10pm tonight. I didn't, though, and I have no regrets.
That was a ridiculous sentence.
I went running today. I ran for about 1.3? miles, and walked for about 1. It was depressing, and my chest hurt unbelievably. I was, however, heart-attack free, which I am planning on submitting to the New England Journal of Medicine as a wondrous success story. They pay good money for those. It's like Reader's Digest for docs.
Oh, also, church was good. Thou Lovely Source of True Delight is my new favorite hymn.
Oh, also, why you ran a red light on your way to a bar seems like it might be one of life's harder philosophical questions...at least if it were posed by a cop.
That was a ridiculous sentence.
I went running today. I ran for about 1.3? miles, and walked for about 1. It was depressing, and my chest hurt unbelievably. I was, however, heart-attack free, which I am planning on submitting to the New England Journal of Medicine as a wondrous success story. They pay good money for those. It's like Reader's Digest for docs.
Oh, also, church was good. Thou Lovely Source of True Delight is my new favorite hymn.
Oh, also, why you ran a red light on your way to a bar seems like it might be one of life's harder philosophical questions...at least if it were posed by a cop.
Simple things #3
......
Write a song
Turn a phrase
Make it rhyme with I
Doesn't that
Seem to be
A recurring theme?
......
Write a song
Turn a phrase
Make it rhyme with I
Doesn't that
Seem to be
A recurring theme?
......
singing
Matthew and I are up after midnight, playing guitar and singing.
Richie: we sang Back To You. It was lots of fun. Can we get together someday and do that?
Richie: we tried to sing Angel. I couldn't remember the melody well enough. Can we get together someday and remind me?
Richie: we sang (and recorded) Nothing To Offer. I realized why I'm not a recording artist, but it was still fun, and I remembered why I enjoy songwriting. I'm not excellent by any stretch of imagination, but those lyrics and that melody still capture my imagination.
I still need to learn to play guitar for myself. But songwriting would be a good thing to get back into. Not that I will. But....I just might?
Also, I'm pretty sure my apartment mates will all want to kill me tomorrow morning. But, I'm a budding talent! But, I'm too young to die!
Richie: we sang Back To You. It was lots of fun. Can we get together someday and do that?
Richie: we tried to sing Angel. I couldn't remember the melody well enough. Can we get together someday and remind me?
Richie: we sang (and recorded) Nothing To Offer. I realized why I'm not a recording artist, but it was still fun, and I remembered why I enjoy songwriting. I'm not excellent by any stretch of imagination, but those lyrics and that melody still capture my imagination.
I still need to learn to play guitar for myself. But songwriting would be a good thing to get back into. Not that I will. But....I just might?
Also, I'm pretty sure my apartment mates will all want to kill me tomorrow morning. But, I'm a budding talent! But, I'm too young to die!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
When is a post not a post?
When it's just something I'm doing because, even after two Nyquil pills*, I'm not even remotely sleepy. Sick, yes, but sleepy, no.
Tomorrow, I may or may not do anything. I will probably still be sick. I need car insurance, and I need to order brake hoses. I also need to make a phone call - no, two phone calls.
FreeCell is such a fun game, don't you think?
I would apologize for this post, but since most of my Facebook readers will never be afflicted with this one anyway, I guess I'm in the clear.
* Yes, they make pills. Yes, they are too big for me to swallow on my first try. Yes, I laughed audibly at my own wimpiness.
Tomorrow, I may or may not do anything. I will probably still be sick. I need car insurance, and I need to order brake hoses. I also need to make a phone call - no, two phone calls.
FreeCell is such a fun game, don't you think?
I would apologize for this post, but since most of my Facebook readers will never be afflicted with this one anyway, I guess I'm in the clear.
* Yes, they make pills. Yes, they are too big for me to swallow on my first try. Yes, I laughed audibly at my own wimpiness.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Speed kills
Especially when it's ridiculously low speed on an interstate highway. People should not drive 25mph on the highway when everyone else is going 65, no matter HOW expensive gas gets. Look, I'll be happy to contribute to your gas fund, just as long as you don't contribute to my untimely death.
Though, as far as car miseries go, today was pretty tame. The damage to our two totally-unrelated-to-this-other-driver's-fuel-woes-cars was very minor, and no injuries were sustained. Plus, I got to see someone using OnStar. I'm sure I would have been very comforted by the soothing voice of the OnStar man.
Yes, it was a man.
Johanna and I were consequently about....a long time late to Bible study, but apparently they were just finishing up with the introductory discussion.
On an only slightly related note....do you think if I call GEICO tomorrow, they'll be able to save me 15% on my car insurance?
All desperate attempts at humor aside, God is very good in His Providence. Frankly, I say, bring it on. He is clearly showing me how much He loves me, even if so many things in my life seem to be constantly frustrating, difficult, and...bizarre?
Though, as far as car miseries go, today was pretty tame. The damage to our two totally-unrelated-to-this-other-driver's-fuel-woes-cars was very minor, and no injuries were sustained. Plus, I got to see someone using OnStar. I'm sure I would have been very comforted by the soothing voice of the OnStar man.
Yes, it was a man.
Johanna and I were consequently about....a long time late to Bible study, but apparently they were just finishing up with the introductory discussion.
On an only slightly related note....do you think if I call GEICO tomorrow, they'll be able to save me 15% on my car insurance?
All desperate attempts at humor aside, God is very good in His Providence. Frankly, I say, bring it on. He is clearly showing me how much He loves me, even if so many things in my life seem to be constantly frustrating, difficult, and...bizarre?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
This post brought to you by...
...generic brand motor oil, without which neither I nor my car would have made it home tonight.
Honestly, I'd tell you the whole story, but it's embarrassing. I should probably be incarcerated. Also, this post is getting in the way of me watching an episode of House. This is a nightly tradition that shall not go lightly by the wayside.
But yeah. About that oil thing. I thought my car was dying. Turned out it was. My lunch break ended up being waaay longer than anticipated.
My sore throat seems to be getting better very quickly. I wonder why?
Johanna is the hero of the day.
Lastly, this post would have been brilliantly hilarious if I could just remember my really cool idea from earlier today. Alas.
Honestly, I'd tell you the whole story, but it's embarrassing. I should probably be incarcerated. Also, this post is getting in the way of me watching an episode of House. This is a nightly tradition that shall not go lightly by the wayside.
But yeah. About that oil thing. I thought my car was dying. Turned out it was. My lunch break ended up being waaay longer than anticipated.
My sore throat seems to be getting better very quickly. I wonder why?
Johanna is the hero of the day.
Lastly, this post would have been brilliantly hilarious if I could just remember my really cool idea from earlier today. Alas.
I shouldn't be up this late
but since I am, I might as well stay awake for a few more minutes.
I don't have a lot to report. My disc brake conversion went really well, up until the point when I started trying to use my brakes. As of this moment, there's something terribly wrong with them. I do have a couple of possibilities, but I haven't done anything yet to confirm or deny any of the theories. We shall see. Also, I apparently have a collapsed lifter, just like Richie AND Dad. Sick. Still, that should only take one entire miserable day's worth of work to fix. Assuming there isn't a more serious underlying problem.
My poison ivy is starting to go away. Hooray steroids. =P However, I am apparently getting sick, as evidenced by the killer sore throat, which is probably happening because of the steroids. Blah. I hope I can still go to work.
Lastly, I'm settling down a bit. I have some goals. I have a lot of problems, but I'm more content to let Christ deal with them on my behalf. Things aren't necessarily fun, but I'm giving up on trying to see where they're going.
It's good to have friends who call multiple times per night. Especially when my riveting conversationalism consists primarily of stupid questions about gymnastics. I'll try to remember to take a picture before my haircut.
I don't have a lot to report. My disc brake conversion went really well, up until the point when I started trying to use my brakes. As of this moment, there's something terribly wrong with them. I do have a couple of possibilities, but I haven't done anything yet to confirm or deny any of the theories. We shall see. Also, I apparently have a collapsed lifter, just like Richie AND Dad. Sick. Still, that should only take one entire miserable day's worth of work to fix. Assuming there isn't a more serious underlying problem.
My poison ivy is starting to go away. Hooray steroids. =P However, I am apparently getting sick, as evidenced by the killer sore throat, which is probably happening because of the steroids. Blah. I hope I can still go to work.
Lastly, I'm settling down a bit. I have some goals. I have a lot of problems, but I'm more content to let Christ deal with them on my behalf. Things aren't necessarily fun, but I'm giving up on trying to see where they're going.
It's good to have friends who call multiple times per night. Especially when my riveting conversationalism consists primarily of stupid questions about gymnastics. I'll try to remember to take a picture before my haircut.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
life in these untidy states
I got all of Katie Herzig's CDs yesterday. I'm just now digging in to the first two. But Apple Tree is still excellent, so go buy it.
I went to the Annapolis EP Bible study this evening. It was pretty good. I'll probably make a habit of it. If nothing else, it was good to go make myself meet some people. =)
What else....oh yeah, I have poison ivy, and it sucks.
Oh, and the power went off at work today, and apparently was off for many hours. I left pretty soon after it went off.
And lastly, I finished the last episode of the first season of House this evening. It's quite the entertaining TV show.
I went to the Annapolis EP Bible study this evening. It was pretty good. I'll probably make a habit of it. If nothing else, it was good to go make myself meet some people. =)
What else....oh yeah, I have poison ivy, and it sucks.
Oh, and the power went off at work today, and apparently was off for many hours. I left pretty soon after it went off.
And lastly, I finished the last episode of the first season of House this evening. It's quite the entertaining TV show.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
1 down, 24 to go.
Sandra McCracken has put her upcoming album out for pre-orders. It's called Red Balloon, and I imagine it will be excellent, though I (sadly) have not been privy to any exclusives.
I am trying my best to get into her inner circle, though.
There's a bonus edition and a limited edition deluxe package as well. Hurry up.
I am trying my best to get into her inner circle, though.
There's a bonus edition and a limited edition deluxe package as well. Hurry up.
Gmail status conversations
are literally the best thing ever. At least, that I've ever experienced.
In case you've forgotten, I'm not married yet.
And for those of you who are skeptical...I'm not even being sarcastic. So there.
Seriously....I'm not.
In case you've forgotten, I'm not married yet.
And for those of you who are skeptical...I'm not even being sarcastic. So there.
Seriously....I'm not.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
F is for Failure
With such a pregnant title, this post ought to be deeply philosophical and moving.
Unfortunately for us both, it isn't. It's just a title that I came up with because I couldn't decide what else to call this post, and it accurately describes my attempt at a drum-to-disc conversion on my car this weekend.
...it also kinda alludes to (did you catch the allusion?) the state of my life in general. Oh, and, come to think of it....my failure to come up with a better title in the first place.
My car is in rougher shape than I realized. The front driver's side drum is pretty much totally shot, now. Apparently as a result of last fall's accident. It's a good thing I wanted to convert to discs anyway, because that drum is not safe to drive on any longer.
On the other hand, if anyone out there on the Internet has any questions about how to convert their old AMC (Javelin, AMX, Matador, Rebel, Rambler, etc.) to front disc brakes.....let me know. I am now the world's foremost expert on the conversion process, having spent about 20 hours researching it, both online and in the field. =P
Unfortunately for us both, it isn't. It's just a title that I came up with because I couldn't decide what else to call this post, and it accurately describes my attempt at a drum-to-disc conversion on my car this weekend.
...it also kinda alludes to (did you catch the allusion?) the state of my life in general. Oh, and, come to think of it....my failure to come up with a better title in the first place.
My car is in rougher shape than I realized. The front driver's side drum is pretty much totally shot, now. Apparently as a result of last fall's accident. It's a good thing I wanted to convert to discs anyway, because that drum is not safe to drive on any longer.
On the other hand, if anyone out there on the Internet has any questions about how to convert their old AMC (Javelin, AMX, Matador, Rebel, Rambler, etc.) to front disc brakes.....let me know. I am now the world's foremost expert on the conversion process, having spent about 20 hours researching it, both online and in the field. =P
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Weird weird weird weird
I feel weird.
Generally, I wouldn't advise blogging while feeling weird. But I wanted to register my feeling of weirdness.
And say that I'm very sad.
Also, very frustrated about my lack of a full disc brake conversion kit.
But mostly, I'm just sad...and admitting that in a way that can't ever just be erased.
Generally, I wouldn't advise blogging while feeling weird. But I wanted to register my feeling of weirdness.
And say that I'm very sad.
Also, very frustrated about my lack of a full disc brake conversion kit.
But mostly, I'm just sad...and admitting that in a way that can't ever just be erased.
Friday, August 08, 2008
bad dreams
Do you ever have dreams that are really wonderful...except you know they aren't true? It's like they're mocking you with impossibilities.
The ones where I am flying don't bother me, because I definitely don't think I'm going to wake up and be able to fly. But last night was horrible.
Dreams, don't lie to me about stuff like this......EVER again. I will kill you.
The ones where I am flying don't bother me, because I definitely don't think I'm going to wake up and be able to fly. But last night was horrible.
Dreams, don't lie to me about stuff like this......EVER again. I will kill you.
Monday, August 04, 2008
adventures in car repair
Starting on Saturday, my car's starting performance started to deteriorate. It started not starting in the evening, but it stopped not starting really quickly and started.
Let me try this again.
On Saturday, I tried to start my car, but the starter motor did not engage. It spun, but did not mesh with the flywheel. However, a second try convinced it to start.
On Sunday, my car gave me a bit of trouble before church, but it started without too much trouble. Later, I had to turn the engine over by hand to get the starter to engage. Later, it took me fifteen minutes, and much beating on the starter itself, to get the starter to finally engage.
This morning, it took me some beating, twisting, and cursing for about twenty minutes to get the engine to fire up.
This afternoon at about 5:50, the car did not start. I spent half an hour beating on the starter, praying, and doing all manner of last-ditch shenanigans to get it to start. It refused.
After finding my apartment mate's phone number on Facebook, I got him to come and rescue me. He took me to a nearby auto parts store, which I had confirmed had the starter that I needed. About an hour later, I had replaced the starter.
The highlight of the night was walking into my office building with no shirt, no shoes, and streaks of grease across my chest like warpaint. If the security cameras didn't record that performance for all posterity, I'll be mightily disappointed.
Now if I can just get my disc brakes installed this coming weekend....the left front brake is misbehaving badly at the moment, and making all sorts of ruckus when I dare to make right turns.
Let me try this again.
On Saturday, I tried to start my car, but the starter motor did not engage. It spun, but did not mesh with the flywheel. However, a second try convinced it to start.
On Sunday, my car gave me a bit of trouble before church, but it started without too much trouble. Later, I had to turn the engine over by hand to get the starter to engage. Later, it took me fifteen minutes, and much beating on the starter itself, to get the starter to finally engage.
This morning, it took me some beating, twisting, and cursing for about twenty minutes to get the engine to fire up.
This afternoon at about 5:50, the car did not start. I spent half an hour beating on the starter, praying, and doing all manner of last-ditch shenanigans to get it to start. It refused.
After finding my apartment mate's phone number on Facebook, I got him to come and rescue me. He took me to a nearby auto parts store, which I had confirmed had the starter that I needed. About an hour later, I had replaced the starter.
The highlight of the night was walking into my office building with no shirt, no shoes, and streaks of grease across my chest like warpaint. If the security cameras didn't record that performance for all posterity, I'll be mightily disappointed.
Now if I can just get my disc brakes installed this coming weekend....the left front brake is misbehaving badly at the moment, and making all sorts of ruckus when I dare to make right turns.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
What did you say? You like my beard? So does the other person that I just talked to! Let's be friends forever!
Well, just as I start thinking my beard is getting out of control (people spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about robots and computers taking over the world, but do they ever stop to consider BEARDS? Think of the damage that could be done by just one rogue beard! A perfect example would be Tim's beard, which has publicly threatened to seduce Hillary Clinton if she were to be elected President of the USA. And it could do it, too! [/end long parenthesis]), a day like Today happens.
As I'm pulling into the parking lot at Annapolis Evangelical Presbyterian, whom (notice the correct usage of grammar here!) do I spot but Josh Cochran, a fellow IV-member whom I took a surprisingly unlike me liking to during last fall's IV retreat. To get his attention, what do I do but honk my terrorizingly loud horn? He looks at me, I look at him.... wait a second! He still looks totally confused, even though I'm waving madly and smiling like an idiot! How can this be?
Two minutes later, realizing that I have scared him half to death (madman hidden behind large mass of facial hair, driving obnoxiously loud, ancient car, waving at me like he wants to eat me!!!! AAHHHHHH!!!), I approach him in the hallway of this House of Prayer, in order to scare him the other half of the way to his inevitable destination. Fortunately for his eyeballs, their next 4 seconds of peering at my face are blessedly rewarded with recognition, staving off eyeball(and rest-of-body)-death. Those four seconds, however, provide me with such Joy Inexpressible that I did not express it. (......see what I did there?)
Because today was a day for twos (like two lunches, two rattling exhaust pipes, two.....oh, there should be a lot more things, but I can't remember them, and doesn't it just seem better to have a list of twos comprise only two elements anyway?), I meet another person with whom I had a slight acquaintance, while I'm talking to Josh in the hallway after the worship service. A friend of Johanna's, whose attention I awkwardly attract by saying something to the effect (in a loud enough voice that she can hear me) of "Isn't that...isn't that Christina?" She turns around, and while politely shaking my hand, attempts to decipher the face behind the face. (I should totally rob banks with this beard, then shave my face and head, put on a dress, and brandish an umbrella. No one would ever suspect me.) She does succeed, but my decision has been made. The Beard Must and Shall Stay Put. With this many opportunities for confusion and consequent awkward conversation, how could one ever consider the possibility of going back?
Unfortunately hidden all the way at the bottom of this post is my love for Alli Rogers' relatively new album "You and the Evening Sky". Like most music, the first go-through is somewhat blurred, but subsequent listens have caused me to fall in love. With. the. music. It's sad that I even had to say that. She reminds me of Sandra McCracken, but probably a little more accessible. What's even best about it is that you can download that album FOR FREE at NoiseTrade.com. Which I've sent you to before....but this time it's FOR REAL. So get going, and stuff.
As I'm pulling into the parking lot at Annapolis Evangelical Presbyterian, whom (notice the correct usage of grammar here!) do I spot but Josh Cochran, a fellow IV-member whom I took a surprisingly unlike me liking to during last fall's IV retreat. To get his attention, what do I do but honk my terrorizingly loud horn? He looks at me, I look at him.... wait a second! He still looks totally confused, even though I'm waving madly and smiling like an idiot! How can this be?
Two minutes later, realizing that I have scared him half to death (madman hidden behind large mass of facial hair, driving obnoxiously loud, ancient car, waving at me like he wants to eat me!!!! AAHHHHHH!!!), I approach him in the hallway of this House of Prayer, in order to scare him the other half of the way to his inevitable destination. Fortunately for his eyeballs, their next 4 seconds of peering at my face are blessedly rewarded with recognition, staving off eyeball(and rest-of-body)-death. Those four seconds, however, provide me with such Joy Inexpressible that I did not express it. (......see what I did there?)
Because today was a day for twos (like two lunches, two rattling exhaust pipes, two.....oh, there should be a lot more things, but I can't remember them, and doesn't it just seem better to have a list of twos comprise only two elements anyway?), I meet another person with whom I had a slight acquaintance, while I'm talking to Josh in the hallway after the worship service. A friend of Johanna's, whose attention I awkwardly attract by saying something to the effect (in a loud enough voice that she can hear me) of "Isn't that...isn't that Christina?" She turns around, and while politely shaking my hand, attempts to decipher the face behind the face. (I should totally rob banks with this beard, then shave my face and head, put on a dress, and brandish an umbrella. No one would ever suspect me.) She does succeed, but my decision has been made. The Beard Must and Shall Stay Put. With this many opportunities for confusion and consequent awkward conversation, how could one ever consider the possibility of going back?
Unfortunately hidden all the way at the bottom of this post is my love for Alli Rogers' relatively new album "You and the Evening Sky". Like most music, the first go-through is somewhat blurred, but subsequent listens have caused me to fall in love. With. the. music. It's sad that I even had to say that. She reminds me of Sandra McCracken, but probably a little more accessible. What's even best about it is that you can download that album FOR FREE at NoiseTrade.com. Which I've sent you to before....but this time it's FOR REAL. So get going, and stuff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
