tracker7 | Entries tagged with vehicles

I should be on my way home from Indianapolis right now. Tired and refreshed at the same time, happy to have spent a long weekend working and playing with some of my favorite people. But, it's 2021, and this damned virus has just buggered everything.

Good vehicle news - looks like the sunroof drain is unclogged. Bad news - the electrical gremlin reared its irritating head again.

Mom's back at Ephraim McDowell. Heart problems again, and they're compounding her other conditions, and it's just managing all of this as best we can and best she will, and ... well, I'm starting to accept that I may lose her relatively soon.

I'm just tired all the time. Constant low-level tension punctuated by moments of hilarity and frustration and higher tension and everything else. I'm going a little nuts now and then, feels like.

Powered through Friday. Made arrangements with Dad to meet and swap vehicles, and lit out for Lawrenceburg - not Bardstown or Springfield, as Dad had suggested earlier in the day. Whatever. No big deal.

Mom&Dad had a ridiculously large birthday cake for me, and that was really sweet (the gesture, I mean), but I'm not really celebrating this one. Got some of my gear out of the Mariner and into the Canyon - didn't get the air compressor, darnit, and here's hoping that doesn't come back on me. Hugged and chatted and petted the dog and took off up 127 towards Frankfort. The Canyon remains very steady at upper highway speeds, and I was back in Louisville soon enough. I had begged off gaming for the evening, just wanting to rest. And I did.

Overbought at Aldi this morning, but what the hell, if this winter storm manifests like the forecasts say, I'll be glad for a stocked pantry and freezer and refrigerator. Heck, I'm glad for those now. Going out later to get some sandbags for the pickup's bed.

Between now and then, though, listening to a couple episodes of Astonishing Legends and playing with some of the trains I've picked up in the last year and barely run and doing some self-maintenance.

Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day.

I'm not planning on watching any election reports - instead, it's going to be hopeful and optimistic stuff. Almost certainly a binge of Star Trek TNG. I'm not optimistic about the election outcome at all.

I finally got some problems with the family's cell phone service sorted out this evening. It took too long to handle, and never should have been a thing to begin with, but whatever. It's done now.

I'm tempting fate saying this, but I think the Mariner's problem has been solved. Well, the charging/discharging problem, anyway. There are still other issues. There was a single incident last week with the electricals, but it hasn't repeated and there haven't been any other problems, so I'm writing the episode off as a transient event until something pops up to tell me otherwise.

Things finally sorted out so that I could take the Canyon back to Dad. It's a great little truck, no doubt, but for reasons that make perfect sense to me, I'm glad to have my Mariner back.

The drive to and from Liberty was rather nice. I took the old 64-151-127 route instead of 31/150-127 this time - both legs - and it just seemed to go faster coming and going. This was the first time I'd opted to listen to podcasts instead of NPR or music on the drive, and that probably helped, too. Spent a good few hours with Mom&Dad and the dog, and those are precious times.

Met up with Aaron H for our X-Wing match on Friday afternoon. The First Order squadron that I had good luck with Josh S failed badly on this outing. I scored half points on two ships, but otherwise, I brought shame upon my ancestors. Oh well. On to the next squadrons.

The ongoing civil unrest here got a little hotter yesterday. The bluntly named Not Fucking Around Coalition showed up in force - 350-400 armed black folks, and of course the threepers ("security force," my ass) had to be there, too. NFAC outnumbered the threepers about 7-1, and unsurprisingly the cosplaytriots aborted out, as they tend to in the face of any real resistance. Having said that, I'm not going to wholeheartedly lionize the NFAC. While they were assembling at Baxter Park, one of their guys dropped his gun and it went off, injuring a couple of his fellow travelers. On top of that, the organization's leader has espoused some pretty heinous anti-Semitic stuff, and may be a Hebrew Israelite, and there's not much good to say about them.

I really wish that I was getting ready to head to Indy in a few days.

I still haven't been able to swap the Canyon back for the Mariner. Last week looked good, but then The Niece had to move apartments on Sunday and that's the sort of thing that a pickup is built for. Maybe this week, work and weather and life and the vagaries of fate allowing.

I scrubbed Friday night's Delta Green session in favor of getting in some minis time. Won my X-Wing match with a pair each of TIE/fos and TIE/bas. The First Order Interceptor is a heck of a ship, especially with an additional hull or shield point added. I'm going to fly the same squadron in the last match of the test league, half because it was effective and half because I'm lazy.

Moving was taxing, of course. I was dead on my feet for most of the evening, and my legs were not happy. Worth it, though.

I'm a ways into the first Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser collection, and this is just a delight. Adventure, mischief, snappy dialogue, and just enough magic. One of the tales has the pair tasked with robbing a tower built as a treasure house. Along the way, they're warned about an entity of some kind living in and protecting the tower, which of course they ignore. Inside the tower, the Mouser finds a strange arrangement of gems and figures out that the gems compose the mind of a non-human intelligence. I want to do something with this, maybe mixing it up with Mary Gentle's Wild Machines and a KARTAS idea shamelessly stolen.

I learned this weekend that the writer of Mutant Crawl Classics wrote and drew a clever superhero comic strip for UofL's student newspaper back during my first time there! The Masked Cardinal was silly fun.

Kentucky saw our first COVID-19 fatality over the weekend - a 66-year-old man, comorbid with a stroke and pneumonia. So, plenty of complicating factors, but there's the data point.

Per this morning's gubernatorial briefing, bars and restaurants are being closed except for delivery and take-out at 5PM today. This is going to be a huge economic hit to a lot of people, and I expect some businesses won't survive this. By a quirk of lawmaking, food trucks are considered take-out-only restaurants here, so they're possibly going to have some better luck.

The local nerd con is still planning to go on over Easter weekend. I think this is pretty irresponsible, to be honest, but I can also see where they're coming from. This is the last incarnation of the con, so the committee wants to give every chance for it to go off and for attendees to have the chance to say goodbye. I'm not saying that I agree with the thinking, but I do understand it. I had planned on going, but I strongly doubt that I'll go. Not worth the risk of contracting, or worse, spreading something.

On a smaller scale, my Hex Games family had planned a private micro-con this coming weekend in Cincinnati. The planned site is somehow affiliated with UC, and they're going to online classes and other measures, so, so much for that. Looks like we're going to try for some Discord games and conversation instead. It'll have to do.

Took my SUV in for what I thought would be a simple front-end alignment last week, and it turned into a much more serious repair. Control arms and bushings were nearly shot, the inside third of my front passenger-side tire was worn down into the belts - explains the recent tendency to fight against holding straight in the rain, I guess. Fate really must smile on fools, small children, and starships named Enterprise.

Dad's newer truck was wiped out last week. Some dumbass kid came around a curve on Dad's side of the road, scraped down the side of the truck and trailer, and forced Dad off the road. Uninsured, of course. His company's going to pay off the truck, at least.

This was one of the best GenCon weekends I've ever had. Maybe the best.

I got on the road right at 4PM Wednesday. Traffic on I-65 was heavy going north, and not as fast as it might have been, since there was a lot of construction through Indiana. Lane shifts and lengthy stretches without a breakdown lane and all that. I kept watching my fuel gauge and listening to my stomach, planning to fill both fuel tanks once I got clear of crowded construction zones. By the time I did get clear, I was a few miles from Indy, so, fuck it, I just powered through and went to the hotel. Met up with Alex and Pat and Eunice, got mostly settled in, found something to eat (Five Guys - hadn't been to one in a long time), had the team meeting. A lot of new faces - the most women we've had on the team ever!

Thursday morning, breakfast at First Watch across from the hotel. Everybody and their brother knows about Patachou now, so it gets hammered. Honestly, First Watch is just as good, by my measure, and its menu has more that appeals to me. Got over to the ICC, dropped a couple of things off at the booth, and headed over to R. Talsorian's booth for the Cyberpunk Red starter box. Got to meet Mike Pondsmith, who was very gracious to this fanboy. Back to our space. Played a lot of the upcoming Mistborn board game expansion and watched the crowd. Dinner at Punch Bowl Social, which was okay enough, and during which I learned that my recent weight loss and drastic decrease in alcohol consumption have combined to make me a very easy drunk.

Friday, more Mistborn at the booth. After my shift, got to see Steve, Leighton, and Josh and catch up with their goings-on. Then over to Lucas Oil Stadium for the X-Wing campaign by the Shuttle Tydirium podcast. They had a weekend-long narrative set up, and I was able to get into two of the three nights. I flew poorly and set up things even worse, and got hammered. Won some great prizes, though!

Saturday, repeat. Much better performance at X-Wing, though. Prevented my opponent from accomplishing one of three objectives, and wiped his (numerically and pointwise) superior force from the table. Scored enough points to boost myself into the middle of the pack overall, and second of 11 Rebel players. The Empire won the campaign, though. More great prizes, more good times, and if I go back in 2020, darn right I'm signing up for the campaign again.

Shorter day Sunday. Did my three hours in the booth, then went to the hotel slept. Dinner at Giordano's - darn good deep-dish pizza. Loaded the Mariner, said my farewells, and lit out for home. Made great time on the return trip - less than two hours from getting onto I-65 in Indy and crossing the river, including a stop for gas at Exit 76. Got home, unloaded, slept.

Back to work this afternoon. Not especially looking forward to it, but I'll power through. Later this week, some work on the Mariner - brakes and an oil change - and maybe a trip down to Liberty to see Mom.

Little things.

Doesn't matter that there's three-fourths of a gallon in the fridge; when I duck into Aldi and milk's 78 cents per gallon, I'm getting a couple gallons of milk.

Dad sold both of the Internationals, bought a Kenworth. Same Caterpillar engine, but the KW's cab is so well insulated that I can't here the engine noise when we're on the phone.

Fuck a lot of Rick Pitino. NCAA sanctions were upheld today, so UofL loses a couple years' of records, including the 2013 championship, and a lot of money. Gods, basketball is just shit coming and going.

Since I bought him, my Mariner's had a little hitch in the steering when I make a left turn. He's needed a front-end alignment, too, just a couple of degrees, so I figured the hitch was part of that and really no big deal. Thursday, turning to back into the driveway, I heard a pop and the power steering faded on the left side. No bueno. Drove around the block, and no other symptoms appeared. Made an appointment with the shop for Monday (yesterday) morning. Drove to Heroes and back Friday evening, power steering to the right, but still nothing on the left. Troubling, but not crippling, and I was planning to drive Mom&Dad's vehicle to the Belle on Saturday, anyway.

Rack-and-pinion were failing. Five hours and some money later, it's replaced, along with tie rods, and realigned.

The Dodgers went into the All-Star break 61-29. Best record in the Majors, a half-game ahead of Houston. The NL lost the ASG 2-1 in the 10th - a little disappointing, but the ASG's just for fun again. Regular play starts back Friday night, at the Marlins.

Broke my losing streak in the October Pandemic Legacy game. Found Patient Zero, unlocked everything the virologist needed, and I'm feeling a little bit hopeful about the final 2-4 games.

It's done. Commencement was today, and I am a Master of Public Health.

And what a day it was. I got up plenty early to get over to the shop and get the Mariner checked out. Could have been a whole lot worse - broken flex pipe. Relatively inexpensive fix, but a few other issues were identified. These will probably be taken care of in Liberty. To their great credit, the shop here was able to get the repair done in time for me to drive to commencement, saving me the cost of a Lyft. I used one of Dad's cards to park for free at the Galt House, and got back to the arena for lineup and commencement.

Commencement was about what I expected, and I'm glad I brought something to read. My cohort was the very last group to be recognized, so we mostly made the best of it. We decided we would make slow walks across the stage, not crowd or rush each other, just enjoy our last moments as students. It worked. It was good.

Afterwards, lunch with Mom&Dad, and that was a good time. Mom's having some issues with mobility right now, so Dad went back to the hotel garage to get the Canyon and come back to the restaurant to pick her up. And this is where the trouble started.

After, oh, 20 minutes or so, I get a text from Dad - "I can't find the truck." I show Mom, we laugh, and decide that we'll both walk back to the hotel and I'll help Dad. No big hurry, we'll just mosey along at Mom's comfortable speed and when we get to the hotel, Dad will have found the truck and all will be well. This turned out to be a very good idea for Mom's sake.

Dad texted me at about 2PM. We didn't find the goddamned pickup until 3:45. Dad kept saying some combination of parking level and space, so, logically (at least to me), I tried to find it. Well, I did ... and no truck. And Dad says, "Okay, good, this where I was parked this morning before I went out to find breakfast for me and your mommy." And I'm pretty sure I heard that record-scratch sound from TV sitcoms. I managed not to yell, but did raise my voice above conversation level when I asked what. Dad figured that if he could find where the truck was, he could retrace his path to find where the truck is. As I am telling a story, you may have already guessed that this did not work. We found the truck. Pardon - I found the truck. And while I maybe overreacted, I felt myself sliding up my scale of anger. I was silent during most of this search, almost swore at Dad in frustration. Mom had started texting during the search. She was starting to get some anxiety hits. I do not blame her.

Got home a little after 4PM. Tried to take a nap before going out for Housemate's birthday to-do. Had just gotten stretched out on the couch when a serious motherfucker of a muscle cramp hit my left calf. Oh goddamn did this thing hurt. If I move my foot the wrong way, I can still feel a little bit of soreness. Okay, anyway, headed out to the restaurant. Got sick of waiting for flakes to show, so I started ordering - damned good cheeseburger, for the record. I'd had a vibe that this would happen - Diane showed up. About a half-second of eye contact, and, welp, my decision from about this time last year was vindicated like you wouldn't believe. Nothing there. Nothing. Anyway, some good talking with other party members, then off to the bar, and I waved off of that after about 20 minutes because I was just tired.

And now I'm on my couch for a few more minutes before crawling into bed. Tomorrow, I'm either binging on movies over at Village 8, or lying in bed all damn day. I have earned either one.

Oh man, I am sometimes really dumb. Decided to rewrite my Health Systems final paper, and pulled the first all-nighter in ... years. I think the paper came out okay, but I didn't. Got home Thursday night after class, and I was out like a light for about 15 hours. Ground away at the grant assignment. Skipped out on gaming Friday night, read.

Saturday, got up and got my grocery list together and headed out to the Mariner ... and dead battery. Housemate ran me to get a new one and some tools I should have already had. Batteries swapped, back on line. Did some small amount of work on the very last assignment of the year. Went over to The Louisville Game Shop for an afternoon of Star Wars gaming. Taught an Air Force brigadier general how to play X-Wing (as is the way of our people). Played some Armada, and got a better sense of how the various bits interact and how it compares to X-Wing (X-Wing is checkers, Armada is chess). Got even more alt-art cards - not the Inquisitor I was lusting after, though. All good. Came home, thought about groceries, thought more positively about staying in. Stayed in.

Today, maintenance in the morning before lighting out to Frankfort to play X-Wing (okay, yeah, I'm playing this a lot). And I have embraced my shame.

I've railed against the 100/6 default, because it took over every play experience around. The ORH league rejected this for the sake of a more casual, friendlier play experience - and that has made me crazy happy. I get in fast skirmishes and Epic games, and it is good. So, with this going on, I can take a different tack when it comes to 100/6 games, which are mostly tournament games in my X-Wing field now. I can play fun squadrons on league nights, and optimized squadrons other times. Today, I decided Heck with it, I'm flying a netlist. Found someone else's build using a couple of the new ARC-170s and flew that. And I tore shit up. Clobbered my buddy Don's Emperor-and-aces squadron. Won a close match against a 3x B-Wing/1x K-Wing squadron. In the final game, my ARCs and my opponents B and K destroyed each other, leaving me with an ace A-Wing versus a generic Y-Wing. Well, I love Y-Wings, and know 'em pretty well. And Y-Wings can do a lot of things, but they can't do any of 'em fast. So, I played to my strengths. I ran like a scared rabbit. My A just ran rings around the Y. Stayed out of weapons range. Ran out the clock. 3-0 on the day. Heck yeah. And for added value, the unfortunately obligatory dickish player got swept. And he was not happy. Didn't stick around to see final standings, just packed up and left when his final match was over. Nothing of value was lost.

So, to heck with it. I've got the league for pure fun, and this darned effective squadron for competitions. Next time, I'm going to replace the gimmicky A-Wing with a solid trusty Y-Wing (and add some raw survivability to the squadron, as well as control options) and see how that works out.

Current Mood: pleased

Since moving to Louisville, I've managed exactly one session as GM, running Hunter at Conglomeration. That's about to change. I'm kicking off a FFG Star Wars game this week! Very excited. I need that particular cognitive exercise.

I broke in my own new TIE Defenders and Bombers in a couple of games over the weekend. Made a couple of horrible mistakes that lost one match for me, and just flat got outflown in another. Lots more to learn - I just don't play Empire enough, I guess. FFG's started spoiler articles for Wave 9, so I figure they'll have those ships for sale at GenCon. Hopefully they won't be sold out by Saturday morning.

Played old-school Little Black Books Traveller Friday night, and it was a good time. I have an early printing actual LBB box, courtesy of an ex-girlfriend, and dropping that on the table got a couple of comments.

Having survived the funeral and all the foolishness that accompanied it, Mom&Dad came up Sunday to pick up the Ranger from Micahalia. The little truck's due for some work anyway (new tires, a leaking vacuum line, one or two other things), and the timing's right. He hinted at bringing it back to Louisville and leaving it with me, and I guess that'd be plenty useful.

*sigh* A F-150 with the same paint job as my old one moved in a few houses down. The new neighbor is a couple years older than mine, but the similarities are more important. This one even has the proper West Coast mirrors. I have swooned.

SpaceX pulled off another first-stage return. Still not routine, but they're getting a good handle on doing this. I figure the real test will come when one of the returned stages is used in a commercial launch.

Current Mood: sleepy

Sometimes it's weird in my head. To set the stage, know that a big snowstorm was forecast for the region, early this week. By "the region," I mean "the continental United States roughly bordered by the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean, and Interstates 40 and 70." And we got it alright, starting around midnight Sunday here in Louisville.

Sunday was my birthday, and this is not the first time that the Commonwealth has gotten hammered by severe weather around February 15 - 2003's ice storm messed Lexington up good.

Anyway. I'm out getting a late lunch, and Dad calls. Wants to know if I had school the next day (Presidents Day). "Yep," I say. "Oh," he says, disappointed. Turns out his dispatcher had a small shipment to pick up in Bedford, Indiana, going to Pontiac, Michigan.

A couple of hours later, the University of Louisville calls off classes for Monday because of the impending weather. So, I call Dad. You know the rest, right? I went to Michigan.

Our cargo? An electrical box, maybe 2.5' x 2.5' by 1.5', weighing about 30 pounds. Dispather had advised Dad of the small size, so we took a pickup - a Ram 1500 R/T. This is a vehicle that is quite good at being shot full of gadgetry and going fast in a straight line, but for driving long distances, it's pretty shitty, and for reasons beyond the very thirsty V8 up front. And it is maybe more skittish than my Mustang was on icy roads. When we stopped for dinner on the way home last night, we had come to the conclusion that we should have taken the Ranger. Or my Focus, even.

Lotta snow, though. And slick roads. Props to KYDOT and INDOT for their work - I-65 from Indianapolis to Louisville was mostly clear and if you were smart, you encountered no problems. Likewise I-64 to Frankfort, at least.

Classes were cancelled today, too. Got the notification while we were eating. I'm relieved, because this gives me more time to work on a presentation. Hoping we go back tomorrow.

Current Mood: happy

Abusing resources today. Color laser printers do bang-up jobs on gaming PDFs.

Spoke to Mom and Dad separately today. Mom's sore from going to work today, but I think they'll both be fine in short order. Dad, I think, is heading out on the road tomorrow, and that'll be a real test for him.

Got some replacement parts for the Explorer this morning, and Matt's arranging for the work to be done at the speed shop he manages. I feel extremely lucky today.

Current Location: 100 Midland Avenue

It has been a very busy handful of days since last I posted.

On Monday, Erin and I went to the Louisville Zoo. The day was lovely, and we saw lots and lots of animals. I definitely got in my day's required walking, and we had a terrific time.

Tuesday morning, we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to look at camping supplies and pick up her newly-repaired mountain bike. Saw plenty of goodies to get before we take off on some camping trips later on. Got back out to the Explorer (he's picked up a name, now - Omar), and there were two voice messages on my phone. Dad telling me to call him immediately, Matt advising the same. I call Dad, and get a hit of bad news. They've been in a wreck - some wangrod t-boned them. Now get this, dear readers - they were making a left turn onto a side street. The other driver came from behind Mom&Dad and shot over the road's centerline, hitting their Explorer on the rear driver's-side door. According to witnesses, the Explorer was lifted off the ground by force of the accident, and it rolled onto the passenger side. They were both banged up, but no serious injuries. The Explorer is likely to be totalled once an insurance adjuster gets to look at it - Dad's doing something I consider catastrophically stupid, but more on that in a moment. Now, I'd been planning to take my Mustang to WV, as it's much easier on gas than Omar, but I'm now taking the truck so I can haul Mom&Dad back home. No sweat. We load Erin's bike into the cargo bay, run out to my apartment to throw some clothes together, and I get her back to Berea. From there, off to West Virginia. Matt is heading out by himself, and the plan is to leave the Explorer with Mom&Dad, and I'm going to ride back with Matt (he's coming home right after the burial).

I tear-ass across I-64, averaging better than 70 miles-per until I get to Huntington. Dad and Matt have been crowing about this alternate route to Logan County via Richmond and Irvine and Prestonsburg and a batch of Federal and state highways, but I stick to the route I know. Off 64 at Huntington, and onto WV10. And I'd forgotten what a mess that road is. 95 miles to Logan from Huntington, and it took better than two hours to traverse. Had I been in the Mustang, the drive would have rocked on toast, given his road-holdy nature. Instead, the drive was a tedious and constant speed adjustment, punctuated by my swearing at the massive radio-dead-zone I'm stuck in. (Must must must get a CD player installed in the truck.)

Arrival at Logan Regional Hospital to meet up with parents. Matt arrives within minutes of me (so much for that nifty new route being quicker and better - he ran his Mustang like Hell was after him, and me and the big clumsy and slower SUV beat him to the hospital, and I made at least four stops to refuel, get drinks, and return drinks to ecosystem) and off we all go to aunt's house. We go to the wake, I see and talk with many cousins and politely avoid a few others. Dad has decided to get a room at some little lodge in Man - but, of course, he hasn't checked to see if there are rooms available before we go there at 9:30 p.m. to check in. Of course, no vacancy. Now, please note that this is Tuesday night. They've been in Logan County since Sunday morning. At this point, I'm deeply regretting cancelling a room reservation I'd made at a Super 8 in Logan (the town). So, another motor lodge has a room, we go there. I do not sleep well at all.

Now, Wednesday. Funeral, brief service. Burial is several miles away, and the funeral procession is at least a half-mile long. Mom rides with me, Dad with Matt. Quick graveside words, crowds disperse, Matt splits, as Dad has convinced me to stay another night. He and I do some quick shopping (I brought exactly two shirts, including the one I wore on Tuesday, so need more if there's another day's stay involved), then we go to my aunt's house to move all of the bags out of their damaged Explorer to mine, as at this point the plan is to head back home today (Thursday). Mom is aghast when I announce that we're going to leave by noon today, so that I can see Erin perform at a Maundy Thursday service in Berea. Drama ensues. She wanted to stay longer, so that she can attend another funeral - her older sister's sister-in-law. *headdesks* There is a discussion I'm not privy to, and Dad decides that he'll just drive the wrecked Explorer back to Liberty. We spend the night at my aunt's house. I do not sleep well at all, unsurprisingly.

Thursday morning. Mom gets pissed at me because I can't translate "Andy, this thing is doing that thing again" into a useful sentence, and point this out to her. A couple of cousins and I do a quick fix on the shattered passenger window, I transfer all the crap that I'd moved to Omar back to the wrecked truck (with no small amount of grumbling), and they're all set. I shoot the breeze with two cousins for a while, we rotate Omar's tires and discover a damaged bushing, and then I'm off. Instead of WV10, I head for US119. Four lanes. Minimal traffic. Hell is split wide open. God bless West Virginia - the old state roads are barely deserving of the name, but by God, they have engineered some Federal and Interstate highways that are well-suited to move really damned fast on, and I make great time getting out of there. Cross over into Kentucky, and I don't know that I've ever been so happy to see the Catlettsburg refinery. Make the mistake of getting off of the Interstate in Morehead. Catch myself drifting off to sleep twice, and find a rest area for a power nap. Either I didn't set my phone alarm or I just shut it off when it sounded, because I'm awakened by Erin's call ... 10 minutes before her performance is to begin. Dammit dammit dammit.

So, I'm home now. It's cold out there. I'm expecting to have to go back that way on Saturday and pick Mom&Dad up when some hidden damage pops up and immobilizes the truck completely. I tell myself that I'll be gracious about it, but we all know better. Tomorrow, I'm hitting Autozone or Advance to get a replacement bushing. I'm hoping to get some time with Erin, but not counting on it. We're probably going to the Horsemen home opener on Saturday evening, unless I have to go rescue stranded parents.

Yeah. This week was supposed to be relaxing and fun. Vacation becomes visitation becomes recovery becomes drama. Bleah.

Current Location: The Bunker

Ouch. Sore. I am so very out of shape. Spent much of yesterday helping Justin move into his groovycool new loft condo, and it whupped me. My arms and legs are in protest, as they repair the muscles used yesterday.

The Explorer, incidentally, continues to show its incredible usefulness. Hauled several loads of furniture and other goods from old apartment to new loft, and never offered up the first complaint. I have the feeling that when he passes other Explorers that are pristine and clearly used by someone who wanted only a station wagon with visibility, he feels sorry for his underutilized brothers.

Continuing to love love love Growlanser Generations. I don't think I'll keep this one, but I'm certainly enjoying it while it's here. I need to get in some Kingdom Hearts and Xenosaga time, too.

Current Location: The Bunker

What a week. It's definitely 4th Quarter at 100 Midland Avenue. Huge volume of ads this week, and Friday night was bugnuts. Stayed 2.5 hours late - that'll be a nice boost to this paycheck.

Saturday afternoon made up for it. Lunch with Erin and Camille&Clayton and Colin. Beer-can chicken with lots of sides. We ate big, and threw around ideas for a live-action con game. Something so very wrong there.

Dad bought a new Explorer. Didn't need the old one, so he gave it to me.

Current Location: The Bunker

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