Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sept.25, 2009 So much for a daily blog
OK I am getting behind. I think maybe I need to split this blog into three: one basic blog of my rants and daily observations/journal; one for book reviews and notes; and one for nature/birds observations. Or, I could do us all a favor, and just quit altogether.
Sept.18,2009 Friday another day here in shitville
Alright I'm tired of updating this "daily" after the fact. So now I will just date it the day I update. If something happened in on a day I didn't post I'll just kind of lump it in the new post. Yes, it will suck. But...it'll be a different kind of suck. So. Anyway. If anyone ever reads this blog, read it from the first dated post, or it will make even less sense then it does in order...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sept.15, 2009 Tuesday I yet live sorry
9-15-09 Tuesday: Well now it's today. I survived another night at Camp Mosquito and torrential rain actually no rain tonight). Made it to town to the public library (or this post wouldn't exist..). Hmm. Not much to write about.
Well, that's all for now. Off tomorrow; going to try and see if brakes can be at leaset partially fixed by work friend's husband. Hope so. Truck is also running like shit, just to top things off. Power has dropped. MIGHT need just a fuel filter (I hope). Might be ready to give up the ghost. Sooo much to look forward to...
If I survive the next few days, I will expand my subject matter in this blog. Time to share my opitions with the world (or me, since I'm the only one who reads this). Things I'd like to discuss: conservation; the environment; movies; video games; other games; history; writing; world affairs....WAKE UP! You don't have to read it...
Well, that's all for now. Off tomorrow; going to try and see if brakes can be at leaset partially fixed by work friend's husband. Hope so. Truck is also running like shit, just to top things off. Power has dropped. MIGHT need just a fuel filter (I hope). Might be ready to give up the ghost. Sooo much to look forward to...
If I survive the next few days, I will expand my subject matter in this blog. Time to share my opitions with the world (or me, since I'm the only one who reads this). Things I'd like to discuss: conservation; the environment; movies; video games; other games; history; writing; world affairs....WAKE UP! You don't have to read it...
Sept.11, 12, 13, and 14, 2009 Life Sucks Onward
Well I haven't posted for the last few days so I guess I should. After all I have zero people reading this who might be disappointed if I didn't...Well, let's see if I can kind of update for the last few days; this is mainly for me, anyway, so might as well do whatever I want..
9-11-09, Friday: Off today and tomorrow. Went to get my title transferred on Blazer to my name, and get new registration (which expired at the end of August). Is there a God? If so, what'd I do to piss him off? I found out that a) the cost of the title transfer/new registration, which I had estimated using the official website at a conservatively high of $80, would cost me around $135, and, just to top that, b) I couldn't get it yet anyway, because my inspection sticker, which was valid until the end of Feb, 2010, was from Navarro county. Of course, as we all know, Navarro County is a NON-emission county, so I have to get a new inspection sticker in Tarrant County before I can get my title transfer/registration anyway. So, $40 more for a new inspection sticker, assuming it is ready for inspection, which it isn't. The truck needs (I estimate) around $50-150 more work before it would pass a current inspection; that's assuming it would pass an emissions inspection after that, which ain't a safe bet, I'd guess, since it smells like an oil fire when it's running... So, woo-hoo, my foolish attempts to make the truck legal are stymied by the ever-vigilant bureaucracy. Since I'm looking at around $100-$200 total more than I thought, it'll have to wait. So, off to the lake to spend the night. Arrive during an apparent monsoon that missed India, so no tent. Sleep in truck, anyone? Sure, WTF.
9-12-09 Sat. Off work again, so I camped at the lake Friday night. Wet and rainy, probably low in 80's. It rained a LOT Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Many thunderstorms, I'd say several inches of rain. And I base that on ...my observations. Yep, no research whatsoever. UTA must be so proud. Went to town, stopped at storage to get some clothes to wash and put up fishing equipment, since "rain of biblical proportion" was the basic forecast, and fishing seemed out. And then more good news popped up. As I went to leave the storage facility, the brake petal made an ominous popping noise, and sank to the floorboard. The brakes seemed to be completely gone. Well, damn near, anyway. They would engage at the VERY bottom of the lowest position, just barely. So, it was cartoon "no brakes" time. What'd I do to become so lucky? It's like winning the lottery, again and again...the shit lottery, sure, but still..
So I limped to the laundry (just down the road), pumping the brakes and hoping they'd kind of snap out of it...yeah, that didn't work. So, basically, the brakes will stop me- very slowly- as long as I'm in neutral and have a few hundred feet to stop, and am not going very fast. So, to sum up, odds of a wreck? I'd say in the high 90% range, if I drive the vehicle. Choices? Very few, so I decided to try and limp to my long-time mechanic, formerly Willie's Auto, now Tilden (unsolicited plug: they are awesome. They often don't charge anything to check things; they have charged me LESS than the estimated cost many times; they are honest. I wouldn't ever go to another shop). And, I make it..barely. I explain the situation. They put the truck up on the air lift, pull the right side front & back wheels, and determine the brakes are, technically speaking, completely fucked. So much for me being able to afford a fix at this time. But, just to show you why I am loyal to them, after all this time they spent, they charged me...nothing. Yeah, try and find that at another mechanic. Man, I meant for this blog to be at least a little humorous. Sorry. So, hmm; hahahhahahaaha! Jim is screwed! SCREWED! There, that's better.
I honestly didn't know what to do at this point. So, I decided to try (boy, it seemed really suicidal, but at that point I really didn't give a rat's ass) to try and drive the 12ish miles out to the lake campsite. Yes, I'm really smart. But, I made it. In driving rain. Pounding, brake-make-much-worst-ing, rain. I really thought I was going to die. Or, at least wreck. Or, most likely, wreck AND die.
9-13-09, Sunday: I woke to slightly cooler temps and more hard rain. Yeah. So great to be alive. I tried to drive the Blazer and the brakes were basically useless. I limped (I seem to be doing that a lot lately) down the road from the campsite a couple of miles to a small bait shop/liquor store (interesting combination- it's near a lake and the edge of a dry county, so now you know why). I ALMOST converted it into a drive-through. I called my boss at work a few hours early to tell her I wasn't going to risk it. She grilled me pretty hard. She wasn't in a good mood. She also pointed out that it wasn't good to let my brakes get this bad....I really like her- she's a great person when you get to know her, and very caring, despite facing a lot of really tough situations in her personal life. But I really didn't need that advice...Maybe she thought I should have spent all my extra money on brakes, instead of all the stock market investing I've been doing. Seriously, she knows I haven't even been able to afford to keep myself in lodging, let alone have work done on the car. But WTF. I haven't been the best employee lately. But work hasn't exactly been the best employer lately, either. I'll explain that another time, imaginary reader. Well I had one guy I used to work with who thought initially after I talked to him yesterday that he might be able to improve the brakes a little by tinkering. He couldn't. After I told him in more detail today what all Tilden's said was wrong, he said he couldn't think of anything that would help, short of repair.
Alright, I'm trying not to let this get too serious. I really meant for this blog to be a place for me to do a fun little journal-type-thing, and digress into things I'm interested in either in a major way or for the moment. But I gotta tell you; I was seriously ready to just say fuck it and call it a life at this point. I really didn't know what to do or where to turn. I have long-time (I'm talking 20-year) friends who've basically abandoned me. I can't afford to even pay for lodging or keep my vehicle running. I owe a lot of people money, which eats away at me every day. The IRS is garnishing my wages to the point that it doesn't matter how much I make. And the student loan people only aren't doing the same because the IRS has first dibs. Man. Suicide really made sense. But I decided if I was going to commit suicide, I might as just say F it and drive the truck. So I decided to drive in Monday morning for work. I went to "bed" (back of the blazer, pouring rain, getting cooler) at the campsite.
9-14-09, Monday: Well I made it. The less aid about driving an old Blazer with no brakes to work in rush-hour traffic for 15 miles, the better. My boss and I attempted to out-crappy each other at work in the morning. She was just trying to offer some advice, I think, but it felt like a lot of second-guessing. I felt like the last thing I needed was someone pointing out I'd made some bad choices that led me to where I am...no shit? What other news for me? Is the sun hot? Does pain hurt? Is it a bad idea to eat salmonella- laden food? Anyway. We both kind of uncrapped and made some peace later in the day. And a friend from work hooked me up with her husband, who is going to try and help me fix the brakes on my limited funds. He's a real good mechanic, apparently, and after speaking with him on the phone, he thinks’ he can get part's used or rebuilt fairly cheap. So, here's hoping. Anyway, back to the campsite at the lake. Rain has finally basically stopped. A little muggy, I'd guess in the high 70s. Whee.
9-11-09, Friday: Off today and tomorrow. Went to get my title transferred on Blazer to my name, and get new registration (which expired at the end of August). Is there a God? If so, what'd I do to piss him off? I found out that a) the cost of the title transfer/new registration, which I had estimated using the official website at a conservatively high of $80, would cost me around $135, and, just to top that, b) I couldn't get it yet anyway, because my inspection sticker, which was valid until the end of Feb, 2010, was from Navarro county. Of course, as we all know, Navarro County is a NON-emission county, so I have to get a new inspection sticker in Tarrant County before I can get my title transfer/registration anyway. So, $40 more for a new inspection sticker, assuming it is ready for inspection, which it isn't. The truck needs (I estimate) around $50-150 more work before it would pass a current inspection; that's assuming it would pass an emissions inspection after that, which ain't a safe bet, I'd guess, since it smells like an oil fire when it's running... So, woo-hoo, my foolish attempts to make the truck legal are stymied by the ever-vigilant bureaucracy. Since I'm looking at around $100-$200 total more than I thought, it'll have to wait. So, off to the lake to spend the night. Arrive during an apparent monsoon that missed India, so no tent. Sleep in truck, anyone? Sure, WTF.
9-12-09 Sat. Off work again, so I camped at the lake Friday night. Wet and rainy, probably low in 80's. It rained a LOT Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Many thunderstorms, I'd say several inches of rain. And I base that on ...my observations. Yep, no research whatsoever. UTA must be so proud. Went to town, stopped at storage to get some clothes to wash and put up fishing equipment, since "rain of biblical proportion" was the basic forecast, and fishing seemed out. And then more good news popped up. As I went to leave the storage facility, the brake petal made an ominous popping noise, and sank to the floorboard. The brakes seemed to be completely gone. Well, damn near, anyway. They would engage at the VERY bottom of the lowest position, just barely. So, it was cartoon "no brakes" time. What'd I do to become so lucky? It's like winning the lottery, again and again...the shit lottery, sure, but still..
So I limped to the laundry (just down the road), pumping the brakes and hoping they'd kind of snap out of it...yeah, that didn't work. So, basically, the brakes will stop me- very slowly- as long as I'm in neutral and have a few hundred feet to stop, and am not going very fast. So, to sum up, odds of a wreck? I'd say in the high 90% range, if I drive the vehicle. Choices? Very few, so I decided to try and limp to my long-time mechanic, formerly Willie's Auto, now Tilden (unsolicited plug: they are awesome. They often don't charge anything to check things; they have charged me LESS than the estimated cost many times; they are honest. I wouldn't ever go to another shop). And, I make it..barely. I explain the situation. They put the truck up on the air lift, pull the right side front & back wheels, and determine the brakes are, technically speaking, completely fucked. So much for me being able to afford a fix at this time. But, just to show you why I am loyal to them, after all this time they spent, they charged me...nothing. Yeah, try and find that at another mechanic. Man, I meant for this blog to be at least a little humorous. Sorry. So, hmm; hahahhahahaaha! Jim is screwed! SCREWED! There, that's better.
I honestly didn't know what to do at this point. So, I decided to try (boy, it seemed really suicidal, but at that point I really didn't give a rat's ass) to try and drive the 12ish miles out to the lake campsite. Yes, I'm really smart. But, I made it. In driving rain. Pounding, brake-make-much-worst-ing, rain. I really thought I was going to die. Or, at least wreck. Or, most likely, wreck AND die.
9-13-09, Sunday: I woke to slightly cooler temps and more hard rain. Yeah. So great to be alive. I tried to drive the Blazer and the brakes were basically useless. I limped (I seem to be doing that a lot lately) down the road from the campsite a couple of miles to a small bait shop/liquor store (interesting combination- it's near a lake and the edge of a dry county, so now you know why). I ALMOST converted it into a drive-through. I called my boss at work a few hours early to tell her I wasn't going to risk it. She grilled me pretty hard. She wasn't in a good mood. She also pointed out that it wasn't good to let my brakes get this bad....I really like her- she's a great person when you get to know her, and very caring, despite facing a lot of really tough situations in her personal life. But I really didn't need that advice...Maybe she thought I should have spent all my extra money on brakes, instead of all the stock market investing I've been doing. Seriously, she knows I haven't even been able to afford to keep myself in lodging, let alone have work done on the car. But WTF. I haven't been the best employee lately. But work hasn't exactly been the best employer lately, either. I'll explain that another time, imaginary reader. Well I had one guy I used to work with who thought initially after I talked to him yesterday that he might be able to improve the brakes a little by tinkering. He couldn't. After I told him in more detail today what all Tilden's said was wrong, he said he couldn't think of anything that would help, short of repair.
Alright, I'm trying not to let this get too serious. I really meant for this blog to be a place for me to do a fun little journal-type-thing, and digress into things I'm interested in either in a major way or for the moment. But I gotta tell you; I was seriously ready to just say fuck it and call it a life at this point. I really didn't know what to do or where to turn. I have long-time (I'm talking 20-year) friends who've basically abandoned me. I can't afford to even pay for lodging or keep my vehicle running. I owe a lot of people money, which eats away at me every day. The IRS is garnishing my wages to the point that it doesn't matter how much I make. And the student loan people only aren't doing the same because the IRS has first dibs. Man. Suicide really made sense. But I decided if I was going to commit suicide, I might as just say F it and drive the truck. So I decided to drive in Monday morning for work. I went to "bed" (back of the blazer, pouring rain, getting cooler) at the campsite.
9-14-09, Monday: Well I made it. The less aid about driving an old Blazer with no brakes to work in rush-hour traffic for 15 miles, the better. My boss and I attempted to out-crappy each other at work in the morning. She was just trying to offer some advice, I think, but it felt like a lot of second-guessing. I felt like the last thing I needed was someone pointing out I'd made some bad choices that led me to where I am...no shit? What other news for me? Is the sun hot? Does pain hurt? Is it a bad idea to eat salmonella- laden food? Anyway. We both kind of uncrapped and made some peace later in the day. And a friend from work hooked me up with her husband, who is going to try and help me fix the brakes on my limited funds. He's a real good mechanic, apparently, and after speaking with him on the phone, he thinks’ he can get part's used or rebuilt fairly cheap. So, here's hoping. Anyway, back to the campsite at the lake. Rain has finally basically stopped. A little muggy, I'd guess in the high 70s. Whee.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sept. 8, 2009 Retroactively posted crap
Well here it is. The first post. Too bad it'll probably be real hastily done drivel. So, an update on where I find myself: I can't afford a place to live right now, so I am going to camp out at a nearby lake campground (name withheld to protect....well, for no good reason) until I can find someone renting a room who doesn't:
1) think their room is the equivalent of a really nice apartment, and expect credit history, rent, and deposit to match
2) have a bunch of serious crazy in their brain and want to proposition, threaten, corrupt, or kill and eat me
3) live so far away that my serious beater of a vehicle (I mean SERIOUS beater; I have the kind of old, 1991, worn-out, POS that will make you walk to your car and just hold it for awhile in appreciation) has some chance of making it to work and back without dying in a week
4) have a room that costs too much for me right now...which means that it is priced in the range of a value meal of some kind
Yes, I am in the shit finacially right now. Who's fault? Everyone has excuses, but mine of course. I am behind with the IRS and student loans, and I don't make much as it is; of course, with the wage garnishment, I think I rank right around the yearly income of most Somalian substience farmers. Someone must be so proud somewhere right now...
I'll continue this on later posts. So sorry, or look forward to it, however.
1) think their room is the equivalent of a really nice apartment, and expect credit history, rent, and deposit to match
2) have a bunch of serious crazy in their brain and want to proposition, threaten, corrupt, or kill and eat me
3) live so far away that my serious beater of a vehicle (I mean SERIOUS beater; I have the kind of old, 1991, worn-out, POS that will make you walk to your car and just hold it for awhile in appreciation) has some chance of making it to work and back without dying in a week
4) have a room that costs too much for me right now...which means that it is priced in the range of a value meal of some kind
Yes, I am in the shit finacially right now. Who's fault? Everyone has excuses, but mine of course. I am behind with the IRS and student loans, and I don't make much as it is; of course, with the wage garnishment, I think I rank right around the yearly income of most Somalian substience farmers. Someone must be so proud somewhere right now...
I'll continue this on later posts. So sorry, or look forward to it, however.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)