So Much Material, But Not Materialistic

...so I was playing around on the Dell website the other day, and I wound up configuring a laptop that was pretty beefy (for my needs, anyway) at a pretty good price, although I wasn't seriously planning on buying it - my employer offers interest-free loans for employees to purchase computers, so that's the route I usually take. Unfortunately, this program is currently being revamped, and anyways, Dell isn't one of the preferred vendors. I saw the "apply for Dell Preferred Credit" and decided to give it a shot just for laughs - my credit kinda went through the wringer following an extended layoff after the events of 9/11, and I thought "There's no way these clowns will approve me". Well, the guy working the credit desk in Bangalore must've been asleep on the job, because they approved me for a $3K credit line (more than they approved my girlfriend for last year, which pissed her off). So, I guess I have a new laptop on the way (although I'm dreading returning to Windows on my primary machine after the shiny happy experience that is OS X).

The only combustion-related news is that I might be getting a new truck - my stepdad has a friend who is recently divorced, and the ex-wife & kid relocated a few hours away. Since he is driving 300+ miles a couple of times a month, he wants to unload his truck for a Prius since the cost of gas is killing him. He gave my stepdad a stupid cheap price for his truck, and in return my stepdad said he would sell me his truck for below wholesale if I want it, since it's been so reliable and he'd like to see someone he knows end up with it. Now, he's the kind of guy who is major-league obsessive about his vehicles - he used to be a partner in one of the premiere hot rod/custom shops in the state back in the day. He's done every bit of maintenance on the truck himself, and has been running Mobil 1 synthetic since the day he brought it home. The truck has a lot of miles, but I'm completely confident it will last another ten years without a hiccup if treated right. It's not 4-wheel drive, which I would really like (since I am considered an "essential employee", I have to report to work even during Level 1 snow emergencies). I'm still on the fence - by the time I get a loan, full-coverage insurance (liability only right now - ~$175/yr. for two cars), and factor in the extra cost for gas, it might not be worth my while - but it sure would be nice to have a vehicle less than 10 years old with some bells & whistles for once (I haven't had a car that had working A/C for fifteen years). Ah well, it'll be up to the folks at the credit union anyway, I'll let you know...

I'm taking a couple days off before the weekend - me & the girlfriend are making a mini-vacation out of it (which will probably consist of locking ourselves in the house, turning off all phones & pagers, & watching DVD's and hanging out for a few days). Seeya next week...

How Can You Have Any Pudding If You Don't Eat Your Meat

Although I have peers who have far greater dedication to pizza than I do, I was seriously craving a homemade pizza for the past week. When I went to the grocery store the other day I picked up some crusts, sauce, all the toppings, etc. The next day I got everything out and whipped up a masterpiece of a pizza, turned on the oven, and threw it in. 20 minutes later I came back and opened the oven door to see my creation... still uncooked?!? Hmmmm. The oven was on. I tried one of the burners - nothing. I called the gas company to see if I forgot to pay the bill, and she said the 'tards working on putting in new water mains across the street cut the line. So I had to come home from work in the morning and stay up waiting for the gas company to come out, turn the gas back on at the curb, and re-light all my appliances. On top of that, today was the first day of school in my neighborhood - meaning lots of kiddies (& parents) probably didn't have any hot water for their showers. Bet that went over big. They've also broken the water main twice, and have had the road in front of my house torn up for months with no end in sight. No real point here, I'm just frustrated and felt like bitching...

One-Armed Paper Hanger

Hey all, been super busy with meatworld stuff lately - work has been a mess, and one of the disadvantages of being a semi-talented amateur videographer/photographer is that every time there's a wedding/anniversary party/dance recital in the family, you're automatically enlisted to shoot & edit it, along with providing prints & DVD's with interactive menus and full-color box art. The other disadvantage is that while you're good enough to entrust with these precious memories, you're apparently not good enough to get paid for it. Ah well, at least it's something I genuinely enjoy doing for people - otherwise I'd just be getting calls to help people move...

I had nothing motorcycle-related to mention, until this morning: I went out to check out some video games (I bought a PSP, which is also putting a major dent in my productivity) and on the way to the store, I saw four bikes coming up in my rearview mirror. This usually worries me, being that Ohio is home to all sorts of squidly dumbasses who ride in packs. These bikes didn't seem to be moving too fast, though. As they passed me I glanced over - there were four of them, and the three in the lead were in tight formation all on brand new Yamaha FJR's (*drool*) with Givi cases. They were all wearing Aerostitch suits and matching helmets. It was badass, like a team of sport-touring ninjas or something. (For a minute I thought maybe Alton Brown and his cronies were making their way through town). I noticed that the third rider was a woman, and she had something on her helmet:

I thought it was awesome. I bet they guy bringing up the rear on the canary-yellow Vulcan was sick of looking at them, though.