So, this past week with Lexie's parents has been really neat for me. Poor Lex had to work during the days while her parents were here, so I got to spend a lot of time with them, and we had some pretty neat experiences. Wednesday morning we went down to the beach and were walking along and saw something in the waves, so we watched for a minute and it turned out to be a small pod of orcas!! So we hopped in the car and went down to Depoe Bay to the whale watching station there and struck gold - there were 3 or 4 gray whales in the area feeding, and we got several good looks at them. They weren't supposed to be there this time of year - usually they'd be further north, but we got really lucky, as I said. And then, yesterday, Lexie and her parents went for a walk and I came along later. They asked if I saw the car (I didn't). It was a local wildlife rescue rehabilitating a beaver. Anyway, we came back from Astoria today and saw the car there, so Kathy and I walked out to see Bubbles (the beaver), and although she was already loaded in the car, they opened it up for us to see her and I got to pet her, and it was awesome. More to follow.

I was going to post pictures of our new-to-us car here, but the original craigslist post has been removed and I haven't gone out with the camera, so....sorry. Here are some pics of the same car, just not the exact car:

Ours isn't quite as clean and has a few minor scuffs and dents, but the color and body style are captured.  Alas, I was unable to find pictures of the interior, but it's a darkish red color and in pretty good condition.  It currently has 218.7k on it and still pulling strong.

In other news, for those of you who don't know, my parents moved to Boston (for work) and left the packing up and cleaning of the house to me.  To be honest, they hired to do it.  Anywhoo, I turned over the last set of keys yesterday.  It is 100% done.  YAY!!  Many thanks to Jasmine and Mandi for their help.

Also, Lexie's parents are here for the week.  We've been for a drive down the coast (on our way home) and walked on the beach so far.  More to follow - at some point.

Time for another "Does it really matter?" blog entry. Why? Because it has been too long since the last entry. There isn't anything much to say, but saying there isn't much to say is saying more than nothing, eh? Besides, an empty blog is BORING. Not that I'm saying this post won't be boring, but it's got words doesn't it? And maybe a picture, somewhere.


Tomorrow (Monday) will be my last official day at my current job. They're willing to keep me on the payroll and have me come back (as I can) when they need help or their primary warehouseman is gone on vacation. Which is cool - I like working there. Not so much the drive, though.


Yesterday I spent 5 hours in a classroom at Linn-Benton Community College training to become a certified flagger. And yes, I did pass.

Well, I meant to post this on Sunday, but as you can see, that didn't happen. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to tack on some extra stuff. My last day went pretty well, it was way busy the whole day but it was fun. I got a lot done (I feel like), and my friends there were really nice to me. Karen and Cherin got me a card and a coconut cream pie ice cream cake from Coldstone, and Tim and Cindy gave me an acknowledgement and a bonus. I'm going to miss them there, good times, good people.

It's been awhile since I posted, and I guess it's about time for another one. Just for updates, my biggest piece of news is we got a shotgun a little over a week ago. It took a few days before we could get out and shoot it, but it was great. I just got back a little while ago from shooting it again (with my dad this time). Hit plenty, but more often than not it wasn't what we were aiming at. In other news I've been reduced at work to a part-time citiz - er, employee. It's kinda nice, but it's also boring having so much time on my hands. And the reduced income is definitely NOT cool. But at least I still have a job, so I can't complain too too much. Now I'm sitting here watching Lexie play DDR and writing this blog, but I think I'm gonna go do a crossword now, so tootaloo.

Bad mood

So, as you probably guessed from the title, I'm in a bad mood. A very bad mood. Without going into too many details as to what caused it, work sucked, and people who (imho) can't drive and think they can are really good triggers. That was the spark and the kindling. From there, the inferno raged until it had spread to such mundane things as my inability to type being the fault of the computer/internet. But, I'm not here to rage so much about those things as I am about matters of state.

First off, I am angry and disgusted with U.S. companies (more like particular industries). First up are banks. How the HELL do you justify an aggregate of $18 billion to CEOs for a "job well done" when 1) job WASN'T well done and 2) that money came from taxpayers in the form of bailout money? WTF? Where can I sign up to be a CEO for a chance to run an industry into the ground for a $10 million bonus, plus $400k a year while doing it?

Second up are car companies, specifically the Big Three. They're asking for bailout money (again) because they manufacture crap, sell crap, and *GASP* people aren't buying it anymore. It would be one thing if they were making cars and out of nowhere Japanese vehicle makers came into the U.S. market with - I dunno, flying saucers or something. But that's not how it went. The Big Three must have had some inkling that sooner or later, people would get tired of buying crappy cars, and that sooner or later fuel economy and emissions standards were going to have to go WAY up, but rather than preparing for these inevitabilities, they sat on their duffs and did the same damn thing year after year until sales drop and they have to go to the government for aid or they'll go out of business. Hold on, I think I see McDonald's getting in the bailout line - they ran out of kangaroos.

Well, as these things go, the fire has consumed all the readily available fuel and is now just a pile of smoking ashes in the corner. So, this is the end of this blog. But I'll be back, never you fear. Until then, peace be with you, and if that doesn't work, pieces be unto you.

So, a new year is begun, another year ended. Looking back, it's kinda...the same. A lot has happened to the point it has downplayed most of the other stuff such as Halloween, Christmas, and New Years. It's just hard to wrap my head around so many splendiforous events, so I defaulted to focusing on the events that are really big to me - namely getting married. It's hard to remember much else - we moved, got new jobs, started a new life, and the slate has been wiped clean so to speak.
I guess at this point I should make some New Years' Resolutions, but I'm so perfect I just can't think of any...oh wait, that's my other half. Let's see, I think the biggest thing I want to work on is not being such a procrastinator. I'll start tomorrow. The other thing (and I've improved a lot already) is not getting so annoyed at the other people on the road. I'll come up with more as the year progresses, but that works for me for now.
Right then, cheerio. I'd say see ya next year, but I put it off too long... ;)

It would appear that I have slacked off somewhat in my goal to be a regular blogger. Oh well, that's how life goes. Work's going good - I've been on my own for 2 days now and nothing has come to a screeching halt. Well, kindof, but it's because of the weather, not something I did. Monday I took my mentor to the airport, and Tuesday the company paid me to take the COO and his family to the airport. I like this job. Seriously though, it's a really good job. I can show up pretty much anytime in the morning (or afternoon), leave just about whenever I want, everybody's friends, and it's just nice to go to work.

We've been steadily getting unpacked and organized (mostly thanks to Lex), and I've started commuting more and more from Rockaway. I haven't done the round trip in one day yet, but I'm getting closer. The highways closest to us were closed Monday, so I had to drive ~140 miles up through Astoria and down into Portland that way. It took me four and a half hours, which isn't bad considering 90% of the way was packed snow/ice. Fortunately the highways opened up again and I was able to go back to Rockaway and get Lexie for Christmas.