Update Central

Just gonna provide a few quickie updates, as I don't have a whole lot to write about on any one subject:

First off, I have my car back. The mechanics couldn't find anything wrong with it, after more than 24 hours. The best they could do was reset my light and charge me $34 for it. Ah well, I guess it's better than finding that my car needs a new engine.

Been interested in the NBA playoffs, as each of my family's teams made the cut this year: My Washington Wizards, Brandon's Dallas Mavericks, and Jason's Sacramento Kings. I'm not usually as big into basketball as I am into football, but I picked the Washington Bullets as my team years ago, and I feel obligated to root them on still, even though it took me many years to get used to the name "Wizards".

Been starting to add some more photos to my flickr account, though they're all of me so far. Hey, who would want to look at anything else anyway? ;-)

Started studying up for my Net+ certification again, which I hope to get in the next month or two. It probably won't land me a raise at my current employer, but I'm going to have to move up ( or on ) at some point, so I might as well start getting ready.

Speaking of work related stuff, my boss is interested in my designing him a web enabled database which tracks an interpersonal networking business of his. He's not offering much of any pay for it, saying instead that it would be a building block into doing similar work for my company, instead of cleaning adware/spyware or building new computers. On the whole it sounds nice, but I'm afraid of my work being marginalized. I'm certainly not going to write database frontends in PHP for $12/hour. I can't say exactly what the market will allow for, but I know it's higher than that. Oh well, that's a bridge I can cross when I get there.

Check Engine

Every morning when I go to work, I've noticed that my car idles a little rough for the first two or three minutes before it smoothes out. It's never really been a big deal, and it only seems to happen in the mornings. Well, this morning the idle was a little rougher than usual, but the car still got up and ran. However, about a quarter of a mile from my place, I noticed the check engine light was on. D'oh!

Check Engine is about the scariest light your car can show you because you never know what you're gonna get into. It could be as simple as a bad sensor, or as complicated as an overhaul. The engine sounded like it was running okay, but it's better to be safe than sorry, so I called my brother and boss and let them know that I was headed straight to the Toyota dealership.

Dropped it off, signed some papers, blah blah blah, etcetera etcetera. Got Brandon to pick me up and take me to work, and it was no big deal. Now, besides finding something minor wrong or something major wrong, there exists a third possibe diagnosis: they can't find anything wrong. That is where I am right now.

The specific error code from the OBC was "Multiple Misfires", which indicates that there were several misfires in several of the chambers in a short period of time. The mechanics' first impression was that there might be water in my gas, but after drawing some out and testing it, it looked good. The only thing we can try to do is let the car sit overnight again, and the mechanics will give it one more try in the morning. That way they're simulating my environment exactly.

All that is great, except that it leaves me without a car, which is a semi-sickening feeling. I don't really have to go anywhere tonight, but there's a certain sense of security in knowing that it's there for you to use if you need it.

Easter Ramblings

Just spent the weekend engaged in assorted activities with my beloved family, and it's been a blast. Lots of weight lifting and basketball ( Me and my bro Jason beat the better and in shape Brad and Brandon in a close 2 on 2 matchup ), eating, talking, driving all over metro Decatur on various errands, and just plain ol' taking it easy.

I weighed in at 293lb this week. Not as huge a drop as the first few months of my fitness revival, but there was a week or two lately where I wasn't very strict on my food plan. At least it's moving in the right direction, and with my strength training focus of late, it won't be long before I can sit on my butt and still lose weight.

I'm working on getting a bunch of old family photos uploaded to my flickr account, for anyone who might want to look in on them soon. Since these photos will include people other than myself, I'm going to restrict access to friends and family who have flickr accounts of their own. If you want access, drop me a line and I'll add you as a friend.

Haven't updated progress on my aquarium in a while, but I did get my new lights installed. They make the tank look gorgeous, with a nice actinic blue hue over the whole thing. All my corals and fish are very healthy and have adjusted to the lights well. I've also added two blue legged hermit crabs, several more snails, and a blood shrimp. Still haven't named the shrimp, so if anyone would like to make a suggestion please do.

Chaiyya Chaiyya

This addictive Bollywood song was remixed and used as the opening theme for The Inside Man. Awesome song for an awesome movie. Don't watch the video if Hindi music scares you.

I Miss Driving

I really do. Of course I have a car, and it does get me from point A to B. The problem is that it's a utility to get me from point A to B, and not a glorious portal into an adrenaline fueled state of being. That might sound like complete bunk to anyone who's never been there, but it exists.

My last car, a BMW 325e was a junker in many ways: The windows didn't work well, the seats were broken, the lower control arms were shot, the windshield was cracked, the AC didn't work, etc. It was in rough shape, and was fast becoming a money pit. However, that baby could get up and move with little coaxing. The tires' camber was aggressive, allowing me to hug corners at speeds that make minivans flip. What it lacked in top speed, it more than make up for it in raw torque. I was rarely beaten off the line.

It wasn't about going fast though. I rarely did more than 15 over the limit. It was about being in absolute control. The car did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it. It was like being one step closer to a 60mph cheetah.

Now, in my reliable, hearty Toyota, I feel like a passenger. I'm telling the car where to go, but I don't feel like I'm really in control. It's almost like I have to ask permission. "May I please turn left here?" It doesn't feel like my feet are on the pavement anymore.

Boy, I sure do miss driving.

American Entertainment

So I was driving my brother home tonight after a good workout, and we had just picked up some dinner. Westbound on Beltline Rd., just cruising, chatting, and we had the local Top 40 station, WZYP on the radio. For many years I've been a music snob and would distance myself from Top 40 stuff because, well, I just couldn't stand it. However, over the last few months there have been enough good songs floating around out there for me to keep listening to the radio.

Anyway, the DJ comes on and he has a caller on the line who wants to know if her boyfriend/fiancee/husband is cheating on her. So the DJ calls his cell phone number and pretends to be from freshroses.com, and goes into a pitch about how this guy has won a free dozen roses and he can have them shipped anywhere. The guy asks a few questions, weary of whether this is a scam or not, but the DJ has all his bases covered and convinces the guy that it's genuine. Sure enough, the guy asks to have them sent to someone else, his woman speaks up and makes her presence known, and four minutes of awkwardness ensues.

Now, this guy is obviously a jerk. He needs to be humiliated for being such a chump. However, I'm puzzled over how this makes for good radio. I mean, I wasn't involved at all and I was embarrassed. If anything, this made me want to change the channel, not listen on. How is this kind of thing helping their ratings?

I think I'm going to find that the answer lies in a shift between my values and the values of most Americans. We're talking about the same mentality that allows shows like Jerry Springer and Tom Green to continue on. People seem to genuinely enjoy the misery and suffering of others. Like a bad car wreck on the side of the road, they can't help but slow down to take a closer look.

This is a disturbing trend, and though I've long known about it, tonight's radio broadcast really hit it home for me. There's no need to go back to the Andy Griffith Show, but c'mon people, show some class.